A New Site for Zaun has Appeared!

Sharjo·Jan 12, 2017·35 votes·13,512 views

Behold! Zaun!

With it we have a short story: "City of Iron and Glass", and the bios for Janna, Zac and Ekko!

117 Comments

RiotLeaoCJan 12, 201715 votes

Hope you guys enjoy the stories. Please keep giving us feedback on how we can improve not only on the story-telling side, but also on how we deliver them (site layout, how we display stories, the cadence of delivery, etc), as this year we aim to deliver a lot for you and want to keep improving on how we do it.

Malicious MetalJan 12, 201713 votes

I love how you release the champion stories in small numbers so people can genuinely enjoy them all instead of just flocking to ONE story and only that one being discussed.

cough Viktor being saved for last probably cough

RiotLeaoCJan 12, 20177 votes

Yeah, we tried several different ways as you might remember, but releasing them in small batches seems to be the preferred way. Is there anything else we can improve on? Is it easy to read/find the stories? How do you know when they come out? Is it the 'Sharjo effect'? Is there a better way for you to engage around these things?

Malicious MetalJan 12, 201717 votes

To be frank if you're a lorehound like most of us here you easily just dive into the stories as soon as they get released but it's true that most players are just reminded of the existence of Lore by Sharjo or other outlets like Reddit.

I feel, a little popup in the client could be really cool, one that you can simply disable if you're not a fan of lore. The layout is great and you can easily find the good stuff, notifying fans is the only thing that might be implemented.

Just my personal opinion though^^

RiotLeaoCJan 12, 20175 votes

That's great feedback, thanks!

blackfootedfoxJan 12, 20173 votes

If you don't mind, why was Twitch excluded from the event? Singed, the other Zaun champ thats missing from the site kinda got new lore anyways by the Warwick teasers so I give him a pass. I've been looking forward to a Twitch specific story for a while so I'm a little sad he's missing from the site.

RiotLeaoCJan 12, 20178 votes

With all these lore events we do there is always a chance that we will leave out a champion or two either because we want to flesh them out more or because we are happy with where they currently are or even because they are just too many from a faction that we simply can't tackle all at once. This is what happened during the Bilgewater event, same as The Shadow Isles event in 2015, and Piltover and Zaun now. We will eventually get to all of them, but we see these events as opportunities for us to tell the right stories at the right time rather than just rushing them for the sake of the event. As a fan of both Twitch and Singed (Zaun and Shadow Isles are my favorite regions, btw) I understand this doesn't feel great, but I assure you they will get updated at some point soon (tm).

SharjoJan 12, 20179 votes

This may seem like an odd request, but in the case of we as a community knowing that an event is coming for whatever reason, could you guys pop down here or on reddit to just alert us to any specifics like Twitch and Singed here? Just so we get the laydown of what the situation is and what we can expect. Even just saying "Hey guys, before you go in to all of this just know that X, Y and Z won't be getting lore updates this time around, would probably be enough.

blackfootedfoxJan 12, 20171 votes

I just want to say thanks for replying to both of my comments, a small voice in the masses. I know every question I throw at Riot can't always be seen or answered by those who can do something about it.

Also, while I love the LoL lore and the universe site, I think pushing this content in the client more would help more people that are interested in seeing it. Malicious Metal's idea sounds pretty cool tbh

RiotLeaoCJan 12, 20173 votes

Hey thank you for taking the time to read the stories and provide us feedback here on the forums.

5000000000000000Jan 12, 20177 votes

It is definitely not easy to find if you're just new to the game and want to know about characters. I also often meet people in game who know very little about the lore. Maybe a lot of them just don't care, but some of them seem interested.

More of those quick tips in the loading screen, maybe? That could be used to deliver short lore trivia. Or give more hilariously useless tips XD

RiotLeaoCJan 12, 20173 votes

Ah that's great feedback. How do you usually find these new stories? Do you see the communication in the client? Boards? Reddit? Other sites (S@20)?

nosafterburnJan 12, 20175 votes

I just watch the boards and red posts for anything Sharjo related. That usually does the trick.

5000000000000000Jan 12, 20173 votes

Same. Sharjo is the best source of League lore.

Chromatic EagleJan 13, 20172 votes

I propose we tie Sharjo to a machine, linking him to the internet. Every time there's new lore, he gets a shock that compels him to make a new thread.

AsktheDefenderJan 13, 20175 votes

[{quoted}](name=Chromatic Eagle,realm=NA,application-id=6kFXY1kR,discussion-id=tzKKtsnF,comment-id=00030000000000010000000100000000,timestamp=2017-01-13T00:00:09.598+0000)

I propose we tie Sharjo to a machine, linking him to the internet. Every time there's new lore, he gets a shock that compels him to make a new thread.

Implying that that's not what's already happening.

ScoroctJan 12, 20172 votes

Also I absolutely love the random lore in the loading screens. Maybe after a thing is said it could say something like "see Leagueoflegends/universe.com for more lore. Use the appropriate website address of course. This way you advertise the existence of where to find lore if they want to look for it.

