I much preferred the Institute of War.

Ahri Body Pillow·6/23/2019, 4:37:42 AM·6 votes·3,021 views

I feel like it kept some reigns on Riot. It helped not let the lore go off in a million different directions. Now that Riot has detached Summoner's Rift from the canon universe, it feels...empty. Most of the champions feel like they don't matter. Why the hell do Caitlyn's motives and story matter when there are champions MILLIONS of times more powerful than her? The fate of the universe is basically in the hands of a few ultra powerful champions, like Bard, Zoe, Aurelion Sol, etc. Riot has gone completely off the deep-end with this lore powercreep. These smaller champions simply don't matter in the big picture, and that kinda feels bad to me.

Please do something to reconcile these HUGE differences in power. I fear it may be far too late and the lore side of League of Legends is basically toast, but I had to say something about it.

26 Comments

Falrein6/23/2019, 6:51:24 AM13 votes

Because in a realistic world, not everyone is a powerful entity, and not everything will save the world. Just because Caitlyn isn't linked to the world's salvation doesn't mean she doesn't matter. She matters for Piltover and in Piltover's storyline. You can tell a story even if it doesn't involve the end (or salvation) of the world. There is a bigger scope and a smaller scope. The bigger one will involve world-ending, nigh-unbeatable threats, and the smaller ones will involve personal stories, regional stories like civil wars, etc.

I have my own worries regarding Syndra especially. But I believe Riot has competent writers, who know what to do with their characters.

ARandomRedneck6/23/2019, 9:45:50 AM6 votes

I mean, the IoW had its flaws. Especially with the uber powerful champs. I mean Fiddle and Cho's whole story was "Could escape, but don't". I was never a fan of that. Or that people would agree to having playfights to solve all their issues. The new universe isn't perfect, but I say it's better than the IoW.

KFCeytron6/23/2019, 4:41:12 AM6 votes

The lore is best ignored. We have everything from "dude with gun" Graves to "basically the universe" Ao Shin to "talking kitten" Yuumi. It keeps getting deleted and rewritten, anyway.

Cetri6/23/2019, 11:08:09 PM5 votes

Getting rid of the IoW actually allowed champs like the demons, Jhin, and the Void creatures to actually matter. Back in Ye Olde Days they were/would be basically all just locked up SCP style and then let out under control of a Summoner, whereas now they actually have their own agency. And then there's champs like Bard and Kindred who would have to have very contrived reasons for joining in the first place.

Making the game non-canon also means there's no plotholes about why, say, Lucian and Thresh would ever work together.

There's nothing I could say about relative power levels that 4 Step and N1C haven't already.

Linna Excel6/23/2019, 4:46:24 AM5 votes

Yeah, lore powercreep is bad.

I like the IoW just because it helped make more sense of the rift. My current head-canon is that all the champs are long dead and the summoners, or beings in the afterlife, are calling them forth for whatever.

GreenLore6/23/2019, 6:06:52 PM4 votes

By that logic you shouldn't care about any movie or story that doesn't involve large scale conflict.

Also under the right circumstances even someone powerless can be essential.

Jeddy0176/23/2019, 6:43:55 PM4 votes

Why the hell do Caitlyn's motives and story matter when there are champions MILLIONS of times more powerful than her?

Because most of those powerful champs will likely never cross path with Cait & have an impact on her story. Cait's story & motive still affect those on her scale in her region

Because there are Cait fans out there who aren't concern with all the big shit in Runeterra. Should they be screwed out of Cait content because Cait can't fight gods?

Because it's a real world & not every story is connected. Everyone is living their own lives & have their own personal & small scale stories. Do they not matter because there are large scale stories/events like wars or disasters happening on the other side of the world? I guess a happy couple getting married don't mean shit since it don't matter in the big picture of the entire world.

Zombie Slayer6/23/2019, 3:48:10 PM4 votes

The Institute of War was a lore dead end because people were either captured to get put in it or people were willing to go in. They had to change it to not only improve but give champions different motives and ways to tell the story. I didnt play the game around that time I came to the game at indreds release so Ive preferred the new lore style but to each his own