Image: Riot Games
Viktor mains want a "Glorious Revert-lution" for their beloved champion.
Viktor mains are angry after their beloved League of Legends (LoL) champion's Visual Graphic Update (VGU) dropped in the game's public beta environment (PBE) on Wednesday (4 December). Viktor has been a LoL champion for 13 years, and his general aesthetic has been more or less consistent with his title as the Machine Herald — sporting a metal mask and a somewhat muscular metal frame reminiscent of Marvel's Dr. Doom.
This has been the signature look LoL Viktor fans have come to love for years, with the Machine Herald's lore mainly focused on him augmenting machine parts to achieve his so-called ‘Glorious Evolution’.
With Viktor sporting a very different look after his "Glorious Evolution" in Arcane Season 2, Riot introduced a VGU for the champion, "better aligning him to the Viktor fans were shown in Arcane," according to a press release on November 26. This VGU also updated the look of Viktor's skins to match his revamped body type and overall frame.
However, the VGU barely received positive feedback from the community, with plenty of Viktor mains taking to Reddit or X/Twitter to voice their anger and disappointment. Specifically, the Viktormains subreddit was filled with threads protesting the champion's VGU.
One popular thread was a post by TomTomTom_92, titled "Justice for Viktor!", in which he alleges that "Riot is DELETING this character, this incredible character, OUR Viktor, from the game ENTIRELY," even adding that Viktor has been replaced by an "ARCANE SPRIGGAN who has less similarities to OUR Viktor than you or I do to a toaster."
Jayjuann also posted a meme with old Viktor's face, "I am once again asking for you to join the glorious revert-lution. "
Others, like low_username, lamented how his old lore throws away the more original "Machine Herald" design in favour of a new one that is basically "just another mage." Plenty others complained about Viktor's new frame, which seemed a bit too slender, comparing him to female champions like Kai'sa.
One specific post by paolamodas suggested that "Riot should delay Viktor's rework and give him a traditional skin," and many agreed, stating that the "traditional skin" should be free so they can keep the old Machine Herald's look.
Response on X was just as harsh, especially in the official LoL X account's post on Viktor's VGU:
"As a Viktor main, I'm devastated," @altruismqt said. "Literally left out [the] machine in his title because the entire focus of what made him unique just doesn't matter anymore. I miss my champion."
"The Arcane watchers who don't play League or main Viktor are gonna love this," X user @espgodson said.
"That's not Viktor!!!!! That's Vincent Arcane Season 2. This is Viktor, The machine herald!!!!!!!!!!1!1!11!!" @juanmcoria_ said.
Riot quietly tweaks Viktor VGU after complaints, promises to continue fixes
After less than 24 hours of backlash, players on PBE have noticed some changes in Viktor's overall body frame. Specifically, updates on Creator Viktor and Deathsworn Viktor, with some of his chonkier physique restored.
Later on, LoL Executive Producer Paul "Pabro" Bellezza posted a follow-through message on X:
"We're looking at making some adjustments to Viktor's update based on your feedback. We'll let you know when we have something solid to share, soonish," he said.
Some feedback has been very specific, with fans sharing prototypes and drawings in Pabro's post. While other changes haven't been specified yet, fans hope the updates will be favourable.
