In 2021, Riot implemented a new behavior system update aimed at penalizing players who frequently go AFK or use third-party software,… In general, this targets players engaging in disruptive behavior in both casual and ranked games.
However, that update seems to lack the “weight” necessary to make this group of offenders reconsider their actions. A recent example is the incident involving Faker, which has stirred the League of Legends community. From this incident and many others, it’s clear that not only regular players but also professional players exhibit disruptive behavior.
This has prompted Riot to announce a new upcoming update. In this update, Riot aims to not only impose stricter punishments but also reward players for good behavior by offering incentives to encourage them.
Specifically, TimTam Monster, the product director of the new Behavior Tracking System at Riot, posted on the blog on March 11. He detailed future plans for significant changes to the Honor System in League of Legends.
To achieve the goal of “building a long-term positive gameplay environment,” Riot asserts that a good way, besides punishing disruptive players, is to reward those with a positive mindset to encourage the maintenance of such gameplay. Tim also announced specific rewards for players who meet the criteria for receiving Honor: “We are working hard to create an exclusive interface just for players who achieve Level 5 Honor as part of the end-of-season rewards.”
In addition to VFX (visual effects), Riot also commits to granting a special permanent skin to players who complete their honor by the end of the season. However, there is currently no information on which champion will be chosen for the skin or what the VFX will look like. But according to Tim, he mentioned that more information will be available in the upcoming end-of-season update.
Additionally, according to publisher statistics, 5% of players are “habitually disruptive.” Meanwhile, of the remaining 95%, around 86% are cases where the reported player has not violated any rules. However, Riot has yet to address any punishments for disruptive behavior. But surely, after recent incidents, Riot must truly reevaluate their penalty levels.
One fact is that this time, Riot’s honor rewards are incredibly attractive and highly anticipated. Let’s hope this new behavior update will be effective and impactful enough to reduce the number of toxic players out there.