Another day, another article in our series!
Introduction
I have been playing League of Legends since its release and I have always found the lore in the game to be fascinating. There are so many stories that you become immersed and begin to feel like your a part of the world the game was created around. Sure the first couple of champions were simply created and the follow up stories have been released like some addition to them, to give them some depth, but as the game progressed and continued to rise in popularity around the world, League of Legends creators saw the opportunity to tell a story for each champion. In doing so they have created the universe that is called Runeterra. These stories help you connect with your favorite champions on a deeper level and may even influence your choice for your favorite champion as well. I know that it has influenced me for sure.
There are a lot of amazing stories in the League of Legend’s universe that really explain the world of Runeterra to a reader and make them feel much more immersed in the game. But nothing can be perfect, since there are many champions that really have a less than spectacular lore that is in need of drastic improvement. In this list I will point those champions out and hopefully these articles will find their way into Riot Games’ HQ so that they can finally fix these monstrosities.
Disclaimer: When these lists are made there are 159 champions in the game, by the time it is finished there probably will be some new additions to the universe so I will fit them in the current roster at the time of their release.
Previous edition:
135: Ekko
This one is on me, to be honest. I really am not a fan of the Piltover and Zaun lores and champions. They remind me of the industrial revolution and just feel already seen and heard of. Ekko is no exception. His lore is something that I think should have became Heimerdinger’s lore if Riot were to ever rework it. Not badly written, and there’s some interesting stuff in there but they cut it off when it becomes interesting. I will show you in ‘’The worst part of the lore’’ section. Oh, Riot… ‘’If I could turn back timeee..’’ , I know Cher, I know.
The Best Part of The Lore
‘’One night, on a solo trek into the rubble of a recently demolished laboratory, Ekko made an astonishing find: a shard of blue-green crystal that glittered with magical energy. Every child of Zaun heard tales of hextech, said to power weapons and heroes alike. Such a thing had the potential to change the world, and now he held a broken one. He scrambled to find more pieces, but the crunching footfalls of teched-up enforcers told him he wasn’t the only one looking. Ekko barely escaped, and returned to his home.
He experimented madly with the crystal. During one less-than-scientific attempt, the gem exploded into a vortex of shimmering dust, triggering eddies of temporal distortion. Ekko opened his eyes to see several splintered realities—and several “echo” versions of himself—staring back in sheer panic amid the fractured continua.
He’d really done it this time.’’
This at least explains how he did it. Some ‘’Back to the future’’ vibes, nothing too dramatic.
The Worst Part of the Lore
‘’Then Ekko was back, watching his friend reach again for the same rotting plank. The plank broke, the boy fell… but Ekko was ready this time, diving to the edge and grabbing him by the shirt. Ekko tried to swing him to safety, but his friend became caught in the tower’s clockwork gears, and—
Stop. Rewind.
Several attempts later, Ekko finally saved his friend’s life.’’
I mean, I just don’t understand why? So good windup, gets interesting. We really want Ekko to save his buddies life, and we want every single detail, and then…. several attempts later, he did it.. Wow. I have had showers more dramatic than that.
134: Nami
Ah the fish. It’s a nice bedtime story with not so happy ending but rather a cliff hanger. Unfortunately Nami isn’t really Jean Claude Van Damme so we aren’t excited about the sequel. It’s just a nice story with nothing important being said in it. That’s why it is on the lower-mid end of the list,
The Best Part of The Lore
‘’ The Tidecaller must plunge into the icy darkness of the rift, survive the horrors within and retrieve an abyssal pearl. If successful, the Tidecaller rises to shore where a luminous wanderer from Targon’s peak awaits with a moonstone to trade for the pearl. It is an arduous ritual that holds the fate of many in its illusive hands, but the exchange has kept the creatures of the dark contained. In the past, the Marai had sent troops of their most elite warriors to collect the pearl, but they learned the more forces they sent into the rift, the stronger the monsters became, as if it fed on their energy. While an army would be annihilated by the abominations below, a single scout – armed with a legendary Marai staff capable of controlling the tides – could potentially elude the dangers of the deep long enough to escape with the pearl.’’
At least something dramatic happens in this story.
The Worst Part of the Lore
‘’In the seas to the west of Mount Targon dwells a tribe of vastaya known as the Marai. Long ago, these mermadic creatures discovered a rift in the depths. The rift bore a horrible, creeping darkness which sought to exterminate all forms of life.’’
You probably don’t see it? Okay, so Nami is a Vastaya, I get that. But, if she is a Vastaya and not a mermaid it means that mermaids don’t exist in the League of Legends universe. So, how the hell did someone think that it was a good idea to write ‘’mermadic’’. If she is not a mermaid, and mermaids don’t exist, then don’t write that!
133: Neeko
Okay, hear me out. I can swear that this is Fizz’s lore that has been recycled. Honestly, if you dig deep into it the resemblance is uncanny. She lived happily, he lived happily. She was playful, He was a fish. And out of the blue they both lost their homes. Like no warning. They just did. Come on. But the writing is decent so that’s why it’s ranked where it is.
The Best Part of The Lore
‘’Her old life among the Oovi-Kat may be lost forever, but Neeko envisions a magical future—a larger tribe of like-hearted vastaya, yordles, humans, and whatever other creatures might share her dream. As far as she is concerned, everyone has the potential to find a place in her new tribe. She has pledged to seek these souls out, to befriend them, and defend their sho’ma with her life.’’
I like this part, it brings some nirvana into me when I’m reading it.
The Worst Part of the Lore
‘’But it was not to last. Cataclysm loomed on the horizon.
Thanks to the quick thinking and self-sacrifice of the Oovi-Kat elders, Neeko escaped the death of her homeland. She clumsily took the form of a bird, and fled the smoldering destruction, feeling the screams of her people fading into the ethereal gulf between realm’’
Oh, I get it. Neeko turned into Fizz. There is no other explanation.
132: Annie
I don’t understand why every champion has to have some kind of depressing backstory. Why did Annie’s mother have to die? She could have just played in the field and just, boom. Fire. No depressing moments, mother is alive, father is not ill. Come on Riot. She is just a girl.
The Best Part of The Lore
‘’Unused to the dangers of the untamed borderlands, Daisy’s playing ended in catastrophe for the family. Leanna, of course, blamed Annie for the loss of her daughter, focusing her rage and grief on her stepdaughter’s most prized possession: Tibbers. Annie was horrified as the last physical memory of her mother was threatened. The girl’s terror grew to an unbridled rage, releasing her latent and powerful pyromancy, and the stuffed bear was brought to life in a maelstrom of protective fire.
When the flames died down and the swirl of ash settled, Annie was left orphaned and alone.’’
I don’t like how she received her powers through her rage. But if I have to choose the best part out of the whole lore, it’s this one.
The Worst Part of the Lore
‘’Believing most city adults to be like her stepmother, Annie has kept to the wilder parts of her frontier homeland. On occasion, she will use her disarmingly adorable exterior to be taken in by some pioneer family long enough to be offered new clothes and a hot meal. However, fire and death awaits anyone foolish enough to try parting Annie from the stuffed bear at her side.’’
Why would anyone try to separate a little girl from her stuffed bear? The others don’t know that bear is a bloody demon, so they surely won’t try that.
Conclusion
Another list about Ranking The Lore of League of Legends from Worst to Best is done.
There is a long way to go guys trust me. We have only just begun, but I would love to hear your opinions on this one. I mean the serial. Do you like it? What would you change? Leave a comment, I would be happy to hear from you!