Hero's Path Walkthrough: Even Newbies Can Consistently Farm 5+ Stars – All Key Tips Explained

If you’ve been getting destroyed by real players in PVP lately, just like me, and you want a mode where you don’t have to fight real people head-on but still get to watch your deck get stronger and stronger, then Path of Champions in Legends of Runeterra is definitely your best bet right now—it has the perfect pace to play as your main mode, not too draining but still super rewarding:
All you need to do is pick a champion, start with a pre-built deck, go through various encounters, collect boons, buy new cards, pick up passive abilities, and finally take on the final boss. That “adventure + deck progression” rush is basically a card game version of Roguelike, and you’ll just keep playing one run after another nonstop.

I. Introduction & Game Overview

A. Core Introduction

Essentially, Path of Champions is a card game version of Roguelike: pick a champion, pair with relics, follow your unique adventure route, use boons you pick up along the way to make your deck bigger and stronger, and absolutely crush the final boss!

B. Game Background & PVE Mode

Path of Champions is a dedicated PVE adventure mode in Legends of Runeterra: You start with a pre-made deck, earn corresponding rewards after each encounter, and randomly come across shops, healing stations, and various random event nodes along the way—your ultimate goal is to defeat the final boss.
Plus, there are two core structures you need to understand first in this mode:

1. Worlds Adventure: This is the general map and challenge route—most champions can adventure here, and it’s not tied to any specific champion.

2. Champion Campaign: Each champion has their own unique campaign route, you can only play with that specific champion, and even the rewards are tied to that champion, which makes it super unique.

If you’re a new player just starting out, I really recommend playing Path of Champions as your main PVE mode: first use this mode to level up the basics like champions, relics, and resource pools. When you eventually jump into PVP after that, you’ll feel way more confident and won’t be flying blind like a headless chicken.

II. Champion Basics & Selection Guide

A. Champion Unlocking & Selection

The "champions" in Path of Champions are totally different from the champions you get from card packs—each champion has their own unique progression line in this mode, including levels, star ranks, abilities, relic slots, etc. You need to level them up gradually to make them stronger.

New players, don’t just ask "who’s the strongest" when choosing a champion—you should first think about "how do I want to win" instead. After playing, I roughly split the champions into four different playstyles. Matching your own gaming habits will make a huge difference in your experience:

1. Aggressive Burst Type: I love fast pace! I love killing enemies in seconds!

   • Feature: Once your deck gets going, it’s super common to end a game in 3-5 turns, total rush!

   • Con: If you run into cards with restriction effects, or miss key draws, you can easily collapse and have no way to come back.

2. Control & Delay Type: I’m not in a hurry, I want to limit all your moves first, then take my time.

   • Feature: Super stable, high error tolerance, great for high-star adventures, perfect for slow-play players.

   • Con: Games take longer, sometimes it feels like "going to work," not good for impatient people.

3. Fielding Snowball Type: I steadily build up my board every turn, then suddenly, you’re dead.

   • Feature: Super fun experience, strong sense of progression, watching your board grow gives tons of satisfaction.

   • Con: Most afraid of board-clearing spells, or effects that "kill two units at once"—easy to get wiped in one turn.

4. Combo Mechanic Type: I just need to draw

If you’re holding those core cards, you can just concede.

• Features: Insane ceiling, feels like performing card acrobatics—total thrill ride.

• Drawbacks: Newbies often bloat their deck so much they can’t pull the core combo cards, ending up with a bunch of random useless cards that make winning really hard.

If you’re totally lost on who to pick at the start, here’s a super practical, not-at-all-romantic tip:

Start with a "steady, reliable hero" as your main carry, slowly stacking resources and relics; once your relic and shard pool are big enough, then you can try all kinds of flashy plays.
After all, the difficulty in Heroic Path often doesn’t come from being a "god-tier player"—it comes from proper system progression + equipping relics correctly. Building a solid foundation is the real key to winning.

B. Hero Strength Evaluation

I usually judge how strong a hero is based on five core metrics:

Core Card Density: Are the cards that decide whether you win or lose already included in the pre-made deck, or do you have to fish for them through random reward pulls?

Star Power Transformation: Some heroes are like toys at 1-star, become must-play powerhouses at 2-star, and only feel truly overpowered at 3-star. Others need to reach 3-star to feel like they’re really playable.

Relic Synergy: Can relics make up for your hero’s weaknesses?

