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Xerath Build Guide by N1comagno03

Middle [13.18] Ultimate poking - Xerath, The Ascending Magus [Midlane]

Middle [13.18] Ultimate poking - Xerath, The Ascending Magus [Midlane]

Updated on September 24, 2023
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League of Legends Build Guide Author N1comagno03 Build Guide By N1comagno03 7 1 6,969 Views 2 Comments
7 1 6,969 Views 2 Comments League of Legends Build Guide Author N1comagno03 Xerath Build Guide By N1comagno03 Updated on September 24, 2023
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Runes: First strike rune

1 2
Inspiration
First Strike
Magical Footwear
Biscuit Delivery
Cosmic Insight

Sorcery
Manaflow Band
Gathering Storm
Bonus:

+9 Adaptive (5.4 AD or 9 AP)
+9 Adaptive (5.4 AD or 9 AP)
+10% Tenacity/Slow Resist

Spells:

1 2 3
Main summoners
LoL Summoner Spell: Barrier

Barrier

LoL Summoner Spell: Flash

Flash

Threats & Synergies

Threats Synergies
Extreme Major Even Minor Tiny
Show All
None Low Ok Strong Ideal
Extreme Threats
Ideal Synergies
Synergies
Ideal Strong Ok Low None

Champion Build Guide

[13.18] Ultimate poking - Xerath, The Ascending Magus [Midlane]

By N1comagno03
Introduction

Hello everyone, I'm N1comango03, an italian lol player.
I'm not in any sort of 'hall of fame' or something like that, but I still think that I can say something about some champions and, one of these is, of course, Xerath.
I'm a Xerath enjoyer (he was my first main, and he is actually the one most played of my collection), in my opinion one of the most satisfing and fun champions.
Why Xerath?

Xerath, the Ascending Magus, is a very different champion thanks to his main charateristic, his HUGE range.
With his q and his r, he can just poke everyone, taking or concluding some kills that were just impossible for other champions.
His range is why xerath is so nice to play with.
Pros & Cons

Xerath's Positives

→ Enormous range
→ High burst power
→ Huge kill potential with his ulti
→ A lot of fun
Xerath, with his kit, can poke to death just every enemy he wants.
This charateristic, with is high damage and his q low cooldown, makes his a powerful war machine from distance.
With his ulti, he will became a deadly mortar that can annihilate everyone everywhere, permitting to execute those champions remained with 100 hp after that teamfight, or that botlaner survived after an all-in in his lane.
Thanks to these properties, he is extremely fun, and you won't regret trying it.
Xerath is a champ with only skillshots abilities, making him a difficult choice for those who aren't so good in these things (but with practice and time spent with him it will become easier).
He is an immobile mage, and he is not so tanky (just a bit more than other mages like Veigar or Taliyah).
This could result in your death if the enemy successfully lands a cc, for example Ahri's Charm.

Xerath's Negatives

→ Only skillshots
→ Very immobile
→ Squishy champion
Abilities

Mana Surge (Passive)
RANGE: 525
COST: /
COOLDOWN: 16
Every 16 seconds Xerath's next attack against a champion restores 60−390 mana. It restores 30−195 mana if attacking minions, jungle monsters or structures.

Whenever Xerath kills a unit, this cooldown is reduced by 2.5 seconds.

This is your only sustain from your kit. Try to AA minions when the passive is ready and it is safe to do so (a bunch of mana isn't worth 200 dmg). Usually you won't have champions in your range, but if u can bully your enemy (if he is melee it should be easy) landing an AA on him should be a good idea (try to evaluate every time the risk of doing so).

Arcanopulse (Q)
RANGE: 735
COST: 80 / 90 / 100 / 110 / 120 mana
COOLDOWN: 9 / 8 / 7 / 6 / 5
Begin Charging: Xerath begins charging an arcane beam, slowing himself gradually up to 50%.

Release: Xerath fires the beam, dealing 70 / 110 / 150 / 190 / 230 (+85% of ability power) magic damage. The range increases with time charged.

