The gameplay implications of League of Legends’ next champions aren’t all that matter, though. They’ll also have a signficant impact on League of Legends lore. Runeterra is already a rich setting with a lot of storylines packed into it, and yet, Riot Games continues to add new details to it every year. Most League of Legends characters reflect some new side of known LoL lore, but this year’s champions are particularly interesting because they have the chance to greatly expand the franchise’s world. 2022 could be a great time for Riot Games to explore the farthest reaches of Runeterra.
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Upcoming League of Legends Champions
The most well-known League of Legends champion planned for this year is a jungler that stems from the Void. Riot Games hasn’t been specific about her mechanics yet, but she’ll supposedly be a skirmisher, and teasers suggest that she’ll feature some kind of mind control mechanic. The Void champion is extremely important for lore-minded League of Legends players because Riot Games hasn’t addressed the Void’s place in the world in many years. The champion’s release would be a major opportunity to introduce a bunch of new Void lore, ranging from minor characters connected to this eldritch force to short stories describing the Void’s encroaching influence in Runeterra.
Riot Games has also teased plans for a colorful, water-related champion from somewhere “across the seas”, as well as a tanky champion from a new part of Shurima called Nazumah. Both of these champions are remarkable because they seem to add entirely new places to the Runeterra world map. Shurima is highly familiar to LoL fans, but concept art of a lush Nazumah suggest it’ll be very different from the open desert. While the colorful champion could stem from the island nation of Ionia, it’s also possible that Riot Games is referring to a mysterious new place that League of Legends hasn’t referenced before. Between these two characters and the Void champion, League of Legends could see a serious influx of lore in 2022.
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Why League of Legends Lore Growth is Good
The timing couldn’t be better for a new wave of League of Legends lore. Most of 2021 was dominated by the Ruination event, which included the introductions of several champions and impacted months of updates. While fans learned a lot about the story of Viego, the Ruined King, lore introduced throughout 2021 was almost entirely designed for Viego, Isolde, and the Shadow Isles, meaning most of Runeterra was unchanged in the end. After spending so much time following Viego’s story, it would be a breath of fresh air to learn a lot of different stories about Runeterra this year.
It remains to be seen if all the teased champions will join League of Legends this year. Riot is very busy with champion updates alongside the planned new releases. The Udyr rework draws nearer every day, and while Riot Games already plans to rework Skarner, it also says that Aurelion Sol will be overhauled in the near future. All in all, Riot Games will have its hands full this year. That busy schedule could benefit fans in the end, though, especially if it means learning much more about the world of League of Legends.
League of Legends is available now for PC.
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