01Before the empires
Meet the celestial and spiritual forces before following the nations they influence.
Mythic origins · no fixed calendarStart reading →Start lore · one clear route
Begin at the beginning.
Follow the history of the world first. Meet its people and explore each region along the way.
Start here · 01Before the empiresRead the first story →Follow the broad chronology from ancient origins to the modern age. Numbers give you a reading sequence; myths and simultaneous regional conflicts do not have a single confirmed order.
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01
02The Three Sisters & the ice below
An ancient bargain leaves the north guarding a threat that has not ended.
Ancient northern historyContinue the history →
03Shurima & the Sun Disc
An empire builds its power around the transformation of mortals into god-warriors.
Before Icathia's rebellionContinue the history →
04Where Icathia Once Stood
Read the complete story of a rebellion whose final weapon could not be controlled.
Before Shurima's capital fallsContinue the history →
05The fall of Shurima
Azir's Ascension, Xerath's betrayal and a prison that separates two brothers.
After the war at IcathiaContinue the history →
06The darkin wars
The surviving god-warriors turn on one another, until even their bodies become prisons.
After Shurima's collapseContinue the history →
07The Blessed Isles
See the islands as they were: a guarded place of learning before the Black Mist.
Before the RuinationContinue the history →
08The Ruination
Viego's refusal to accept a loss transforms an entire land.
Ancient catastrophe · before the later Sentinels conflictContinue the history →
09The Rune Wars & a new refuge
The World Runes devastate civilizations; survivors search for protection from magic.
The era of Demacia's foundingContinue the history →
10The invasion of Ionia
Follow the war from occupation to resistance and its lasting consequences.
Parallel regional thread · the first invasionContinue the history →
11Power changes hands in Noxus
Understand the empire, Darkwill's fall and the government that replaces him.
Modern Noxus · includes the aftermath of the invasionContinue the history →
12Demacia & the mage rebellion
The fear that once protected a refuge becomes a crisis within the kingdom.
Parallel regional thread · the royal crisisContinue the history →
13Piltover & Zaun
Two connected cities turn the promise of progress into an unequal inheritance.
Parallel regional thread · distinguish Universe and Arcane accountsContinue the history →Choose your own thread
Explore a particular story
These collections follow a theme or a cast of characters. Their biographies and later appearances can span several eras.
Browse all 25 reading collections +
Demacia & the price of order
Start with a family secret, then follow the conflict between the kingdom's laws and its mages.
Enter the story →Noxus, Ionia & the scars of war
Follow the invasion through the people whose lives it changed. This is a suggested reading order, not a dated timeline.
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Shurima, Ascension & the Void
Explore an empire's ambitions, the people it elevated and the catastrophe at Icathia.
Enter the story →The Ruination & the Black Mist
Meet the people behind the catastrophe before following the curse through the Shadow Isles.
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Piltover & Zaun: two sides of progress
Explore invention, inequality and survival through the people of the two cities. Universe biographies and Arcane do not always describe events in the same way.
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Bilgewater & Burning Tides
Enter the port through its rival captains, then read the story that changes their balance of power.
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The Freljord: survival and leadership
Begin with three different visions of power in the north. These introductions are starting points; the longer Universe accounts add important context.
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Targon: mortals and celestial power
Meet the people who carry celestial power, and one warrior who resists its authority.
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Ixtal: ambition, family and the jungle
Discover different uses of extraordinary power, from political ambition to a family’s return from exile.
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Bandle City: journeys beyond home
Start with a scout, a search for a missing friend and a yordle determined to become a hero.
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The Void: belief, survival and hunger
Three character perspectives introduce a threat that cannot be reduced to a single monster.
Enter the story →The darkin: glory, imprisonment and despair
Trace the darkin through accounts of their past, then return to the experience of one imprisoned warrior.
Enter the story →Ryze and the danger of the World Runes
Begin with the bearer of a dangerous responsibility, then continue into the stories surrounding his journey.
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The gods in the stories of the north
Read these as different accounts of northern powers. A legend preserves a viewpoint as well as an event.
Enter the story →Who holds power in Noxus?
Move from the empire’s stated principles to stories linked to its leading political figures.
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Sisterhood of War: the complete trilogy
Read all three parts in their published sequence. Keep this series together before moving to another Riven story.
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Confessions of a Broken Blade
Follow the three-part account in order. This route keeps the original divisions and keeps the original stories together here.
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Lucian, Senna and the struggle with the Mist
Approach the Black Mist through the hunters and survivors who resist it, using their original character stories.
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Bilgewater beyond Burning Tides
Start with the major port-city story, then compare the individual accounts Riot associates with its rival captains.
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Ionia at the edge of the spirit world
Explore traditions, dreams and a changed warrior. This is a thematic route rather than a claim that these stories happen consecutively.
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Xayah and Rakan: resistance together
Read each partner’s character story before continuing with another story featured in Xayah’s archive.
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Three perspectives on the Void
Compare stories associated with a survivor, an empress and a prophet. Their viewpoints are not interchangeable.
Enter the story →Icathia and the lives after catastrophe
Begin with the account of Icathia, then use the biographies to follow two characters connected with its legacy.
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A gentler path through yordle stories
Enter through curious objects, a traveling cat and a tale with an extravagant title. Read each story on its own terms.
Enter the story →Runeterra under a larger sky
Look beyond national borders with stories attached to three very different cosmic characters.
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