The Board and Interface

When you load into a TFT match for the first time, the screen can feel overwhelming. There are numbers, panels, and icons everywhere. This guide walks you through every element of the interface so you know exactly what you are looking at and how to interact with it.

The Hex Grid

The centerpiece of TFT is your hex grid board. It is a grid of hexagonal tiles arranged in 4 rows and 7 columns (28 hexes total). This is where your champions stand and where combat takes place.

  • During the planning phase, you can drag champions onto any hex on your side of the board.
  • Champions placed on the board will fight in the next combat round.
  • The number of champions you can have on the board at once is determined by your player level. At level 5, for example, you can field 5 champions.
  • Positioning matters. Where you place your champions on the grid affects who they target and how long they survive.

The Bench

Below the board is your bench, a row of 9 slots. The bench is your holding area for champions you have purchased but have not yet placed on the board.

  • Champions on the bench do not participate in combat.
  • If your bench is full (all 9 slots occupied), you cannot buy any more champions until you make room by placing one on the board or selling one.
  • Think of the bench as your reserve squad. You often keep champions here while waiting to collect enough copies to upgrade them.

The Champion Shop

At the very bottom of the screen is the champion shop, which displays 5 random champions available for purchase.

  • Each champion has a gold cost displayed on its card, ranging from 1 gold (common) to 5 gold (legendary).
  • Click a champion card to buy it. The champion moves to your bench automatically.
  • To the right of the shop is the Refresh button, which costs 2 gold. Clicking it replaces all 5 champions with a new random selection.
  • The shop automatically refreshes for free at the start of each round.
  • The Lock button (the padlock icon) prevents the shop from refreshing automatically, which is useful when you see champions you want but cannot afford yet.

Gold, XP, and Health

The bottom-center area of the screen shows your key resources:

  • Gold: Your current gold total. Gold is used to buy champions, refresh the shop, and purchase experience points. Managing gold wisely is one of the most important skills in TFT.
  • XP Bar: Shows your progress toward the next player level. You gain 2 XP for free each round, and you can click the "Buy XP" button to spend 4 gold for 4 additional XP. Leveling up lets you place more champions on the board and unlocks access to higher-cost champions in the shop.
  • Health Bar: Your Little Legend's remaining health, starting at 100. When it hits 0, you are eliminated.

The Trait Panel

On the left side of the screen is the trait panel. This displays all the traits (also called synergies) that your current board composition activates.

  • Each trait shows an icon, name, and the number of contributing champions you have versus the thresholds needed to activate bonuses.
  • Active traits are highlighted and sorted to the top. Inactive traits appear dimmed below them.
  • Hovering over a trait shows a tooltip explaining its bonus and the breakpoints required.
  • Building strong trait synergies is one of the core strategic elements of TFT.

The Minimap

In the upper-right corner is a minimap showing all 8 players in the lobby.

  • Each player is represented by their Little Legend icon along with their current health total.
  • You can click on any player to scout their board and see what champions, items, and positioning they are using.
  • Scouting opponents helps you make better decisions about what to build and how to position.

The Item Bench

On the right side of the board (or bottom-right area, depending on the platform) is your item bench. This is where item components and completed items sit until you place them on a champion.

  • Drag an item from the bench onto a champion to equip it.
  • If you place one component item onto a champion that already holds another component, they combine into a completed item.
  • Items cannot be removed from a champion once placed (with rare exceptions from certain augments or mechanics).
  • Plan your item combinations carefully before equipping them.

Controls

Interacting with the board is simple:

  • Place a champion: Drag a champion from your bench onto a hex on the board.
  • Reposition a champion: Drag a champion already on the board to a different hex.
  • Sell a champion: Drag a champion off the board onto the bench area and release, or select a champion and press E to sell instantly. Selling refunds the champion's gold cost.
  • Equip an item: Drag an item from the item bench onto a champion on the board or bench.

Putting It All Together

At first, focus on just the basics: buy champions from the shop, place them on your board, and equip items. As you play more games, you will naturally start paying attention to the trait panel, scouting opponents on the minimap, and managing your gold and XP more carefully. The interface is designed to give you all the information you need at a glance once you know where to look.