Just as league of legends was stabilizing after its initial overseas launch, and global players began exploring the nascent Summoners Rift, within Riot Games, a champion privately nicknamed "Source of Joy" by internal testers, after several rounds of meticulous refinement and balancing, was finally about to meet global players. This champion was the Unforgiven — champion.
Slightly different from other champions' design processes, champion's birth carried a strong personal preference and emotional projection from Qin Feng. During a high-level creative review meeting, when the champion design team submitted several new champion concepts, one concept centered around "wind" and "swordsmanship," with a tragic and exiled backstory, instantly caught Qin Feng's eye.
"This champion is quite interesting," Qin Feng said, pointing to the image of the ronin samurai on the concept art, a rare, intense interest showing in his eyes. champion in the design draft had slightly tattered clothes, a wild and untamed gaze, held a long sword in his hand, and seemed to have air currents swirling around his body.
Wu Tong, the design director, immediately explained, "Mr. Qin, this is a highly mobile, high-risk assassin/fighter champion we are experimenting with. His core mechanics revolve around stacking'Steel Tempest' and the 'Whirlwind' knock-up control, and most crucially — using'Sweeping Blade' for infinite dashes between minions and enemies."
He elaborated on the skill set:
Passive - Way of the Wanderer: Moving generates Flow, granting a shield when full; critical strike chance is doubled, but critical strike damage is reduced.
Q - Steel Tempest: Thrusts forward with a sword, can stack, the third stack releases a knock-up whirlwind.
W - Wind Wall: Creates a wall of wind that blocks all enemy projectiles for several seconds.
E - Sweeping Blade: Dashes through a target enemy, dealing magic damage. Cannot be cast on the same enemy again for a short duration.
R - Last Breath: Blinks to a knocked-up enemy champion, dealing physical damage, and causes all knocked-up enemies in the area to remain airborne for an additional duration, resetting Steel Tempest's stacks.
"His core gameplay," Wu Tong concluded, "is to use his E Skill to flexibly weave through minion waves, dodge skills, find angles to use his Q Skill to stack up a whirlwind to knock up enemies, and then follow up with his Ultimate Ability for devastating damage. But at the same time, he is also very fragile; if his E Skill is used improperly, leading him into an enemy encirclement, or if his W Wind Wall misses, he can easily be instantly killed. He is a champion with an extremely high skill ceiling and an equally low skill floor."
"High risk, high reward... dancing on a knife's edge," Qin Feng murmured, tapping his fingers lightly on the table. In his mind, he could already envision the dramatic scenes of this champion being as fluid as the wind in the hands of a master, yet becoming a "feeder champion" in the hands of a novice. "What about his backstory?"
The head of the narrative team took over: "We have designed him as a ronin who carries a false accusation and is self-exiled. He was once a prodigy swordsman, tasked with protecting an important figure, but his negligence led to their death, and he was pursued by his own brethren. He seeks the true culprit, and on this path of redemption, he also comes to understand his own 'Way of the Wind.'" The story was filled with the tragic and romantic elements of Eastern wuxia.
"Excellent!" Qin Feng slammed the table, a clear expression of support on his face. "This champion must be polished with utmost care! I want to see him truly embody the feeling of 'wind' — swift, deadly, yet difficult to control."
Under Qin Feng's close attention, champion's development entered the fast lane.
Chen Ran's art team worked painstakingly on the splash art and model details to capture champion's ronin temperament. His damaged shoulder armor, his wind-swept braid, and the fierce look in his eyes when he draws his sword, all imbued him with a sense of story. Skill effects were even more crucial; the trajectory of his Q Skill's sword strike, the particle effects of the whirlwind, the afterimages during his E Skill dash, and especially the crisp clang of his sword and the momentary freeze-frame close-up when his Ultimate Ability lands, all strived for the ultimate in coolness and fluidity.
The sound effects team also provided champion with incredibly magnetic and story-rich voice acting (in the Japanese server and subsequent versions, his voice actor received widespread acclaim). His deep, slightly hoarse voice, when delivering lines like "Death is like the wind, always by my side" and "The path is long, only the sword is my companion," exuded a powerful sense of loneliness and strength.
During the internal testing phase, champion indeed became the testers' "Source of Joy." Skilled testers, controlling champion, moved through minion waves like butterflies, dodging crucial skills, knocking up multiple enemies for an Ultimate Ability combo, flowing smoothly, with visual effects at their peak, drawing gasps of admiration from onlookers.
However, more testers experienced "pain." Charging under turrets with his E Skill to feed, misplacing Wind Wall, reacting too slowly to a knock-up and failing to land his Ultimate Ability... countless embarrassing plays emerged. The nickname "feeder champion" (Toles) spread like wildfire even during internal testing.
The balance team racked their brains over this. How could this uniquely mechanical champion both shine in the hands of masters and avoid being ignored in regular games due to being too weak or difficult to master? They repeatedly adjusted base stats, skill damage, cooldowns, especially the crucial passive that doubled critical strike chance but reduced damage, which underwent countless calculations.
Finally, after multiple iterations, champion's data largely stabilized, reaching a relatively balanced state.
When "The Unforgiven champion" officially launched on all global servers with the new patch, it immediately sparked an unprecedented storm!
His handsome splash art and model instantly attracted a large number of "aesthetics-focused" players.
His fluid and flexible mechanics captivated countless players who sought a sense of control and outplay potential.
His tragic backstory and philosophical lines garnered countless fans, with fan creations emerging endlessly.
For a time, champion's pick rate in normal and ranked games soared! He could be seen in almost every game. champion in the hands of masters was indeed as elusive as the wind, carrying the entire game; while champion in the hands of more players perfectly embodied the true meaning of "joy" — dashing forward relentlessly, dashing into oblivion, repeatedly testing the boundaries of death, bringing endless "happiness" to both opponents and teammates.
"Ban champion" even became the default option for players in some divisions, not to counter opponents, but to prevent teammates from picking him.
Qin Feng would also occasionally log into the game after work to personally experience a few champion games. With his game understanding and skill, he certainly didn't fall into the "feeder champion" category. When he controlled champion, using Sweeping Blade to gracefully weave through minion waves, accurately placing Wind Wall to block fatal skills, and knocking up multiple enemies for his Ultimate Ability, that exhilarating feeling made him feel as if he had returned to the time when he purely enjoyed the fun of gaming.
"This champion truly brings joy," Qin Feng said with a smile to Wu Tong beside him, "though sometimes that joy is built upon the suffering of teammates."
champion's success was not just about launching a popular champion. He was a cultural phenomenon; he greatly enhanced the game's entertainment value and topic-worthiness. Whether in high-level or casual games, he became an undeniable presence. He perfectly embodied the charm of league of legends' champion design — unique mechanics, a deep backstory, and that "joyful" gameplay that makes people both love and hate him, unable to resist.
The arrival of the Unforgiven injected a restless yet incredibly charming soul into Summoners Rift. The story of the happy wind man had just begun.