The Riot MMO is shaping up to be a traditional MMORPG. Therefore, we expect the Riot MMO weapons to be plentiful, exciting, and impactful. This premise is based on the Riot MMO team history. Many employees from the Riot MMO team worked on World of Warcraft. No doubt, this MMO will be influenced by the heavyweight MMORPG titles currently available.
With traditional MMORPG themes in mind, we know the Runeterra lore will be sourced as well for inspiration and direct content. The fleshed out stories of Runeterra will fine tune the exact weapons and weapon types. In some cases, fine tuned down to the exact name and appearance.
This pathway to worldbuilding isn’t totally uncharted. Much of The World of Warcraft worldbuilding was drawn from the Warcraft RTS franchise. Greg Street made a tweet saying Riot has been doing their worldbuilding for years which has been leading up to this point. Whether for use in part for an MMO game is unclear. Nonetheless, we know the Runeterra IP (intellectual property) is being shared with 3rd party developers for games such as Project L, Ruined King, and more. With all these developers and worldbuilding underway, there are tons of weapons fans can expect from the upcoming Riot MMO.
Table of Contents
Weapons in the Riot MMO
In MMORPG games, weapons play an integral part in character development, gameplay, and immersion. Greg Street said the Riot MMO will be AAA project. Now, a budget consisting of the AAA moniker comes with some expectations. In terms of weapons, we expect the following basic weapon structure:
- Weapon variety
- High quality weapon design and animation
- Stat variety
- Names, icon art, value, RNG, lore etc.
It’s not enough to simply input the weapons, art, animations, and ecosystem. These components just mentioned need to integrate into the game experience.
Character Development
We all love that feeling when we drop into a new MMO for the first time, and everything is new. When the world is unexplored and your group of friends are just figuring everything out. You look at your gear and you see ‘beginners sword’ and ‘basic clothing’. It’s the humble beginners that are so nostalgic.
As you learn, improve and look back, you remember that ‘beginners sword’. Along the way, there were many upgrades, levels gained and quests completed. You feel connected to your character because you were a part of every step.
The weapons are very meaningful to players. Perhaps even more so than the armor, depending on who you ask. The weapon in many ways, defines the character. This player is weak. Or, this player is strong. You can tell at a glance by looking at his sword. Does it have a runic affixation, or is it made from old tree bark?
The Riot MMO developers will have to nail down the pace of item acquisition. Attaining new gear at an unusual ace can displace the player character from his character. This might look like, new gear being unexciting, meaningless. And if the pace is too slow, players might feel discouraged by the lack of upgrades.
We know the Riot MMO team is aware of this delicate balance. Greg Street has even tweeted about it. That’s why we believe the Riot MMO will have a variety of interesting weapons that support exciting character development.
Gameplay
Weapons are a unique part of gear, in that they interact directly with the world. Your sword swings are hit the enemy. Or, you fire your arrow and penetrate your for from a distance. Unlike, armor where it does not usually interact with the world directly. Therefore, the development around weapons has a powerful impact on gameplay quality.
Once again, players will expect AAA development here. Poor gameplay is the most obvious weakness in a video game. Of course, the parts that make up ‘quality gameplay’ can become complicated, or long-winded.
Simply put, in terms of weapon related content, the Riot MMO should have:
- A variety of weapons
Video game players get bored easily. There needs to be a plethora of weapons and weapon types to experience at some point. It doesn’t have to be all on day one, or week one. - Smooth animations
When players interact with their weapon and the world, it should feel seamless. We have high expectations at this point. Good gameplay almost a prerequisite to meaningful immersion in action based MMORPGs. - Quality sound design
Not quite immersion itself but directly related nonetheless. Good gameplay is perceived when the complete ecosystem of game design produces a acceptable level of sustained interest for the player. Simply put, sound matters.
Immersion
After gameplay is nailed down, a player is more likely to become immersed into the MMO world. Meaningful character progression and quality gameplay naturally invite immersive experiences. Players will feel connected to their characters and its achievements. Immersion is harder provide. It’s similar to an orchestra. An orchestra requires a mastery of impeccably timed musical notes. Similarly, an immersive experience requires an elaborate collection of interdependent game systems. Without an orchestra, the theatre is not complete. And without immersion, an RPG (role-playing game) in incomplete.
It is no coincidence that the most fan-favorite story in Runeterra is of Viego and his Blade of the Ruined King. That weapon almost defines him. And League of Legends players have been using the Blade of the Ruined King since October 2012.
List of Possible Riot MMO Weapons
Swords
We expect the Riot MMO to have swords as usable weapons. Many players would consider it a bonus if we had variety of sword styles. For example, Bilgewater is known for their cutlass. Similarly, Ionia is famous for their Wuju blades. The aristocrats of Demacia often engage in duels to settle social matters. Thus the rapier is associated with prestige in Demacia.
Axes
Axes are a staple in any action based MMORPG. There is no doubt in our mind we will see Noxus NPCs and players running around with axes. It would be a nice touch to have axe drops more frequently in area with they are used most. For example, Riot MMO weapon drops in Noxus more than Ionia from random enemy mobs.
