How to Raise Your LoL Honor Level: A Guide to Climbing the Ranks
Introduction
As League of Legends players, we definitely have a bit for a reputation among gamers—and not the good kind. Come on, let's face it, we're often seen as the poster children for gaming toxicity, and that's not coming out of thin air; From passive-aggressive pings to all out crusades in the all-chat, it's not wonder newcomers sometimes run for the hills right after their first few matches.
The pressure of this relentless negativity weighs heavy on the community, pushing Riot Games to find ways to curb the bad behavior and make the game a friendlier place—aaand to save face and attract more sponsors. That's where the Honor System comes into play: A progression system further from in-game performance but designed to reward positive players, creating an environment where not bashing your keyboard through a monitor earns you some free stuff.
But how does this honor system work under the hood?
Understanding the LoL Honor System
First things first, let’s talk about what the Honor System actually is. Riot rolled this feature out to encourage players to play nice and reduce the typical rage-induced gamer moments that are as synonymous with the game as 1v5 pentakills and 0/10 Yasuo mains. The premise here is simple: after each game, players can honor their teammates—and occasionally their opponents—based on positive behavior. These honors translate into rewards, giving players a tangible incentive to practice good sportsmanship and teamwork, even when things go south.
The system rewards those who uplift their squad and punishes those who think "mid or feed" is a viable strategy by limiting their honor progression and making them sit in a corner to think about what they've done.
Everyone starts at Honor Level 2 at the beginning of each season, with the goal of climbing up to Honor Level 5, passing through three checkpoints per level. The rewards get juicier as you rise, but don’t worry—we’ll dive into those goodies later on.
All of these shiny crests and parallel progression are made with the clear goal of making League’s famously salty community just a little less toxic. Spoiler alert: It’s working... kind of. But before getting into the nitty gritty of how to climb the Honor ladder, let’s check out the latest changes to the system to get you up to speed.
2024 Changes to Honor System
If you’ve been around since before Season 8, congrats—you’re officially part of the OG club. You probably remember the old honor system too. Back then, you could actually honor opponents. Even though that feature got throw out the window with the new honor system, Riot games has finally caved to popular demand and reintroduced it a few patches ago. So, it’s back, baby!
The biggest change? You now gain one honor "token" every game, stacking up to 4 (kinda like ARAM rerolls), meaning you can now honor up to four players from both teams after a game, instead of just one. Sure, we lost those specific categories like Tilt-Proof, Leadership/Shot-calling, and Team Player in favor of a simple "Good job!" button, but let’s be honest—we were all just picking a random one half the time anyway.
And yes, this includes opponents too. We’ve all faced that one chill, friendly, or just downright fun player on the enemy team even once in a blue moon. Now you can give them a little nod of appreciation post-game. It’s Riot’s way of saying, "Hey, even though you made me lose LP, I respect the vibes."
Plus, with this new system, you’re no longer limited to just honoring one teammate—in fact, you can honor all of them! So if you had more than one person pulling their weight, you can spread the love and honor multiple teammates as well (but we know how often that happens).
How to Earn Honor and Track Honor Progress
Raising your Honor level is straightforward: don't be a jerk! Every game you play offers your teammates the chance to honor you, provided you’ve been helpful or, at the very least, didn’t AFK after getting your butt handed to you in lane. There is no cut and dry method to "farm honor levels" as honors from premade teammates don’t carry as much weight. So, your best bet is to keep your cool and try your best in every game.
Just like it’s earned, Honor can also be lost—by being an absolute nuisance to everyone around you. Engaging in toxic behavior, whether it’s trash-talking teammates, spamming the chat, or intentionally feeding the enemy team, will quickly lead to a drop in your Honor level. Penalties are also an express ticket to Honor Level 1 and the delightfully named Dishonorable tier. Congratulations! You’ve shattered all hope of snagging those sweet honor rewards. So, if you want to keep your Honor intact and avoid a one-way trip to the bottom of the barrel, it’s best to play nice and keep the vibes positive.
At the end of each game, other players can dish out a few honors to acknowledge good sportsmanship. You can't beg for these, you've gotta earn them! If you're making big-brain calls, keeping the team together when things get dire, or just being an all-around wholesome presence, you might get a well-deserved pat on the back. Rack up enough of these over time, and you’ll watch your Honor Level rise in no time.
You'll also get to exactly see who valued your presence after each game, letting you know particularly what made you likeable so you can build upon it in future matches. And if you want to keep track of your progress, just head over to your profile page, where you’ll see your current Honor Level and checkpoints. Just don’t expect a detailed breakdown of how many “good vibes” points you’ve earned—it’s a bit more intricate than that. Other players' honor levels are also invisible to you (for absolutely no reason) so keep that in mind when scouting their profiles.
Honor Rewards and Levels
So, how do the levels work? As mentioned, you start at Honor Level 2. Why not 1? Well, Riot likes to pretend you already have some manners. Don't get your hopes too high though as it's still possible to drop below level 2!
You progress from Honor Level 2 through 5, with each level having three checkpoints. Every time you hit a checkpoint, you get treated with an Orb, containing key fragments and a sprinkle of blue essence. Not much, but hey, it's a nice incentive to net be a toxic gremlin.
