Nyroth Sign-Up (archived)

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Instituteofwar_small The Council will hear your declaration, Summoner.

Wait, What’s Factions?

For a more detailed introduction, visit the About Factions page.
For an overview of what’s happened so far, visit the Previous Storylines page.

Factions is a game mode and community lore initiative in which Summoners declare for a faction (such as Ionia or Bilgewater) and fight matches using faction-specific Champion lists. All levels are welcome, and anyone can start or join a scored match on behalf of their faction whenever they like. The story plays out according to match outcomes and player decisions in interactive lore events. Each “chapter” (also “arc” or “storyline”) lasts about three months, and features a different dispute before the League involving a different set of playable factions.

The continent of Nyroth, located to the west of Valoran amidst a turbulent sea wracked by magical storms, is surrounded by an illusion field that until now has hidden it from sight.

What’s At Stake

A new continent, Nyroth, has been discovered west of Valoran. The League of Legends has given Bilgewater, Ionia, the Shadow Isles, and the Freljord permission to begin exploring this new land, with the specific terms to be determined by combat on the Fields of Justice.

For this arc, you may select from one of the following four factions. Remember: no matter which factions you fought for in previous arcs, you can freely decide on any faction you like this time around. Similarly, your allegiance in the Nyroth dispute will not bind you in future arcs.

Select Your Faction

These four factions have been granted the right to compete for control of Nyroth on the Fields of Justice, and to dispatch expeditions to Nyroth itself to explore the island. The greater their success upon the Fields, the more power they have on Nyroth. They are eagerly recruiting Summoners and Champions to join them in this endeavor.

To whom will you pledge your sorcery and cunning?

Bilgewater_frame

Bilgewater

Description: A large port city that has become the de facto representative of maritime merchants, pirate clans, and aquatic kingdoms like the Marai.
Objective: Bilgewater is a greatly divided faction. For now, Bilgewater’s Summoners have selected Nami as their leader. If Nami can restore the moonstone and save the Marai, Bilgewater could become the capital of a vast oceanic civilization.
Gameplay: Bilgewater has a fairly small but well-balanced roster. Since this is its first arc, its gameplay style is still rapidly evolving.
Champions: See the Faction Rosters page.
Pitch: Gangplank slaps a leather pouch heavy with gold and the scent of seawater upon the table. He looks warily to either side before leaning in to inform you, in a conspiratorial tone, that “these coins be but a token. There’s a share o’ the plunder in it for ye as well.” Nami glances over from the other side of the room to give you a wave, before returning to her conversation with Miss Fortune.

Ionia

Description: A serene island civilization known for Karma’s diplomatic acumen, and her devotion to maintaining Valoran’s delicate balance of power through the League. It is also respected for its sophisticated and refined arcane traditions.
Objective: Ionia seeks to enter into a dialogue with whatever civilizations may be found in Nyroth, and to protect them from the aggression and greed of certain other Valoranian factions. Above all, it is determined to ensure that the discovery of this new continent does not disturb the balance of power.
Gameplay: Ionia has a versatile and (it has to be said) balanced roster. Mobility is one of its signature strengths.
Champions: See the Faction Rosters page.
Pitch: Karma gazes across the hall at the assembled crowd of Summoners and Champions. The weight of the moment silences the room, as she speaks from the heart.“Our own lands have been invaded twice in recent memory by violent aggressors. We are resolved to ensure that this latest discovery will bring knowledge and happiness, rather than avarice and bloodshed. Summoners, we seek your aid in his most crucial endeavor.”

the Shadow Isles

Description: An eerie marshland teeming with strange creatures and the spirits of the restless dead, ruled over by powerful necromancers such as Karthus.
Objective: The Shadow Isles have already once sent forth undead hordes to ravage Valoran. Some say that the Council, fearing another such onslaught, have offered Nyroth up as a sacrificial lamb to divert their attention a little longer. Other say that the denizens of the Isles seek to bring final peace to the tormented spirits of those Nyrothians slain in the ancient catastrophe that devastated the mainland.
Gameplay: The Shadow Isles has one of the most unorthodox rosters in Factions, lacking a traditional ADC. They do have the potential to unlock Urgot as the arc plays out, or they could try to find a counter-meta comp that works.
Champions: See the Faction Rosters page.
Pitch: Karthus raises a withered palm.“Lend us your magic, fight for us with all your cunning and expertise, and you shall receive such gifts as none but we can offer. Come, all you mortals who fear your end, and make death your ally.”