High-Star Environment Adaptability: Once you level a hero to 4-star and above, can they handle all the annoying negative affixes and harsh mechanics?

Also, a quick note for new players who started playing after 2024: Heroic Path later added a higher-tier progression system. Some heroes get ridiculously broken once you invest enough resources into them. So if you plan to play long-term, prioritize a main hero that can farm resources consistently—then level up the hero you love the most, the one you’re willing to put high star power into. That way, you won’t give up halfway through, and you’ll be able to say to yourself "I just love this hero!"

III. Relic System & Gear Setup

A. Relic Basics

Relics in Heroic Path are basically "passive gear": Equip them to get stat boosts or special effects, and they will completely change your playstyle and the pace of your entire run.

A common newbie misunderstanding is:

"Relics = more attack and defense, the more you equip, the stronger you are"
But actually, the real value of many relics is in "changing your opening pace and rhythm"—like helping you draw key cards faster, hit your expected timeline earlier, or stay stable in the first few turns of a run where you’re most likely to fall.

In other words: Relics aren’t just decorative gear—they’re core strategy for the start of your run.

B. Relic Recommendations & Combinations

I won’t make some "X relic is the strongest" lists here—those go out of date as soon as the meta changes, they’re not reliable. Instead, here are 6 universal build ideas so you can tell right away if a relic works for you, no matter what you pull.

1) Early Game Stability

Goal: Don’t die in the first 3 turns and still have plays to make.
Good for heroes: Pre-made decks with a slow pace, or heroes that need time to set up their field or combo chains.

2) Pace Acceleration

Goal: Bring your hero’s power spike earlier.
Good for heroes: Burst damage heroes, face-push heroes, heroes that get an early advantage.

3) Card Draw & Filter

Goal: Boost core card density so your deck isn’t cluttered and you don’t fail to draw the core cards.
Good for heroes: Heroes that rely on combo chains, specific spells, or units.

4) Sustain & Survival

Goal: Heal, reduce damage, and survive the boss’s big burst.
Good for heroes: Heroes that don’t have built-in healing or shields—this is super important in high-star runs with lots of negative affixes.

5) Board Clear & Control

Goal: Stop the enemy from flooding the field and killing you instantly.
Good for heroes: Decks that lack built-in board clear or hard removal skills.

6) Snowball Progression

Goal: Turn small buffs into a massive advantage.
Good for heroes: Field-setup heroes, summoners, or heroes that can trigger certain effects repeatedly.

 

Thinking along these 6 approaches is way more practical than memorizing tier lists.

IV. Deck & Card System

A. Deck Building Basics

The best part of Hero's Path is that you don't stick to one fixed deck from start to finish—instead, you "modify your deck step by step" as you adventure. After every encounter, the game gives you a reward to pick: new cards, card upgrades, passive skills, gold, stuff like that.

New players' most common mistake is:

"I'll grab every gold or rare card—they look super OP anyway"
Result: Your deck gets messy, draws feel inconsistent, you can't pull your core key cards, and the final boss totally destroys you.

So here's a key mindset to set first: In Hero's Path, a bigger deck isn't stronger. A deck that actually executes your plan is what makes it powerful.

B. Deck Optimization

Rule #1: Before adding any card, ask yourself: "Does this fit my deck's core plan?"

"Is this part of my plan to climb and win, or just a tempting distraction?"

Rule #2: Your deck needs a "backbone"—otherwise, you're just relying on luck to clear stages

I like to break an adventure deck into 4 core backbone parts:

You don't need every part to be super fancy, but you have to have all of these. Otherwise, the whole run will be just luck-based.

Rule #3: When choosing from shop or upgrade options, don't only optimize for "max damage". Prioritize upgrading the key cards you use the most

So many people impulsively pick a card just because it gains +2 damage when upgraded. But first, confirm two things:

In Hero's Path, getting stronger sometimes isn't about dealing more damage. It's about drawing your key cards more consistently.

V. Hero Levels & Ascension System

A. Hero XP & Leveling

In Hero's Path, your hero unlocks more game features as they level up.

New players must remember:
Hero level is the key to whether your overall gameplay feels smooth.
Many heroes feel clunky, slow, or off-beat at low levels. That doesn't always mean they're weak—it's just that you haven't unlocked their growth abilities yet.

B. Star Rank Ascension

Star rank ascension is the most powerful source of big changes in Hero's Path:

Later higher-tier star power/constellation upgrades will push your hero's potential even further.