SharjoJan 12, 20173 votes

For the record I only know when they come out when folks like Moobeat tweet about it, and he knows because he has a tool to see updates on League's sites or something to that effect.

Having this stuff linked on twitter, facebook, the client, all of it is helpful, though I do recommend you get working on a link to Universe and all this lore in the client itself as soon as you can!

5000000000000000Jan 12, 20171 votes

I definitely like how you can just scroll down from Piltover down to Zaun. Wish the image was fully connected, though.

RiotRubinioJan 12, 20175 votes

it is fully connected!

midnight oil24Jan 12, 20173 votes

Ekko was just the saddest thing ever. I love the new direction being taken with Janna, I never found her to be compelling before but she has an interesting tie to Zaun that fits in the lore now. And Zac is also far more interesting than before. Can't wait to see Mundo and my Main girl! Jinx was just a blank slate, I can't wait to see her with a filled out backtory.

OleandervineJan 12, 20174 votes

{quoted}

Hope you guys enjoy the stories. Please keep giving us feedback on how we can improve not only on the story-telling side, but also on how we deliver them (site layout, how we display stories, the cadence of delivery, etc), as this year we aim to deliver a lot for you and want to keep improving on how we do it.

I think your delivery is great - however, there are some things that you could work on. For instance, I didn't know that Cassiopeia had a lore piece added until I was debating vigilantism the other day and they called her a Noxian vigilante and linked it. While I won't go into how diametrically opposing it is for a woman who tried to murder her scout to get to a priceless artifact and who once was a puppet master of Noxian aristocracy is now patrolling the streets saving innocents, it would have been nice to be notified of this addition. Perhaps an announcement bubble like you do for the known errors and bugs, except specifically for newly added lore pages and bios, or even some sort of in-client scrolling ticker for lore additions.

That does lead me to something I'm a bit upset about with the new lore. That would be Zac. Zac has always been this upbeat happy character from Zaun, which actually gives him and the city some personality as not being a city that's totally consumed by death, drudgery, and malaise. In your story, you've pushed him away from being an upbeat character, and by killing his parents, you've turned him into this slimy edgelord Batman of Zaun, and that kinda ruins him pretty hard. Could you perhaps rewrite this story so as to preserve his happy go lucky attitude (i.e. not kill everyone he loves), and to give us more diversity in your character development? It's getting a tad old that every single champion is starting to be founded on tragedy and vengeance.

RalanrJan 12, 20174 votes

I'm not seeing the edgelord part. His parents died, but he's not brooding around all the time because of it.

OleandervineJan 12, 20172 votes

{quoted}

I'm not seeing the edgelord part. His parents died, but he's not brooding around all the time because of it.

He's living in the pipework of the city and only pops out on occasion. This is pretty brooding to me, and it also detracts from his humanity that he developed while he was living with his parents.

RalanrJan 12, 20174 votes

He lived in cracks when living with his parents. Since his home was destroyed I doubt he has much better place to go. Plus he gets more emotions there.

OleandervineJan 12, 20174 votes

{quoted}

He lived in cracks when living with his parents. Since his home was destroyed I doubt he has much better place to go. Plus he gets more emotions there.

He did, but he also lived with them and grew up with them as sort of a Pinnochio type character. Him being raised and loved by humans is what defines Zac and makes him so lovable and endearing. Having his parents killed and him being a sewer recluse to soak in the emotions of humanity is just bleh and completely ruins him as a character.

5000000000000000Jan 13, 20172 votes

~~He has no edges because he's well rounded~~

RiotRiotJaredanJan 12, 20179 votes

Sharjo again!

SharjoJan 12, 20178 votes

I WAS LIKE FIVE MINUTES LATE I'M A FAILURE

MimaropaJan 12, 20171 votes

Is twitch not in zaun anymore? I dont see his pic

SharjoJan 12, 20171 votes

Click the arrows.

RalanrJan 12, 20171 votes

I'm not seeing him.

SharjoJan 12, 20171 votes

...huh.

That's weird.

blackfootedfoxJan 12, 20172 votes

Twitch has been oddly excluded from the Zaun update :( Any idea why?

RiotRubinioJan 12, 20179 votes

Hey guys -- Twitch isn't getting a new bio in this push, we just weren't able to get his together in time. However he's still part of Zaun and is still listed under Zaun in Universe. We will be getting him a new bio and color text eventually, promise!

Photos of GhostsJan 12, 20179 votes

HE WAS HIDING!

TyrekGoldenspearJan 12, 20178 votes

Sharjo you are the hero the Story Art and Sound board needs.

Thanks for keeping us updated on this stuff!

YuGiHoJan 12, 20178 votes

I just finished reading the janna story. It made me happy.

ArkilusalJan 12, 20176 votes

Aww man, it's HAPPENING! BLACK MARKET BRAWL ON THE BRIDGEWALTZ! CALLING IT NOW, BRINGING DOWN THE HYPE TRAIN!!![slayer-pantheon-rainbows]

A Superb VillainJan 12, 20175 votes

There's a big dark town It's a place I've found. There's a world going on UNDERGROUND.

