If you’ve ever tried to add a friend in League of Legends only to realize their display name is the exact same as three other players you found in search, you’ve probably seen the random string of numbers or letters attached to the end of their name. That extra bit is exactly what we’re breaking down today, as we answer what is League of Legends tagline, how it works, and how you can make it work for you. Most players don’t pay much attention to their tagline when they first set up their Riot account, but it’s way more useful than just a random identifier to separate you from other players with the same name. We’ll cover everything from its core purpose to common mistakes you should avoid when customizing yours, even if you’ve been playing the game for years.
What is League of Legends Tagline, Exactly?
The tagline is a 3 to 5 character alphanumeric string that comes after a # in your Riot ID, the universal account system Riot Games rolled out a few years ago to unify profiles across all its titles. Before this system existed, you had to have a completely unique summoner name per region, which meant you often had to settle for a weird misspelled version of the name you actually wanted if it was already taken. The tagline solves that problem entirely, because you can use any display name you want as long as your unique tagline sets you apart from other players with the same name.
I remember waiting 6 months for a summoner name I wanted to become available back in 2018, and I would have skipped all that hassle if the tagline system existed back then. You can even keep the same display name if you move to a different region or play multiple Riot titles, no extra changes required. Your tagline is tied directly to your Riot account, not just your League of Legends profile, so it applies to Valorant, Teamfight Tactics, and Legends of Runeterra too, if you play any of those games on the same account.
When you first make your Riot account, Riot will assign you a random tagline, usually a mix of numbers, but you can change it to something custom whenever you want, as long as you follow the rules we’ll cover later. New players who aren’t sure what is League of Legends tagline will often mix it up with their old summoner name, but it’s a completely separate part of your public identity in the Riot ecosystem.
Key Functions of Your LoL Tagline You Might Not Know About
Most players only use their tagline for adding friends, but it has a lot of other useful functions you might not have considered. The most obvious one is making friend searches accurate: when you add someone, you need both their display name and tagline to find the right account, so you don’t accidentally send a friend request to a random stranger with the same name. That’s a huge upgrade from the old system, where you had to guess which of the 12 “GarenMain” accounts was your friend.
It also makes cross-region play and connections way easier. Your Riot ID including tagline is the same across every region, so if you want to make a smurf account on EUW to play with friends who live in Europe, you don’t have to pick a new display name or tagline. You can even queue up with friends in different regions for cross-region game modes without having to make a whole new account.
Your tagline is also a great way to customize your in-game identity and let other players know a little bit about you before you even load into the rift. A lot of players use their tagline to signal their main champion, their rank, or even a silly inside joke with their friend group. Some of the most popular creative tagline ideas players use right now include:
- Abbreviations of your main champion, like #ZED1 or #LUX0 to let other players know who you main at a glance
- Your current rank, like #CHALL or #GOLD4 to show off your ranked progress
- Inside jokes with your friend group that only your squad will recognize
- Nostalgic references to old League mechanics or events you loved
Your tagline shows up in lobbies, post-game lobbies, and on your public profile if you have it set to visible. So if you want to make it easier for other players who had fun playing with you to add you, a memorable tagline is a huge help. Just make sure you don’t use anything offensive in your tagline, because Riot’s moderation system will flag it and force you to change it, and you could even get a temporary restriction if it violates community guidelines badly enough.
How to Customize Your League of Legends Tagline (Step-by-Step Tips)
Customizing your tagline is really simple, but there are a few rules you need to know before you make changes. First, you get one free Riot ID change (including both your display name and tagline) every 365 days. There’s no paid option to change it more often right now, so you want to make sure you pick something you’ll be happy with for a full year before you save your changes.
To edit your tagline, just open the Riot Client, click on your profile icon in the top right corner, and select “Settings” from the dropdown menu. From there, go to the “Riot ID” tab, and you’ll see fields to edit both your display name and tagline. You can use any combination of uppercase and lowercase letters and numbers, as long as the total length of the tagline is between 3 and 5 characters. You can’t use special symbols, spaces, or offensive language, as we mentioned earlier.
There are a few best practices you should follow when picking a custom tagline to make it as useful as possible. First, Keep your tagline short and easy to type if you want people to be able to add you quickly. A tagline like #X7Y2Z is hard to remember and type correctly, so avoid random strings if you plan to share your ID publicly on social media or streaming platforms. Second, never use personal information in your tagline, like your real name, birthday, or address, for your own safety. Third, if you’re a content creator or streamer, use a tagline that matches your public brand, so viewers can find you easily in game.
I’ve seen a lot of new players make the mistake of using a super long or complicated tagline when they first set up their account, then get frustrated when their friends can’t find them to play ranked together. It’s a small detail, but it can save you a lot of hassle later if you pick something simple when you first set it up. If you get a forced name change from Riot for violating guidelines, your free change cooldown won’t apply, so you can change it for free immediately after the restriction is lifted.
Common Myths About LoL Taglines Debunked
There’s a lot of misinformation floating around Reddit and Discord servers about how taglines work, so we’re clearing up the most common ones here. First, the myth that you can only use numbers in your tagline. That’s not true at all, you can use any combination of letters and numbers, and you can even use uppercase and lowercase letters to make it look exactly how you want. You just can’t use special symbols or spaces, so you can’t have a tagline like #Garen# or #Best Ashe.
Second, a lot of players think your tagline changes if you transfer your account to another region. That’s not true either, your Riot ID including tagline is global, so it stays the same no matter which region you play on. Transferring your account won't affect your tagline at all, so you don’t have to worry about losing your custom tagline if you move to another country or want to play with friends in a different region.
Third, the myth that you have to pay to change your tagline. As we mentioned earlier, you get one free change every 12 months, and you don’t have to pay anything for that. There’s no paid option to change it more often right now, so you’ll have to wait for the cooldown to end if you used your free change already. Riot has teased that they might add paid Riot ID changes in the future, but there’s no official release date for that feature yet.
Fourth, a lot of players worry that other players can see their tagline even if they have their profile set to private. That’s not true. If your profile is set to private, other players can only see your tagline if you’re in the same lobby as them or if you add them as a friend. They can’t look it up through the public profile search, so you don’t have to worry about random people spamming you with friend requests if you don’t want them to. I’ve had friends avoid customizing their tagline for years because they thought it would show up on public leaderboards, but that’s just not the case if you adjust your privacy settings correctly.
At the end of the day, your tagline is a small but powerful part of your League of Legends experience that most players don’t give enough thought. Whether you’re customizing it to match your main champion, make it easier for friends to add you, or just show off your personality, it’s worth taking a minute to make sure it works for you instead of just sticking with the random one Riot assigns you when you make your account. Now that you know what is League of Legends tagline and how to make the most of it, you can head to your account settings and tweak it to fit your style, just make sure you pick something you’ll like for the next year since you only get one free change every 12 months. If you’re still not sure what to use as your tagline, try asking your friends for ideas, or use something tied to your favorite in-game memory to make it feel more personal.