Arclight Varus and the new lore potential (Rito please read!)

I know that a lot of people are torn on the new Varus lore, either loving it or hating it for a variety of reasons, but personally I am extremely excited about the countless possibilities Riot could take in his narrative direction. One thing that particularly comes to my mind is how Riot would handle the Arclight skin when they do the voiceover update.

Arclight Varus, according to his old lore, represented a Varus that wielded the bow of Pallas, but was still uncorrupted by its power - hence the removal of the filter on his voice. I make the assumption that most likely Val and Kai, the human minds inside the Varus, will be voiced by at least one separate voice actor in order to show the constant tug of war inside the body (and since their voices will be mental only, with an ethereal filter for example, it makes sense for them to be distinct). Even though we will be playing as Varus the darkin, Val and Kai should be a constant presence that either agrees with (killing Noxians) or disagrees with (killing Ionians) Varus the entity. So, with those assumptions, here is my personal view of how awesome Arclight Varus could become as a visual and narrative alternative (and contrast) to the new classic Varus. I really hope that a Rioter would read this post and pass on the ideas to the relevant teams :p This will be a very long post, so I hope you guys are patient!

1. Theme and narrative

While in the classic skin Val and Kai are constantly trying to take over the body or at least stop Varus from commiting genocides on Runeterra, Arclight Varus would be an original and logical alternative with Val and Kai taking complete control over the body and purifying it. With the light in their hearts and the purity of their love, they have successfully managed to suppress Varus, effectively casting him out of the bow and deep into the body, restoring it to a human appearance and imbuing the bow with their heartlight. The light they wield is that of love and compassion, emitted from the combined souls of Val and Kai, while the shadowy VFX are traces of Varus' former corruption and (more importantly) Val's lingering hatred for Noxians and desire for vengeance. Val and Kai have successfully taken over the body, purified it and now seek to stop the darkin race from massacring humans, while the suppressed Varus sometimes whispers from the depths of Val's soul, tempting him to become the monster he defeated. In a way, Varus is still there, but he now takes a back seat, becoming a faint tempting whisper which is not the focus of the voiceover, but is still there. Should Val give into his bloodlust, he could very much re-awaken Varus, who will utterly destroy the lovers and take full control over the body. In this way while the skin would present the triumph of human love and compassion and the human spirit as a whole, there will also be a faint but everpresent danger of Varus returning and annihilating the humans. It would still retain Varus as a minor character, but more in a role of a comatose, patient demon waiting for the right time to re-instate itself, knowing that humans are flawed and one day will become the same monsters they fought to destroy. For Varus, it would be just a matter of time.

Edit: After researching the Arclight theme further I understood the thematic better, with Vel'Koz elevating worthy champions, cleansing them and "annointing" them in service to the light. This would make the skin stand out even further, because most likely Varus as a bloodthirsty entity would be cleansed and Valmar and Kai could inherit the body to serve the light!

2. Voice(s) and characterization

With Varus being deeply suppressed (but still present), Riot has the opportunity to create a very unique skin which doesn't change animations, but rather focuses on an alternate narrative via voice work. With Varus (mostly) gone, Valmar becomes the primary user of the body, since he is the more dynamic of the two lovers and also happens to be an excellent archer, while Kai remains in his head and gives him gentle support or stern judgement. This aspect of the skin would require a voice actor (or two) who would essentially voice all lines from Valmar's perspective, as well as conversations between Val and Kai. It would give an opportunity for unique taunts towards Ionian, Noxian and darkin champions, and why not even Taric (he is a sexy man after all). With their mission to stop the darkin race and defend Ionia, Val and Kai are united in purpose, although Val would still have a lingering hatred for all Noxians - they invaded his homeland, massacred his people, killed his lover and are generally very unpleasant to say the least.

If this direction is taken then many unique voice interactions are possible: Valmar could ask Rakan and Xayah if they have some ancient vestayan magics to unbind the body the humans are trapped in; Valmar and Kai could respectfully taunt allied Ionian champions; they could ask a shadow assasin Kayn the secret to fully destroy a darkin soul; Valmar could aggressively taunt Noxians or comment on their deaths with Kai furiously protesting in his head. Places where Varus' whispers would be heard include Valmar going on a killing spree, killing Ionians characters, destroying darkin champions and doing a pentakill or quadrakill. These whispers should be sparse, to reinforce the idea that Varus barely exists, but is present nonetheless, bringing some unique internal dialogues and inner struggles. To contrast Varus' whispers, Val and Kai should have sufficient dialogues reinforcing their bond, their love and their new goals as masters of the Varus body. Also there could be fun quibbles about Kai complaining that Val takes a lot of time controlling the body and that he, too, would like to take control from time to time.

3. Potential risks and problems

Changing an existing skin is a potentially risky venture - that I fully realize. Thus, I would like to go over the potential problems the company might consider and offer some solutions.

