HWID Spoofing Guides
Kernel Level Anti-Cheat Explained (2026)
Kernel level anti cheat explained: what Ring 0 access really gives Vanguard, EAC and BattlEye, when their drivers load, and what it means after a ban
James Varga10 min read
Free League of Legends HWID Spoofer - Fix Hardware Bans
League of Legends now places Riot accounts behind Vanguard's boot-time device check. TraceX Spoofer rewrites that HWID permanently once, then you delete it.
Free diagnostic
Is It Really a League of Legends HWID Ban?
Riot's published HWID-ban article identifies "Error code: VAN 152" on login as the hardware-ban signal, rather than a normal chat penalty or Ranked queue restriction.
Step 1 / 6
Can you still log into your game account?
Hardware Coverage
What League of Legends Tracks — and What TraceX Rewrites
League of Legends's anti-cheat silently reads dozens of hardware identifiers from your PC while it's running — long before you reach a match. Learn how Vanguard works in League of Legends and why it's difficult to bypass without a spoofer. Below is a sample of the identifiers being tracked.
| Hardware Identifier | League of Legends Tracks | TraceX Rewrites |
|---|---|---|
| CPU / Platform Identifier | Yes | Yes |
| SMBIOS Board / System UUID | Yes | Yes |
| GPU Device Identifier | Yes | Yes |
| Disk / Volume Serials | Yes | Yes |
| Physical NIC MAC Address | Yes | Yes |
| Windows MachineGuid | Yes | Yes |
Reality Check
League of Legends Appeals Almost Never Work
And when they're denied — which is almost always for HWID bans — your hardware stays permanently blacklisted. No second chances.
“HWID bans are different—and more serious—than normal account permabans. A hardware ID ban is a rare, drastic step we take against players who've consistently chosen not to adhere to our Community Pact or to abide by our terms of service. … Game access will be restricted, and any login attempt will result in a VAN 152 error code. … Reinstalling a game or deleting the responsible account won't remove an HWID ban.”
Riot Games — League of Legends Support, "Understanding Hardware ID (HWID) Bans" (last updated 2026-01-16)
Filing a support ticket or ban appeal
Creating a new Riot account on the same machine
Using a VPN or proxy
Reinstalling League of Legends
Reinstalling Windows
Waiting — HWID bans do not expire
Run TraceX once to rewrite your hardware identifiers — League of Legends's anti-cheat scans your machine and sees a completely new PC
Why You Need This
Do You Really Need an HWID Spoofer for League of Legends?
You open the Riot Client for Solo/Duo, press Find Match, and get "Error code: VAN 152" before champion select. ARAM and Normal Draft fail the same way. Reinstalling League does nothing, and a second Riot account meets the same restriction on this PC. That pattern is different from a chat penalty, Ranked lockout, or one suspended account: Vanguard is recognizing the device before Summoner's Rift loads. The useful question is which hardware-rooted values survived the reinstall, not which queue or summoner name you try next.
League's Vanguard check begins before Summoner's Rift. Riot explains that League creates its anti-cheat session when the light desktop client starts, then requires a valid session before the game server accepts you. The old shorthand that vgk.sys always starts with Windows is no longer universal. Since June 24, 2026, a secured Windows 11 25H2 PC can opt into Vanguard On-Demand after passing Pre-Check, so the driver starts with the Riot title and stops when play ends. PCs outside that optional mode retain the system-start trust chain. In both models, reinstalling League replaces client files; it does not create a new device identity.
Riot does not publish a complete Vanguard identifier weighting table, so a page promising that one changed serial is enough is guessing. The real Windows collection surfaces behind a composite hardware identity include the SMBIOS Type 2 baseboard serial and Type 1 system UUID, often called the motherboard UUID; physical disk serials and logical volume serials exposed through storage IOCTLs; physical NIC MAC addresses; and MachineGuid under HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Cryptography. Hardware-backed checks can add the TPM 2.0 Endorsement Key and Secure Boot state. Riot confirms that the TPM Endorsement Key is factory-burned and can act as non-fungible hardware identity. A Windows reinstall may regenerate MachineGuid or volume data, but it does not replace a board serial, disk firmware serial, or TPM identity. That is why a format or one swapped SSD is not a complete hardware reset.
The cross-game blast radius needs precision. League and Valorant both use Vanguard, so the same PC presents hardware-rooted identity to Riot in either title. Riot's HWID policy also warns that another account used on a hardware-banned device can be restricted from Riot Games products. An ordinary League account suspension does not prove that Valorant is blocked, but a true Vanguard hardware action makes logging a valuable Riot account into that device a poor diagnostic. Temporary session spoofers change reported values only while their component is active, then risk exposing the old profile after a reboot. TraceX Spoofer uses the permanent route for supported identifiers: finish the one-time setup, run the rewrite once, then delete the tool. TraceX leaves no session process or daemon to restart before Solo/Duo.
