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Key Fragment drop rates are too skewed compared to Boxes...

Hemulen Magi··105 votes·30,625 views

Edit: My impression may be based on incorrect information. If each champion is only eligible for 1 box per season, rather than 1 box per month, then the key fragment drop rates are more understandable. I don't mind Hextech Crafting being difficult. I just don't want to end up with a ridiculous number of unopened boxes by the end of the season. I still do have some concerns, since I doubt that I can get even 1 or 2 key fragments on average per week at the current rate. I will wait and see before providing more feedback however.

Like a lot of other players, I am getting a lot more box drops than key fragment drops. Since each box requires 3x key fragments to open, this feels pretty lame. The key fragments are so rare that I expect myself to be buried in pointless, rotting boxes within a few months. Something needs to be done. In my experience, keys need to be 11x more common to reach the number required to open boxes at their current rate. That seems awfully excessive.

Key fragment drops need to be drastically increased. Making key fragments a 100% drop from the first win of the day would be great for honest players who aren't willing to resort to botting to grind the ~100 games per key at the current insane rate...

Making boxes S and S+ only would also be a good idea. S- is probably a little bit too easy to achieve to deserve a box drop in all honesty.

I don't think key and box drop rates need to always balance out, but being skewed so that keys are more than 11x too scarce is beyond ridiculous.

Summary:

  1. Increase key drop rates drastically or reward them for first-win-of-the-day
  2. Stop rewarding boxes for S- rank

92 Comments

ValyrianBlade29 votes

You'll be changing your opinion on the S- once you've gotten boxes on your 30+ best champions and need to acquire an S rank on yet another one.

As for keys: Be aware that the system has only been out for 2 weeks, and yet you could theoretically have 6 boxes so far since you started with 4 available. Going forward, in 2 weeks you would only be able to get 2 additional boxes. Theoretically you should be comparing your current key count to 2 boxes, which if you've received 6 key fragments already you're on track (this is exactly my case, I have 5/6 boxes but only 6 key fragments).

Obviously when the system is new and you have all champions available boxes are easier (and I do find key fragments to be too rare), but as the months pass I'd imagine you'll struggle to get all of your available boxes and the keys will eventually pile up.

Hemulen Magi2 votes

Just some context here, I've also obtained 6 boxes so far, but I've only obtained 4 key fragments.

Some of my impressions may be based on incorrect information however. I had read that champion eligibility reset each month. If that is untrue, then the key fragment rates do seem more reasonable when compared to the boxes. My concern was that the challenge of obtaining boxes was so much less than the challege of obtaining keys. If that impression was based on misinformation, then I will gladly reform my opinion.

ValyrianBlade5 votes

Champions reset each season, not each month. So it will definitely get harder as the season progresses.

Also, boxes are for each S rank, win or lose. Keys are only possible on wins.

What that means is, if you're a player who tends to either do really well or really poorly, you'll get those S's easily and get boxes, but you'll also lose a lot and not get keys. If you're playing consistently pretty well but not dominating, you'll have a tough time getting boxes but you should be able to get a lot of wins and improve your chances at keys.

I think we'll have to wait at least 3 months or so to really start forming opinions on drop rates and the like.

Flawless Fetus4 votes

They made the key drop rate dumb. The more you get, the harder they are to obtain. This resets, I think, every month. Instead of having a consistent %, it varies. They did this so it 'feels smooth', which makes no fucking sense, but rito.

Skorpio3 votes

[{quoted}](name=Blended Fetus,realm=NA,application-id=3ErqAdtq,discussion-id=goR93ZHQ,comment-id=000100000001,timestamp=2016-03-30T13:01:52.656+0000)

They made the key drop rate dumb. The more you get, the harder they are to obtain. This resets, I think, every month. Instead of having a consistent %, it varies. They did this so it 'feels smooth', which makes no fucking sense, but rito.

It actually makes it much better for players who don't play as much or aren't constantly winning. They'll be able to get more keys while they do play and players who play more often won't see a difference other than time between messages.

Vistha Kai2 votes

It's the decreasing key drop ratio that resets monthly.

cuddlykitten41 votes

I may be wrong on this since I'm assuming it from my own experience, but I feel that different ques have seperate drop rates. While your rate in SR may be low, your rates in ARAM and the special gamemode each weekend may still be high. Again, I do not know this to be a fact and have no reason to believe it to be so other than how it seems the fragments drop for me on my account.

