A brief overview of League of Legends lore

League of Legends is chock-full of content related to the lore of its characters, maps, and even its items. Regardless of whether you are a beginner at the game or a seasoned player, it might seem difficult to understand the sheer volume of events that happened in the lore. To help you with that, I’ve created this quick overview of the world of League of Legends and everything that happens in it.

Runeterra

The games take place in the world of Runeterra, which consists of the supercontinent Valoran, made up of the many different nations in the game, the continent of Ionia, and the archipelagic islands of Bilgewater and the Shadow Isles. Also known as “Magic Earth,” Runeterra has ties to otherworldly planes, including the Void.

A thousand years prior to the current period of the game, “World Runes” appeared around the world, each containing immeasurable amounts of pure magical energy. Tribes began collecting these runes and misusing their powers, eventually leading to the “Rune Wars”, which nearly destroyed Valoran and corrupted the world with latent magical energies.

After witnessing the once-great city of Icathia succumb to the powers of a world rune, the arcane wizard Ryze was determined to prevent the powers of the runes from ever destroying Runeterra and began an endless (we’re talking centuries) journey to save her to collect. Icathia’s fall also affected Kassadin and Malzahar, corrupting both humans with the power of the Void.

nations

Runeterra is made up of several smaller nations and islands, each with their own tribes, cultures, armies, and leaders. Since each champion hails from different locations, there are many interconnections between the different locations.

Demacia and Noxus are the two largest nations and can be remembered as “good versus evil”. Ruled by the Jarvans, a royal family spanning generations, Demacia is home to brave warriors such as Poppy, Garen, Xin Zhao, and Lux. Demacia’s magical protector, Galio, is awakened whenever there is a disruption in the aforementioned World Runes.

Noxus, on the other hand, are power hungry, believing that might and strength are the most important stats one can have. It is ruled by Grand Tactician Swain, with Darius serving as his right-hand man. Noxus is responsible for the war on Ionia that not only claimed countless innocent lives but also soured relations between the two nations.

Also included in Runeterra are Bilgewater, the nautical center famed for its pirates, Shurima, the imperial city in the sands, Ionia, the nation steeped in spiritual and mystical power, the Shadow Isles, where undead souls have reclaimed the lands, and Freljord, where the harsh icy country was divided into three different tribes.

How does League fit into the lore?

Traditionally, the “League of Legends”, also known as the Institute of War, was an open arena where summoners from each region sourced champions from their respective nations to compete against and resolve political disputes.

Every champion in the game has a reason for being in the arena – whether they are trapped in the arena, meant to fight for eternity, or just want fame and fortune, each hero has their own individual place in the history of League of Legends while affecting Runeterra.

Photos courtesy of Riot Games