1. Zilean Is Named After the Game’s Design Director
Zilean, the great Chronokeeper, is named after Tom “Zileas” Cadwell, a design director at Riot Games. Cadwell’s got an impressive pedigree, with a computer science degree from MIT, and credits at Blizzard on Warcraft III The Frozen Throne and WoW.
2. The Game References a 14th-Century Italian Knight
The famous Italian fencing master Fiore dei Liberi had a large influence on martial arts, due mainly to his illuminated manuscripts which have survived for over 600 years. In League of Legends, the character Fiora uses fencing as her fighting style and she has a very similar name.
3. Tristana’s Buster Shot is an Homage to Mega Man
There’s another blue action hero with a buster shot you might have heard of before. The resemblance is uncanny.
4. Hang Out After You Win the Howling Abyss for a Fun Bonus
After you win the Howling Abyss, be patient for about half a minute and the Ice Witch Lissandra will give some cool narration in her frosty aristocratic accent. It was the best of times and the worst of times. It was the time of the three sisters…
5. Nidalee Highly Resembles Nävis From the French Graphic Novel “Wake”
While it hasn’t been officially confirmed by Riot, the bestial huntress Nidalee could be based on Nävis from the illustrated series Wake. Nävis is also a jungle dweller who just so happens to have a cougar-like companion.
6. Singed is the OG Champion
The mad chemist Singed has the distinction of being the early figurehead for Champions in the game. Along with Annie, Sion, and Sivir, he was one of the very first Champions designed.
7. League of Legends is the 2nd Highest Paying Competitive eSport
League of Legends is the 2nd most profitable game to play competitively in eSports history with nearly $20 million awarded in prize money since the game’s release. That’s more than the original Counter-Strike and StarCraft combined!
8. Aatrox Was Inspired by Lord of the Rings Characters
Mike Laygo, a senior animator on League of Legends, stated that Aatrox’s animations were inspired by Balrog and Sauron. Lago himself has previously worked on Lord of the Rings games.
9. You Can Make a Poro Grow a Black Moustache
Everyone loves the adorable Poros, and they’re even cuter with a giant black moustache. Simply feed it Poro-Snax while playing as Braum and the cute little critter will sprout some facial hair to match its burly benefactor.
10. Zyra, Cassiopeia, Fiora, Shyvan & Elise Share the Same Voice
These five characters are all performed by voice actress Karen Strassman. If she sounds familiar it’s because she’s also worked on iconic anime like Gurren Lagann, Samurai Champloo and Code Geass.
11. This is What 10,000 LoL Games Look Like at the Same Time
The web site Rift Walk has a cool feature that lets you map out player stats in League of Legends over time. The picture above is an aggregate of 100,000 players in 10,000 games.
12. HotshotGG Dropped Out of College to Play League of Legends
While it’s typically advisable to stay in school, one of League of Legends’ most iconic players, George “HotshotGG” Georgallidis, dropped out of college to pursue a professional career in League of Legends. Youth is a huge factor in rapid reflexes and reaction speed, so he struck while the iron was hot and it served him well.
13. Zac’s Squishes Were Designed With “Creative” Foley
According to renowned eSports commentator Leigh Smith, the sound effects for Zac’s squishes were “made from dog food and beans inside a condom slapped against a wall.” Hats off to Riot for their disgusting ingenuity.
14. Blitzcrank Runs a Dating Service in His Spare Time
If you read up on any of the in-game lore, you’ll find out in the Journal of Justice that the golden golem actually runs a chain of magic cafes where he offers “Fleshling Compatibility Services” through which champions can engage in “instantaneous mating.”
15. Olaf the Berserker is Also a Character From the Film Clerks
Silent Bob’s cousin in the indie film Clerks is a strange guy obsessed with heavy metal, whose vulgar song lyrics are unprintable here. His spirit lives on in League of Legends!
16. Heimerdinger Has Probably Read The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy
The revered inventor Heimerdinger’s definitely the bookish type. When he says “42… there’s just something about that number,” he’s referencing Douglas Adams’ classic sci-fi novel. As you may know, the number 42 is the ultimate answer to life, the universe and everything.
17. Use the Jaximus Skin to Catch a Touching Tribute
In honor of a Make-A-Wish patient who visited Riot Games, Jax will occasionally say, “Here’s to you, kid,” to honor his memory. Jax was his favorite character, and Riot used the Jaximus skin to raise money for the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
18. Korean LoL Players Make Way More Money Than Americans
While American players can certainly hold their own in League of Legends, currently Korean players have won a collective total of over 5.5 million dollars from competitions. That’s more than 3 times as much money as Americans have won.
19. The BF Sword Is an Allusion to Doom’s BFG9000
The BF Sword in League of Legends is a fairly expensive basic item that does about 50 attack damage. Maybe it fetches a premium price because it’s got that “90s cool” attitude straight from Doom’s most over-the-top weapon.
20. Shaco is an Anagram of Chaos
This one kinda stares you right in the face until you notice it. The demon jester has inspired enough creepy cosplay to deliver thousands of nightmares, but he’s lighthearted enough to engage in wordplay too.
21. Jinx Dances Like Jake from Adventure Time
Youtube Gamer NeiLalwaysLeeT has produced a cool side by side comparison that shows these two definitely dance to the same drummer. As Jake always says, he’d “rather be dancin’ with some babes!”
22. Vi Used to Be a Roller Skater
Who would have thought that Vi was initially a derby doll? A senior animator for Riot Games said that in her original design Vi was actually named Ruby and enforced the law with the help of some roller skates.
23. Kassadin Might Be the Most Frequently Nerfed Champion
While Irelia gets all the notoriety for nerfing, Kassadin’s actually had his skill set swatted down more often. He recently had his cooldown time increased by 8 seconds. The poor guy can’t catch a break.
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