Skill books are the one resource in RAID: Shadow Legends you can't farm on demand: they come from Clan Boss chests, events, tournaments, Doom Tower and the shop. So "where do I spend my books" is less about one champion and more about how fast your account starts earning more every week. Below is the priority logic that barely changes from patch to patch.
Why books cost more than they look
A book gives you no choice: it lands on a random skill of the matching rarity. Fully booking a champion is a lottery, and the real cost is almost always higher than the minimum. On top of that, every book sunk into a champion you replace in a month is a week of progress gone.
Two practical rules follow. First: book only champions that already have gear and masteries — books lock in progress, gear creates it. Second: book only champions that will stay in your roster for months, not until the next event.
How many books you actually need
Rough ranges for a full booking (they vary with the skill kit):
- Rare — around 4–8 blue books;
- Epic — around 8–12 purple books;
- Legendary — around 10–16 gold books;
- Mythical books are their own rarity, and they should only go to a champion who is guaranteed to stay in your core team.
Important: a full booking is rarely needed. Often it's enough to finish one or two key skills — the one that brings ATK Down, a Shield, crowd control or your main damage. If a book doesn't cut a cooldown and doesn't boost the effect the champion is there for, it can wait.
Priority #1: your Clan Boss team
Clan Boss is the source that hands back books, shards and gems every single day. Books spent there are the only ones that pay for themselves. Order inside the team:
- Your main damage dealer — the one whose damage rides on a single cooldown skill. Cutting that cooldown is a direct damage increase per run.
- Your key support — the champion with ATK Down, a Shield or healing whose cooldown the book shortens. A missed ATK Down is what kills most runs.
- Everyone else — with whatever is left over.
The starters (Kael, Athel, Elhain, Galek) are a good example: book them exactly as long as they still hold a slot in your Clan Boss team, and not a single book more.
Priority #2 and #3: Arena and dungeons 20–25
Arena is the second-best return: a nuker with a finished main AoE skill and a buffer or debuffer with a shortened cooldown win fights you used to lose. But Arena books come only after gear and masteries — otherwise you're just speeding up a champion who still dies on the first turn.
Dungeons 20–25 are the third block. Priority goes to the champions who provide stability: control, Shields, ATK Down, debuff cleansing. There's no point booking a farmer who already clears the stage you need — books add nothing to him.
Who not to book: the usual traps
- A champion with no gear and no masteries. Books don't replace equipment.
- A "for later" champion. If he isn't in a current team, he can wait for the next book event.
- Duplicates parked in Faction Guardians. They're there for the bonus, not for their skills.
- Champions who work without books. If the whole point is a passive or base values, he doesn't need them.
- Five-star champions. 6★ first, books second.
- A champion you haven't tested in battle. See where he actually plays before investing.
Book plan for 2026
A sequence that works for F2P and light spenders alike:
- Finish the Clan Boss team: damage dealer plus support. That's the foundation.
- One universal Arena damage dealer — someone who also plays in dungeons.
- Stable 20–25 clears in your key dungeons: gear and resources.
- Second Clan Boss content and Doom Tower — as the champions appear.
- Only then the "fun" legendaries.
| Role | Book? | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Clan Boss damage dealer | Yes, first | Pays back through daily chests |
| Clan Boss support (ATK Down, Shield) | Yes, if a book cuts the cooldown | Run consistency beats extra damage |
| Arena nuker | Yes, after gear | Equipment and masteries come first |
| Dungeon tank or controller | Depends | Only if clear rate really improves |
| "For later" legendary | No | Gold books are the scarcest resource |
| Duplicate in Faction Guardians | No | He isn't there for his skills |
Summary
The rule is simple: books go where the resources come from. Clan Boss first, then Arena, then dungeons — everything else after that. Don't book a champion until he's geared and tested in battle, and don't chase a full booking: finishing one or two key skills is usually enough. Follow that order and, over a year, you'll earn noticeably more books than you spend.
18/10/2026