This story makes Pantheon's part in "Call" so much better. How he apparently gathered strength for one last attempt to end aspect threat, how he, the man, regained his powers trough sheer force of will. It's just such a powerful scene
Yeah looking back at it he felt weak exactly like how he was infront of Iula but here he managed to gather his strengh and kept pushing foward. Kinda wish this story came out before the cenematic but oh well.
Showing Atreus as this broken person gives him an incredible amount of depth. I hope this is explored further in another story. And yes, I can tell that since his rework, it's clear that Riot loves Pantheon's narrative direction.
Yes, seeing the Unbreakable Spear...well broken, makes me think about what would Aatrox said to him if he saw Atreus in this state. My Aatrox would motivate him and help him absolutely decimate the Aspects. I think this is the point where the two share a similar feeling. Atreus is unable to end Aspects, and Aatrox is unable to end himself. But if they join forces against the Aspects, if the Aspects die, then maybe Aatrox ceases to exist, and Pantheon will have peace.
Too bad they don't love his gameplay direction, poor guy doesn't even have a role at the moment he was strong in four of them then Riot gutted him to the point he isn't even playable anymore
As a Pantheon main, this story truly gave me some hope for the future after the horrible treatment he got in the ruination event. The fact that what happened has actual consequences on Atreus is not something I expected them to commit to... In any case, I love the way they portray Atreus as what he truly is... a man. Not a god, not an aspect, but a man. A man, who despite his unrelenting will, when showed that everything in the world stands against him, and that even he himself could be made the enemy due to the sheer power of what he faces, he has doubt, weakness, vulnerability. Yet he still pushes on after being on the edge, and I think he is on the path to remember who he truly is again. I am VERY excited to see what Atreus is planning to do in the celestial realm, and what the aspects will try to do in aim to stop him.
@@Brakka86 Depends on what you prefer to play. I love to play him as a kinda cheese pick on top with a lot of early aggression but I have seen successful people playing him more as a bruiser in jungle as a power ganker
Also, something I haven't seen anyone pick up yet: Pantheon is the Unbreakable Spear, the "Spear" symbolizing his unbreakable will. His Spear in this story is pictured as being bent, which aside from giving us an idea of Viego's power it's also a way to show how Pantheon's will is badly damaged, It's still not broken, but it goes to show how much Pantheon suffered both physically and psychologically, as his will was on the verge of breaking just like his Spear was. Yet still he does inevitably rise up again, and in the Call cinematic you can (clearly, lol) see his spear firm and sturdy once more, just like his will.
And like that Pantheon has solidified himself as the #1 character in both the runeterran universe and my heart, as well as the greatest rework riot has ever made so far.
tHAT'S HIS FAULT AND DESERVING FOR TORTURING AURELION SOL! AND IMPRISONING HIM IN SUCH A MATTER INCLUDING LEADING TO THE EXTERMINATION OF HIS KIND!!! SERVES PANTH RIGHT!!! And Zoe's slick behaviors might be next..unless she frees Sol maybe they'll have a pact.
The best part of this story is how angry with Viego it made me. I'm a sucker for that man but gosh I'd hit him in the face. Nice job breaking the strongest-willed man, asshole. You're fucking grounded. And bring Atreus some cocoa.
@@garou9914 I honestly believe Viego made a thousand mistakes but is actually kind of a victim of circumstance still. Not justifying all the shit he did but in the end I totally understand WHY he did it. Might have to do with how I know I would have done the same in his place, so don't mind me. Still, poor Atreus, I'll pay his therapy.
@@sunnydargonnel that's what I thought at first, but then again. He was never a good husband, he was abusive and controlling when they were alive, and he's the reason she even died because he's a shitty king. He couldn't let her rest in peace, he doesn't love her, he loves to have her... she's more like a possession to him.
@@garou9914 actually if you're referring to the memories shown in RK, it's been confirmed a while back that he was not abusive, he wanted so hard to be *perfect* that he took those memories of refular couple fights and repressed them. Little crazy anyways, but not that terrible. Regarding how good or bad of a king he was, they can't set the record straight anyways, even Necrit in the game says that he was loved as a king, but other times has been said people didn't like what he was doing... so what is it, Riot, lol
An incredible story. Its trully shows what makes Atreus an incredibly well written character. In-game you see him at his best, confident and strong, but here we see the wounds of a man’s mind behind all his strength. A true test of his character. It makes me root for him even more for when he inevitably has to rise up once more, as Pantheon always does.
"Why does everyone hate letters in this universe?" -- because it would mean the writers have to write more, and by burning the letters the writers don't have to take the time to spell it all out.
No he is the aspect of war, but war with a purpose war in the name of defense, in the name of life rather than death, war in the name of humanity. Atreus is the will of every man or woman who has been knocked down, who've hunkered down as bullets whizzed past their heads, as dirt kicked up and comrades scream but who has refused to stop fighting for what they believe in. He embodies the sacrifices made in war, the lives lost and the pain endured. Atreus is Pantheon, Pantheon is war, and war is hell.
when the man with the strongest will in runeterra cant resist viego's corruption but mf does , and then she gets corrupted anyway later. the narrative was a bit fucked
The thing that hurt me the most in this story is how Atreus says that "he lost his powers, he is just a man now", considering his whole theme is how he isn't an aspect but JUST A MAN who refuses to give up.
Well I think he meant that despite being a man he no longer has the power that made his fight possible, sure he has his willpower (or so he thinks, from what we know it seems like his doubt is actually what's causing his lack of power and he just doesn't realize it), but with just his will power it would be like bring a toothpick to a nuke fight, he'd get obliterated... So why do it at all? Why not try to live and maybe help in another way? Well because Atreus embodies the need to fight not just survive that's why he is still considered at least by me to be the true "Pantheon" he is the will of men to fight on, but when War becomes sick of war it loses all purpose. Atrues needs at this point in the story to believe that even with his mortality he will survive just like he did when he climbed targon the first time.
Arteus was just a man. Man that stood against enemies, man with mission to fight and protect, to fall and get back up, man with will power to hold power of aspect. Now.... his power is gone, he hurt those he swore to protect (or more like pantheon did when he was ressurected in arteus body but still Arteus blames himself) he couldn't do anything as he was grasped by power he didnt understand. Now he even lost power of aspect. How can he fight now? Protect? That what means to be broken, go with everything you had belive in something and than have all of that take from you. Without power he had how to fight powerful enemies, fallen gods, aspects, demons ? Fokin Aurelion Sol ? From power-level of god he was reduced to man. Its a story of man that was on peak and than he was thrown back down with his arms ripped off. Would you have power to climb with your teeth and legs? Or would you just give up. Despite that! He still cant give up, he still asks for assurance that its "okey to give up" Because somewhere there is sill tinder of this will that can push him forward. (At least its my interpretation)
@@DevilDrako666 I know, but "not giving up is my real power" is his theme as much as "letting go is my real power" is for ryze. It's sad to see him giving up
@@codebracker But thats a beauty of this! Scared, defeated, lost. But still *cant* give up by himself! He need somoene to tell him "its okey" there is still this "power" inside him, he just need to reignite this small spark into a giant fire again. He dont want to give up, he just dont see the way to go forward without aspect powers, not against enemies like he mentioned.
And used everything against Aatrox and still couldnt beat him even tho Aatrox is just a flesh monster with god killing blade and unbeatable combat skill.
@@aatroxtheworldender933 Aatrox killing the Pantheon but then getting his arm chopped off by Atreus needs to be explained lmao, yeah it's pretty hype for Atreus but we need to know what exactly did he do to best Aatrox in battle
he is merely a human, and not a god he keeps getting cooler every single time, the fact that he became really tired makes him so much more human is amazin
I do believe she burned the letter, because she hopes to see Atreus once again and have him say what he meant, personally. Reading the letter would be like saying goodbye forever. This is my take atleast on this part of the story.
My thought was that she was very angry with him and didnt want to have to read something by him that would stop her from being angry or empathize with him. She wants to be angry because to her he threw away the memory of her late husband to just "quit". I do like your take a lot too though and think it fits the narrative perfectly!
I think Iula just doesn’t care about what Atreus has to say. She doesn’t want any excuses, or apologies, or whatever, she just wants him to be the warrior the world needs. Actions speak louder than words. If he chooses to get back on that path, then great. She’ll probably meet him again on the battlefield. If he chooses to run away and hide, then she doesn’t have time to concern herself with him. She needs to prepare for battle. Either way, nothing in that letter would affect anything.
