What Happens When You Disconnect in League of Legends?
Disconnecting from a League of Legends (LoL) game can range from a minor inconvenience to a disastrous event, both for you and your team. The immediate consequence is, naturally, your champion becomes inactive, essentially an easy target for the enemy. The specifics of what happens next depend on the duration of your disconnection and the game mode you’re playing. If you’re lucky enough to reconnect quickly, you might only miss a few minions or a brief skirmish. However, prolonged disconnections can lead to your team being severely disadvantaged, and ultimately, to penalties for you. Let’s delve into the details.
The Immediate Impact: AFK Status
As soon as you disconnect, your champion is flagged as “Away From Keyboard” (AFK). This means your character will typically stand still unless the game’s AI takes over (if enabled), or a teammate actively controls it. This makes you an easy target for the enemy team, who can capitalize on your absence to gain gold, experience, and map control.
Short Disconnections: A Minor Setback
If you’re able to reconnect swiftly, within a minute or two, the impact is usually minimal. You might miss some farm (gold and experience from killing minions), and your team may have had to play defensively. However, if your team is coordinated, they can often stall until you return.
Prolonged Disconnections: The Tide Turns
Longer disconnections, generally exceeding five minutes, are far more problematic. Your team is essentially playing a player down, severely impacting their ability to win team fights, secure objectives like dragons and Baron Nashor, and push lanes. It’s during these extended absences that the game can quickly spiral out of control.
Penalties for Disconnecting
Riot Games takes disconnections seriously, especially in Ranked games. Their system is designed to discourage players from abandoning matches, as it ruins the experience for everyone involved. The penalties increase with repeated offenses:
- Temporary Bans: The first time you disconnect, you might receive a short ban from matchmaking, perhaps just a few minutes. However, repeated offenses lead to progressively longer bans, escalating to hours, days, or even weeks.
- Loss of LP (League Points): In Ranked games, disconnecting results in a loss of LP, directly impacting your rank. You’re essentially penalized for letting your team down.
- Demotion: Accumulating enough LP losses due to disconnections and other losses can lead to demotion to a lower rank.
- Loss Forgiven (Rare): In extremely rare cases, if a teammate disconnects very early in the game (e.g., before the first few minutes) and doesn’t return, the game might be flagged for “Loss Forgiven.” This means the remaining players on the losing team will not lose LP. However, this is a very uncommon occurrence.
LeaverBuster: Riot’s System for Dealing with Disconnects
Riot Games employs a system called LeaverBuster to automatically detect and penalize players who frequently leave or disconnect from games. LeaverBuster tracks a player’s disconnection history and assigns penalties based on the frequency and severity of the offenses. The system differentiates between genuine technical issues and intentional quitting, although it’s not perfect. Repeatedly disconnecting, even due to unavoidable circumstances, can still trigger penalties.
What Happens If Everyone Leaves?
If every player on a team leaves the game (getting DC’ed doesn’t count as leaving), the game instantly stops without results and won’t show up in the match history. The game won’t stop if everyone gets disconnected, and you can reconnect to continue playing.
Connection Issues: Understanding the Root Cause
The article mentions several potential causes for disconnections, including issues with your internet service provider (ISP), problems with the game servers, firewall settings, Wi-Fi interference, and insufficient system requirements. Addressing these underlying issues is crucial for preventing future disconnections.
Can You Avoid Players After a Disconnect?
Absolutely! If you had a particularly frustrating experience with a player due to a disconnect or other negative behavior, you can block them. Visit your player Profile within the League client, click into your personal Match History, click the game you played with the player you wish to block, right-click their name and select “Block” from the menu.
League of Legends and Learning
While disconnections can be frustrating, League of Legends offers a dynamic environment for learning and skill development. The game requires strategic thinking, teamwork, communication, and quick decision-making. You can learn more about the educational aspects of gaming through organizations like the Games Learning Society and their website, GamesLearningSociety.org, which explores how games can be used as powerful learning tools. Visit https://www.gameslearningsociety.org/ to explore the intersection of gaming and education.
FAQs About Disconnecting in League of Legends
Here are some frequently asked questions related to disconnecting in League of Legends:
1. Can I get banned for disconnecting from League of Legends?
Yes, repeated disconnections can lead to bans from matchmaking. The length of the ban increases with each subsequent offense. The LeaverBuster system tracks disconnections and applies penalties accordingly.
2. How long does a League of Legends ban last?
Ban durations vary. The first offense might result in a short ban of a few minutes, while repeated offenses can lead to bans lasting hours, days, weeks, or even permanent bans.
3. Why do I keep disconnecting from League of Legends?
Potential causes include internet connectivity issues, problems with the game servers, firewall settings, outdated drivers, or insufficient system resources.
4. Does gaming drain Wi-Fi?
Yes, online games consume data. The amount of data used varies depending on the game, but League of Legends typically uses between 40MB to 300MB per hour.
5. Why can’t I play games but my internet is fine?
This could be due to firewall settings blocking the game’s access to the internet, issues with your router or modem, or problems with your ISP.
6. How do I stop my internet from cutting out?
Try restarting your modem and router, moving the router to a better location, checking for internet outages, updating your internet plan, or contacting your ISP.
7. How many games do I need to lose to get demoted in League of Legends?
Demotion between divisions within a tier (e.g., Silver III to Silver IV) typically takes just one loss at 0 LP.
8. Why is League of Legends so laggy?
Lag can be caused by an unreliable internet connection, insufficient system requirements (RAM, graphics card), or problems with the game servers.
9. How much internet data does League of Legends use?
On average, League of Legends uses around 40 to 70 MB of internet data per hour.
10. Is Internet Gaming Disorder a mental disorder?
Internet Gaming Disorder is recognized as a tentative psychiatric disorder that requires further study. It’s characterized by severely reduced control over gaming habits, leading to negative impacts on daily life.
11. Why do I have good internet but still lag?
Even with good internet speed, unstable connections can cause lag. Packet loss, where data packets are lost during transmission, can also contribute to lag.
12. Does faster internet improve gaming?
Faster internet speeds can improve gaming performance, especially for online multiplayer games. A minimum download speed of 25 Mbps is generally recommended, but 100 Mbps or higher provides a smoother experience.
13. Can you avoid players in LoL?
Yes, you can block players in League of Legends to avoid being matched with them again. This can be done through your match history.
14. What gets you permanently banned on League of Legends?
Serious offenses like verbal abuse, harassment, intentional feeding, and scripting (using unauthorized third-party programs) can result in permanent bans.
15. How can I play League of Legends without internet?
Unfortunately, it is not possible to play League of Legends offline. The game requires a constant internet connection.
By understanding the consequences of disconnecting and taking steps to prevent it, you can ensure a more enjoyable and competitive experience in League of Legends for yourself and your teammates. Remember to address any underlying technical issues and maintain a stable internet connection to minimize the risk of disconnections.