Frequently asked questions
Short answers to the questions people actually ask about RAID: Shadow Legends — and about this site.
Last updated: 5 October 2026
Is RAID: Shadow Legends free to play?
Yes. The game is free to download on the App Store and Google Play, and it is also playable on Windows through Plarium's own desktop client. It is monetised through optional in-app purchases: premium currency, energy refills, shards used to summon champions, and bundled packs. You can play a great deal of it without paying anything.
Can you reach high-level content without spending money?
A lot of it, yes — with patience. What free play cannot do is make the summoning system generous. The strongest champions come from random summons whose probabilities the publisher is required to disclose in the game, and the chance of a Legendary from the cheapest premium shard is a fraction of one percent. Plan on a long, slow accumulation rather than a lucky break, and treat any guide that promises you a Legendary on a schedule as unreliable.
Is there real-time player-versus-player combat?
Not in the classic Arena. You attack another player's defence team, but that team is controlled by the computer, not by the player, and they are not online at the time. Arena is competitive, but it is not a live match. Some live-event formats have been added over time; check the in-game event schedule for what is currently running.
Is it 'guilds' or 'clans'?
Clans. The game's co-operative social group is called a clan, and the shared boss fight is the Clan Boss. There is no mode called 'Guild Wars'. Faction Wars sounds similar but is a solo mode: it gates progress behind owning enough champions from each faction.
What is the main currency called?
Silver is the soft currency you earn constantly and spend on levelling champions and upgrading gear. Gems are the premium currency, which can be earned slowly in game or bought. Energy is the resource that limits how many battles you can run.
What does affinity do?
Each champion is Magic, Spirit, Force or Void. The first three form a cycle: Magic has the advantage over Spirit, Spirit over Force, Force over Magic. Void sits outside it with no advantage either way. Attacking into an advantage improves your odds; attacking into a disadvantage risks a weakened hit. Several dungeons lock you to a particular affinity, which is why a lopsided roster eventually stalls.
Why does Speed matter so much?
Because turn order is not fixed. Each champion's turn meter fills in proportion to its Speed, and whoever reaches 100% acts next. Speed therefore decides how many turns you get relative to the enemy, and much of the game's endgame team-building is really speed-tuning.
How big is the download and what device do I need?
It is a large install by mobile standards — expect it to grow well beyond its initial download as assets are added, and expect it to be demanding on older phones. We do not publish a figure here because it changes with every update; the current size and the minimum operating system version are shown on the game's App Store and Google Play listings, which are authoritative.
Can I play on more than one device?
The publisher supports linking your progress to an account so that it can be carried between mobile devices and the PC client. Set the account link up before you need it, not after you have lost a device.
Are loot boxes and gacha summoning regulated in the EU?
It is an active area. Some EU member states have taken action against paid loot boxes under gambling or consumer law, and the European Parliament adopted a resolution on consumer protection in online video games in 2023 calling for a more harmonised approach. App store rules already require publishers to disclose the odds of randomised purchases, which is why the drop rates are visible in-game. The rules differ by country and continue to change.
Does this site set cookies?
No. No cookies, no analytics, no advertising pixel, nothing in localStorage. That is why you did not see a consent banner. The cookie policy shows you how to confirm it in your browser's developer tools.
How does this site make money, and does it change what you write?
Affiliate commission on links labelled 'partner link'. It costs you nothing extra. It does not buy a verdict: no advertiser reads our articles before publication, and the drawbacks of an advertised product get published alongside the advantages. The editorial policy is specific about what we refuse to do.
Still unanswered? The full guide to RAID: Shadow Legends goes through each system in detail, and you can write to us at info@meritor.online.
Game details change with every update. Where anything here differs from the publisher's own current information, the publisher's information prevails.