Atreus should really have Aatrox at his side when fighting the celestials. Also when this will never happen, I want to see Aatrox and Atreus just slaughtering the aspects.
They at some point have the same goals, they’re both been deceived and used by the aspects. While they themselves were good people, aatrox sadly became corrupted by fighting the void for too long and done horrible things, but so did pantheon under viegos control. They’re both victims. Would be amazing seeing them find conmen ground.
When a aspect dies what they embody dies to aatrox said that what he embodied (the aspect that gave him his power)no longer exists and can’t remember what it’s called so it might not be a good idea to kill them aatrox will still try because he is trying to erase reality and everyone in it and killing a aspect will probably do that.
@@lordofbacon1455 It’s true he wants “his suffering to end” that doesn’t necessarily mean to die. We all know that his sword is a personal hell, when he’s in there he can’t breath and basically perpetually choking. What a hell. He’s mad, like really mad but you can still her that he hasn’t completely lost it, he still have some kind of skewed honour. He wants to destroy all the gods, because they betrayed him and used him. I think the pantheon could offer him revenge or freedom, a way to take the fight to the celestial he might just take it.
Kind of really makes it hit home when Pantheon's Selection quote is "In battle, we are reborn." Then, this story comes along and shows just how much of a toll every battle you face mounts up to after so long. Guess that's what makes it even more inspiring when Atreus finally gets back up to fight once again in "The Call."
The burnt letter is such an awesome concept, she's not willing to listen to any excuse Atreus is trying to tell her, and will only ever speak to him again after he comes back the warrior he is, to protect everyone. What's most heartbreaking is that she doesn't know if Atreus will even get back up on his feet, so it's her way of not losing hope and a last ditch effort to not give up on him like he did.
It's selfish to disregard his pain. His "excuses" are valid in the face of all that's happened to him. To blame him and push the responsibility on him, that he has to force himself to suffer because no one else will, is not going to reignite some spark of courage in him. Frankly I think it would make him bitter, that everything he's done to help is disregarded the moment he stumbled and their gratitude comes with a price. I hope she lives out the rest of her life believing that she screwed up, that after all the times Atreus struggled to stand up for what was right, when he came to her for help, she called him weak and cast him out. That when he was at his lowest she only thought of herself and used her dead husband and an orphan boy to guilt Atreus to take on the world's burdens because she was too scared to accept that the person she demanded save them all couldn't bear it alone.
@@theintern2960 she came out as cold and uncarring in the story but you would have to understand that words of comfort and affirmation would not help Pantehon back on his feet
@@dumitrache12 Still could have been handled a lot better. Have her grandson play some part in it - he sees that the people he fights for still struggle or fear what's to come, and he is reminded of who he fights for and why.
@@theintern2960 its a classic myth. In our country we have the story of a great ruler who lost a battle agains the Ottoman Empire and when he returned to his castle he pleaded to his mother to let him in to which she refused telling him “you are no son of mine” Basically what you want to hear is not what you need to move forward
@@theintern2960that’s what she did, though. She told him “people are suffering, you need to continue your fight.” Very bluntly, but again, he’s a soldier, he’s been one since birth, basically, he responds to orders and commands, not comfort. She could’ve absolutely been better, but we know her words worked, that he regained his hope and his powers, and he is continuing his fight.
Virgin Pantheon: Noo i got stabbed now i dead. Chad Atreus: "I fight until the blood takes the spear from my grasp, until I can only crawl. And even then, you will not defeat me, even then, I will spit in your face!"
Damn, the story was so good. I am also currently facing problems and every reply Atreus made to Iula was everything I keep telling myself (except for the whole threats to runeterra part). questioning myself if i can give up, that i cant do it, that im tired. idk it just hits me so hard.
u have the right to fail u have the right to suck heck u have the right to be a piece of shit but never stop pursuing your path whatever it is as failing make place to rise that sucking , make place to improvement (and sexual possibility) that being a piece of shit can free you from chain that never truly existed abandon yourself if u want ,but be sure that a new greater will rise as potential never truly die
After i read it i felt even more connected to pantheon than i already was, as a main panth i like every aspect of him, from gameplay to lore, i still wonder though why Leona and the Solari turned into a runeterran version of a certain political party that i won't mention here, i thought she was looking for Diana to try to clear things out after dicovering the truth of the aspects and the light of the sun and moon
I personally think she should have read the letter cause what I think is Atreus now has fixed his broken self one last time and this time he will be going all out , he will either die trying or kill all the aspects for him there is no turning back . People might think Lula would meet him in battlefield someday but i think it won't happen cause atreus won't return unless he's succeeded . I really hope ( it's impossible i know ) that Aatrox and Atreus have some talk and decide to tear down the heavens together , like that would be a redeem and revenge arc for Aatrox . Till the day arrives we shall climb .
I want a targon war event after the void one that's coming this year. Targon prime is the most underexplored place in the league universe other than camavor and i think we will get to see some really cool designs since legends of runeterra shows us the design of many celestials and they look incredible
Agreed, but I respect that they're using that to write a baller story like this by acknowledging how against his storyline Ruined Pantheon was and having it really fuck him up.
Huh, I just realized the celestial realm and the void has some interesting parallels. Like beings from both realms cannot go to Runeterra directly, so they "take over" living things from Runeterra instead. Pantheon and Kai'sa being two things "taken over" and are now fighting for humans
Man, I love Pantheon. He was one of the first champs I played (besides Ashe, Sion, and TF). From an arrogant god of war to a reminder of why I should fight. Onwards!
Atreus must now endure his greatest trial. Not an Aspect, not a Darkin, not even a Ruined King, but the most devastating of all things, a broken spirit... You can do this Atreus! Rise up once again and be worthy of the name Mantheon!
I still believe that Pantheon/Atreus was a bad choice for the Ruination. His whole deal is that his mortal will alone can defy gods, and he got mind controled by Viego?! (of all people). He has been beaten his whole life, an Aspect took over his body for a joyride to hunt Darkin, he died only to be reborn and then he got...mind-controled?AGAIN? This guy can't get a break...I believe the only reason that he was in the story was because he is a popular champion and Riot wanted to make money from the skin line. Otherwise why Pantheon? Why not any of the other Aspects? Leona and Kayle are assholes, Morgana drowns in regret and Taric is full of guilt...THERE...much better candidates to be Ruined 😑
agreed, but i also like how this story treats the after-math of Pantheon's mind control, also even tho the explanation wasnt that good, it was more like he aspect of war was revived inside of Atreus and regained control again, and taking good hearted warriors like Pantheon and turning them dark against their will is always a nice dinamic. So i guess this was a whole there's good and there's bad kind of deal with Pantheon's Ruined form
I think Pantheon was actually the best choice, because it was the Aspect itself that was revived and controlled by Veigo not Atreus. Thats the whole story behind the prestige skin, its the version where Atreus breaks free from the Aspect's control and wields all that power himself. The two skins set up an amazing duality and lift the veil behind the Aspects a bit, showing their true nature.
I think Pantheon is a good choice even the event is bullsh*t, he gives the drama, the guy who loses everytime and get up again even after Viego got him control and he came back he still can fight again. Maybe other Aspects cannot do that like him, cant come back after mind control cuz the feeling of be defeated.
what happened is that the ruination revived the Pantheon using the remaining powers inside Atreus, what got mind controlled was the Pantheon and it pushed Atreus aside, as soon as the ruination ended the Pantheon died again and Atreus took control back
I disagree. Viego didn't mind control Atreus himself, what he did was resurrecting Pantheon (aspect) within Atreus (which is either way weird) and then Pantheon regained control over Atreus's body ,like he could until being slayed by Aatrox, so it's not exactly the worst thing in SoL Pantheon. Is it weird that Viego can resurrect an Aspect? Sure. Is it weird that said Aspect can control poor human Atreus? Not as much. I think there was a lot of potential for Atreus in this scenario, like he could defeat Pantheon inside of his head, reclaim his powers and then help the sentinels without actually joining them and then have depression over the fact he lost control even if just briefly (so that we could have ground for this recent story) but Riot just handled him and the event itself very poorly.
it broke my heart seeing him like this... tired, defeated and giving up. when he had inspire us soo much with his words that we can be more than what we are,to never give up,humans are stronger than they think. he just need to remember his own words that his will shall became something greater. rise again atreus, don't give up.
