League of Legends has a multiverse too, and it’s packed with mysteries

League of LegendsIt began as an MOBA following the example of Warcraft mods, but has since expanded to encompass a vast fantasy world rich in lore. Riot managed to create a respectable collection of movies, books, comics and an Emmy-winning animated series. And if the world of Runeterra isn’t to your tastes, Riot hopes to lure you in with one of their many alternate realities and skin lines. It’s a LotTo sort through and League’s biggest lore fans are digging through all these timelines to guess at how it all fits together and what comes next.

Much like Marvel, there are multiple continuities within the “main” fiction of League. ArcaneIt is technically an alternate universe. The same playground, but with some tweaks to established canon. Legends of RuneterraIt exists in a strange canon limbo. Much of the information is experimental and speculative. The skin lines, however, are the most bizarre part of things. They become a Gordian knot full mirror selves and prime universes.

The majority of League’s lifespan, skins were a fun way to offer an alternate fantasy on a character. Imagine if Noxian assassin Katarina were actually a pirate. Was Jinx required to live through the zombie apocalypse in order for him? How would it be if Sona was a Daft Punk-style dancer? As time went on, the fantasies got more complicated. Imagine if all of these champions were part of K-pop bands and had a single released?

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Star Guardian Lux Skins started out as one-offs. But their popularity in the community led to subsequent releases and elaborate fiction. Riot’s philosophy changed, and now skin lines are usually associated with whole universes. PROJECT, on the other hand, is high-concept cyberpunk dystopia. Battle Academia, however is an anime tribute to heroes that places champions at a high school.

This can be a lot fun. High Noon is a dark Western world where beautiful cowboys mix with deranged angels and accomplished demons riding steeds full of fire and embark on train heists. Other times, I feel like I’ve been assigned homework I don’t really want to do. You are not. Wild RiftA Supreme Cells new skinline had an accompanying event. When I realized that every champion was rich in lore, with deep motivations, I went to check it out. Thank you so much! I have enough brain to spare! LeaguePlease, stop uttering nonsense.

When we get close to a particular group of space-related skins, things can become very complicated. Dark Star and Cosmic reimagine champions in the context of great astral courts at war. Odyssey, a space adventure, pays tribute to Star Wars and Borderlands. Star Guardians are stars who help girls balance high school and fighting against space evildies.

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All of these started as simple concepts, but Riot has been sprinkling hints that they’re connected. Odyssey Kayn, for example, is a space-power-mad emperor that uses Dark Star Rhaast’s power to power his crusade. What is the Dark Star in Odyssey’s Odyssey? These hints became very explicit in the Star Guardian event, which ends with Star Guardian captain Kai’Sa being confronted by the Dark Star in her dreams. Here we are. Know there’s a crossover, but it immediately begs the question of overlap. What is the Cosmic Lux? A Star Guardian Lux An Odyssey Jinx, a Star Guardian Jinx, and a Star Guardian Jinx. An Odyssey Kha’Zix and Dark Star Kha’Zix?

Riot’s newest big skin line both answers these questions and raises more of them. The Empyrean are champions empowered by the Foreglow who also have the ability to enter the arena. VeryThe multiverse they inhabit is something that the Pykes are well aware of. In fact, Empyrean Pyke’s mission is to kill all other Pykes, including ones from other skin lines.

An Empyrean Pyke is not just tough and battle-hardened, it also kills gentler, simpler Pykes. We can see one Pyke in action. League of Legends in some other dimension — which I also have questions about, like is there a Pyke champion in ThisVersion of League of Legends? Is this man at all puzzled about Riot Games making a champion just by his name?

Perhaps Empyrean is the answer to all the mystery surrounding the Dark Star’s role in the Greater League multiverse. Or maybe there are no answers, and this is a “Drink Your Ovaltine” situation where the only real conclusion is that Riot hopes we simply think that these skins are cool and we should buy them. Either way, it’s fascinating to watch the multiverse bloom and develop. I just wish we could get a few skin lines that don’t have a massive universe attached; sometimes, I just want to dress my dollies up, not ponder on the greater mysteries of the universes.