After an age of warfare, the superpowers of the land of Valoran have come together to form a governing body that will settle all disputes behind the closed doors of the Institute of War. Their task is a noble one — to lift the impossible weight of bloody war off the shoulders of the world and place it upon a select few — The League of Legends. On the Fields of Justice, legendary Champions forge alliances and resolve their differences in battle arenas. In the League there is one rule that reigns over all else: Winner rules all.

In League of Legends, players take on the role of a persistent Summoner avatar that gazes upon the battlefield from above and influences battles by taking command of a chosen Champion. During each online multiplayer play session, gamers will choose one of dozens of unique Champions wielding diverse skills and abilities, and engage in fast-paced team-oriented combat to bring their foes to ruin. Champions will gain levels, items, and abilities that enable them to slay their opponents and augment the strength of their allies by battling with enemy minions, foul beasts, deadly turrets and enemy Champions. Players also advance their Summoner’s rank and power to gain new abilities and items, assisting their Champions in battle.

League of Legends emphasizes team-oriented gameplay and players must work together in order to defeat the opposing team. Players will be able to communicate easily through in-game lounges and chat rooms, and forums will act as a conversational hub for a wide variety of discussions amongst community members. League of Legends will feature custom-built multiplayer support including matchmaking, stat tracking, clan support, anti-cheat systems, dedicated in-game ladders and Leaverbuster technology. In addition to extensive multiplayer features, League of Legends will include a single-player mode where players can learn how to play and practice new strategies by engaging robust Bot-AI.

Twitch, the Plague Rat

Champion Type: Assassin

The city-state of Zaun is a twisted realm of science and magic ran amok. The air is choked with pollution from the countless factories and magic labs that spew waste into the sky. As polluted as the sky is in Zaun, its subterranean levels are far worse. The waste products of Zaun’s many different scientific and magical endeavors have flowed together in its sewers, mixing into a toxic and mysterious concoction. Rising up from this alchemical nightmare is a single plague rat. Unlike his un-evolved cousins, Twitch (as he calls himself) can talk and read and interact with the world as well as any of the other sentient being in Valoran. Twitch has come to the League of Legends to represent himself—the only one of his kind—on the Fields of Justice.

While Twitch’s true motivations remain known only to him, his prowess in the arena is a matter of public record. As a creature of the sewers, he is able to blend in with the shadows and ambush an unwary victim of his choosing. He has collected a significant quantity of the toxic soup that collects in Zaun’s underground, which he coats his crossbow with. The effect of being shot with one of Twitch’s crossbow bolts is extremely debilitating. Even without his poison, he will outright infect those he chooses to attack courtesy of him being a plague rat. As an act of desperation, Twitch may rapidly unleash a flurry of bolts at his foes. He madly peppers the area he focuses on, though the damage is reduced.

Abilities

• Ambush: Twitch blends into the shadows, causing him to become stealthed and move 30% slower. If Twitch attacks a unit while ambushing, he gains attack speed for up to 10 seconds, depending how long he remained stealthed before breaking it. Twitch can cast Ambush again while stealthed to destealth.
• Debilitating Poison: Slows nearby enemy champions' move speed by 20%, plus 10% per Deadly Venom they have.
• Expunge: Each nearby enemy afflicted with Deadly Venom is dealt damage, plus additional damage per Deadly Venom stack. This purges the poison from the target.
• Spray and Pray: Twitch closes his eyes and fires his crossbow as fast as he can. Twitch attacks faster, farther, and fires line missiles. His attacks deal 100% damage to the first target hit, and 70% damage to all others. Lasts 7 seconds.
• Deadly Venom: Twitch’s attacks infect the target, causing damage over time that can stack.

Karthus, the Deathsinger

Champion Type: Mage

The vast quantities of magical energy that have been released during Valoran’s numerous Rune Wars have scarred much of Valoran. Many remote locales continue to be twisted by residual magic, making them places where few dare to go. The Howling Marsh is one of these places, and the self-appointed overlord of this land is the lich known as Karthus. Some speculate that Karthus was a mage in life who was foolish enough to enter the fetid waters seeking his fortune, and that he was forever transformed by whatever dark magic permeates the swamp. On the darkest of nights, Karthus is said to sing the tales of those who have succumbed to the swamp, past and present.

Karthus has come to the League of Legends seeking personal magical power and influence. While not entirely malevolent as an undead lich, he cares little for the consequences of death upon the living. Karthus can make the ground beneath his foes erupt, causing massive damage to those caught in the blast. He can create a wall of tangible pain, crippling foes who are foolish enough to pass through it. Being a lich, he feeds off the misery of others in two different ways – either defiling the environment around him or feasting on the magical essence of those he fells in combat. Karthus also may sing the song of death itself; those who hear his baleful dirge are wounded to their very soul, and it is nearly impossible to escape hearing this woeful aria.

Abilities

• Lay Waste: Creates a delayed blast at Lich's cursor position. After 0.5 seconds, deals Magic Damage to each nearby enemy.
• Wall of Pain: Creates a wall through target point. Reduces enemy armor and magic resistance and reduces movement speed by up to 60%; debuff lasts 5 seconds. Wall lasts 12 seconds.
• Defile: While on, Defile drains Lich's mana to deal damage to nearby enemies each second. While off, when Lich kills a unit, he restores mana.
• Fallen One: After channeling for 3 seconds, Lich deals damage to all enemy champions (regardless of distance).
• Death Defied: On taking lethal damage, Lich defies death for 10 seconds, continuing to cast spells. If he kills a champion while defying death, he respawns at his spawning pool.
  

Key Features :

• Play as dozens of unique Champions with diverse skills and abilities while engaging in fast-paced team-oriented combat.
• Compete in a variety of highly stylized and unique handcrafted battle scenarios.
• Create your own persistent Summoner avatar and customize your appearance through achievements that you earn in game.
• Advance your Summoner in rank and power to gain skills and abilities that give you an edge in battle.
• Join clans and teams to compete with other players in tournaments and organized leagues.
• Assemble Legendary items for your Champion by forging together basic items you obtain on the battlefield. Choose from over 200 uniquely crafted items to augment your Champion's power.
• Robust matchmaking and detailed stat tracking help to ensure balanced games for new players and veterans alike.
• Unlock new content through persistent gameplay and mastering the game.
• Integrated LeaverbusterTM technology helps ensure people stay for the whole game!
• Participate in the creation of League of Legends through our Suggestion Engine the community will have an unprecedented voice in what new content is created and implemented into the game.
  And much, much more...

The League of Legends community will feature an abundance of ongoing events including tournaments, leagues and contests. The Riot development team will open their doors for community input, allowing gamers to have their opinions heard, have their ideas implemented in League of Legends and continue to shape the game as it evolves post-launch. Gamers can already join the community forums to begin tracking the new title, engage with the Riot team and other players and become a part of the development process for League of Legends.

League of Legends is being designed by a decorated group of developers with credits that include PC & console blockbusters, as well as part of the team that created the popular Warcraft 3 mod DotA-Allstars. Riot will invite players into the League of Legends beta in 2009.