When to level up in TFT
The numbers come from high elo:
Set 18 Patch 18.5 77,232 high-elo games Games from 6 Oct to 20 Oct
Your level decides how many units you can have on the board: one per level. On top of that, the higher your level, the more likely the shop is to offer you expensive units, which are the ones that usually win long games. So leveling up buys you strength now (one more unit) and strength later (better shops).
How you level up
You gain XP automatically every round, and you can also buy it: 4 gold gets you 4 XP. That gold comes from the same pool as rolling and interest, so leveling up always competes with the other two options (see the economy guide).
What level each placement ends at
| Final placement | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | 7th | 8th |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Final level (average) | 8.9 | 8.7 | 8.5 | 8.3 | 8.1 | 8.0 | 7.9 | 7.6 |
The top four finish at level 8.6 on average. The gap between 1st and 8th is more than one level: in high elo, level is one of the biggest things separating winners from early exits (though partly it’s a consequence: whoever survives more rounds has more time to level).
It depends on your comp
Not every comp wants the same level. Of the 530 comps in the tier list, 200 usually end at level 9 and 72 stay at level 7 or lower.
- High-level comps: their carry is expensive and they need level 8-9 shops. For example, Adaptor · Ivern, Invoker · Ashe and Spellweaver · Lux.
- Low-level comps (reroll): they aim to 3-star cheap units and don’t need as much level. For example, Defender · Lillia, Spellweaver · Ornn and Vanguard · Murkwolf. More in the rolling guide.
Every comp page shows its typical final level so you know what level to aim for.
How TFT Coach helps
In My matches, if you finished more than half a level below the high elo average for your placement, it flags it; if you finished above, it counts it as a good call. In the in-game coach you enter your level and it warns you if you have more units on the board than it allows.