League of Legends Vastaya Race: 5 Fun Facts

League of Legends Vastaya Race is a name you might not recognize unless you’re keen on keeping up with in-game lore. It can be tough to miss out on the voice lines and short written excerpts when fighting for victory on the rift. But in case you didn’t know there are several distinct races in League of Legends, one of them are called the “Vastaya.”

Even if you didn’t know the name of this race, you’ve certainly seen the champions. The most recent one is Neeko. So here are five facts to catch you on the lore.

1. Vastaya Reside in All Regions of Runeterra

Like Yordles, the Vastaya live all over Runeterra. It seems that in this world humans are spread out everywhere, and the other races just try to tolerate them. Most of the champions we know come from Ionia, the place most strongly connected with nature and the spiritual side of the world. Ixtal is where two of the Vastaya call home, Neeko and Rengar.

2. The Vastaya are Chimeras

It's a fish! / Photo Courtesy of Riot Games

If you look at all of the Vastaya champions: Xayah, Rakan, Ahri, Nami, Wukong, Rengar, and Neeko, you’ll notice that they are all hybrids. Part human, part animal. This is essentially what a Vastaya is, an evolutionary divergence from both humanity and the animal they most closely resemble. There are, of course, different levels of chimerism. Rengar, for example, looks almost entirely like an animal, while Xayah and Rakan closely resemble humans.

3. Vastaya and Humans Don't Get Along Well

This is Zaun, I can see why they don't like it. / Photo Courtesy of Riot Games

A central part of the lore behind the Vastaya is that after defeating the ethereal titans of Runeterra they decided not to live as gods, but to bring themselves down the level of mortal races. This is why the Vastaya live on Runeterra and fight on Summoner’s Rift just like Yordles or humans. However, because of their deep history with the world, the Vastaya have a deep connection to nature, and humanity has been abusing the natural world for as long as they can remember. It has become especially egregious in recent years with the establishment of Zaun, a city dedicated to unethical science experiments and the tampering of nature.

4. Boris the Shopkeeper is a Vastaya (maybe)

Dont lose to Boris... / Photo Courtesy of Riot Games

If you’ve ever noticed the friendly seal-man who sells you items on Summoner’s Rift then you’ve already come into contact with a Vastaya. His name is Boris and he’s the shopkeeper. Many Vastaya have known to be tricksters, and while we can’t be sure about Boris’ nature, we can say from personal experience that he has been known to trick out teammates into buying terrible items. You’ll only have Boris if you’re on red side, and with the preseason it seems like Boris has changed his ways. Let’s hope it’s for keeps.

5. More Vastaya Champions have been recently released than Yordles

Don't we love Teemo folks? / Photo Courtesy of Riot Games

The last Yordle champion to be released was Kled, in 2016. Since then we’ve had a whopping three Vastaya champions come out! Rakan, Xayah, and Neeko all came out since Kled. If there’s any race that needs some love right now, it’s the Yordles. However, with the recent announcement of Rell it doesn’t look like we’ll be getting a Yordle any time soon.