Boards›Story, Art, & Sound

Great. Now we can't expect seasonal events from Riot anymore.

Shinjusuke·10/15/2015, 4:01:36 AM·90 votes·5,066 views
A note about The Harrowing

"In Runeterra, the Harrowing can strike any day of the year, not just on a certain night/month, so only being able to tell Harrowing stories in October felt a little restrictive.

Having said that, we are still going to be releasing a Harrowing story this month... but the next one could come at any time.

Ant"

Is that how the Harrowing works in Runeterra?

I wouldn't know, because you guys decided to throw out the story and not give us anything afterwards and I wasn't invited to the exclusive club there at RIOT who does get to know the most basic things about the universe.

Also, what a convenient way for RIOT to absolve themselves of any and all accountability regarding seasonal lore events.

I looked forward to the Harrowing and Snowdown each year. I buy the Harrowing skins almost every year to support RIOT and send a message to them as a consumer that "I like these events". But apparently, that's not gonna happen any more, because now that RIOT is moving to not "constraining" events like the Harrowing to a particular month or time of year, any ability we have regarding holding RIOT accountable to doing these few-and-far-between events is now gone.

The claim is "but guys! Now we can do any of these events at any time of the year! yay!", but at literally anyone who has actually paid attention to how RIOT has handled lore or balancing of League of Legends the past few years, anytime Riot says they're going to do something, it either happens disgustingly far in the future or not at all. Hence the joke "Soon tm", which is so well-known that I'm fairly confident every Rioter is aware of it and what it means at this point.

So I look forward to seeing my next Harrowing in 3 years, because frankly RIOT, any time your community backs you up with patience or trust, you give us the finger. Every time. This isn't going to be any different. There's a point where "faith" turns into "naivity", and any logical person should've realized by now that when you guys promise us something lore -related or promise to "keep a close eye on" something, it's just a way to buy some time until the majority of the community forgets that promise.

I wish I had the same faith in you guys to do what's best for the community and the game that I did 5 years ago. I sincerely, honestly do. But I'm not an idiot, and you treat us like forgetful idiots. It's a terrible shame, but it's a reality.

66 Comments

SSJTribe10/15/2015, 4:45:42 AM48 votes

Yeah, seems like a really bad idea to me. Like, I enjoy feeling the holiday spirit when I log onto league. It won't feel the same if suddenly next year the harrowing is in April.

Sgathach10/15/2015, 6:02:27 AM20 votes

I was fearful this is what they meant. Halloween is my favorite holiday and always has been, so to hear that they might not do Harrowing right now in favor of "doing it whenever" really, really disappointed me. A good Harrowing would have made up for the terrible skins they decided to do this year too, but now this?

I don't want to experience Harrowing when its hot as heck outside. Some of these seasonal things are FOR A REASON. Who is telling Rioters this is a good idea? How did these ideas even go through?

Noctius2810/15/2015, 8:59:36 AM13 votes

When they decide to make an event out of season, no one will be in the right mood and the skin sales will plummet and THEN they will understand one of the most basic things about "supply and demand" that any company selling a product should know

I love Harrowing skins but I don't use them out of this time of year because it doesn't feel right

Not having yearly seasonal events will bite them in the butt big time... they just don't realize it yet...

Daedalus87110/15/2015, 5:37:41 AM13 votes

Going to fed up when we get a snowdown in June.

I know there is the Southern Hemisphere, but how many of them actually see snow?

just a memory10/15/2015, 9:47:53 AM10 votes

Well, I'm again continually surprised by how Riot finds new ways to weasel out of doing anything.

We cannot trust them to make meaningful updates to the game engine. Or to balance champions. Or to ease the experience of new players. And now we cant even depend on them to create seasonal themed maps during the SEASON they actually happen in.

I have never heard a player say, "Gosh, I sure hope I get to play the Harrowing during February and the Snowdown during July." What sort of batshit logic is this? Does anyone at Riot actually do any work? Why is everything always SOON tm or NEVER tm.

Kat Head10/15/2015, 4:48:25 AM9 votes

Yeah, Riot logic strikes again. Whatever the community likes and desires Riot will find a way to do the opposite.

