Whether it’s a lack of time or motivation, or you’re simply unlucky and get matched with unskilled teammates, there are many reasons why you didn’t reach the desired rank. Many people feel this way which is why they resort to elo boosting, which is a process where a high elo player boosts the rank of your account. Boosting is generally very controversial in Riot’s eyes, and there are different sanctions for boosting depending on the server you play on, which is why we’re analyzing whether boosting is prohibited and whether you should be worried about being boosted.
Is Boosting illegal in League of Legends
The Legal Aspect
In League’s community, there is a widespread falsehood that portrays boosting as an illegal practice. However, from a strictly legal standpoint, you shouldn’t be concerned because boosting is completely legal, and you won’t face any repercussions from the authorities if you are found to be the owner of a boosted account or to have boosted others.
Riot’s Stance on Boosting
Solo Boosting
Also known as traditional boosting, solo boosting is the most common way of boosting you’ll see offered on the internet. Riot has addressed boosting several times on their forums and community panels, and they’ve listed the sanctions that will be implemented for both the booster and the person who was boosted:
- Honor level drops to 0 (can be retrieved over time)
- A 2-week account ban
- You won’t receive any ranked rewards at the end of the season (Victorious skin, border, icon, etc.)
- If you boost/get boosted several times, you will get permabanned
While all of these restrictions sound very severe, you must keep in mind that Riot can spot boosting only if they’ve spotted account sharing. In very severe and rare cases, Riot can also spot and punish boosting by monitoring the boosting process (if you gain ranks unnaturally swiftly) and analyzing the locations of both you and the booster.
Duo Boosting / Team boosting
Other, less common forms of boosting include duo boosting and team boosting, which are forms of boosting in which the player plays with the booster(s) throughout the process of the boost.
“In League’s community, there is a widespread falsehood that portrays boosting as an illegal practice. However, from a strictly legal standpoint, you shouldn’t be concerned because boosting is completely legal, and you won’t face any repercussions from the authorities if you are found to be the owner of a boosted account or to have boosted others.”
By default, these forms of boosting have a great advantage over solo boosting because there is no account sharing involved, and the entire process is much safer. Regarding these boosting methods, Riot is essentially powerless unless someone reports the players in the post-game lobby or writes a ticket to the support team.
How to Get Boosted Safely
Riot always monitors accounts that have experienced a sudden increase in rank, and if you’re boosted by someone inexperienced, you’re more than likely to be punished. Luckily, there are certain methods you can use to ensure the safety of your account.
Don’t Buy a Boost From an Individual
If boosting sounds like the best option for you, there are certain steps you can take to protect your account. The first and most basic step is to ignore any high elo players and smurfs that offer boosting services, even if they’re insanely cheap.
Simply put, there is no guarantee that a random individual online will boost your account once you’ve sent him the money, and he can steal your account credentials as well.
Get Boosted By a Trustworthy Company
Instead of putting faith in a random online individual, if you instead hire a trustworthy professional boosting company, both your account and your money will be in safe hands. Companies like Turboboost give boosting a good name because of their professionalism, experience, and the quality of their service, as you can rely on them to get the job done and maintain the safety of your account. That being said, not every boosting company on the internet has your best interest, and there are certain boxes every boosting website needs to tick before you commit to a purchase.
Vpn Protection
In most instances, the booster that plays on your account won’t be from your geographical region, which is why VPN protection is mandatory. It is the most basic layer of safety every booster should use when playing on your account, as it hides or changes the player’s location. You should stay away from any company whose boosters don’t utilize this option because account sharing is the main reason Riot bans boosters and the accounts they play on.
Appearing Offline
As the name suggests, your booster will appear offline on your entire friends list while using this option. This is extremely useful as someone on your friends list could write a ticket to Riot if they know you’re being boosted, endangering the safety of your account.
It’s also convenient to instruct your booster to use this option if you want to keep the fact you’re being boosted private.
Duo Boosting
Every serious boosting website should have a duo boosting option available for its customers. The first reason is that it’s the safest method of boosting, and you have a 0% chance of being banned while you’ll get your account boosted as if you’ve ordered a solo boost.
“Riot always monitors accounts that have experienced a sudden increase in rank, and if you’re boosted by someone inexperienced, you’re more than likely to be punished. Luckily, there are certain methods you can use to ensure the safety of your account.”
Additionally, duo boosting is extremely entertaining, and you participate in the process of boosting instead of just being an observer.
Secure Payment Options
Some players prioritize protecting their financial information and other sensitive information that can be exposed on a credit card which is completely understandable. However, even if the boosting service you’re looking at seems like a safe choice, you should never pay with an option that doesn’t ensure your safety throughout the transaction. Furthermore, you should be especially wary of sellers that use foreign bank accounts and shady money-transferring services. Paypal, Skrill, Crypto, and Stripe are the safest options for sending money.
Reviews
Every seasoned boosting company needs to have an array of successful boosts under its belt and positive reviews to back it up. You should always dissect the previous experiences of the customers that have used the site you’re planning to get your boost from. Trustpilot is the most widely used and trustworthy review site for boosting services, especially because the seller cannot manipulate or fake any reviews get posted there, which is a common occurrence.
Customer Support
Every serious business nowadays has an active customer support team that helps its clients if something goes wrong. That logic applies to boosting businesses as well. Every reputable website needs a 24/7 active team that can help you if you face any technical issues or questions about the boosting process.
Money-back Guarantee or Booster Swapping
Boosting can be very difficult as the booster is often playing with extremely unskilled players if he’s boosting in low elo or against high elo players who are also very good at the game. In some situations, if you didn’t hire an elite booster that’s Challenger, you might find your booster having a tough time boosting your account and ruining your MMR in the process. These situations are very frustrating, which is why the boosting company needs to provide you with a refund warranty if you’re not satisfied with the performance of your assigned booster. The best alternative to a full refund is to be able to handpick a booster that will replace the one who did poorly.
Boosters Who are Not Toxic
Last but not least, every trustworthy website needs a team of boosters that are not just knowledgeable but also kind and approachable. This is crucial for two reasons, the first of which is the booster’s requirement to remain in active touch with his customer.
So you should have the option to direct them and receive regular updates from the games they play on your account if you’re already paying them to boost it. The second reason why boosters should be friendly is that there are a lot of toxic boosters out there that get accounts banned or chat restricted because they flame their teammates.
Boosting in South Korea
Why is it Illegal?
Unlike in other regions, as of early 2019, boosting in South Korea is punishable by law, and you can get into serious trouble if you are a part of this practice, no matter if you’re boosting or the person who’s boosted. The South Korean government did this to stifle the paid gaming advancement services, which have grown to be a lucrative industry in South Korea over the last couple of years. In general, gaming is considered to be very serious in this country, and it is an integral part of their culture, especially considering that eSports is extremely big in South Korea. That is why the government took extreme measures to protect the legitimacy of the ranked ladder against boosting, which essentially destroys its integrity.
Sanctions for Boosting
The severity of the sanctions depends on the frequency and the size of the boosts in which a person participated before the prosecution. For boosting to be considered illegal, money has to change hands or some other form of service as payment. You could get prosecuted in South Korea for various forms of boosting, including:
- Solo boosting (traditional boosting, logging on someone’s account and increasing their rank)
- Duo boosting (increasing someone’s rank by playing duo queue with that individual)
- Team boosting (a team of players boosts one’s rank, most notably in flex queue)
