Karmas new lore is a mess

PrinceBedazzled·4/2/2018, 5:31:30 PM·110 votes·6,266 views

Heres a slice from karmas original lore.

"As the Noxians advanced, the villagers prepared to accept death, bound to their peaceful vows. But Karma would not accept death and instead saw another way: sacrificing a single life to spare many others. To save her people, she drew upon the power within and summoned the full force of her will. A burst of Inner Flame spirit fire emerged from her body and spiraled towards the Noxian general. The flame took the form of Gathering Fire twin dragons, the symbol of Ionia itself. It was the first time Karma had ever used her powers to harm instead of protect, and neither she nor the villagers had ever seen anything like it. When the magic subsided, the general had fallen before her and his soldiers had scattered. The opposing forces surrendered to Karma's strength, leaving her people, and their traditions, untouched.

While the war raged on, Karma became a formidable leader of the Ionian resistance, but the conflict did not end when Noxus' armies fled the Ionian shores. Ionia became divided between the resistance fighters who craved vengeance and the monks who demanded a return to spiritual tradition. Karma saw a third path, one that combined the strength Ionia found in war with the peaceful traditions the nation still held dear. She now seeks to return her ravaged land to an enduring peace."

She dared to question the teachings of the order, but she stood up to save her people. She was a hero, and an interesting character. Now a slice from the new story.

"Indeed, these philosophies were truly tested when Noxus invaded Ionia. Many thousands were killed as the enemy warbands advanced inland, and Karma was forced to face the harsh realities of war. She could feel the immense destructive potential that swelled in her soul, and with it, the impetuous voice of young Darha screaming: What is the point of this power, if not to use it?

Karma agonized over this. Eventually she compromised, deciding to kill just one person, but that it had to be the right person to kill. She confronted a Noxian commander on the deck of his own war frigate, and unleashed her divine fury. But instead of a single, measured attack, she obliterated the entire vessel and its crew in a heartbeat.

Though the Ionians rejoiced at this apparent victory, Karma was left strangely empty. The voices that had spoken so clearly in her mind now fell silent, and she felt Darha returning to prominence—this brought little comfort, however, as she realized she had made a huge mistake. She returned to the Lasting Altar to meditate and perform penance for upsetting the spiritual harmony of her homeland. Killing would always be easy, but came at the cost of true enlightenment. She had already tarnished her own undying soul along with those of her followers, and she would try her utmost to do no further injury. Though the war with Noxus is now long over, there are still many in Ionia who have become only too glad to meet violence with violence, even against their own neighbors. Karma has pledged to guide as many of them as she can to more peaceful means. And with every conflict she averts, more of the lost voices return to offer their eternal wisdom."

Ok so now shes being punished by the magic land or whatever, (even though its mentioned the magic land also does plenty of noxian killing so that makes no sense lmao) So now shes just a crappier version of soraka who needs to repent for having a spine and saving her peoples lives? Thats STUPID.

Also take a listen to her voice lines. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J6P1K_95unk

So ya her cool voice lines about standing up for yourself and doing what has to be done make no sense and is thrown out the window. So long story short I absolutely hate this and its completely stupid. This comes just days after the nautilus post wanting to reach out to the community, as a karma fan this just feels like a stab in the heart. So thanks for that.

"If you desire peace, you must prepare for war" -Karma

128 Comments

IxtaliKing4/2/2018, 7:04:13 PM56 votes

Her new story just... doesn't work imo.

There's something really satisfying about someone who is peaceful, but can and will kick ass when necessary. This idea of the voices disappearing after she killed invaders who sought to harm her land is just... confusing. The story seems like an excuse to make her a passive entity in Runeterra. No wonder Irelia is mad at her. No wonder no other champs in the game (except Illaoi) have anything to say to her. I've come away from reading that bio wondering why she even exists.

"Killing would always be easy, but came at the cost of true enlightenment."

Can we please unpack this? What does that even mean and how does it make sense? Is it referring to killing needlessly/without a just purpose, or at all? What is "true enlightenment"?

There's a lot I want to say about that story, but I'd rather not jump the gun. This story might end up leading to Karma finding the path in-between, perhaps Darha will come through and find "true enlightenment" - which isn't being a pacifist who has to seek "penance" for taking out a hostile. I don't know, but that bio doesn't bode well.

