League of Legends Champion Lore: Who is Kalista?

Kalista is a unique champion and one of the most interesting bot laners in League of Legends. Not only is she a cool character to master in League of Legends, she’s also got some pretty interesting lore.

Last year, Viego was released and we got to explore the world of Runeterra under his thumb thanks to the ruination event. But Kalista did not play as big of a role as we had wished. She’s an integral part of Viego’s story, but how does she fit into it all?

League of Legends: What is Kalista’s Champion Lore?

Kalista is actually the niece of Viego — the King of an unknown land. She was one of his most trusted generals in his army and served the crown with the utmost of loyalty. That loyalty also led to her downfall though.

Kalista saved her king from certain death, but the dagger she saved him from ended up slicing into his queen and the one person he loved. The dagger was coated in poison and no matter what the healers said, the queen did not recover.

Wracked with guilt, Kalista left the empire to search for a cure. Hecarim took her place by the king's side while she was away.

Kalista searched far and wide, but no one could help until she found her way through the mist, heading towards the secret Blessed Isles. She was granted entrance, due to the purity in her intent.

• Read up on Kalista and her lore with Ruination: A League of Legends Story!

The masters of the city agreed to help her, giving her a compass that would lead her back to the Blessed Isles without any help. Time was of the essence and Kalista hurried back to her homeland, only to find out that the queen had already past, and the king had descended into madness.

There was no cure for death, Kalista tried to tell the king that, but he would not have any of it and with the persuasion from Hecarim, Kalista reluctantly agreed to sail back to the Blessed Isles with the dead body of the queen, the king and others.

Once there, they were faced with the harsh truth once more. Death is final. The king flew into a rage, demanded anyone who opposed him to be killed by Kalista, she refused, only to have a spear pierce her armor. It was Hecarim. He stabbed her in the back, killing her.

In her final breath she swore vengeance upon everyone who had betrayed her and with that thought she became a specter, a figure of macabre folklore, often invoked by those who have suffered similar treacheries. And the Blessed Isles? Poisoned with dark power and death — now nothing more than the Shadow Isles.

Where is Kalista From?

Kalista is from an unnamed land that had once been the empire that Viego ruled. After the death of the queen and Viego’s descent into madness, the empire became nothing more than folk tale to those residing on the known continents of Runeterra.

Now, Kalista could be considered a resident of the Shadow Iseles, since she awoke as a spectre there. She roams the land seeking out vengeance and remembering what Hecarim had done to her.

Which Champions Are Related to Kalista?

Kalista is the niece of Viego, making them blood relatives. Hecarim was also part of Viego’s guard, though he ended up stabbing Kalist ain the back, killing her. In the 2021 Ruination event we also got more insights into her life.

Ledros is a character mentioned who loves Kalista and continues to fight for her and killing anyone who had ever betrayed her.

Kalista has such interesting lore and we wish Riot could expand on it further. Last year we got a glimpse of the past through the Ruination event, but we want more lore based solely off of Kalista. Hey, maybe we get Ledros as a champion someday.