If you’re new to Mobile Legends, you’ve probably scrolled through the hero gallery and felt that familiar twinge of frustration: all the coolest, highest damage heroes are locked behind some sort of currency wall, and you have no clue where to start. I’ve been playing the game for four years, and I’ve unlocked 92 out of 120+ available heroes without spending more than $20 total on in-game purchases. I’ve tested every trick in the book, from grind-heavy free methods to limited time paid deals, and I’m breaking down exactly what works, what doesn’t, and how to unlock heroes in Mobile Legends without wasting your time or money.
Core Methods for How to Unlock Heroes in Mobile Legends for Free
You don’t have to spend a single cent to build a viable, varied hero roster that works for every rank and role. All of these methods are 100% legitimate, supported directly by Moonton, and require nothing more than consistent play and smart currency management. The three core free methods I rely on most are:
- Battle Point (BP) grinding: This is the most common free method, and you earn BP from every match you play, daily tasks, login rewards, and event prizes. You can earn 8,000 to 12,000 BP per week if you play consistently, and most heroes cost between 15,000 and 32,000 BP, so you can unlock a new hero every 2 to 3 weeks with regular play. You can also buy BP double cards from the shop using free tickets to cut your grind time in half.
- Ticket exchanges: Tickets are another free currency you earn from arcade modes, event challenges, and daily login rewards. More than 20 standard heroes are available in the permanent ticket shop, and most cost 12,000 to 20,000 tickets. I usually save tickets for heroes that cost 32,000 BP, so I can reserve my BP for new meta releases that drop every month.
- Fragment collection: Hero fragments are earned from duplicate hero draws, rank season rewards, and event prizes. Rare heroes and even some limited-time heroes are available in the fragment shop, which refreshes its roster every month. You can earn 50 to 100 fragments per month just from completing daily and weekly tasks, so even high-value heroes are accessible in 2 to 3 months if you save consistently.
Of these three methods, I usually prioritize fragment collection for limited edition heroes, BP for new meta releases, and tickets for older high-cost heroes that I don’t want to waste BP on. You can mix and match these depending on which hero you’re targeting, and you don’t have to stick to just one method at a time.
Paid Methods That Are Actually Worth Your Money
If you don’t want to wait weeks or months to unlock a specific new hero, there are a few paid options that deliver real value without emptying your wallet. I only recommend these if you have extra cash to spare, because the free methods work perfectly well for 90% of players.
Weekly or monthly diamond passes are by far the best value paid option in the game. For $5 to $10 a month, you get 300 to 500 diamonds, plus extra rewards like BP double cards, skin fragments, and even limited time cosmetic items. That’s enough diamonds to unlock one or two paid-only heroes, or a new meta hero the day it releases, for a fraction of the cost of buying diamonds individually. I buy the monthly pass every other month when there’s a new assassin or mage hero I’m excited to try, and it’s saved me hundreds of dollars over the years.
Limited time hero bundles are another great deal if you want extra items alongside your new hero. Moonton regularly releases bundles for new hero launches that include the hero, a matching skin, and a set of emblem upgrades for 20 to 30% less than you’d pay for all items separately. These bundles are only available for the first week of a hero’s release, so you’ll have to act fast if you want to grab one. Just make sure you actually want the included skin before you buy, otherwise you’re better off just buying the hero with diamonds directly.
One paid option you should never use is buying hero accounts from third party sellers. 9 out of 10 of these accounts are either stolen, hacked, or come with hidden linked accounts that let the original owner take the account back whenever they want. Moonton also actively bans accounts that are purchased from third party sites, so you’re almost guaranteed to lose your money and your account if you go this route.
Pro Tips to Unlock Heroes Faster Without Extra Effort
You don’t have to play 8 hours a day to unlock heroes quickly. Small, consistent habits cut my average hero unlock time from 3 weeks to 10 days, and I only play 1 to 2 hours a day most weeks.
Prioritize daily and weekly task rewards before you jump into ranked matches. Most players skip the tiny daily tasks like logging in, sharing the game to your social media, or playing one match of Brawl, but those add up to 2,000+ extra BP and 500+ extra tickets a week. I set a 10 minute reminder on my phone to complete these tasks even on days I don’t feel like playing ranked, and that small habit added up to 4 extra free heroes last year alone.
Participate in every limited time in-game event that offers hero-related rewards. Moonton runs new events every two weeks, and most of them give out free hero fragments, tickets, BP, and even entire free heroes for completing simple challenges like winning 3 matches as a mage or playing 5 matches with friends. During last year’s anniversary event, I unlocked three full heroes and 200 hero fragments without grinding extra matches at all, just by completing event challenges during my normal play sessions.
Join an active guild as soon as you hit level 5. Guilds have weekly reward chests, guild war prizes, and a dedicated guild shop that sells hero fragments, BP double cards, and even exclusive guild-only heroes. If you’re in a top 100 guild on your server, you can get enough extra rewards to unlock one free hero a month just by joining 2 guild wars a week. Just make sure you pick a guild with low activity requirements if you’re a casual player, so you don’t get kicked for not playing enough.
Common Mistakes to Avoid When Unlocking Heroes
Most new players waste hundreds of thousands of BP and tickets on avoidable mistakes when they first start. I made almost all of these mistakes myself, so I know exactly how much time and effort they can cost you.
The first and most common mistake is wasting currency on random lucky draws. The standard hero lucky draw has a less than 2% chance of dropping a new hero you don’t already own, and you’re far more likely to get duplicate heroes, emblem fragments, or low value cosmetic items. When I first started playing, I spent 40,000 BP on lucky draws trying to get a new assassin hero, and I only got two duplicate heroes that I already owned. That’s enough BP to unlock two full 32,000 BP meta heroes, so it was a massive waste.
Don’t unlock low tier cheap heroes first just because they’re easy to afford. A lot of new players buy all the 15,000 BP heroes first to build their roster fast, but most of those heroes are not viable in ranked play above Epic rank. You’re better off saving up for a 32,000 BP meta hero that you can use for all ranks and game modes, instead of wasting BP on heroes you’ll never play after your first month.
Another big mistake is ignoring rank season rewards. Every two month rank season gives out free hero fragments, tickets, and even a free limited edition hero if you reach Master rank or higher. A lot of new players avoid ranked because they’re nervous about losing, but you only need 10 wins to climb from Elite to Master, and the rewards are well worth the small amount of effort. I’ve unlocked 7 limited edition heroes just from season rewards over the past four years, and I didn’t have to spend any extra currency to get them.
Building a full hero roster in Mobile Legends doesn’t have to be expensive or time consuming. You can unlock 90% of available heroes for free just by playing consistently, managing your currency wisely, and avoiding the common mistakes that trip up new players. If you follow the tips and methods laid out in this guide, you’ll know exactly how to unlock heroes in Mobile Legends that fit your playstyle, without falling for scams or wasting your hard earned time and money.