Mhihnj3 votes

i got only 4 though. I haven't gotten any at all since the last week

AMYS GRAVE2 votes

i've gotten 6 boxes but only 3 key fragments....

elon wątroba1 votes

Well i have earned boxes on champions, which I scored about A, so kappa ;D.

Bamseben1 votes

You can get rewards as long as other members of your team scores -S or more. I believe that your chance to earn a reward inceases for every team member, including yourself, who gets an -S or more.

HowPlayGAEM9 votes

[deleted]

Dragonlord71371 votes

Finally someone gets it. I mean there basically slot machines but you always get a payout.

WadeWilson13377 votes

It took me 33 wins to get my 6th key fragment. 33.

OU Nightshade4 votes

I feel you. I got my first 2 keys pretty quickly, but since then, I've had 49 won games that haven't paid out with any key fragments. I kinda get the idea of "slowing down to smooth out," to a degree, but saying "oh, he got 2 keys in a week and a half, NEVER GIVE HIM ANOTHER ONE FOR THE NEXT MONTH" is pretty ridiculous.

Pierce The Veal7 votes

You know how you can only get a box once per S on a champion? What if S scores after that gave fragments? I feel that would be fair, afterall it's not all too easy to get S scores consistently.

Atomaizer2 votes

I like this idea very much. But they wouldn't ever do it because RITO are scrooges!

Pierce The Veal1 votes

{quoted}

I like this idea very much. But they wouldn't ever do it because RITO are scrooges!

Unfortunately yes, they are.

To this date I have only completed two keys. Sigh~

ahferroin76 votes

You do realize that if they removed S- ranks as a box drop, there are a decent percentage of people who would get no more than 2 or 3 a year.

Also, be glad the boxes aren't made by Shaco, then you'd have much more serious problems to deal with than not being able to open them.

Shikyo205 votes

I haven't received a single key fragment in about two weeks....x-x

Impervious King4 votes

Well, i have been reading the comments and i do agree that you do not get enough keys to box ratio. By the time you obtain enough keys to open the boxes you currently have you are already beset by another pile of boxes. Putting a different system in play for obtaining keys like ValyrianBlade said would definitely make a difference by making keys 100% chance on win of the day. All together for a system that they are giving you for free you might as well take what you can get, but for the sake of the system having 10 boxes and 1 key fragment is a bit outrageous

ChoTimberwolf1 votes

100% for first win means 7 keys per week max with 1 box per werk so you would be fast to say its ridicilous hard to get boxes compared to keys ;) but i agree that the droprate of keys is a joke its for me now also 13 wins or sth for my 6 key chard got 5 boxes unopened ;)

Prime Pebble2 votes

Riot can make a key drop system like the first win of the day but every 2nd day, your first win would give a key fragment then you wait another 2 days and poof all problems solved, people get their keys and riot doesn't give too much free loot away.

cuddlykitten41 votes

but if you missed just one, then you'd have a box that you could never ever open unless you missed getting another box somewhere down the line.

Azurenight1 votes

7 key frags, not keys.

SeraphimX3 votes

I got a solution, get rid of keys and just let us open our dang boxes.

Mickey Donnerudo2 votes

I have a feeling players will find the opposite to be true later on in the season. They will continue to get keys at this same slow rate, but as they run out of champions to master, they will find that they are getting less and less chests. That is, of course, unless you own 48 different champions AND get can at least S- on all of them.

WarlockLaw1 votes

You don't have to get an S- on 48 champions. You only have to be a member of a party where somebody got st least an S-. If you can play approximately 6 5-man games a week with at least 4 friends each one of you only needs to be able to get an S on about 10-15 champions to get every chest, depending on overlap.

Mickey Donnerudo1 votes

Well, you still have to own 48 champions, so there's that. When your teammate gets a rank S, the game will give you the chest for the champion YOU played and will lock you out from getting a chest from that champion for the rest of the year, even if you got a D- with it.

WarlockLaw1 votes

Owning less than half the roster isn't something I consider to be a huge issue. I assume the average player has at least that many, with more enfranchised players owning most if not all.

Azurenight1 votes

Not to mention that in the course of this, people are most likely going to pick up additional champions from the boxes themselves.