TyrekGoldenspearJan 12, 20173 votes

Alright, break time.

A Superb VillainJan 13, 20172 votes

Okay, break time's over; chop chop!

PokladnicaZlaJan 12, 20175 votes

“It might not be okay now. You might not be okay for a while. And that’s fine. But someday, without knowing exactly when or why or how it happened, you’ll feel happy,”-Janna

This was beautiful.I was feeling kinda down lately and this really cheered me up. Thanks to person who came with this.You really made my day better. :))

rtbf225618241Jan 12, 20174 votes

Have to say, i'm kind-of disappointed that Janna isn't even a human anymore but an actual alternative to an Elf - A Spirit?

What?

Seems like something very weak, especially since she has no power at all without someone crying for help.

I like that they kept her as a Guardian but i dislike her not being a Human at all. Unless she used to be.

Apparently, there will be no interactions whatsoever with her, she's a weak spirit with no ability to influence anyone outside of Zaun's docks apparently meaning she's useless to the lore. Good job, Riot! Completely deleted practically. You turned a Supporty Support into a full on Support spirit. A "caretaker" from some random magic or something which makes no sense at all right after you come up with that fucking Fairy Moon skin for her. Ofcourse!

PS:Don't forget to turn Soraka into the same thing then. But since you actually bothered to give Aurelion a line for her she has to be some Cosmic spirit then. Except that she actually can interact with the rest of the League unlike Janna for what you did to her.

TL;DR - Janna may aswell be deleted from the lore.

(Oh look, downvotes. The trolls are still active i guess seeing as there's no reply.)

midnight oil24Jan 13, 20172 votes

So? Ivern won't do jack in the lore. Kled looks like he'll have no impact whatsoever. Don't get me started on guys like orianna. (I love her, but what's she gonna do, chuck her ball at the void?) Certain characters can't play as big of a role, and even Ryze has questionable impact on the lore. Janna was never really good for storytelling, so we're not losing anything. She just seems more interesting to me, in all honesty.

rtbf225618241Jan 13, 20173 votes

Ivern and Kled are shit characters in terms of lore interaction in general, but make up for it since they're nothing but goofy entertainment characters that are new as hell. Besides, i'm pretty sure Ivern and Kled could have interaction if a story steered in their direction like the Kumungu jungle or ancient Noxian ruins.

Orianna can be used for literally any event. If you didn't know better, you'd say MF won't have an impact ever since she's just a walking pair of boobs with guns but she did and even against The Harrowing when literally a touch from a single wraith could burn and kill you.

Ryze? Ryze can have stories interacting with any champion as long as it won't be a grand scale event since he's on a solo-quest so i doubt he'd get tangled in some war between Demacia and Noxus. He may meet Poppy for example who is also someone heavily determined to find something and she'd find interest in Ryze because "She has to find the Hero" and Ryze seems pretty cool.

Janna doesn't have any storytelling at all now. It's just an idealized way of saying "She barely exists now. Goodnight."

midnight oil24Jan 13, 20171 votes

I know that MF is more than just a walking pair of milk ducts. She's a cold calculating bounty hunter who genuinely cares about her crew. Orianna (one of my favorite characters) never really seemed like she had much potential for the overall story, but maybe you see it differently. I just feel that with such a big cast that continues to expand, not everyone is gonna play a big role. And while Ryze will definitely play a role in the grand scheme of things, I just don't see him having much impact on the nations themselves. Riot has said themselves that he lives apart from humans and doesn't go to their cities.

rtbf225618241Jan 13, 20172 votes

Not everyone is gonna play a big role, that's not what i'm asking but at least give them some potential for it, e.g make them somehow important to the lore rather than have them play a big part in it for them to be relevant. Like Bard for example, he's hard to implement into the lore but his bio itself is enough to make him special and important to the Universe of Runeterra.

Well i am always imagining some Cinematic with champions when i talk about involvement of champions within lore but that's beyond the point lol.

To tell a good story you don't have to fight battles on a grand scale. The problem with Janna is, even if they made a story excusively focusing on her (If that isn't her bio) then it would be nothing but what she does on her free time and some occasions where she helps people. We wouldn't have character development, emotional attachment or any interest in her because she's as simple as a Support can be. She shields people from harm and that's pretty much it. Nothing particularily exciting about that and it's so boring to read about the people she depends on "AKA, The fishermen" and THEIR problems rather than about Janna herself.

Just my thoughts.

midnight oil24Jan 13, 20173 votes

But she's more interesting now. It used ot be that she was just some random wind mage from Zaun. Didn't fit the theme. But now she does, as she's seen as a holy figure by the people of Zaun, making her more unique in the long run.

rtbf225618241Jan 13, 20172 votes

NOW she is some random wind thing from Zaun. And personally i hate religion i general due to how stupid it is. She's a religious figure to Zaun's fishermen, she's not actually a religious being. Noone gives a fuck about her outside of her own new "lore".