The world’s leading MOBA games are celebrating Halloween in unique fashion this year. Here is a complete summary of events.

LEAGUE OF LEGENDS

A pair of wooden eyes light up blue against a gold-deco stage. A man’s voice creaks. “Many are the grim tales of the Shadow Isles and the Black Mist that shroud them,” he says. “And while all good folk shun this cursed land, sometimes its darkness comes for you.” A knobby hand lights a match. The blue flame flickers for a second. It flutters. Then the hand lights a series of candles. The candles reveal a marionette stage. These are the opening seconds of the Harrowing cinematic this year, a four-year-old Halloween tradition that has become a favorite among fans. And the event this year is bigger than ever.

With the event come two new champion skins–Ravenborn LeBlanc and Underworld Wukong– and a new play mode, Hexakill: Twisted Treeline. The champions will be available for purchase, but the game mode is free and available for a limited time. The new Hexakill mode doubles the number of champions per game on the Twisted Treeline map (from 3v3 to 6v6), and it guarantees fast play, intense ganking, and an opportunity to score a hexakill.

The champions this year are beautiful, and their descriptions are incredible. The official website has posted pictures and descriptions of the skins. Since Riot has begun rewriting and unwinding the game’s lore, it is fun to read an occasional arc. The descriptions are as follows:

Ravenborn LeBlanc: “Cloaked in ebon feathers, a figure glides through the black mist, ghostly tendrils recoiling before every step. The raven atop her staff quavers. A shriek pierces through the vapor, halting Ravenborn LeBlanc. Her dark lips break into a malicious grin. The Black Mist looms.”

Underworld Wukong: “The black mist grasps at Underworld Wukong, clinging to his staff as he explores the Shadow Isles. A circlet holds back his mane of wild hair to reveal gleaming emerald eyes. His bladed tail swats away a particularly tendril of vapor as Wukong chuckles softly to himself. He twirls hi staff and prances further into the darkness.”

Both characters will be available for 1350RP (or 975RP, if you purchase him before 10/28). On November 4, the skin will go into the Legacy Vault. Let me know in the comments what you think of them (or the new lore additions) this year.

The following crests will also be available this year: the Shadow Isles Crest Icon (which can be purchased for 1500IP during the Harrowing or 250 any time after), the Mark of the Betrayer Icon (attainable by playing three games of Hexakill: Twisted Treeline) and the Harrowing Puppet Icon (attainable by giving a gift of any kind to a friend before the Harrowing ends).

And all of the previous Harrowing skins will be available for sale as bundles, and several other skins available during flash sales. All events will end on November 4.

League of Legends is also holding a pumpkin carving contest this year. To submit, users are invited to carve a pumpkin with a League of Legends theme, photograph it, and submit it to woobox.com/iknhn5. 10,000RP will be awarded to ten winners chosen by the community, 6,000RP will be awarded to five honorable mentions selected by Riot, and 2,000RP will be gifted to twenty randomly selected entries. The contest submission period ends on October 31 at 11:59PM PDT. After that, Riot will provide a link on their blog for voters, and on November 7, the winners will be announced.

…because this wasn’t cutting it.

On top of that, Riot has completely reimagined Sion–from his looks to his narrative and his gameplay. The old Sion, according to the developer’s blog, was “a mage with an axe.” None of his abilities worked together, and his appearance was outdated. The old skills were a potpourri of attacks that stacked ability powers with no skillshots. In the last couple months, the developers have stripped him down to nothing and rebuilt him, keeping a variation of his “Soul Furnace” skill and his passive health gain and arming him with a new set of abilities. He is now the “unstoppable juggernaut” Riot had always intended.

…and this looks awesome.

The new Sion can now use “Decimating Smash,” “Soul Furnace,” “Roar of the Slayer,” and “Unstoppable Onslaught.” “Decimating Smash” charges a powerful swing in front of Sion that deals damage when released. “Soul Furnace” shields Sion. “Roar of the Slayer” fires a short rage shockwave that damages and slows enemies. And “Unstoppable Onslaught” allows Dion to charge in a direction, ramping up speed over time. When he collides with an enemy, he does damage and knocks them back.

His new passive ability is “Glory in Death.” With “Glory in Death” active, Sion can now reanimate himself after dying and move and attack with 100% Lifesteal–a skill that grants him the ability to attack extremely fast and deal extra damage to both champions and monsters.

 

DOTA 2

“Tis the season of the Dire,

Darkside rising ever higher,

Greevils hatching from Roshan…

Radiant’s power is almost gone”

These are the opening lines from the Diretide codex. Diretide is an annual event in which Roshan is released from his prison to feast upon–wait for it–Greevil Taffy. In this seasonal change to the regular game, players must stop Roshan before he consumes too much candy and is overcome with Sugar Rush. While Roshan wanders the map seeking candy and chaos, players race to fill their coffers with taffy. Both Dire and Radiant players must to work together to defeat Roshan. Upon defeat, he yields rare essences and eggs.

Also available are Baby Roshan, the Diretide key, and new skins for the Anti-mage, the Invoker, the Death Prophet, and the Windrunner. The Diretide keys open special crates dropped during matches, and the skins are seasonal seasonal decorations that are available annually for a limited time.

Although it is not the biggest event on the DOTA 2 calendar, it is one of the most enjoyable events of the year. And the loot is worth it.
Until next time, stay tuned to MMOGames.com for all of your MOBA and MMO news and reviews.