DracosKasu2 votes

Why it is that way, because they want you to use your real money to get a key

[zombie-nunu-tears]

GaleWinUnleashed2 votes

It's unbalanced the other way if you suck :D

I've gotten 4 key fragments in a week and not one single box yet. Not doing well enough to get S rank.

cuddlykitten42 votes

Play support or jun, pick an ally, make your life's goal in that game to make that guy the most powerful thing ever. Couple times like that and you'll make an S game for an ally eventually. Plus, you'll make someone's day doing that for them.

invisiblecat11 votes

Still have 2/3 key fragments after 15 games ;-;

Lux Lewds1 votes

3 fragments in 50 games. Don't feel too bad.

SmokeDaawG2 votes

2 fragments since this has come out, i play atleast 15 games a day.

cuddlykitten41 votes

Let's see, I've opened 7 boxes I think, plus 2 more fragments, so I believe that I've obtained 23 fragments so far. Might have opened 8 boxes, I can't remember how many fragments I had to break down to make things.

MOOHZ DARK1 votes

:( :(

taskwizard1 votes

I just made a reddit post about the disparity in drop rates as well. I play for several hours each day, have kept up with my boxes, but have not received a single key fragment in over a week with 3 boxes sitting in my inventory. I sometimes duo, normally play alone if that helps with statistics, but still...

Crazymage1231 votes

I have gotten 4 boxes but 0 Key fragments, riot plz

Sübprøfit1 votes

Hello... Why am I not getting any key fragments? I have chests to open but not getting any key fragments to forge??

WadeWilson13371 votes

I like how Riot's main excuse for this is, "Oh dont worry, as the season goes on there is no way youll keep getting chests!" I honestly dont buy this at all as its so easy to get a S, but even if it was, is that REALLY the best excuse you have? Youre already gated pretty heavily by chests, to be gated by keys even more so is just dumb. Just another cashgrab from Riot.

Thurst281 votes

I had to go back and count but I've had 10 boxes so far and opened 7. Currently sitting on the other 3 boxes with 2 key shards. I have around a 50% win rate a little over. The boxes are fairly easy to get just by switching champs for a day. The keys are defiantly tougher as you have to win and get lucky. A small key buff would be nice but at the same time you are now getting free skins. FREE. Which means you never have to spend money on this game for anything. Pretty nice of Riot. Now if they could only get ride of the trolls life would be great in league again.

Blahhhhhh1 votes

so far i noticed these drops depend on random day some days i just get them back to back playing just about anything. aram rank etc other days i would only be playing ranked and keep scoring S - rank, nothing

Icestar11861 votes
  1. Agree
  2. Disagree
DAITE NA DEBELIQ1 votes

Well, in my opinion the key fragment drop rate should be increased. I forged 3 keys in 2 days and I haven't received any key fragments since then. I had won like 30-40 games without any drops except for the boxes. I hope they increase the drop rate next patch.

gospodin kur1 votes

So... I started changing my status every win i dont get a fragment, like ''12 wins since last frag'' and i managed to hit 24.[zombie-nunu-bummed]

Total Eclipse1 votes

People are saying they get 2 keys per month..... we get 4 boxes per month...... Its just a bad system as is. I do think that restricting rewards to S and S+ for chests makes sense. It would just create balance, even though I know it would make getting them a bigger challenge. I enjoy that challenge though. It's like if you do good, you directly get rewarded, whereas the the keys it's like just play a f---ton of league and you MIGHT get a bone thrown here and there. I still have no free skins from playing a lot of league... I thought we were going to get stuff out of this, but waiting on key frag drops is a huge drag.

I like this idea of getting S on a champ you've already earned a box on granting a guaranteed key frag. Perhaps S+ only would work.drop rates one wy or another.

Waiting for the end of the week to get that new box feels satisfying. It probably only takes a day to get it, but you feel like you really earned something. Something that you waited for AND worked for. But that satisfaction is completely thrown away when I have to wait another two weeks to open the damn thing.

the lycan master1 votes

i have 10 boxes and 1 key fragment. i hate these things. they taunt me so. i think after getting 5 or more boxes the drop rate should increase until the ratio corrects itself. and ten or more it should increase again. i would love that. get to open 6 boxes

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