So Atreus' body felt a bit smaller because he lost the very last of the Aspects' power that was residing in him. Oh man humanizing those "god-like" entities is a really good idea. Also, very good execution from the story makers of riot. Great job!
Atreus is such a good character. Now the scene from The Call makes so much more sense. Sheer, dumb, willpower is sometimes the strongest weapon a human can wield.
No its everything he is supposed to be, and it puts everything into perspective and humanizes him, because despite his powers, he's still just a man... He struggles, he has ups and downs, but he continues to get back up, even if he needs some help from others to do so.
As one god of war needed to hear when they were at their lowest point; "Hope is what makes us strong, it is why we are here. It is what we fight for when all else is lost." Dont give up Atreus. Fight on!
"it may hit you right in the feelings" fucking hell it hit me, when im about to be done in my school life and just give up, then this line hits "think about the sacrifices we have" from this video, god damn that hits me really hard, i still have so many fckng things to do and resting is not an option but occasionaly we need some rest but a full time retirement is not even an option for me right now and for us. thanks riot for making me realized that i still have things to do thanks from the sacrifices of others just for me.
This story is so sad and true especially before and after the mental breakdown of atrues As a depressed person i can relate to atrues he is so sad and desperate Also iula is more then a support character she has a personality and she don't like atrues she is doing that because she thinks pylas would want her to do it I am happy that she has her own personality
This was extremely well written. It humanizes Atreus and it makes him a well fleshed out character, struggling and doubting about himself. This also makes his part in the Call the more significant, after getting some reason slapped right in his face by Iula, he got the determination to make the climb once again. It also shows that Riot is really fixing the Ruination and trying to make it a concrete point for stories of different champions.
if we consider soraka as a aspect and if you know her story it is understandable why they never go out themselves personally and use a avatar in a form mortal that reach the top of mount targon
I swear, pantheon's story is one of the most badass and tragic lore in the game. He is powerless and yet he is the only thing(at least one of the few) that stands between runeterra and the godlike beings that seek to fully manipulate the world. A lonely warrior, with no power, who despite the odds stacked against him, Will push forward for the sake of the people who wouldn't even get to know his sacrifice
Would be cool if Atreus decided that the aspects needed to get dealt with, but realized he had no chance of doing it himself. Good thing he knows a specific ascended warrior who would be up for the task
I truly think riot is just too afraid of what happened after the Ruination to ever put Viego in a story again. I have to agree with them- I can't imagine the clown fiesta that would happen if Viego had celestial powers. But then again, Diana is practically a demigod and somehow was foiled by a depressed emo furry. So many if Teemo just shrooms him Viego will truly be defeated.
@@CcReap3r aspects are much stronger then ascendeds. but i hate when riot uses characters that can destroy entire contintents in their crossover stories since they will always get hard nerfed , like Diana and Pantheon in the ruination. Pantheon ( the god) could've insta killed all sentinels except diana in one attack
I think Pantheon, because of his philosophy that man good and celestial bad, is looking past the men that are being manipulated and instead looking to stop the problem at it’s source; that being the aspects who are doing the manipulating. Pantheon uses his fist and shield to fight men because he wishes not to kill them. When he sees Leona, he raises his spear, because she embodies the power of an aspect. Atreus is getting ready to absolutely body whatever is at play behind the portal to targon prime.
theres a legends of runeterra unit card for Iula when she was still young following pantheon slaying monsters, look it up he even had more party members roaming around with him final fantasy style.
Viego turning into every champion,Vex and Ahri having R resets, ADC sliding on walls like Talon,Bugged client,Toxic players Me:Tell me it's okay to give up Rito:HOW DARE YOU
Idk how you ignored those big details... NO, Viego did not climb Targon using Atreus body, in the ruination minigame you can see Atreus already was at the peak to face Viego, 2, Pantheon was revived by Viego and thats why Atreus got mind controlled, i find it amazing that you ignored that since you dedicate so much hours to lore.
There’s like three different versions of the Ruination event at this point (Comics, PC and Wild Rift). I wouldn’t be surprised if there was different iterations in each one. Besides, Atreus doesn’t even remember climbing the mountain, just that he did, which could mean that he was Ruined prior to actually getting up there.
@@skrilllfury2120 the major events that happened are the only important ones. They’re all canon, but the specific events (certain dialogue, who was there, etc) have been reconned, and they’re slowly rewriting and bringing them back (such as pantheon).
So Atreus, extremely traumatized after having his body once again possessed by an external entity, goes to his friend for comfort, and that friend physically and emotionally abuses him? Don't get me wrong, it's good conflict, fine writing, but I hope that people recognize how fucked up what Iula did is.
This story hit me right in the guts. I am going through some tough times right now myself and seeing Atreus, one of the strongest (more mentally than physically) human characters, in a condition that i found myself in many times before is so painful and sadly relatable. I hope that Atreus and anyone who is struggling now will be able to find the strength to go forward. P.S. Great video as always!
Watch Necrit get a perfect copy of that letter and its contents from Riot in a few weeks, actually letting us know what was written in there. Not sure but maybe he said something about being sorry, manning up and then going to climb again just because why not.
Now imagine an Aspect of War game with Atreus attacking the realm of the Aspects directly, not the vessels which is Leona or Diana, etc but the space wherein the real forms of the Aspects reside. Heck they can also tell Atreus of the consequences of killing every Aspect, the fact that it will free Asol who hates Runeterra as a whole, except Poros no being can truly hate them and Braum. Then the full emergence of the Void now that there are less beings that can hold them back and the balance of Runeterra as a whole will be in shambles. By killing them he'll bring far more destruction to the mortals that he claims to protect. Wherein at the last part of the game you(the player) will be given a choice whether to kill the aspect's or not. Each has a different result wherein if you kill them, Atreus would think they were lying and be harrowed with the fact that they were actually telling the truth. He singlehandedly caused the doom of Runeterra. Now if you choose not to kill them the Aspects would deem Atreus worthy of being a true aspect giving him the power, ascending him to the same position as the previous Pantheon once was. The condition being that once another Aspect causes too much damage, he won't hesitate to kill them or their vessels. An Aspect whose allegiance lies only to the protection of the mortals of Runeterra.
Dude climbed the most dangerous mountain imaginable, watched his best friend die in his hands, became possessed by a god, got stabbed so hard said god died, then became possessed by a king controlling the undead making him attack his allies, suffers from major PTSD and can't continue on. The woman: Don't you dare tell me about what you've lost, I've lost my husband! Yea, seems very fair
Man I was really hoping for the set up scene of her saying you cant do it alone. Would have been perfect set up for panth teaming up with people especially people like jax or braum to fight and save the world.
I think Viego climbing up the mountain won't result in him getting some celestial related powers. Considering all he wanted during the Ruination was his wife back and when he did get her back, ignored the literal threats outside his door. I think he simply wanted to see if the aspects had a way to resurrect his wife but obviously the aspects can simply choose not to meet him at all. But this might serve as a catalyst for an event related to the Aspects, specifically a war, since Viego ascending the mountain probably signaled the aspects that Runeterra has been weakened due to him which is probably an opportunity they can't ignore.
The fact that even the manliest of man's is legit broken by his fight and possession of Viego .... Speaks wonders of the latters power ..... Yet in the ruination he was so easily defeated
Viego was extremely powerful, his detriment, however, is like what thresh said, his queen. Veigo had the power to destroy everything, and even corrupt aspects! As well as control the mist doing so. It would've been a nightmare of he managed to gain control of an ascended, a celestial, or god forbid a demi-god. But his obsession with Isolde led to his downfall cause that's the only reason he was doing everything, to get back to her, which eventually got him defeated.
@@ConfettiBerg when viego breaks free... i feel bad for the world to be honest instead of reviving his wife he will lost it and fk kill everything on sight
@@vergil9981 I actually believe that if Viego is brought back, he will be a shattered man. He knows that his wife would refused to come back to him, and with that his main ambition and purpose of doing anything is gone. We would need Morkekaiser to manipulate his mentality in order for him to become a serious threat again
@@valon5069 see with how Viego is broken mentally and emotionally he will see that the entire world denied his ability to get his wife back 3 times ... So he will go bat shit crazy
I like the idea that because he didn't previously have connections to other established characters that age like normal humans do, that, they had free-reign to place his story at any point in history. So, what I didn't notice before was that Pantheon was effectively in his own "bubble" set in the world, before this story/the recent cinematic. That, because of who he was connected to on the champion's page, his chronology was circumstantially ambiguous. At that point, newly introduced characters like Iula from lor, also didn't paint a picture of his place in the universe besides Targon and an isolated event at some point in history. There was an opportunity to cleverly move his story forward without moving the rest of the canon lore forward and they took it (by placing his story sometime in the past in relation to everything else).
