LoL Classic runes are the pre-2017 setup, and if you never played back then, here is the one-line answer: you buy little stat boosts with IP, slot them into a rune page across four slots (marks, seals, glyphs, quintessences), and pair that page with a 30-point mastery build split across Offense, Defense and Utility. No Keystones, no adaptive force, no once-per-game path swap. This is the system that returns with League of Legends Classic when it goes live July 29, 2026 inside the Riot Client, and it plays nothing like modern Runes Reforged. Read on for how the slots work, how the 21/9/0-style mastery trees function, and three sample pages by role so you can log in already knowing what to build.
How the old rune system works
Runes are permanent stat items you own on your account, not a per-game choice you flip in champ select. You buy them from the store with Influence Points (IP), the classic-era currency you earn from playing games, and slot the best ones into rune pages you configure ahead of time.
There are four rune types, and each locks to its own row of slots on a page. This is the core of the system and the part that trips up anyone who only knows the modern tree:
- Marks (red) – offensive stats. Attack damage, armor penetration, magic penetration, attack speed. Nine slots.
- Seals (yellow) – defensive and sustain stats. Armor, health, health regen, mana regen. Nine slots.
- Glyphs (blue) – magic and utility stats. Ability power, magic resist, cooldown reduction, mana. Nine slots.
- Quintessences (the big ones) – the heavy hitters. Each one is worth about three regular runes, in three slots. Movement speed, flat AD, flat AP, health, and life steal quints live here.
You want tier 3 runes, full stop. Runes come in tiers 1 through 3, unlock as you level toward 30, and only tier 3 is worth buying once you are done leveling. Tier 1 and tier 2 exist so a level 10 account has something to slot, but the stat gap is large enough that a tier 3 page is a real advantage. In classic-era League this was a genuine account-progression wall: a fresh level 30 with no IP saved often ran into fully runed opponents and felt the difference in the first three minutes of lane. Exact per-rune numbers are Season 3-era and may get tuned for Classic, so treat any specific value as a ballpark, but the shape of the system is fixed.
A quick note on cost. Tier 3 marks, seals and glyphs are affordable-ish, but tier 3 quintessences are the expensive ones, and movement-speed quints in particular were the flex nobody could afford early. If your IP is tight, you prioritize a couple of core pages over owning one of everything. More on budgeting further down.
The 30-point mastery trees explained
Masteries are the second half of your pre-game setup, and they are a separate system from runes. You get 30 points to spend across three trees: Offense (red), Defense (yellow) and Utility (blue). You spend points to unlock deeper tiers of each tree, and the notation you will see everywhere is the point split written as three numbers, like 21/9/0, meaning 21 in Offense, 9 in Defense, 0 in Utility.
The math that matters: each tree is six tiers deep, and you need to sink points into the shallow tiers before the game lets you reach the good stuff at the bottom. To grab a tree’s deepest talent you need around 21 points in that tree, which is why so many builds are 21/9/0 or 9/21/0 or 0/9/21. Twenty-one points buys the capstone of one tree, and the leftover nine rounds out a second. You almost never spread evenly, because a shallow dip into all three gives you nothing but early-tier scraps.
Here is how the three common splits translate in practice:
| Split | Who runs it | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| 21/9/0 | ADCs, assassins, most AP carries | Deep Offense capstone (damage, penetration) with a defensive dip for survivability |
| 9/21/0 | Tanks, bruiser tops, some supports | Deep Defense capstone with an offensive dip for a bit of damage |
| 0/21/9 | Enchanter supports, utility tanks | Defense capstone plus Utility for regen, movement and buff duration |
| 9/0/21 | Roaming supports, some mid mages | Utility capstone (gold, movement, cooldowns) with an offensive dip |
The trees themselves are stuffed with small percentages that add up: flat damage, armor penetration, cooldown reduction, movement speed, buff duration, gold generation. Unlike runes, masteries cost no IP. They are free to reset and respec whenever you want, so there is no reason not to have a tailored page for every role you play. The exact talent values are classic-era and may shift for Classic, but the 30-point structure and the capstone-at-21 rule are the load-bearing parts.
Sample rune and mastery pages by role
Three starter pages that cover most of what you will queue. These are safe, general-purpose setups, not one-champion optimizations, so you can slot them and lane without second-guessing. Tune from here once you know your champ.
AD carry (marksman)
The bread-and-butter bot lane page. You want early attack speed to trade and last-hit cleanly, plus armor to survive the enemy ADC.
- Marks: attack damage (flat AD wins early trades and last-hits) or a mix of AD and armor penetration.
- Seals: armor, the classic yellow standard for almost everyone.
- Glyphs: magic resist (flat or scaling) so an AP mid does not delete you if you get caught.
- Quintessences: attack damage, or two AD and one life steal for lane sustain.
- Masteries: 21/9/0, full Offense for the damage capstone, nine in Defense for durability.
Mid mage (AP)
Built for early magic penetration and enough sustain to survive short trades before you get your first item online.
- Marks: magic penetration, the single most cost-effective offensive rune for a mage.
- Seals: armor to blunt auto-attack harass and jungle ganks.
- Glyphs: ability power (flat or scaling), or magic resist into a heavy AP matchup.
- Quintessences: ability power for lane pressure, or one movement speed if you like to roam.
- Masteries: 21/9/0 for the offensive capstone. Some control mages flex 9/21/0 into scary lanes.
