Why Viktor is Awesome

A Superb Villain·2/6/2015, 5:50:42 PM·48 votes·6,640 views

Hello there! You might recall a post I made quite some time ago celebrating another champion's unquestionable awesomeness. I would now like to focus on another champion that is indubitably awesome: Viktor, the Machine Herald.

http://ddragon.leagueoflegends.com/cdn/img/champion/splash/Viktor_0.jpg


Let us begin by pointing out Viktor's most distinguishing feature; cybernetic augmentations. In the most basic terms, Viktor is a cyborg, an individual whose natural capabilities are enhanced through the use of artificial constructs. What separates Viktor from the likes of Sion and Urgot, the latter made possible by Viktor's research, is the Machine Herald willingly subjected himself to surgery by his own hand. That's right, Viktor did not merely go under the knife, he did so holding the scalpel. Say what you will about the sanity of performing surgery on yourself, even if it is with the mechanical aid of robotic constructs, but it takes real guts (hah) to carve your own flesh. I should also point out that to perform any form of invasive procedure with appropriate accuracy, a surgeon's mind must be clear; Viktor may or may not have used anesthetics. Let that sink in.

But why, you might ask, would he do such a thing? Well, there was this small issue between he and his senior inventor, Stanwick Pididily. After working tirelessly to produce the means of prolonging a life well beyond its natural limit (Urgot) and assisting in the creation of Valoran's first sentient construct (Blitzcrank), Viktor's success was cruelly ripped from his hands and denied any sort of recognition by the man he trusted most, the infamous Pididily. This sent the young inventor into a depression that threatened to consume his mind. Yet, Viktor endured. He came to the conclusion that if no one would recognize Pididily's lies, then he would create inventions impossible to steal. Viktor looked to himself and found something worth improving.

In the midst of his investigation, Viktor discovered the possibility of not just proving his worth, but providing a genuine benefit to all mankind; he discovered the Glorious Evolution. Humanity would no longer be bound by their fragile bodies, the frailty of flesh could be overcome, death itself could be denied, the lame might walk once more, the mute speak, the deaf hear, and the blind see. Viktor discovered a way to make life, simply put, better.

The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.

  • Eleanor Roosevelt

Viktor has a noble goal, though undefined means of accomplishing it. But putting his beliefs and research into practice affords him considerable credibility.

To begin with, Power Transfer. Now this might seem a rather boring ability to have, stealing energy from another source to empower yourself, but let's examine the mechanics behind it with a bit more scrutiny. Viktor steals energy from a target at range. That is the wireless transmission of energy. This is huge in a world that still has ladies in skirts shooting arrows from a bow. Think of how many objects you have lying around the house that are charged without a direct cable. Not many, if any, I imagine. Viktor discovered the means of doing so in his own homes and making it a practical concept to apply. Do you know who else hoped to apply this discovery on a world-wide scale?

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/79/Tesla_circa_1890.jpeg/220px-Tesla_circa_1890.jpeg This magnificent guy right here.

That is certainly amazing, but Viktor does not cease to impress. His next ability is Gravity Field, and holy shit, does this spit in the face of physics. Viktor deploys a device that manipulates gravity within a confined space. The Machine Herald has discovered the means of manipulating the very push and pull of the universe itself. The force by which stars dance is at his very fingertips. There are rockets in Runeterra, propellors, dirigibles held aloft by gas, and Viktor can forgo such crude methods by simply reversing the process of his gravity field. This is the stuff of science fiction, and again, he discovered it in the midst of a depression within his own home.

Perhaps his most notable creation however is the additional appendage attached to his shoulder. It also fires a concentrated beam that burns through most materials with ease. While that might sound awesome, it is the means by which he does so that makes this invention so remarkable. That auxiliary hand is manipulated by Viktor without an external force, one that is moved with startling precision and dexterity. Essentially, the Machine Herald has perfected the brain-computer interface. This is the crux by which the Glorious Evolution is possible. Anything and everything can be controlled with but a thought, anyone connected to a mechanical device can simply "think things, and they happen." Any prosthetic that would have been otherwise cumbersome can function with equal, if not greater, performance than the original object it replaces.

