Haku's Guide to Learning about League of Legends Lore*
Liked Arcane? Wanted to learn more about Runeterra, the world Arcane is set in? Don't know where to start because LoL lore has evolved a LOT over the past few years and there's tons of information everywhere?
Here's a guide on how to (sort of) dive into the world of Runeterra/the world of League of Legends!
*the links/information I provide below is just how I personally like to review/receive lore. Other people may have their own ways of learning about Runeterra/LoL. This is just the way I happen to study it
Regions of Runeterra
First things first, I would get familiar with the regions of Runeterra - I'll link below both the official LoL website links on them, and the officially-supported Wiki links as well:
Bandle City - LoL site / Wiki page
Bilgewater - LoL site / Wiki page
Demacia - LoL site / Wiki page
Ionia - LoL site / Wiki page
Ixtal - LoL site / Wiki page
Noxus - LoL site / Wiki page
Piltover - LoL site / Wiki page
Shadow Isles - LoL site / Wiki page
Shurima - LoL site / Wiki page
Targon - LoL site / Wiki page
The Freljord - LoL site / Wiki page
The Void - LoL site / Wiki page
Zaun - LoL site / Wiki page
There's also this, if people want more context on Piltover and Zaun specifically:
A League of Legends Primer for Fic Writers by bbeanbbeanbbean (sumantra)
The core part here is to establish you being familiar with the regions such that when we go through the Timeline, you'll understand where things are happening - and knowing each of the regions will make it easier to explain the prominent/primary characters from each region that play a crucial role in explaining other major events in Runeterra.
Timeline of Runeterra
There's several renditions out there about the Timeline of Runeterra, but I tend to personally reference this one:
TL;DR Lore: Timeline of Runeterra - by u/Sharjo on r/leagueoflegends. It's from 6 years ago, so parts of it might be slightly out of date, but it gives you a general reference on the universe, its creation, and how Runeterra itself was also created. You do not need to know about every single character - we'll dive later into key characters that might be 'starting' points for you to delve further into the world of Runeterra. This post also references several short stories that you can easily search for as well, and/or might even be on the League Wiki.
There's also this Gdoc League of Legends Lore Guide, which also has helpful bookmarks/tabs, which you can also use to reference the entire Timeline of Runeterra.
There's also the Wiki version of the timeline as well, which you might consider as the more 'unofficial official' timeline.
In my personal opinion, I think the 'major' lore events of Runeterra that would help you -- if you're starting out from Arcane, or without any prior LoL lore at all -- are these:
The Void Wars - reference this link, The Complete Timeline of the Void, and TL;DR Lore: The Void to get an understanding of the regions of Shurima, Icathia, and the Void. One of the takeaways from this devastating war is that 1) Powerful Icathian mages turn to the powers of the Void to win the war against Shurima, 2) this completely backfires, Void minions tear apart Icathia and what's left of the Shuriman Empire wages war against the demons of the Void, and 3) this eventually leads to the fall of the Shuriman Empire, and what's left of the Shuriman Empire are those called 'Ascended,' warriors who fought against the Void but some are traumatized by the long war and some of those warriors transform into 'Darkin', corrupt versions of their heroic selves, who then begin to expand/conquer the rest of Runeterra. During this time, the city of Oshra Va’Zaun is protected by Janna from the Darkin. Janna is one of Zaun's 'deities', and she is the goddess on the mural/back wall during the Caitlyn/Vi/Jinx/Sevika fight in S2, E3.
The Ruination - I strongly recommend playing the Ruined King game if you can to get a deeper sense of not just the event called the Ruination, but also of the characters Miss Fortune, Gangplank, Illaoi, Braum, Ahri, Yasuo, Pyke, and Maokai. You'll also get a better sense of Bilgewater as a region and the Shadow Isles, as well. This also gives some backstory into the Vastayan people -- Ahri's people/race, if you were wondering about the animal-like people of Runeterra that you see (like Scar, and Steb, in Arcane).
The Rune Wars - After the events of the Ruination, this results in the use of the World Runes, powerful rune artifacts whose usage by parties in Runeterra result in catastrophic war and calamity. Demacia's origins stems from this event (and, through many subsequent events, Demacia's anti-mage culture) - and the origins of Kayle and Morgana also come as a result of the calamity of the Rune Wars. You can also tie Noxus' origins to the Rune Wars as well, as the utter destruction caused by the Rune Wars means the rest of Runeterra must now rebuild with what's left. Is it possible these are the events Heimerdinger, in Arcane, references when he mentions a catastrophe because of magic, 200 years ago? Possibly. but the timelines sort of don't match up, but also, League timelines is (waves hand) lol.
The Noxian Invasion of Ionia - in 'modern' day, the Grand General of the Noxian Empire orders the invasion of Ionia, and a few years after, General Swain enacts a coup against the current Grand General and takes over, ending the invasion of Ionia and establishing a council to rule the Noxian Empire. These events are slightly referenced by LeBlanc and Vladimir. However, the invasion of Ionia directly influences the back stories of several LoL characters - like Akali, Lee Sin, Shen, Kennen, Kayn, Irelia, and more. (There's also references to the tribes of the Freljord, and key League characters like Ashe and Sejuani).
