If you’ve been getting up to speed with the 2026 LoL Esports scene you’ve likely heard analysts and casters alike discussing the importance of Role Quests. Because the quests are assigned based on the role players select when they begin drafting, teams are drafting and playing to the strengths of the quests. Here at Thunderpick, we’re going to break down a performance where a player used it to their advantage.
Added in Patch 26.1 as part of the start of the competitive season, they function similarly to the Jungler and Support item quests that the game has used for many seasons. In the case of Top Mid and Bot Laners, these quests are completed by earning points that accumulate by acquiring takedowns, minion kills, turret plates and eventually even turrets themselves and monsters. Junglers and Supports continue to use their systems of Jungler and Support starter pets or items as they have for previous seasons.
In Mid Lane upon quest completion players receive an upgraded tier 3 boot similar to last season’s Feats of Strength boot rewards, as well as an improved recall like you’d receive from Baron Nashor but with a cooldown instead of a timer. Highlighting the Mid Lane quest and the significant advantages that it provides, we’re going to focus on HongQ’s performance in game 3 of JDG versus LOUD in First Stand 2026. LOUD was facing elimination from the tournament and HongQ put on an enormously dominant performance off the back of a kill on Envy really early in the game.
This allowed him to show off just how strong both the increased recall speed and upgraded tier 3 boots from the role quest are, as it let HongQ to pressure multiple fights throughout the rest of the match.
From 13:30 on the match clock to 14:00 HongQ roams to Bot Lane and back to Mid using the item power spike he’s gotten from his quest, in turn securing kills on Bull and YoungJae back to back. This lead then lets HongQ return to Bot Lane off his teleport and push multiple waves without being contested all the way to taking the tier 2 Bot Lane tower while being too strong to have any one person respond.
The Top Lane bonus is an improved teleport summoner spell, or an extra additional summer spell teleport that you activate from the quest slot. Additionally, they receive a large flat experience boost, an increased level cap, and a permanent percentage increase to their experience collection rate. Showing off the game warping power of the Top Lane role quest is TL Morgan in game 1 against Sentinels during the 3rd round of the LCS 2026 Lock-In. Morgan finishes the quest at a breakneck 11 minutes and uses the threat of the free improved summoner spell teleport to trap SEN Impact under the top lane tier one tower and relinquish multiple turret plates to extend the gold and experience leads from the plates themselves and the increased exp gain from the quest.
After going up a level and getting an advantageous recall timing, Morgan is able to group with the rest of the TL squad for a dragon fight around 15 minutes. After winning the team fight and forcing Impact to retreat over the dragon pit, Morgan returns top lane to finish removing the remaining health on the tier 1 turret and claim the first turret bonus at 16 minutes.
In both of these examples, the early game performance is the key to unlocking the strength of the quest rewards. The faster a player or team can complete the requirements, the faster they can reap the reward to their overall macro play. This in turn, increases the speed that teams can fight for the game winning objectives and will eventually convert to a lower game time overall. For anyone looking to study the ways that the best players are approaching role quests, studying the fastest games in the LoL Esports scene this year will highlight what it takes to maximise their value.