Spears / Scythes
Spears are scythes are also iconic. Therefore, they Should have their own category. Of course, both weapon types should be in the game. Although, we aren’t sure that will be the case at launch. If you’ve read our post about the possible starting zones, you might remember why. We don’t expect the Shadow Isles to be a starting zones. Therefore, scythes might be rare or non-existent. Whereas, we expect to see spears because Demacia will be a top contender for a starting zone.
Daggers
Daggers really need to be in the Riot MMORPG! I mean we have whole character classes revolving around these weapons. Not to mention, fan-favorite champions like Katarina make their magic with these weapons.
Daggers are almost everywhere in Runeterra. Some discreet areas, such as Ixtal, may have a strong preference for other types, making daggers pretty rare. I’m sure they will incorporate these details on launch.
Staves / Wands
Staves are an MMORPG classic. Magic wielders of all types should master the staff. The staff weapon type is as high of a priority as the sword. The world of Runeterra is filled with magic. The question is, will Demacian quest givers still give us magic weapons for rewards (spoiler: Demacia hates magic). Tough decisions ahead for the development team.
Off-Hand
Players always appreciate an extra weapon or armor slot. Even if its a ring, neck, or bracer slot. Why not an off-hand option. For those one-hand combatants, like wand users, a magical tome adds some much appreciated personalization.
Ryze has a magic book, Illaoi has an idol, Ahri has a magical orb. Gangplank has his orange and so on. There are current examples of champion who have off hand, or magical trinkets for combat.
Maces / Hammers / Clubs
Maces, hammers, and clubs are common blunt weapons. They see battles everywhere. The Trolls from the Freljord often use clubs, and the brutes of Noxus can be seen with maces, and so on. The Riot MMO team is no slouch. They know there are tons of players who want to play an oversized hulking warrior to dominate their foes. We strongly suspect maces, hammers, and clubs will be in the upcoming Riot MMO.
2H Sword / 2H Axe
2-hand swords and axes are the counterpart to single hand swords and axes. They swing slower than the single-handed versions. These weapons make up for it in power. Some of the most iconic champions can be seen with two-handed weapons. Fan favorites include Darius, and Sion with their two-handed axe. Garen and Riven are good examples of popular champions with two-handed swords. We are waiting for these to drop in the Riot MMO.
Fist Weapons
Fist weapons, such as brass knuckles aren’t as common. Still, they are often used by mobsters, pirates, and other hand-to-hand combatants. Fist weapons give a similar expression in combat to martial arts, without the long training and occasional kick. Quite a macho weapon that will sadden many players if excluded. We expect to see some fist weapons in the Riot MMO.
Void Weapons
Void weapons are rare and beyond powerful. We are not sure if we will be given the opportunity to wield void weapons. The most notable example was a Shuriman fighter named Horok who discovered how to use the void as a weapon against themselves. This weapon was known as the Nether Blade of Horok. Centuries later, champions such as Kassadin and Ezreal stole from his tomb and use his weapons for their own purpose. Kassadin’s Void Blade can slice through almost anything. Quite OP…
Martial Arts
Martial arts is an ancient form of combat. It has been refined over the years and techniques passed down over generations.
Regions such as Ionia should host martial artists. We expect a martial arts style class to be playable at launch. Hopefully, they have abilities and animations inspired by champions such as Lee Sin from League of Legends.
Bows / Crossbows
The ranged archetype is found in almost every single MMORPG imaginable. Every region and race have combatants who are skilled in ranged combat. Similar to the sword, we hope to see variations of ranged weapons types that correspond with the region.
For example, Ionia may have bows, Freljord and Demacia can have bows and crossbows and so on.
Guns
Guns are also universal in Runeterra. Like most weapons, guns vary in style depending on their origins. Runeterra has seen a variety of guns including, pistols, cannons, shotguns, rifles, and more.
The image of the hextech revolver to the left is an interesting one. The Hextech Revolver gives rise to the idea of hextech as a possible profession in the upcoming MMO. That would be awesome.
Grenades
Grenades are rather specific. We might have the occasional throwable item. Still, grenades aren’t usually main-hand weapons. We haven’t seen an explosion of throwable items in the Runeterra universe. Of course, many exist. We’re just not sure if the Riot MMO team will prioritize fitting grenades into the game. Either way, it would be interesting.
Chakrams / Chalicars
Chakrams and Chalicars are different. But they both have similar functions. They operate as throwable blades. We’ve seen many variations. The Ixtal culture uses elementally powered chakrams throw and slice through their enemies. The Chakram famously used by Sivir does not have as widespread use as Chalicars. Still, there’s no reason why we can’t get a imitation version for our ranged characters.
Implementing the Riot MMO Weapons
Ideally, we’d love to see all of these weapons in the Riot MMO. Now, that is unlikely. We expect to see swords, axes, bows, guns, daggers, staves, and two-handed weapons. Anything else would be a bonus. Don’t forget, the Riot MMO will have purchasable cosmetics for our weapons. That’s according to Greg Street x Kanon YouTube interview.
Based on Greg Street’s sentiments on Twitter, we know he is in favor of giving players agency over stifling for the sake of lore consistency. Keep in mind, there’s is a whole team supporting him. Further, Greg does have, nor does he want a veto button do override his tam and fan’s desires. Still, if his team supports him, we should see weapon type availability for all races. The jury is still out on classes.
That’s it for this weapon overview. Keep your eyes peeling for in-depth weapon pages, specific weapon loot from the Runeterra universe and unobtainable legendaries.