League of Legends is full of unique characters with a rich backstory. However, one champion is actually “just” a reference to a guild from World of Warcraft.
It is well known that MOBAs like League of Legends actually originated from a map for Warcraft 3. But did you know that a character from LoL is a direct reference to a guild from World of Warcraft? This is about Veigar, a small and wicked sorcerer.
Who revealed this? Kevin Jordan, one of the original developers of World of Warcraft, revealed some interesting details in a live stream. He explained that he was part of a guild that only had gnome warlocks. They called themselves “Tiny Masters of Evil”. Tom Cadwell, who is responsible for character design in League of Legends, apparently liked the guild so much that he designed Veigar after it – a little master of evil.
That is confirmed by the title that Veigar holds in League of Legends: Tiny Master of Evil. Just like the WoW guild many years ago.
This is how the guild Tiny Masters of Evil was: Anyone who wanted to play with the Tiny Masters of Evil had to play a gnome warlock – all other classes were not allowed. The ranks in the guild were not assigned based on trust or importance, but were repeatedly decided through duels. Anyone who wanted to rise in rank had to win a duel against someone of a higher rank.
This concept of “rising in rank by defeating someone” is also still anchored in League of Legends. When Veigar kills enemy champions, his power increases with each kill.
Other games also have references: By the way, Veigar is not the only reference to the guild Tiny Masters of Evil that has made it into other games. There was also a reference in Hearthstone, as Ben Brode explained a few years ago. The card “Tiny Knight of Evil” shows a small gnome in armor riding a devilish mount. That was also a reference to the mentioned gnome guild.
By the way, Hearthstone is finally nerfing the oldest combo in the game
Did you already know where the idea for Veigar actually comes from?
