I’m a sucker for cosmetics. Skins, Glamours, Costumes, you name it! I love the ability to customize gameplay, even if I’m not entirely in control of every aspect of my character’s appearance.
Chromas and Champion Skins have been a large part of why League of Legends is so fun to me. While Riot has a cash shop available for players who want to get their hands on the latest skins, players can grind out free skins in a few different ways.
The most reliable way to farm out free Champion Skins is by getting a Hextech Chest, though Riot has also added themed quest lines that relate to the newest storylines and skins released. Though some themed quests will also give players a Hextech Chest, players should be more interested in the Themed Orbs that these events drop as they act like a Hextech Chest without requiring a Hextech Key.
HOW DO YOU GET HEXTECH CHESTS?
Hextech Chests are a reward that players receive for earning an S-Rank on their played Champion in Summoner’s Rift or ARAM. Players do not have to play Ranked to receive an S-Rank in Summoner’s Rift, although players must be in a PVP Setting and not in Co-Op VS. A.I.
Players may also receive a Hextech Chest for being on the same team as a player who received an S-Rank, although the players must have been in the same match-made group. What this means is you must have been in the same queue as the individual who received the S-Rank.
Receiving a Hextech Chest with an S-Rank can occasionally be available when playing a seasonal map such asLegend of the Poro King, though this is subject to change each year.
As mentioned prior, Hextech Chests can also be given as a reward occasionally from themed quest lines.
Players can only receive one Hextech Chest per Champion per Season. So, if you get an S-Rank on Xayah at the beginning of the season, you will not be able to receive one on her again until the season resets. You can check whether or not you have received an S-Rank on a Champion in your collection as Champions will appear with bubble that states that a chest has been acquired for that season.
If you receive an S-Rank on a Champion you have already claimed a chest for, but a matchmade teammate has not received a chest on their Champion, your teammate will still receive a Hextech Chest. The same is true for you, obviously (unless again, you’ve claimed the chest corresponding to the Champion you’re playing).
HOW MANY HEXTECH CHESTS CAN I GET IN A WEEK
Every week you will earn the chance to redeem one Hextech Chest, however, if you do not claim a chest you will be able to redeem it the following week. You will only be able to hold 4 chances to claim a Hextech Chest at a time. Once a chest is claimed you will receive another charge the following week.
You will not be required to log into the League of Legends client to receive a charge.
HOW DO YOU OPEN A HEXTECH CHEST?
Hextech Chests require one Hextech Key to open. There are a few ways you can obtain Hextech Keys, including using 3 Hextech Key Fragments to craft one.
Keys and Key Fragments are obtained from the Honour System and can occasionally be rewarded for quest lines. Unfortunately, Honour is a system that has not been fully explained by the Riot team. What we do know is that players will rank up differently based on how much Honour they receive and the amount that they play League of Legends.
The following are the number of keys and key fragments you will earn from honour:
Level 1:1 Key
Level 2:1 Key
Level 2 Checkpoints (x3): 2 Key Fragments
Level 3:3 Key Fragments
Level 3 Checkpoints (x3):2 Key Fragments
Level 4:Four Key Fragments
Level 4 Checkpoints (x3): 2 Key Fragments
Level 5:5 Key Fragments
Although Level 5 does not have any Checkpoints players will receive 3 Key Fragments periodically if they continue receiving Honour.
WHAT DO HEXTECH CHESTS DROP?
50% chance of a Skin Shard
25% chance of a Champion Shard
10% chance of an Emote Permanent
11.5% chance of a Ward Skin Shard + 150 Bonus Orange Essence
3.5% chance of a Summoner Icon Shard + 150 Bonus Orange Essence
3.6% chance of a Bonus Gemstone
10% chance of a Bonus Chest + Key
CAN YOU GET CHROMAS FROM A HEXTECH CHEST?
It would be lovely if players could get Chromas from Hextech Chest, however, the reality is that players would unlock too many Chromas for skins they do not own.
Since players are not able to use Chromas for skins they do not own, it doesn’t seem like Riot is going to be handing out any of those sweet, sweet Chromas for free.
Players interested in Chromas can wait for the Blue Essence Emporium to purchase chromas for Blue Essence.
CONCLUSION
At the end of the day, you will not be able to control how fast you get Hextech Chests, but you have a much higher chance of obtaining them from only playing PVP.
I personally recommend playing ARAM if you want to get a lot of Hextech Chests since it’s a game mode that forces you to try out Champions you’ve never played before. It also guarantees that you will never end up with the same Champion as you sometimes do in Summoner’s Rift.
I would recommend logging into your client at least once a week to check whether or not Riot is running any special events since those tend to give you a few skills after completing the quests. Really, other than the few skins that I’ve bought from Your Shop, I’ve gotten dozens of skins for free.
So, I’m curious, do you find grinding Hextech Chests easier? Do you like how many free skins are obtainable in League of Legends or do you think things need to change? Let me know in the comments below!
