Being an honorable player in LoL won’t just increase your chances of winning your games; it can also unlock some fantastic rewards, including exclusive skins! This is thanks to LoL’s in-game honor system, which is designed to encourage players to stay positive in their matches.
The honor system can be tricky to navigate if you’re not familiar with it. Or perhaps because you’ve never managed to get past level 3 due to things… “outside” of your control (ahem, tilt).
That’s why today, we’ll explain exactly how the honor system works and how you can earn more honor in your games. We’ll also delve further into what kinds of rewards are up for grabs.
League of Legends Honor System Explained
The honor system is an in-game measure Riot uses to combat LoL’s reputation of having one of the most, erm, “delightful” gaming communities.
The system gives players a dedicated honor ranking and rewards them when they hit certain checkpoints. If they manage to reach the top honor rank at the end of the season, players are also awarded with a skin from the Three Honors skin line, as well as an honor token that can be used to unlock exclusive loot, like rare skins and chromas. You can even get perks like loading screen flairs and special recall effects.
To earn honor and hit those checkpoints, you’ll need to make an impression on your teammates. At the end of each match, you, and the other players on your team, are given an opportunity to honor an ally who stands out. It’s possible to honor a player for being tilt-proof, a great shotcaller, or simply a good sport.
Every time you’re honored (and honor others), you’ll earn points toward your honor ranking. Of course, if you display unsportsmanlike behavior, your honor can also be taken away.
How to Earn Honor Fast: Top Tips and Tricks
Earning honor fast in League of Legends is all about making a positive impact in your games, whether because you manage to uplift your team’s morale or carry with impeccable outplays.
Here are a few effective ways you can win over your team and become the most honorable player each game:
Play “Carry” Champions
It should go without saying that carrying your games is going to make you stand out to your teammates. And what’s one of the best ways to improve your “carry” potential? Well, by picking up a champion that can snowball hard, adapt to a wide array of team comps, and create a lot of pressure around the map.
An aggressive champion with high damage output also makes it easier to carry your games, especially if you’re in low-elo where players typically don’t have the macro (and mechanics) to properly counter hard-hitting attacks.
While the best “carry” champion is going to depend on the meta, the team matchup, and your elo, some champions that are consistently reliable include:
- Pyke
- Lux
- Camille
- Sett
- Urgot
- Bel’Veth
- Nasus
- Darius
- Lillia
- Olaf
- Brand
- Vex
- Ashe
- Akali
- Draven
- Kai’Sa
- Jinx
Stay Zen in Chat
The easiest way to obtain that “tilt-proof” honor is to stay positive in the team chat, regardless of how dire the game situation is. Never use chat (or your pings) to flame your allies for their mistakes. Instead, focus on praising them for their outplays — tell them “good job” or “wp” if they land a killer skillshot or secure a game changing kill.
You should especially praise allies who are struggling or falling behind in the game. They likely have low morale, so praising them is going to leave a lasting impression on them and win their hearts (and Honor votes) over.
Improve Your Macro Awareness
One of the honor types, “great shotcaller,” can be earned by carrying your games through effective macro awareness. If you make a call that changes the pace of the match in your team’s favor, you’ll no doubt secure plenty of honors.
Improving your macro is a little harder than brushing up your mechanics, but it’s not impossible. There are plenty of ways to boost your macro and give yourself the best chance at making those game changing shotcalls. Here are just a few techniques you can try:
- Increase the size of your mini-map so your eyes are naturally drawn to it regularly
- Play the “map” video, which provides an audio cue every few seconds to remind you to check your mini-map
- Get into the habit of using your F hot keys to flick your field of view to your allies’ lanes
- Buy control wards and place them where the enemy team are likely to path through — be conscious of common jungle pathing and what objectives are up around the map
- Watch pro esports games and high-elo streamers. Evaluate their decision-making and listen to the commentary they provide
- Practice different strategies in normal games (or with your friends in custom games) to see how they play out in real time
- Familiarize yourself with jungle camp spawn timings, common jungle routes, and how objectives work. You should also know the ins and outs of each champion’s kit, power spikes, and goals
Don’t Forgot to Honor Your Allies
Your honor level isn’t just increased by receiving honors — it can also be increased by giving honors. If you and your allies all decide to honor someone at the end of a match, you’ll receive an honor “bonus” and gain points toward your honor progression.
That’s why it’s so important to remember to honor an ally after every single game; it’s one of the easiest ways to increase your ranking!
Play it Solo
Yep, I know what you’re thinking. Surely if you team up with your friends and get them all to honor you at the end of the match, you’ll earn honor quicker, right? Well… Unfortunately, Riot is aware of this exploit.
You earn significantly less honor from a pre-made than a non-party member, meaning the fastest way to gain honor is to actually avoid teaming up with your premades.
Becoming an Honorable Player
While there are certain tactics you can use to help increase your honor ranking, like playing solo and praising your allies in chat, at the end of the day, becoming honorable is all about playing the best you can.
If you’re able to carry your games consistently and stay positive, you’ll no doubt see the honors flood in.
Best of luck with your honor progression!