Xin Zhao is one of my favourite Characters. He is a pretty safe and strong Jungler, because of his passive Regeneration and stong ganks.

So I want to tell you how to rock the game and mess about the enemies with Xin Zhao.

This Guide will focus on Xin as a DPS/Assasin because he does his job.

Some might say Xin makes LoL unbalanced... He's just strong and can win a 3v1 or a 4v1 if he is feeded enough and you are able to deal with him.

You will have only one problem: How to chase 3 enemies at once? To be honest I can't give you a answer on that question.


Why do I play Xin Zhao? - Because I get a huge amount of kills and just few deaths.

For Xin Zhao I take armor penetration, armor and magic resist.

1. Greater Mark of Desolation and Greater Quintessence of Desolation : Armor Penetration is important for every DPS champ because it makes your hits deal more damage.
2. : Armor is important for jungling because all junglemonsters deal normal damage.
3. : This gives you more survivability in mid and late game.
You can also take magic resist per level glyphs

An alternative would be attack speed runes

Tireless Warrior
Xin Zhao is healed for 30 points for every 3 attacks that he lands. This amount increases by 5 every 2 levels.

That's what makes Xin Zhao a good laner and jungler. Because he regenerates a huge amount of life with that skill.

Three Talon Strike
Xin Zhao prepares to unleash a fearsome combo, causing his next 3 standard attacks to deal his attack damage + 15 / 30 / 45 / 60 / 75 to enemy targets, with the final attack knocking his opponent into the air.

Cooldown 10 seconds | Cost 30 mana | Range 375

This ability makes Xin Zhao's ganks deadly. He throws the enemy into the air and if your team helps they should be dead before touching the ground again.

Battle Cry
Passive: Increases Xin Zhao's attack speed by 20 / 25 / 30 / 35 / 40%.

Active: Xin Zhao unleashes a battle cry, increasing his attack speed by double the passive amount for 5 seconds, and causing his standard attacks to reduce all other ability cooldowns by 1 second.

Cooldown 24 / 22 / 20 / 18 / 16 seconds | Cost 35 mana | Range 20

High attack speed is brilliant for every DPS champ. High attack speed helps Xin to heal himself and throw the enemys into the air faster.

Audacious Charge
Xin Zhao charges an enemy unit, dealing 70 / 110 / 150 / 190 / 230 (+40% of ability power) damage to all nearby enemies and slowing them by 20 / 25 / 30 / 35 / 40% for 1.7 seconds.

Cooldown 16 / 15 / 14 / 13 / 12 seconds | Cost 70 mana | Range 650

AoE damage and slow. This ability is good for chasing enemys and initiating ganks. You can also use it for farming because of the AoE damage.

Crescent Sweep
Xin Zhao unleashes a fierce spear sweep on targets around him, dealing 125 / 225 / 325 + 20% of their current health in physical damage. His magic resistance and armor are increased by 30 / 40 / 50 for the next 6 seconds.

Cost 100 mana | Range 20

Pretty nice Ult... because of the last Xin Zhao buff you get armor and magic resist depending on the amount of enemy champions you hit.


Skilling order:
Why did i chose this skilling order?
First you need Three Talon Strike and than Battle Cry because it's your main damage output in the jungle. After that I focused on leveling Audacious Charge because it helps you ganking the enemies (You will ahve a lower cooldown and a higher slow). I took the first level of Audacious Charge at lavel 4 because that's the time you should be able to gank. You should always level your ulit at level 6,11, and 16 but that's the same with every champion.

My favourite choice:
You should always use smite as a jungler. It makes jungling faster and safer. I'm not sure if Xin is able to kill the Blue Buff at level 1 without it. You can also use it to steal enemy buffs or invade the enemy jungle fast.

You can use it for Chasing the enemies especially in early ganks when you have no boots yet. It also helps you if you have to escape in early,mid and late game. It's important because Xin Zhao is very slow without equipment.

Other Options would be:

Good for escaping and chasing against one champion

Helps for escaping enemy champions or any bad ulti like Jarvan's

-> more survivability

if they have a mundo or lifesteel based champ;
maybe you can kill someone with low life running away from you with this skill (works good in early game)

if you play good you won't need it

get a maximum of map control

Because you are jungling you should start with and 5 X .

While jungling always spam Three Talon Strike. Also use Battlecry as often as possible.
You will not need your other abilities. Use audacious charge only if you have the blue buff.

When you attack jungle monsters always kill the big ones first !!!

