Hello guys, I'm MisterFirstBlood from EUW, and today I'm going to show you how to play Xayah. I've been playing her since her release in Season 9, and she quickly became one of my best AD Carries.

Xayah is known for her unique playstyle that revolves around her feather mechanics. She excels in both dueling and teamfights, providing excellent burst damage and crowd control. Her abilities allow her to position strategically and outplay her opponents with precision.

In this guide, I'll cover everything you need to know about Xayah, including her abilities, rune choices, item builds, and tips for mastering her in various stages of the game. Whether you're a seasoned ADC or new to the role, you'll find valuable insights to help you dominate the Rift with Xayah.

- Strong kit with a lot of utility

- Excellent waveclear

- Smooth attack animation

- Tons of area-of-effect damage

- Able to dodge almost every ability with her ultimate, allowing survival even if you make positioning mistakes

- Style points

- Short attack range

- Hard laning vs. champs like Caitlyn or Draven

- No escape ability/dash outside her ultimate which makes her vulnerable

- You're always pushing the lane even if you don't want to

- Needs practice and a lot of attention

P: Clean Cuts

After using an ability, Xayah's next basic attacks will hit all targets along their path and leave a Feather.


Q: Double Daggers


Xayah throws two damaging daggers that also drop Feathers she can recall.

W: Deadly Plumage


Xayah creates a storm of blades that increase her Attack Speed and damage while also granting her Move Speed if she attacks a champion.

E: Bladecaller


Xayah calls back all her dropped Feathers dealing damage and rooting enemies.


R: Featherstorm


Xayah leaps into the air becoming untargetable and throwing out a fan of daggers, dropping Feathers she can recall.

Whether you choose to buy Kraken Slayer first or Essence Reaver is a matter of personal preference. However, your second and third items should definitely include Navori Flickerblade and Infinity Edge, as these three items together form the core of your DPS build.

Afterwards, you should consider utility items or Lord Dominik's Regards based on your current needs. These items can boost your DPS or enhance your survivability, depending on the situation.

Q: Her Q is her main setup tool to get more feathers and prepare your E burst. Its range is much greater than your auto attack range, allowing you to poke and trade often. Another good thing about this ability is that its damage doesn't decrease when hitting multiple enemies (unlike Caitlyn's Q).

W: Since you need some AD to get the maximum value out of this ability, I recommend maxing it second.

E: This is the reason why so many people say that she is too strong and also why she is hard to master. With E, you're able to recall all the feathers you have placed with passive auto attacks, Q, and R. The more feathers that hit your enemies, the more damage you'll deal (and root them). The maximum number of feathers is uncapped, so you can stack as many feathers as you're able to place with attack speed and abilities and burst your enemies from 100 to zero when you pull them back. Max this out first.

R: This ability is just amazing. The damage may seem weak, but if you've already placed some feathers and use R + E, the enemies will literally explode. What I like most about this ability is the number of possibilities it provides. You can use it defensively to deny combos or dodge ults like Zed's mark, Fizz's fish, or Karthus's Requiem. You can also use it offensively to engage with Q + R and root all enemies while chasing or kiting back. While Xayah has no escape tool, this ultimate is more than enough to play around all her weaknesses.

Press the Attack applies a debuff to an enemy after you've attacked them multiple times in a row, which increases incoming damage for a few seconds. This synergizes perfectly with your E ability. The other runes— Presence of Mind, Coup de Grace, and Legend: Bloodline—are common and reliable choices as they have been the best options for quite some time. The sustain granted by Presence of Mind and Legend: Bloodline is very valuable, making your laning phase much easier.

For the second tree, my personal preference is Inspiration. Biscuit Delivery and Magical Footwear are fantastic as they save you a lot of gold, helping you scale better into the mid/late game.

Use your level 2 power spike! Before reaching level 2, prepare your feathers with Q/W and position yourself to grab them back instantly. After hitting level 2, use a key binding to immediately put a skill point in E and activate it to root and burst enemies. If they haven't paid attention, they'll die instantly.

Reset tower aggro with your ultimate! This is crucial to remember when fighting under the tower.

