Does Rengar respect Vayne because of the many dangerous, dark things she hunts? And likewise, does Vayne acknowledge Rengar as a good hunter? Would she, at least think about, take him along to exterminate a nest of dark creatures she knew she couldn't handle herself?

I think other than the eyepatch, there isn't too much to make him seem like a cyborg. We do take certain liberties from time to time to make characters look more interesting and give them some depth, that's how the eyepatch started. I do actually have a story in mind for why that eyepatch looks the way it does, but unfortunately I'm going to need to wait a bit before I can tell it. I know that sounds like a cop out, but you'll just have to trust me on this one. You also mentioned the dreadlocks, I think that's just the way a mane would get tied back if the lion is following the other human dress rules.

I'd actually love to get feedback from Europe, but there are a couple limiting factors. One, the time zones make it pretty rough for EU guys to be on when we're here working, but maybe we should post something on that forum to pull people over. Two, and this is the kicker, we wouldn't be able to answer questions very effectively in other languages. We are looking to find ways to make the AMAs more broadly received though, thanks for bringing it up!

His item isn't really meant to be a special magic relic or totem so much as a signature piece of gear that he's always adding to. Since he's a trophy hunter thematically, and pride is core aspect of his personality, we wanted to craft an in-game experience of building pride as you gain kills. Effectively, the better Rengar feels about himself, the more charged he is, the more dangerous he becomes. I think Classick found a really elegant solution for this.

Hi! Nope, not Draven, although you're sharp to see some resemblance in the weapons. We actually started Rengar with a double blade that looked even more like Draven's and we went through a couple iterations in order to find something that felt more uniquely his. Unfortunately I don't really see Draven as a very outdoorsy person. He likes having throngs of people around to admire him. As for who the hunter is, we're leaving that a bit open-ended for the time being.

The monster in his lore sure SOUNDS like it could be Cho'Gath...but I dunno...

Not hard at all! I actually never thought about Ajani when I was working on him, although I won't pretend we made the first lion man. We actually took the fact that there are several anthropomorphized lions in games and media to be a sign that they have broad appeal. Personally, working on Rengar took me back to the old days of playing Wing Commander!

At best, I would say Rengar's insides are made of glowsticks, it's way too hard to find Lite Brites to put in our champions these days.

As far as Rengar is aware, he's alone, but I'm sure he suspects there are others like him. As for the people of Valoran, I think most would be surprised by a lot of the creatures that exist outside their city walls. The wild parts of Runeterra are constantly changing and evolving, and as is typically the case with people, there's lots to hold their attention within their societies.

I think Rengar definitely would have seen the beast he could never defeat. If asked that question, Rengar would probably growl, "I hold no secrets. Anyone who wants to know me has only to visit my den and gaze upon my walls."

Lawful neutral. Rengar lives by a strict code, although his code is neither benevolent nor malicious.

I think Rengar's blade is a gift from his father and his claws are something he built and maintains himself (I say maintains because I'm guessing the blades need to be replaced from time to time). I think the claws were his way of taking advantage of his natural talents.

I think his training was grueling and difficult, although with the best intentions. I also imagine there was a fair amount of jungle combat involved.

Steak, definitely. Animals taste better the bigger they are.

SKRIIIIBBBBLLLEEESSSSSSS

VARUS TATTOO WHERe


On topic:
If Rengar is in the League to prove his hunting skills, does he try to focus on hunting animalistic champions such as the void beasts, rammus, skarner, and nidalee?

Also how would he and Udyr get along?

How do you think some of the other champions feel about Rengar and his joining the League?

Anyone in particular very friendly/unhappy about it? Even though the League's got all sorts of amazing people and creature in it, I'm sure some of them might have mixed feelings about a ferocious lion-man joining up to stalk them relentlessly on the Fields of Justice and all that.

So this Lion-Man Predator thinks he can just waltz in to the Rift and suddenly claim himself King of the Jungle? What's the Animal Spirit think about this? And what about our other feline, Nidalee?

Also, since Rengar's power essentially comes from his self-esteem, do you think he's ever tried to give Amumu a pep talk?

must ... answer ... riddle

Oh that was my answer.

His attitude reminds me somewhat of Wukong's ambition. How would they feel about each other? Does Rengar hail from south of the Great Barrier, Fyrone Flats, perhaps?

Hmm... A male champion. I... I haven't prepared a list of questions for a male champion.

I, uh. I guess I just proceed as usual and ad lib where I can.

1) I notice that Rengar is a hunter. Surely he respects crocodiles as nature's greatest predator, right?

2) What else does he think about crocodiles?

3) Rengar has a bola. Does he... use it for anything off the fields, if you know what I mean?

4) Would he ever consider teaming up with, I dunno, random champion here Renekton and helping him murder Nasus? Together? You know, by candlelight?

5) What's Rengar's favorite food? If it's "Whatever screamed the loudest" then that's mine, too.

6) What are some of Rengar's hobbies? Ones that don't include hunting, I mean. Those are good too, don't get me wrong, but like, you know.

7) How does Rengar react to being called a "Fwuffy Wuffy Teddybear Button-nose Cutieface?" Because I'm not going to stop.

8) Rengar's Ferocity system: Just who the hell does he think he is?

9) Is Rengar ticklish?

10) Does Rengar have a favorite restaurant?

11) After Nasus is dead, what City-state would he want to burn down with me in celebration? I'd be up for Bandle City and I'm sure he'd agree.

