Fiddlesticks and Kindred: Two of League‘s Most Ancient Champions
According to the deep lore of Runeterra, the title of the oldest existing League of Legends champion belongs to Fiddlesticks and Kindred, two of the first ancient demons born from the Immortal Bastion aeons ago. While their exact age is unknown, estimations place them at over 15,000 years old!
As primal demonic incarnations of fear and death itself, Fiddlesticks and Kindred‘s origins trace back to the earliest eras of Runeterra. Their emergence signified when concepts like terror, ending, and obliviation first entered the mortal plane.
I speculate that only cosmic entities predating the formation of Runeterra itself could exceed their antiquity.
Soraka: Guiding Mortals for Millenia
The next oldest champion is Soraka, a wanderer who walked amongst mortals for thousands of years. Her backstory tells of an immortal celestial guide who once escorted the first humans through a valley shadowed by the Immortal Bastion’s silhouette. She was so moved by their courage that she vowed to protect their descendants.
Many other ancient beings with similar longevity also inhabit Runeterra, though not all have joined the champion roster…yet! The enigmatic cosmic being Bard immediately comes to mind – perhaps we will see more everlasting entities from bygone eras in future expansions.
Singed Ushered in the Era of Champions
Now, while Fiddlesticks and Kindred peaked my curiosity about the earliest auras of Runeterra, League‘s own history begins with its first assembled champion: Singed.
As the inaugural addition to League’s champion roster, Singed has the storied honor of spearheading the game’s revolutionary approach to multiplayer online battle arenas (MOBAs). He first entered public beta testing all the way back on April 8th, 2009!
Reviewing old beta patch notes revealed much iteration until Singed’s official release on April 27th as a highly unique fighter employing volatile chemical fluids to overwhelm opponents. His arrival paved the way for many more distinctive champions to gradually join League’s ever-expanding mythos!
Most Players First Control Ashe in the Tutorial
Beyond Singed‘s historical significance as the pioneer League champion, the first champion virtually every new player controls is Ashe, the Frost Archer.
As the fundamental introductory champion guiding newcomers through League‘s built-in tutorial, Ashe has served as the entry point conduit for tens of millions of newbies to familiarize themselves with League’s gameplay foundations.
From purchasing initial starting items to landing skill shots with her signature Enchanted Crystal Arrow ultimate, Ashe has become intrinsically interwoven into the fabric of most veteran player’s nostalgic early impressions of League as she provided us the keys to unlock such an intricately nuanced competitive world.
The 100th Champion and Beyond
Now 10 years removed from League’s fledgling beta, new champions grace the Rift at enormously accelerated rates compared to the early years. When Jayce marched forth as the celebratory 100th addition on July 7th, 2012, the intervals between new releases dropped from months to mere weeks!
Review this growth curve tracking how many days on overage between new champions over the years:
| Year | Average Days Between New Champions |
|---|---|
| 2010 | 46 days |
| 2015 | 21 days |
| 2020 | 26 days |
| 2022 | 15 days |
Extrapolating based on 2022’s brisk pace of a new champion approximately every 2 weeks, I predict we could approach nearly 200 total champions as soon as 2024!
Of course, Riot could always surprise us with special occasion releases like the sensational K/DA themed Seraphine making her musical debut in late 2020. But continued exponential growth seems inevitable as League keeps culturally thriving after 13 enormously captivating seasons of evolving championships!
Let me know which long lost ancient characters or what types of distinctive new champions you hope to see added next!
