As loot boxes and their implementation continue to grab headlines in the gaming world, Riot Games decided today to get out ahead of any potential controversy surrounding its own system within League of Legends. Now public for all players are the drop rates for items contained in Hextech and Masterwork Chests, with clearly defined probabilities and special exceptions for specific items.
“Hextech Crafting” is Riot’s unique take on the loot box system. Players can receive keys in-game through exceptional personal play or strong teamwork, but they also need to obtain the chest itself, which can be accomplished by achieving the S- Mastery rank on a certain hero. Inside can be a range of goodies, typically blue or orange “Essence” currency or shards that reduce the amount of Essence needed to unlock a character skin or new champion. Of course, any of these elements can also be purchased for real cash in the store, as well as Masterwork Chests, which contain only cosmetic items.
It’s a confusing system at times, but the tables released today will make it easier to determine whether or not dropping coin on a new Chest will be worth the while. Additionally, a change now makes the extremely rare ultimate and mythic skins unlock automatically if a shard is dropped, without the need to use extra Essence on top.
With the scrutiny of loot boxes at an all-time high and legislation being introduced around the world to combat or ameliorate the practice, League of Legends fans will surely appreciate the transparency by Riot. However, with microtransactions also bringing in absolutely absurd amounts of cash for developers, don’t expect these systems to disappear anytime soon.