Summary:
- League of Legends Checking Wait Time depends on your rank, time of day, and server size.
- To reduce queue time, play during busy hours, avoid dodging, and stay near your screen to never miss a ready check.
You hit “Play” in League of Legends, ready to jump into a game. However, the wait begins. Sometimes it’s short, but other times it seems longer. Whether you’re playing ranked, normals, or ARAM, your wait time can differ and there are reasons for that. In this guide, you’ll learn what affects your League of Legends Checking Wait Time.
What Makes Checking Wait Time Longer?
Several things affect how long you wait for a match. While the game tries to be fast, it also wants fair and balanced teams. Players in lower ranks (Iron to Gold) usually find games quickly for about 1 to 4 minutes. But if you’re Platinum or higher, expect longer waits. Master and Challenger players sometimes wait up to 20 minutes for a match, especially in Ranked.
If you play during busy hours (usually 5 PM to 10 PM), you’ll find matches faster. On the other hand, playing late at night or early morning means fewer players online so expect longer waits. Bigger servers have more players, so matches form faster. Smaller regions on the other hand, may take more time, especially if you’re high rank or playing off-hours.
What Happens If You Dodge or Miss Ready Check?
Let’s say you’re in champ select and things look bad so you decide to dodge. We get it, but dodging comes with a cost. When you dodge for the first time, you will get a 6 minute penalty. If you do it again the second time and on the same day, you will get a 30 minute penalty. Then, if you did it more than thrice, you’ll have a 12 hours lockout from the game and you’ll experience more LP Loss.
These penalties reset after 24 hours. So if you dodge twice in one night, your third penalty will hit hard. Even worse, you can’t enter another queue during the penalty. Now, let’s talk about missing ready checks. Maybe you stepped away or got distracted. If you don’t click “Accept” in time, you’ll experience a 6 minute delay or if you do it multiple times, you’ll get a 30 minute ban and LP loss when ranked.
So, pay attention when the game is loading. Otherwise, you’ll spend more time waiting and less time playing.
How to Lower Your Wait Time
Now that you know what causes long waits, let’s go over how to avoid them. These tips can help you spend less time in queue and more time in-game:
- Play at Busy Hours: Try playing between 5 PM and 10 PM local time, or on weekends. More players online means faster matchmaking.
- Don’t Dodge Unless Necessary: Of course, it’s okay to dodge once in a while, especially if the game looks terrible. But doing it too often will just lock you out longer.
- Stay Near Your PC: Keep an eye on the screen during wait time so you never miss a ready check. Even one miss adds extra delay.
- Restart Your Game: If the wait feels longer than usual, try restarting your game. It sounds simple, but it often works.
- Check Riot’s Server Status: If wait times are super long, there could be a problem with the servers. Visit Riot’s server status page to see if there are issues in your region.
Conclusion
In conclusion, League of Legends wait times can feel frustrating, but they exist for a reason. The game wants to match you with the best players for a fair fight. Still, you have control over some parts such as your dodge count, and when you play all affect your wait time.
To spend less time waiting, play at the right time, and avoid dodge penalties. That way, you’ll get into more games, have more fun, and climb faster. Now that you know how it works, go hit that Play button, and remember, don’t miss the ready check!
Writer’s Recommendation:
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