Long Thoughts About the Upcoming Battlecast Illaoi

I wondered if this would be long when I finished writing it, and it is. In this post, I talk about why Battlecast Illaoi is a great choice and the changes to the concept that I feel will best suit her.

Well firstly I would like to say I’m so pleased that Battlecast has won. Reading the forums and Reddit gave the impression it wouldn’t win, that Adventurer was the darling. My guess was that Deep Space would win but I hoped that the silent, and seemingly unfindable majority would make Battlecast take the day.

When the vote first popped up I realized that Battlecast Illaoi was the last predictable thing I was looking forward to in the game, except I’d forgotten I’d wanted it and didn’t suspect it’d be coming any time. I’ve been a hipster-ish contrarian in my League time and always picked (to my mind) niche champs. Sion, Taric, Yorick, Galio, Urgot. One by one they’ve gotten reworked. And I greatly enjoy the new and improved versions without a doubt, but it’s like, “well they’re here now, aside from new champs this 4 year period of general anticipation and excitement is closed.” But BC Illaoi added itself to the list. And wait--- I just remembered that mysterious manta-shaped champion that’s been teased multiple times. Ok I guess we’re still on the anticipation train, but still, fewer passengers on board now.

The detractors are saying it’s lame, unoriginal, “yay another Battlecast skin.” If you’re burnt out on futuristic/robotic stuff, well I commiserate, me too, and maybe the timing was wrong for another such skin, but Riot presented the opportunity so I voted to take it (and nearly 3 million others did too). If not, it would probably be 2+ years until she got another shot at of these 3 being made. But for those harping on Battlecast specifically (and your disdain wounds me), consider that Battlecast only has 7 skins and hasn’t seen a new one in 3 years (not counting the glorious Urgot revision). In that time we’ve seen the unguessed-at proliferation of Super Galaxy, with 7 skins, and PROJECT with 8. These skins have come in batches a few times and I can bet there will be plenty more before the next BC ones. Mecha has been similarly small but even it has seen new additions comparatively recently.

Now I enjoy all these skin themes, but Battlecast has always been a favourite and is the best option for Illaoi. It fits with her all-out offense playstyle, jumping and smashing down on enemies. I still think the ult is the best, like cathartic almost, expression of rage-fuelled destruction in the game, it’s so satisfying. And Battlecast is all about that, the don’t-look-back all-out offense. PROJECT is too sleek and more about form. Super Galaxy is a just a touch too light and fun, if she even qualifies (lacking duality in her design, unless the tentacles are the other part). Mecha might have worked but it’s not quite for humans.

“Ahh but neither is Battlecast,” you might say. Well I have mixed, branching thoughts on this. Lore-wise, I don’t really take issue with this choice. Did Viktor not make himself fully machine (I guess twice in 2 different ways lol) with his Creator version? And Urgot started out at least partially human, so there’s plenty enough precedent.

These things being said, I do think there’s room for the skin to be improved to reach its full potential. I didn’t realize this until now and feel a bit embarrassed to admit but I’m willing to write a lot about what I think the skin should and shouldn’t be. I will at least write about it now, and hopefully other users or a Rioter themselves would respond.

Firstly, I think that Illaoi should be a full-metal construct. On the day of the original vote post 2 weeks ago, I said something like I would anticipate an updated voiceover if she were to go full-machine, however, and that would thus make the skin legendary tier. While I still think that would be nice, I get that Riot doesn’t want to make a legendary her first post-release skin, and is probably reserving that for the jokey Dunkmaster or Car Salesperson skins.

I’ve changed my thoughts on this. I believe the base voiceover is the main (and likely only?) reason she is being classed as a Battlecast renegade, and while that’s still a hang-up, I would still prefer full-metal over better-meshing-with-current-voiceover renegade. To go on a bit of a tangent, I should note that skin lore is more in-depth than people, including myself, realize. For instance, the new PROJECT skins reveal some new developments about factions within that universe. Of course, the only way I’m aware of this existing is PROJECT Vayne’s new lines. As far as I know Riot doesn’t have any other way for people to learn about this stuff, it’s just up-in-the-air hinted-at interactions that you can’t read about, or learn about through any other way. But the main point is that it is there, and is the basis for whatever developments may come from it. And Riot has a long way to go at that, if they even go.