I would've liked it more if they made it clear that Pantheon was the one possessed, not Atreus, they could've even given an explanation as to why Pantheon didn't just delete the sentinels with his powers by making Atreus hold him back from within.
I know we're already going to be getting a Void Event but Damn, would I love to see what it's like in Targon Prime. War against the Aspects? C'est Interesant.
If I would have a nickel every time a letter was burnt in these stories, I would have two nickels. That's not a lot but it's funny that it happened twice.
It's very relatable for Atreus to feel depressed - as a person who experienced depression I know how it feels - after becoming a 'host' again against his will and not being able to control himself. It's ok to show us that this is one of the biggest weakness a human being can have - his/her own mind. Even for Atreus. The problem is he would NEVER say something like "I want to give up", even if that ***horrendous event*** happened. He would never think bad of himself for not having his Aspect powers, because his entire mantra is "They fear me because I am a man". He said he was "just" a man, like it was a poor manner to think about himself. So I liked the fact that he felt pain, sadness and tiredness but... The "I want to give up (because of what Viego did to me)" wasn't a good point. Now I wonder... He went to face the Aspects in the face in the cinematic... Is he ever returning to fight for Runeterra or is he staying among the stars...?
I think it’s perfect for his character. He’s only mortal, he has his doubts… but his will to continue on is because of his will to carry burdens, not in spite of them. Once his faith in humanity was restored by Iula, he carried on to continue the mission he dedicated his new life to completing
I'm sure he will return in some fashion unless he dies in battle. But he alone can basically stand any chance against the aspects. He has to fight alone against incredible odds. The day he loses the battle in the heavens will be the day Runeterra becomes a burial ground
@@TrollStack The biggest problem I saw in this story was the "Now I'm just a man" saying. I know we feel like garbage when we're into depressing feelings, but this went against everything we knew about him. The way he says "I'm just a man (because I've lost my powers) is what botters me. He could have felt he was wrong about all the confidence he had about fighting, but not because of his powers, but because he couldn't do anything to not become a host again or stop the Ruination. Something like "I had become the thing I swore to destroy once again and that enrages me" to the point he felt hopeless.
@@TrollStack I understood the writer's point. It was nice to see him, a human being, struggling with mental health. We all do. But his lack of confidence being "I've lost my powers, therefore I'm no one" was a bit out of tone. He could have said to Iula "Am I not confident enough? Because I was possessed AGAN" or "What's the point of fighting for humanity if the war is never over?"... Things like that. Man I love Pantheon so much, he's the best char in this cursed game, so, anyway, it's good to see him having some lore love ♥
Iula: "You will never be a baker, just give up."
Atreus: "I want you to tell me it's ok to give up"
Iula: *I should not have said that*
a Hagrid moment if there ever was one. (hagrid: "I shouldn't have told you that. -_-")
Its funny because in an alternate universe, Pantheon IS a baker. Hahahha
@@simouniel867
Have you seen his shield?
It literally makes a clanging sound whenever he hits it and when he's baking he just throws it in
@@dizzyheads no one said he was a good one.
Lula?
This story makes Pantheon's part in "Call" so much better. How he apparently gathered strength for one last attempt to end aspect threat, how he, the man, regained his powers trough sheer force of will. It's just such a powerful scene
Yeah looking back at it he felt weak exactly like how he was infront of Iula but here he managed to gather his strengh and kept pushing foward. Kinda wish this story came out before the cenematic but oh well.
I think that was after he ascended a third time and regained his powers.
If the baron can ascend through sheer force of will, so can atreus
So this story is before the call??
Is that 100% confirmed?
Maybe that also gives a meaning to the song towards Pantheon
Showing Atreus as this broken person gives him an incredible amount of depth. I hope this is explored further in another story.
And yes, I can tell that since his rework, it's clear that Riot loves Pantheon's narrative direction.
Yes, seeing the Unbreakable Spear...well broken, makes me think about what would Aatrox said to him if he saw Atreus in this state.
My Aatrox would motivate him and help him absolutely decimate the Aspects.
I think this is the point where the two share a similar feeling. Atreus is unable to end Aspects, and Aatrox is unable to end himself. But if they join forces against the Aspects, if the Aspects die, then maybe Aatrox ceases to exist, and Pantheon will have peace.
Too bad they don't love his gameplay direction, poor guy doesn't even have a role at the moment he was strong in four of them then Riot gutted him to the point he isn't even playable anymore
I feel like pantheon is the kratos of lol. But not as blood thirsty
@@thelordofthelostbraincells he is kratos but not as godly, invincible. He is more of a mortal than a god.
@@justaname4654 who said anything about invincible?
As a Pantheon main, this story truly gave me some hope for the future after the horrible treatment he got in the ruination event. The fact that what happened has actual consequences on Atreus is not something I expected them to commit to...
In any case, I love the way they portray Atreus as what he truly is... a man. Not a god, not an aspect, but a man. A man, who despite his unrelenting will, when showed that everything in the world stands against him, and that even he himself could be made the enemy due to the sheer power of what he faces, he has doubt, weakness, vulnerability. Yet he still pushes on after being on the edge, and I think he is on the path to remember who he truly is again. I am VERY excited to see what Atreus is planning to do in the celestial realm, and what the aspects will try to do in aim to stop him.
We are, what we overcome...
What role do you play him in? I love this champ.. not sure what role is best for him tho.
@@Brakka86 Depends on what you prefer to play. I love to play him as a kinda cheese pick on top with a lot of early aggression but I have seen successful people playing him more as a bruiser in jungle as a power ganker
@@Brakka86 pantheon is a nice flex pick. Imo he doesnt have a objective best role. Hes just a good mid/top and a tid bit worst but still viable supp
Also, something I haven't seen anyone pick up yet:
Pantheon is the Unbreakable Spear, the "Spear" symbolizing his unbreakable will.
His Spear in this story is pictured as being bent, which aside from giving us an idea of Viego's power it's also a way to show how Pantheon's will is badly damaged, It's still not broken, but it goes to show how much Pantheon suffered both physically and psychologically, as his will was on the verge of breaking just like his Spear was.
Yet still he does inevitably rise up again, and in the Call cinematic you can (clearly, lol) see his spear firm and sturdy once more, just like his will.
And like that Pantheon has solidified himself as the #1 character in both the runeterran universe and my heart, as well as the greatest rework riot has ever made so far.
Agreed
not pantheon. Aetrius.
@@berilsevvalbekret772 Atreus but yes
Poor Panth... the pain of being inclosed in yourself once more...
Also, Iula stating sad facts. Pantheon will not be a baker
what pantheon needs is another team. He is been alone for too much time
Bullshit, he will be the best baker in the world
Pantheon won't be a baker but Atreus will be
It isn't Pantheon tho
tHAT'S HIS FAULT AND DESERVING FOR TORTURING AURELION SOL! AND IMPRISONING HIM IN SUCH A MATTER INCLUDING LEADING TO THE EXTERMINATION OF HIS KIND!!! SERVES PANTH RIGHT!!!
And Zoe's slick behaviors might be next..unless she frees Sol maybe they'll have a pact.
The best part of this story is how angry with Viego it made me. I'm a sucker for that man but gosh I'd hit him in the face. Nice job breaking the strongest-willed man, asshole. You're fucking grounded. And bring Atreus some cocoa.
Viego has been a naughty boy
The only thing good about viego is his gameplay, it's amazing. But character wise he's a pathetic, selfish, delusional, abusive man-child
@@garou9914 I honestly believe Viego made a thousand mistakes but is actually kind of a victim of circumstance still. Not justifying all the shit he did but in the end I totally understand WHY he did it.
Might have to do with how I know I would have done the same in his place, so don't mind me.
Still, poor Atreus, I'll pay his therapy.
