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Really..? -Varus Lore topic

ChromeClad·12/1/2017, 8:59:55 PM·3 votes·666 views

So I’m usually pretty quiet “opinions on the internet” and all.

But after reading all of the boards blow up in negative reception regarding Varuses new lore really makes me feel disappointed.

Riot has recently changed many champion backstories to the point where they’re unrecognizable from what they were originally.

What I don’t understand is that, objectively, Varus had extremely cookie cutter lore. The few paragraphs written about him and his past were incredibly lacklustre. It felt like a summary on the back of a young adult novel.

Please explain to me, what sort of character development there’s was outside of Varus being consumed by vengeance because of the death of his family? We didn’t even know their names.

If this had of been a female that was on the verge of death- the love of his life- that he brought to the well in hopes of saving, I sincerely doubt there would be this kind of negative reception.

Refute this point of you want, but honestly think about it. Replace Kai with a woman, and outside of expansion, it’s very similar to his old lore.

In fact if it WAS a woman it would still be the same improvement on Varus’s lore. We got to know who they were, how they fell in love. Why this place needed defending and was “sacred”.

We learned more about the darkin, how they function and what it means. On top of that we got an excellent music video.

Val and Kai are probably the first example of humans actively resisting an immortal being in runeterra and not being over taken. Does that not intrigue anyone..? (I mean except Kayn IF he wins, which in terms of lore, I find unlikely) I for one believe Val’s mother to be some sort of descendent of ancient magic, and with that he had some kind of resistance.

What exactly was so special about Varus’s lore? I’ve read it a few times and don’t see why the old lore is now suddenly praised so highly. It’s about a man who wants vengeance.

His new lore is about two people who have had experiences together, about their difficulties in balancing duty vs love (similar to old Varus). It teaches us more about why the darkin are, and how they function. It’s about a love being so strong it was resist one of the most powerful beings in the world.

Objectively his new lore paints a better picture of who the character is, and adds depth to Runeterra as a whole.

What sounds more interesting to you. “Bow man makes terrible mistake, family dies and he becomes a vengeance monster”

Or: “Two lovers resisting the power of one of the most powerful beings in the world, each while dealing with their own personal issues. The Darkin has some mysterious backstory with a sister and is also seeking vengeance against mankind. He hopes to eradicate Val’s personality by destroying his humanity, preying of Valmars hatred of noxians. Meanwhile, Kai must convince his love that hatred and vengeance is not the way- so that the Darkin doesn’t consume them both and potentially re-unite with his brethren; spelling out certain doom for all mortals.

If you disagree, please explain to me why his old Lore was superior, and in doing so, pretend to swap Kai out with a woman. Let’s say her name is Kaiya.

I’m only saying this as it may be easier for some people to realize just how much better this lore is in comparison to that dry piece of literature.

Once again I am not usually vocal on the internet so please don’t flame me. Calmly explain why. (Also please read all of this)

31 Comments

redniwediS12/1/2017, 9:10:17 PM7 votes

What I don’t understand is that, objectively, Varus had extremely cookie cutter lore. The few paragraphs written about him and his past were incredibly lacklustre. It felt like a summary on the back of a young adult novel.

And what of the new lore doesn't fit the exact same description? The main issue people have is that the old character of Varus wasn't updated, he was thrown out completely in favor of a new story. If old Varus was changed to have a husband instead of a wife most of the criticisms would be gone.

The new story is honestly bland, with a lot of holes that could be fixed by adding more to the story, but the same could be said for the old lore. Varus wasn't exactly tied to the Institute, so it's not like he needed a full rewrite in order to be made relevant, he just needed more depth. That's my personal complaint, no effort was made to give the original character more depth before replacing him with what we have now.

With all this said I hope you understand what the non-homophobic criticisms are about.

MysterQ12/1/2017, 9:11:59 PM7 votes

Am I Varus or Valmar? Legitimate question. I mean, in my own head cannon I can play as Valmar I guess. But the character is Varus, the Darkin who just wants to kill for revenge. I guess you can argue that isn't any different from the old Varus, but I don't know anything about the new Varus (open door).

The old story, Varus loses something and makes a decision. No doubt, you can call it cliche. But it had a purpose. The new story, Valmar almost loses something, doesn't give up anything, hopes for a good outcome (not making a decision). Ultimately he may or may not lose his body/soul?

No doubt, there are some people who may dislike it because there are gay characters. But honestly, most people are complaining that the character was erased. If anything giving the gay couple a kid and retaining their family life would be more diverse approach than this. Yes this story has room for more development. But I think many people are saying the old story also had room for development.

The problem I have. People are praising the story because it looks nice, and because it has a gay couple. Having a gay couple does not make everything automatically better. Do you actually know anything about Valmar or Kai other than they are a couple? They had a list of activities but I still don't know them.

And your summary synopsis is obviously unfairly written. 1 sentence vs a paragraph.

Hammermancer12/1/2017, 9:17:02 PM3 votes

the old lore was kinda simple and archetypal, the new lore is also archetypal but with more gay and less actual motivation