If you’ve ever finished a League of Legends match, saw you earned a hextech chest, and immediately thought, how do i get keys in league of legends to open it, you’re not alone. Keys are one of the most sought-after loot items in the game, letting you unlock everything from champion shards to rare permanent skins you can’t buy directly in the store. A lot of new players get frustrated when they first start, because chests drop far faster than keys do if you don’t know what you’re doing. I’ve been there too, hoarding 17 chests in my inventory at one point because I had zero keys to open them. This guide breaks down every legitimate way to earn keys, no paid hacks or sketchy third-party sites required, so you can stop hoarding chests and start claiming your rewards.
Earn Keys Through Match Performance and Honor Level Rewards
The most consistent free way to get keys is by playing matches and meeting basic in-game requirements. First, you can get key fragments whenever you or a member of your premade group earns an S-, S, or S+ rank on a champion at the end of a match. You can only earn up to 12 key fragments per month through this method, so it’s worth playing a few champions you’re comfortable with to hit that S rank cap each month if you’re grinding for keys. You need three fragments to craft one full key, so that’s four full keys per month just from playing well.
The other way to get keys through regular play is via your honor level. Every time you level up your honor (from level 1 to 5, plus checkpoints in between), you get honor orbs that almost always contain key fragments or full keys. Players who reach honor level 5 get two free key fragments every time they hit an honor level checkpoint, so staying positive in games adds up to a lot of extra keys over time. You level up honor by staying positive in chat, not leaving matches early, and receiving honors from teammates after games. This is one of the easiest passive methods, since you don’t have to do anything extra besides play fairly and be a decent teammate.
Claim Keys From Event Passes and Limited-Time In-Game Events
Riot runs themed events every few months, from Arcane tie-ins to seasonal world championship events, and almost all of them include keys or key fragments as rewards. If you buy the premium event pass, you’ll get dozens of key fragments and multiple full keys as you level up the pass through match play. Even if you don’t want to spend money on the premium pass, the free track of every event always includes at least a few key fragments or full keys for all players.
You don’t have to spend real money to get event key rewards, so make sure you check the event tab every time a new event drops to see what free rewards you can earn just by playing your regular matches. Some events also have special missions that give keys as a reward for completing specific tasks, like winning three games as a mage or getting 10 kills across multiple matches. These missions are usually easy to complete without changing your regular playstyle, so they’re a great way to stack extra keys while you work on other rewards.
Purchase Keys Directly or Get Them As Part of Loot Bundles
If you don’t want to wait to earn keys through regular play, you can buy them directly from the in-game store using Riot Points, the game’s premium currency. Full keys cost 125 RP each, or you can buy a bundle of 5 keys for 475 RP, which saves you 150 RP compared to buying them individually. You can also get keys for free when you buy other skins or bundles in the store, as Riot often adds bonus keys to limited-time skin bundles to make them a better value.
Never buy keys from third-party sites, even if they claim to sell them for a fraction of the in-game price. These sites are almost always scams, and buying from them can get your Riot account permanently banned, or leave you vulnerable to having your account stolen. If you’re going to spend money on keys, the only safe way to do it is directly through the official in-game store. It’s also worth noting that buying keys is never required to enjoy the game, so only spend money if it fits your budget and you really want to open extra chests quickly.
Extra Methods for How Do I Get Keys in League of Legends
If you’ve maxed out your monthly key fragment cap, finished all event missions, and still want more keys, there are a few lesser-known legitimate ways to earn them that most players don’t know about. None of these require spending money, and most take very little extra effort:
- Prime Gaming rewards: If you have an Amazon Prime subscription, you get free LoL loot drops every month, which often include full keys, key fragments, or chest and key bundles. All you have to do is link your Riot account to your Prime Gaming account and claim the rewards each month.
- Riot Client giveaways: Riot occasionally runs small giveaways through the client homepage or official social media accounts, which can include keys as a reward for logging in during a specific window or completing a quick, anonymous survey about game features.
- Clash tournament rewards: If you play in Clash, the game’s official competitive team tournament mode, you get loot capsules based on how well your team performs, almost all of which include multiple key fragments or full keys, even if you lose all your matches in the tournament.
All of these methods are 100% safe and approved by Riot, so you don’t have to worry about risking your account to use them. The Prime Gaming perk is especially worth using if you already pay for Amazon Prime, since it takes less than a minute to link your accounts and you get extra loot every single month for no additional cost. A lot of players forget to check these extra sources, so taking a few minutes each month to claim these rewards can add up to a lot of extra keys over time.
At the end of the day, figuring out how do i get keys in league of legends doesn’t have to be complicated, and you don’t have to spend a ton of money to get enough keys to open all the chests you earn. The best approach is to combine passive methods like earning honor rewards and claiming free event drops with active methods like playing for S ranks to hit your monthly fragment cap. You’ll naturally build up a stock of keys over time without having to go out of your way, and you won’t have to risk your account on sketchy scams. Just remember to stick to legitimate, Riot-approved methods, and you’ll be unlocking rare skins and champion shards in no time.