What Are Hextech Chests in LOL?
For the uninitiated, Hextech Chests are a form of loot box that's specific to League of Legends. Depending on your luck and the game's reward-generation mechanism, they contain shards, emotes, or even Orange Essence.
Any item you get from a Hextech Chest may go towards enhancing your Champion's appearance, renting or unlocking Champions, or even converting essential shards into valuable Blue Essence later.
So, the contents of a Hextech Chest in LOL may offer cosmetic enhancements or even enhance your Champion’s mastery levels depending on how you use, upgrade, and manage the shards and items.
What Do Hextech Chests Contain?
As already mentioned, Hextech Chests offer a variety of in-game items used for character enhancements and cosmetic advantages.
The contents of your Hextech Chest will depend on the drop rates and odds of possible items inside the box.
Lucky LOL players will land a valuable item by opening a few Hextech Chests. However, even after multiple openings, unlucky draws may end up with mediocre items.
However, Riot Games has specified percentages for each item’s drop rates. So, players going through a dry spell with Chests may refer to this drop-rate percentage to get an idea of their chances.
| Hextech Chest Item | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Bonus Chest and Chest Key | 10% |
| Mythic Essence x 10 | 3.6% |
| Permanent Summoner Icon | 3.5% |
| Orange Essence 150 Bonus | 3.5% |
| Ward Skin Shard and Orange Essence 150 Bonus | 11.5% |
| Permanent Emote | 10% |
| Champion Shard | 25% |
| Skin Shard | 50% |
As you can tell, item percentages vary based on how valuable or useful they are to the player.
The game considers Skin Shards to be a more common benefit for most users. So, the chances of Skin Shards appearing in your Hextech Chest are much higher (50%).
However, items like the Permanent Summoner Icon are much rarer (3.5%). This cosmetic advantage is harder to find and, thus, more impressive when a player wins it.
You may also win Bonus Chests if you’re lucky. These items aren’t as rare as Mythic Essence. However, an additional Bonus Chest makes your opening much more profitable from the player’s perspective.
Get Hextech Chests With Skill & Strategy: Earning An S-Rank
The most respectable way of winning Hextech Chests is by winning a game with S-rank.
We'll get to how you can purchase chests later below. But I'll focus more on 'earning' a chest with your gaming performance since this option remains the most legitimate, respected, and fulfilling method.
Let’s break this down.
The game rewards you with Hextech Chests when you achieve S-rank in either the ARAM mode or Summoner’s Rift.
For beginners, ARAM and Summoner’s Rift are different modes in LOL that test players can choose from. ARAM, here, stands for All Random All Mid. Unlike Summoner’s Rift, you get assigned a Champion in ARAM mode. And all encounters take place through one route in the middle of the map.
Summoner’s Rift, on the other hand, is the conventional map and mode that LOL players know and love. You choose your desired Champion and fight your way to destroy the enemy's Nexus along with your team.
Also, the Summoner’s Rift map has three routes (top, middle, bot) that team members can be spread across.
Understanding The S-Rank In LOL
LOL awards players with specific ranks for their performance in each game. This rank is different from the Account Levels or Tiers that apply to the player’s career or a particular season.
The game utilizes a grading scale to represent how well you played a particular game. This scale follows an S-A-B-C-D scale listed from highest to lowest. Additionally, each grade contains three more sub-levels that are plus, minus, and neutral.
So, the D level is the lowest grade you can earn in a game. However, a D- is worse than a D+.
Your performance graded across multiple parameters will earn you a grade for the match. So, an S+ rank at the end means you played exceptionally throughout the game.
How To Get S-Rank For Hextech Chests In LOL
There's no specific formula or style of playing that guarantees an S-rank during a LOL game. However, there are several aspects of your game that contribute to this grade in the end.
Participation In Kills
Any LOL mode revolves around killing as many enemies as possible en route to victory. And Kill Participation is a stat that affects your chances of an S-score greatly.
There’s no fixed minimum to aim for here. However, get your Kill Participation to 70% or more to be on the safe side. That may sound like a lot, but most LOL games have so many skirmishes going on that it’s certainly possible.
Also, with the single-lane format in ARAM mode, participating actively in enemy kills is relatively easier.