the Freljord

Description: A frozen wasteland home to myriad tribes, ruled only in name by Queen Ashe and King Tryndamere of the Avarosan.
Objective: The Freljord’s Summoners have selected Ashe as their leader as the dispute begins, though she will have to contend fiercely to retain her position. She seeks a trade relationship that can bring needed resources to the barren Freljord. Sejuani would rather simply take what they wish by force. Lissandra, on behalf of the mysterious Frostguard, seems more interested in the strange magics that run through Nyroth.
Gameplay: Slows. Lots and lots and lots of slows. It worked for them in Mirrorwater.
Champions: See the Faction Rosters page.
Pitch: The Freljord’s destiny is yet uncharted. Victory in this dispute could not only bring the resources the Freljord needs to thrive, but also determine its future path.

Select Your Region

Ready to make your decision? Select your region and submit your declaration to the League.

If you’d like more information on this arc’s factions, read on for a brief overview.

Getting into a Match

Come join us in the Factions chat:

Most matches are organized through the chat. We recommend that you set it to auto-join by clicking the gear icon in the chatbox’s upper-right corner and selecting “auto-join”. If the Factions chat is full, try Factions2.

To increase your chances of being invited, you can also join your faction’s chat room.

Each faction has its own chat. Join your faction’s chat to make it easier for match organizers to spot you.

Finally, you should set your status to show your faction, again in order to make it easier for match organizers to identify you.

If you’re not getting any invites, try starting a match yourself.

You might also consider signing up for some Featured Matches.

Sign-Up FAQ

Do I have to stick with the same faction forever?

Declarations only stand for the course of the storyline. (Storylines typically run for 2-3 months.) While you can’t swap factions mid-storyline, you can (and indeed must) send in a new declaration for each storyline. For example, I started off with Demacia in Mirrorwater, then decided to fight for Demacia again in Ceruleana, then switched to Bandle City for Discord, then fought for Noxus in Shon-Xan, and then Zaun in Hextech Revolution.

My favorite faction isn’t in this storyline. What should I do?
Declarations are storyline-specific. You can fight for Demacia one storyline, then Noxus in the next, then Ionia in the next. So if your favorite faction isn’t involved in the current conflict, don’t worry: you can declare for one of the factions that is involved, then sign up for your favorite when it enters the fray.

We precede each storyline with a community poll that determines which factions will face off. Members of the winning faction from the previous storyline often get a private vote as well, so there’s some extra incentive to win.

Why not have all factions available in every storyline?
There are several reasons.

Match organizing. This is the most important factor. The more dispersed the playerbase is among different factions, the harder it is to get pick-up matches going. For example, if we have 20 Summoners online split among two factions, we can actually run two simultaneous matches. In contrast, if we have 20 Summoners online split among 6 factions, we probably won’t be able to run even a single match.
Story cohesion. It’s actually really hard to craft a story that involves four or five factions in a sensible way. It’s also very difficult for our story team to give each faction its due when they have to hop from faction to faction in their story updates.
Tournaments. We like to have fair tournaments that pit every faction against every other faction at least once. As a matter of mathematics, this gets drastically more difficult as you increase the number of factions.

If you’re craving some variety, though, we do support unscored Intermission matches. In these matches, anyone can play for any side (even against their “real” faction) and all factions are available. We have special Intermission rosters.

What if I change my mind?
No backsies, Summoner. Once you declare, you are bound to fight for that Faction for the remainder of the storyline.

There is an exception, as part of our recruitment program: if you recruit at least 3 Summoners to Factions, you can swap factions once mid-arc. This is meant to both reward enthusiastic recruiters and to allow them to stick with their pals.

I’m not even ranked. Can I join?
Absolutely! We welcome all skill levels, and Factions is a great way for lower-Tier Summoners to play with and learn from those at higher Tiers. We adjust match point values to reflect skill differences, which keeps it fair. Besides, when it comes down to it, Factions is more about fun than hardcore tryhard competition. Let the all-chat jokes fly.