Finally, Chaos Storm. This might seem the most uninspiring of Viktor's abilities, being nothing more than errant energy in a small field, but how it is possible makes this invention truly amazing. If you would take a moment to recall Gravity Field's importance to aerodynamics, or transportation in general, this is its realization. That tiny generator which spews tremendous levels of dangerous energy is floating above the air without any means of propulsion. Of equal importance is that Viktor can control its movements without seemingly lifting a finger. Chaos Storm, despite its crude appearance, is the culmination of Viktor's discoveries. It defies gravity, it is controlled by thought alone, and receives power without a direct connection to a source, at least, none that is readily apparent. That is, unquestionably, awesome.

And what makes these feats even more remarkable, Viktor can control them independently of one another. He can steal your energy, use a laser to dismember you with surgical precision, and chase you down with storm of uncontrollable power all at once. When the Machine Herald adjusted his mind, he did more than suppress negative emotions, he enhanced its capabilities to inhuman levels of efficiency.

Viktor is a visionary, an undeniable genius, and a gentleman. He is the Renaissance Man of Valoran.

“You see things; and you say, ‘Why?’ But I dream things that never were; and I say, ‘Why not?’". -* Back to Methuselah*

http://news.cdn.leagueoflegends.com/public/images/pages/vik/img/vik-passive.png

61 Comments

Flay and Pray2/6/2015, 8:00:50 PM18 votes

R.I.P. Viktor: The best lore driven character that you could relate to. Release - Jayce's lore

The Anagram King2/7/2015, 10:06:35 AM10 votes

Not only is Viktor an inspired character you can tell somebody must have had lots of fun conceptualising, his backstory was also expertly handled, pre-Jayce. He was portrayed as a villain, made to 'look' evil. He embodied the features of a scary robot come to steal your humanity; with lines to match ("destroy.... then improve!").

But his splash. Oh his splash was fantastic. In a perfect world, the chinese splash would have never happened; and VIk's splash update would have resembled the original.

http://i.ytimg.com/vi/cHD781_Je7Q/maxresdefault.jpg

Look at that. Standing on a rock formation, a clouded sky behind him - VIktor's ray of light the only source of illumination. The machine Herald.

That splash caught my eye and allowed me to understand that there was depth to this character. He was more than a robot bent on turning everyone else into robots along with him. He was... a good guy?

The best stories are the kind that draw you in. Tease you; make you want more. Vik was totally built with layers to his personality (said layers only to be removed as Jayce slammed onto the scene as the 'hero' figure in their sudden rivalry).

Heck, the world's events seem to continue to be built upon the foundation that his lore story initially laid. When the void invades, Viktor is a central figure; capable of not only defeating, but utilising the Void invaders to his own ends. His acolytes gain the power to think and fight like he does, and - by all accounts - it sounds like the war is destined to be won by humanity, Viktor and his cyber-acolytes standing alongside them.

Vik deserves to be a main player in whatever lore Riot dreams up. He's a fantastic creation, and sometimes I suspect the company doesn't entirely grasp the potential for storytelling they have in the Machine Herald.

The Red Warden2/6/2015, 8:54:40 PM9 votes

Viktor is most likely right handed. Ever notice how his left side is mostly mechanical, while the left is biological. This is because Viktor while performing surgery would only be using one hand hand. This operating hand would be his dominant one, so as to get rid of the lesser arm first. He also wouldn't be able to reach his right side with as much precision as his left, so the changes to his right would be less extreme to prevent an accident.

Borbland2/7/2015, 11:26:33 AM7 votes

I never know why Viktor is pictured as a bad guy.

He has one of the best lores in LoL (Espacially compared to Kalista's which is like "I had friends, and they betrayed me, so VENGAAAAAAAANCE"), where they show he's only a poor person who got all the credits stolen from what he has done. Then Jayce comes to steal his crystal.

And then he's considered as a bad guy...

