League of Legends is a game with a massive cast of playable characters, each with its own place in the lore. However, players who are unfamiliar with the lore might be unaware of some of the non-playable characters that play an important role in this universe. One of those characters is Doran, a name heard by most but known by few.
Doran was a Master of the Wuju Order who trained Master Yi. He crafted various items such as Doran’s Blade, Doran’s Shield, and Doran’s Ring, all of which he learned from Ornn. In the old lore, he was a young blacksmith who lost his ability to craft masterpieces in an accident.
Players who play the game regularly get to see Doran’s name in various items, however, they are not aware of the context behind it. Today we will take a look at who Doran really is and what significance he has in the League of Legends universe.
Also check out: Available summoner names in League of Legends
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Who Is Doran
Old Lore
Effrem E. Doran, simply known as ‘Doran’ to players, is a non-playable character in League of Legends. He is said to have been born with a ‘hammer in his hands and a forge in his heart’. He was a talented blacksmith, who found ways to improve every weapon he touched. When he was young, he was invited to the League to become a Master Artificer.
However, things didn’t go smoothly. On his way, Doran’s carriage broke down. As he was inspecting it, he got kicked in the head by his own donkey. This kick caused a lot of damage to his capabilities, but not to his passion. He could no longer craft masterpieces (such as Wukong’s Staff).
From this point onwards, Doran continued to craft simple yet powerful items (the names of which you get to see in the game). As his craft is still unmatched, he continues to craft these items regularly for the champions. This was back when the Institute of War still existed in the lore.
Current Lore
The new lore has not fleshed out the history and significance of Doran in the universe. However, there are still some parts of the lore that were retained, and additional information was added. This gives us a fair idea of Doran’s relationship with other champions in the game. Keep in mind that much of the lore is yet to be revealed.
In the current lore, Doran is already deceased. He was a member of the ‘Wuju Order’ from Wuju (A place in Ionia that was later destroyed by Noxus during the invasion). He still created the various items named after him, and crafted some masterpieces for other champions (For example, Wukong’s Staff).
Significance In The Game
Relationship With Other Champions
Doran was said to have crafted powerful items for the daily use of the champions. In the current lore, he is primarily connected to three champions:
- He lived in the same place as Master Yi, i.e: Wuju. He is also the one who crafted ‘Doran’s Seven Lenses of Insight’, the helmet used by Master Yi.
- He is said to be a student of Ornn. This is evident from a voice line that Ornn has in the game. “I taught Doran everything he knows.” indicating that everything Doran knows about crafting weapons, he learned from Ornn.
- While there is not much information about his connection to Wukong, Doran did create the weapon used by Wukong. It is called ‘Doran’s Staff’.
Items In The Game
Some items currently present in the game, and a few that have been removed were created by Doran and inherited his name. The ones currently present in the game include:
- Doran’s Blade is the starting item that provides AD, Health, and Omnivamp.
- Doran’s Shield, an extremely efficient starting item that provides Health and Health Regeneration.
- Doran’s Ring, provides Ability Power, Health, and Mana. It is very gold efficient.
Some items that were exclusive to certain game modes and have been removed ever since, include:
- Doran’s Lost Blade was an alternative to Doran’s Blade on Nexus Blitz.
- Doran’s Lost Ring was also an item exclusive to Nexus Blitz.
- Doran’s Lost Shield is the starting version of the shield for Nexus Blitz.
- Doran’s Lost Idol was a unique and exclusive item in Nexus Blitz that provided AP, Mana Regeneration, and Heal/Shield Power.
References In The Lore
Doran’s references are found in various official works that reflect the nature of his personality and his interactions with the few champions mentioned above.
The Wuju Bladesman
This is a rather short biography written by Michael Luo on Master Yi’s journey through the land. The story mainly mentions and revolves around Master Yi after the war ended and he was struck with grief. However, it does mention Doran and Wukong and shed’s light on their importance in Master Yi’s life.
Homecoming
Another project by Michael Luo, but this time it is a short story. While Homecoming sadly has no mention of Spider-Man, it does feature Master Yi. The story mentions Yi’s training and his resolve to become stronger. This takes place after the events of ‘The Wuju Bladesman’ and shows Yi interacting with Master Doran, visiting his parents’ graves, and mentioning Wukong as well.
Poetry With A Blade
This is a short story written by Mo Xiong and contains the most amount of information on our current topic. The story revolves around Master Yi’s interactions with Master Doran and his ‘training’. In this story, you can clearly see the kind of personality Doran has and his wisdom as a Wuju Master.
While the story is fairly long, it contains a lot of interesting events that can’t be described here. If you are interested in either of these characters, I do advise you to check out the story for yourself here.
Conclusion
Doran’s personality and history are definitely shrouded in mystery. While the new and improved lore made a lot of things clear, it also took away some of the information we had on the character. So even though we lack knowledge of his background, Riot Games does plan to flesh out Doran’s story better in the future.
