> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.rokroyalty.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Activate and renew your Vanguard license key

> Activate your Vanguard, Vanguard Farm or Vanguard Hub license key, see what your tier allows, and learn how the online check, first-use keys and renewals work.

Vanguard, Vanguard Farm and Vanguard Hub each need a license key before they can attach to the game or log an account in. A key starts with `ROK-` and carries your name, your email and how long it lasts.

## Activate your key

**1. Open the License page**

In the Vanguard sidebar, open **License**. Until a key is active, the top bar shows **NOT LICENSED — click to enter a key**, and clicking it opens the same page.

**2. Paste your key**

Paste the whole key, starting with `ROK-`, into the **License key** box.

**3. Press Activate**

Press **Activate**. The page shows who the key is for and when it ends, for example **valid until 2026-12-31 (71 days left)**.

In **Vanguard Hub**, one key covers the whole hub. Enter it on the hub's own **License** page in the sidebar. The accounts you open from the hub have no License page of their own.

## Which app your key unlocks

| Key | Vanguard | Vanguard Farm | Vanguard Hub |
| - | - | - | - |
| **Vanguard** | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ |
| **Vanguard Farm** | ❌ | ✅ | ❌ |
| **Vanguard Hub** | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ |

A key used in the wrong app is refused with a message such as **this key is for Vanguard Hub, not Vanguard**.

## What your tier allows

| | Tier 1 | Tier 1.5 | Tier 2 |
| - | - | - | - |
| **Gem farming** | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ |
| **Switching characters** | ❌ | ✅ (characters in the same game account) | ✅ |

With a Tier 1 key the [Governors](/vanguard/app/governors) page is hidden. Gem farming on the [Gather](/vanguard/features/gather) card needs Tier 2. A key made before tiers existed counts as Tier 2.

Your key also sets how many **clients** it runs at the same time. In Vanguard Hub, each running account counts as one client. See [Pricing](/vanguard/getting-started/pricing) for tiers, clients and lengths.

## Keys that start on first use

A new key's days count from the day you first use it, not the day it was made. Until then, the License page shows the key as valid **for 30 days from first use** (or however many days it has). The first time Vanguard checks in with the license server, the clock starts and the page shows the real end date.

A key like this needs an internet connection when the app starts, so the license server can confirm how many days are left.

## The online check

Vanguard checks in with the license server when it first attaches to the game, then every few minutes while it runs.

* **One running copy per key.** A key works on any PC, but only one copy can run it at a time. A second copy of the same key, on this PC or another, is refused until the first one closes.
* **Crashes do not lock your key.** A copy that stops checking in frees the key after 10 minutes.
* **Losing the key stops the copy.** If another copy takes the key, the first copy detaches from the game and stops. Vanguard Hub logs every account out.
* **Offline grace.** If your internet drops, Vanguard keeps running for 30 minutes after its last good check-in, then pauses until the server answers again.

## Renew your key

When your key is about to end, the License page shows **renew soon** next to the days left. Paste the renewed key on the License page and press **Activate**. Nothing else changes: your settings, governors and saved files stay as they are.

A renewal adds its days on top of your current end date and keeps your app, tier and clients.

## Common messages

| Message | What to do |
| - | - |
| **that is not a valid key** | Copy the whole key again, starting with `ROK-`, with no spaces or line breaks added. |
| **the key expired on** a date | Get a renewed key and paste it on the License page. |
| **this key is for** another app | Use the key in the app it was made for. See [Which app your key unlocks](#which-app-your-key-unlocks). |
| **NOT LICENSED** in the top bar | No active key yet. Open **License** and activate one. |

## Get help with a key

Press **Contact us** at the bottom of the Vanguard sidebar and pick **Billing & licenses**. Use it to buy, renew or change a key, or when a key will not activate. Your message reaches support even when your key is refused.


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