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The reason why people are so upset that characters are being drafted to the Vastaya.

GenoXx·4/10/2017, 2:48:31 PM·4 votes·1,280 views

Because without a doubt, it does indeed, make a character less distinctive.

You won't be able to wonder what kind of race another new champion is, if they have animal-like features, because of this overhaul. Anyone who have even the smallest resemblance to a wild creature is automatically going to be thought as a Vastaya, regardless if there are different kinds. Nami being what we would call Mirai does hold too much meaning when you can simply call her a vastaya. What would be the point?

As one yes, mirai, but overall is included to some magical race apparently all around the world of runeterra. This is where the distinction ends. She's not her own anymore, she's just a vastaya that lives underwater. And it kinda kills it for everything. I'd be pretty upset too. It sounds really rushed and lazy on Riot's part.

Let's say urgot has just been drafted to Zaun simply because he has chemtech augments like the viginauts in Zaun. Reason why? Because he looks like one, therefor he should be a Zaunite instead. The whole Noxus part can be severed and make him full Zaunite. How would people feel about that? Understand why fans are upset.

And I fear it doesn't end there. Aatrox is suppose to be a part of an ancient race called the darkin, that has also been destroyed. Weapons can't be races no matter how much you try. "The horrible **sentient ** weapons known os the Darkin" Why would you completely take that away........ They are just objects that have some conscience. I feel like these recent lore changes are the worse turn on Riot's part.

41 Comments

Sharjo4/10/2017, 3:19:01 PM7 votes

You won't be able to wonder (well, except in a special case), but you will KNOW now just what the hell they are. The vastaya aren't a race. The tribes are the races. Being vastaya is the element that ties these things together such that they don't exist as weird anomalies for no reason other than "we wanted a champion that looked like a bird woman, so we made up a race". It builds history, allows for narrative cohesion, and opens up further opportunities to make cool things, like new weird anthro champions that aren't just plopped in to the world for the sake of having that champion.

DrCyanide4/10/2017, 3:11:43 PM5 votes

Aatrox is suppose to be a part of an ancient race called the darkin, that has also been destroyed. Weapons can't be races no matter how much you try. "The horrible sentient weapons known os the Darkin" Why would you completely take that away........ They are just objects that have some conscience.

People have speculated that the Darkin were sentient weapons for years, you're acting like that being made cannon is some sort of surprise. Someone even went so far to speculate that with the Darkin being the living weapons themselves it makes Demonblade Tryndamere not some random one-off, but actually a version of Future Tryndamere, where Aatrox has succeeded in making him the wielder of a Darkin (potentially himself).

That's way cooler than just being another 1 out of the 30 or so races one-off races that currently are in League.

Ralanr4/10/2017, 3:03:33 PM4 votes

I understand the problem, I just think it's a rather petty complaint. Who a champion is is more important than what the champion is. What they are is an important factor, but only if it does impact who they are. And being Vastayan can still impact characters with identity arcs the same way (talking about Ahri).

Riot has already shown that they aren't fully interested in making a characters race a one of a kind thing with the introduction of Ivern. Both he and Maokai are tree people, but sharing that quality doesn't really take away too much from them as individual characters beyond "We're living tree people"

Plus Ahri was always a member of a species. Before it was more demonic/fae. Now there's an actual name.

GreenLore4/10/2017, 3:22:23 PM4 votes

{quoted}

You won't be able to wonder what kind of race another new champion is, if they have animal-like features, because of this overhaul. Anyone who have even the smallest resemblance to a wild creature is automatically going to be thought as a Vastaya, regardless if there are different kinds.

So what about? Azir Cassiopeia Elise Hecarim Khazix Nasus Renekton Skarner TahmKench Twitch Warwick

They are all animal-like,yet none of them are Vastaya. Even if people might supsect a new champ to be a Vastaya,there is no guarantee for them to be one as there are enough who aren't Vastaya.

Nami being what we would call Mirai does hold too much meaning when you can simply call her a vastaya. What would be the point?

Before she was a Marai who was part of the human/animal-hybrids in the world Now she is a Marai who is part of a specific kind of human/animal-Hybrids of the world. So where is the big difference here?

Tesla Effect4/10/2017, 3:26:08 PM3 votes

The name Runeterra always implied that the place had some deep ties with all types of magics....specifically runic magic of the World Runes, which have shaped not only countless wars between people, but the land, and some of its creatures (like the Dragons, which certain individuals of their race/s have World Rune shards in them....like Shyvanna, this is what gives dragons their elemental powers and this is why there are many different types of dragons....like the examples given on Summoners Rift with the many different Dragon types based on what family of dragons they belong to/ what world rune shard has been passed down in their families lineage).

Tesla Effect4/10/2017, 3:09:40 PM2 votes

Because they dont understand the lore that is right in front of them, and they are too lazy to even give a bit of effort to understand it. They just look everything from a surface and judge it just from there.

Plus not: Nami is still a Marai (humanoid fish race), but she is also a Vastaya (name for the large taxonomy that includes a large amount of other chimeric races that share a common origins....some dont have a special race name, they just call themselves Vastaya).

Picture it in through the example of nationality: You have the Slavs (in this case they would be Vastaya), some have specific names, cultures and locations where they live (Bulgarians, Serbs, Croatians, Polish, Ukrainian, Russian...) but they are all considered Slavs.....some dont have a specific special name of their nationality, and they considere themselves just Slavs, even though Slavs is a general name for a large number of different nationalities sharing a very common root.

BLACK REALM GOD4/10/2017, 3:04:37 PM1 votes

well... blame the people who kept asking "WHAT IS RENGAR?!?!?"

Tesla Effect4/10/2017, 3:36:24 PM1 votes

For example, Swains transmutation abilities into a giant chimeric bird was never really explained, and it sorta clashes with what Noxus is established to be (felt out of place). Having him have some connections to the Vastaya (ether through descendants or by forceful blood transfusion) adds to what was previously vague or unknown (which would have previously been explained through an even more convoluded one of a time thing specially for him cause that was the example of the old lore and how it functioned). It doesnt take away from his character (he is still Swain), but it adds to what was already there (now the dude has some tangible relations to Ionia and beyond).