League of Legends is one of the most popular titles available in the Multiplayer Online Battle Arena genre. Debuting on October 27th, 2009, League has dominated conversations between fans of the genre for over a decade, featuring a roster of more than 100 playable characters and tons of customization options.
Despite its popularity and plethora of options, there are several aspects of the game which don’t make sense. For starters, players of League of Legends need not know much about the in-game lore to have an enjoyable play experience. Including lore, mechanics, and simple logic, here are ten things about League of Legends which will leave you scratching your head.
10 Using a Champion on Both Teams
League of Legends follows a familiar format for MOBAs in that its main game mode pits two teams of five players against each other in a PVP-based race to complete certain objectives. According to the lore of the game, players assume the role of “summoners” in the league who will control various “champions” to compete.
Factoring the lore into this equation, each champion should only be available for use on one team or the other. While this isn’t a factor in the more competitive game modes, players in the “blind pick” modes (as well as certain other limited game modes) can enter the game fighting against another player using the same champion they have chosen.
9 Lore Revisions
In its original version, the story of League of Legends featured a roster of champions who each represented one of the various city-states inside the game world, Runeterra. The league was set up and managed by the Institute of War to settle power disputes and maintain peace on the continent of Valoran. Each champion had their own reason for coming to the league and would serve the summoner to settle disputes.
In 2014, the story was revamped, erasing the established lore and replacing it with various mini-stories that weren’t necessarily connected and did not always have direct cohesion with the game itself. This change necessitated occasional retcons of lore and have made the game feel more disconnected from the underlying story. In addition, there are several mini-stories which focus on skins which aren't canon.
8 Containment of Champions in the League
Part of the original lore of the game dealt with how certain champions were bound to the league. Essentially, their power was held by the league. This allowed them to remain bound, such as Nocturne, and allowed their powers to scale back and forth between battles universally.
One thing which was never explored, and still isn’t, is how the mages who managed the league maintained control over certain champions. While Nocturne is certainly a prime example of a champion who vocally opposes what is basically his prison, cases such as Morgana and Kayle are professed demi-gods.
7 Children Can Compete
Amid the various monsters and fighters in the league, there is one champion who tends to spark significant interest in the discussion. Annie is a mage who can cast fiery abilities and summon a giant bear named Tibbers. Annie is one of the original champions and is featured in most of the artwork.
The confusing part in the case of Annie is why an institution such as the League of Legends would ever accept a child into its ranks. Her character model certainly presents diversity, but it just doesn’t make sense rationally. Annie isn’t the only child competing in the league. Ekko is also much younger than most of the champions present.
6 The Void
Speaking of champions who shouldn’t be able to compete in the league, there is a whole list of champions whose sole allegiance is to a mysterious realm called “The Void.” The Void is essentially nothingness. It is the nightmare realm of the League of Legends universe.
Many champions call the void home. These champions range from monsters born in The Void such as Rek’Sai to “The Prophet of the Void” Malzahar. Champions who carry the banner of The Void tend to have shadowy moves rooted in darkness and evil. But if the league exists to settle disputes, why welcome champions of this mysterious place of darkness?
5 Alternate Game Modes
Most game modes could canonically be explained away through various means. Modes such as Ultra Rapid Fire need the simple explanation of saying that the mages who manage the league would simply scale champion abilities to allow them to use multiple abilities in rapid succession. But what of others?
Teamfight Tactics is a relatively new mode in League of Legends which essentially features competing casts of characters who can be purchased with gold and arranged on a grid to automatically battle opposing lineups. In the same reality as League, this seems improbable for several continuity reasons. In our reality though, the simple question is “why isn’t this just a standalone game?”
4 War and Peace
As mentioned several times in this list, the original purpose of the league was to settle disputes between city-states. This role is reinforced by the abundance of military personnel available to select as champions in the game. Characters such as Swain, ruler of the major nation of Noxus, hold lofty titles in the region they represent.
Despite apparent support for this cause, certain stories in the lore tell of conflicts elsewhere in Valoran. Whether by internal power struggles or outright aggression between two or more nations, the conflicts which prompted the establishment of the Institute of War seem to continue, creating a further disconnect between lore and the storyline.
3 Item Choices
Most video games incorporate some sort of equipment system, and League of Legends is no exceptions. Players will find various choices for purchasing swords, boots, armor, ranged weapons, shields, and helmets. There are even items that don’t fall into any of these categories. Their use is a bit more confusing.
In most games, a character can hold one weapon or similar item in each hand, sometimes requiring two hands. Anything else would be in their inventory. This isn’t the case in League. Not only are players able to buy as many as six different swords, it's often encouraged. Especially on certain ranged champions, the confusing bit is how someone would manage to make use of them all simultaneously.
2 Abilities That Negate Terrain
If you’ve played League of Legends, then you know that one of the key points of the game is positioning. Being in the right place at the right time can make all the difference between winning a fight or losing, as well as taking objectives and controlling the game in general.
But what about when you’re in the wrong position? That’s when you need an ability that can move you to safer ground. Plenty of these moves incorporate dashing to move from point A to point B, but not all of them make sense – even less so when you consider that most can move you through solid walls.
Take Gragas’ bodyslam ability for example. It is one of these dash abilities that moves a player quickly. Except it does more in the sense that it can dash through terrain including solid rock walls. Where are the physics?
1 Aurelion Sol
Many champions contribute to the items on this list, but few deserve their own entry. Aurelion Sol does both. Aurelion Sol is described in his backstory as a creator of stars, traveling the vast emptiness and creating what seems to be countless solar systems before he was ultimately tricked into servitude by a group known as the Targonians.
Reading his story, it makes sense why Sol would choose to compete in the league. What doesn’t make sense is how anyone else could defeat him. A space dragon who can create entire star systems seems a bit out of the reach of someone like Jax who simply swings a light post. And yet, Aurelion Sol isn’t even that good.