Riot plans to set stronger punishments for queue dodging and AFKs in League

League of Legends, like many online video games, has its fair share of problems, especially when it comes to players leaving games early or dodging games entirely. But now, Riot Games has unveiled its new plans to increase punishments for both offenses, while also explaining its thought process behind the additions.

In today’s blog post, Riot outlined what it has in store to immediately combat the escalation of queue dodging and said it shouldn’t be so easily accessible “that players treat it like a tool in their toolkit.” The developers do, however, want to make sure that accidental dodges aren’t overly punished as well, leading to the addition of a third penalty tier:

• First dodge within 24 hours: Six-minute lockout—and 15 minutes for ARAM—and -3 LP in ranked.
• Second dodge within 24 hours: 30-minute lockout and -10 LP in ranked.
• Third dodge within 24 hours: 12-hour lockout and -10 LP in ranked.

This new tier will suffice while the team delves deeper into other problem areas, including off-role issues, hostage-taking in champion select, and even one-trick limitations at higher ranks.

As for AFKs, Riot has adjusted its punishments so that there’s still a bit of leniency for players who do suffer a disconnect that’s out of their control. But the punishment for players who constantly leave games is severe enough to curb the behavior.

The new punishment tiers will be changed dramatically from the second AFK game onward. Here are the new punishment tiers, compared to each other:

• First AFK: Five-minute lockout and auto-loss (remained the same)
• Second AFK: 10-minute lockout and auto-loss to 30-minute lockout and auto-loss
• Third AFK: 15-minute lockout and auto-loss to two-week lockout and auto-loss

The first two changes are significant, but the biggest change is for the third AFK tier where a player will now be restricted from playing games for two weeks rather than just 15 minutes.

This should discourage any player from purposefully leaving a game since it will ruin the match for their teammates and prohibit them from playing on the account for an extended period of time. This could especially impact players at higher MMRs, where you must stay active to avoid getting pushed down the ranked ladder by other players.

There’s also an escalating punishment system for LP loss toward AFK players that increases a tier when you leave and lowers when you don’t. This system has already been live for a few months, but the developers are still ironing out the wrinkles.

Make sure to follow us on YouTube for more esports news and analysis.