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What the main critic to new Varus Lore is

Stars Shaper·12/4/2017, 1:31:54 PM·44 votes·1,682 views

I know it's another thread among the dozens of them, but I believe this particular thing needs a spotlight itself.

I was reading the subreddit about Varus new Lore and this sentence can easily show what went wrong with it in the eyes of who knew the Old Varus Lore. >link<

When we looked at telling this story, we quickly realised that it was the loss that mattered, not necessarily 'who' was lost.

You guys (the writers) are indeed on point, but is there any actual loss in the new Varus Lore?

  • The Old Varus had his entire village destroyed, his family killed and his life surrended to the powers he embraced knowing that he will go on only until there will be a Noxian alive.
  • Val and Kai lost their bodies, fair and square, but that's it. None of them has died, Val family is alive and Noxus has been repelled.

The only thing that has some kind of tragedy is that they most likely will be consumed by the Darkin, but even then you try your best to show us that there is more than a chance for them to conquer the demon, this gives even less a sense of desperation and doesn't really give dept to the "loss" experienced.

16 Comments

ChompyWulf12/4/2017, 5:34:24 PM36 votes

Varus also lost some of his prowess and power. Original lore half the tragedy was he was capable of defending the temple, presumably alone. The assumption can be drawn if he chose so, he could have instead saved the village and his family. New lore the pair couldn't even keep each other safe, half the work, twice the wounds.

Tendrian12/5/2017, 1:29:16 AM10 votes

Talking about loss in Varus story, one comment from a rioter over on reddit really stood out to me:

my personal take was that, yeah, he had a cool moment of choice where duty warred with desire, and he chose duty. But then he fails in a way that undermines that terrible sacrifice... He's done his duty to stand and guard the pit at awful cost...then releases the thing within it anyway... That seemed to invalidate and diminish his choice. After all, if you're gonna release the thing you've been guarding...why let your family die first? (https://www.reddit.com/r/VarusMains/comments/7gnmnc/ama_were_the_rioters_behind_the_update_to_varus/dqmolhk/)

In my opinion, this was one of the most interesting moments in the old lore for me. Varus made a terrible sacrifice that cost the lives of his family, but ultimately found himself unable to live with it, and, in his despair, made a decision that ultimately rendered his great sacrifice moot. This is what made the character incredibly tragic, very flawed, and very human to me. That the only thing this rioter took away from that was that it "invalidated his choice" completely baffled me.

Oleandervine12/4/2017, 11:19:27 PM8 votes

There is loss here. The loss of your freedom, your body, and the ability to experience life with your loved ones. Kai and Val lost all of this because a) Kai was going to die anyway, and b) a demon took control of what remaining life they have left, if they cannot suppress Varus entirely. It's a very different kind of loss, because death is not the only kind of loss one can suffer.

Boulderox12/5/2017, 1:29:47 AM5 votes

I think there is a point where the old lore was short, quick, to the point, his thought process is relatable and understandable.

The new lore just has a lot of Grey area, Why did they both jump in? Suicidal pact? what happens if they actually fight off varus? do they share a body? do they go back to one dying and one not? Is hindering varus a good thing if in doing so varus could be killed and all 3 die as a result?

The only motivation the hunters have in the lore is each other, whereas the old lore his motivation was revenge and vengence, and was his choice.

Varus had nothing to lose when he gave himself to Pallas.

That was the point, but there are ways you can make that story better, such as the host ACCEPTING the darkin, and because of it isn't consumed, old varus wished he could save his family, but the darkin has family too, and can be an ally to the darkin varus. Nothing to lose is one thing, but everything to gain is something that can be added in some way.

Just as Kayn assumably doesn't have his left side like that normally and was caused by Rhaast's influence, it isn't against the question that he may have become the host, but after enough time fighting it, he ends up overcoming the darkin through willpower.

Blackstone0112/5/2017, 1:53:32 AM4 votes

My gripe is simply that they needed to change maybe two lines to have Varus be confirmed the host of a Darkin. Unlike Kayn who took Rhaast and is fighting for control of the power, Varus (assuming he had the same lore) could have been expanded on that he is fighting with the Darkin to control his sense of self, that unlike Kayn he would want to rid himself of the Darkin and its power after he has revenge.

GreenLore12/5/2017, 12:56:07 AM3 votes

One thing that a lot of people seem to forget: Varus the darkin lost his whole species(except for himself and 4 others). He might be a ruthless monster,but he is clearly mourning the death of his kind. The new lore just never really goes into detail about this,as Varus himself feels almost like a side character in his own lore,since big lore piece mainly focuses on Valmar(kai himself doesn't really get that much attention either).

Though I do think that Valmar not loosing his family is part of the problem. I mean the talk he had with his mother after Varus took their bodies was actually quite an emotional moment in my opinion and I reallly liked it....but I also feel like it weakens the previous part of the story and it is drastically different from the lore of old Varus.

Votable Jester12/5/2017, 12:45:26 AM3 votes

Don't mean to be that guy, but it's critique, not critic.

Critic would be a person who critiques.