Advancing from level to level also grants you more exciting goodies, like an Honor Capsule packed with ward skins, exclusive emotes, and you guessed it, even more key fragments. If you're above level 3, you'll get even more of those key shards as you randomly log into the game. Keys for days baby!
Once you reach Level 5, you’ll be treated like the Saint of Summoner’s Rift! You'll be showered with end-of-season rewards like special recall animations and the limited Grey Warwick and Medieval Twitch skins. And if you’re one of those players who climbs the Honor ladder quickly, there’s even more in store. At the end of each season, Riot hands out an exclusive skin from the Three Honors skin line to those with enough zen to reach the highest level.
Just like the Victorious skins, these one are also season exclusive, meaning that once they're gone, they're gone for good! Well, unless you snag one from out store page at UnrankedSmurfs, where you'll find legacy and flashy skins awaiting for you at competitive prices!
We can't forget about that loading screen flair now, can we? So basically, if you've been honored by 2 friendly strangers, your'll get a shiny accolade bordering your profile in your next game. Wear it with pride, you deserved it!
So, if you’ve been positive, helpful, and got honored like crazy, expect some shiny loot!
Behaviors that Affect Honor Score
Here’s where things get a bit more nuanced. It’s not just about not being toxic—it’s about actively being a positive force. Consistent good behavior will speed up your Honor progress, while minor slip-ups (we all have bad days, right?) won’t set you back too much. However, if you go full sicko mode—inting like no tomorrow, spamming slurs in chat, or just being an overall unpleasant person—you’ll see your Honor score take a nosedive and you progress get slower and slower.
Receiving honors from matchmade teammates (especially in random lobbies) can significantly boost your Honor progress, but you've got to contribute too! You can't have your cake and eat it too, you have to honor other aswell. Keep in mind that all of you get an extra boost to your honor progress if everyone votes. Don't be stingy, sharing is caring!
But beware: detected disruptive behavior (like AFKing or running it down mid) will tank your Honor Level faster than a splitpushing Yorick, slowing down your progress or outright regress it. And the more severe the behavior, the harsher the punishment. So, keep it clean, folks.
Regaining Honor After a Penalty
So, you messed up and got hit with a 2-week ban, a warning, or a chat restriction. What now?
Here’s the thing: there’s no shortcut to regaining lost Honor. Riot doesn’t give you a “get out of jail free” card. You’ve got to buckle down, behave, and start rightfully earning those honors again. You're in the Gulag now dude,get your mental game up and embrace your redemption arc.
How much honor it'll take you to get out of the mud isn't an entirely fixed amount as the system judges offenses in a case-by-case basis. It's all about continuously proving that you’ve genuinely turned over a new leaf. Consistent positive behavior is key. Think of it like a slow climb back up from Bronze IV: painful but doable.
Successive honors also dramatically accelerate your recovery rate, so redeem yourself you'll be climbing back up in a breeze.
Tips for Climbing the Honor Ranks
If you want to scale the Honor ranks like a true monk, here are some quality of tips to put you on the right track:
- Play the game (duh): You can’t earn honors if you aren’t playing. So get out there, queue up and bring those wins back home. Plus, every match is a chance to improve and learn, so don’t just sit on the sidelines—dive into the action and make every game count!
- Be a team player: Focus on teamwork, shotcalling, and keeping a positive attitude even when things go south. Remember, League of Legends is a team game; you win together or you lose together. Not every game is as serious as you're putting it out to be, sometimes, it’s about having fun and learning from the experience—this isn't the LCS. So, if you approach the game with a team-oriented mindset, you’ll not only boost your Honor level but will also create a more enjoyable environment for everyone involved.
- Honor your teammates: Don’t forget to honor your team! It’s not just a nice gesture; it’s also a strategic move. Riot actually rewards players who regularly dish out honors, so be the change you want to see in others.
- Keep cool under pressure: If you’re a beacon of calm in the chaos, people will notice. Think of yourself as the Gandalf of Summoner’s Rift, spreading wisdom and good vibes. Staying cool helps keep everyone focused which prevents the dreaded tilt from creeping in and encourages your teammates to do the same. This won't just boost your honor, but will help you win more games in general, I guarantee it!
- Don’t be toxic: This should go without saying, but here we are. Avoid flaming, feeding, and AFKing, unless your dream is to live at Honor Level 0. Keep it positive, stay engaged, and channel that competitive spirit into gameplay rather than toxicity. Your Honor level—and your teammates—will thank you!
- Mute chat: Who would have thought that the easiest way to suppress the urge to flame others is to simply hit that mute button? Seriously, if you find yourself getting constantly triggered by your teammates' questionable plays or their constant stream of negativity, muting them can be a game-changer. Trust me, you'll fell the power of the mute button surging through you the second you toggle it. If you wanna go a step further, consider limiting yourself to team chat or even party chat, what good comes out of it anyway?
Conclusion
At the end of the day, the Honor System in League of Legends is all about promoting positive behavior in an environment that's more volatile than a soviet nuclear reactor. Keep cool, play nice, and you’ll be swimming in honors—and key fragments—before you know it. This system plays it's magic in the background so you won't have to think about it that much, but having that little incentive to always try your best every game in exchange for some goodies is pretty uplifting. I mean, come on, who doesn't like free stuff?
So next time you’re out there on the Rift, remember: It’s not just about winning—sometimes, it’s about not being the reason your team wants to uninstall the game.