VRC.LOL

Champion backstory

Twitch

the Plague Rat

Read the backstoryAbilities and gameplay guide
3Story chapters
1Story connections
2Named place connections

The person behind the champion

A story to start with

A Zaunite plague rat by birth, but a connoisseur of filth by passion, Twitch is not afraid to get his paws dirty. Aiming a chem-powered crossbow at the gilded heart of Piltover, he has vowed to show those in the city above just how filthy they really are. Always a sneaky sneak, when he's not rooting around in the Sump, he's digging deep into other people's garbage for discarded treasures… and perhaps a moldy sandwich.

Short biography by Riot Games · Data Dragon 16.20.1

What shapes their story?

Twitch's short overview presents the city's discarded material through a creature who treats it as something to claim. That perspective supplies character and threat without establishing a full political allegiance, human moral purpose or dated history of the undercity.

Reading note by VRC.LOL
Read Riot's official champion story ↗

Follow the story

Story chapters

Riot currently provides an overview rather than a complete dated biography here. Follow the known origins, conflict and continuing purpose without assuming the gaps are settled history.

  1. Public Hexdraulic DescenderRiot Games · Regional world artwork

    A life among Zaun's discarded things

    Twitch comes from Zaun's filthiest spaces and takes pride in things the city above would discard. His fascination with refuse gives him a perspective almost the reverse of Piltover's polished self-image.

    Zaun
  2. Lights and ShadowsRiot Games · Regional world artwork

    A chem-powered threat to the city above

    A chem-powered crossbow turns that perspective into a threat. He wants the people above to confront their own contamination, while remaining delighted by the waste he discovers below.

    Zaun
  3. Sump LevelRiot Games · World artwork

    A kingdom made from what the city rejects

    Twitch's short overview describes a mutated rat building among Zaun's refuse and plotting against the people above. The chem-powered crossbow makes that resentment tangible. The source establishes a threatening way of life, but not a full childhood, named allies or a dated history of attacks.

    SumpZaun

Story guide by VRC.LOL, based on the linked Riot stories. Older biographies and newer stories can differ; no exact date or current whereabouts is implied unless stated.

Picture the setting

A world behind the story

Official Riot setting artwork, not illustrations of these exact events. Open an image to see the complete composition.

Lights and ShadowsView full artwork
Lights and ShadowsRiot Games · World artwork
Public Hexdraulic DescenderView full artwork
Public Hexdraulic DescenderRiot Games · World artwork
Explore the wider region

People who shape the story

Relationships and allegiances

Discover the companions, communities and powers that matter to this champion. Each card explains the connection, rather than treating every nearby character as a friend.

Not everyone important to this story is a playable champion. The reading suggestions below are labelled separately from these story connections.

Follow the story

Known places and connections

Origins, journeys and documented events. A connection here does not mean this champion lives there now.

Regional connection

Zaun

Twitch's short overview presents the city's discarded material through a creature who treats it as something to claim. That perspective supplies character and threat without establishing a full political allegiance, human moral purpose or dated history of the undercity.

Explore the regional timeline
More about the region

A city of industry and invention beneath Piltover, where hazardous experimentation and pollution coexist with resilient communities. Its stories ask who benefits from progress and who pays for it.

Industrial cityscape

Zaun undercity

Connected levels of workshops, industry and densely inhabited streets form Piltover's counterpart. Champion stories show different lives here, from community protection to dangerous chemical experiments.

Explore this place
Lower city

Sump

Zaun's deepest inhabited level is associated with its harshest industrial conditions. Riot's gallery contrasts life here with the markets and institutions higher in the city.

Explore this place

Another perspective

Stories to read next

Continue with related characters, regional stories and other perspectives on the same themes.

Blitzcrank

the Great Steam Golem

Read backstory

Dr. Mundo

the Madman of Zaun

Read backstory

Ekko

the Boy Who Shattered Time

Read backstory

The character, in detail

Champion artwork

TwitchClassic champion artwork · Riot Games
View full artwork
Explore the wider settingZaun

The story beneath the scenery

What makes this place matter?

Zaun is a lived-in home as well as an industrial undercity. Its different levels separate workshops, markets and dangerous depths. Ekko and Zeri's community ties offer a different view from the chem-barons and experiments that dominate many outsiders' impressions.

Look closer

A window into this world

Official Riot artwork. The gallery includes the regional setting; not every image depicts this exact landmark. Open an image to see the full composition.

Sump LevelView full artwork
Sump LevelRiot Games · Runeterra world map
Promenade LevelView full artwork
Promenade LevelRiot Games · Runeterra world map
Life Survives in the DepthView full artwork
Life Survives in the DepthRiot Games · Runeterra world map
Lights and ShadowsView full artwork
Lights and ShadowsRiot Games · Runeterra world map
Public Hexdraulic DescenderView full artwork
Public Hexdraulic DescenderRiot Games · Runeterra world map
Sources and story contextOfficial stories, artwork credits and reading notes

Where the stories come from

VRC.LOL writes the introductions, reading notes and connections using linked Riot Universe biographies and regional guides. Short champion summaries use Data Dragon version 16.20.1. Longer histories link to the official story used; some champions currently have a shorter official overview.

What the pictures show

Artwork belongs to Riot Games. Scenery comes from Riot's Runeterra world map; champion art depicts the character. A regional illustration sets the scene when a landmark has no dedicated image. It does not show a confirmed event at that exact place.

A world still being written

Older biographies and newer adaptations can differ. These guides introduce connections rather than declaring a final chronology or a character's current whereabouts. Translations help you explore and may keep original proper names. Follow the official sources for full context.

Sources reviewed 18 October 2026

Explore Riot Universe ↗Open Riot's world map ↗