If you’ve ever stared at a stack of unopened Hextech or Masterwork chests in your League of Legends inventory, you know how frustrating it is to be locked out of free skins, champion shards, and other exclusive rewards. The good news is you don’t have to drop real cash to get the loot you want. We’ve put together all the proven, Riot-approved methods for how to get keys on League of Legends, no hacks or sketchy third-party sites required. Whether you’re a new casual player or a long-time ranked main, there’s a method here that fits your play schedule and style.
Earn Key Fragments Through Regular Match Play
The most consistent way to build up keys over time is just by playing the game normally, no extra steps required. Key fragments drop randomly after you win any matchmade game, whether that’s Summoner’s Rift, ARAM, Arena, or even ranked flex. You won’t get a fragment every win, but the drop rate goes up significantly the higher your honor level is. Players with Honor Level 3 or higher get up to 4x more key fragment drops than players at Honor Level 1, so staying positive in chat, pinging to help teammates, and avoiding reports is one of the easiest ways to speed up your farm. Even small things like congratulating a teammate on a good play or staying calm after a lost team fight can help you get honor checks at the end of matches, which boosts your honor level faster over time. You need 3 key fragments to craft one full Hextech Key, which works for both standard Hextech Chests and event-specific chests in most cases. You can only earn up to 12 key fragments per month, though, so if you hit that cap, you’ll want to switch to other methods to keep building your stock.
How to Get Keys on League of Legends Through Event Passes
Event passes are one of the fastest ways to stack dozens of keys and key fragments in a short window, even if you don’t buy the premium pass track. Every 2-3 months Riot releases a new themed event, with a free pass track available to all players with no purchase required. As you play matches during the event, you earn event points that unlock rewards as you level up the pass. The free track almost always includes 3-5 full Hextech Keys and 10+ key fragments in the first 20 levels, so you don’t have to grind nonstop to claim them. If you do choose to buy the premium pass, you’ll get even more keys, plus Masterwork Keys that can only be earned through event passes, partnership rewards, or purchased directly and open higher-value chests with rare skins like Mythic skins and prestige editions. Even if you only play 2-3 matches a day, you can unlock all the free key rewards from most event passes before the event ends. Just make sure you check the event end date so you don’t leave any unclaimed rewards on the table when it wraps up. I’ve personally gotten over 15 keys in a single event just from playing ARAM a few nights a week, so it’s totally doable even if you don’t have a lot of time to grind.
Claim Free Keys From Prime Gaming and Other Partnership Rewards
If you have existing subscriptions to popular gaming services, you might already have free keys waiting for you that you don’t know about. Riot regularly runs partnerships with major platforms to give out free LoL loot to subscribers, no extra cost involved. The most consistent partnership is with Prime Gaming, which gives a new LoL loot drop every month. Most Prime Gaming monthly drops include at least 1 Hextech Key, plus a chest and occasional skin shards, so it’s worth linking your Riot account to Prime if you have an active subscription. Xbox Game Pass members also get regular key drops and other exclusive loot, plus access to all champions for free as long as their subscription is active. You can also find occasional key giveaways from official Riot partners, like popular streamers and esports tournaments, but always make sure the giveaway is hosted by an official Riot partner to avoid scam sites that steal account information. I’ve seen dozens of players lose their accounts over fake key giveaways on social media, so it’s always better to err on the side of caution if a deal seems too good to be true. Use this quick checklist to confirm a key giveaway is legitimate:
- The giveaway is hosted on an official Riot Games channel, or a partner with verified Riot partnership badges
- You never have to enter your Riot account password to claim the reward
- The reward is claimed directly through the official Riot client or official Riot website
- There are no hidden requirements like downloading third-party software to get your key
Buy Keys Directly (When It Makes Sense)
Of course, the fastest way to get a key right away if you have a chest you’re dying to open is to buy it directly from the in-game store, but you should only do this if it fits your budget. Hextech Keys cost 125 RP each, or you can buy a bundle of 5 keys plus 5 chests for 975 RP, which is a better value if you also need chests. Never buy keys from third-party resale sites, even if they advertise lower prices, because these keys are often bought with stolen credit cards, and Riot will ban your account if you redeem them. It’s only worth buying keys if you’re looking for a specific skin and have a chest that you think might have it, or if you’ve hit your monthly key fragment cap and don’t want to wait for the next reset. If you’re a casual player who only plays a few times a week, you’re better off earning keys for free through the other methods we’ve covered, since you’ll build up a stock slowly over time without spending any money. Riot also occasionally runs sales on key and chest bundles during major events like the Mid-Season Invitational or World Championship, so wait for those sales if you do plan to buy to get the best value. You can usually get 30-40% off bundle prices during these sales, so it’s worth holding off on purchases if you know a big event is coming up soon.
At the end of the day, you don’t have to grind 10 hours a day or spend hundreds of dollars to build up a solid stock of keys for your chests. The best method for you will depend on how much you play, what subscriptions you already have, and how quickly you want to unlock your loot. Stick to the Riot-approved methods we’ve covered, stay positive in matches to keep your honor level high, and you’ll never be stuck wondering how to get keys on League of Legends again. Before you know it, you’ll have a pile of unlocked skins, champion shards, and other rewards to make your time on the rift even more fun.