NOTE- THIS IS FOR A PLAYER WHO WANTS A WELL ROUNDED BUILD-

Xerath is a great Champ to play as a tanky mage- This will really catch the DPS off guard.

For those of you that don't know- Xerath's passive turns 15% of his AP into Armor.

This build is meant to do exactly what it says.... Make Xerath a Mobile turret! A champ your allies can fight around while you stun, attack, and trick DPS fighters to focus you;) Most will not expect the damage protection you will have.

Remember- E, Q, W, R= dead enemy

Runes will focus on Magic Penetration, AP, and Mana... yes I said mana. You will understand why shortly.

Pull your magic penetration from Greater Mark of Magic Penetration - all 9

ability power - You want enough AP to give you a burst early game.
3- Greater Quintessence of Ability Power
9- Greater Seal of Ability Power

mana - This will come in to play with Archangel staff. Also helps you out early game when spamming Arcanopulse
9- Greater Glyph of Mana

I use the typical 9 0 21 AP character build for Xerath.

2 things to note-

Cooldown means your spamming your ult and Q all game long:)

This character is extremely slow.

Flash is very important when closing the gap for the kill or escaping- this is a must!

I love Teleport for this character as you may find your self needing to rush back to a lane.... Xeraths slow trot wont cut it.

Cripple is a second choice after teleport and what I use for dominion. You'll find yourself using this very little late game as you can spam stun.

Clarity is great for early games but not much help late.

Forget any others...

This is what I would call a Progressive item build. Each item is meant to enhance the other.

Starting with Sorcerer's Shoes will help you a lot early game. remember your slow get boots early

I start with attaining the Archangel's Staff early as I want to max out that mana bonus. slowly increasing ap as you go.

Next go for the Frozen Heart - This will not only build your AP from the mana you gain from this item but a major boost to your Armor. Basically- More Mana= More AP= More Armor:)

Rabadon's Deathcap Now that your Damage protection has increased go for the major AP increase- "The DeathCap!"
Again note- Major AP boost= Armor boost

Time for more Magic Penetration- Nothing better than Void Staff After this players will call you Op for the rest of the match.

Top it off with Will of the Ancients

After completing your build you will be a "Mobile Turret" that the enemy team will underestimate. They will try to focus on you giving you the chance to stun and create massive damage while your team assaults. Don't be afraid at this point to center yourself in between your teammates. Let them stick around you as a beacon of terror.

ascended form (Passive): Xerath feeds on arcane power, making him increasingly resilient to physical harm. Converts 15% of his Ability Power into Armor.

It is Xeraths passive which allows him to become a more tanky champion. This is exactly why I get Frozen Heart and Archangel's Staff having both will increase your AP, Armor, and Mana.

Arcanopulse (Q) (Active): Fires a long-range beam of energy in a line, dealing magic damage to all targets hit.

Range: 900/1300
Width: 100
Cost: 65 / 70 / 75 / 80 / 85 mana
Damage: 75 / 115 / 155 / 195 / 235 (+0.6 per ability power)
Cooldown: 7 / 6.5 / 6 / 5.5 / 5 seconds

NOTE- poke and harass with this often. Your CD on this skill will allow you to trouble your enemies constantly.

Farm using this skill


locus of power (W) (Active): Xerath anchors himself to the ground he is standing on for up to 8 seconds, increasing the range of all his spells and granting him bonus magic penetration. Upon disabling this ability, Xerath gains 35% movement speed for 2 seconds. He can deactivate the ability at any time after 0.5 seconds of casting it.
Cost no Mana! < please read

Cooldown: 20 / 16 / 12 / 8 / 4 seconds
Bonus Magic Penetration: 10 / 15 / 20 / 25 / 30 %

NOTE-I add this 2nd to be able to harass from a distance at the early stage of the game. It is good to pull out of this skill when your not using your other abilities as you are vulnerable. Eventually your CD on this will start to even out with Arcanopulse

mage chains (E) (Active): Deals magic damage to an enemy and marks them with Unstable Magic for 3 seconds. The next spell Xerath strikes this enemy with will stun them for 1.5 seconds.
Range: 600/1000

Cost: 70 / 75 / 80 / 85 / 90 mana
Cooldown: 12 / 11 / 10 / 9 / 8 seconds
Magic Damage: 70 / 120 / 170 / 220 / 270 (+0.7 per ability power)

NOTE- Stun, stun, stun. If your having a tough time stunning with Q after using this try using your ult to stun then following up with your Q.

Arcane Barrage Active): Calls down a blast of arcane energy, dealing magic damage to all enemies in an area. May be cast another two times, with no cost, within the next 12 seconds before going on cooldown.
Range: 900/1300
Effect radius: 400

Cost: 150 / 180 / 210 mana
Cooldown: 80 / 70 / 60 seconds
Magic Damage Per Cast: 125 / 200 / 275 (+0.6 per ability power)

NOTE- The range for this is amazing while you are in locus of power. Nice skill to use from behind walls when your enemies are clustered.

PRO:

Your armor and survive-ability will greatly increase as you level up.

Strong Damage Output.

Mix of Decent cool down and spell vamp.

Well rounded build allows you to be more versatile on the map.

CONS:

Your AP though strong will not be as high as it could be if you were trying to make a carry build.

Movement speed will suffer- hence the use of Flash and Teleport

Kassadin and Warwick watch for these 2 champs as they are able to close in quickly and cause massive damage. Buy wards

Once you have leveled up past 6 start joining your teammates:

You can gank from a distance without them even seeing you. Drop in a bush or behind a wall and turn on locus of power start laying out the pain. After your first initial attack drop out of Locus and use your speed buff to role into the fight quickly closing any gaps and finishing off your enemies.

Its "ok" to be supportive... Look for how you can help your teammates by stunning and harassing. You can reduce the health of multiple enemies quickly when you use Arcane Barrage. This is fun to do if you have Brand with you:) Double ult with you and him=Dead enemies!

Be the bait! have your team wait in the bushes as you pull unsuspecting victims in. Your armor will allow you to take a bit of damage which makes you a great candidate for this.

If you know you are useless working with another champ or have difficulty fighting someone ask for a lane switch.