No Fantasy Series Has Better Worldbuilding Than Netflix’s 2-Season Steampunk Masterpiece

Worldbuilding is an absolutely essential part of any good fantasy series, as it’s imperative that audiences buy into the unique rules and locations of each specific universe. Of course, a strong story with relatable and compelling characters is equally crucial, but without having something special to make the world stand out, many of these projects fall flat.

The Game of Thrones universe is the perfect example of mixing all these qualities perfectly, as across the various books and shows, there have been some unforgettable storylines, characters, and events, all of which are helped by such a vibrant universe. However, it’s far from the only fantasy world that nails this.

Avatar: The Last Airbender, Wednesday, One Piece, His Dark Materials, and The Legend of Vox Machina are all excellent fantasy shows with perfect worldbuilding, yet none of them are quite on the level of Arcane. Based on the League of Legends video game, Arcane masterfully brings Runeterra to life, focusing on two key locations, Zaun and Piltover.

In many ways, Arcane rewrote the rules of video game adaptations by taking loosely explored storylines from the source material and vastly expanding the lore, which worked a treat. It made all these central characters even more interesting than their video game counterparts without undoing what made them iconic in the first place.

On top of that, the series has some of the best animation around, phenomenal voice acting performances, and a gripping, multi-layered story, making it no surprise it’s so popular. However, above all, Arcane‘s worldbuilding really shines, with the Netflix hit showing the competition how it’s done.

Arcane’s Worldbuilding Is Unrivaled In The Fantasy Genre

There are so many breathtaking aspects when it comes to Arcane, but its worldbuilding is second to none, successfully creating one of the most compelling on-screen universes we’ve seen in some time. Obviously, plenty of credit has to go to League of Legends for laying the groundwork, but Arcane takes things to a whole new level.

It captures the essence of Zaun and Piltover so perfectly, showcasing how the class divide can create such drastic differences. Once a united city, the two regions split, with Zaun becoming this dingy, dark underworld, filled with crime, poverty, and a hatred for authority.

This allowed residents to unite and rebel against the wealthier people of Piltover, who had a much better quality of life. The district is much cleaner, with blue skies and well-maintained buildings, all governed by an elite council, and Arcane makes it clear how these environments affect the characters living within them, creating such strong and contrasting personalities.

Often, there is a clear disdain from one set of people towards the other, yet there are also residents within Piltover and Zaun that challenge their own region’s ideals. These locations alone are worthy of severe praise for how realistic they feel, and that’s before getting into the actual fantasy elements included in the show.

With each legend in the video game having their own unique abilities, Arcane explores the in-depth magic system, with Hextech being the source of many different powers. Additionally, Shimmer also sparks many enhanced traits and abilities, with the rather complex lore creating an engaging and vibrant world full of big personalities.

Crafting such a detailed universe also serves the story well, as we see how power corrupts people, alongside how these political and social aspects can drive even two close sisters down entirely different paths. As a result, the series has become a modern classic, with Arcane ranking among the best fantasy shows of the century.

Arcane Perfectly Expands Upon Its Source Material

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League of Legends has done a great job of introducing so many interesting characters alongside numerous locations throughout Runeterra, but the way Arcane expands on this is unrivaled. The relationship between Jinx and Vi is a perfect demonstration of this, as their lore together in the game was pretty surface-level before Arcane came around.

Before the series, it wasn’t even confirmed that the two were sisters despite the implications, yet Arcane managed to show the tragic history between them, capturing their complicated relationship and why they aren’t particularly close in League of Legends.

Likewise, the game presented Vi and Caitlyn as friends and colleagues, but Arcane provided an emotional love story between them that was far from smooth, showcasing the rollercoaster of emotions they experienced before finally finding some sense of peace together. The war between Piltover and Zaun was also a great example of expanding on the source material.

The history of these two regions was somewhat explored in the game, yet the level of detail Arcane added to bring them to life while creating conflict is hard to match. All of these aspects prove why Arcane is the gold standard of video game adaptations, as it laid the blueprint for shows like Fallout and Cyberpunk: Edgerunners to follow.

However, the fact that Arcane still focuses largely on canon characters while creating fascinating newcomers such as Silco, Sevika, and Mel highlights the impressive vision this show had from the beginning, which is why it ranks higher than its competition. Hopefully, the upcoming spinoffs can follow suit and continue Arcane‘s remarkable legacy.

Release Date

2021 – 2024

Network

Netflix

Showrunner

Christian Linke