Augments Overview

Augments are one of the most impactful systems in TFT. They are special bonuses that you choose during a game, and they can dramatically shape your strategy, composition, and win condition. Understanding how augments work and how to think about them is essential for competitive play.

What Are Augments?

Augments are powerful bonuses that provide unique effects for the rest of the game once selected. They can grant extra gold, strengthen specific traits, provide combat bonuses, give you free items, modify game mechanics, or offer entirely unique effects that change how you play.

Unlike items, which you equip on individual champions, augments apply to your entire board or your overall game plan. They are permanent once chosen and cannot be swapped or removed.

When Are Augments Offered?

Augments are offered at specific rounds during a game, typically three times:

  • First augment: Usually offered at stage 2-1 (the start of PvP rounds).
  • Second augment: Usually offered at stage 3-2 (mid game).
  • Third augment: Usually offered at stage 4-2 (entering late game).

At each offering, you are presented with three augment options and must choose exactly one. You cannot skip or save the choice for later. Once you pick, the other two options are gone.

This means you will have exactly three augments by the end of the game, each chosen at a different point in the game. The timing matters because the value of an augment depends heavily on when you get it. An economy augment is far more valuable as a first augment (when it has the entire game to generate value) than as a third augment (when the game is nearly over).

Types of Augments

Augments come in many varieties, but they generally fall into several broad categories:

Economy Augments

These augments give you extra gold, interest, or economic advantages. They trade immediate board strength for a gold advantage that compounds over the course of the game. Examples include augments that grant bonus gold per round, increase your interest cap, or give you gold for meeting certain conditions.

Economy augments are strongest when chosen early because they have more rounds to generate value. A first-augment economy pick can easily generate 20-30 extra gold over the course of a game.

Combat Augments

Combat augments directly increase your board's fighting power. They might grant bonus stats to all your units, increase attack speed, add bonus damage, or provide healing. These augments are straightforward: your board fights better.

Combat augments are valuable at any point in the game but are especially important when you need immediate board strength to stop losing rounds.

Trait-Specific Augments

Many augments enhance or interact with specific traits. They might count as an extra unit of a particular trait, grant bonus effects when you activate a trait, or provide powerful bonuses when you reach certain trait breakpoints.

These augments are extremely powerful when they align with your composition but nearly worthless when they do not. Choosing a trait-specific augment commits you to building around that trait.

Item Augments

Some augments grant completed items, item components, or unique item-like effects. These can be very strong because items are a scarce resource in TFT. Getting a free completed item, especially early, can give you a significant advantage.

Utility and Unique Augments

A catch-all category for augments that do not fit neatly into the above. These might let you see more champions in your shop, give you extra rerolls, modify how your board works in unusual ways, or provide conditional bonuses that reward specific playstyles.

How Augments Shape Your Game Plan

Augments are not just bonuses you tack on to an existing plan. They actively shape what you should be doing. A strong augment choice aligns with your current game state and opens up powerful strategies.

First Augment: Setting Direction

Your first augment has the most influence on your game plan because it affects every subsequent decision. A trait-specific first augment can commit you to a particular composition for the entire game. An economy first augment means you plan to play for a later power spike. A combat first augment means you are pushing for early strength and win-streaking.

Because of this, many experienced players prefer flexible first augments that do not lock them into a specific composition. Generic combat or economy augments keep your options open.

Second Augment: Reinforcing or Adjusting

By the second augment, you have a clearer picture of your game. You know what units you have found, what items you have built, and what composition you are leaning toward. The second augment should reinforce your direction or compensate for a weakness.

Third Augment: Closing the Game

The third augment is your last chance to add power to your board. By this point, your composition is largely set. Choose the augment that gives you the most immediate value for the endgame fights ahead. Economy augments are usually weak here since the game is almost over.

Augment Tiers

Augments come in different power tiers (Silver, Gold, Prismatic), which affect how impactful each choice is. See the Augment Tiers guide for details on how tiers work and how they affect your game.

Key Takeaways

  • Augments are permanent bonuses chosen three times per game, with three options each time.
  • They come in many types: economy, combat, trait-specific, item, and utility.
  • Augments actively shape your game plan, not just supplement it.
  • First augment has the most long-term impact. Third augment needs immediate value.
  • Understanding augment types and timing is essential for making strong choices.