Though it's only been a week since Season 11 officially started, League of Legends players were immediately shaken by the announcement that the Ruined King, Viego will be playable soon. But while everyone waits for Viego to take his place in the champion roster, there are more significant lore implications now that the legendary figure is coming to Summoner's Rift.
In the revamped Shadow Isles lore, Viego was responsible for the Ruination which was a cataclysmic event that twisted the Blessed Isles and trapped its denizens in a state between life and death. Since then, the Black Mist as well as undead monsters and champions attacked various places such as Bilgewater in the past and will be revisited in the Ruined King RPG. However, Viego's imminent debut will also set in motion storylines that have never been attempted before by Riot Games and will span most of, if not, the entire season.
Champion Releases
With the latest champion development video, Riot Reav3 has stated the next three releases will be directly tied to the Ruined King's return. While players won't be getting more answers until February, the champions were teased as an AP fighter, a gloomy artillery mage, and a non-traditional AD carry. From these hints, there are several possible guesses to their currently unknown identities.
The AP fighter was described as "tailor-made for top-lane" and will have a small easter egg in the Ruined King game. Viego's wife and queen, Isolde was previously noted as a seamstress and it would make sense for her to be reanimated quickly after her soul was ripped out of Senna in the Season 2011 cinematic by Viego. The mage was specified as a yordle who dislikes Bandle City and the most likely candidate is Yuumi's unseen master Norra, especially since the golden effects in the teaser look almost identical to those in Yuumi's splash art. Finally, there's very little information on the new marksman, but they were noted as "a new sentinel of light". Since the Sentinels of Light are an order which Lucian and Senna also belong to, it could possible be Daowan, a still living member previously mentioned in Senna's story.
While it's still unknown whether these next three releases will aid or oppose the Ruined King, future champions will be much more involved in the overarching story rather than just staying in their home regions. Additionally, this opens the way for even more lore characters to become champions which Riot expressed a renewed interest in doing for the past few years.
Ruined Champions
Thanks to Viego's initial attacks on multiple regions, there were brief moments where champions such as Darius were taken over by the Black Mist. Though the mind control was quickly undone, players got a glimpse of what possession does like manifesting the Ruined King's crown and color scheme of the Shadow Isles. And while many assumed this was a one-time showcase, several new skins reveal that it may become a common theme during Season 11.
In the upcoming 11.2 patch, a new Ruined thematic will arrive featuring skins for Karma, Draven, and Shyvana. While many past skinlines are from alternate versions of Runeterra, Riot has confirmed these Ruined skins are canon to the main universe. As such, these skins reflect the champions' current states after being corrupted by Viego's power.
Karma is an interesting case because she was able to fight off her initial possession in the cinematic only to be Ruined once more off-screen. On the other hand, Draven and Shyvana show the Black Mist reached much farther than the on-screen areas of Noxus, Ionia, and Demacia. While this opens the door for many older champions to get their first skin in years, it is another way to bring those who are unrelated to the Shadow Isles conflict or had their initial stories finished back into lore relevance. With many players fearing the ultimate fate of their favorite champions, hopefully they can be freed from the Ruined King's grasp in due time.
Uniting Runeterra
For a thousand years, Viego's goal has been to resurrect Isolde no matter the cost. Unfortunately, Senna stated doing so "will destroy this world" as the Black Mist and Shadow Isles previously demonstrated. Because of this, Viego's past actions and current motives have painted him as the current big bad in League of Legends. But while there have been multiple world-ending threats throughout Runeterra's history, the Ruined King himself may succeed in uniting the various regions towards a common goal once more.
Many older cinematics have shown different champions fighting one another in epic but ultimately meaningless skirmishes that had no lore impacts. However, the Season 10 cinematic broke this trend by featuring battles steeped in recent story developments. In contrast, the Season 11 cinematic only has champions from the same region fighting off the Black Mist, undead monsters, or their possessed allies which truly emphasizes the apocalypse a worldwide Ruination would cause. As Lucian notes, "We can't defeat him alone" and it may take most of the existing champion roster to put an end to the Ruined King.
At the same time, there is an interesting situation within the Shadow Isles region. Some champions such as Hecarim and Thresh have become monsters bent on killing the living and are sure to side with Viego in his crusade against life. On the other hand, some individuals like Maokai and Yorick were transformed against their will but still fight in a desperate bid to restore the Shadow Isles to the paradise it was before. Though neither individual has been mentioned yet in Season 11, it is only a matter of time until they play a key role in the story.
While the Ruined King's rampage may ultimately not touch every single lore character mentioned in the past, this plotline that unfolds during Season 11 will set the standard for many years to come. With years of foreshadowing finally coming to a head, Viego's story is truly the greatest undertaking that Riot Games has done for League of Legends yet.
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