LoL Demacia Rising guide: Everything you need to know about Act 1

Demacia Rising brings a new kind of League experience to the client. In this turn-based game, you build settlements, train units, and push Demacia’s borders outward, but you still earn the key currency by playing regular League or TFT. Here is everything you need to know about LoL Demacia Rising!

What is Demacia Rising?

Demacia Rising is a seasonal metagame that runs inside the League of Legends client. It tells an origin story for Demacia, and it gates progression across Season 1 Acts. Act I includes “The Founding of Demacia,” and Act II adds “Threats from Beyond” after you finish the Act I arc.

Demacia Rising uses a map with adjacent locations. You expand by securing nearby territories, then you build the economy that supports your army. The game rewards steady planning more than fast clicking, since every major action consumes resources and turns

How to download and install Demacia Rising

Demacia Rising does not install as a separate game. It runs inside the League of Legends client, so you only need a working Riot Client and an up-to-date League downloaded on your device.

1. Install Riot Client and League of Legends.
2. Sign in and let the client patch to the latest version.
3. Open the League client home screen and select Demacia Rising.

4. Increase client window size if text feels cramped. You can use League settings or Ctrl + + on supported layouts.

Quick launch tip: The first screen shows the world map and your locations. The bottom-right panel holds your turn controls, including the Sun icon for ending the turn.

How to play Demacia Rising

Demacia Rising runs on turns. Each time you enter, the game shows a summary of the Silver Shields you earned since your last visit. Then you plan your current turn.

During a turn, you can:

• Train units.
• Build or upgrade structures.
• Move units between settlements.
• Unlock research upgrades.

When you end the turn, the game processes changes in a clear order:

• Resource buildings produce.
• Construction and upgrades progress by 1 turn.
• Unit travel progresses by 1 turn.
• Unit training progresses by 1 turn.
• Events and threats can appear.
• Scheduled battles start.

Silver Shields are very important in every turn. You spend them on upgrades and research, and you also pay 10 Silver Shields each time you end a turn. That cost acts as the main progression gate, since you earn Silver Shields by playing League or TFT.

All Demacia Rising rewards (Act I)

Demacia Rising ties rewards to story chapters and settlement milestones. You earn some profile rewards and some Battle Pass XP. Here is the full Act I list in a single place.

• Complete the Prologue
  • 1 Demacian Orb
  • Petricite Park Icon
• Complete Chapter 1
  • Demacian Fanfare Emote
• Complete Chapter 2
  • Honorary Crownguard Title
• Complete Chapter 3
  • 250 Battle Pass XP
  • “Demacia Wasn’t Build in a Day” Icon
• Complete Chapter 4
  • 1 Demacian Orb
  • “You Dissapoint Me” Emote
• Establish settlement milestones
  • Establish 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12 settlements: 400 BXP each

All Demacia Rising resources explained

Demacia Rising uses a compact set of resources, and each one answers a different need. You win faster when you treat resources as a system, not as a checklist.

• Food: Sets how many units your kingdom can employ at once. Farms raise this limit.
• Lumber / Stone / Metal: Power construction, upgrades, repairs, and most unit training. You gain them through production structures such as lumberyards, quarries, and mines.
• Petricite: Unlocks higher-tier upgrades and units. Petricite mills supply it.
• Valor: Acts as a research currency. You earn it through new settlements, upgrades, battle wins, and select events.
• Silver Shields: Drive overall progression. You earn them by playing League games, and you spend them on settlement upgrades, research, and turn ends.

Combat mechanics in Demacia Rising

Combat threats trigger in two main ways. You either explore an occupied territory, or an enemy army raids your lands.

Before you commit, the game shows enemy units and overall strength. If you like the matchup, you rally your forces and start the fight. Battles resolve in autoplay format, and you can speed them up.

Use three rules for better results:

• Scout first and avoid fights that outscale your research.
• Upgrade via Research since research boosts unit power in a major way.
• Defend on time when the game warns you about incoming attacks, since positioning decides which settlement takes the hit.

All champions in Demacia Rising

Demacia Rising adds League of Legends champions as permanent allies. You unlock them in the Research tree, then you train them at a settlement with a Barracks like other units.

Champion release timing (Act I):

• Poppy unlocks early, after the Prologue.
• Morgana unlocks in Chapter 2 after Zeffira reaches level 2.
• Kayle and Galio unlock in Chapters 3 and 4 after Patch 26.03.

Champion stats and info

All mobs and enemy units in Demacia Rising

Enemies come in groups, and each group pressures a different weakness. Some enemies punish light units, while others target your backline. Use that info before you start a fight.

Here is a closer look at all mobs and what to know about them:

How to launch Demacia Rising

Open the League client and go to the Home screen. Select Demacia Rising to open the map and enter your current turn. If the UI feels tight, increase the client window size with settings or Ctrl + +.

Is Demacia Rising out?

Yes. Demacia Rising runs as a Season 1 metagame in the League client. Riot lists Act I “The Founding of Demacia” with a schedule of January 8, 2026 (12pm PT) to March 4, 2026 (11:59pm PT), and it notes that dates can change in-game.