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As much as I love Odyssey, I'm confused as to why it's always an Alternate Universe.

ModCaptainMårvelous·9/16/2018, 3:04:04 AM·54 votes·18,316 views

Invasion, Odyssey and I'd expect the next one to be....hell if I know. Mighty Morphin League Rangers?

It seems that Riot is absolutely infatuated with PvE modes as they (besides Nexus Blitz) tend to get the most play, love and missions. It also feels like the PvE modes have more thought put into them than other temporary modes, as Riot devotes both map design, resources and more to their creation. That said, I can't wrap my head around why these modes are only AUs. (Ok I actually can it's to sell skins but I digress)

For a world with as many champions and stories as League, I'm confused as to why Riot doesn't focus on those stories. I'd much rather an in-universe PvE mode that I can only play for a week than an out-of-universe one I can play for two months. Hell, I'd be fine with a non-canon "The last stand" kind of deal (Dawn of War II, check it out) where I get character interactions with a handful of champs. Every few months, add someone to the roster with augments. I'd play the SHIT out of it.

TL;DR: League's got a pretty cool universe but doesn't do anything with it. Meanwhile their AUs with (while not bad) minimal lore and story are chosen for story-based PvE events.

55 Comments

Jeddy0179/16/2018, 3:17:16 AM27 votes

Because they're usually tied to events, which is usually tied to skins, which means money. In other words: Money.

Would I want PvE mode set in the canon universe? Yup. Will it happen? Probably not for a while.

Darrosh Jewfist9/16/2018, 7:27:56 AM10 votes

I imagine it's a lot easier to build lore/story/aesthetic from essentially scratch instead of trying to build off someone else.

These Alternate Universes and skin-lines have the benefit of requiring zero commitment from the Riot Team post-release. They can return to it at their leisure and do whatever the hell they want with it. And if people don't like it or hate it, welp then it's simply wasn't canon to begin with.

The Kayn, Jinx, Yasuo, Malphite etc... we see in Odyssey are essentially original characters. They have personalities and traits that can be as outlandish or as true to canon as they want - effectively like sanctioned fanfiction OC's. (Yasuo liking smutty romance novels and Malphite being adorable). It gives a lot of freedom to the writers to develop ideas, themes, and concepts since they have much less restrictions than the canon lore.

Canon lore in current League is tough. The foundations are still weak, hell most of their world building is concept art and ideas with standalone short stories where in like 90% of them the POV secondary character just dies.

There are still a lot of champions who don't tie in with the rest of the universe very well. There's a lot of moving parts and pieces that needs to account both for 140 currently released champions plus all the champions that are being reworked or are being released. Compare that to a skin line where people only need to worry about 5 skins at most (or 10 in the Star Guardian case) and it becomes a lot more manage-able.

I do believe Riot should use PvE events to push more canon lore. I think a big stumbling block is that they don't want to release something so definitive and commit so many resources to something where it could be easily retconned because "oops, we forgot this new lore development that was hastily made for our game mode also made 10+ other champions and their lore obsolete/dated/nonsensible."

flibitydoo9/16/2018, 5:03:07 AM7 votes

To be fair we've only had 2 big pve events

and in both the enemy was space monsters that are just asset flips of existing void champions/jungle camps.

And if we don't even factor in pve events, one of the most recent events we just had was bilgewater's "Curse of the Drowned" event which was 100% tied to the league (combined?) universe complete with missions, unique loot, a special aram map with special items and rules, themed skins and y'know, the new champion pyke.

GreenKnight9/16/2018, 7:19:10 AM6 votes

Meh. Lore is kinda boring after first great retcon.

Regaly9/16/2018, 3:19:10 PM3 votes

THIS! I hate alternate universe. This is why League will never have a strong lore. They never make an event revolving around the base character/champion. Ugh. The only problem I have against league and their so called "universe". Not supported at all in game. These alternate universe will not have any long term effect on League.

EDIT: I forgot to mention that I looove the league universe. But, after a while you stop caring for it because Riot themselves stop caring for it. This game can have a lot of playability, but it will get boring eventually. The main stay that keeps gamers coming back is them connecting to plot/characters/champions/story. Look at WoW, Dota, etc. They all have stronger lore than League.

PaffWasTaken9/16/2018, 4:55:42 PM3 votes

Imagine a "Defend the base" kind of gameplay in Icathia, fighting off Shuriman soldiers, Ascended and void borns while protecting an objective

Tesla Effect9/16/2018, 4:58:35 PM3 votes

Riot can make canon lore skins, but there will be always someone being PJ Salt about "why isnt Captain Fortune her base skin" and all that.

SugeMinPikk9/16/2018, 6:25:44 AM3 votes

Speaking of map design

I loved the PROJECT mode

ModThe Djinn9/16/2018, 8:25:48 PM3 votes

Personally, I suspect it's because any official main-universe gameplay/story elements will be things people will want to be able to experience reliably. It's one thing to miss out on a bit of goofy hijinks from an alternate universe version of a favorite character, but quite another to miss out on a main-universe story beat. As such, I suspect those will be saved for permanent additions to League, if Riot chooses to take that direction.

Frontline Fury9/16/2018, 4:31:48 PM2 votes

I'd come back to league for a chance at playing a part in a Noxus - Shurima war. Noxus presents so many excellent opportunities for pve gamemodes, but unfortunately Riot is terrified of messing up their lore.