MeesterMoo10/15/2015, 4:20:34 AM6 votes

Have you seen the new shadow isle champions lore? It's ridiculous. They changed it all to 4 sentence paragraphs. It's like they want to mass appeal... Oh wait.

Vicarious11710/15/2015, 9:32:54 AM6 votes

For me it greatly depends on what else Riot plans on doing. Like maybe they'll do a Harrowing event next year in May, but come October they'll still have some kind of Halloween event for us.

I mean if this decision is for them to have more room to "maneuver" with their lore specific events and they'll just replace them with events for the actual real world holidays, since every single one of us definitely still lives in the real world and celebrates most if not all of the real holidays. If they do it that way then I have no problem with them making this adjustment.

However, if they are in fact just throwing all timing out the window and will just start to ignore the real holidays so they no longer have any commitments to make in regards to events, then I completely agree with the OP, cause that's simply ridiculous should it be true.

So I hope it's not, and you guys are doing what I mentioned first instead, I really really do......

Vera10/15/2015, 1:37:52 PM5 votes

All this is doing is helping to destroy whatever good will they may have built with their customers.

Try as hard as you like, Riot, I'm never going to watch your stupid "esport" nonsense.

Lol@Halloween ("Harrowing") in the Summer. Give me a break.

BastionKross10/15/2015, 1:20:55 PM5 votes

Riot has trouble developing things on a deadline (as we've seen many times before), and having an event ready by a certain holiday is a strict deadline since that holiday can't be moved back or delayed.

Instead of working to fix the problems that prevent themselves for meeting deadlines on time, Riot is just removing the deadlines entirely. That's like spilling milk all over your bed, and instead of doing the work to clean up the mattress and sheets, you just haul the bed out back and burn it. There's no mess if there's no bed, right? This is less of a solution, and more laziness.

I'm not mad at you Riot, because I kind of expected this. I'm just disappointed in you.

Crownsy10/15/2015, 1:28:57 PM5 votes

Translation:

"Hi guys, Worlds makes us alot of Money. Unfortunately, it occurs right around Halloween. WE don't really give a damn about the seasonal events, aside from the money the skins bring in. So, going forward, whenever we have 5 skins ready to go with a theme, we will release them and call it "The july harrowing" or some bullshit, and you guys will buy the skins."

"Thanks! Remember to watch LCSBIGPLAY$ so that we can get more sponsor money!"

Kitty von Tuna10/15/2015, 8:11:59 PM5 votes

I love how they turned Summoners Rift into a big Winter wonderland at the winter before. Just playing in the snowcovered land with it's rivers frozen gave me a nice feeling

Sgathach10/15/2015, 8:23:57 PM5 votes

Let me appeal to Riot from a company/industry mindset.

Starbucks is well known for its Pumpkin Spice Latte, right? Everyone loves it and they make a ton of money off it. So why don't they have it all the time, or in the summer?

Because it's not the same. Autumn is when pumpkins are grown, the season changes, weather gets colder and rain begins to fall. Autumn is the time of HARVEST and in the Harrowing the shadow isles champions HARVEST SOULS. How about that for lore based?

Restricting something to a certain date that people look forward to can be a good thing. Not only that, some of us might be thinking "hey Harrowing/Snowdown is coming maybe I want to save some money for those skins." But when you surprise us in the middle of July with Snowdown and we're broke WE KIND OF CAN'T GIVE YOU THE MONEY YOU SO DESIRE.

KING OF MASKS10/15/2015, 8:13:41 PM4 votes

So basically...

"We literally have nothing prepared, we blew our load with Burning Tides, we're totally fucked... just push the Halloween event back to this coming spring."

IcyPepper10/15/2015, 8:17:09 PM4 votes

URF at April Fools Harrowing at October Snowdown in Winter

and so on and on. You've always stuck to this, and made it tradition.

Come on, people don't call Christmas (or your winter holiday of choice!) restrictive because it's only in December, and I don't think Halloween is restrictive because it falls on the same day.

