Riot Games makes lore book official with Realms of Runeterra

League of Legends enthusiasts have long desired a centralized resource to explore the game’s intricate backstory, and Riot Games is finally delivering with their official lore publication. This comprehensive volume represents years of world-building development across multiple media formats.

With 145 distinct champions, each possessing unique cultural backgrounds and personal histories, the narrative depth has consistently influenced character aesthetics, skin designs, and even the iconic Summoner’s Rift battlefield layout. Over the years, Riot has distributed lore fragments through various channels including detailed champion biographies, episodic short fiction, graphic novels, and occasional animated features.

Until now, players seeking comprehensive understanding faced the challenge of piecing together scattered narrative elements from multiple sources. This fragmentation ends with the arrival of a unified reference work that consolidates all essential knowledge.

Riot set to release official lore book, Realms of Runeterra

Realms of Runeterra serves as an exhaustive geographical and cultural atlas, methodically examining Runeterra’s diverse territories while offering enhanced understanding of Summoner’s Rift combatants. The compilation features extensive visual content including hundreds of finished illustrations alongside previously unreleased conceptual artwork from the game’s development archives. This represents the definitive single-volume encyclopedia covering every aspect players might wish to explore about League’s universe.

“This substantial volume guides readers across eleven distinct Runeterran territories, documenting ongoing conflicts, deep-seated rivalries, and secret alliances while delivering fresh perspectives on heroes, native plants, wildlife, architectural styles, political systems, and technological innovations from throughout this fictional world,” explained Riot Games representatives.

For collectors, the book’s value extends beyond narrative content. The inclusion of developmental concept art provides unique insights into character evolution and environmental design processes rarely visible to the public. This behind-the-scenes access makes the publication particularly valuable for dedicated fans and lore scholars alike.

Player communities have consistently requested expanded Runeterra mythology for many years. The 2014 decision to condense champion background summaries within the game interface created significant narrative accessibility barriers. League’s extensive backstory became increasingly difficult to access systematically throughout subsequent seasons, though recently the development team has significantly advanced their universe construction methodologies.

A notable precursor to this publication was Riot’s collaboration with Marvel Entertainment to produce comic book series highlighting origin narratives for specific champions. Characters receiving dedicated comic storylines included frost archer Ashe, light mage Lux, and revolutionary mage Sylas. These partnerships demonstrated Riot’s commitment to transmedia storytelling while testing audience appetite for expanded narrative formats.

This new publication stands as the most substantial contribution to League of Legends’ mythological framework since the game’s initial release. The systematic organization and depth of content represent a watershed moment for lore accessibility and canonical consistency.

Realms of Runeterra currently accepts advance orders with an official street date of November 5, 2019. Early purchasers typically receive exclusive supplementary materials or limited edition packaging, though specific pre-order incentives vary by retailer and region.

For serious collectors, this publication represents both an informational resource and potential investment opportunity. Limited print runs of gaming art books often appreciate significantly in value, particularly when they contain exclusive developmental content unavailable through other channels.

The timing coincides with League of Legends’ tenth anniversary celebrations, suggesting possible connections to broader franchise milestones. Savvy fans should monitor official Riot channels for announcements regarding special editions, signed copies, or bundled content that may enhance the book’s long-term collectible value.

When evaluating similar gaming art books and lore compendiums, publications with extensive conceptual artwork and developer commentary typically maintain stronger secondary market values than standard art collections.

No reproduction without permission：Game Guides Online » Riot Games makes lore book official with Realms of Runeterra Riot Games releases comprehensive lore book exploring Runeterra's regions, champions, and hidden game secrets