Trials of Runeterra
Hey League community!
So in light of Riot looking to make a new game... I wanted to run an idea across the community for a new game before actually tossing it up to Riot. With the great retconning of the Institute of War, Riot has opened Runeterra to the possibility of an MMO and I feel the best way to revitalize the genre would be expanding on Runeterra itself and bringing MMOs back to the days of old, limiting the convenience of Raid/dungeon finders while bringing back a sense of community, exploration, and excitement. This wouldn't mean the game play itself would be brought back to the old point and click style of combat, but would combine the old with the new. Focusing on a more mobile, action based combat system similar to games like Tera and Guild Wars 2 while bringing back a strong emphasis to resource and cool down management. Currently, the standard has been set so no matter what you play, as long as you can roll your face across the keyboard... you are considered top tier. There is no true limit to what your characters can do, which hinders the players sense of immersion but also ruins any accomplishments you get by just making it overly simplified. You aren't rewarded heavily enough for going above and beyond the standard level of play, and my intentions with ToR would be to bring back that sense of accomplishment. Being able to know and understand the strength and weaknesses for your class and race shouldn't be just something you do for the sake of doing it, but should be the core of game play. So with that said, let's get into the core of the game itself.
Story
The story for ToR wouldn't just be a rewrite of what we see in League of Legends as of current, but an ever expanding story that takes the player and puts him at the brunt of the action. Imagine getting more than just a video that showcases the change in Runeterra. Imagine what it would be like to be standing besides Garen as you wait for Prince Jarvan's command to move forward, sending you and your friends to battle. The world of Runeterra has so much more to offer than just a comic or a brief music video, and ToR would take advantage of those possibilities. Currently, these are a few brief summaries of what to expect in these expansions.
The Insurrection from the Void This would be the first installment to ToR. The factions of Runeterra are currently fighting over control of Icathia, and the Void intends to make use of this. It first starts out with an infection, corrupting those with power to fall under the Void's control. Slowly, but surely... they gain a strong foothold in Runeterra and it is up to you to help defend the world against the looming threat from deep within the Void.
(Title TBD) War is breaking loose across the land as Swain and King Jarvan become puppets to a mysterious power. As the body count rises, so do the armies of the Shadow Isles and it is only a matter of time until they run rampant. Will Runeterra fall to bloodlust, or will terror consume us all?
(Title TBD) With the lands shaken from battle, the Ice Witch stirs in the north. Ice begins to crack as an old predator of man begins to awaken from its age long slumber as Ashe and Sejuani are taken hostage, frozen in a prison of true ice. Can we survive the coming storm without the power of Averosa to guide us?
Multi-player Interaction
So, as mentioned at the start of all this... a major point was to limit some of the convenience in order to help promote better growth as a community. With that said, there will be a heavy emphasis on participating in guilds through guild rewards or perks (kind of a more improved and reworked system, similar to WoW's guild progress) while not including any sort of LFR or LFD queue. To be honest, I feel this is where the decline of MMOs started, when people got the chance to stop interacting with other people. It lead to the death of servers, a lack of fun, and the death of plenty of guilds because... let's face it, who needs one when you can just queue up for the raid?
Guilds and Clans
Guilds would be groups of people of the same faction, similar to how guilds work in every MMO. I mean, why fix what isn't broken? The main focus would be an evolving guild hall that would be instanced that the guild could decorate based on achievements they earn together. Guild achievements, guild participation, and guild population will unlock perks for the guild, the main one being a party summons. Rewarding those who work together with a little ease of convenience is always good.
Clans would be multi faction groups that would not only allow you to be in a pseudo guild with friends from different factions, but would also allow you to form parties for any PvE content. There aren't any other following perks for clans... Clan members can not face each other in open world PvP... Clans might possibly be disabled on Role Playing servers.
End Game Content - WiP
So, outside of the typical norm... I would want to include event based World bosses, Class advancement quests (which will be detailed later since... well, classes haven't been entirely fleshed out yet.), and something new to the genre... Diplomacy.
Diplomacy
Diplomacy isn't something that starts at end game, but is a completely different play style. Instead of just PvE or PvP, you can go the Diplomacy route, allowing you to mission/quest grind with not just your starting faction, but the opposing faction as well. Players who follow the more political route in ToR will have the options to help shape the world as they know it. Some of the benefits that would be included would be:
Access to class advancement quests - Earning a high enough favor with the opposing faction would grant you access to all their secret teachings, allowing you to personalize how you play your class and augment it to your play style even further!
Faction wide favor - Each quest you do will go towards the entire faction's favor. Although this will not unlock class advancement quests, the improved relations between your faction and the imposing faction will bring buffs to you and your guild mates, better trade (discount at stores), and unique faction neutral missions!
Guild Specializations - As a guild, the more you accomplish together... the more you can define what you guys stand for with specific guild wide buffs! You can gain guild wide quests or events that will increase gold gained from quests, increase in stats, or even access to unique relic weapons!
Guild vs Guild
Unlike other games that boast Guild vs Guild, with diplomacy... valor.. and conquest, guilds will also earn Influence. Influence will be used to purchase guild cosmetic items (Such as guild wide mounts, transmog gear) while also allowing them specific PvE and PvP gear. Guilds with the highest influence in the game will play crucial parts in shaping your faction. In a sense, guilds will function as a psuedo government, deciding on your factions main objectives for the current story... and the more influence you have, the more of a voice your guild will have. Influence will be earned for objectives earned in diplomacy, PvE, and PvP content...
Influence isn't permanent though. Influence will not only decay, but it can be stolen by other guilds... Much like politics, you will be fighting for the chance to gain unique rewards as well as the chance to shape Runeterra itself... creating a true, more competitive environment for Guild vs Guild.
Classes
(WiP)
Combat
(WiP)