@@sunnydargonnel that's what I thought at first, but then again. He was never a good husband, he was abusive and controlling when they were alive, and he's the reason she even died because he's a shitty king. He couldn't let her rest in peace, he doesn't love her, he loves to have her... she's more like a possession to him.
@@garou9914 actually if you're referring to the memories shown in RK, it's been confirmed a while back that he was not abusive, he wanted so hard to be *perfect* that he took those memories of refular couple fights and repressed them. Little crazy anyways, but not that terrible.
Regarding how good or bad of a king he was, they can't set the record straight anyways, even Necrit in the game says that he was loved as a king, but other times has been said people didn't like what he was doing... so what is it, Riot, lol
An incredible story. Its trully shows what makes Atreus an incredibly well written character. In-game you see him at his best, confident and strong, but here we see the wounds of a man’s mind behind all his strength. A true test of his character. It makes me root for him even more for when he inevitably has to rise up once more, as Pantheon always does.
Correction: Mantheon
@@juanantoniogragasin1685 correction: Sadtheon
@@juanantoniogragasin1685 transmasctheon
ChadTheon
Maratheon?
Aurelion Sol: "I cannot, will not, intervene. For I am the Watcher"
Gameplay: Excuse me?
Nice reference
He is to nerfed to intervene
Aurelion is definitely not a watcher, he'd destroy runeterra if he get the chance
@@senpaiduck7177 i'm pretty sure it's just targon.
**The entire world literally on fire**
Sol: **eating popcorn**
"Why does everyone hate letters in this universe?" -- because it would mean the writers have to write more, and by burning the letters the writers don't have to take the time to spell it all out.
That was the first thing that came to my mind too.
I think it's more about not writing resolutions, so they can keep all theri stories open for whichever way they want to take them
i dont understand
"It's better in the dark" - Evelyne
10:08 Trying to crush Pantheon's dreams puts her at the top of my shit list.
Yeh that’s what broke his will, not that horrible excuse of an event
"You will never be a baker" How could she say something rude, let him have hope, he always wanted to be a baker 😂😂
giving up is the ladt thing pantheon will ever do lol
When the man, with willpower stronger than the aspect of war itself, has given up, that's when you know you're fucked
No he is the aspect of war, but war with a purpose war in the name of defense, in the name of life rather than death, war in the name of humanity. Atreus is the will of every man or woman who has been knocked down, who've hunkered down as bullets whizzed past their heads, as dirt kicked up and comrades scream but who has refused to stop fighting for what they believe in. He embodies the sacrifices made in war, the lives lost and the pain endured. Atreus is Pantheon, Pantheon is war, and war is hell.
when the man with the strongest will in runeterra cant resist viego's corruption but mf does , and then she gets corrupted anyway later. the narrative was a bit fucked
@@stormdragon2529
ssshhh, it's not canon
it never happened
@@stormdragon2529 hence why I didn’t pay attention to the event I knew shit was gonna be fucked and I didn’t want to be there to witness it lol
Bruh. Pantheon is a real one. So is Iula. This whole story was amazing and I feel for my boy pantheon. Cmon bro you've got this.
The thing that hurt me the most in this story is how Atreus says that "he lost his powers, he is just a man now", considering his whole theme is how he isn't an aspect but JUST A MAN who refuses to give up.
Well I think he meant that despite being a man he no longer has the power that made his fight possible, sure he has his willpower (or so he thinks, from what we know it seems like his doubt is actually what's causing his lack of power and he just doesn't realize it), but with just his will power it would be like bring a toothpick to a nuke fight, he'd get obliterated... So why do it at all? Why not try to live and maybe help in another way? Well because Atreus embodies the need to fight not just survive that's why he is still considered at least by me to be the true "Pantheon" he is the will of men to fight on, but when War becomes sick of war it loses all purpose. Atrues needs at this point in the story to believe that even with his mortality he will survive just like he did when he climbed targon the first time.
Arteus was just a man. Man that stood against enemies, man with mission to fight and protect, to fall and get back up, man with will power to hold power of aspect. Now.... his power is gone, he hurt those he swore to protect (or more like pantheon did when he was ressurected in arteus body but still Arteus blames himself) he couldn't do anything as he was grasped by power he didnt understand. Now he even lost power of aspect. How can he fight now? Protect? That what means to be broken, go with everything you had belive in something and than have all of that take from you. Without power he had how to fight powerful enemies, fallen gods, aspects, demons ? Fokin Aurelion Sol ? From power-level of god he was reduced to man. Its a story of man that was on peak and than he was thrown back down with his arms ripped off. Would you have power to climb with your teeth and legs? Or would you just give up. Despite that! He still cant give up, he still asks for assurance that its "okey to give up" Because somewhere there is sill tinder of this will that can push him forward. (At least its my interpretation)
@@DevilDrako666 I know, but "not giving up is my real power" is his theme as much as "letting go is my real power" is for ryze. It's sad to see him giving up
@@codebracker But thats a beauty of this! Scared, defeated, lost. But still *cant* give up by himself! He need somoene to tell him "its okey" there is still this "power" inside him, he just need to reignite this small spark into a giant fire again. He dont want to give up, he just dont see the way to go forward without aspect powers, not against enemies like he mentioned.
That’s what pissed off Iula the most besides burning her bread.
I really like how in the cinematic, pantheon used his shield against men, his spear against leona, and his real powers against a god
And used everything against Aatrox and still couldnt beat him even tho Aatrox is just a flesh monster with god killing blade and unbeatable combat skill.
@@aatroxtheworldender933 are you by any chance an Aatrox enjoyer?
@@jaymiroterborgh4133 hell ye, i am always by the great Aatrox side.
@@aatroxtheworldender933 Aatrox killing the Pantheon but then getting his arm chopped off by Atreus needs to be explained lmao, yeah it's pretty hype for Atreus but we need to know what exactly did he do to best Aatrox in battle
*spear
he is merely a human, and not a god
he keeps getting cooler every single time, the fact that he became really tired makes him so much more human is amazin
I do believe she burned the letter, because she hopes to see Atreus once again and have him say what he meant, personally. Reading the letter would be like saying goodbye forever. This is my take atleast on this part of the story.
My thought was that she was very angry with him and didnt want to have to read something by him that would stop her from being angry or empathize with him. She wants to be angry because to her he threw away the memory of her late husband to just "quit".
I do like your take a lot too though and think it fits the narrative perfectly!
I think Iula just doesn’t care about what Atreus has to say. She doesn’t want any excuses, or apologies, or whatever, she just wants him to be the warrior the world needs. Actions speak louder than words.
If he chooses to get back on that path, then great. She’ll probably meet him again on the battlefield. If he chooses to run away and hide, then she doesn’t have time to concern herself with him. She needs to prepare for battle.
Either way, nothing in that letter would affect anything.
Atreus should really have Aatrox at his side when fighting the celestials. Also when this will never happen, I want to see Aatrox and Atreus just slaughtering the aspects.
They at some point have the same goals, they’re both been deceived and used by the aspects. While they themselves were good people, aatrox sadly became corrupted by fighting the void for too long and done horrible things, but so did pantheon under viegos control. They’re both victims. Would be amazing seeing them find conmen ground.
When a aspect dies what they embody dies to aatrox said that what he embodied (the aspect that gave him his power)no longer exists and can’t remember what it’s called so it might not be a good idea to kill them aatrox will still try because he is trying to erase reality and everyone in it and killing a aspect will probably do that.
@@AthaxDesigns Aatrox now just want to die, but he can only die when everything is destroyed, or so he thinks
@@lordofbacon1455 It’s true he wants “his suffering to end” that doesn’t necessarily mean to die. We all know that his sword is a personal hell, when he’s in there he can’t breath and basically perpetually choking. What a hell. He’s mad, like really mad but you can still her that he hasn’t completely lost it, he still have some kind of skewed honour. He wants to destroy all the gods, because they betrayed him and used him. I think the pantheon could offer him revenge or freedom, a way to take the fight to the celestial he might just take it.
@@AthaxDesigns I would love to see that
Kind of really makes it hit home when Pantheon's Selection quote is "In battle, we are reborn." Then, this story comes along and shows just how much of a toll every battle you face mounts up to after so long.
Guess that's what makes it even more inspiring when Atreus finally gets back up to fight once again in "The Call."
now thats what you call an "Emotional DAMAGE!"
