Riot reveals why free Hextech Chests won’t come back to League

After upset fans and players complained about the removal of free Hextech Chests from League of Legends, Riot developers have now stepped forward to share the reasons for it and why the company won’t be changing its mind.

League of Legends is the biggest MOBA game on the market, but it has recently come under fire for getting rid of some of its most notable free-to-play rewards. Many players relied on Hextech Chests to get otherwise expensive cosmetic skins for their champions. Between this removal and the addition of “hyper exclusive” mythic variant skins, some have questioned if the game is still as free to play as it once was.

Here’s what the LoL development team at Riot Games had to say about Hextech Chests in its latest update, plus a look to the future for battle pass skins.

Riot says Hextech Chests weren’t profitable for League

To keep adding to the game, the Riot development team removed all free methods of getting Hextech chests with the explanation that they weren’t profitable.

Andrei “Meddler” van Roon and Paul “Pabro” Belleza explained the decision to get rid of Hextech Chests as a matter of sustainability. Skins are the main way that the game makes money to pay development team members and to support in-game changes like new modes as well as tournaments like the World Championship or new cinematics. Recently, League of Legends hasn’t been as profitable as expected, leading to the new changes players have been frustrated about. While the team added premium cosmetics and other cosmetic content, it ultimately concluded that they would have to stop “giving away” skins through Hextech Chests.

Initially, players collected Hextech Chests through champion mastery and ranked rewards for time spent playing LoL. They could then exchange a contained skin shard for a random skin or save up to reroll for a new permanent skin. The dev team confirmed that they wanted to maintain the free-to-play model but that Hextech Chests encouraged players to simply wait for a skin they liked to show up for free, rather than actually buying it. This has left a large number of people with huge skin collections without any money being spent on them. Now, the option to earn skins just by playing is mostly no longer there.

Currently, the only way to get Hextech Chests is by spending 195 RP on the chest and a key. The League of Legends development team still has some tricks up their sleeves, though, to try and keep players happy.

Season 2 battle pass skins, other changes detailed for League

Though Hextech Chest rewards may be diminished, future League seasons will see improved battle pass skins.

Players can expect to see a number of improvements to battle pass skins in Season 2. Many have complained that the skins don’t feel like enough of a reward, especially in the free battle pass. To counter this, the dev team stated that they would be adding more unique visual effects and apparent model changes to skin rewards. Furthermore, future battle pass skins may vary from the seasonal theme to avoid overdoing the same design or using irrelevant champions. These changes won’t take place until Season 2 due to the time it takes to create and redesign champion skins.

Meddler and Pabro additionally confirmed that unlocking a battle pass skin will also grant the champion if it isn’t already owned. Though they didn’t give any hints at future battle pass champions, they did say that any reward skins would not count toward when a champion would get a regular skin.

The dev team is also altering battle pass missions in the near future, though it wasn’t clarified whether they would be adjusted in Act 2 or Season 2. They will be removing any missions that require players to use purchased skins or find other users who have them. Furthermore, missions that players have found especially difficult, such as the infamous “Destroy Five Turret Plates in a Single Game,” will be reworked.

Meddler and Pabro recognized that any decision like this was going to be unpopular with players. Time will tell if getting rid of Hextech Chests is enough to send League of Legends back to profitability or if it’s only going to drive players away.