And, of course, from Arcane, you know about the pivotal creation of Hextech.
Learning about the Lore from Characters
Now that you have a sort-of somewhat high level understanding of key, crucial events in Runeterra -- now's the time to pick your poison, and pick a character from each region to better learn about the history there!
Leona and Diana
For those who liked CaitVi, you might also like Leona and Diana, but their story is a lot more tragic than one might expect, lol. However, studying these two characters will give you insight into the region of Mount Targon, and also a better understanding of the Aspects, who are like gods/celestial beings.
Sylas, Lux, Katarina, and Garen
To get a better understanding of Demacia (and Noxus, by extension), I'd also recommend playing Mageseeker, which goes into the 'modern' day events of Demacia -- and it also fleshes out the characters of Sylas, Garen, Morgana, and Lux. Sylas' Mage Rebellion is often a key turning point in Demacian lore -- and, if you're interested, there's also these Katarina webcomics that dive further into the events that incite Mageseeker.
Ryze
Many League people thought in S1 the mage was actually Ryze, a mage who played a part in the Rune Wars, and who now tirelessly works to ensure those catastrophic events never happen again. I think he's interesting to learn about if you want a glimpse into what 'magic' is like in Runeterra. This might also give you an understanding into what 'mages' are in Runeterra, and what LeBlanc and even Mel are capable of.
Khada Jhin
Jhin is a meticulous criminal psychopath who believes murder is art. Once an Ionian prisoner, but freed by shadowy elements within Ionia’s ruling council, the serial killer now works as their cabal's assassin. Using his gun as his paintbrush, Jhin creates works of artistic brutality, horrifying victims and onlookers. He gains a cruel pleasure from putting on his gruesome theater, making him the ideal choice to send the most powerful of messages: terror.
I personally like Jhin because he's psycho but he's also a sniper like Caitlyn. I've always wanted to see an in-canon meetup between these two, because of just how insane it would be lmfao
Yordles
This is just a personal thing because I personally love the Yordles of Runeterra, especially Teemo, and the animated short Beyond the Bandlewood gives a cute glimpse into Yordle-life and a peek into Bandle City, home of the Yordles (and a Caitlyn cameo!)
Kindred
Separate, but never parted, Kindred represents the twin essences of death. Lamb's bow offers a swift release from the mortal realm for those who accept their fate. Wolf hunts down those who run from their end, delivering violent finality within his crushing jaws. Though interpretations of Kindred's nature vary across Runeterra, every mortal must choose the true face of their death.
Kindred is a fascinating character because they're literally the concept of Death - you can see Kindred referenced in Blood, Sweat and Tears, too.
And that's it! League lore kind of shifts/changes around, but I would still read a lot of the old short stories, and even, if you have the chance, to read and check out the official companion lore book, Realms of Runeterra.
There's a lot of the world to explore, a lot of possibility, but pick your poison and dive into one region, or one character, and that'll lead you down a path to finding out more about the world and the history of Runeterra.
Skinlines / LoL's Alternate Universes
I haven't even gone into discussion about some of the League skinlines, and each skinline also has their own respective lore -- here's some skinlines I personally adore.
Moons of Ionia/Snow Moon
As the Snow Moon rises beyond the humbling mountains of Ionia, a chill passes across the land. Those who worship in its name—a cult of unwavering assassins—commence their ritual. With snow comes purification, a cleansing only possible through the sacrifice of one's humanity.
PROJECT
Among the mega-structures and packed streets of a future controlled by global corporations, a shadow war rages between rebellious, augmented humans, and newly empowered artificial beings. The winners will shape the course of history... and the losers will be forced to evolve.
Star Guardians
Star Guardian is a series of parallel universe skins in League of Legends that follow the story of a group of high school students who choose to become cosmic protectors and must battle cosmic enemies threatening the universe. However, they consequently learn of the anguish and perils associated with their newfound roles as self-doubt, desperation and the daily life of a high school student.
In a vast and dark universe, young warriors are chosen by fate to protect the light of the stars. They are destined to burn bright, but collapse as furiously as they shine.
K/DA
“There is a place between fantasy and reality where anything can happen. You have the power to be anyone, and do anything. It is your dream. In our in-between world, K/DA feels confident and strong. We can do anything, and so can you.” -Kai'Sa
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Anyway, that's sort of my primer on Skinlines -- again, this is like a 'pick your poison' and just pick a character/skinline you like and dive into the Wiki to get some lore on it.
Music
There's a running joke that Riot is just a music company disguised as a game company, and that's incredibly true. Characters have themes associated with them and I'd highly recommend checking out the below:
These are the standard ones, if you're interested in characters from Arcane, but I also highly recommend these tracks:
I also personally like:
OK! I think that's enough for now. I hope this gives everyone a start into exploring the world of League!