12) Can Rengar still see despite losing his eye? I mean, his eyepatch is glowing which leads me to believe that he has a super-eye in there now.

13) No, really. How does he feel about crocodiles?

Who in the League would Rengar prize as the most... valuable trophy?

How does Rengar feel about Warwick, since Warwick has a similar fighting style of hunting his prey down until he can kill them?

I'm sorry, but I can't agree with it being an elegant solution, quite the opposite actually.

It's a risk/reward mechanic that:
-Carries no risk(it's still gold effective even with just the AD per level).
-Has rewards that could have just as well be a baseline.
-Can be opted out of entirely.

Compared to Viktor, for whom the item is an integral part of his kit, it's pretty lame. There were better ways to have this whole proud hunter theme represented through gameplay(Veigar, of all the champions, has one).

I'd much rather see Rengar be stronger on his own, and an actual AD Caster item(with CDR and armor pen, but without the crit of a Youmuu's) introduced.

Nope, not Jarvan, although I really like the pattern of logic there. The only factor that complicates it for me is that I think Rengar is probably older than Jarvan. To me he is more of a weathered warrior. A lot of that time takes place after the story in the bio, while he has covered his wall in trophies.

The best info I can give you is that the creature is as it is described in the bio.

I'm sure there are people, both hunters and otherwise, who have tried to pursue Rengar. I'd bet there are some of them even mounted on his wall.

If he's trying to put in zig-zag patterns and make it REALLY pretty...probably about 8 hours. Most of the time it's closer to 1-2. Then again, sometimes you just wanna wake up and leave the mess that's there.

I think Rengar would hunt any target, human or otherwise, so long as it's worthy.

I actually chose to spell my name with a k because my psychic told me you might just want to do that. Nice to finally meet you, btw.

I got to the weapons in the earlier response, I think the knife is from his dad and the claws were something of his own innovation.

If Rengar found a Nargacugas, he would definitely hunt it. As for wyverns and dragons, I wouldn't be surprised to see beasts like that in his den.

I actually think Teemo would be interesting prey for Rengar, since Teemo's techniques are largely built to combat jungle predators. The thrill of the hunt lies in its difficulty and complexity, Teemo would offer both.

Not a yordle, not a currently named race. Then again, I don't have proof. Rengar isn't exactly a "submit for DNA test" kinda guy.

I doubt Rengar would regard MOST yordles as threats. They are sort of unassuming. Some would pique his interest though. He may be interested in the way that their society blends the natural world and modern civilization.

Rengar isn't aware of others, but I'd save some space for the possibility of others.

Rengar hunts huge beasts and great warriors. The being must be a worthy prize and represent significance when added to his collection. I don't have a list for you, but (throwing this out there) it would be awesome to see some concept art of one of the walls of his den.

Sion actually finds him quite handsome.

I don't think he would have any qualms whatsoever. He'd probably take the helmet from Hecarim and one of the blades from Nocturne. I believe Nocturne became corporeal when he was trapped in the world.

Wow, some incisive questions there. I think similarities to Predator are less about making our character a reference and more testament to how effectively Predator captures the trophy hunter archetype, which we wanted to nail with Rengar. Ironically, we never really referenced Predator with artists when talking about the archetype, but I can certainly see the comparison.

Let me start by answering "why lion man?" With our ever-expanding catalog of champions, we're always looking for ways to fulfill different fantasies and keep healthy variety between characters. This is no small task. For Rengar, we asked ourselves why we had characters like Renekton and Volibear in the game but no representation of one of our world's most fearsome animals: the lion. We then explored several artistic and thematic avenues to fit this theme, so we broke down what people's expectations of what a lion character would be. Lions are quintessential hunters and "kings of the jungle," so we wanted to be sure he felt appropriately tribal, ferocious, and predatory. Nidalee occupies the space of a realistic feline animal in our game, but she doesn't satisfy the lion fantasy, so we decided Rengar would be anthropomorphized.

Knowing this, we settled on a motivation that fell in the middle of human and animal goal: trophy hunter. We moved a bit away from just a "I love to kill" hunter, because that's Warwick, and we moved Rengar outside of society and away from humans to support this. We gave him weapons that would retain some of his bestial ferocity (that's where the claws came from), and we gave him armor/clothes built of his trophies. The mane was pulled back and put in dreads to maintain his wildness.

Stealth and tracking are core elements of any hunter or predator (and fit the assassin role nicely in our game), so that's where those came from, and we didn't really intend for them to come off as "techy," although I'm sure you get that from the eye. My explanation with the eye is mentioned earlier, the eyepatch made him more interesting and immediately told you he had a story to tell.

Honestly, I have the feeling we probably went through a similar process to the guys who made Predator and just wound up drawing a lot of the same conclusions. The same is probably true for other characters I've heard players mention as being similar to Rengar.

As for the universe being refined, I think he fits pretty well against our pantheon of characters.

PHEW, so many werds.

Opinions!

Udyr: Worthwhile target, definitely. Udyr actually incorporates the animals into the way he fights, so he's sort of like a combo pack for Rengar. He might also be tougher to predict.
Warwick: Warwick would probably actually interest Rengar less, although I think he's still a worthwhile target. To me, Warwick seems like more of a "kill as fast as possible" kind of guy than a clever, unpredictable prey. He certainly is strong though.
Volibear: Interesting target, powerful, imbued with lightning. Also I'm guess he's never seen anything quite like Volibear.