Verified
Riot's August 22, 2024 "/dev: Vanguard x LoL Retrospective" reported that, after Vanguard launched for League, more than 175,000 accounts had been banned for cheating and the Ranked scripting rate had fallen below 1% for the first time in nearly four years. The same post says botting fell from more than 1 million hours per day to fewer than 5,000.
Why TraceX
Built for League of Legends Players
You shouldn't need to replace your PC to play League of Legends again. That's why TraceX exists.
League of Legends One-Time Run
Run TraceX once before opening League of Legends through Riot Client. The rewrite persists, so you can delete the tool before Vanguard starts.
Permanent Vanguard Identity
League of Legends's hardware ban (hwid) — riot vanguard kernel driver (vgk.sys) is tied to the profile Vanguard reads. Rewritten identifiers persist across reboots without a TraceX daemon.
Vanguard Identifier Coverage
For League of Legends, the documented Vanguard coverage includes CPU / Platform Identifier, SMBIOS Board / System UUID, GPU Device Identifier. TraceX rewrites the supported fields in one pass.
No League of Legends Runtime Load
League of Legends launches from Riot Client after the rewrite is complete. No TraceX process remains during Vanguard gameplay to consume resources.
League of Legends Compatibility Notes
League of Legends's hardware ban (hwid) — riot vanguard kernel driver (vgk.sys) details stay separate from the current Vanguard status, so a game update is never treated as unchanged by default.
Fresh Vanguard Hardware Profile
When you open League of Legends with Riot account, Vanguard reads the supported identifiers produced by the completed permanent rewrite.
Setup Guide
How to Bypass a League of Legends HWID Ban
Getting around a League of Legends HWID ban used to take hours — reinstalling Windows, flashing BIOS, wiping drivers, re-downloading everything, and praying it worked. One wrong step meant starting over and burning another account. With TraceX, a single click does more than all of that combined.
01
Get TraceX for League of Legends
Submit your email through the TraceX Spoofer homepage form to receive the League of Legends setup instructions — free, no card required.
02
Rewrite Your Hardware
Run TraceX once before launching League of Legends. Every hardware identifier Vanguard reads is rewritten in a single pass — then you can delete the tool.
03
Log In and Play
Open League of Legends via the Riot Client with a new Riot account. Vanguard scans your hardware and sees a machine it has never seen before — no ban record.
04
Play Ban Free
You're back in League of Legends. The rewrite is permanent — no daemon running, no expiry, nothing to renew.
Free download
Get the free League of Legends HWID spoofer.
Submit your email and receive your free TraceX HWID Spoofer license in a few minutes. Run it once on your PC to permanently rewrite the identifiers Vanguard fingerprints, then delete the binary and reinstall League of Legends.
Detection Analysis
How League of Legends Scans Your Hardware
Vanguard can combine identifiers from your PC into a hardware profile for League of Legends. TraceX rewrites the supported fields shown below before the game runs.
What League of Legends Reads Without TraceX
CPU / Platform IdentifierBFEB...0684
ExposedSMBIOS Board / System UUIDPF0W...R3X9
ExposedGPU Device Identifier0x0000:0x0001D3A7
ExposedDisk / Volume SerialsS75B...6859N
ExposedPhysical NIC MAC Address4A:3B:8C...5E:01
ExposedWindows MachineGuidd83fa349-...-4f3a
ExposedWhen you launch League of Legends, your real hardware IDs are scanned and matched against ban records. Every new account on a flagged PC is blocked.
What League of Legends Reads With TraceX
CPU / Platform Identifier906E...A0C2
RewrittenSMBIOS Board / System UUID7KM2...JQ84
RewrittenGPU Device Identifier0x0000:0x00F4B810
RewrittenDisk / Volume SerialsWMC4...3J2L
RewrittenPhysical NIC MAC AddressD2:7E:19...1C:A4
RewrittenWindows MachineGuid71c0e28d-...-9b7f
RewrittenLeague of Legends sees a completely new machine with no ban history. New account, clean hardware — access granted.
Ban Reference
League of Legends Ban Details
Anti-CheatVanguard
Account SystemRiot account
Ban TypeHardware Ban (HWID) — Riot Vanguard kernel driver (vgk.sys)
DurationIndefinite; Riot allows a re-evaluation request after at least one year, with no guarantee
Common Triggers
League scripting that automates spell casts, kiting, or skillshot dodgesBotting Co-op vs. AI or leveling accounts in virtual machines without a valid Vanguard sessionKernel or pre-OS cheat tooling that tampers with the signed League clientRepeated cheating or ban evasion across Riot accounts linked to the same device fingerprintUnluckyNo Reason At All
All Vanguard Games
Other Games Using Vanguard
All of these games use Vanguard — the same anti-cheat that banned you in League of Legends. One permanent TraceX rewrite covers every one of them.