Here's a super practical star-up strategy:

 

VI. Encounter and Dungeon Strategies

A. Encounter Breakdown

Encounters are grid-like battle nodes scattered across adventure maps. Win, and you'll get rewards; lose, and you might risk losing all progress made so far in the entire adventure.

New players don't need to focus on "how to beat small mobs" first—they need to master "how to use small mobs to power themselves up". I usually categorize Encounters into three key purposes:

If you just grab random cards and pick paths carelessly, you’ll hit a wall before the boss: "Hmm I have a bit of everything, but nothing actually works." Then the boss will ruthlessly teach you a lesson: Deck strength doesn’t come from quantity—it comes from focus and reliability.

B. Boss Fights and Challenges

1) Before Facing the Boss: Use a Quick Checklist

Before every boss fight, I quickly ask myself 5 questions:

If you can’t answer 2-3 of these, you’re probably going to struggle hard against the boss.

2) Boss Fights: Don’t Be Greedy—Stabilize First, Then Finish

Many bosses set traps that make you think, "One more turn and I’ll take them down!"—don’t fall for that. Bosses in Hero’s Path love pulling moves like, "You think you’ve won? Wait till my next attack wipes your whole team." One wrong move, and you’re done.

My go-to habits for boss fights are:

3) Don’t Fear "Wasting Time" Taking Detours: Sometimes Shops or Heals Beat Rushing Nodes

A new player’s biggest mistake is rushing every battle node they see, burning through all their health, and wiping when they shouldn’t. Instead, think of every path as a valuable resource:

Surviving to the boss is what matters most!
Hero’s Path isn’t a race—why rush?

VII. World Adventures and Hero Campaigns

A. World Adventure Strategies

World Adventure is like your personal "all-purpose training ground"—perfect for practicing hero skills, farming resources, or testing new decks.
My advice for new players on World Adventure:

B. Hero Campaign System Overview

Hero Campaigns are individual adventure lines unique to each hero. You can usually only do one at a time—you have to finish the first one to unlock the next.

I recommend approaching Hero Campaigns in two ways:

 

VIII. Hero Level & Progression Planning Guide

A. Quick Level-Up Tips

To level up fast, you need to stick to 3 core rules:

B. Progression Planning Reference

Personally, I split the progress in Hero's Path into 3 phases. You can check where you stand now:

Phase 1: You understand the mechanics, but can't reliably clear runs

Goal: Build your own criteria for "which cards to pick, which route to take, which rewards to grab"
Key: Don't take every card you see, and don't force your deck to hit 40 cards every run.

Phase 2: You can consistently clear runs, but have low upper limits

Goal: Level up your main hero to key star ranks, and get strong relics equipped
Key: Start practicing boss-specific strategies, and prepare ahead of time.

Phase 3: You have enough upper limit, now it's time to experiment

Goal: Try different heroes, test out different builds—speed builds, control builds, combo builds, whatever you want to try
Key: Now you can go for "faster clear times", "more fun experiences", and "flashy plays".

IX. Resources & Rewards System

A. Hero Shard Acquisition

B. Proper Shard Planning

Hero shards are the core materials for leveling up hero stars and unlocking higher growth paths! The biggest pitfall for new players is leveling shards as soon as you get them—they pick whatever hero can be leveled right away, end up leveling heroes you barely use to high stars, while your main hero gets stuck, which is a total loss.
I think the most logical way to plan shards is using "Return on Investment (ROI)":

B. XP & Gold Acquisition

In Hero's Path, gold is the core resource for late-game shops—you need it for combat cards, upgrade items, and key tools.
But new players often waste gold randomly:

My fixed gold priority order when playing is:

X. Advanced Heroes & Hidden Content

A. Hidden Hero Unlocks

While playing runs in Hero's Path, you'll definitely run into some hidden unlock points that aren't super obvious—they might be from specific events, hidden quests, or unlocking when you meet certain progress conditions.
My super simple tip for new players:

Never go out of your way to chase a hidden hero,

Messing up your original resource plan is totally not worth it.

B. Advanced Gameplay Tips

I think when it comes to this game, the only core difference between new players and veterans is:

Before starting an adventure, veterans already have their core strategy figured out.