Your bread and butter ability. You can bully everyone with this insane poke, and it can bursts down squishy targets very fast with its low cooldown.
  • Try to hit with your Arcanopulse both minions and the enemy, in order to farm, to deal a ton of damage and to keep their midlaner away from his cs.
  • Your Arcanopulse is a powerful pushing tool, letting you easily take at least three turret plates before their fallen.
  • Always charge your Arcanopulse if you want to poke (without charging its range is quite poor). If you want to spare time (to farm close minions or to land a fast full combo) don't charge: that low range is enough.

Eye Of Destruction (W)
RANGE: 1000
COST: 80 / 90 / 100 / 110 / 120 mana
COOLDOWN: 14 / 13 / 12 / 11 / 10
Xerath calls down a blast of arcane energy, dealing 60 / 95 / 130 / 165 / 200 (+60% of ability power) magic damage and slowing them by 25% for 2.5 seconds. Enemies in the center take 100.02 / 158.365 / 216.71 / 275.055 / 333.4 (+100.02% of ability power) magic damage instead and are slowed by 60 / 65 / 70 / 75 / 80%, decaying over the same duration.
This is your ability that deals the higher amount of damage in one cast. If you can land a perfect W, hitting the enemy in the middle of the spell, the damage is huge, gaining the advantage of HP in the incoming fight.
  • Remember that your Eye of Destruction will slow the enrmy on hit, giving you an easier target for your incoming skillshots.
  • Your Eye of Destruction can be used to fast push your wave as well. If you cast this ability in order to hit both cannon (in the middle) and mages, with a single Arcanopulse you can kill mages and have a low cannon for the next ability. If you already have Luden's Tempest, mages will die with the W only.
  • Eye of Destruction is perfect to use on enemies affected by cc like your Shocking Orb , because you will always hit in the middle, maximising the damage.

Shocking Orb (E)
RANGE: 1125
COST: 60 / 65 / 70 / 75 / 80 mana
COOLDOWN: 13 / 12.5 / 12 / 11.5 / 11
Xerath fires an orb of raw magic, stunning the first enemy hit for up to 0.75−2.25 seconds depending on distance travelled, and dealing 80 / 110 / 140 / 170 / 200 (+45% of ability power) magic damage.
This is your cc, the ticket for a ton of damage (if enemies can't move, how are they supposed to dodge your skillshots?). If used in the correct way, the stun duration is very high, permitting you to burst your enemy down. Be careful to use it only when you are sure of hitting, because it's your only way to escape a gank, too.
  • The stun duration of Shocking Orb is calculated not from the casting point. Instead, what really matters is YOUR position when the orb hit someone, meaning that if you step back or flash before it hit, the stun will be longer.
  • It is important for you to keepboth bushes warded, so when their jungler try to gank you, you can trow a Shocking Orb when he is waiting, letting you 2 seconds to go safe.

Rite Of The Arcane (R)
RANGE: 5000
COST: 100 mana
COOLDOWN: 130 / 115 / 100
Xerath ascends to his true form and channels for 10 seconds. During this time he may Recast 4 / 5 / 6 times.

Recast: Xerath launches a magical artillery, dealing 180 / 230 / 280 (+40% of ability power) magic damage. For each champion hit, the artillery deals an additional 20 / 25 / 30 (+5% of ability power) magic damage.

