Each summer, Riot has a huge in-game event. This year, we're in the midst of the Star Guardian event and fans had high expectations for this year with multiple skins, exciting lore and much more across multiple Riot IPs. But it's been a bit disappointing for fans.
The Star Guardian event is going to be the big League of Legends event of 2022. Last year, we got a hot mess with the Sentinels of Light event, with Riot trying to figure out how to hold events with various IPs and the Star Guardian event was their chance to show the community that they still know how to make epic events, but it seems that SG 2022 has missed the mark.
Fans on Reddit and Twitter have stated their disappointment in the event. Sure, the cinematics we have gotten are incredible, the animations are beautiful and the characters incredible. The music has also been on-point. Not everything is doom and gloom for this event, but the in-game aspect has made players feel pretty alienated. So let's go over why the Star Guardian Event just doesn't seem to pull players in.
The In-Client Event
When thinking of peak League of Legends events, most players go back two years to 2020, when Riot decided to implement an in-client story for the Spirit Blossom event. Players loved the story, the fact that they could become immersed in the world, and it seems that Riot simply tried to re-do the same thing for Star Guardian this time around and well... failed.
Sure, we've got a main story we are following while also being able to create bonds and friendships with the Star Guardians themselves to earn Eternals and other prizes, but it all feels like a grind for players instead of a fun adventure they're going on.
The story of the in-client event also feels... like it's just Kai'Sa and Akali's story with the others mixed in because well... they needed to make more than two skins. Overall, the event in the client doesn't feel rewarding, nor is it fun to play and hardly anyone I know will even click through the story.
With Fiddle getting a Star Guardian skin and playing an important role, we thought it was time to test out this champion in the bot lane as a support.
More Attention on the Wild Rift Story
Wild Rift is also smack dab in the middle of their own Star Guardian event. Let's not even get started on the drama the Wild Rift exclusive Seraphine skin made, but take a look at the in-game event Wild Rift has. Overall, the star map in Wild Rift where you play through the story of the Star Guardians is much more interactive, and you get rewards every time. Sure, by reaching the next level in the Star Guardian story in the LoL client you also earn rewards, but it just feels tedious for some reason.
Also, with the intermittent battles in the Wild Rift star map, you feel like the story is much more fun and like you impact it somehow. This could just mean that the LoL client is outdated and can't handle these types of events, who knows...
The Wild Rift Star Guardians also received their own webcomic series, while the League of Legends Star Guardians merely have a few cinematics – though if we're being serious, the 'Everything Goes on' Cinematic doesn't even feature some of the Star Guardians like Rell, Quinn or Nilah. Sure, the cast for League of Legends is much bigger, but it feels way more Wild Rift favored... wow, don't I sound like a salty PC LoL player, eh?
No Star Guardian Game Mode Again
Ahead of the League of Legends Star Guardian event, fans got their hopes up that Riot could be bringing back the Star Guardian PvE mode. This event was teased and hyped up by Riot, so fans thought that the developer would truly be doing something special, but what did we get instead? Star Guardian themed Ultimate Spellbook.
The thing is: Ultimate Spellbook isn't even a unique game mode. Sure, it's the newest of the rotating game modes, but there is nothing special about it other than the minions wearing cute capes and the announcer's voice changing... This is just another game mode, just like any you get to play in December, February or October.
With a huge cast of Star Guardians, having a purely Star Guardian themed game mode would have been epic, especially with where the story is heading.
Conclusion: The Event Brings Nothing New
The 2022 Star Guardian event does not feel unique or new at all. Instead, it just seems like something we've done over-and-over each year, which is why it makes it feel tedious in some ways. Sure, the animations are incredible, the skins beautiful and the color stories we got are amazing, but the overall execution just doesn't work.
Fans have also stated their displeasure on both Twitter and Reddit, with many wishing that Riot would put more effort into their future events and making them feel less like a grind. So, will Riot listen to their community? Hopefully, the answer is yes.