Sion’s level up

Tasked with producing 3D models for one of the original LoL characters Sion, Josh Singh helped update the champ for today

Baby (monster) steps

1 The art quality in League of Legends had far surpassed Sion’s humble beginnings. He was a prime candidate for our Champion Update Team. We identified what makes Sion appealing and what wasn’t hitting the mark. We identified the fantasy we were trying to deliver on. In Sion’s case it was an Ancient Unstoppable warrior, who’d been brought back to battle through fell magic.

Background’s everything

2 After we found an idea and a few images we liked, we began to refine and add story to the design. We began to ask questions like, “What did Sion look like before he died?” We also asked things like, “Should Sion have any relationship or connections to champions who are currently in League?” We also began callouts of his weapon and character headshots, figuring out how undead we wanted to go.

Seeing in 3D

3 After we found a design we liked, I modelled Sion in ZBrush. We used the sculpt as a reference for the splash team as well as a source for the ambient occlusion map to speed up the texturing process. One of the key jobs of the splash is how we want people to feel when playing this character? In Sion’s case I think the splash team nailed it. In the splash he’s destroying his enemies, and seeing them driven before him. Perfect Sion!