Don Lupus4/2/2018, 6:01:06 PM55 votes

It's not a mess, it's just bad and changed for the sake of being changed.

Lloyd Castagnier4/2/2018, 6:25:04 PM31 votes

Karma is now Avatar Korra 2.0 and if she goes berserk she loses the connection just like Korra did in that episode. Just give me my old Karma back, not this troubled voices in my head woman before I Gaen Na Kyri Vi your butt.

Vanjie4/2/2018, 7:15:29 PM30 votes

It's a mess. The new lore did nothing to solve her identity, theme, and art issues. This just furthers Karma away from anything relevant in the game or world. The concept of her new lore not very original. Her theme is not very original or exciting. The story makes me think Karma is completely useless just like she is in game. What did this do to improve Karma at all? I didn't do a damn thing.

You want to know what the Developers are going to say? There is more to come about Karma. It's just a never-ending excuse to never work on her or do anything decent for the champion. Karma is a bookmark for all of the Ryze, Ahri and Ezreal VGU/updates that she never gets.

DonatellaVersace4/2/2018, 9:16:06 PM22 votes

What's with the whole 'possession' thing going on in the lore recently? It seems like every single champion has to have some sort of external attachment going on to even get somewhere with the character. Kayn, Swain, Kai'Sa, Varus, etc...? I mean is it really impossible to build a character through their actions and experiences, not some external force haunting their existence?

What this Karma lore, at heart, is, is essentially some idiotic girl who can't comprehend the voices in her head and does as they will her to. This makes Karma feel WEAK, like some worthless tool.

I love Karma, and this was like gutting her entire character.

EDIT: I now realize how similar Karma and Syndra's lore are. What a shame.

ZapMyHeart4/2/2018, 7:13:26 PM21 votes

This is Karma's original lore, btw.

---Even in her youth, Karma exhibited almost superhuman composure. While her peers explored the torrent of emotions that came with adolescence, Karma meditated in the Lotus Gardens. She was convinced that the true path to enlightenment was a journey inward, to a place within the self, overlooked by most. She exuded such inner contentment that she quickly became a go-to mediator and confidante in her village. Her instructors used to say: "That girl can not only weather a storm, but calm it."

Karma did not live extravagantly. Her parents owned a local business selling antiques in the Navori province and they often struggled to provide for themselves, though they did so with cheery optimism. Her most prized possessions were two exquisite Heavenly Wave fans taken from her family's shop.

When Noxian troops invaded southern Ionia, her village was one of the first to fall. The villages who survived the assault were captured by Noxian forces. It was then that Karma found her calling. By exploiting the insecurities of the Noxian commander, she negotiated the safe release of the villages to the northern lands.

She was present at the Placidium, where the Elders had considered surrender until Irelia's impassioned last stand renewed the Ionians' hope. Karma used this hope to solidify the Elders' commitment to remain defiant against the Noxian onslaught.

For her devotion and charisma, Karma was made the figurehead of the Ionian resistance. She never compromised, and she shared every hardship with her people, even when it came to combat. By tapping into her inner resilience, she discovered that she could bring great force to bear against her foes on the battlefield. She modified her Heavenly Wave fans into lethal implements, and was tutored by Janna to enhance their effects.

The Noxians called her 'The Enlightened One', a nickname she embraced, and one which they would come to dread. She joined the League to represent Ionia in the ultimate political arena.

CarameI Frappe4/2/2018, 11:18:38 PM20 votes

Lol .... wow. I didn't think Riot could butcher another champion, but they did it. I thought they would of learned after messing Varus up but NOPE! At least his new lore / backstory has some charm to it, and a bit interesting (even though it's still a mess)

This one however, hurts. Poor Karma, she doesn't even feel like an impactful character. The story of hers, it lacks a soul. So basic so .... simple. Nothing new or interesting. Jeez.

Gapybo4/2/2018, 8:31:37 PM15 votes

Karma is getting more dehumanized with every update they do on her and it's for the worse. So now Karma isn't even the person anymore it's just some spirit in a body of a random woman... Do we really need this? We already have targon with the whole body snatching theme! It's also completely disconnected from her ingame where she is slinging damaging spells every 2 seconds...