Come on, why are you suddenly dropping out of tradition? As much as we like surprises, we also want things to look forward to beyond champion releases. That's what hype is for -_-

Krizalid10/15/2015, 9:24:42 AM3 votes

Not a bad thing to me, if being honest. I got tired of waiting for a single event over 340 days every year. Especially when its disappointing and I realize that I have to wait once again.

A Swarm of Koala10/17/2015, 8:37:59 PM3 votes

Don't worry guys, Lunar Festival isn't going anywhere because Riot doesn't want to anger our Chinese Overlords.

Peridition10/15/2015, 10:10:26 PM3 votes

I'm kind of torn about this.

On one hand, it makes sense. The Harrowing is just when the Shadow Isles grows and the Black MIst envelopes a part of Runeterra bringing the denizens of the Shadow Isles with it. There's no reason this couldn't happen at anytime of the year.

On the other, the Harrowing has historically always been a Halloween event in LoL. And losing a specific holiday event doesn't sit well with anyone. People genuinely enjoy the themed skins and events that go with our holidays and October is prime time people wants spooky skins and champions.

So I'm fine with this change is Riot plans adding a new Halloween event to take the place of the Harrowing. But otherwise this is just a bad decision.

Matezoide10/15/2015, 11:47:02 PM3 votes

''Heres a Harrowing timeline where they all take place on the same day.''

''Heres the Harrowing skins for this year, go buy them!''

''Harrowing lore? Lel it doesnt actually take place on the same day huehuehuehue''

  • Riot

See, thats the problem with lore atm. Everything can be retconned out of nowhere in a random post. Remember when Lissandra became blind 2 years after her release?

Noctius2810/15/2015, 10:17:56 AM3 votes

Guess what I'll be playing and wasting my money on during Halloween? (hint: It's not League of Legends)

Valor Bot10/15/2015, 12:34:48 PM3 votes

Man, this would have been my first Harrowing too. I joined at the start of 2015 so I didn't get to experience last year's Harrowing (which was pretty neat by the looks of it). Been waiting for this year's event for months now and I gotta say I'm kinda disappointed with this news (and the new skins). Seasonal events are fun, Riot! They give us something to look forward to each year. Breaking that holiday spirit sounds like a big step in the wrong direction.

Livin like Riven10/15/2015, 11:52:52 PM3 votes

Okay, I don't think I've ever accused Riot about something but this time I'll say this; this is either total incompetence or a complete disregard for anything that isn't eSports.

I am severely disappointed with this. Shocked too. Smaller MOBAs and other online games in general rolled out some Harrowing theme or something. You'd expect one of the biggest online games atm to get the same treatment but, way to go, Riot.

Solideus10/18/2015, 12:15:27 PM2 votes

Why would it be a bad thing that they can do Harrowing stuff more than once a year?

KingWanahakalugi10/15/2015, 8:40:37 PM2 votes

I can see why people like the seasonal events, but I can also see Riot's point of view. HAVING to provide a specific type of content each year at the exact same time can be difficult. Especially when you have other projects in the works. If you have something on the list that you would like to do, it would completely suck to HAVE to drop it so you could get a specific set of skins/features out by specific date every year at multiple points. I do love the events that Riot puts on and I look forward to each and every one. However, I'm completely content with Riot releasing them at points that allow them to provide the best content instead of perhaps rushed or unfinished ideas.

The Illithid10/15/2015, 10:00:54 PM2 votes

My complaint would be that I saved up a chunk of change to make sure I could buy the harrowing skins I like, if there are any, because I knew the Harrowing would be around in October. If the might suddenly go "BOOM, Harrowing!" in mid July next year, I probably won't buy anything from it unless they give me more than a month's notice.

Bottom line for Riot: Having unpredictable events hurts your expected revenue!

twinkbrain10/17/2015, 8:32:47 PM2 votes

item 3070

The Loveless10/15/2015, 11:38:59 PM2 votes

Lore comes and goes, I can accept that. But can we please have some variety in the map skins? I'd love to see snowflakes again or a wonderfully spooky Rift with darks, oranges, reds, purples, yellows, and various Halloween-like ornaments.