Global armor fashion in Valoran. The ever so popular half-shoulder piece

DudbearHaggler·9/25/2014, 7:24:23 AM·10 votes·6,325 views

Yasuo, Braum, Jayce, Quinn, Riven, Volibear, Viktor and now the new Sion. Riot concept-artists sure love those half-shoulder armor pieces.

Of course, with over a hundred different champions some are bound to have somewhat similar outfits but yet I feel this specific armor piece is becoming the to-go armor with new champions and reworks.

Perhaps the artists at Riot feel that this suits perfectly with the champion at hand and I would agree in most cases ( except Yasuo.. his shoulder piece really looks like somebody forced him to wear it and now he can't get it off..)

What I would like to discuss here are: 1. could/should Riot be more creative in terms of armor/ clothes for their classical skins? 2. Is the half-shoulder piece an undying fad amongst Runeterran warriors? If yes then why?

19 Comments

RiotIronStylus9/25/2014, 6:52:21 PM16 votes

Yeah, I've noticed this also, and am totally guilty of it :P

I think it comes down to a case by case basis in terms of use. Symmetry connotes order or official-ness of someone's armor. That might be rank, someone like Garen, or majesty, like Leona, or beauty, like Taric. Either way symmetry indicates care and intent, often synonymous with military uniforms or knights/nobility. Asymmetry on the other hand often connotes more utility based outfits, or to indicate cobbled together fashion due to preference or resources available by the maker of the outfit.

Sometime it makes sense, such as an archer's arm being covered for protection, or a falconer's glove. Maybe a large shoulder pad for checking into people.

I have a love/hate relationship with symmetry. On one hand I really like making things cohesive and elegant, but I also love things that cut across characters breaking symmetry, adding secondary detail. I'll say I'm less fond of doing for asymmetry's sake, though I'm guilty of that too! All depends on the read you feel like giving the character, and how organized and put-together they should seem.

Renekton Bot9/25/2014, 10:20:00 AM4 votes

Most champions only cover one shoulder as a sign of respect to me.

Cowser9/25/2014, 7:49:00 AM2 votes

shoulder armor looks cool but whats the point of drawing both of them

2nd Fiddle9/25/2014, 7:21:55 PM2 votes

The weird thing is the real world logic for the half-shoulder piece applies primarily to one-handed combat. It ends up being primarily used on two-handed combatants(presumably because one-handed combatants are already asymmetrical).

Three-handed combat is presumably different. Viktor

cHAncEman12929/25/2014, 8:11:09 PM2 votes

While we're talking about fashion motifs I would like to point out the "wide V collar" of Twitch, Thresh, Vlad and ofc the loin cloth of Darius, Garen, Leona and Karma

MrBuffington9/27/2014, 9:43:36 PM2 votes

You see the single-shoulder piece a lot in other media too, not just in LoL. I always thought it was a little historical/practical, not just for aesthetics; typically that one shoulder piece is on your non-dominant side, because that's usually your shield arm, which you lead with, and thus need more protection; same principle applies even if you don't have a shield (your shoulder armor will still be closer to where your enemy is, and can save you from some nasty blows to the neck or chest, if it's designed for that). You can find a lot of medieval suits of armor that are more heavily armored on the left side. Conversely, there is less armor on the dominant/right side since that's typically the side that's in less immediate danger/further away from the enemy's stabby parts, so it doesn't need as much armor. Also, this gives your weapon arm more range of motion and doesn't weigh your arm down as much, allowing you to strike faster and with more range, etc.

IRL it usually isn't as exaggerated/designed with more practical elements in mind (like more neck protection and actually carrying a shield), but same basic idea I think

333lom9/25/2014, 4:02:15 PM1 votes

It seems to me that the pauldron on the left arm can serve as a shield while the right arm uses a weapon.

Captain Danger9/25/2014, 6:27:59 PM1 votes

Heh. I think it's more that we have 100+ champions, so of course you're going to get asymmetrical armor.

ThorRush9/25/2014, 3:41:57 PM1 votes

I think it's an exaggeration of a real world trend. Other games have used asymmetrical armor cough Final Fantasy cough and it's been discussed before. http://home.eyesonff.com/archive/t-133511.html

The idea is that fighters need mobility on one arm and protection on the other, although the tradeoff isn't worth it realistically.

It seems like people prefer asymmetry though: http://forums.na.leagueoflegends.com/board/showthread.php?t=3839822

I'd like to point out that Jayce and Viktor's shoulders are opposite, so they at least have more than one reason. http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Characters/LeagueOfLegendsGToJ

Foil: Viktor and Jayce contrast nicely as the two epitomes of each of their respective cities, as each represents the two different kinds of scientific progress Zaun and Piltover represent. Furthermore, their kits are opposite; while Jayce is based on various different combos to poke, whittle down, and trade with small groups of opponents with physical damage, Viktor is based emphatically on destroying entire groups of enemies with magical damage. Even their non-damaging abilities are fundamentally opposite of one another: while Jayce's Acceleration Gate speeds up his allies in a line, Viktor's Gravity Field slows down his enemies in a circle.