It's like making a video game adaptation of a book universe, but every story in the video game is a spin-off only set to the universe, not actually including anything present in it.

GreenLore9/16/2018, 7:38:57 PM2 votes

Most likely because the options for skins are more limited for in-universe events.

For example if they wanted to make a game mode about the noxian arena,then they'd have to make a story that involves at least 5 champions and give them arena-themed skins(and in the best case scenario one of them would be legendary) to make it work like this game mode.

And thats rather unlikely to happen,because there aren't that many champs that would have a reason to fight in the arena(and to do it in a cool new outfit). Granted this is just an example and I think this could work out for story events that happen on a large scale(like a large scale harrowing,war between 2 factions or void invasion),but I feel like for the most part it is still too early for the bigger stories.

Though I guess they could go for a more overwatch-like approach to canon-events,where a few champs are essentially the "canon-team"(and they might or might not have skins related to this),while others get some what-if skins,that are tied to this and when you play the mode,you can do it with the canon-line-up or the what-if-lineups.

Eternal7919/16/2018, 9:26:12 PM2 votes

I would love to see some story modes for each region of Runeterra.

DeadUnborn9/17/2018, 12:33:42 AM2 votes

cause it is an avenet to sell skins

L Rayquaza9/16/2018, 10:54:57 AM2 votes

Sentai/Rider themed skins....go on....

Leaf on Bush9/16/2018, 11:53:17 AM2 votes

Compare it to Witcher. At it's core the Witcher tells a tale of a family and despite all the struggles there is a hope for a happy ending and when you finish the game you are happy but at the same time sad that it's over, because their lore actually has life in it. League of Legends lore and all the gamemodes they are all about promises but the foundation is empty and cold. So it can only lead to an alternate universe and leaving yourself behind in an attempt to escape this meaningless struggle. Riot Games created a deadly propaganda tool, no doubt.

Stars Shaper9/16/2018, 12:13:39 PM2 votes

I do agree with you.

PvE modes would be an excellent way to amplify the lore and even tell some now unkown stories and episodes.

Vlada Cut9/16/2018, 12:43:39 PM2 votes

I know I know! Noxian Invasion where you get to play as Irelia MasterYi Karma etc and deffend from Noxian army, or Demacia's last stand as Garen JarvanIV Lux Galio in an epic battle vs Noxians. "Noxians, I hate those guys!" - Ezreal before Thanos snaps his fingers and reworks him.

VegetaPrince22669/16/2018, 1:04:14 PM2 votes

THe Harrowing says hello Rito. Imagen like each time it happens , you get to defend a region and it cycles throught them 1 by 1. or something like that. Point is , The Harrowing can be a good setup for a perma PvE gamemode*[slayer-pantheon-thumbs]*

BLACK REALM GOD9/16/2018, 3:22:43 AM2 votes

if it was set in a canon universe then it would most likely involve canon events. requiring actual canon interaction and canon deaths.

canon makes something permanent and in league permanence is not a thing.

Blåsigt9/17/2018, 2:43:57 AM1 votes

I would be okay with future in-universe events with premium alt-lore skins. Would be a fun way to advance the plot. Maybe a Demacia v Noxus event, with appropriate skins, etc.

ModKnightsKemplar9/16/2018, 2:29:08 PM1 votes

Burning Tides was closer to the kind of event you're describing, wasn't it? Something that advances stories of some champions, allows for some interaction between them, and has a alt mode (or map, in the case of the Slaughter Docks) to go with it.

If they included a special map and mode with that, as opposed to just an aram reskin, that could be real fun. I mean, the aram skin is nice and all, but so are alt modes. And there were plenty of Burning Tides skins to sell, also. Not like we can't have both.

THE RlVER KlNG9/16/2018, 3:16:24 PM1 votes

to sell skins and make money

TwitchInMyPants9/16/2018, 7:12:18 PM1 votes

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hpT6QNat4Ds

This guy makes a very good case as to why

And frankly with the state League's universe is in where there's constant loose ends and plotholes from all the retconning and the state of the game is stagnating, even if League has 10-25 years of good player numbers they need to start thinking of their next property. I was a fan of Valoran for a while but it isn't the same universe as it was in the old days. And there's good/bad aspects to that but if they can't crank out a consistent story for it, its not very practical in use for events.

Noxus vs Ionia was like the only time I ever remember League's story being a strong driver for an event. There was the Bilgewater event as well but its not like the ARAM map or the Blackmarket Brawlers were big lore draws. Even if something like Odyssey is very quirky and has little lore to work with, it sells a new universe and new characters with a believable level of continuity. There are ways to stage similar events in a League universe though, I could see things like Lucian/Vayne/MF teaming up to go hunt Shadow Isles enemies for example.

But they're also trying to sell skins, and they're also trying to make sure their world building is on point. After all, someday, the studio will be Riot Games and not Riot Game.

Tobykachu9/16/2018, 10:28:49 PM1 votes

Exactly. As Riot seems to disappoint someone in their player base every 30 seconds, no matter what they buff/nerf/rework the lore team has made leaps and bounds and produce some great reading materials time and time again, and yet there's absolutely no way to show it off in game, outside of a few quotes here and there. It would be so cool if they actually put some effort in demonstrating the lore of League by incorporating it into a game mode such as this.