New players? They usually play it by ear—they just use whatever cards they get.
Veterans don’t do that:

If you want to slowly get that veteran’s mindset, I suggest doing a super quick post-play review after every adventure:

XI. Version Updates & Balance Adjustments

A. Current Patch Info

The content of "Hero Road" is adjusted with every patch—adding new heroes, optimizing systems, and even unlocking higher-tier growth routes are all common.
So when you look at any game guide, remember this key point:
The most valuable part of a guide isn’t "what’s the current tier of a certain hero"—it’s "the core logic for judging strength."

B. Meta Analysis

No matter how the meta shifts, if you stick to these 4 rules, you won’t get left behind:

This logic works no matter how the meta changes—it never fails.

XII. FAQs & Advanced Guides

A. New Player Confusions

Q1: My deck is getting bigger and bigger, but why am I doing worse?
A: Because you’re diluting the ratio of your core cards! Hero Road isn’t a stamp collection contest—your deck should be like a well-oiled machine that executes your pre-planned strategy. Before adding a new card, ask yourself: does this fit my core plan, or is it just tempting me to bring it in?

Q2: I always die to the final boss, but I get through all the earlier stages smoothly—what’s going on?
A: The earlier fights you’re facing are "general matches," while the boss is a targeted test... The core challenges of boss fights usually come down to a few key skills you might be missing: hard-removal abilities, area clearing, or sustain. Before entering a boss fight, try going through my "5 Self-Check Points" I put together—this will drastically boost your clear rate.

Q3: How do I build relics properly?
A: Don’t rush to copy someone else’s setup right away. First, see what your hero is lacking: if consistency is low, pick stability-focused relics; if you need more card draw, go for draw relics; if survival is your issue, prioritize defensive relics. Relics exist to support your strategy—they’re never just for show.

B. Advanced Player Improvement Guide

Once you can consistently clear mid-to-high difficulty Star-level adventures, I recommend locking in these 3 "push your limits" goals:

C. Patch Change Survival Tips

You just need to remember these two

Here’s the core idea to keep in mind:

Instead of blindly chasing various tier lists, focus on these three things first:

XIII. Community Resources & Official Channels

A. Official Channels

If you want to look up the rules for Hero’s Path, hero campaign mechanics, or detailed guides for any system, the most reliable sources are definitely the official support page and official patch notes.

B. Player Communities & Guide Resources

The most valuable parts of player communities are:

But be careful: Community-shared content often mixes info from different patches and system stages, so when you check a guide, you must first confirm:
Does this guide match the current patch you’re playing?

C. Game Perks & Event Participation

Hero’s Path content is often tied to event quests, battle pass mechanics, or periodic challenge modes.
Here’s my tip:

Whether you’re having a smooth and fun time in Hero’s Path doesn’t actually depend on how good the cards you draw are—it depends on whether you’ve done these three things:

Follow this logic, and you’ll see:

1. 1. Start Consistency: Can your hero get started on your terms, not relying on luck? For example, some heroes get an early field setup or clear without needing key cards first—this is what high consistency means.

   • If it helps you hit your win condition faster: Grab it.

   • If it only looks cool but waters down your core deck focus: Don't take it.

   1. Engine: The part that lets you take more actions each turn

   2. Main Damage Source: What will you use to win? Field swarms? Burst damage? Damage over time?

   3. Board Clear: How do you handle when your opponent fills the board? What about their high-threat big minions?

   4. Survival: How do you heal when your HP drops too fast? How do you get through the opponent's burst attacks?

   • Do you play this card every game?

   • Or is your go-to actually the core card that draws you more cards, reduces costs, or controls the board?

   • Some heroes feel like they're fighting with one hand tied at Rank 1

   • After reaching Rank 2, they get passive effects that totally change how you play them

   • By Rank 3, they jump straight to meta-breaking powerhouse status

   1. Focus on raising one hero that gives you the most stable resource gain to a star rank you're comfortable with first

   2. Then gradually invest in your favorite hero to unlock their higher growth potential

   3. Don't spread your resources too thin. Splitting your investment across all heroes will leave every one of them underperforming, making it hard to play well.

   1. Deck Building Phase: During this stage, prioritize collecting key engine cards to make your deck more consistent and reliable.

   2. Forming Phase: Make your win conditions clear and consistent, so they can activate smoothly every time you play.

   3. Prep Phase: Start preparing in advance for the upcoming boss fight, since you’ll face them soon after.

   1. Do I have at least one reliable way to win?

   2. Can I handle a huge number of mobs taking over the field?

   3. Can I deal with high-threat boss minions that show up mid-fight?

   4. Do I have enough health or sustain to survive the whole battle?

   5. Is my deck too clunky, making it hard to draw my key core cards when I need them?

   • If I can kill the boss in 1-2 turns, I just blast them away immediately—no dragging it out.

