League of Legends is a game that regularly has to deal with bugs. Issues that affect gameplay are usually fixed quickly, but there are also those that affect the visuals and sound parts. If they can also disturb and alter the quality of the game, this is not the case with Jhin which shows a hidden beauty of the MOBA.
The virtuoso makes his show
The bug in question specifically concerns the Cosmic Demiurge Jhin skin, and more specifically when the champion casts his Ultimate, Curtain Call.
This creates interactions with other cosmetics, such as the recent EDG Zoé. When the Virtuoso uses his ultimate and the Twilight Manifestation uses his E – Soporific Bubble in the area, then a wide starry sky appears within the limits of the R of Jhin.
But the best part of the story is that Zoe isn’t the only one affected by this bug. Once it was discovered, the community looked for other circumstances in which it could be reproduced… and indeed, it is possible to trigger the same effect with Sylas, more precisely with his PROJECT skin.
During the encore animation, the Unleashed Revolutionary jumps and scales different futuristic structures using his chains. But by doing this in the area of effect of Jhin’s Ultimate Cosmic Demiurge, players can see an entire cybernetic city, similar to what appears in the PROJECT: Mordekaiser skin.
Explanations
There is a relatively simple explanation for the appearance of this bug. Artists can design what are called “skin layers” to make certain parts of an effect only appear in a certain area. For example, the visual effect of the Soporific Bubble of the Zoe EDG skin represents a kind of galaxy or cosmic object — which normally should only appear in the area of the spell, therefore on a single layer.
However, Jhin’s ultimate applies its effects on the same layer as Zoe’s E and Sylas’ recall, which means that instead of just seeing the visual effects that should focus on the areas of the different animations, we see everything that was created “behind”. It also shows that the work of developers is much more important than we think. For a single effect, it is in fact a large area that is created, then reduced by superimposing the different layers, each containing specific textures, to reveal only what is necessary in play.
Players have also noticed that other Jhin skins that apply effects to his ultimate can replicate the same effect, such as Jhin from the Scrolls of Shan Hai. Another player reported that the same bug can be reproduced between Mordekaiser and Senna.
Although this is a bug, a lot of the community really appreciated the interactions and even asked that they not be deleted, although we know the chances of this happening are low. After all, this is a visual glitch that can affect competitive play and it’s definitely a hidden part of LoL that should stay behind the curtain, as Jhin would like.
League of Legends players have rediscovered Seraphine thanks to an absurd and interesting community creation. It shows the potential that the champion could have had if Riot had opted for a slightly more conventional design.