Lower Death Count
In relation to getting many kills, not getting killed yourself is another factor. The S-score rarely goes to participants who die excessively in relation to their role. For instance, an acceptable number of deaths will vary depending on whether you’re the tank or a marksman.
For instance, a backline champion with a ranged attack dying more than 4-5 times may be excessive.
Play with such a strategy that minimizes your deaths while getting active participation in kills throughout your lane.
Creep Score
Creeps aren’t your primary opponents in the game. But they still count for kills, gold, and XP whenever you go through them.
So, a high creep score or minion kill count implies that you’re doing more damage across the game on average.
Once again, the accepted level of creep count will depend on what role and lane you're occupying. Plus, the Champion you choose in Summoner’s Rift also determines this stat.
But overall, it's good to have a higher creep count versus a lower one when you reach the end of the game.
Non-Popular Picks
Getting assigned unconventional Champions in ARAM mode is another opportunity to hit the S-rank. Of course, you’ll still have to perform well in relation to the opponent playing the same Champion.
This strategy from Riot may be a push to encourage players to pick these less-used Champions in Summoner’s Rift. Regardless, racking up good stats in the game with a rarely used Champion also contributes towards earning an S-rank.
Use the ‘Re-roll’ option in ARAM mode to reassign your Champion if you got a popular choice on the first roll. Players who rack up good numbers in all these parameters will increase their chances of getting an S-rank. The game will reward you with a Hextech Chest in return for performing well with your assigned/chosen Champion.
How To Purchase Hextech Chests in LOL
If grinding in gameplay is not your thing, Riot Games offers you an easier way of grabbing one of these in-game loot boxes. And that’s by buying it straight from the game’s Riot Store.
Where Can I Find The Riot Store
The League of Legends game client has a section dedicated to purchasing items called the Riot Store. This section should not be confused with the in-game shop, where you can buy items in exchange for the gold you win within a specific match.
The game's currency is called RP. You can use RP to buy a diverse selection of items on sale in the game's Store.
How To Buy Hextech Chests From The Store
The Store will have multiple tabs and buttons labeled as 'Featured,' 'Champions,' 'Accessories,' etc. Go to the tab that's labeled, 'Loot.'
Under the ‘Loot’ tab, you’ll find all the items on sale related to Hextech chests and crafting. Items typically include event tokens, Little Legends, and, of course, Hextech Chests.
Simply choose the Hextech Chest or bundle you wish to buy. And proceed with the RP payment.
The Hextech Chests sold in the Store come with their own keys. So, you don’t face the inconvenience of collecting shards and Keys merely to open your Hextech Chest.
You also have the option of buying Chests in bulk. Hextech Chest bundles come with a total price that’s less than the combined total of individual Hextech Chests.
How To Get RP For Buying Hextech Chests
Riot Games has removed or refrained from providing free ways of getting RP. So, the only legitimate way of securing RP is through real money.
The LOL client allows you to use a variety of payment methods. So, you can use whatever payment mode suits you the most to purchase RP.
New accounts may start with a default supply of RPs. But you’ll need to purchase further if you wish to continue buying Hextech chests from the Store.
Earning Hextech Chests Vs. Buying Hextech Chests
Many LOL enthusiasts debate on whether it's better to earn these chests in-game or purchase them from the Store directly.
The choice boils down to the individual gamer’s preference, honestly.
If you don’t mind spending real money towards enhancing some cosmetic elements of your Champion and overall game, buying Hextech Chests will always be an option.
It’s an easy way for Riot Games to commercialize specific elements of the game for added revenue. If this revenue is used to improve the game’s experience for all players, then it’s a fair trade in one sense.
Alternatively, grinding it out to earn a Chest without spending real money is also an accomplishment. It's proof that your skills, strategies, and game knowledge are higher than the average LOL player's.
Consistently earning an S rating takes work. Excelling at different parameters and stats in one game is altogether challenging. So, it's much more fulfilling when you earn the Hextech Chest through grit, skill, and gameplay.
Ultimately, the decision of whether to buy or play your way to a Hextech Chest lies with you.
Final Thoughts on Hextech Chests
Hextech Chests are a clever way of improving your in-game experience and character appearance as you rise through the elusive ranks of LOL.
Learn how to take your Champion’s aesthetics to the next level by downloading the best customized skins meant for LOL.