Arcane has the potential to enrich and expand the lore of League of Legends, bringing new information about the characters
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| Image Credit: Netflix |
The League of Legends universe, developed by Riot Games, is full of characters, places, and events that have fascinated millions of players worldwide. The game, born in 2009, has given life to a vast lore enriched over the years, with the introduction of new stories through games, comics, and, more recently, the animated series Arcane. This series, which arrived on Netflix, was a great success and introduced new perspectives on some of the iconic characters of the game, but at the same time raised questions about its relationship with the timeline of League of Legends.
Arcane Timeline
Arcane's story takes place in a very ancient time, well before the events that occur in League of Legends. The animated series focuses primarily on two key cities in the Runeterra universe: Piltover and Zaun. These two cities, despite being geographically close, represent social and cultural opposites, with Piltover being a symbol of prosperity and technological innovation, while Zaun is a corrupt and impoverished metropolis, where life is hard for most of its inhabitants.
Arcane's timeline takes place thousands of years before the main events of the series, with references to the Rune Wars, a catastrophic conflict that devastated several civilizations, using the power of the Arcane, a primordial magical force. The character of Heimerdinger, one of the most experienced scientists in Arcane, claims to have lived through these events, suggesting that he is a much older character than previously thought, although his exact age is never specified. After these events, Heimerdinger moves to the city of Zaun, where he begins to play a significant role in the technological innovation that would later shape Piltover.
Piltover develops rapidly, swallowing up Zaun in a process of expansion and making the two cities inextricably linked while maintaining deep divisions between the social classes. In this context, the protagonists of Arcane are born: Vi, Jinx, Vander and Silco. The plot of the first season focuses on the conflict that erupts between Piltover and Zaun, with a series of dramatic events that lead to the death of Vander and the growing instability in Zaun, fueled by the figure of Silco.
One of the most important events of the season concerns the discovery of Hextech by Jayce, a technology that could revolutionize the entire balance of power between the two cities. The season ends with the tragic death of Silco and the explosion that marks the end of any possibility of peace between Piltover and Zaun. The second season of Arcane follows immediately after, with new conflicts between the characters and the fate of the cities that seem increasingly uncertain.
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| Image Credit: Netflix |
The timeline of League of Legends
While Arcane focuses on more recent events in the history of Runeterra, League of Legends covers a period that extends for millennia. The lore of League of Legends is divided into two major periods: before the founding of Noxus (BN) and after its founding (AN). The creation of Runeterra, the world in which both stories take place, is the result of cosmic events that date back approximately 9,000-8,000 years. During this era, the Titan War occurred, a struggle between mortals and alien creatures called Titans. This conflict set the stage for the order and chaos that would characterize the wars and alliances of Runeterra for centuries to come.
After the war, several civilizations emerged in Runeterra, including the Freljord, a frozen realm that would only be united after many conflicts. The Freljord’s most famous war, the War of the Three Sisters, took place approximately 8,000 years ago and was sparked by creatures from the Void, a threat that would shape the history of many lands in Runeterra. Other great powers, such as Shurima, rose and fell over the millennia until Noxus emerged, a militaristic nation that would have a major impact on the history of Runeterra.
Over time, new cities such as Demacia and Piltover, founded in 790 AN, emerged, and conflicts between the great powers have continued to shape the history of Runeterra. The setting of League of Legends is thus the result of millennia of war, betrayal, and alliances, with each city having its own unique history.
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| Image Credit: Netflix |
The Connection Between Arcane and League of Legends
The timelines of Arcane and League of Legends overlap in several ways, but it is important to note that Arcane is not a simple prequel to the game. The animated series explores a narrative that may diverge from that of League of Legends while maintaining the heart of the conflict and characters that fans have come to know over the years. An example of this connection is the character of Heimerdinger, who appears in both narratives.
In Arcane, Heimerdinger is a character of great wisdom and longevity, who plays a central role in the growth of Piltover, while in League of Legends, he is one of Runeterra's most brilliant inventors, specializing in advanced technology. Likewise, the character of Jinx is central to the series. Arcane has the potential to enrich and expand the lore of League of Legends, bringing new information about the characters and events that preceded the game. However, as the developers point out, it may not be a perfect adaptation of League of Legends lore, but rather an alternative and expanded vision of the Runeterra universe.
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