Will installing custom skins get me banned?
Just a question that's been on my mind. There are a few custom skins I've seen that look interesting, but I don't want to be banned for it. Thanks in advance.
7 Comments
We can't say for sure.
I know some people say they've used custom skin programs for years with no problems, but I'd personally advise against using anything that interferes in any way with League when it's running. Any program that does that is, technically, against the rules, and Riot does reserve the right to change what they allow at any time.
Safer just to avoid it.
Will it get you banned for sure? No
Better not take the risk though.
The other answers are a little more vague than I'd prefer, so I'll also provide this link which has some good guidelines for determining what is and is not okay to use; http://boards.na.leagueoflegends.com/en/c/player-behavior-moderation/5dmkJinG-3rd-party-applicationsmodifications-whats-allowed-and-what-isnt
And here is Riot's 3rd party app policy; http://boards.na.leagueoflegends.com/en/c/miscellaneous/5kx4F7VE-reminder-third-party-applications
The takeaway is that the risk is on you for using it, because Riot can't officially back any 3rd party apps since they can't control what gets changed. They don't ban for simply changing your skins if it's not somehow providing an unfair advantage, but if the program you're using has any other features which are illegal the whole thing is off limits and will get you banned whether you use it or not.
nah shouldnt get you banned because it only changes assets for your screen, not the game as a whole, meaning the enemy or even your team cant see said custom skin, if you get banned alot of big name streamers should be banned as well because they use them sometimes and have recorded proof within twitch VODs ..
There was a similar question to this on the boards (yesterday?). It's always a vague topic for Riot as if they allow something and then it turns out to violate the integrity of the game and they decide to punish for it, there will be a wealth of "OMG I WAS BANNED FOR X RITO SAID IS WAS OK WTF" topics on the Boards and flooding Support. This is usually why they tend to avoid giving "approval" to most 3rd party programs that aren't from an absolutely massive company that is widely used (like Curse and Discord). I'll try to add on to what DTM said and quote what I said before, and I'd highly suggest checking out the links they provided to get an idea on what's allowed and what isn't.
I'd also suggest checking out this link (although I'm not sure how well it holds up being from 2012):
http://forums.na.leagueoflegends.com/board/showthread.php?t=2436518&page=17#post27906871
Realistically? No, they likely won't ban you for something that doesn't alter the gameplay or give you any advantage over your opponents.
Can they? Sure, technically it's modifying the client's files and against the ToS/EULA that we all agree to every time they update the game as well as when we signed up. It's their game and they're able to make the rules as they see fit, however they would much prefer you stick around and continue to play their game and/or spend money to enjoy yourself. The only problem they really have is if somebody is swapping around THEIR skins for the base models, thereby bypassing the system in place since someone put time (and Riot paid them real money) to make the skin.
I've been using custom skins for years and occasionally swap the UI's around (things like the Frost UI and Challenger UI that I'm sure you're able to find on the site that you found that one). Just make sure that it doesn't alter the way things are seen in the game (like changing positions of the target frame or making debuffs more visible - Riot if you're listening I would love to be able to move my target frame to somewhere not at the corner of my screen). It's an incredibly minor modification, and as long as the game's integrity isn't compromised there isn't really a reason for them to seek you out when there's much more pressing matters like ACTUAL cheaters (scripters, botters, etc.) that are ruining the game for others when you're a person looking to make your UI a little more immersive and continue playing as an honorable summoner.
Make sure you're not using programs that aren't already flagged as bannable as well as not using things like "zoom modifications" that would give you an unfair advantage. I'd recommend testing out any and all changes you do in a Custom Game/Practice Tool before hand to be able to ensure that nothing is changed in a drastic way as well as doesn't bug out! It's frustrating to queue up for a game while using your sweet Star Guardian Urgot skin (Rito pls, we need this) only to find out that you can't see the particles for when your E hit a target and you're scratching your head every time as to if it was accurate or not.
If they actually have a problem with it and it's not giving you an unfair advantage, they'll likely send you an e-mail to give you a "heads up" to remove it before any future problems happen.
Hope this helps, best of luck to you!