Time for Atreus to climb Mount Targon uphill both ways - on one foot. His other foot will start a bakery. :D
I get that reference
i hate that reference
The burnt letter is such an awesome concept, she's not willing to listen to any excuse Atreus is trying to tell her, and will only ever speak to him again after he comes back the warrior he is, to protect everyone.
What's most heartbreaking is that she doesn't know if Atreus will even get back up on his feet, so it's her way of not losing hope and a last ditch effort to not give up on him like he did.
It's selfish to disregard his pain. His "excuses" are valid in the face of all that's happened to him. To blame him and push the responsibility on him, that he has to force himself to suffer because no one else will, is not going to reignite some spark of courage in him. Frankly I think it would make him bitter, that everything he's done to help is disregarded the moment he stumbled and their gratitude comes with a price. I hope she lives out the rest of her life believing that she screwed up, that after all the times Atreus struggled to stand up for what was right, when he came to her for help, she called him weak and cast him out. That when he was at his lowest she only thought of herself and used her dead husband and an orphan boy to guilt Atreus to take on the world's burdens because she was too scared to accept that the person she demanded save them all couldn't bear it alone.
@@theintern2960 she came out as cold and uncarring in the story but you would have to understand that words of comfort and affirmation would not help Pantehon back on his feet
@@dumitrache12 Still could have been handled a lot better. Have her grandson play some part in it - he sees that the people he fights for still struggle or fear what's to come, and he is reminded of who he fights for and why.
@@theintern2960 its a classic myth. In our country we have the story of a great ruler who lost a battle agains the Ottoman Empire and when he returned to his castle he pleaded to his mother to let him in to which she refused telling him “you are no son of mine”
Basically what you want to hear is not what you need to move forward
@@theintern2960that’s what she did, though. She told him “people are suffering, you need to continue your fight.” Very bluntly, but again, he’s a soldier, he’s been one since birth, basically, he responds to orders and commands, not comfort. She could’ve absolutely been better, but we know her words worked, that he regained his hope and his powers, and he is continuing his fight.
Beta celtial : pls give me you’re body humans
Alpha bard and soraka : aight ima make my own body
Their body is inevitably rather unstable but it works nonetheless.
@@visionofsolace8961 yea, at least they have an effort to contact physically on mortal realm. Unlike other Beta celestial
@@ME_KL Soraka and Bard are caretakers, let's just hope their efforts tip the scales in favour of Runeterra
Virgin Pantheon:
Noo i got stabbed now i dead.
Chad Atreus:
"I fight until the blood takes the spear from my grasp, until I can only crawl. And even then, you will not defeat me, even then, I will spit in your face!"
wow.
Lmao
i love this story telling style rather than narrating stories, hope you'd make more like this.
Viego's come back might be a chapter or an event in the Runeterra MMO. It would be great actually
Damn, the story was so good.
I am also currently facing problems and every reply Atreus made to Iula was everything I keep telling myself (except for the whole threats to runeterra part). questioning myself if i can give up, that i cant do it, that im tired. idk it just hits me so hard.
C'mon bro you can do it. Don't give up, problems have a solution you just need to find it
u have the right to fail
u have the right to suck
heck u have the right to be a piece of shit
but never stop pursuing your path whatever it is
as failing make place to rise
that sucking , make place to improvement (and sexual possibility)
that being a piece of shit can free you from chain that never truly existed
abandon yourself if u want ,but be sure that a new greater will rise as potential never truly die
Pantheon got up. You can too. Try to find a local therapist if you can - they should be able to help somewhat.
Even the wind has a path, brother.
"Why does everyone hates letters in this universe?!"
Because letters killed their grandma
Sick Trolls reference my dude
What's a Trolls reference doing in a League of Legends lore video
we need a God King Pantheon skin. He DESERVES it.
Yeah I think Celestial Pantheon fits that, he has a Prestige skin that goes along with Ruined Pantheon. I think anyway that was the intent behind it.
The title God King doesn't suit Pantheon,he should be have a skin titled The Man or something in my opinion.
@PhazPiece Mantheon.
@@phazpiece6058 Man King Pantheon? 😅
@@iamnerose1658 MANtheon would be a omega skin for like 5000 RP.
After i read it i felt even more connected to pantheon than i already was, as a main panth i like every aspect of him, from gameplay to lore, i still wonder though why Leona and the Solari turned into a runeterran version of a certain political party that i won't mention here, i thought she was looking for Diana to try to clear things out after dicovering the truth of the aspects and the light of the sun and moon
every ASPECT??????
@@kricketune5114 fuck em
I personally think she should have read the letter cause what I think is Atreus now has fixed his broken self one last time and this time he will be going all out , he will either die trying or kill all the aspects for him there is no turning back . People might think Lula would meet him in battlefield someday but i think it won't happen cause atreus won't return unless he's succeeded . I really hope ( it's impossible i know ) that Aatrox and Atreus have some talk and decide to tear down the heavens together , like that would be a redeem and revenge arc for Aatrox . Till the day arrives we shall climb .
This makes pantheon so much more human
thats the point!
Man.
Because he is a human. He is MANtheon. What happened to Aatrox and other darkins during void war is happening to Atreus in a different way.
I want a targon war event after the void one that's coming this year. Targon prime is the most underexplored place in the league universe other than camavor and i think we will get to see some really cool designs since legends of runeterra shows us the design of many celestials and they look incredible
Imagine an event where you can pick a side out of a bunch of others and two of potential sides are lunari and solari.
Icathia is also underexplored.
@@imfunkingivincible886 Yes, but it is Void spawn ground zero, meaning we could learn something about it in the void event coming soon.
Ixtal would like a word
Ixtal is unexplored and so underrated
Ruination did Atreus dirty.
Agreed, but I respect that they're using that to write a baller story like this by acknowledging how against his storyline Ruined Pantheon was and having it really fuck him up.
Not just Atreus mostly most of the champs that mentioned on the ruination are
The trauma of being controlled again its so sad to see him loose all hope and had given up. It was hearbreaking
Huh, I just realized the celestial realm and the void has some interesting parallels. Like beings from both realms cannot go to Runeterra directly, so they "take over" living things from Runeterra instead. Pantheon and Kai'sa being two things "taken over" and are now fighting for humans
Man, I love Pantheon. He was one of the first champs I played (besides Ashe, Sion, and TF). From an arrogant god of war to a reminder of why I should fight. Onwards!
Atreus must now endure his greatest trial. Not an Aspect, not a Darkin, not even a Ruined King, but the most devastating of all things, a broken spirit...
You can do this Atreus! Rise up once again and be worthy of the name Mantheon!
For the beat and the broken
For the lost and forsaken
Let us never surrender
May we rise unto the call
Atreus will never beat his greatest enemy.... the balance team...
I mean, I too would be depressed as well if I know that I got controlled by a simp king out of ANY powerfull being in Runetera.
I still believe that Pantheon/Atreus was a bad choice for the Ruination. His whole deal is that his mortal will alone can defy gods, and he got mind controled by Viego?! (of all people). He has been beaten his whole life, an Aspect took over his body for a joyride to hunt Darkin, he died only to be reborn and then he got...mind-controled?AGAIN? This guy can't get a break...I believe the only reason that he was in the story was because he is a popular champion and Riot wanted to make money from the skin line. Otherwise why Pantheon? Why not any of the other Aspects? Leona and Kayle are assholes, Morgana drowns in regret and Taric is full of guilt...THERE...much better candidates to be Ruined 😑
agreed, but i also like how this story treats the after-math of Pantheon's mind control, also even tho the explanation wasnt that good, it was more like he aspect of war was revived inside of Atreus and regained control again, and taking good hearted warriors like Pantheon and turning them dark against their will is always a nice dinamic. So i guess this was a whole there's good and there's bad kind of deal with Pantheon's Ruined form
I think Pantheon was actually the best choice, because it was the Aspect itself that was revived and controlled by Veigo not Atreus. Thats the whole story behind the prestige skin, its the version where Atreus breaks free from the Aspect's control and wields all that power himself. The two skins set up an amazing duality and lift the veil behind the Aspects a bit, showing their true nature.