   • If I can’t finish them in one turn, I hold onto my removal and survival resources—no reckless attacking. It feels conservative, but I swear this boosts my clear rate by a ton.

   • If you need healing, take the node that gives it.

   • If you’re missing key cards, detour to the shop to restock.

   • Skip nodes that are way too hard—don’t force a fight you can’t win.

   • Use it in the early game to practice mechanics and learn the game’s pace

   • Use it mid-game to grind tons of essential resources

   • Use it late-game to test builds for high-star heroes

   1. Story and Experience: If you want to dive deep into a hero’s backstory, play their campaign—it’s exactly what it’s made for.

   2. Exclusive Growth and Rewards: Many rewards here are unique to that hero, like rare materials, exclusive cosmetics, and power-up items that you can’t get anywhere else.

   1. Stick to the highest difficulty stage you can consistently clear
      Never force a run you can't win—wasting time and resources on a failed attempt is way worse than the small extra rewards you'd get from trying.

   2. Use a "resource core" hero to carry your whole team
      A lot of new players try to level every hero at once, and end up with a bunch of weak characters. My go-to strategy is always:

   • Focus on leveling up one "farm hero" first, to grow your resource pool bigger and bigger

   • Use the accumulated resources to level up the hero you actually want to play

   1. Treat every run as a "replicable standard process"
      You need to practice until you know exactly, every time you start a run:

   • Which cards or items to prioritize picking up in the first 3 fights

   • How to build your deck to reach max effectiveness mid-run

   • What gaps to fill before fighting the boss
     This way, leveling is not only fast, it's reliable—no more random failures.

   • First, focus on leveling one hero to the point where you can consistently clear stages

   • Don't waste resources leveling 10 heroes to the point where they "kind of work"

   • Buy cards just because they "look strong"

   • Forget to buy "engine cards" or "removal cards" that keep your deck consistent
     As a result, you run out of gold, but your deck is all over the place, and you can't win.

   1. First, buy key cards to fix your deck's gaps

   2. Second, upgrade the effects that are your core win condition

   3. Last, consider extra cards that "look cool"

   • First, finish your daily quests and all the runs you can consistently clear

   • A lot of hidden content actually unlocks automatically as you play normally

   • If you pick a burst-damage hero, prioritize getting "speed-boost" items on the early route.

   • Mid-game, focus on leveling up your core cards to a point where they can secure kills.

   • Late-game, you must add a hard-removal card to avoid losing to the final boss.
     This process is like a pre-written script—do it a few times, and your clear rate will stay consistent.

   1. Where exactly did I lose this run?

   2. If I face the same situation next time, how should I adjust my route or card picks?
      Stick to this for about 5 times, and your understanding of the game will improve by leaps and bounds.

   1. First, pick a hero that can clear stages consistently as your "core farmer."

   2. Then, lock in your favorite hero as the main investment target.

   3. For relics, always fix the gaps in your deck first before stacking stats.

   4. Deck building always prioritizes consistency over flashy combos.

   1. Build a dual playstyle system: Prepare a fast-clear build and a consistent, safe build.

   2. Learn to adjust your deck based on affixes and negative effects

   3. Pour resources into hero growth lines that bring a "quantum leap" in potential

   • Every patch update will shake up the list of the strongest heroes or archetypes

   • But three things will always be the foundation for clearing stages: consistency, resource management, and deck reliability

   1. Make your deck work more consistently

   2. Strengthen the stability of your early game setup

   3. Prepare in advance for boss fights

   • Players do tons of hands-on testing for different hero archetypes, relic builds, route choices, etc.

   • You can quickly see how different archetype builds on the same hero play differently and what makes them unique

   • If you already play a few runs of Adventure Mode every day, event quests will usually get done naturally as you play.

   • But never mess up your main hero’s progression just to finish an event quest.

   1. Pick the right hero

   2. Use relics that fit your build

   3. Have a clear deck strategy

    

   • You’ll be super consistent in the early game, no more getting stuck easily.

   • You’ll be able to judge card picks and route choices on your own mid-game.

   • You can challenge higher-star content in the late game, and even experience those satisfying runs where you can melt a boss in one turn.