Images: Riot Games
Let's dive into the details of the cinematic, and what it means for the League of Legends universe.
Season 1 of 2025 for League of Legends (LoL) is about to begin! Ahead of the launch of the new season, developer Riot Games unveiled the highly-anticipated opening cinematic featuring Noxus and the events that followed Arcane Season 2 on 8 January (Wednesday).
The cinematic, entitled “Welcome to Noxus,” is accompanied by the song Bite Marks by TEYA. This also marks the beginning of the first season of the three seasons in LoL 2025, each focusing on a different region.
The cinematic opens with a voice narrating, “Noxus is where the strong gather. It seeks the fearless and defiant. Calling them here to answer one simple question: Are you strong enough?”
The tone of this cinematic is noticeably subdued and sombre, compared to the high-energy visuals of the previous seasons, especially 2024’s exhilarating “Still Here”. However, this shift in style doesn’t detract from its impact. It’s packed with intense combat sequences and tantalising plot points that hint at deeper, more cohesive lore. Above all, it leaves viewers with plenty of intriguing questions.
So if you’re burning with questions after watching the cinematic, we’ve got you covered. Let’s break down the details of the first season’s cinematic: Welcome to Noxus.
Mel Madarda lands in Noxus
Towards the end of the last episode of Arcane Season 2, viewers saw Mel Madarda draped in red, preparing to leave Piltover with the remnants of the Noxian army. In the 2025 cinematic, Mel is the first character to appear, standing on the shores of what is likely the border of Noxus. As she progresses toward the gates, she experiences a mysterious vision of the challenges that lie ahead, and it seems like as she makes her way further into the gates, she gets a mysterious vision of what she will face going into Noxus.
This means that Mel could be central to the story of Noxus, a character absent in Noxus lore in the past.
The Masquerade
One of the most visually stunning moments in the cinematic is the Masquerade in Noxus, reminiscent of secret society gatherings depicted in cult classics like the psychological thriller Eyes Wide Shut. This aesthetic definitely fits perfectly because the Black Rose is a secret organisation in Noxus according to LoL canon.
For those who are unfamiliar with the Black Rose, and were probably confused with its presence in Arcane, here’s a full explanation by popular LoL lore content creator, Necrit:
In short, while the Black Rose’s clandestine operations are most questionable, especially because it involves experimenting on others to turn them into weapons — it has an underlying motive which their leader, LeBlanc is preparing for: the looming threat of the potential return of Mordekaiser.
Mordekaiser, a dark warlord and necromancer, built the Immortal Bastion, enslaved the dead as his eternal army, and subjugated all who opposed him through fear and brutal conquest. Though betrayed and defeated by the Black Rose, his spirit now lingers, torturing souls in his death realm and gathering power to reclaim his empire and annihilate his enemies.
Going back to the cinematic, the scene transitions into a spectacular fight between Katarina and Elise — which gives us a glimpse of two sides of Noxus clashing – Katarina, known to be Swain’s most trusted assassin, and Elise, another member of the Black Rose.
This clash shows us a preview of the internal conflict brewing in Noxus, pitting Swain’s forces against the Black Rose’s machinations.
Noxus vs Freljord?
In another part of the cinematic, we see a clash between Darius and Trundle, the latter champion making his first cinematic appearance in six years.
Darius, another one of the leaders of Noxus, had also been previously involved in Delverhold, one of Noxus’s fortresses in Ironspike Mountains near Freljord. This suggests a potential confrontation between some Noxian soldiers and the trolls of Freljord, led by Trundle who live in the mountains at the border of Freljord. And while this feels very much like the clashes happening in the top lane in-game, the implications of this scene in the overall story are yet to be seen.
In the scene, Darius takes the frost from True Ice and defeats Trundle in the process--but potentially permanently damaging his arm.
LeBlanc, once again
Of course, Noxus is incomplete without another one of the leaders the Black Rose, LeBlanc. In this cinematic, she appears as herself rather than hiding in someone else’s guise like she did in Piltover. She is joined by Vladimir as they talk about the failure in Piltover—and about the “next move,” which should be “bolder not safer”, according to LeBlanc.
If you follow LoL’s old lore, this may be referencing two nations that Noxus will eventually clash with: Demacia and Ionia. This brief exchange between the Black Rose leaders opens the door to countless narrative possibilities not just in Season 1, but the upcoming Seasons of the year.
The 2025 opening cinematic, "Welcome to Noxus," sets the stage for a year of rich storytelling in League of Legends, intertwining Noxus’s internal struggles, the looming threat of Mordekaiser, and hints of broader conflicts across Runeterra.
As Riot continues to expand on its lore through stunning visuals and compelling narratives, fans are left with endless possibilities to speculate on how these plotlines will unfold in the upcoming seasons. What twists and turns lie ahead for Noxus, and how will its champions rise to meet these challenges?