Jungling order:

1. You go to the wolf camp and kill them as they spawn. Why the wolf camp and not the blue buff golem? - Wolfes spawn earlier -> killing them first makes you faster in the jungle. And Xin doesn't need full health to kill the blue golem at level 1. !!Don't use your smite yet!! use 1 Health Potion

2. You walk to the blue golem and kill him using smite. Use 1 Helath Potion and another on the way to the Wraiths.

3. Wraiths: Use one health potion

4. Lizard/Red Buff: use your last health potion and smite

5. Continue to the last two golems

Now you should have reached level 4 (Only if you have the right mastery tree)
-> You are ready to gank... if the enemies push bot lane you can gank bot lane; otherwise you can go midlane and gank or top lane; you can also port back and go shopping or go to the wolfes camp and take the way: wolfes -> wraiths -> golems
Another option would be to invade the enemy jungle (don't do that jet if the enemy team has a jungler)

If you have portet back, see no gank option and the enemy team has no jungler, you can invade the enemy jungle. If you do that always have one eye on the enemy lane to be sure not to be ganked. You have two options: 1. Kill Blue Golem and Wolfes or 2. Kill Wraiths Red Lizard and Golems. I prefer the first option because you are able to spam your abilities if you have the blue buff.

About the Buffs:
Blue: Gives you mana regeneration and coold down reduction.

Red: Your normal attacks slow down the enemies. this is a must have for ganking

Dragon:
When to kill the dragon? - You can kill the dragon from level 6 (if you are level 8 or higher the dragon might seem like a joke to you) if you have been back to purchase some items. Mandred's Razor is a must have ! Be sure no one leaves the lane to attack you from behind
How to kill the dragon? - You should have blue buff and smite ready. Just use all your abilities to kill him as fast as possible. You can also use your ulti if you want (it will help you because of the armor buff)
Why is killing the dragon so important? - Everyone in yous Team gets 190 Gold and you and the allies close to you get 25 bonus gold and experience - this is pretty muc and helps your entire team.

Baron:
For the ones who are new to this game: Don't attack the baron with level 10 on your own... I'm sure you will die

Empty lanes:
If your mid laner or top laner has to go back you should be the one to take over that lane until he's back.

Warding:
Warding is important especially if the enemy team has a jungler!
Where do you put your wards? - You will want to ward your buffs
If the enemy team also has a jungler ward their buffs so you can counterjungle them
counterjungling -> kill + buff
If you invade the enemy jungle you will want to set wards where you guess the enemies may come from to gank you.
If you don't play ranked and have no enemy jungler you will often be able to get all the jungle monsters on the map without warding - BUT: warding is safer.

When do you gank?
1. As often as possible
2. If the enemy champions are pushing forward on a lane... That means they are closer to your than to their tower - best option would be if they try to attack your tower
3. You should have red buff - not a must have but it helps a lot
4. It's good if the enemy has low life (half life is a safe kill as far as the enemy is not vladimir with ghost and flash)

If your team is always pushing, ask them to let the enemies push so you can succesfully gank them.

How to gank?
1. You hide in the gras: if you want to gank mid lane you have two options; if you gank bot or top you only have the one grass when you come from mid
2. Use the following order of skills: E -> Q -> [R/W] Ulti and Battle Cry are optional
If the enemy isn't dead yet chase him and use Ghost if needed

1. You are not a tank -> don't initiate a teamfight
2. Focus the enemy carries: mages/ad-carrys + try to use your ulti as early as possible hitting as many enemies as possible
never attack Alistar using his ulti because you will see no result
3. If all the carries are dead chase the Offtanks and Tanks who will try to run away

Special tips for Xin Zhao:
1. Your is a AoE slow -> if the enemy champ is a bit too far away and you can jump on a enemy minion close to the champ it will slow him, too.
2. You can kill a escaping enemy with your ult if you aren't close enough to hit him (I often did it and it works good)
3. if you hide in the gras and wait for a enemy passing by you will give him a special surprise: a grey skin after a few seconds.
4. If you are fast you can steal a buff with and also slowing the enemy -> you will often get a kill
5. When ever you use try to use it directly after a normal attack so you will hit emediately after you used the ability -> you hit more often than your normal attack speed would allow you to do

These are all items I would recommend on Xin as a DPS/Assasin. There might be other items you can take if you want to play him as a offtank. BUT: I would not recommend you to use other items playing Xin as a DPS/Assasin

Boots:
I would always recommend this because as a dps champ you have to be fast and the enemies can harm you with stuns and slows
Gives some attack speed -> helps in the jungle, but you will maybe want to sell it in the endgame because mercury's are better
Only if the enemies have a lot of DPS champs like Tryndamere or Nocturne (I mean characters who rely on their autoattacks)

