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"The Harrowing can happen any time of the year!" -Riot...

ModAttysu The Poro·10/31/2015, 9:53:40 PM·107 votes·6,299 views

Each calendar year, the celestial bodies of Runeterra align in a particular astronomical event. This lengthy occasion - beginning with a partial eclipse on the 18th of October and culminating in a full solar eclipse on the 31st of October - is of one of the most significant holidays in Valoran. The alignment occurs annually around the time of the harvest, and is known as the Harrowing due to its dusky setting. For obvious reasons, the occasion is marked by superstitions surrounding the world's dark denizens, creepy crawlies, and things that generally go bump in the night.

While rural folks still believe that this is a time of great foreboding, most of Valoran has taken to commemorating the Harrowing through a bit of good, clean fun. Citizens of the city-states don monstrous costumes and exchange holiday sweets with one another as part of the revelry. Large costume parties, where patrons wear either light or dark costumes (with the intention of either warding off or confusing evil) are quite popular, and those of opposite colors are encouraged to exchange gifts with one another. However they're celebrating, all across Valoran, spirits are as high as the night is long.

http://leagueoflegends.wikia.com/wiki/Harrowing

Where you at tho Riot. We don't want Zombocalypse we want Harrowing. Don't make us call Volvo on you like DIreTide.

Edit #1: My point isn't to get this huge lore event, nor is it to ignore the retcon they did. But the Harrowing was first and foremost for players to celebrate Halloween in game with friends with new skins, getting people into the holiday's mood, new featured gamemode to play with friends, icons, wards, etc. Ignore the lore for a second. Why would a Halloween event be celebrated in July? Their logic in general is flawed. As I stated in the comments;

Might as well celebrate Snowdown in July!

http://i.imgur.com/COeSCa9.gif[/img]

Edit #2: Apparently I'm a 2 year old on Reddit for wanting an event when it was intended to be given to us, like every other year prior. Look, it's not a huge huge deal, I won't die over it, but this whole fiasco still majorly sucks.

Edit #3: Someone made a good point!

{quoted}

If the Harrowing can happen at any time of year, rename it. You want the event to be Shadow Isles themed, then release Shadow Isle skins, not traditional Halloween ones.

Edit #4: Original post of my paraphrased title:

http://boards.pbe.leagueoflegends.com/en/c/general-pbe-feedback/Grefbrd1-a-note-about-the-harrowing

http://boards.na.leagueoflegends.com/en/c/miscellaneous/fPoi9TfZ-about-the-harrowing

Edit #5:

{quoted}

Hey everyone!

Some of you have questions around the Harrowing this year, and we wanted to give you a quick update:

In October, we shared that the Harrowing (and other seasonal events) are changing. You can check out the PBE Boards post here (sorry we didn’t post it to the main Boards as well, our bad).

In short: We’re releasing Legacy skins from past Harrowing events later this week. Zombie / Slayer skins are also rolling out soon, so get those chainsaws ready. We wanted to get you in the mood with a dark and terrifying tale of the unliving, “Shadow and Fortune: A Harrowing Story,” as well as updated biographies for some of our Shadow Isles champions.

And if you’re wondering about Snowdown, we have some great stuff in our bag of goodies that’ll look a little different from what you’ve previously seen. So hold on for info on that, we’ll share more once we have all the details sorted out.

So after the backlash you choose to post legacy skins, thank god you guys realized we want Harrowing skins back. As for Snowdown...

PLEASE don't fuck it up. It got to a new level of awesome last year, don't make it go from the top to rock bottom.

110 Comments

Kat Head10/31/2015, 9:55:43 PM21 votes

They gonna retcon that now, good job.

Yeah, Riot sucks.

Gib Harrowing.

Edit: Shened by that dude above me.

Peridition10/31/2015, 10:03:29 PM18 votes

So basically they're going to pull a Cottontail Fizz and give us holiday skins at completely inappropriate times?

Cool. Can't wait for Trick or Treat Bard in June, or Heartseeker Kindred in September.

Sharjo10/31/2015, 11:21:56 PM17 votes

Before Harrowing was Halloween.

Now the Harrowing is when Mordekaiser wants to fuck with mortals.

Harrowing =/= Halloween anymore. Lunar Revel =/= Chinese New Year. Snowdown =/= Christmas/New Years.

