League of Legends / Practical guide
LoL Honor Levels 1 to 5 Explained: What Each Level Unlocks and How It Changes
Honor is the behaviour score on every League of Legends account, and it decides who can chat and who earns extra rewards. Learn what honor 1 to 5 unlock, how votes work, how honor drops, and why an honor level is a state and not a lasting asset.
ALVIRAN Editorial · Reviewed 2026-10-12
In this guide
Looking for a League of Legends account?
Compare champions, skins, rank and server on every listing. This guide explains what an honor level shows.
1. What honor is
Riot's Honor guide calls honor a general reflection of a player's in-game and out-of-game behaviour. It rewards sportsmanlike conduct with perks such as BXP bonuses and special content, and it punishes inappropriate behaviour with reduced rewards and limited communication.
There are five levels. Everyone starts at Honor 3, which Riot calls a true neutral home where all levels of communication are available. Since Patch 25.04, honor no longer resets when a new season starts, so a good level keeps paying off from year to year.
2. What each level unlocks
| Feature | Honor 1 | Honor 2 | Honor 3 | Honor 4 | Honor 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team chat and party chat | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| All Chat | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Champ Select chat and post-game chat | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Pings within five seconds before lockout | 2 | 4 | 6 | 7 | 7 |
| Emotes within five seconds before lockout | 2 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| Targeted ally pings | No | No | No | No | Yes |
| Honor 5 recall and Honor skins | No | No | No | No | Yes |
| Honor BXP drops | No | No | Yes | Yes, slightly more often | Yes, more often |
| Ranked season rewards | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
The practical line is between Honor 2 and Honor 3. Below it you lose All Chat, and at Honor 1 and 2 you also lose the honor drops and the ranked season rewards.
3. How honor votes work
The biggest source of honor is post-match voting. You and the other players divide honor votes among members of either team, with one vote per player, and a vote cannot be taken back. Riot adds that you also get some honor from positive chat, good communication and team coordination.
| Action | Votes gained |
|---|---|
| Play a match | +1 |
| You received honor in the previous match | +1 |
| You are at Honor 5 | +1 |
Unused votes carry over between matches, up to a maximum of four at any time. Riot also says that honoring someone in your premade group boosts their honor.
Honor is a state, not a collection
It can drop after a penalty, so weigh the champions, skins and rank a listing shows first, and ask about honor on the day.
4. The honor rewards
Riot lists two honor objectives per season Act. Each one asks you to earn 1,200 points by playing League with honor, and each pays 50 Battle Pass XP and one Hextech Chest plus Key. Points depend on your time played and your current honor level.
| Honor level | Points per minute | Minutes for 1,200 points |
|---|---|---|
| Honor 5 | 10 | 120 minutes |
| Honor 4 | 2 | 600 minutes |
| Honor 3 | 1 | 1,200 minutes |
| Honor 1 and 2 | None | Not possible |
The minutes column is our own division of 1,200 by the points per minute, not a Riot figure. Riot also says that since Patch 25.06 any leftover Honor 5 Tokens were converted into 1,050 Orange Essence.
5. How honor drops and comes back
Riot names two ways to drop. The first is playing less honorably. Honor is an indicator of your current and most common actions, and Riot warns that someone at a high level who stops communicating with the team can eventually fall back to Honor 3. On decay, Riot's rule is explicit: honor only accounts for in-game actions and does not go down with time if you take a break.
The second is negative behaviour. Honor is lost when there is an active penalty on the account, and Riot says you always get an in-client notification. After disruptive behaviour you may get Honor Restriction requirements that tell you how many matches to play without being reported. If you complete the requirements, you are restored to at least Honor 3, but you may not return to Honor 4 or 5. A new penalty during the restriction wipes the progress and makes later restrictions longer.
6. What an honor level shows on an account
| Detail | What it shows | What it does not show |
|---|---|---|
| Honor level | The behaviour state on the day of the screenshot. | That it stays there. Penalties and playing less honorably lower it. |
| Honor 5 | The top level, with Honor skins and more frequent drops. | Who earned it. Honor follows the account, not the person. |
| Honor 3 | The starting level, with all chat and ranked season rewards. | Whether it was ever higher or restricted. It is also where a dropped or restored account can land. |
| After a server transfer | Riot says honor makes the trip with the account. | Current ranked placement or Victory Points, which do not transfer. Read our server transfer guide. |
Our server transfer guide lists what moves with an account and what does not.
7. Four questions before you buy
- What is the honor level, and what is the date of the screenshot?
- Is there an active penalty or Honor Restriction on the account?
- Is the level shown together with the rank and the server?
- Do the champions and skins on the listing match the account in the screenshot?
8. Four mistakes people make
Treating honor as permanent
It drops with penalties and with less honorable play.
Reading Honor 3 as proof of anything
It is the starting level, but a dropped or restored account can land there too.
Expecting a reset
Since Patch 25.04 it does not reset each season.
Ignoring the reward gap
Honor 1 and 2 earn no honor points and no ranked season rewards.
Frequently asked questions
What honor level do you start at in League of Legends?
Everyone starts at Honor level 3, which Riot calls a true neutral home where all levels of communication are available.
Does honor reset every season?
No. Riot says that since Patch 25.04, honor no longer resets with the release of a new season.
What does Honor 5 give you?
Targeted ally pings, the Honor 5 recall, Honor skins, one extra honor vote per game, and more frequent Honor BXP drops.
Do I need honor for ranked season rewards?
Riot's guide lists ranked season rewards for Honor 3 and above, and none for Honor 1 and 2.
Does honor go down if I stop playing?
No. Riot says honor only accounts for your in-game actions and does not go down with time if you take a break.
Does honor transfer when I change servers?
Yes. Riot's guide says your honor level makes the trip with you when you transfer servers.
Ready to choose an account?
Ask for a current screenshot of the honor level together with the rank. To read the skins on a listing, use our skin rarity guide.
Sources and editorial scope
Reviewed on 12 October 2026 against Riot's League of Legends Honor Guide and its Account Transfer FAQ. Riot changes honor often, so check the current guide for exact numbers. The minutes column and the checklist are ALVIRAN's own.
Riot prohibits selling, sharing or transferring accounts under its Terms of Service. A check of any detail in this guide does not change those rules or remove the risk of account action.