This latest update breathes new life into the lore, as players rediscover an ancient civilization.

League of Legends Patch 4.16 is here, and with it comes a new chapter in the ever-evolving story of Runeterra. Get ready to uncover the secrets—and dangers—of the long-forgotten empire of Shurima.

As part of the movement to revive and reboot the League of Legends lore, Riot introduces the ancient empire of Shurima, whose newest champion Azir was once the ruler. This story arc highlights familiar champions such as Cassiopeia, Renekton, Sivir and Nasus; reintroducing them in a way that better fits the new lore of the current story arc, as well as the rest of the game going forward.

Along with reading up on the story from the League of Legends Shurima page, players will be able to participate in a brand new game mode called, Ascension. In this new mode, players will battle an opposing team of five for control of relics throughout the map as well as the right to claim the power of Ascension: a powerful buff that strengthens the player, and allows them to obtain bonus points for a period of time. However, in order to claim Ascension for your own team, you must first defeat an Ascended Xerath who has taken the power for himself. In order to have any hopes of taking him down, you'll need your entire team at your back.

While having fun becoming Ascended and smashing the opposing team may be its own reward, this Shurima update brings brand-new summoner icons as rewards. Players can obtain these by racking up wins in the new game mode and fulfilling specific victory conditions. As of right now, however, these rewards will only be available for the next 10 days – so be sure to lay claim to them before it's too late.

Along with the new story arc, Patch 4.16 also brings a plethora of game updates, changes and additions. Some of which include gameplay changes and a visual update for Cassiopeia, a visual update for Renekton, balance changes and updated splash art for various champions, and a multitude of quality-of-life changes & bug fixes. All of the aforementioned changes, and many others, can be viewed here in the official patch notes.

If you get a chance to jump into the new game mode, let us know what you think in the comments. For more League of Legends information, news and updates, keep it locked to ZAM and Lolking!
 

Corey "Cyglaive" Jenkins

Follow Corey on Twitter @Cyglaive