The controversy surrounding League of Legends‘ changes is still at an all-time high, and even the new Mordekaiser skin isn’t safe from criticism. It was recently announced that League of Legends is releasing an Exalted Skin called “Sahn-Uzal Mordekaiser” as part of the Noxus season’s second act. Although many fans have been looking forward to this skin for a while now, they also couldn’t help but feel disappointed because it will be locked behind a gacha system.
League of Legends has been getting a lot of flak for its removal of Hextech Chests, essentially hammering down on having to spend a premium on skins, including Sahn-Uzal Mordekaiser. It’s definitely a slippery slope, especially if Riot Games plans to release skins that are connected to important lore. Plus, with League of Legends Season 1 focusing mainly on Noxus’ lore following the events of Arcane, introducing Mordekaiser during these complicated circumstances can prove challenging.
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Who is Mordekaiser?
Noxus is a powerful empire with a fearsome reputation for having strong armies and warriors fighting that can conquer regions. Sahn-Uzal was one such warrior when he was the king of Noxus during the region’s old barbarian era. In League of Legends lore and the Exalted Skin cinematic, Sahn-Uzal was killed during battle, but instead of going to the pearly gates, he conquered death and, by pure force of will, created his own realm of the dead where he would rule under a new identity, Mordekaiser. This was fueled by the fact that he saw that there’s no Hall of Bones, Noxus’ equivalent of Valhalla, when one dies, and he refused to fade away.
Likewise, the Black Rose is said to be responsible for the fall of Sahn-Uzal’s kingdom, and it’s also trying to stop the cursed king from coming back to life for thousands of years. This is why LeBlanc has been collecting runes and weapons, and recruiting powerful beings, like League of Legends‘ new character Mel Medarda, to help with the cause.
The Impact of League of Legends’ Removal of Hextech Chests and Locking Skins Behind a Paywall
As mentioned, League of Legends has been getting a lot of backlash for removing the ability to obtain skins for free, essentially forcing people to pay for a battlepass or purchase expensive premium bundles, like the controversial Faker Ahri collab, to get new skins. Riot Games devs explained that the old model wasn’t financially sustainable for League of Legends because fans are allegedly getting free skins too often via Hextech Chests, which led to them buying fewer skins. On one hand, the explanation makes sense because League of Legends is a free-to-play game, and giving away too many free items and failing to sell could affect the game’s overall development.
However, many fans feel like League of Legends is now a “cash grab” because premium skins are either too expensive or they can only obtain them via a gacha system. Such is the case with the Sahn-Uzal Mordekaiser Exalted Skin, because fans reportedly don’t have the option to directly buy one of the most anticipated lore-skins in the game, and can only pull for it.
Mordekaiser is instrumental in Noxus’ lore, and many think that he’ll play a role in the next iteration of Arcane, which is said to explore other regions in League of Legends‘ world. This is also why Riot has been investing more on lore-skins that could connect to Arcane‘s bigger story, like Sahn-Uzal Mordekaiser. But it’s also understandable why many people are disappointed at the fact that they can’t experience these lore-skins for themselves because of how inaccessible they are. Whether Riot Games eventually decides to reverse its decision to remove Hextech Chests amid public outcry is still up in the air at this point.
- Released
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October 27, 2009
- ESRB
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T for Teen: Blood, Fantasy Violence, Mild Suggestive Themes, Use of Alcohol and Tobacco