RAID: Shadow Legends Beginner Guide (2026)
Everything a new player needs for the first weeks: the core loop, what to do on your first days, which starter champions to pick, and how progression works.
How to play RAID: Shadow Legends
RAID: Shadow Legends is a collection RPG with 800+ playable Champions and 8 game modes. The core loop is simple to describe and deep to master:
- Progress through the Campaign, unlocking stages and earning rewards.
- Rank up and level champions to make your team stronger.
- Equip artifacts to improve stats — see the Artifacts guide.
- Take your team into dungeons, the Clan Boss, the Arena and other modes for better loot.
Most of the game is this loop: farm, upgrade, push further, repeat. The skill is deciding what to farm and what to build at each stage of your account.
Your first days
The game guides you through an opening tutorial that explains the basics. In your first days, focus on:
- Following the tutorial and early quests — they hand out resources.
- Building one solid team rather than leveling everything at once.
- Using your daily energy and completing the daily quests.
- Collecting login rewards every day, even if you only play briefly.
There is no wrong way to spend the first few days, but players who focus a single team early progress noticeably faster than players who spread resources thin.
Starter champions
Early on you will choose between a few starter champions and later unlock more through shards, login rewards and events. Generic advice applies to almost any starter:
- Pick a champion that deals damage and one that keeps the team alive.
- A starter that can farm the Campaign alone saves you time for months.
- Do not judge starters by rarity — a well-built common pick often beats a neglected rare one.
Specific starter rankings shift between updates, so check the current in-game values and recent community opinions before committing resources.
F2P vs spending
RAID: Shadow Legends is free to play: the Steam version is Free To Play and the App Store listing is Free, both published by Plarium Global Ltd. The game contains optional in-game purchases that speed up progression — more energy, more shards, more resources — but nothing in the core game is locked behind payment.
Free players can reach every mode. The real difference is time: spending compresses the grind, not the content. Play at your own pace and treat purchases as a convenience, never a requirement.
Progression goals
A useful way to think about the first months is in loose milestones. The exact timeline varies by how much you play:
- First week: complete the Campaign on Normal, unlock your main game modes.
- First month: get a full team to max rank and farm decent artifacts.
- Two to three months: start pushing dungeons on higher difficulties and contributing to Clan Boss fights daily.
After that, progression becomes about optimization: speed tuning, better gear sets and filling gaps in your roster for specific modes.
Milestones, daily and weekly tasks
The game runs a set of recurring tasks — daily quests, weekly quests and milestone-style rewards — that refresh on a regular cycle. Their exact contents change between updates, but the pattern is stable: log in, complete objectives, collect rewards, repeat.
Treat these tasks as a gentle progression guide. Completing them consistently is the most reliable source of free resources in the game, especially for free-to-play accounts.
FAQ
Common questions about this topic.
How do you play RAID: Shadow Legends?
The core loop is: progress through the Campaign, rank up and level your champions, equip artifacts, then take your team into dungeons, Clan Boss, Arena and other modes. See the how-to-play section above for the full breakdown.
Is there a 2026 beginner guide?
This guide is updated for 2026 and covers the parts of the game that stay stable between updates. For details that change — like specific starter rankings — check the current in-game values.
Which starter should I pick?
Prefer a starter that can farm the Campaign alone and one that supports the team. Specific picks shift between updates, so treat recent community opinions as the tie-breaker.
Can you play free-to-play?
Yes — the game is officially free to play on Steam and mobile. Spending only speeds up progression; every mode is reachable without paying.
What should a new player focus on?
Build one solid team, complete daily tasks, collect login rewards and push the Campaign. Consistency beats intensity in the early game.