For those not familiar, key fragments in League of Legends are essentially in-game components that, when crafted into Hextech keys, allow players to unlock chests and obtain various rewards. They’re pretty much one of the only few ways to gain premium content like skins without paying a cent. But obviously, if you’re not paying for these keys with IRL cash, you’re paying with your time. Yep — you’ve gotta grind for them. There are a few different methods to obtain key fragments. In today’s guide, we’ll cover how to get key fragments in LoL, as well as what you can do with them.
Let’s get started!
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What Are Key Fragments in LoL?
Before we get into the how-to, let’s quickly cover what exactly key fragments in LoL are. Key fragments are required to craft Hextech keys, which can then be used to unlock Hextech chests. You need three key fragments to make a whole key. The drop rate varies per player, and you can earn up to twelve fragments (meaning four keys) in a four-week period.
How to Get Key Fragments in League of Legends
With that in mind, let’s cover the various methods on how to get key fragments in League of Legends. Some methods are more reliable than others, but each one involves time, patience, and dedication. You’ll also have to keep a positive attitude (good luck, Draven mains).
Be an Honorable Player
This is by far the easiest and most reliable way to gain key fragments. You simply have to be an honorable player. And by that, I mean no flame wars, no ragequitting, and no inting when times get tough.
Jokes aside, players that frequently receive honors and have a high Honor Level have a greater chance of receiving key fragment drops. Maintaining a positive attitude, being a team player, and helping carry your games will reward you with plenty of key fragments in the long run.
As you climb up the honor ladder and reach the various checkpoints, you’ll also receive honor orbs and honor capsules. Both of these have a chance of containing key fragments, too. In some cases, they can even give you multiple fragments.
Avoid getting chat restricted or other penalties — it’ll reset you to Honor Level 1, and you won’t earn any honor rewards until you climb back up to Honor Level 3.
Level Up Your Account
Another easy method of key fragment farming is leveling up your account. Once you pass Level 30, you’ll receive a Champion capsule every time you level up. These capsules have a chance of dropping a key fragment. Riot hasn’t released the exact key fragment drop rates for League of Legends, but from my experience, it’s not exactly a rare occurrence.
Obviously, like most games, the more you progress, the more experience you need to level up. There are a few ways to level up quicker, though.
Winning Games
You gain more experience points from wins than losses. A 30-minute win will net you around 204 XP, while a 30-minute loss only gives you about 167 XP. So, you’ll want to “try hard” in every game you play! If you’re currently on a loss streak, make sure to check out ProGuides tips for how to improve as a player.
There’s also an in-game First Win of the Day mission that grants players a 400 XP bonus on their first win of the day. It resets every 20 hours, so make sure to win at least one match daily. Be aware that this mission only counts game modes with a matchmaking queue — custom games aren’t eligible.
XP Boosts
This boost temporarily increases the amount of XP gained after a match. There are two types: a win boost (applies for x amount of wins), and a duration boost (applies for x amount of days).
A day boost doubles the base experience gained from games. If you earn 100 XP from a match, it’ll add a bonus of 100 exp on top of that. In comparison, a win boost adds a flat 210 XP bonus per win. This remains the same no matter how long the game goes on for.
Opt for a day boost if you intend to grind it out, or a win boost if you don’t play regularly. Keep in mind that boosts do cost RP — a three-day duration boost will set you back 520 RP, while a five-win boost is 390 RP.
Here’s how to find XP boosts in the store:
- Click on the Store icon
- Open the Accessories tab
- Select the dedicated Boosts category
Role starter bundles, located under the Bundles tab in the store, give duration boosts at a special discounted price. The bundle will also include Champions associated with the role, skins, a rune page, and a new summoner icon.
Considering a fourteen-day XP boost is 1850 RP by itself, and the bundle is only 650 RP with all the additional content, it’s a total bargain. Be aware, though, that you can only unlock each starter pack once per account, and the items included are non-refundable.
Participate in Events
League of Legends releases new in-game events regularly. During an event, players must complete missions to earn tokens, which they can then use to unlock several rewards, such as chromas, icons, event orbs, chests, and even skins. One of the other possible rewards players can earn from tokens is key fragments.
If you complete all the event missions you’ll unlock 300 tokens, which will net you five Hextech keys in total. However, if you have the cash to splurge, you can also fork out for an event pass to gain heaps more tokens, among other rewards.
Open Hextech Chests
Yes, it may seem strange, but opening a Hextech chest can actually drop another chest and a bonus key. According to the official drop rates, there’s a 10% chance of this happening.
How to Craft a Hextech Key and Open Loot
Once you’ve gathered three key fragments, you’ll be able to forge a Hextech key and open loot. The process is simple:
- Click on the Loot tab at the top right of your client.
- Under Materials, select your key fragments and click Forge. They’ll be combined together to form a Hextech key. You won’t be able to see the new item in your materials. Instead, it’ll add to your total keys amount (check the key icon below)
- Next, click a Hextech chest and select open
- Enjoy the loot!
Join the High Ground
We hope our tips above will help you earn key fragments in LoL and finally open those Hextech chests piling up in your loot. If you know of any more tips or tricks, let us know in the comments down below. Make sure to also subscribe to our newsletter for more articles, player guides, and news on the latest in the gaming realm!
Happy gaming!