FAQ
League of Legends HWID Ban — Frequently Asked Questions
Does VAN 152 mean my League account or my whole PC is banned?
Riot's HWID-ban support article associates VAN 152 with a hardware ID action, so it is broader than a chat penalty, leaver penalty, or Ranked restriction on one account. Riot says game access is restricted on the physical components of the computer. Check the exact code and the email tied to your Riot account before assuming every Vanguard error is a ban; configuration and session errors use other VAN codes.
How long does a League of Legends HWID ban last in 2026?
Riot does not publish one automatic four-month timer for every League hardware action. Its HWID policy says the affected player must wait at least one year before requesting re-evaluation through Player Support, and approval is never guaranteed. Treat the device restriction as indefinite unless Riot gives your case a date or confirms removal. Lifting the hardware action does not restore accounts already permanently banned.
Will reinstalling League or formatting Windows remove VAN 152?
No. A League reinstall replaces Riot Client and game files, while a Windows format can refresh MachineGuid and logical volume data. Neither operation replaces the SMBIOS Type 2 baseboard serial, Type 1 system UUID, physical disk firmware serial, NIC hardware, or TPM 2.0 identity. Vanguard correlates a device profile rather than trusting one install file, which is why the same PC can still return VAN 152 after a clean OS.
Can I test a banned League PC with a new or friend's Riot account?
Do not use another person's account as a diagnostic. Riot's policy says an account used on a hardware-banned computer can be restricted on that device and may receive a separate ban because the login looks like circumvention. The original account remains banned regardless. Use the VAN code, Riot's email, and a Player Support ticket to identify the action instead of risking a clean main, family member's account, or freshly created alt.
Does a League HWID ban also affect Valorant or Teamfight Tactics?
League, PC Teamfight Tactics, and Valorant use Riot's Vanguard stack, so the same device identity can be evaluated across those products. Do not turn that into a blanket rule that every League penalty blocks every Riot title: a chat, queue, or account-only suspension has a narrower scope. A true HWID action has the broader exposure, and Riot warns that other accounts used on the restricted device can also be actioned.
Does Vanguard still run from Windows boot for League?
Usually, but it is no longer universal. Riot introduced optional Vanguard On-Demand on June 24, 2026. A Windows 11 25H2 PC that satisfies Vanguard Pre-Check can opt to start the driver with the Riot title and stop it after play. Systems that do not opt in keep the system-start model. This changes when vgk.sys loads; it does not remove League's requirement for a valid Vanguard session or erase a hardware action.
Which hardware identifiers can survive a Windows reinstall?
Durable surfaces include the SMBIOS Type 2 baseboard serial, the Type 1 system UUID, physical SATA or NVMe serials returned through storage IOCTLs, physical NIC MAC addresses, and the TPM 2.0 Endorsement Key. Secure Boot state also describes the platform's trust posture. MachineGuid and a logical volume serial may change during a clean install, which is exactly why one regenerated Windows value is not the same as a new composite device identity.
I bought a used PC and League shows VAN 152. Can Riot remove it?
A previous owner's device action is possible. Riot's August 22, 2024 League retrospective lists accounts locked after borrowing or buying previously banned hardware as a category it has reversed. Submit proof of purchase and the affected Riot account details to Player Support; do not log more accounts into the machine to test it. A review is case-specific, and the published policy does not guarantee removal or restore an account banned for separate conduct.
Can a VPN fix a League of Legends hardware ban?
No. A VPN changes the public network route and IP address; it does not rewrite the motherboard SMBIOS values, disk and volume serials, NIC hardware identity, MachineGuid, TPM Endorsement Key, or Secure Boot state that can contribute to a device profile. VAN 152 is documented as a hardware action, so changing regions or reconnecting the router does not address the layer Riot says is restricted.
What is the difference between a temporary spoofer and TraceX for League?
A temporary tool changes the values reported during one session and must be active again after a reboot. That creates a return path to the old device profile if it fails to load or its session ends. TraceX permanently rewrites the supported identifiers during one-time setup. Run the rewrite once, then delete the tool. TraceX does not need a daemon, background process, or pre-queue rerun before you open the Riot Client.
Learn More
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Next Steps
Not sure the League of Legends ban is hardware-based?
Work out which ban you are actually dealing with before you change anything. The ban-type checker walks the symptoms, and how long a Vanguard ban lasts covers whether waiting it out is realistic for League of Legends.
You can also browse every game TraceX supports or read up on the anti-cheat engines behind these bans.