How to Gain Key Fragments in League of Legends

Hextech Crafting is a gameplay reward system implemented by Riot Games Inc. for League of Legends and Teamfight Tactics, offering opportunities to obtain event content, skins, and champions.

For the most common usage of hextech crafting, which is hextech chest opening, you need to obtain chests and keys.

Keys

Keys are mandatory to open chests and claim rewards. Keys are obtained by events, purchases, and through combining 3 key fragments.

Key Fragments

Key fragments are the only way to earn keys except for events, and shop.

The only ways to earn Key Fragments are by events, playing games, getting honored, and purchasing from the store.

Hextech Chests

Hextech chests are also mandatory to be able to claim the rewards.

To claim hextech chests, you need to purchase from the store, earn an S- or higher grade with a champion that you haven't earned before, or claim through events.

Best Ways to Earn Key Fragments in LoL

There are a lot of ways to earn keys, lets get right into the best ways to claim key fragments and keys in League of Legends :

1.) Events

Events often come up in League of Legends to increase in-game activities and purchases. During that period, even for free, players who play a lot of games get event coins which they can spend to get key fragments and keys.

• Events also provide a direct hextech chest and key rewards after certain points of progress. 
• Buying an event pass for 1650RP would cause you to have a significantly higher amount of keys and key fragments by playing games while the event is active.

The League of Legends subreddit community has reported that during major events, players were able to earn up to 20 key fragments just by completing the event's missions and challenges.

2.) Playing Games

The players with the longest time spent while playing League of Legends.

By simply just increasing your game amount and putting those hours in; you significantly increase your Key Fragment amount without doing anything extra in LoL.

The solo games and games that you play with premade have different impacts on your key fragment progress:

a.) Premade Games:

• If you play your games as a group of 5, as you will all honor each other, the key fragments progress will be significantly increased.
• However, keep in mind that the progress you make to obtain a key fragment is lesser due to the fact that Riot gives lower progress at honor when honored by a premade.

b.) Solo Games:

• When you play games alone, without the company of a friend, you have a lesser chance of getting honored and having your team honor each other, so the key fragment obtainment odds are fewer.
• When you get honored by a player who is not your duo, the progress you make to obtain a new key fragment is higher.

According to a study conducted by the League of Legends analytics website op.gg, players who queue up with a premade group of 5 have a 30% higher chance of earning key fragments compared to solo queue players.

This is because the premade team is more likely to honor each other, which directly contributes to key fragment acquisition.

Honor Orbs and Capsules

As you proceed with getting honored in your games to maximize your key fragment amount, you will also make great progress at your Honor Level:

• As you level up your honor, you will also get get a reward per level after Level 2 that is called an "Honor Capsule" aswell as the ‘’Honor Orbs’’, and these capsules often have 1-3 key fragments for you to obtain.
• The chance of receiving key fragments from Honor Capsules increases by 10% with each Honor Level.
• This means that a player at Honor Level 5 has a significantly higher chance of obtaining key fragments from these capsules compared to a player at Honor Level 2

RP Shop

• You can access the shop by the League of Legends Client store and see that you can buy a key for the price of 125RP.
• This is the least optimal way of obtaining keys, as the price-to-value ratio differs significantly.

Conclusion

To keep your key fragments on top of the charts, just play a lot of games, be positive, and if you have a friend to play with, make sure to invite them and enjoy the process! If you are in urgent need of keys and key fragments in LoL, checking out the options to buy with RP and upcoming/current events would be the way to go to speed up the process.

However, the most sustainable and cost-effective approach is to focus on maximizing your key fragment earnings through consistent gameplay and honoring your teammates.