What happens in Arcane Season 2 Part 1? Cliffhanger ending explained

Arcane Season 2 Part 1 has finally landed on Netflix, ending with a familiar scene, a Vi vs Jinx fight, and rising tensions between Zaun and Piltover. 

It’s been a long three years for fans of the League of Legends series, but the wait is over. The second and last chapter of Arcane is set to wrap up the story of the estranged sisters and the burgeoning civil war. 

Arcane Season 2 has been split up into three parts, which will air throughout November. Part 1 picks up where we left off in the Season 1 finale, when Jinx fully embraced her bad side and launched a Hextech rocket towards Piltover’s Council. 

It was bad timing, especially as the members were voting in favor of a peace deal. Things have gone from bad to worse, with tensions reaching boiling point by the end of Part 1. Warning: spoilers ahead!

Arcane Season 2 Part 1 ends with Singed and Warwick

Remember the first look at Arcane Season 2? Well, that’s the exact scene Part 1 ends on, showing Singed with his monstrous creation, Warwick. 

Singed’s sinister experiments have been teased in the final scene of the first three episodes, and it’s clear he’s up to no good. First the mad scientist was shown obtaining some gnarly-looking wolves, while in Episode 2 he was busy splicing DNA. 

As we know from the League of Legends games, this is how Warwick was created. Though he was once a human, Singed pumped him full of chemicals containing spliced monster DNA, resulting in the werewolf-like beast with a thirst for blood. 

This is what’s led many to believe Warwick could actually be Vander, especially after the tease in the Arcane Season 1 finale, which showed Singed with a man who looked suspiciously like the “Hound of the Underground.” 

We don’t know if this is true or not, meaning we end on a cliffhanger. But one thing is clear: Singed looks ready to unleash the beast in Season 2 Part 2. 

Ambessa declares martial law on Zaun

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As was teased in the Arcane Season 2 trailer, Ambessa continues to plot behind the scenes and use others to her advantage, culminating in her declaring martial law on Zaun and appointing Caitlyn as the general to lead Piltover until the “threat is vanquished.”

Relations between Piltover and the undercity have been on shaky ground leading up to this moment after Jinx bombed the Council. Out of the members, Mel, Shoola, and Salo survived, but a number of them were injured – and Caitlyn’s mother, Cassandra, was killed.

Despite her mom Ambessa’s wishes, Mel wants to keep the peace and avoid innocents getting killed. She tries to convince them that this is the work of a lone Zaunite (Jinx), but Shoola and Salo are out for blood. 

They eventually agree with a compromise: they’ll invade Zaun in the hunt for Jinx, but only if they refrain from using Hextech weaponry, something Ambessa has been wanting to get her hands on since her arrival in Piltover. 

However, during Cassandra’s memorial, a group of Chem-barons led by Renni infiltrate the event, causing further death and destruction. 

In a new Council meeting, Salo argues that they need to defend themselves with Hextech weaponry, at which point Caitlyn storms in – and she’s not messing around. 

She orders a strike team with three objectives: locate Jinx; dismantle Shimmer; and neutralize any agents still loyal to Silco. This time, Vi’s even willing to join as an Enforcer, wanting to stand by her partner and get revenge on Jinx. 

Vi and Jinx go head-to-head

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This leads to a battle involving two sides: Caitlyn, Vi, and the Enforcers; and Jinx, Sevika, and “Baby Jinx” Isha. None of them are killed, as before anyone can make their move, Sevika sets off a chem bomb that explodes through the undercity and up to Piltover. 

Prior to this, Caitlyn and Vi head to the lanes to find Jinx. They reach a desolate clearing covered in Jinx’s scrawls, and as Vi heads in, she tells her to take a shot if she can. It’s a heart wrenching moment knowing Vi has fully accepted that Powder is gone. 

When Caitlyn does shoot at Jinx, Sevika throws down a shield to protect her. Meanwhile, Ishda – the young orphan who’s become like a sister to Jinx – watches on from the sidelines. 

All four of them launch into a tech-fuelled battle, resulting in Jinx getting her middle finger sliced off. Vi is able to overpower her, with Jinx telling her, “I’m ready. I’m glad it’s you.” 

This causes Vi to hesitate, leaving room for Isha to run in, grab her gun, and point it at Vi’s face. Just as Isha’s about to pull the trigger, Caitlyn shoots the weapon out of the kid’s hand. 

