Summary
- Arcane is a prequel to League of Legends, giving backstories of popular characters like Jinx, Vi, and Jayce.
- Timeline difficulty exists in connecting the events of both Arcane and League of Legends due to changed story bits.
- While Arcane delves into character backgrounds, League of Legends focuses on the expansive world of Runeterra.
A lot of the timelines between Arcane and League of Legends are shared, with most of the current canon coming from Arcane. The show is a prequel to the game, and gives a glimpse into the backstories of a lot of well-known characters, including Jinx, Jayce, Vi, Viktor, and more. However, despite the timelines being related, it can be difficult to put them together.
With so much of what happens in Arcane riding on the future of League of Legends, many fans find it hard to exactly place the two timelines together properly. Though bits and pieces have been changed throughout the show, most of the story has remained the same between the two mediums.
The Arcane Timeline
In order to really understand the connections between Arcane and League of Legends, fans will need to pull together all the different significant events between the two titles. Arcane is a prequel to League of Legends, and serves as a background for all the important Champions in the game, such as Vi, Jinx, Vander, Viktor, Jayce, and much more. It shows the early development of Hextech and how this affected the citizens of Piltover and Zaun.
In the very beginning, we see Vi, Powder (also known as Jinx), and their adoptive family, consisting of Vander, Mylo, and Claggor. The group attempts to complete a heist in Piltover, but is soon discovered after a Hextech Crystal explodes in Jayce's apartment. Soon after these early events, Jayce and Viktor team up to work together on expanding Hextech, and Silco, a former ally of Vander, attempts to take over Zaun. Eventually, Vander is defeated by Silco, and Powder is taken in by him, leaving Vi on her own. This is when the timeline jumps ahead, and where the real action happens in Arcane.
Important Events In Arcane During Acts 2-4
- Jayce and Viktor develop Hextech and create Hexgates in Piltover, allowing the city to become a trading center.
- Caitlyn has become an enforcer who is searching for Silco and his criminal team.
- Vi has become imprisoned, but is eventually let free by Caitlyn.
- Viktor is suffering from a terminal illness that can only be solved through the use of Hextech.
- Jayce agrees to take military action against Zaun, as Piltover's council tells him to do.
- Jinx has become increasingly unstable, and her relationship with Vi has begun to waver. Eventually, she accidentally kills Silco, leaving her on her own. She then also attacks the Piltover council.
- Caitlyn looks to get revenge on Jinx after the death of her mother in the attack on the Piltover council.
- Viktor is fully transformed with his arcane powers and aligns with Ambessa Medarda of Noxus by Act 4.
- Noxus begins an alliance with Piltover to impose martial law.
- Viktor attempts to unify humanity, which begins an all-out battle between Noxus, Piltover, and Zaun. Eventually, Piltover and Zaun unite to defeat Noxus.
- In the final battle, Jinx apparently sacrifices herself to save Vi from Warwick, who was the mutated form of Vander.
Where Has Jayce Been In Arcane Season 2? (Theory)
When Jayce returns in Act of Arcane Season 2 he looks very different to how fans know him.
The League of Legends Timeline
League of Legends is set in the future, showcasing the popular Champions such as Vi, Jinx, Warwick, Jayce, and more. There is a lot to the League of Legends timeline, and it showcases the many different people and creatures in Runeterra. This place was created by the Celestials. We also get a glimpse into some of the past events before Arcane, such as the Titan War and Rune Wars.
A lot of the game also shows the continuing war between Piltover and Zaun, as well as the Noxus-Demacia battle. These two kingdoms are massive entities in Runeterra, and are polar opposites. Demacia utilizes light magic, while Noxus remains a militant state. There are many other notable events in League of Legends to take note of, especially when comparing it to Arcane.
Important Events in League of Legends
- After the creation of Runeterra by the Celestials, the Titan War broke out, which was a battle for control of Runeterra.
- Shurima is established as an empire led by Ascended beings.
- The Darkin Wars break out, started by The Ascended who transform into Darkin, gods that have brought unrest across Runeterra. Eventually, they are imprisoned by celestial magic.
- Then, the Rune Wars occurred, which was a battle for magical artifacts, or Runes. This completely tore apart Runeterra.
- Demacia and Noxus are established, with Demacia being against certain types of magic, and Noxus building themselves on strength and taking over other regions. Eventually, they invade Ionia.
- Eventually, the Ruination occurs in the Shadow Isles, consisting of King Viego's obsession with resurrecting his queen, Isolde. This brought the Black Mist, which made everyone turn into the undead. The Blessed Isles then become the Shadow Isles.
- In modern times, after Zaun and Piltover's split, Azir is resurrected by Shurima to restore the empire.
- He comes back as the Ruined King, and expands the Black Mist as he continues to attempt to resurrect Isolde. Multiple Champions, such as Lucian and Gwen, try to stop him.
- As the Void grows stronger, more Champions attempt to stop its spread. Bel'Veth rises as the new leader of the Void.
How They Intersect
Most of where League of Legends and Arcane intersect is through the popular Champions and their background. Arcane gives a deeper look into these characters and who they are, and how exactly they came to be. However, League of Legends focuses more on the expansive world of Runeterra, and all the major events that happened. Arcane is set predominantly in Piltover and Zaun, which is only a small section of Runeterra.
So, while Arcane gives a deeper look into individual characters in a small area, League of Legends allows players to see a bigger picture. The characters that are shared between the two titles include:
- Jinx
- Vi
- Jayce
- Viktor
- Caitlyn
- Heimerdinger
- Ekko
- Singed
Fans of League of Legends and these Champions in particular can look at Arcane as an expansive glimpse into the world of Piltover and Zaun, the dual cities that are split but always connected.
Arcane is available to stream on Netflix.
Arcane
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- 2021 - 2024
Arcane is an animated series developed by Alex Yee and Christian Linke that follows a the story of Piltover and Zaun, two pivotal locations in the League of Legends universe. The first season follows the stories of Jynx and Vi, as well as Jayce and Viktor.
- Cast
- Hailee Steinfeld, Ella Purnell, Kevin Alejandro, Jason Spisak, Toks Olagundoye, Harry Lloyd, Katie Leung, JB Blanc, Shelby Young, Reed Shannon, Amirah Vann, Mia Sinclair Jenness, Yuri Lowenthal, Shohreh Aghdashloo, Roger Craig Smith, Miles Brown, MIYAVI, Fred Tatasciore, Erica Lindbeck, Krizia Bajos, Bill Lobley, Brett Tucker, Kimberly Brooks, Faustino Duran
- Showrunner
- Christian Linke
- Directors
- Barth Maunoury, Marietta Ren, Christelle Abgrall
- Writers
- Amanda Overton, Nick Luddington, Mollie Bickley St. John, Ben St. John, Giovanna Sarquis, Henry G.M. Jones
- Franchise(s)
- League of Legends
- Seasons
- 2
- Streaming Service(s)
- Netflix