I think Pantheon is a good choice even the event is bullsh*t, he gives the drama, the guy who loses everytime and get up again even after Viego got him control and he came back he still can fight again. Maybe other Aspects cannot do that like him, cant come back after mind control cuz the feeling of be defeated.
what happened is that the ruination revived the Pantheon using the remaining powers inside Atreus, what got mind controlled was the Pantheon and it pushed Atreus aside, as soon as the ruination ended the Pantheon died again and Atreus took control back
I disagree. Viego didn't mind control Atreus himself, what he did was resurrecting Pantheon (aspect) within Atreus (which is either way weird) and then Pantheon regained control over Atreus's body ,like he could until being slayed by Aatrox, so it's not exactly the worst thing in SoL Pantheon. Is it weird that Viego can resurrect an Aspect? Sure. Is it weird that said Aspect can control poor human Atreus? Not as much. I think there was a lot of potential for Atreus in this scenario, like he could defeat Pantheon inside of his head, reclaim his powers and then help the sentinels without actually joining them and then have depression over the fact he lost control even if just briefly (so that we could have ground for this recent story) but Riot just handled him and the event itself very poorly.
it broke my heart seeing him like this... tired, defeated and giving up. when he had inspire us soo much with his words that we can be more than what we are,to never give up,humans are stronger than they think. he just need to remember his own words that his will shall became something greater. rise again atreus, don't give up.
So Atreus' body felt a bit smaller because he lost the very last of the Aspects' power that was residing in him. Oh man humanizing those "god-like" entities is a really good idea. Also, very good execution from the story makers of riot. Great job!
Atreus is such a good character. Now the scene from The Call makes so much more sense. Sheer, dumb, willpower is sometimes the strongest weapon a human can wield.
Atreus: everything I’ve done feels useless and I’ve been mind controlled twice dude, idk if I can do this
Iula: deal with it
1:55 "On a Timescale that mocks even the grandest of mortal ambitions"
*Laughs in Mordekaiser*
If this was his story after ruination then seeing what's going to happen in the cinematic got me excited for what's going to happen for atreus.
I want a riot forge game about Atreus, he is such an incredible character
climbing targon Rouge like similar to hades.
@@Dudenob123 How bout a Targon climbing game similar to Getting Over It in order to really really test your will to go on
@ayri "Celestials! your enemy has returned and I bring destruction to Targon"
@@aeroanosupremo ZEUUUUUUUUSS-- I mean ASPPEEEEECCTSSSSS
damn my guy just tryna bake a lil bread i feel sorry for him
This story is so heavy considering it's everything Atreus isn't supposed to be.
No its everything he is supposed to be, and it puts everything into perspective and humanizes him, because despite his powers, he's still just a man... He struggles, he has ups and downs, but he continues to get back up, even if he needs some help from others to do so.
Atreus really reminds me of Kaladin from The Stormlight Archives, and they're both great!
Oh my god I thought I was the only lmao.
Both fight with spears. Both weild godly power. Both broken but still fighting, checks out
As one god of war needed to hear when they were at their lowest point; "Hope is what makes us strong, it is why we are here. It is what we fight for when all else is lost." Dont give up Atreus. Fight on!
I love the GoW3 reference!
"it may hit you right in the feelings" fucking hell it hit me, when im about to be done in my school life and just give up, then this line hits "think about the sacrifices we have" from this video, god damn that hits me really hard, i still have so many fckng things to do and resting is not an option but occasionaly we need some rest but a full time retirement is not even an option for me right now and for us. thanks riot for making me realized that i still have things to do thanks from the sacrifices of others just for me.
This story is so sad and true especially before and after the mental breakdown of atrues
As a depressed person i can relate to atrues he is so sad and desperate
Also iula is more then a support character she has a personality and she don't like atrues she is doing that because she thinks pylas would want her to do it
I am happy that she has her own personality
destroying my boy dreams
Man...as main panth...it hits me hard but i would say to my hero stand up and move on atreus....no matter what , you are a pantheon...
The voice acting on this video was absolutely fantastic. Keep it up Necrit!
This was extremely well written. It humanizes Atreus and it makes him a well fleshed out character, struggling and doubting about himself. This also makes his part in the Call the more significant, after getting some reason slapped right in his face by Iula, he got the determination to make the climb once again. It also shows that Riot is really fixing the Ruination and trying to make it a concrete point for stories of different champions.
"Heh silly star dragon, your slaps mean nothing compared to that of that WENCH!"
if we consider soraka as a aspect and if you know her story it is understandable why they never go out themselves personally and use a avatar in a form mortal that reach the top of mount targon
If a aspect dies what they embody dies and disappears from reality is that true.
“Some of the best things adults enjoy happen in the dark”
Hmmmmmmm
Evelyn approves.
Atreus is legitimately one of the best champions in the lore. This is proof of that
After Aatrox and Mordekaiser of course.
"The heavens do not fear me because I'm a god. They fear me because I'm a man."
Batman and superman vibes
I read the story after an 8 hour pantheon top session.I was in tears
I swear, pantheon's story is one of the most badass and tragic lore in the game. He is powerless and yet he is the only thing(at least one of the few) that stands between runeterra and the godlike beings that seek to fully manipulate the world. A lonely warrior, with no power, who despite the odds stacked against him, Will push forward for the sake of the people who wouldn't even get to know his sacrifice
Are you the same guy from that website?
Would be cool if Atreus decided that the aspects needed to get dealt with, but realized he had no chance of doing it himself.
Good thing he knows a specific ascended warrior who would be up for the task
Certain ascended warrior when he see pantheon: hahahaha COME
Who would this be?
@@kerresft8745 Aatrox
@@Victard Aatrox: I COME for you Pantheon
@@eyo8766 aatrox : i cum pantheon
I truly think riot is just too afraid of what happened after the Ruination to ever put Viego in a story again. I have to agree with them- I can't imagine the clown fiesta that would happen if Viego had celestial powers.
But then again, Diana is practically a demigod and somehow was foiled by a depressed emo furry. So many if Teemo just shrooms him Viego will truly be defeated.
diana by herself could probabbly destroy viego instantly and the black mist with the light of the moon, but no she does nothing for the whole event.
@@CcReap3r aspects are much stronger then ascendeds. but i hate when riot uses characters that can destroy entire contintents in their crossover stories since they will always get hard nerfed , like Diana and Pantheon in the ruination. Pantheon ( the god) could've insta killed all sentinels except diana in one attack
if the conversations had been made by voice actors I don't know how broken my chest could be with what the story conveys
I picked up Panth souly for his amazing voicelines and theme music
same
We all do
When he said "In battle, broken" my heart shattered, I'm so used to his glorious "we are REBORN!" as a pantheon main....
I mean, I'd be depressed too, if I got turned into an utter chump for the sake of making other characters look strong.
so, does this means that in the cinematic he actually went to fight the solari like Iula said??
I think Pantheon, because of his philosophy that man good and celestial bad, is looking past the men that are being manipulated and instead looking to stop the problem at it’s source; that being the aspects who are doing the manipulating. Pantheon uses his fist and shield to fight men because he wishes not to kill them. When he sees Leona, he raises his spear, because she embodies the power of an aspect. Atreus is getting ready to absolutely body whatever is at play behind the portal to targon prime.
theres a legends of runeterra unit card for Iula when she was still young following pantheon slaying monsters, look it up he even had more party members roaming around with him final fantasy style.
I always say that short stories need to be acted out but this one is actually an Emmy winning scene right here
Viego turning into every champion,Vex and Ahri having R resets, ADC sliding on walls like Talon,Bugged client,Toxic players
Me:Tell me it's okay to give up
Rito:HOW DARE YOU
Idk how you ignored those big details... NO, Viego did not climb Targon using Atreus body, in the ruination minigame you can see Atreus already was at the peak to face Viego, 2, Pantheon was revived by Viego and thats why Atreus got mind controlled, i find it amazing that you ignored that since you dedicate so much hours to lore.
Viego used the mist to just…teleport up there, he has no reason to need to walk at all, dunno why he thought this
There’s like three different versions of the Ruination event at this point (Comics, PC and Wild Rift). I wouldn’t be surprised if there was different iterations in each one. Besides, Atreus doesn’t even remember climbing the mountain, just that he did, which could mean that he was Ruined prior to actually getting up there.
@@skrilllfury2120 the major events that happened are the only important ones. They’re all canon, but the specific events (certain dialogue, who was there, etc) have been reconned, and they’re slowly rewriting and bringing them back (such as pantheon).
So Atreus, extremely traumatized after having his body once again possessed by an external entity, goes to his friend for comfort, and that friend physically and emotionally abuses him?
