League of Legends: Low Priority Queue Explained

League of Legends strives to maintain a fair and enjoyable gameplay environment for all players. To achieve this, Riot Games has implemented various penalty systems, including the Low Priority Queue. In this article, we will explore the specifics of the LoL Low Priority Queue, explain its purpose, and how players can avoid it.

What is the LoL Low Priority Queue?

The Low Priority Queue is a penalty system designed to deter players from leaving matches prematurely or going AFK. Players who repeatedly exhibit negative in-game behavior find themselves relegated to this queue. 

It imposes significantly longer wait times before players can find a match, which essentially makes it feel like a timeout for those who disrupt the gameplay for others. 

The goal is straightforward. Riot wants to discourage players from abandoning their teammates and forcing others to endure unbalanced matches. By increasing the time investment required to play, Riot hopes to incentivize players to stay and complete their games.

But how does such a system work with tens of millions of active players every month? Let's talk about LeaveBuster, the actual 'sheriff' on the Summoner's Rift. 

What is the LeaveBuster system? 

You cannot escape the LeaveBuster system if you leave a game or remain AFK while in one. The system monitors player activity during matches. If a player disconnects or becomes idle for an extended period, LeaverBuster flags this behavior. 

It's a multi-tiered system that imposes increasing Low Priority Queue penalties on players who repeatedly leave games. The first few times will earn you a small restriction but if you continue replicating this behavior, you might be completely unable to queue for any game mode until their penalty expires. 

In other words, you will be given a complete queue lockout, which is a type of ban that prevents you from playing League of Legends. 

But LeaveBuster does more than simply give you extra time to rethink your actions while queueing for your next match. Leaving matches also leads to other penalties, especially when speaking about ranked mode. 

Leaving a ranked match often means you will also lose League Points (LP). The first time will give you a small taste of the potential consequences and you will lose only 3 points. But every following offense will result in a minimum of 10 points lost per game. 

Moreover, consistent leaving could result in XP and MMR penalties. This means that you will get started getting matched with weaker players. Combined with the guaranteed reports from teammates and opponents, you may even get a direct ban for a certain period, depending on your ban history. 

Overall, the LoL Low Priority Queue is not the worst consequence of leaving matches. With this said, let's talk about how you can escape it in case you ever get penalized. 

How to Escape the Low Priority Queue?

Generally, getting back on track is not hard to do as long as you change your behavior. All you have to do is complete at least five games without leaving at any stage. And you have to do them in a row or the countdown will be reset. 

Moreover, forget about declining games or failing to accept. If you want to escape the LoL Low Priority Queue, you have to glue yourself to your seat and accept the next five matches on time. Missing a callout will also reset the countdown. 

Low Priority Queue Tiers in League of Legends

As mentioned above, there are multiple tiers within the penalty system and consistent offenses will lead to more serious consequences. 

Until September 2023, there were four levels of queue delay, starting from the lowest one, which gives you a 1-minute restriction. 

However, Riot introduced four new tiers and the so-called queue lockout, which includes a complete restriction from playing for a certain period, depending on the level. 

Consistent leaving will move you up through the levels and getting out of the Low Priority Queue will become far more time-consuming. With the new queue lockout phase, you could get locked out of matchmaking for up to 14 days and even after that period, you will have the highest non-lockout queue delay tier to deal with.

Here are the different tiers and the penalties that come with them.

Is Low Priority Queue Good for the LoL Community? 

While the Low Priority Queue serves a crucial purpose, it’s not without its critics. Some players argue that the system is too harsh, punishing those who might have experienced technical difficulties or unforeseen circumstances. 

For instance, LeaveBuster will not consider you AFKing due to internet problems or a crashed computer. Of course, you shouldn't even queue up for a game if you know that there are serious issues with your system but in most cases, connection problems come unexpectedly. 

Ultimately, the LoL Low Priority Queue is a partial solution to a larger issue: the prevalence of negative behavior in online gaming. There are ways that it can be improved, including more effective reporting tools. Luckily, with the introduction of Vanguard, Riot showed that it is determined to take the next step forward. 

Conclusion

While the Lol Low Priority Queue is a necessary tool to combat the issue of players abandoning matches, it's not without its challenges. Balancing the need to punish disruptive behavior with preventing unfair penalties remains a complex task that is yet to be solved. 

Ultimately, the state of the LoL community depends on players working together to create a respectful and cooperative atmosphere. Don't be one of the people who leave games deliberately, it's not worth the long waiting times. Not to mention that it destroys the positive experience of nine other people who came to play and have fun. 

FAQ

Is LeaveBuster active in all LoL game modes? 

Some modes still do not utilize the penalty system like TFT and Clash. However, it applies to all other competitive modes like ranked, draft, blind queues, and even Co-op vs AI. As long as you play a game with other people, whose experience will be affected if you leave the game, you will get penalized. 

Does playing quicker modes help fix low priority queue? 

No, playing one of the faster game modes will not affect the penalty you picked up while playing ranked or normal games. For example, you cannot fix your queue delay by playing ARAM matches. 

How long is the queue delay with low priority queue?

This is a multi-tiered system and the duration of your penalty depends on the number of times you've left a game prematurely. Doing it once will not result in a lasting delay but consistent AFKing could lead to long waiting times. 

How long is the waiting time while in low priority queue? 

In peak hours, finding a match can take seconds. But the waiting time while in a low priority queue will be much higher. First, you have to endure the queue delay and then wait additionally until the client matches you with other players. Depending on the penalty tier, you may even wait 10-20 minutes to find a match.