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Lets break down why the Varus lore change was a dumb idea

Rockman·11/30/2017, 4:21:05 PM·122 votes·7,124 views

I'm literally writing this in vain, with amount of work they put into it, but fuck it.

This completely retcons his entire Voice Over
This turns him too similar to Rhaast/Kayn
They didn't have to turn the human Varus into the Darkin Varus. Pallas still exists.
They removed the human tragedy and gave a Darkin tragedy.
"Hurr durr ma sister" like Aatrox and Rhaast being brothers wasn't already enough

In an effort to save my time and sanity, I'll just rewrite what they did. They wanted the story to not be as linear and I'll happily oblige. Its probably shit, but I'm too mad to care right now.

Varus is a human archer who helps serve the Pit of Pallas. The ancient mage order of the Owls attempted to seal away the Darkin Pallas, but the spell partially failed. The binding medium could not contain Pallas, and he became a cursed pool that sank to the depths of Runeterra. The Owls set up a guard that would eventually become a small township around the Pit of Pallas. Varus was the chief protector, versed in the ways of the old magic of the Owls. His son, Theshan, was slated to become the next protector.

Pallas was akin to an injured animal after the millennia he spent imprisoned. His mind was deteriorated and broken. Pallas would consistently bargain and plead with the chief protector for a deal, any deal, to escape his imprisonment. Eventually when Noxus invaded Ionia would Pallas get his deal. Varus would enter with the broken body of his son Theshan, desperate for the power to save the last of his family. Varus threw himself and Theshan into the pool, unaware of its true nature. Pallas created a new body out of Varus and Theshan, their minds merging into the new corrupted body. The combined power of Varus and Theshan were able to wrest control of the body from Pallas, but Pallas' strong desires still shape and take control when his mind is coherent. Now Varus and Theshan are attempting to prevent Pallas' agenda while trying to find a way to return themselves to normal.

92 Comments

Necrozard11/30/2017, 4:26:51 PM55 votes

1°) Voice over can be changed, and it isn't even that much incoherent.

2°) It's a good thing, makes lore unified. Varus is like a reverse Kayn.

3°) Pallas is a city with a temple

4°) It's a darkin tragedy , a love tragedy and a human tragedy. It's even better

5°) More darkins, more champions, more lore. That's the opposite of a problem

Stars Shaper11/30/2017, 4:57:38 PM16 votes

It lost a lot of tragic feeling imo. Nor Val nor Kai experienced the loss Old Varus had. Imo they could have left the Darkin Varus as they did with the "Darkin Tragedy" and parallel it with Old Varus loss and tragedy.

Val and Kai really seem void characters too (because Rion't can't introduce well so many characters at once and they know it) and it's the first time I want Varus to consume them fast.

TheySeeMeWardin11/30/2017, 7:03:00 PM11 votes

1.) My friend, much of the new lore makes voice lines completely irrelevant on many champs and I imagine they will change it in the future. 2.) EVERYONE WAS DOWN FOR HIM BEING DARKIN!! Idk why everyone is so shocked and disgusted by this. 3.) I’ll agree with you that they didn’t have to completely kill off the old Varus but this was a lore update, things do change. 4.) The “human tragedy” was a small blurb about his family dying.... the amount of dead families champions have is astounding. The new tragedy, which you don’t have to like, is how Val (or whatever it is) can never go back home and how he has to fight every second to keep ahold of his light heart. So there still is a human tragedy, it’s not just “man fights against the evil within” which he was in the first place but whatever, spin the old lore into something it’s not. 5.) More champs... that’s all there is. Why the hate?

ForgottenLuck11/30/2017, 6:49:20 PM6 votes

Nah you just overexaggerating

Selling Nudes11/30/2017, 11:55:00 PM6 votes

Showing Theshan where to hold the bow, how to draw, and how to remember his breath gave Varus a better understanding of these things himself. His son would need to know these things for himself; his father had been anointed Temple Guardian, after all. He wouldn't always be there.

Varus wasn't there now, strictly speaking; none of this was real, and his clever eyes knew it.

This was some game Summoners played to amuse themselves with aspirants to the League. But here was his son, blessedly alive. He tousled the boy's warm hair. Varus knew what was coming, and he took such blessings where he could.

I know a lot of this was already non cannon but damn it hurts.

Goodbye father, and goodbye son. I cannot do your memory any justice and neither can any of your other fans anymore Varus.

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Solidair311/30/2017, 8:30:54 PM5 votes

I'd like to counter your second point that the similarities between Val and Kai with Varus and Kayn with Rhaast actually make them much more intriguing.

For Kayn and his struggle with Rhaast, it's about a battle of pure will and brute force strength. I would even call their struggle dull in comparison to the struggle that Val and Kai have with Varus.

Varus is now three distinct entities, and their inner struggle is more interesting than just a two against one scenario. First and foremost, alone, Kai or Val would certainly have been destroyed by Varus instantly upon taking up the bow. Either one's will is much weaker than that of Kayn whose ambitions and pure force of will are enough to face up to Rhaast. For Varus, the struggle against Kai and Val is interesting because, first, this is not just one body or mind being taken over, it's two bodies put together, but more importantly it's the will and ambitions of two very different people who just happened to love each other. They battle against Varus, and while they work together against him, they are still two separate entities. Varus himself even mentions specifically that Kai "hate it" when he kills innocents. Val on the other hand is not mentioned, and it is in fact implied that Val is pretty into the whole vengeance thing, but this complex interaction between the three (that I am probably not doing justice here) is pretty exciting, and who knows? What is their love or even just their journey with Varus creates not a dominant relationship but some sort of perfect Human/Darkin hybrid some time in the future down the road. The possibilities of what we're going to see in their stories going forward are MANY and I think there is a lot of potential here.

As for Varus' voice over: Dude, it's shit. I love Varus but let's be a little real here. His VO is basically on par with old Taric or current Kassadin. A lot of vengeance talk. a lot of angst. WE GET IT. I would much prefer a new VO for them/him and maybe we'll get it eventually but I'm not holding out hope.

You'll have to explain to me the loss of human tragedy, because I really don't think Kai or Val would agree with you. If anything there is now an added layer of tragedy on top of the human tragedy, again, as all three characters have ambitions and history.

And as for the sister thing? Well, are we sure that all of the Darkin don't consider themselves siblings? perhaps all 5 consider each other family, as they are the only ones left of their entire race.

repchi12/1/2017, 12:20:03 AM5 votes

I fully agree with an author. I really do like Varus as a character and I was really into playing him, I even made myself fully remember his lore (old one). When I started reading that comic, I couldn't believe that they could actually change his lore. Old one was intresting enough in my opinion and would really deserve a music video (duh). Now, Varus for me is more like a result of a mistake, rather than a master in his craft that posseses incredible power in order to serve his own justice.

I would rather like to see "old" Varus understanding his mistake by following the way of vengance and that he rejects the darkness and become a human than what Riot did lol.

In my opinion, by changing his lore, his personality doesn't make sense anymore. As shown in comic, Kai and Val are trying to stop Darkin from killing spree that just keeps going on and on. With his "old lore", Varus was just seeking for vengance and nothing was going to stop him and no one would stand in his way.

I hope that they're not going to mess up that "possible" rework as well.