Don't get me wrong, it's good conflict, fine writing, but I hope that people recognize how fucked up what Iula did is.
This story hit me right in the guts. I am going through some tough times right now myself and seeing Atreus, one of the strongest (more mentally than physically) human characters, in a condition that i found myself in many times before is so painful and sadly relatable. I hope that Atreus and anyone who is struggling now will be able to find the strength to go forward.
P.S. Great video as always!
Its sad to see a strong willed man fall to its knees and looose all hope specially Atreus. man
The story of Atreus will always be my Favorite story of League Lore. It shows so much about Humans
Watch Necrit get a perfect copy of that letter and its contents from Riot in a few weeks, actually letting us know what was written in there. Not sure but maybe he said something about being sorry, manning up and then going to climb again just because why not.
riot should make another anime about atreus
Now imagine an Aspect of War game with Atreus attacking the realm of the Aspects directly, not the vessels which is Leona or Diana, etc but the space wherein the real forms of the Aspects reside. Heck they can also tell Atreus of the consequences of killing every Aspect, the fact that it will free Asol who hates Runeterra as a whole, except Poros no being can truly hate them and Braum. Then the full emergence of the Void now that there are less beings that can hold them back and the balance of Runeterra as a whole will be in shambles. By killing them he'll bring far more destruction to the mortals that he claims to protect. Wherein at the last part of the game you(the player) will be given a choice whether to kill the aspect's or not. Each has a different result wherein if you kill them, Atreus would think they were lying and be harrowed with the fact that they were actually telling the truth. He singlehandedly caused the doom of Runeterra. Now if you choose not to kill them the Aspects would deem Atreus worthy of being a true aspect giving him the power, ascending him to the same position as the previous Pantheon once was. The condition being that once another Aspect causes too much damage, he won't hesitate to kill them or their vessels. An Aspect whose allegiance lies only to the protection of the mortals of Runeterra.
The pantheons journey couldn’t end any better, him finally being able to set things right.
If the aspect dies part of reality they embody dies with them aatrox even said so so killing all of them would erase parts of and or all of reality.
Dude climbed the most dangerous mountain imaginable, watched his best friend die in his hands, became possessed by a god, got stabbed so hard said god died, then became possessed by a king controlling the undead making him attack his allies, suffers from major PTSD and can't continue on.
The woman: Don't you dare tell me about what you've lost, I've lost my husband!
Yea, seems very fair
Man I was really hoping for the set up scene of her saying you cant do it alone. Would have been perfect set up for panth teaming up with people especially people like jax or braum to fight and save the world.
"viego" *gasp* so scary
I mean if Atreus defeated a corrupted god-warrior the literally killed a celestial being, then Viego is one a whole other level
I would love it if there was a channel on RUclips that made fan animations of lore stories
I think Viego climbing up the mountain won't result in him getting some celestial related powers. Considering all he wanted during the Ruination was his wife back and when he did get her back, ignored the literal threats outside his door. I think he simply wanted to see if the aspects had a way to resurrect his wife but obviously the aspects can simply choose not to meet him at all. But this might serve as a catalyst for an event related to the Aspects, specifically a war, since Viego ascending the mountain probably signaled the aspects that Runeterra has been weakened due to him which is probably an opportunity they can't ignore.
The fact that even the manliest of man's is legit broken by his fight and possession of Viego .... Speaks wonders of the latters power ..... Yet in the ruination he was so easily defeated
Only reason he lost was because he was man and not aspect. Viego can't control aspects.
Viego was extremely powerful, his detriment, however, is like what thresh said, his queen. Veigo had the power to destroy everything, and even corrupt aspects! As well as control the mist doing so. It would've been a nightmare of he managed to gain control of an ascended, a celestial, or god forbid a demi-god. But his obsession with Isolde led to his downfall cause that's the only reason he was doing everything, to get back to her, which eventually got him defeated.
@@ConfettiBerg when viego breaks free... i feel bad for the world to be honest instead of reviving his wife he will lost it and fk kill everything on sight
@@vergil9981 I actually believe that if Viego is brought back, he will be a shattered man. He knows that his wife would refused to come back to him, and with that his main ambition and purpose of doing anything is gone. We would need Morkekaiser to manipulate his mentality in order for him to become a serious threat again
@@valon5069 see with how Viego is broken mentally and emotionally he will see that the entire world denied his ability to get his wife back 3 times ... So he will go bat shit crazy
Runaterra character and burning their letter before read it, name a more iconic duo
Where is he:
Therapy.
I like the idea that because he didn't previously have connections to other established characters that age like normal humans do, that, they had free-reign to place his story at any point in history. So, what I didn't notice before was that Pantheon was effectively in his own "bubble" set in the world, before this story/the recent cinematic. That, because of who he was connected to on the champion's page, his chronology was circumstantially ambiguous. At that point, newly introduced characters like Iula from lor, also didn't paint a picture of his place in the universe besides Targon and an isolated event at some point in history. There was an opportunity to cleverly move his story forward without moving the rest of the canon lore forward and they took it (by placing his story sometime in the past in relation to everything else).
I thought J4 did read the letter, then burned it out of rage that his father would want peace after what just happened (prison break)
On his third climb, he'll become the God of War himself. I should've appreciated you when I played LoL PC. My best burst AD so far in WR.
Next time he climbs, he should have help from Corkie
I would've liked it more if they made it clear that Pantheon was the one possessed, not Atreus, they could've even given an explanation as to why Pantheon didn't just delete the sentinels with his powers by making Atreus hold him back from within.
I know we're already going to be getting a Void Event but Damn, would I love to see what it's like in Targon Prime.
War against the Aspects? C'est Interesant.
Yeap, I don’t care what else gets released this year, this is the 2022 Best Story Award. This is just such a emotional ride.
If I would have a nickel every time a letter was burnt in these stories, I would have two nickels. That's not a lot but it's funny that it happened twice.
God Pantheon might be the main character of Runeterra...
so many mixed feelings, this story broke me... :'(
Atreus History should be a game itself because boy he is carrying the targon lore alone.
Being told he'll never be a baker was the last nail in the coffin, my man broke lmao
NGL i blinked and read the thumbnail as WHERE HE AT (Like, where my boy at)
It's very relatable for Atreus to feel depressed - as a person who experienced depression I know how it feels - after becoming a 'host' again against his will and not being able to control himself.
It's ok to show us that this is one of the biggest weakness a human being can have - his/her own mind. Even for Atreus.
The problem is he would NEVER say something like "I want to give up", even if that ***horrendous event*** happened. He would never think bad of himself for not having his Aspect powers, because his entire mantra is "They fear me because I am a man". He said he was "just" a man, like it was a poor manner to think about himself.
So I liked the fact that he felt pain, sadness and tiredness but... The "I want to give up (because of what Viego did to me)" wasn't a good point.
Now I wonder... He went to face the Aspects in the face in the cinematic... Is he ever returning to fight for Runeterra or is he staying among the stars...?
I think it’s perfect for his character. He’s only mortal, he has his doubts… but his will to continue on is because of his will to carry burdens, not in spite of them. Once his faith in humanity was restored by Iula, he carried on to continue the mission he dedicated his new life to completing
I'm sure he will return in some fashion unless he dies in battle. But he alone can basically stand any chance against the aspects. He has to fight alone against incredible odds. The day he loses the battle in the heavens will be the day Runeterra becomes a burial ground
@@TrollStack The biggest problem I saw in this story was the "Now I'm just a man" saying. I know we feel like garbage when we're into depressing feelings, but this went against everything we knew about him.
The way he says "I'm just a man (because I've lost my powers) is what botters me.
He could have felt he was wrong about all the confidence he had about fighting, but not because of his powers, but because he couldn't do anything to not become a host again or stop the Ruination.
Something like "I had become the thing I swore to destroy once again and that enrages me" to the point he felt hopeless.
@@pianishim0 yeah I agree, the writer that made that line definitely understands pantheon to be a much different character than I do.
@@TrollStack I understood the writer's point. It was nice to see him, a human being, struggling with mental health. We all do.
But his lack of confidence being "I've lost my powers, therefore I'm no one" was a bit out of tone.
He could have said to Iula "Am I not confident enough? Because I was possessed AGAN" or "What's the point of fighting for humanity if the war is never over?"... Things like that.
Man I love Pantheon so much, he's the best char in this cursed game, so, anyway, it's good to see him having some lore love ♥