How to Unlock Bolin in Avatar Legends: The Fighting Game

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How to Unlock Bolin in Avatar Legends: The Fighting Game — Bolin is a Year 1 Pass DLC character. Here's how to get him, what he costs, and what his lavabending playstyle looks like.

TL;DR

  • Bolin is a Year 1 Pass DLC character — he is not in the base game.
  • To get him, you need the Year 1 Pass, included in the Deluxe Edition ($49.99) or purchased separately.
  • Based on the EVO 2026 trailer, Bolin appears to be the first DLC character to release in the actual drop order.
  • No exact release date has been confirmed yet — DLC characters roll out across the first competitive season.
  • Bolin plays as an earth-and-lava hybrid — a pro-bending boxing style mixed with lavabending mechanics that alter stage terrain and deal area-of-effect damage.
  • His lavabending is unique to him on the roster — no other earthbender can melt the ground beneath their opponent.
  • Along with Lin Beifong, he significantly expands earthbending representation from the base roster’s single dedicated earthbender, Toph.

How to Unlock Bolin in Avatar Legends: The Fighting Game is a question fans of The Legend of Korra are asking now that the game is live. Bolin was a hugely popular character in the show — a loveable earthbender and pro-bending star who eventually became one of the only known lavabenders in Avatar history. He is confirmed as part of the Year 1 Pass, but he is not in the base game. This guide covers exactly how to get him, what it costs, where he sits in the DLC release order, and everything confirmed about his playstyle.

Is Bolin in the Base Game?

No. Bolin is not part of the 12-character base roster. The game launched on July 23, 2026 with Aang, Korra, Zuko, Katara, Toph, Sokka, Azula, Zaheer, Kyoshi, Fire Lord Ozai, Avatar State Aang, and Nightmare Korra. Bolin is not among them.

There is no story mode method, cheat code, or free in-game way to unlock Bolin. Of the base roster, two characters — Avatar State Aang and Nightmare Korra — are unlocked through story mode progress, but Bolin is a separate category entirely: paid post-launch DLC. The only path to playing him is through the Year 1 Pass.

How to Unlock Bolin — The Year 1 Pass

There are two ways to access Bolin when he releases:

Option 1 — Buy the Deluxe Edition

The Deluxe Edition costs $49.99 and includes the full base game, the entire Year 1 Pass, a digital art book, the game’s music soundtrack, and unique HUDs. This is the smartest purchase if you are buying the game fresh and want Bolin alongside the other DLC characters. For just $20 more than the Standard Edition you get all five Year 1 Pass characters as they drop, plus the extras.

Option 2 — Buy the Year 1 Pass Separately

If you already own the Standard Edition, you can buy the Year 1 Pass on its own through the in-game store or your platform’s digital storefront. One pass covers all five Year 1 characters — Uncle Iroh, Ty Lee, Lin Beifong, Bolin, and the fan-voted fifth character — as they release through the season.

Here is where to find the game and its editions:

Bolin
Bolin

When Is Bolin Coming?

No exact release date for Bolin has been confirmed. However, there is an important detail about the release order worth knowing. The DLC release order, per trailer footage shown at EVO, runs Bolin first, followed by Ty Lee, Lin Beifong, and Iroh, before the fan-voted fifth character closes out the Year 1 Pass. This differs from the announced order at the EVO panel, where Iroh was named first.

So while the announcement order was Iroh → Ty Lee → Lin Beifong → Bolin, the actual in-game release order based on the trailer appears to be Bolin first. No individual release windows were confirmed at the showcase. Watch the official Avatar Legends website and the game’s social channels for the confirmed drop date. Once you have the Year 1 Pass, he will be ready to download the moment he goes live.

What Is the Full Year 1 Pass Lineup?

The Year 1 Pass adds five characters post-launch. Four are confirmed, one is chosen by fan vote:

  • Bolin — Lavabending earthbender, pro-bending boxing style, area-of-effect terrain hazards. From The Legend of Korra. First to release per trailer.
  • Ty Lee — Fastest non-bender, acrobatic chi-blocker who can disable opponent specials. From Avatar: The Last Airbender.
  • Lin Beifong — Metalbending grappler-zoner with cables and armor, mid-range precision control. From The Legend of Korra.
  • Uncle Iroh — Technical patient firebender, Dragon of the West, lightning specials. From Avatar: The Last Airbender. Last confirmed character to release.
  • Fan-voted character — One of five candidates chosen by pre-order holders: Tenzin, Kuvira, Amon, King Bumi, or Asami Sato.

Who Is Bolin in the Game?

In The Legend of Korra, Bolin is Mako’s younger brother and a core member of Team Avatar. He started out as a pro-bending earthbender — a sport that involves teams of benders fighting across a three-section arena — and eventually discovered he could lavabend, a rare sub-skill of earthbending. He is one of the very few known lavabenders in Avatar history, a skill he developed after watching the Red Lotus member Ghazan, who notably appears as Zaheer’s support character in the base game.

In Avatar Legends: The Fighting Game, Bolin’s design draws directly from both his pro-bending roots and his lavabending ability. He is the charismatic earthbender combining traditional earthbending with devastating lava-bending techniques. His personality — warm, energetic, and a little chaotic — comes through in the athletic, aggressive style described for his moveset.