Offensive Items:
Attack damage,speed,armor and a awsome passive... personally i call that a must have on Xin (I was able to kill Dr. Mundo from Full life in 4 seconds with this item + boots + all my abilities)
If you don't want to buy mandred's bloodrazor and like the free ward (you could also buy them... they ar not that expensive)
it gives attack speed (very important on Xin) and reduces the armor of nearby enemies. And don't forget the attack speed and lifesteal buff for all alies around
This is one of the best items on Xin i think... (If you have heve Stark's + Runes and Masteries + this you will deal full damage to a enemy with 90-100 armor -> any mage with one defensive item) also: the other dps champs in your team will love you for that item
I love this Item.You can use it on any DPS champ and it will work because it gives you a high amount of damage and a lot of lifesteel. With this item every DPS champ is able to kill jungle monsters staying at full life. But the Item is a bit Risky because because you lose all the stacks everytime you die
This item explains itself -> lots of damage
but it is very expensive... don't buy it if you're not getting fed (ok it's obviously not easy not go get fed if you play Xin like I tell you)
If the enemy team has a lot of tanks stacking armor (don't buy it if they have just one tank... it's not worth it)
i personally don't like that item but I would lie if I told you that youmuu's is a bad item. It is indeed very good and worth it's price, but i prefer armor reduction before armor penetration
one of my personal favourite items because you get really fast at killing and running... this item works very well on Xin
You can use every part of this (the ability power not so much, just for one ability) never forget the nice passive of it ^^
do the enemies have a jax? you don't really need it otherwise... it's good but there are better options for Xin
If you have problems with the enemy mages. this is a good offensive and defensive item at once
that helps you if you are nuked by enemy mages in the early game... buy this only if you really have no other option because it's close to useless in the endgame

Defensive Items:
A lot of life and a offensive slow -> you get more survivability + if you focus one special enemy he won't escape
The best choice for every champion who needs survivability and uses mana for his abilities. I pretty like the spell shield !
if you fierce a AD heavy team you should buy this the other option would be thornmail
Also good because you should always be in the middle of the fight -> deal a lot of AoE damage + survive
If the enemy team has more than the half DPS champs
If you are focused a lot (might happen because you kill the enemies so often that they will hate you) You can also try to make a granade build plus this

First: Why don't I buy Wriggle's Lantern in every build? because Xin Zhao doesn't need it and you will maybe want to sell it in the endgame... but you get a free ward? - wards aren't that expensive
Xin with + can dominate the jungle
At the time you can afford to Buy Wriggle's Lantern you should want to gank the enemies -> you need a item that's made for killing champions fast and safe -> you buy

Feel free to combinate the items in the list above... but never forget: he's a DPS/Assasin and not a Tank
Always take either Frozen Malet or Trinity Forze -> the slow helps a lot

My favourite Build against a balanced team; you have enough survivability and damage to win a 1v3. Important is that you get a huge amount odf armor reduction. You also get a high burst damage because of trinity force + it will work against every kind of enemy


If the enemies have a lot of mages:


If the enemies have a lot of DPS champs:


If you want a lifesteel based Xin who never dies (doesn't work against hard CC) -> 88% Lifesteal


And don't forget: crit Xin (The one with Infinity's)




If you play agains pure noobs and yust want to make them feel you're op (you can kill a squishy enemy in less than 3 seconds)

When ever i played that way i got scores like 18-4-7 or sometimes 0 death
Don't do that in ranked games !!!!!
Don't do that against bots (Annie will kill you with just one combo and you can't do anything)


A Off-Tank version with items not mentioned yet (you will want a 0-21-9 Mastery Tree if you bild him that way) - this one focuses on AD dominated enemy team:

Pros
+ strong 1on1
+ strong in early, mid and late game
+ strong ganker (nearly as good as Nocturne)
+ heals himself without items
+ Strong AoE ulti
+ long attack range for a meele champ
+ Xin + Taunt/Stun -> lots of kills
+ gives the enemies the feeling that he's overpowered when he's fed (look at my last build example)-> a fed Xin can turn the whole game
+ good towerdiver
Cons
- Squishy (you will be focused)
- he has to deal all his damage in close combat -> he can be easy harrased in the laning phase (if he's not jungling)
- slow without items
- no escape mechanism
- the enemies will say that you play a noob character because you kill them very fast even in early game with low equipment

I hope you enjoied this guide and killed a lot of enemy champs that way

I'm going to improve this guide in the future

And don't forget: Succesfull jungling relies on good team communication