So from that, my next point is that the skin lore is a bit loosy-goosy, and that a lot of it can be fill-in-the-blanks head-canon, which is what I will apply here. In my case for fully Battlecast Illaoi and not half-human renegade, it is easier for me to believe (and more consistent with what Battlecast lore exists) that Viktor, in all his meticulous genius, basically took Illaoi apart as he does all BC subjects, and in rebuilding her, insidiously coded her to believe that she was heralding her god instead of the machine revolution, than it is for me to believe that Illaoi somehow broke free from her augmentation process or her role as a mechanic as the concept art would suggest or whatever and rebel against him, only half-changed. Illaoi in her current form or in this universe doesn’t strike me as so mechanically minded to rebel and reprogram Battlecast stuff on her own, she’s happy being a conduit for greater power I feel, whether it be Viktor or Nagakaborous. Others have also pointed out that the Battlecast skins exist in a universe where Viktor has triumphed in his work and uses the constructs to siege those who resist. Of course that’s not true, since there have been references to opposition. Was Full Metal supposed to be? PROJECT is, apparently (see what might be a throwaway reference in PROJECT: Katarina). Although as I said, PROJECT has its own internal strife, but it would be nice for Battlecast to be unified. (Also, if PROJECT and Battlecast exist together, and Illaoi is a renegade, wouldn’t she seek out PROJECT to complete her augmentation?)

This all being said, I wouldn’t be upset if she remains a renegade if these points haven’t swayed you. I would hope someone makes a good case for it and I’d read it if it’s shared.

There’s just one last thing I would have to say about the concept, if no other points are taken here. Please do not go with the robot hands and arms. I understand the need for adding uniqueness to a long-overdue skin where it’s feasible to add it, but in this case less change is better.

We already have a great visual guide for Battlecast tentacles, with Vel’Koz! It really is ready-made, as far as concepting goes. The segmented gunmetal plates is the best look for the tentacles. I had earlier said maybe their tips could have drillbits on them, for when they spawn up from the ground, but by and large I think they could look fairly similar. Change the shape and size to fit the normal tentacles of course, maybe change the colour schemes a bit, tweak that stuff however, but keep the basic shape. I mentioned a few weeks ago that for her E, the spirit could have colours similar to Creator Viktor’s recall schematics, and maybe, if wanted, the tentacles could be holographic red-orange-yellow tentacles like that, but I don’t think that would be true to Battlecast, plus it might look too PROJECT-y.

For me, robot hand is the wrong look for her. The concept looks a bit too cartoon-villain-y and even it were changed to be like some kind of thick, hefty, claw-like thing, it still wouldn’t be the best option. Viktor himself says “function over form,” and a robot arm is needlessly complicated. And even as a renegade I would think Illaoi would agree, how would she have been first drawn to the Battlecast stuff otherwise? Plus, as I say, I don’t think she’s too mechanically minded in any universe, so her having these things which look more complicated to build than a good old tentacle seems wrong. It also suggests, for gameplay readability, that the hand-portion of the tentacle might hurt more than the arm, which would be misleading. Also, Classic Viktor has a flimsy-looking robot arm, but Creator doesn’t. Basically I’ll use any point I can think of to make the case for true Battlecast tentacles.

So in summation, when people play with a skin from a skin line, I think it’s reasonable to expect a certain thematic continuity with that skin line, especially with Riot’s current production value. I say 'current' because Battlecast Xerath exists and it basically looks like from before the days of established skin universe concepts (how I would love for that skin to be re-released, among others). Mecha Zero Sion is against the other mechs, and PROJECT Vayne is against some other PROJECT skins. But aside from their voiceovers you wouldn’t know it. They look like they belong in the main group. I believe Illaoi, should, ideally, look like a fully-transformed champ like Creator Viktor and his BC army. Have some lore on her release page say something like she’s programmed to believe she’s still herself or something which justifies the voiceover. And if you can’t be swayed on these points, or others make better arguments, then that’s fine.

But for the love of Nagakabouros, do not use the robot hands and arms.

Thank you for reading.