New Xerath Lore (Opinion Thread Incoming):

I will admit, that the new Xerath lore has exceeded my expectations by a large margin. Part of me never expected the lore team to deal with Shurima after the event ended, much like they did with Freljord. I would congratulate Riot for a job well done, but rising above the ankle high bar that past experiences set isn't much of an accomplishment.

For those of you who haven't read the new Lore, it can be found here. In it, Xerath was a young child who saved a future emperor and was promised freedom. Freedom never came, so Xerath plotted against the emperor (Azir). On Azir's big day however, Xerath was granted his freedom, but it was too late to stop his plans.

It's a fine story, without a doubt, and it is one of the best stories Riot has put out since I joined early Season 2. But before we break out the confetti, we should look at the story it replaced., his old judgement.

In this story, Xerath is an intellectual, who is obsessed with power. At first it appears to be merely an intellectual fascination, but it soon burns into a possessive force. As he started a dangerous ritual, he found the strength to break free of his obsession, only to lose everything he cared about moments later. He then realized that the only course of action he could take was continue forward to become power.

Now this is purely personal opinion, but the old judgement is vastly better than the new stuff. If you did everything about the new Shurima, you could probably get a decent movie out of it, and Xerath would be an important character. With the old Xerath lore though, I feel like you would be able to get a decent trilogy if done right. That's the loss of the story telling potential by this new lore.

I would also like to point out that being power obsessed doesn't really seem to fit the new Xerath. Old Xerath was all about power, but new Xerath is about freedom. The retcon makes it so he no longer feels the same.