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Can't LoL have at least ONE classic knight?

Krizalid··16 votes·15,984 views

While we have at least 4 (!!!) ninjas, tons of different creatures of all species, fantasy rpg tank-warriors like Garen and many many more. I mean, seriously, can't there be a room for a solid fully armored guy who fights in the name of his honor or the honor of his house/woman/land/country/whatever? We could have a Helmet Bro, but Riot refuses to even talk about it. I would be more than happy if there was an actual version of Hecarim (not literally) with two legs, but all I'm left with is dreaming about it. http://img1.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20120424033024/darksouls/images/7/77/Oscar.jpg There are actually many rooms to fill him into the story. A soldier who describes the war through his own experience, a guy who has seen both good and bad sides of battlefield like Demacia's untold arrogance or Noxus's unknown possibilty to have mercy.

A great example (and a very good concept) of such knight was brought to us by terkmc: [Champion Concept] Gerald the Lordslayer

78 Comments

GreenLore11 votes

I think Garen is pretty much the standard knight of the game.

Sure he is over the top,but he is pretty much just a knight(ok a knight of justice),while others are more themed around other stuff(darius is pretty much the evil knight/dread knight,taric is a gem paladin,leona has sun powers,J4 is a prince/guy in dragon armor,Sion is an undead juggernaut and poppy is an ambassador/pretty much like a dwarven warrior)

Krizalid3 votes

If that's the point of Riot, then I'm sad, because I was really hoping for someone less-cartoonish and caricature appear in the game. What about a Ruined King and his army? Could there be a room for an undead knight who knows the truth about what happened to Kalista and others?

GreenLore4 votes

I think Death knight is a niche that they didn't cover yet,so yeah an undead knight is something thats most likely gonna happen at some point(though it could take years for such a champ to get into the game and even then there is no guarantee for him to fit your liking).

I also think that a cavalerist is something that could have a place in the game(some might argue that hecarim could count as one,but I think there are enough differences)

The Soulforged1 votes

Hecarim fits the death knight niche fairly well. He's even riding a horse! (even if it may be his own body).

GreenLore1 votes

Hecarim though is the horse(also I wouldn't say that a death knight necessarily needs one) and he is rather spectral,which is rather unusual for a death knight,who are usually corporal undeads.

Neamean3 votes

technically Hecarim Mordekaiser are kind of an undead knight not precisely but they come very close.

Thanotos Omega6 votes

Leona Garen JarvanIV Taric Poppy

That's 5, Shyvana also comes close,

RogueWill6 votes

what about Leona ? She is basically a female paladain.

Krizalid4 votes

That's really close to my point, it really is. Everything else like Garen or Poppy being mentioned here isn't serious at all. But personally I find it really strange that she stays in the support role. I really want to see a character who relies on his brute force and tricks, because it's not that easy to deal with all those super-beings in the league. Ohh, wait, Helmet Bro pops-up again. But Riot said "Nooo" =\

Dreamspitter2 votes

{quoted}

That's really close to my point, it really is. Everything else like Garen or Poppy being mentioned here isn't serious at all. But personally I find it really strange that she stays in the support role. I really want to see a character who relies on his brute force and tricks, because it's not that easy to deal with all those super-beings in the league. Ohh, wait, Helmet Bro pops-up again. But Riot said "Nooo" =\

Tricks?

What happened to the Knights code of Honor?

Krizalid2 votes

^ I sense a maximalism. "Fight for honor, but remember that all tools are good in the art of war". We're speaking of a clever knight who knows both positive and negative sides of war, not a Garen-I-Bump-Into-Your-House-Wall-With-My-Face. Have a good time, sir.

RiotKindlejack5 votes

Taric, Leona, Poppy and Jarvan are sort of the Runeterra Knights, while Garen, Darius, Xin Zhao and Sion are soldiers. Fiora fights for the honour of her house, but she is a duelist rather than a knight. I think in LoL nothing is every straight up one trope and rather they tend to be a mix of them. Taric would probably be the closest. Skins like the Warden/Marauder series give champions a nice dark-soulsy feel too, Warden Taric plz >.>

ArcticSirius1 votes

I would like to add my two cents in saying that Mordekaiser is like a dark/black knight (from a purely visual standpoint). Warden Mordekaiser too please

GreenLore1 votes

I'd say Mordekaiser is rather the evil overlord.