Bolin’s Playstyle in Avatar Legends

Bolin is the lavabender and former pro-bending star who brings an earth-and-lava hybrid moveset that mixes crowd control with high-damage setplay. He is not a straightforward earthbender like Toph on the base roster. His pro-bending background gives him a completely different movement profile — bouncy, athletic, forward-pressing — while his lavabending adds a dangerous layer of stage control that nobody else in the game has.

Bolin introduces an athletic, pro-bending-inspired boxing style to the game, mixed with high-impact lavabending mechanics that can alter stage terrain and create powerful area-of-effect hazards. The terrain-altering aspect is key. He can melt the ground itself, creating lava zones that punish opponents who stand in the wrong place — a form of stage control completely new to the roster.

He melts the floor to create area-of-effect damage. Combined with his boxing-style approach, this creates a character who pushes forward aggressively and rewards opponents who let him control the stage. The longer a match goes on with Bolin applying lava pressure, the more dangerous his position becomes.

Bolin’s fighting style is centered around his lavabending ability, which is an earthbending sub-skill in the Avatar universe. Zaheer’s assist Ghazan also uses this skill for his attacks — and inspired Bolin in the first place. This is a nice continuity nod: if you play Zaheer in the base game, Ghazan’s lava attacks are already in the game as an assist, and Bolin’s arrival as a full character brings that same energy to the playable roster.

Bolin vs. Toph — How the Two Earthbenders Compare

The base game has only one dedicated earthbender in Toph, and Bolin’s arrival adds a completely different take on what earthbending looks like in a fight. Here is how they compare:

  • Toph — Pure power and armored strikes. Seismic sense, huge damage on grounded attacks, slow but nearly impossible to stagger on key moves. Best at close range, punishes enemies who rush in carelessly. Plays defensively and reactively.
  • Bolin — Athletic and forward-pressing. Pro-bending boxing keeps him mobile and aggressive. Lavabending adds terrain hazards that create ongoing stage pressure. Best when he is in control of the match pace, forcing opponents to react to his lava zones. Plays offensively and proactively.

Toph waits for you to come to her and punishes you for it. Bolin comes to you, melts the floor, and dares you to escape. Completely different game plans despite both being earthbenders.

For more on Toph, see our guide on how to unlock Toph in Avatar Legends. And for the other Korra-era earthbender coming in Year 1, see our guide on how to unlock Lin Beifong in Avatar Legends.

The Connection Between Bolin and Zaheer

One of the most interesting things about Bolin in the context of this game is his relationship to Zaheer, who is already in the base roster. In the show, Bolin first discovered lavabending after witnessing Ghazan — a member of Zaheer’s Red Lotus gang — use the ability. Ghazan is already present in the game as one of Zaheer’s three support characters, where his Lava Burst assist can be called in during matches.

Bolin’s addition as a playable character makes that connection fully playable for the first time. You can now have Bolin and Zaheer face each other in a fight, with Ghazan’s lavabending influence on display from both sides of the matchup — as Zaheer’s support, and as the skill Bolin himself built his game around. It is a small detail but one that adds a lot of lore depth to the roster when you notice it.

For more on Zaheer, see our guide on how to unlock Zaheer in Avatar Legends.

Is the Year 1 Pass Worth It for Bolin?

Here is the practical breakdown:

  • You cannot buy Bolin individually. The Year 1 Pass is the only way to get him — no single-character purchases are available for Year 1 DLC fighters.
  • The pass includes four other characters — Iroh, Ty Lee, Lin Beifong, and the fan-voted fifth. If any of those appeal to you, the pass value gets significantly stronger.
  • The Deluxe Edition is the best entry point if you are buying the game new. $49.99 for the game, all five Year 1 characters, an art book, the soundtrack, and unique HUDs is solid value.
  • Bolin brings something genuinely new to the roster — lavabending terrain control has no equivalent anywhere in the base game. He deepens Korra representation in the roster alongside Lin Beifong, which was a real gap in the base 12.

Other Characters to Play While Waiting for Bolin

Since Bolin’s confirmed release date has not been announced yet, here are guides for every currently playable character:

And for help with in-game resources and progression:

Wrapping Up

Bolin cannot be unlocked through story mode, a cheat code, or any in-game method. He is a Year 1 Pass DLC character and the only route to playing him is the Deluxe Edition or a standalone Year 1 Pass purchase. Based on the EVO 2026 pre-order trailer, he appears to be the first Year 1 character to actually release — ahead of Ty Lee, Lin Beifong, and Iroh — though no official release date has been confirmed.

What makes Bolin stand out from every other earthbender on the roster — including Toph and Lin Beifong — is his lavabending. Stage-altering area-of-effect hazards have no equivalent in the base game. No character can melt the floor and create ongoing danger zones the way Bolin can. Combined with his pro-bending boxing movement style, he is a genuinely different kind of earthbender: aggressive, athletic, and in constant forward motion. If you play the game and find yourself wishing the roster had more offensive earth-based options, Bolin is the answer.

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