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Jinx tries to pull Isha away but she’s latched onto her, and even though Caitlyn wants to shoot regardless, Vi stops her. This causes a rift in their relationship, driving Caitlyn to stand by Ambessa in the war efforts against Zaun. 

Amid the chaos, Sevika flips a switch. Jinx tries to stop her but it’s too late – it activates a bomb that mimics the shockwaves of a nuclear attack. It flows into the undercity, making its way up top and sending colorful but destructive plumes of smoke flying through the skyline. 

Arcane Season 2 goes full horror with The Black Rose 

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In the scene prior to this, Mel gets kidnapped by The Black Rose, the Noxian cabal that seemingly killed her brother and Ambessa’s son, Kino – but there’s more to this story than meets the eye. 

League of Legends players will recognize the name. The Black Rose is a shadowy organization with deep roots in Noxian society, known for manipulating powerful figures and practicing dark sorcery to pursue its own agenda. 

Among the well-known figures within this organization is LeBlanc, a mysterious champion who possesses the ability to shapeshift and can appear in numerous places at once. 

A fan theory emerged that LeBlanc would make an appearance in Arcane Season 2 after a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it moment in the trailer, in which we see a figure changing form, with gold markings under the eye that appear to mimic the character’s. 

Before we go any further, let it be known that this is nothing more than speculation at this stage. However, Arcane Season 2 Part 1 does reveal the involvement of The Black Rose at the very least. 

Early in Episode 3, Ambessa meets with Amara, a Piltover guild merchant – though it soon becomes apparent that Amara is either a member of or possessed by the Black Rose. 

Ambessa owes a mysterious debt to the cabal, and their confrontation escalates when Amara warns her to abandon her pursuit of Hextech, suggesting it will reignite a long-standing feud. 

Their conversation also turns to Ambessa’s son, raising questions about what really happened to him. “My son is dead. Is that not enough to sate your bloodlust?” shouts Ambessa. 

Amara replies, “I haven’t insulted your intelligence Ambessa. Do not insult mine. We know what you’re chasing in Piltover. We will not allow it.”

Ambessa, unwilling to relent, kills Amara. She tells her bodyguard they should keep the Black Rose attack a secret, hinting that it will continue to play a menacing role in her story. 

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What’s more, she lies to the people of Piltover in her speech, claiming it was “Zaunite assassins” who killed Amara. 

Her deception not only fuels public outrage but also convinces them to support an invasion, securing her desired authority to wield Hextech weaponry in the name of “defense”.

The scene of Caitlyn being sworn in as general is cut between clips showing Ambessa and her bodyguard secretly killing a number of Chem-barons, including Renni.

Ambessa might feel like she’s got the upper hand, but little does she realize that her real enemy isn’t far away. Before Mel can even get close to finding out what her mom’s up to, she’s kidnapped by the Black Rose. 

Hextech takes on a life of its own

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After Viktor’s transformation following Jayce’s difficult decision to use the Hexcore to save him, the complexities of Hextech grow even deeper in the final episode of Part 1, resulting in Jayce, Ekko, and Heimerdinger being thrust into another dimension. 

As the undercity faces a chaotic power struggle and an influx of residents needing refuge, Ekko is grappling with limited resources – and the disturbing discovery that Firelight’s sacred tree is slowly dying, likely from Shimmer contamination.

Concerned for both his people and his city’s future, Ekko turns to Heimerdinger for answers, and together they begin investigating the source of the toxins.

The issue takes a dark turn when Jayce brings them to an underground base, explaining it’s a failsafe for their gemstone mesh. If the above ground system were ever overloaded, the energy would be diverted here. 

Ekko is outraged, stating, “So instead of it exploding in your neighborhood, it would blow up in ours.” 

Jayce tries to assure him that the base is miles away from the fissures, but Ekko sharply reminds him that the ventilation system, water supplies, and entire infrastructure are connected. 

Their tense argument is suddenly interrupted when the room fills with a blinding white light. They’re enveloped in a strange, ethereal glow – a force that seems beyond Hextech. 

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Suddenly, a pulsating, morphing sphere manifests before them. “Is that a wild rune?” asks Ekko, to which Jayce says, “I have no idea what that is.”

The rune’s raw power radiates outward, separating the trio and warping the space around them in dizzying patterns, as if they’re being pulled through a black hole. 

Whether they’ll make it back unscathed is anyone’s guess right now. We’ll have to wait and find out in Arcane Season 2 Part 2, which drops on Netflix on November 16.

For more Arcane content, check out the Season 2 soundtrack and our ranking of the most powerful Arcane characters.