This is one of the coolest abilities in the game:you literally became a deadly mortar with global-like range. You can end enemies escaped to your burst, as well as help your teammates in other lanes.
  • Rite of the Arcane is your hardest skillshot, so don't loose your religion if you can't land it in your first games: with practice, it will be easier.
  • Your Rite of the Arcane is good to steal objectives from a safe distance, too. If in your team there is someone other with a global ulti (like Ezreal or Lux, try to use them togheter to augment chances to steal that drake or baron
Summoner Spells
You have no mobility, and only your Shocking Orb as defense, so Flash is comparsory to survive in most of your games.
It offers more survivability against assassins, (for example, can counter their Ignite).
Very useful.
If you are not confident with Barrier, you can go this one too.
It offers to you more occasions to recall, without loosing pressure on your lane (that can be useful against an enemy that has to roam).
It's very risky: if the enemy is in range of your Ignite, most of the times there is something wrong.
Runes Choice
Inspiration Rune
With your range, you can easily proc it, and you will achieve big damage earlier than usual.
To reduce your lack of monility, making it easier to dodge spells and survive a chase/gank.
There aren't best options in this row, at least you can stay in lane a bit more during the early game.
Again the only useful rune on this row, you will proc Luden's Tempest moer often.
You really need mana, and this rune gives a lot of mana.
I prefer this one instead of Scorch because you want to be powerful in late game, with a slower start, not the opposite. But feel free to try.
Sorcery Rune
Nice to boost your poke damage, and you can proc it often in mid/late game. Better of other options.
You really need mana, and this rune gives a lot of mana.
You can spam your abilities even more, becoming a living laser.
I prefer this one instead of Scorch because you want to be powerful in late game, with a slower start, not the opposite. But feel free to try.
To reduce your lack of monility, making it easier to dodge spells and survive a chase/gank.
You will proc Luden's Tempest more often. Go Biscuit Delivery if you feel that you need more mana in the early game.
Items Choice
Mythic Options
You will pick this item the most of your games. Great damage output, and a bit of magic penetration, to easy kill squishy foes.
Good against a bulky team. But not my favourite option, since the most of your games the enemy team won't have a 4/5 or 3/5 tank composition.
Good against an assassin team, if you don't feel safe with Luden's Tempest.
Could work. Feel free to try it.
Boots Options
I prefer magic penetration to spell haste on boots, because there are few other objects that gives you this wonderful stat, and a ton that provide spell haste (you will gain a lot of it with other stuff).
You already have a lot of spell haste with other objects, but feel free to try.
Other Items
Core item. Empowers long-range damage, simply a must for this champion. A lot of AP too.
More magic penetration is perfect to remove enemy adc and mage from existence. A lot of AP too.
A TON of AP. With this and other 2-3 objects, you will deal almost 1k damage with the centre of Eye of Destruction, and almost 600 damage with Arcanopulse. Added to the previous magic penetration, you can hard it someone with one full combo, then end his life with Rite of the Arcane.
Great to deal against magic tanks, and magic penetration works well against everyone, so it's totally approved.
More movement speed during fights is nice. A lot of AP too. With the 13.18 patch, it's easier to proc, so it can be really useful.
Great for its magic penetration plus Grievous Wounds effect, against enemies like Warwick or Sylas.
If you like to risk your game, this is perfect fot you. Can be really satisfying, but you have to play even safier. You can easily one-shot squishy targets with a full combo if you reach 25 stacks.
Early Game

In this phase of the game, you want to try to farm and poke at the meantime.
Don't waste too much mana, AA minions when your Mana Surge is ready (and it's not dangerous) and land some spell on your enemy.
You can either try to last-hit, to create opportunities for your jungler to gank you, while safely poking under your turret, or push with Arcanopulse and Eye of Destruction to negate possible roams to your foe.
Big damage will come later, but now you can deal a reasonable amount of dmg by punishing your enemy's oversteps with your Shocking Orb, chained with other stuff.
Always ward near bushes, because if you get ganked, you will have an hard time, expecially if Shocking Orb is in cooldown.
Mid Game

In this part of your match, you should already deal a good amount of damage.
You don't roam, (no mobility and risky), instead you can provide air support to other lanes with your Rite of the Arcane (it's mortar time!).
Be sure to provide assistance to objectives, it's a nice strategic boost to your team.
Punish everyone that dare to enter your Arcanopulse range.
Late Game

Now you have become damage.
Simply hit everyone with Arcanopulse until they die, and try to land a full combo whenever you stun somebody.
You can push lanes fast (but be careful), and provide big help to objective capture and teamfights.
Stay in the last row, and focus on adc, mage and assassin foes (tanks will probably soak a great part of your damage).
Conclusion

Thank you to have reached this point!
Xerath is a champ that can be fun to play, but a bit harder to master, but practice makes perfect.
I really hope this guide helped you to decide how to play your game with Xerath, The Ascending Magus!
Please, leave a feedback if you can, both votes and comments are welcome, this will help me to improve this work. I will reply to every question.
Bye!

(chapter image: https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-EgDaMSdndrw/UyogLjA6nNI/AAAAAAAANfc/o4j0cUfNTQ0/s1600/xer.jpg)
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League of Legends Build Guide Author N1comagno03
N1comagno03 Xerath Guide
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[13.18] Ultimate poking - Xerath, The Ascending Magus [Midlane]

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