Is there any thought to making a Champion with a "We are the Swarm" motif?

darkdill·5/31/2019, 6:35:29 PM·3 votes·3,931 views

Presently, there is no Champion that has a Hive Mind mentality, one that is part of a massive swarm of creatures. The Zerg (Starcraft), D'Vorah (Mortal Kombat), The Flood (Halo), the Borg (Star Trek), and various others are good examples of Hive Minds.

It would make for a particularly interesting (and nightmarish) Champion to use the Hive Mind/Swarm motif. But would this be inappropriate for League's lore? Would it simply not fit? Or could the story team find a way?

7 Comments

KestrelGirl5/31/2019, 6:51:18 PM5 votes

Kalista is a rather unconventional example of a hive mind. She absorbs everyone who makes an oath to her.

GreenLore6/4/2019, 1:38:47 PM3 votes

They have actually expressed their desire to make a champion who is a sentient swarm several times, so its definitely on their radar.

Hammermancer5/31/2019, 6:38:29 PM1 votes

Malzahar is boring, and has his entire budget in his R, this makes him a prime te candidate for a rework

He would be the perfect candidate for a swarm lord, maybe 1v1 with creep block or something

EbonyBladeJ885/31/2019, 7:52:02 PM1 votes

I'm not saying it can't be done, but I have to say that there IS a problem with a "Swarm" or "Hive-Mind" design to a champion. That problem is, MOBAs, while obviously inspired by the Real-Time Strategy games of the past (The whole GENRE came from the DOTA mod of Warcraft 3 after all), they ARE different game types.

Real-Time Strategy games revolve around controlling multiple, usually large armies of units at one time. Certain maps of the storyline campaigns of those games would give you certain "Hero" units, usually empowered versions of existing units with increased stats or the occasional exclusive power such as a Magic Spell, or some other ability/power. However, MOBAs lock you into to the use of ONE character, essentially locking you into those "Hero" units, and the regular footsoldier type units you build at the Barracks or Training Facility of whatever races in a RTS game, are not controllable.

If you don't understand, let me put it this way. For all intents and purposes, those types of characters, the ones you call "Hive-Mind" types, at least I think in a MOBA, are an example of a "Minion-Mancer", or a type of champion that summons creatures, and then use said creatures that they summon for additional effects. This type of champion/character or whatever you want to call them, I personally think are as close to a "Hive-Mind" type of character we could probably get.

Malzahar along with Zyra and Yorick are, to the best of my knowledge, the main champions designed in this fashion in League of Legends.

Malzahar summons Voidlings which he directs through use of his other spells.

Zyra plants her Seeds, which create additional units dependent on what spell she uses to activate said seeds.

Yorick creates graves via his passive and Q, and then summons Ghouls from said graves, directing them to targets with his skillshot E.

Note, that with any of these 3 champions, that there is a way to affect, or direct the actions of the units they summon/create, but they CANNOT be controlled DIRECTLY BY THE PLAYER. The player can INFLUENCE the actions of those units, but not control them directly.

TL;DR: MOBAs just aren't designed for the control of multiple units at one time.

LordRedStone Nr15/31/2019, 11:07:07 PM1 votes

We have an example of a hive mind: The Argoth Swarm from Jarvan IV's color story. Small individuals which are weaker than a man, controlled by a queen at the heart of the swarm. I like them as villains, especially in that story, but I don't think they could be a champion or any swarm champion tbh.