Is Arcane a Good Starting Point for League of Legends Lore?

League of Legends' show, Arcane, first aired on the 6th of November 2021 and people absolutely adored it. Although season one has been out for quite a while, I wanted to pose the question: is Arcane a good show to start your League of Legends lore deep-dive? 

I've played plenty of League of Legends — going for almost 10 years since I first joined the Summoner's Rift — and throughout my years, I delved into the game's lore heavily; I learned about the champions, the regions, and the cities. Naturally, when Arcane was announced, I was ecstatic; I couldn't wait to get the opportunity to watch it. Sure, I watched it almost seven months late, but that's another story!

After finishing Arcane, I wondered how it might be for a person that has never played League of Legends and — most importantly for this article — how good it might be for beginning your lore.

Runeterra (the world of League of Legends) has eight cities, 12 regions, and 159 champions, so it's safe to say that Arcane on its own (especially as the show itself is telling a specific story and not the origin for every champion) won't be able to showcase all of these. In fact, Arcane only shows eight of the champions (nine, if you include Ryze who only appears briefly in a memory): Vi, Jinx, Caitlyn, Jayce, Victor, Ekko, Singed, and Heimerdinger. For any that know just a little about the lore, it might be obvious that this shows the cities of Zaun and Piltover. 

Throughout the story, you'll be able to understand the lore regarding the creation of Hextech (science/magic amalgamation) along with the origin stories for Vi, Caitlyn, and Jinx along with Jayce and Viktor, with mostly "minor" appearances from Singed and Heimerdinger. I mostly say "minor" as their origin stories aren’t necessarily presented but rather they play different roles to advance the story of Piltover and Zaun; that said, we do see Heimerdinger's stance with magic and why he doesn’t believe in its usage and modernisation for common citizens briefly.

I wouldn't say that these characters are necessarily pivotal to League of Legends lore, as they don't interconnect with countless others per se, but do have enough reach to explore in subsequent seasons.

So, is Arcane a good starting point for League of Legends lore? Absolutely! As good as any. Although you will only get a look at a fraction of the stories, it's a great way to get to know the characters of Piltover and Zaun along with their personalities. Truth be told, I wouldn't say there is one particular "sweet spot" to start League of Legends lore; you can learn about your favourite region or champion, and it should be as good a place as any.

Which piece of lore was your favourite? And, if you're just getting started, which one will you start with? Although I've learned quite a bit, I still have ways to go, and can't wait to tackle it myself a bit more!