Helzing Vxz2/7/2015, 1:27:01 AM6 votes

One word. Epic.

333lom2/7/2015, 10:52:13 PM5 votes

I like how you added the similarities with Nikola Tesla! And it's not just the wireless power transfer that should be mentioned in that context - the "death ray" was something that Nikola Tesla first spoke of, in technological terms - a beam of immense power. Others are magnetic shielding, ionic storms... Also, many other inventors stole research from Tesla. Sounds familiar? The only thing that confuses me is that it looks like Riot wants to present Viktor as a villain. But why? His character is so complex and with such depth that it would be a pity if they turned him into a maniac, lost in his delusions and stripped of moral. His story should be expanded, not rewritten. We should get more stories of him doing some positive things, not just stealing tech cough power crystals from other petty inventors.

I have to mention one thing, though. You've written about the Chaos Storm, about that generator that floats and shoots lightning. But it used to be much more incredible than that. It used to be a black hole - one of the top subjects that modern-day physics struggles to understand. And Viktor managed to recreate it! It is still written in Chaos Storm's description - "Viktor conjures a singularity point" - and that singularity point is nothing other than a black hole. The gravity field is a device that distorts gravity. And a black hole is a point in space-time that is so distorted, nothing can escape once it falls inside. His ultimate at least its former particles is actually the most powerful form of his W!

Arcyvilk2/11/2015, 12:49:03 AM5 votes

Glorious lecture. Viktor's character has so much depth, it's great to meet some fellow acolytes able to fully appreciate our mentors genious and dedication. I hope one day Riot will realise how much potential Machine Herald has and will give him proper attention (but please, not the release Jayce lore level of attention)

Bouffon dAnglais2/7/2015, 7:25:06 PM4 votes

You made me want to play Viktor. Even though I don't play mid. Or Mages. Or Midlane Mages.

Flintfall2/7/2015, 5:31:57 PM3 votes

Viktor will always be my favorite champion, there's so much to like. I really like the insights you brought, easily earns my upvote.

For the Glorious Evolution!

KnivingDude2/7/2015, 11:24:51 PM3 votes

I've skimmed through many of the responses here and I can conclude one thing.

...

Viktor needs a girlfriend. Someone with such a deep thought into lore has to have one.

GreenLore2/7/2015, 3:20:30 PM2 votes

Overall considering the stuff that viktor build I'd say it is safe to assume that when it comes to machines,he is the greatest scientist in all of runeterra(personally I'd say that heimer comes second and jayce third,dunno about stanwick piddly,I mean he stole viktors inventions,but that doesn't mean that he is dumb,we'd have to see what he can do on his own)

KING OF MASKS2/8/2015, 10:22:02 PM2 votes

A truly glorious thread. Far and above one of the greatest champions in the League, concept-wise. Although it's always annoyed me how Viktor's post-release lore (if you can call it that) has been relegated to skins (i.e. the Battlecast line), without any actual story content.

But it's okay.

Because Viktor is the future. The Glorious Evolution awaits.

Ironclad Dragon7/12/2015, 2:50:42 AM1 votes

I don't know why, but I have a mental "image/scence" where Viktor needs to repair his hand, so he opens up the panel on his arm and breaks out his tool kit. I didn't realize it until now, but Star Wars might've inspired it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_PNU84bbass I also like to think Viktor slowly replaced his body parts, yes, but he left his brain untouched. It would be too dangerous to perform unaided, but he doesn't trust anybody else to poke around his brain.

revliledpembroke2/8/2015, 8:45:22 PM1 votes

First sentient construct....item 3070 Galio item 3070 .

Silentshadow20007/11/2015, 8:46:22 PM1 votes

Viktor has no equal.

Nybx4life2/6/2015, 7:57:26 PM1 votes

TL,DR: Viktor is awesome because technology.

I feel this shouldn't be said, but I'll say it anyway: If you are going to make an effort to post small-essays in a message board, please format it like one. Have a thesis statement ready at the top, and a good conclusion at the bottom. At least then people know what they're in for.