I mean he has a spiky helmet that covers his face in shadows(if he even has a face),he wears a spiky armor and swings a huge weapon that practically screams "pain".Not to mention the whole enslaving the enemies soul thing.

But yeah Warden Mordekaiser would be nice.

RiotKindlejack5 votes

When he finally gets a rework I'd love to see him be much more dark souls-esque. Black Knight, Nightmare, steel and souls!

Malzahard Mode4 votes

Can we get an ultimate mordekaiser skin that makes nearby minions look like ones aesthetically similar to those from the Overlord game franchise?

RiotKindlejack4 votes

haha that would be awesome! I wish he had more of a commander vibe like Azir. We don't have a champion that heavily interacts with minions.

ArcticSirius2 votes

Been a Mordekaiser player for ages (idk when I first played him, Elise patch maybe?) and would hands down absolutely love to see a legendary or ultimate skin of him. Maybe one where he becomes the next Ruined King (since it's spectulated that his goals and the shadow isle's are different)? If it's an ultimate, maybe the vfx for his spells change as he levels them? Maybe his E leaves temporary little ghosts/wisps of minions that vanish soon after?

But ya, I hope to see that rework someday maybe if the rework team is able to squeeze him inbetween (like karthus and others were for Sion) if they have the time and resources.

agbudar1 votes

that still needs to happen

Stars Shaper1 votes

The Hype is real xD

Krizalid2 votes

Hey, thanks for response! I'm really curious about Taric's future currently. I don't know why, but the only thing I can imagine for him is a Cecil Harvey (FF 4) or Alucard (Castlevania: Symphony Of The Night) kind of appearance and temper. Some Warden Taric skin would definitely suit him well in that case!

RiotKindlejack3 votes

I love Taric and am really just dying for the update. Cecil seems like a great reference for what he could be!

Hyrum Graff1 votes

{quoted}

I love Taric and am really just dying for the update. Cecil seems like a great reference for what he could be!

Hey, just wanted to mention that I love how this style of post makes it 100% clear you're not on the ChampUp team, without hitting us over the head with a disclaimer.

Nicorus 2 votes

So you're saying Taric is the closet to being a knight in lol? I love Taric, but he is too fabulous to be a knight to rescue a princess, and I cant see ezreal in too much trouble

RiotKindlejack5 votes

Well, he is literally named 'Taric, the gem knight'

darkdill2 votes

Let me ask something. Suppose I present a couple of artworks for a dancer and a thief respectively. (not my artworks, just to note)

Dancer http://imgur.com/bsz9TDX

Thief http://imgur.com/UnDN4so

Would these be too "straight up one trope" for League?

RiotKindlejack6 votes

The Dancer yes, the thief I don't even read as a thief... just anime person? I'm not on the champion team, but since the beginning of LoL there's always been a sort of hybrid approach to champion design that puts character outside of the usual tropes. This isn't always the case though; Talon is and Assassin, Zyra is Plant Lady, Pantheon is a Spartan, Yasuo is a Samurai. There isn't anything wrong with hitting tropes straight up and personally I think we could stand to do more obvious archetypes in the future.

I'd love to see a dancer because we don't have one beyond Orianna, but knowing Riot it would probably have a secondary thematic too. Water Dancer? Void Dancer? Twin Dancers?

Only Play Darius2 votes

{quoted}

I'd love to see a dancer because we don't have one beyond Orianna

Always thought of Katarina as somewhat of a dancer. Especially that ult of hers, she even sometimes says "The dance of blades" after her death lotus.

