The League of Legends has been shaken up this week with the arrival of Lissandra, The Ice Witch. In a concentrated effort to bring the narrative of the League to the forefront, Riot Games has introduced an event where players can choose allegiance to one of the three tribes in the north of Runeterra (the world in which all the champions in League of Legends come from… well, most of them). While this only comes in the form of unlocking new, tribe specific, profile icons, it’s an appreciated effort to breath a bit of life into the game beyond its mechanical aspects. It also fits perfectly alongside Lissandra’s release, as well as the rework of many of the other “northern” themed champions, like Sejuani, The Winter’s Wrath and Trundle, The Troll King.
In addition to this roster update, Riot has also redone the five player “random champion” map previously known as The Proving Grounds. Now rechristened: The Howling Abyss, players are able to take this tribal conflict directly to the frozen north.
It’s not often that you see MOBAs really put effort into the narrative behind their designs, and while it’s questionable how many players actually keep track of this sort of thing, it’s an interesting stance that Riot has taken, insisting that the story behind these traditionally competitive titles is STILL important.