3.1 Price tier: Arclight Varus is a standard skin, currently priced at 975 RP. With additional voicework just for a single skin, perhaps work that might become substantial in itself, there might be a stern cost-benefit analysis on Riot's part. With that said, the chance to create a different thematic and aural experience for the player outside of the Legendary skin tier is still an alluring opportunity, and one that has already been taken. We have Primetime Draven as a cheap skin with different quotes, as well as Captain Gankplank, Program Camille and Traditional Karma as other examples of skins offering a different voice, or personality, to a champion outside the legendary label. Captain Gankplank in particular is a good example of an alternative look and personality for the champion, referencing his past as a confident captain braving the waves and leading his crew. Program Camille is also a good example of providing a different read on the champion through new quotes and a filter.

While the ideas suggested here are much bolder, there are already precedents for cheap skins offering new voicework. More importantly, we've also had skins whose 975 price was raised to 1350, like Tyrant Swain, Arcade Sona and Bloodthorn Morgana. These skins are of great quality and, because of that quality, their price increased as the current skin tiers were adopted into Riot's pricing policy. The price increase did not affect players who already bought the skins (like myself) and most likely offered a lot of extra income to Riot. Thus, the price for additional voicework could be offset by the increase in price (new model, new particles and now an alternative voice). Given that Varus' popularity will probably rise with his reworked lore, this might mean many more purchases of Arclight Varus in the future. This is why I think the benefits will be greater than the costs.

3.2 Player dislike:

With Varus' lore being reworked and now suddenly Arclight Varus becoming a Val- and Kai-focused skin, there might be an actual backlash from some players that somehow these characters are being forced on them, even though their part in the story is of equal importance as that of Varus. While this is a genuine concern, the fact that Riot took a risk and reworked Varus into his current tragic and LGBT-inclusive story speaks volumes and has already set the tone for the champion. Varus the darkin will always remain the physical user of the body since he is the champion we are playing as after all - this will continue to be the case for all future skins of Varus. But this is also the reason why making Arclight Varus a skin focused on the humans, and humanity as a whole, is such a bold and original artistic direction. Although it may be a risk I believe that the majority of players in the community will think the skin is original and cool, which in turn will increase sales of the skin. I genuinely believe this to be the case and if Riot has already taken a risk with the new narrative direction, I think adopting this direction for Arclight Varus would only complete the path and offer a unique alternative for players who enjoy this angle, or prefer the light particles.

3.3. Lengthy VO

A rather minor, but still relevant concern would be the length of the VO, not only for the new classic Varus who will need all three entities voiced (since the new lore has established them as equally important characters), but also for Arclight Varus in the case of this thread. The counter to this argument is that we already have champions with very, very long VOs, including Tahm Kench, Kled and Camille to name a few. We also have champions with a lot of inner and outer dialogue (Kindred, Kayn and Rhaast, Yorick and the Mist Maiden). We also have Rakan and Xayah having a plethora of interactions as a couple. While I'm sure Riot will do something new and original, the length of the VO should not be a concern.

4. Benefits of the skin

Despite the potential risks, I believe the benefits Riot would gain from such a direction for Arclight are substantial, including:

4.1. Thematic cohesion

With the old Varus lore gone, the Arclight skin would stand in an awkward position where it no longer has the benefit of presenting Varus in an alternate state. What would be the difference between Varus wielding corruptive energies or light if the voice is exactly the same? At the moment the attractive visuals contrast and complement the classic skin by offering a novel read on the character. If this intent is to remain, then the artistic direction described above makes much more sense and would overall serve to enrich the character.

4.2. An alternative perspective

The most obvious benefit would be that the skin would present an entirely different (and original) scenario for the trio, a more optimistic one. While Varus the darkin would still exist, Val and Kai would be at the centre, and all of that would come with no change in animations but only a change in voice. This will bring a fresh aural and thematic experience for players who desire a different, more positive perspective on Varus, which the ideas in this thread portray. It will actually retain the core themes of Varus but with a twist and an interesting reversal of roles for the humans and the darkin. It would be a unique skin at a low (relatively) cost of production (compared to new animations), which for me would be a win situation.

4.3 LGBT transparency

That Riot has decided to diversify their roster of champions by including LGBT themes is more than commendable, and a shrewd business move as well which sends a message of inclusiveness to all LGBTQ+ players, or potential players. While some players may disagree with the new Varus lore or feel offended, the majority support it or simply don't care. By using the ideas presented here Riot can create a unique LGBT experience without actually interfering with the base new personality of Varus (by virtue of the skin being an option). While greater visibility and voice for Kai and Val would be expected in the classic voiceover, given they comrpise two thirds of Varus, this skin would really hammer it down and would overall serve as a very positive and memorable piece in League's skin options.

4.4. More money for Rito

If the price was to increase to 1350 because of the extra effort, why not cash in on us hardcore fans who want a novel experience with Varus?

5. Extras wishlist

What I think would really cement Arclight Varus as a solid and original skin, given the new lore, would be:

• A unique backing animation for Arclight Varus that serves to illustrate the newfound strength of the humans.
• A different taunt animation for friendly champions with thematic importance, like Ionians or vestayans.
• An updated model and VFX to justify the (potential) price increase.

Soo.... these are my thoughts! I tried to be as rational, convincing and creative as possible and I really hope that a rioter sees and reads this post and passes the ideas onto the relevant teams!!! Comment or thumb up this thread if you are interested!!!