AbiwonKenabi4/2/2018, 9:24:19 PM14 votes

And what is with Riot's strange obsession with multiple characters inside one head? That's two Ionian Champions that have been changed to be something like this, not to mention Kalista. Is this something we needed multiple of?

Wrathof3004/2/2018, 5:55:06 PM13 votes

I like Karma's new lore, it sets up interesting future stories. She retreats from the front lines after she obliterated the Noxian ship because she feared her lost of connection with her past lives, she is tangled between the need to fight back and tradition she and the new Irelia are 2 sides of the same coin. From here we get to see Karma develop into and beyond what the old Karma stood for or possibly go an entirely different route of peace and non violence. I would love to see her become someone, instead of relying solely on the wisdom of her past lives, someone capable of rallying and enlightening her past lives, working together to find a blend of peace and resistance to outside forces.

Imagine an Karma ingame, having a different spirit work with her and encourage based on the abilities she casts/ upgrades.

FilDaFunk4/3/2018, 5:42:24 PM8 votes

I hate how Karma was a soul that passes through people. Just NO!

The brilliance of her was that she reached enlightenment by herself, then made the decision to go to war out of lack of choice.

CrazyFrogEye4/2/2018, 8:21:56 PM8 votes

I agree. In my opinion it really takes away everything that made old Karma unique. You know, how about, if you absolutely NEED to have Irelia and Karma hate each other, Karma is more reserved and tries to treat the Noxians as people, whilst Irelia believes the best way to win against them is to be as rutheless as possible.

What made old Karma cool, is that she didnt want to kill or hurt anybody, but realized that in certain circumstances this is unavoidable to prevent greater suffering. In a way that made her very relatable. You know not everybody who fights in a war needs to be a bloodthirsty maniac.

Most people would probaply agree with her if that stuff was real.

I guess she wasnt EXTREME enough for riot. Because wanting to throw invaders out, but not treat them like shit, or start using violence more after the invasion is over, is pretty resonable and easily the best way to deal with the situation.

But you know, Irelia needs to be a rebel against the Noxians, and the establishment, otherwise people wont like her rework.

Supreme Senpai694/3/2018, 6:13:12 AM7 votes

Uh. I LOVE the new narrative team's writing style (except for that Vayne story. It was good but the style was cringey imo.) But wow. That old writing was just epic? You could visualize the attack and it was so awesome. This new one... it breaks a rule of writing. "Show, don't tell." 'Karma destroyed a boat.' Okay but HOW? What in the world did her divine fury even look like? How can we visualize this?

Don't get me wrong, yes they changed her identity and that's upsetting. But they also changed the quality of the writing, imo, and that's also upsetting.

Unholy Decadence4/3/2018, 7:21:22 AM7 votes

I can't even express how much the new Karma lore pissed me off. Karma (after rework) was the pacifist that realized that pacifism did not work versus the Noxians. Yet, she did not want her people to descend to the Noxians level of violence, and she dedicated herself to find a middle way, one that made sure that her people did NOT get slaughtered but still kept some of the old ways and did no needless violence.

This "new" Karma is basically the pre-rework Karma with a lot more power but the same pacifism. Well, actually worse. Pre-rework Karma had very little special power(s) but she still tried to repel the Noxians. This one is super powerful, but after her planned attack did not go the way she wanted (because she could not control her powers) she decided she could not taint her hands SAVE HER OWN PEOPLE! No previous incarnation was willing to just let her people get slaughtered if she could do anything about it. And whereas she now has the power to obliterate the whole Noxian invasion she does NOTHING as far as we know. Pre-rework Karma and the reworked Karma, might not have done much killing themselves, but, they did lead Ionia in the campaign versus Noxus and whereas they probably did not like the killing, they accepted it as necessary.

And sure, I get that Riot wanted a contrast to Irelia and this incarnation of Karma works very well to fill that function but they killed everything I liked about her in just a few pages.

Tesla Effect4/2/2018, 7:40:18 PM7 votes

She basically became the Avatar from Avatar the Last Airbender if he didnt have all the 4 element bending but instead used Energy Bending exlusively.