Zone with your feathers. Deny enemy ADCs farm by placing feathers in front of them, forcing them to choose between losing farm or losing a trade. Do this constantly.

Ward. While this tip isn't specific to Xayah, it's essential because she often pushes the lane with her penetrative auto attacks, making her an easy target for ganks or roams.

Use E as early as required but as late as possible. Using it too early means you'll have a cooldown on your execute tool, but using it too late gives enemies time to sidestep or move out of your feathers' range. Practice to understand the best timing.

Play with a Rakan support. This isn't a gameplay tip, but it helps a lot.

Last-hit minions by attacking an enemy champ standing behind them when your passive is up. Always try to combine your farming, trading, and feather placement with your penetrative shots.

Do not overcap your passive. When using an ability, you get 3 feathers, up to a maximum of 5. Activate Q, then auto attack once before activating W. This way, you'll have 5 feathers to throw at your enemies before using your ultimate or E.

Don't use all abilities at the same time (like Lux). She can outplay you with her ult and kill you when your abilities are on cooldown.

Camp her before she hits level 6. She has no escape and is an easy kill if she isn't paying attention.

Increase your APM (Actions per minute). The more movement commands you give to your champ, the harder it is for Xayah to predict your path. Sidestep everything and make her unsure about landing her E.

Avoid standing in a line to minimize getting hit by AoE damage.

She's weak in 1v1. Draven, Lucian, and Vayne should always be able to kill her.

Flash feathers when Xayah is about to use E.

Play Vayne or Twitch. When you're invisible, Xayah can't reliably hit her feathers.

Play Caitlyn. Caitlyn outranges Xayah significantly, making most trades lost for Xayah. She can also zone back Xayah with her W. Caitlyn is one of the hardest matchups for Xayah.

Xayah is a truly remarkable champion in League of Legends, boasting an exceptional design and a unique kit that sets her apart from other AD Carries. One of the standout features of Xayah is her intricate playstyle, which requires significant attention and skill to master. This complexity makes playing her both challenging and rewarding.

Xayah's abilities allow her to make big plays that can turn the tide of battles. Her Q, Double Daggers, and E, Bladecaller, revolve around feather placement and recall mechanics, enabling her to deal substantial damage and root enemies if executed correctly. These abilities require strategic positioning and timing, making her a high-skill-cap champion.

Despite her strengths, Xayah does have some vulnerabilities. Her 525 attack range is relatively short compared to other AD Carries, and she lacks a built-in escape tool, making positioning and awareness crucial, especially in the late game. This lack of mobility can make her an easy target for skilled opponents who know how to play around her feathers and avoid her damage.

However, even with these challenges, Xayah remains a potent force on the Rift. Her ultimate, Featherstorm, provides her with a brief period of invulnerability and the ability to place feathers strategically, allowing for clutch plays and escapes. This ultimate is a significant part of her kit, providing both offensive and defensive capabilities.

Playing Xayah against good enemies can be demanding, as they may be adept at dodging her feathers and minimizing her impact. Nevertheless, with practice and experience, Xayah can still be incredibly strong, even against skilled opponents. The key is to understand her limits, manage her feather placement effectively, and capitalize on her powerful engage and disengage tools.

In summary, Xayah is a champion that offers a unique and engaging gameplay experience. Her design, kit, and playstyle make her a favorite among many players. She requires dedication and practice to master, but the payoff is immense when you can consistently make impactful plays and carry your team to victory. Whether you're making flashy plays with her E or strategically positioning for a perfect ultimate, Xayah provides a thrilling and satisfying experience on the Rift.

If you enjoyed my guide, I would appreciate a vote. Also, if you want to see more of my content, check out my other ADC guides.

Here are links to my other guides:


Caitlyn
Ezreal
Jinx
Xayah
Miss Fortune
Draven
Ashe
Jhin
Kalista
Kog'Maw
Lucian
Sivir
Tristana
Twitch
Varus
Vayne
Kaisa
Zeri
Samira
Aphelios
Senna
Nilah
Smolder