League of Legends Classic Launches With Nostalgic Animated Cinematic Packed With Community References

Riot Games has officially launched League of Legends Classic, marking the release with a new animated cinematic that revisits some of the game’s most memorable moments from its early years. Narrated by Zilean, the video follows the time-bending champion as he looks back on classic eras of League, featuring numerous community memes, removed items, champion builds, runes, and easter eggs that longtime players are likely to recognize.

The cinematic was created in partnership with Histeria! and Crazy Boris Productions, with Riot also thanking the creators and community members who helped shape the game’s history.

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The launch accompanies the debut of League of Legends Classic, a new gameplay mode that recreates elements from the game’s early seasons rather than a single point in time. Riot describes it as a “greatest hits” version of classic League, using Season 3 as its foundation while bringing together content from multiple eras.

At launch, League Classic features 60 champions, consisting of the original 40 champions alongside 20 additional champions released between 2009 and 2013. Players can once again use pre-rework champion kits, classic Summoner Spells, nearly every item from the game’s early years, and the original Runes and Masteries system. Items such as Atma’s Impaler, Frozen Mallet, and classic Gold-per-10 builds are also back, while the mode recreates the original Summoner’s Rift with updated visuals for improved readability.

Riot says Classic emphasizes the slower combat pacing that defined early League of Legends, with less mobility, more deliberate engagements, and champions featuring clearer strengths and weaknesses than in the modern game. The mode launches with a PvP Draft queue, Co-op vs. AI, and Custom Games, alongside a new progression system called Summoner’s Journey that replaces traditional ranked play with milestone-based progression.

Players can unlock champions, Rune Pages, cosmetics, and Classic Skins through a dedicated Classic progression track. Riot also plans to let the community help shape the future of the mode through The Council, a voting system that will allow players to influence future champion additions, cosmetics, and other aspects of League Classic.

Source: League of Legends Official YouTube, Official Website
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