Top-lane bruiser
A durability-first page so you win extended trades and shrug off jungle pressure in a lane that is a long walk from your tower.
- Marks: armor penetration or attack damage for consistent damage into tanky opponents.
- Seals: armor, non-negotiable in a lane full of auto-attacks.
- Glyphs: magic resist (scaling shines here since top fights drag late) or cooldown reduction.
- Quintessences: flat health or movement speed. The movement quint is a hidden gem for dodging skillshots and closing gaps.
- Masteries: 9/21/0 for the Defense capstone, or 21/9/0 on a snowbally lane bully.
The one universal rule across all three: armor seals and magic resist glyphs are your default defensive slots, and you only deviate when a matchup screams for it. If you played classic League back in the day, that yellow armor page was probably the first thing you ever bought, and it is still the correct instinct.
Classic runes versus modern Runes Reforged
If your only League experience is recent, this table is the fastest way to reset your expectations. The two systems solve the same problem, pre-game customization, in completely different ways.
| Feature | LoL Classic (Season 3 era) | Modern Runes Reforged |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | Bought with IP, owned permanently | Free, no currency |
| Structure | 4 rune types (marks, seals, glyphs, quints) + 30 mastery points | 2 paths, 1 Keystone + minor runes |
| Keystone | None, stats only | Yes (Electrocute, Grasp, etc.) |
| When you pick | Preset pages before queue | In champ select each game |
| Stat feel | Small flat numbers stacked across many slots | Adaptive force, big active effects |
| Progression gate | Real, tier 3 runes cost IP to unlock | None, everyone starts equal |
The honest takeaway: classic runes are less flashy and more of a grind, but they reward players who plan. There is no clutch Keystone proc to bail you out. Your edge is a page tuned for the matchup and the IP you spent to own it. That trade-off is a big part of why Classic feels different, and it is worth reading up on how the wider ruleset changed in our breakdown of LoL Classic versus modern League before you commit to a main.
If the IP grind and the runed-versus-unruned lane gap sound like more setup than you want, that is a fair reaction. It is the exact wall that made a lot of players quit classic League the first time. When you head back to modern ranked where none of this applies, our League of Legends boost team can handle a division climb or placements while you spend your time in Classic instead. Classic itself has no boost service, and we would not pretend otherwise.
Budgeting your IP so you are not stuck on tier 2
The single most common classic-era mistake is spreading IP too thin and owning nothing complete. You do not need a rune for every stat. You need two or three finished tier 3 pages that cover the roles you actually play.
Priority order that has never let anyone down:
- Buy a full set of tier 3 armor seals first. Almost every page uses them, so they are the best IP you will ever spend.
- Then magic resist glyphs, scaling or flat depending on your role, for the same reuse reason.
- Then the marks your main role wants: AD, armor pen, or magic pen.
- Save quintessences for last, and buy the cheaper flat-stat quints before the pricey movement-speed ones.
The cleanest new-account starts we have watched treated runes like a shopping list, not an impulse buy: one role’s page finished top to bottom before touching a second. It is boring advice and it is completely correct. Pair it with the classic shop knowledge in our LoL Classic items guide and you will not waste a single IP in your first week. For a full walkthrough of getting into the mode and your first games, the how to play LoL Classic guide covers the rest.
One counter-argument worth naming: yes, the rune grind is unfriendly to new players, and Riot may tune IP gains or starting runes for Classic to soften it. But part of the appeal is that the grind is the point. Owning a maxed page felt earned in a way modern free runes never replicate. Whether that nostalgia holds up for you is exactly the question Classic is asking.
Frequently asked questions
What are LoL Classic runes?
They are the pre-2017 rune system: permanent stat items bought with IP and slotted into four rune-page rows called marks, seals, glyphs and quintessences. They give small flat stats with no Keystone effects, unlike modern Runes Reforged.
How do the 30-point masteries work?
You spend 30 points across three trees, Offense, Defense and Utility, and reaching a tree’s deepest talent takes about 21 points, which is why builds are written as splits like 21/9/0. Masteries cost no IP and can be reset freely.
What does 21/9/0 mean?
It is a mastery point split: 21 points in Offense, 9 in Defense, 0 in Utility. It is the standard damage-dealer setup because 21 points unlocks the Offense capstone while the extra 9 buys some early durability.
Do I have to buy runes with IP in LoL Classic?
Yes. Classic brings back IP as the currency and runes as permanent purchases, so you earn IP from games and buy tier 3 runes to build your pages. Exact IP costs are classic-era and may be tuned for the mode.
Are runes and masteries the same thing?
No. Runes are IP-bought stat items in four slot types, and masteries are a separate free 30-point tree system. You run both at once, a rune page plus a mastery page, to set up a champion before you queue.
What is the best starter page for a new account?
Full tier 3 armor seals and magic resist glyphs first, since nearly every role reuses them, then marks and quintessences for your main role. A 21/9/0 mastery split covers most carries out of the box.
That is the whole system: runes are your IP-bought stat pages across marks, seals, glyphs and quints, masteries are the free 30-point split written as 21/9/0, and a couple of well-chosen tier 3 pages beat a scattered collection every time. Build the armor-seal, magic-resist-glyph core first, grab a role page or two, and you are set for launch day. When you are ready to swap Classic nostalgia for a real climb on the modern ladder, our League of Legends boost team is one click away.
Sources: League of Legends official news, League of Legends Wiki: Mastery, Dexerto League of Legends coverage.