I mean in the grand scheme of things Runeterran time doesn't equate to real time anyway, since Burning Tides: Reckoning and Shadows and Fortune happened after a few days interval where as in earth time that was a few months. As a result in the lore what we just read might've been in April in universe.

I feel ok about this because I don't personally care if real world holidays are separate from Runeterran stuff. If you wanna do holiday stuff you don't need an excuse, just go do it. Harrowing, Snowdown and Lunar Revel can all be their own in universe things and we can still have real world holiday celebrations. I mean what the sod is Lunar Revel anyway? Why is Snowdown so damn important? I'd like to know beyond them just being the excuse for real world holiday celebrations, y'know?

Of course this year they're late on Harrowing which isn't great, in fact it's kinda dumb and I dunno why they're holding back, but I guess we'll find out next week, since that's when they'll probably release this stuff.

Criomhthann11/1/2015, 2:27:24 AM7 votes

Snowdown

DAE remember when snowdown included snow? Both IRL and on the Rift?

RIP Holiday themed Rift.

YuGiHo10/31/2015, 11:22:07 PM7 votes

Wow thats lame, every other game has been having Halloween events While also catering to their ESports sides and its been reall cool, but i guess a tiny company with no resources or funds cant handle it

Axxlon10/31/2015, 11:48:44 PM7 votes

Wait a minute.

So you mean to tell me that Riot never clarified that the Harrowing is no longer associated with Halloween?

I'm sorry but that's downright deceitful. i.e., very unclear. A lot of people, including myself, were very confused as to what Riot meant by "it can happen at any time". 'Are they saying they want to do Halloween skins at any point of the year? Or what are they saying?'

That's my gripe with this whole fiasco. It seems like they aren't being very clear with what exactly they want out of the Harrowing. It doesn't help that it's happening ON halloween too xD

okino11/1/2015, 2:09:02 AM7 votes

they've finally forgotten their own written lore -_-

Blade of Justic10/31/2015, 9:54:52 PM5 votes

inb4 "But, muh retcon!"

Arch Mage Magnus11/1/2015, 10:21:10 PM5 votes

Still dont know how one of the biggest video game companies in the world can just not put any effort into a halloween theme. Like, its one time of the year.

Krigjer11/1/2015, 6:46:32 PM4 votes

If the Harrowing can happen at any time of year, rename it. You want the event to be Shadow Isles themed, then release Shadow Isle skins, not traditional Halloween ones.

Darius Strada10/31/2015, 10:20:02 PM4 votes

Getting ready to celebrate Snowdown in a sunny day of July

ModWulf Helhammer10/31/2015, 9:57:54 PM4 votes

That was the first harrowing they did.

You seem to forget that last year, the Harrowing was changed to be the Black Mist that invades Bilgewater (and only there), not a Halloween knock off

Blue Moon Wolf11/2/2015, 12:40:56 PM3 votes

If only there was a month between Halloween and Christmas they could move worlds to so it doesn't get in the way of a holiday they have events for. A month that might have a holiday that only involves one or two countries anyway, so it's okay to not acknowledge it. A month that heralds the change the of seasons and would be appropriate since after worlds is preseason for the following year.

Kinjishi11/2/2015, 3:11:26 AM3 votes

"The Harrowing can happen any time of the year!" So Worlds is replacing Harrowing and Harrowing is being shoved off to whenever during the year Riot wants to do it? Screw that.

Also, a source for your quote would go a long way - since you never provided one OP.

Seekêr11/1/2015, 12:51:51 AM2 votes

No, what they mean is they don't want "themes" to even exist or be marked as a yearly thing. They want the freedom to release shadow isle skins or frejlord skins whenever the hell they want. I like this, I love underworld skins and im looking forward to seeing more.

Auroramancer11/1/2015, 2:50:31 AM1 votes

For the past two years the Harrowing has been the event of the Black Mist reaching out from the Shadow Isles. The Black Mist has no regard for seasons or times.

Why are you trying to lock down when the Black Mist does things? We still get our seasonal Halloween skins. And when the Black Mist decides to do its thing, we'll get Shadow Isles skins. Big-whoop dude.

GreenLore11/1/2015, 1:22:30 AM1 votes

They do have some harrowing skins,but it looks like they completely forgot about making something out of them.

They'll probably keep celebrating halloween,they just won't do a harrowing-lore-event every year

I guess the delay for the halloween skins is the "we are doing this different this year,halloween content is coming step by step"

WolfBV11/1/2015, 4:10:29 AM1 votes

Things change.