Riot Games has updated the League of Legends lore for Ionia and champions like Irelia that hail from the region alongside a new dev diary video.
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Like other regions such as Noxus, Bilgewater, and Demacia, Ionia is home to many different types of champions. The region itself is saturated in magic, though its safety is threatened by the ever-expanding region that is Noxus as the force looks to conquer other areas of Runeterra.
“There are many orders and sects across Ionia, each following their own (often conflicting) paths and ideals,” the description for Ionia’s region page reads. “Self-sufficient and isolationist, Ionia has remained largely neutral in the wars that have ravaged Valoran over the centuries – until it was invaded by Noxus. This brutal conflict and occupation has forced Ionia to reassess its place in the world. How it reacts and the future path Ionia will follow is as yet undetermined, but will be of great importance to Runeterra.”
A dev diary was also released alongside the Ionia lore update that features Riot Games’ world building artist Joon “Boogergames” Hyung Ahn and writer Odin “WAAAARGHbobo” Shafer as the two talked about Ionia’s place in League of Legends. The two discussed the magical elements that permeate the land filled with residents that are intertwined with nature.
“So like, if you wanted to build a house in Demacia right, you would cut down a tree, turn it into planks, then like nail those wooden corpses together,” Shafer said as an example of the region’s magic. “You wouldn’t do that in Ionia. You would probably upset the tree spirit, and that could have repercussions for you and your family and further generations. So instead, you would contact like a wood weaver who would try and convince the tree to grow in a way that’s beneficial for you.”
Ionia is also home to the Vastayan champions, the half-human, half-animal characters like Ahri and the Xayah-Rakan duo. It also doesn’t have a centralized government or a defined military force, the Rioters said, so that’s where champions like Irelia come in. This is discussed more in the champion’s lore update as well as the new short story that tells more about the champion.
The timing of these updates for Irelia and other champions line up perfectly with the upcoming release of Irelia’s rework. Irelia’s rework has been available on the PBE for a while now leading up to her re-release that is expected to come in the next update.