ULTRAF0RCE1 votes

I think it's more of her assassination style, with a whole dance of death thing going on with her spinning, mostly to show off how fit she is and, think of it this way. Imagine you are a Demacian general, you notice in your hut during preparations for an engagement vs Noxus that something is wrong, then suddenly you hear a small noise turn around and Katarina is right behind you and before you can even scream she starts spinning throwing daggers right into your chest, vocal box and stomach, you see this magnificent act of acrobatics as you die seeing how this murderess is truly superior to you.

darkdill1 votes

Would a Thief need a secondary thematic?

LordGeovanni1 votes

dancer classes never made much sense in battle/ fighting games to me

LordGeovanni2 votes

Taric isnt from Runeterra, Leona is a warrior from a warrior culture with mystic armor because she shows signs of being blessed by the god the culture worships, Poppy is the daughter of a blacksmith, J4 is a prince and is a soldier like Garen but higher class as he is a prince he could qualify is a knight. Not trying to argue with a rioter.

Mughi of Ruckus2 votes

My concept of knighthood is very different to the one you here describe. As I understand it generally a knight was simply someone who exhibited the proper traits of courage and behavior and both swore to and was chosen to serve their sovereign and/or country. Often people trained as a squire under a knight to become a knight, but not always. Nobility was required in some cases depending on era and country, but that was mostly the exception. What was generally required was the means to maintain readiness (read: equipment and training), and that often created a wealth barrier to knighthood, but in some systems being a knight meant being granted a living that could meet that requirement, especially in systems where knighthood was tied to the military. So then:

Runeterra isn't the only place knights could come from. Taric could just be a knight from another world, and given that the IoW is being retconned out, he'll almost certainly be from Runeterra once his lore is redone.

Being from a warrior culture wouldn't preclude one from being or becoming a knight, and knights were often gifted mystic armor in fantasy settings. Being the chosen of something/someone and being given arms and armor to fight in the name of it would definitely put Leona as either a paladin, knight or both. As I understand it, the two weren't always mutually exclusive.

Being the daughter of a blacksmith wouldn't preclude Poppy from being a knight either. There are loads of stories of great knights rising from humble beginnings and tragic pasts. In that respect, she's kind of a shoe-inn. A young girl who became a knight of Bandle Town and was named diplomat to Demacia after proving herself upon the death of her father. It certainly fits the stories I'm familiar with.

JarvanIV, I would argue, would actually be least suited to being a knight because he's a prince. Royalty didn't become knights because the job of a knight was to serve the country and/or sovereign. As royalty, he would be symbolically considered the country, or, depending on how noble titles worked in Demacia, be given the courtesy of being symbolically the country out of deference to his father, the king. Basically, knights would exist to serve him, so he could not himself be a knight according to most classical standards of knighthood.

LordGeovanni1 votes

Saying tarric wasnt from Runtera was in refrence to the rioter saying taric was the gem knight technically you usually are a knight of where you are from. im not saying that the rest of them arnt capable of being knights but riot hasnt actually made them knights poppy was adopted by Demacia because they got her dad killed when they ordered the item he was makeing. i cant remember the specific item but i suspect crown. and she became an ambasador. leona and diana were trained in the art of war just like MANTHEON just that leona was bestowed holy armor when it was discovered she was blessed by the sun. and dianna found enchanted armor. but none named knights in specific. i say J4 because royalty and nobility are the most likely to also hold knight hood titles garen would also fit that mold Kinights can be generals and he is from a noble house in Demacia Edit: in olden times Royalty would often join their soldiers on the battle field princes more so than kings as a show of strength and to raise troop morale (often with people specifically around him to prevent them from being harmed excessively)

GreenLore1 votes

I think you are looking at it the wrong way. Its more about who fits the basic archetype of a knight better and not who actually wields the titel of a knight.

LordGeovanni2 votes

and im saying that none of them do fit it not that they cant. they if just having solid armor made you a knight there would have been much much more

Rueian2 votes

I actually think Poppy other than being tiny is the closest to a straight knight archetype. Taric and Leona both are more like the Cleric and Paladin archetypes respectively given their magical backgrounds. Poppy more just feels like she uses pure strength of body and will to resist her opponents.

