Dodging, Autofill, and Lost Motivation: The issues with Solo Queue in League of Legends

Solo queue has always been at the core of the competitive League of Legends scene. It’s where aspiring pros first start off, where streamers showcase their skill, and where millions of players test their limits every season, trying to hit their rank goals of Diamond, Master, Challenger, and so on. But despite being the backbone of League, solo queue is one of the most discussed and criticized parts of the game.

To get a better understanding of the state of solo queue, Sheep Esports has reached out to multiple high elo streamers for their thoughts on the experience: DesperateNasus, Reptile, Kirei, Sinerias, Azzapp, Phantasm, and Lathyrus. They shared both positives and negatives, as well as their ideas for what they’d like to see Riot Games implement to improve solo queue: to help pros, average players, and content creators all have a better experience while climbing.

Each streamer agreed that solo queue's competitive spirit is alive, but fading. A few pointed out that currently, there exists no real incentive to try to climb to the top of Challenger, outside of the intrinsic draw of hitting high elo. Rewards like the Challenger Backpack, which Riot used to send to Challenger players pre-2019, no longer exist. Some did praise the game’s balance, and its effect on climbing in solo queue, arguing the game is currently in one of the best balance states it’s ever been in, where anything is playable and champion diversity is high. Azzapp stated that “so many champions are viable and can be built in many different ways.” Kirei echoed this sentiment, calling the game “very balanced overall.”

Discussing the negatives of solo queue, the streamers agreed on many of its key issues. Long queue times plague the experience, especially in high elo. When players do get into games, it’s often under an autofilled role they didn’t choose, hurting their fun and the game's quality. When it comes to high elo games, where players are skilled and specialized in their set roles, just one or two players assigned autofilled off-roles can completely break down the game’s balance. This, many agree, is purely unfun. “I sit down for six hours to play League. It's realistic to say three of those are spent not playing,” regrets Lathyrus.

Another major game-delaying issue that all the streamers identified: Dodging. When any of the ten players leave the game lobby during champ select, the queue begins again, often dragging wait times out minutes and minutes more. Dodging and autofill are two connected issues, as players often dodge when autofilled, preferring to quit rather than play another role. This just creates a vicious cycle that leads streamers and everyday casual players alike to have difficulty waiting long times just to play the game. Azzapp called Champion Select, given its myriad issues, “inefficient and outdated.”

One major problem, that’s become synonymous with League of Legends, is the solo queue toxicity. This affects every elo, and the streamers were all in agreement that Riot Games needs to take more action to combat the toxicity. Right now, not enough is being done to prevent and punish bad behavior. “Riot isn't punishing griefing and toxicity enough,” multiple streamers echoed.

Lastly, a minor solo queue issue some pointed out is elo inflation: claiming that the abundance of inflated players in Master and Grandmaster ranks should lead Riot to respond by looking into an above-diamond MMR reset. “Inflation is up and people are trying less,” a few streamers mentioned, who wanted to remain anonymous for this article.

Across the board, the streamers therefore all agreed on the same issues. However, each of them proposed solutions of their own to improve overall solo queue fun:

The quality of solo queue has arguably trended downhill over the years because of these reasons and more. Pro players are taking solo queue less seriously, many of the streamers claim. Azzapp, in particular, mentioned surrendering as a high-impact issue: he’s gone public before advocating against the game culture that teaches players to give up and surrender so quickly. But can the community ever be made not to FF 15 and go next? “Inflation is up, and players are taking solo queue less seriously since there is close to no incentive to climb,” streamers echoed.

Many high elo streamers have expressed frustration over what they see as a lack of communication and consideration from Riot Games. “I don’t think Riot is listening to high elo players at all,” said DesperateNasus, communicating a sentiment shared by many in the upper ranks of solo queue. Phantasm added, “I barely ever see anything from Riot addressing solo queue changes or concerns. The only thing I remember them acknowledging was the issue of being autofilled into jungle — but they never followed up with any actual changes."
On social media, Rioters will sometimes make contact with both high-elo players and other members of the fanbase, but the official League Partnership Program has been closed for years, and most streamers feel ignored by Riot Games.

One especially contentious topic is duo queue. That is, queuing up for the ranked ladder with another player. Opinions are mixed: Some strongly oppose it, arguing it leads to unfair matchups. Two random Master players together have a big disadvantage against two duo-ing pros, who can coordinate and even use voice chat. Others support it for the social benefits it provides to every player, including streamers, as well as the content avenues it provides. It’s also just a lot of fun, most agree, to play with friends.

League of Legends solo queue remains an intense and rewarding experience for many, but it’s dragged down by systemic issues: long queue times, dodging and autofill, toxicity, and poor incentives all hurt the playerbase’s motivation and each game’s integrity and quality. The streamers interviewed urged Riot Games to listen more to fans, and really put in the work to make climbing the ladder feel as meaningful as it used to.

As one of the most played and watched esports titles in the world, League’s solo queue health is vital to the continuation of the game. For new pro players to start their journey, and new fans to fall in love with League, the game simply has to be fun.