(i am actually running this more from a DnD Archetype standpoint)

Kadavik4 votes

Riot actually has a tendency to stay away from classic fantasy characters. Look at Ryze or mages in general. Not a single one of them is the classic bearded old man with a pointy hat. Every single champion has a "twist" to them that makes them unique and helps keep them away from any archetype whatsoever. I honestly prefer it this way.

Ebonmaw Dragon5 votes

{quoted}

Riot actually has a tendency to stay away from classic fantasy characters. Look at Ryze or mages in general. Not a single one of them is the classic bearded old man with a pointy hat. Every single champion has a "twist" to them that makes them unique and helps keep them away from any archetype whatsoever. I honestly prefer it this way.

Veigar

Ironclad Dragon1 votes

Except he's a midget who insists to everyone he's the foulest being on the planet.

Hobbsgoblin7 votes

{quoted}

Except he's a midget who insists to everyone he's the foulest being on the planet.

If you saw the fan fiction Veigar writes about Poppy and Tristana you'd KNOW he is the foulest being on the planet.

Dreamspitter2 votes

{quoted}

If you saw the fan fiction Veigar writes about Poppy and Tristana you'd KNOW he is the foulest being on the planet.

I've read it.

Hyrum Graff1 votes

{quoted}

I've read it.

Dare I inquire as to a link?

Dreamspitter1 votes

[{quoted}](name=Hyrum Graff,realm=NA,application-id=6kFXY1kR,discussion-id=LBEVsN0s,comment-id=000500000000000000000000,timestamp=2015-07-06T21:57:22.336+0000)

Dare I inquire as to a link?

I dont want to get banned.item 3022

Kadavik1 votes

Hahah, yeah. Although I think him being a Yordle that was slowly driven into insanity and wants nothing more than to make all the nations in Valoran bow down to him qualifies as a "twist" to the Mage archetype. Don't you think so?

Ebonmaw Dragon1 votes

{quoted}

Hahah, yeah. Although I think him being a Yordle that was slowly driven into insanity and wants nothing more than to make all the nations in Valoran bow down to him qualifies as a "twist" to the Mage archetype. Don't you think so?

But he fits perfectly in the Evil Black Mage arquetype

http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/BlackMage http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/BlackMagic

In fact he is very similar to: http://8bittheater.wikia.com/wiki/Black_Mage_Evilwizardington

GreenLore1 votes

The twist is that no one takes Veigar seriously,he is more of a harmless villain,if not even an ineffectual sympathetic villain and he really fails at being really menacing,despite the fact that he is so powerful(seriously,he tried to steal the mothership with balloons).

http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/IneffectualSympatheticVillain http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/HarmlessVillain

Krizalid4 votes

That's a very good point actually, but then I want to ask, why do we have characters like Yasuo, who is a 100% combination of fantasy samurais, Shaco, who is a 100% Jester (Demonic Jester? Well, hello there, Jester from Devil May Cry 3), characters like Olaf or Ashe, who are 100% stereotypical as well. I didn't include Tryndamere, because he seems to be much more original than the rest - yet not original at the same time. I mean, I've never seen a barbarian character having a semi-demonic (okay, semi-darkin) curse, while I've seen many characters like Siegfried from Soul Calibur becoming a "Nightmare" (separate character), due to some sort of curse (or cursed weapon).

Sometimes it's better not to run from using the cliches, because we end with charactes like Irelia, who has no personality, a strange design and very weird combat style/gameplay, which have to do nothing with her "flying swords" technique. And I didn't even note many other champions which suffer from unoriginality. At least Gangplank is having a visual update, so we can hope for something special.

333lom3 votes

I have no idea why people downvoted your thread. I would really like for Riot to make a classic knight champion. Garen by my idea doesn't even come close to that. I want a fully armoured honorable warrior with a helmet. With a metallic armour, not painted in 30 different colours like the rest of their characters. Helmet Bro fits very much, but for some reason Riot dislikes him.

Krizalid4 votes

Thank you! No idea as well, my threads are being downvoted here pretty often.

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