Hi everyone, and welcome to my first guide here on mobafire! Xin Zhao is one of my favorite characters. I first tried him out when he was free, and it was victory at first game. And second. And third... so I decided that I was definitely doing something right. After a little fiddling and tweaking, I decided to publish a guide. Hope your games will be as rewarding as mine! Enjoy...

I'm not a pro player, so if any of you think there's something I should add or change, just put it in the comment box!

Don't downvote without a reason.
Don't even upvote without a reason.



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You want to be able to take down anyone, anytime.
You want to excel at one v ones.
You want to snowball when fed.
You want to have ridiculous attack speed.
You want to chew on squishies and supports.
You like Asians.
You are new and want a easy champion to play.
You are experienced and want to roll some noobs.
You need an offtank that still does damage.
You want to be an unorthodox jungler.
You want to HAVE FUN!

Xin Zhao is an easy to play, melee dps carry. The skill level required lets beginners at LoL excel with him. He is definitely good for anyone.

Pros Carry Can do insane damage Easy to play Distance Closer Natural Heal Is Asian. Cons Susceptible to ranged. No escape mechanism except speed from items and boots Eats mana early game (not a problem late game) I almost killed hi--oh, I got stunned.

I take a pretty typical 21/9/0 build. All that offense, since you are a carry, and a little bit a defense for some survivability. 'Nuff said. If you think I should explain some things, feel free to comment.

greater mark of desolation

I know that a lot of lower level players do not use runes. I don't think that they don't make as great as an impact as masteries or items, but these are attack speed, armor pen, and armor runes. Offensive, with a little defense.

I get Ghost and Ignite almost every game. These two spells are my top picks, since Ghost gives a speed boost and Ignite let you finish off that Ashe with 50 hp left.

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Other viable options

Xin is not a burst damage person like Annie or Talon. I think ghost lets you deal steady damage more, but if you like Flash, make that switch.

I just take Ignite because it fits my playing style more. Exhaust is another highly recommended spell.

good map control, just doesn't give you during-battle advantage.

Xin is vulnerable to CC, so this would also be a decent option.


No... Just no...
good spell, but not for Xin. Leave it for the support.

i guess it's pretty good in Dominion, but for our purposes, don't.

Yes, I know you are a carry and should make the most out of your time, but really? 540 second cooldown? And besides, again, other spells fit better. Furthermore, you can take that death time to shop for items, go to the bathroom, have a snack ;)

good early game, useless late game.

uh, no.

good if you're jungling. More on that later.

like clarity.

You have enough attack speed. And something tells me that Xin doesn't use AP a lot. Just a hunch, though :P

Challenge:This passive has great synergy with attack speed. The faster you hit, the faster you heal. Good for jungling.

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Three Talon Strike: We will max this ability first. Its knock-up and extra damage makes this your "bread and butter" spell.

• Use this to knock up an opponent that is chasing a low health teammate.
• Use this to chase.
• With Battle Cry activated, these three hits will lower your cooldown by around three seconds.
• Use this to farm after your Audacious Charge

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Battle Cry: This ability increases your attack speed and decreases your cooldowns. We will be maxing this second.

• activate this before your other abilities so that it reduces your cooldowns.
• When farming, W --> E --> Q
• It increases your attack speed MORE. Make use of it.

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Audacious Charge: This is my favorite skill for Xin. Distance closer, slow, AoE (kinda), and damage, of course. However, we will be leveling this up last, since we just need the distance closer and slow.

• Use this to chase low-health enemies.
• Use this to farm.
• If running away, Audacious Charge to nearby enemy minions.

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Crescent Sweep: This is a pretty good ultimate. It's not the best
(*coughcough* Karthus*coughcough*), but it deals nice flat damage with 15% of the enemy's current health.

• Use this as soon as possible in a team fight in order to deal the most damage.
• Try to hit as many people within your range.
• If a gigantic minion wave is threatening your inner turrets, you could technically use Crescent Sweep to wipe them out. It's kinda a waste of an ult, but its cooldown is low enough so that you can risk it.
• Needless to say, level this up anytime it's available (6,11,16)

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1v1: W --> E --> R --> Q
Start by activating Battle Cry, and Audacious Charge to enemy. Crescent Sweep and then Three Talon Strike. Keep hitting until cooldowns are refreshed, then repeat until enemy is pwned.

Team fight: E --> R --> W --> Q
You want to go in after your tank. Get in the middle with Audacious Charge, Crescent Sweep and THEN activate Battle Cry. Why? Because team fights tend to be longer and more drawn-out, you want to make the most of your 5 seconds by reducing cooldowns with Three Talon Strike and auto-attacks. This sequence can also apply to 1v1, but to prevent them from running away, you should take the time beforehand to activate Battle Cry instead of fumbling around while you are attacking.

In this section I will be explaining who you should lane with to get the most out of your experience.

Good People

Supports are great for Xin. Heals, extra CC, things like that are great-- just as they are on any other character. They do not need too much farm so you have the minions to yourself. Support tanks are particularly welcome

These characters, among other similar ones, are great partners too. Sion has a stun with Cryptic Gaze and Blitzcrank has his famous Rocket Grab to get enemies into your grasp. Alistar has all sorts of CC. Nunu & Willump in particular gets an honorable mention, since he can buff you with Blood Boil and debuff enemies with Ice Blast.

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Do not lane with AD carries, since they need the farm just as much as you do. Caitlyn, Ashe, and people like them are AD carries.

The same goes for AP carries, and they might outfarm you, so you will be deprived of gold. Annie, Kennen, and people like them are AP carries.

Remember, people I did not mention are not bad laning partners. It's just that others mentioned can give something to Xin to make him better.

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Enemies

I hate laning against these people, because Poppy can negate my damage with Diplomatic Immunity, Olaf can reduce my damage with Ragnarok, Kennen can harass me from afar, and Caitlyn has tremendous range.

In general, you do not want to lane against people with a variety of CC and/or ranged attacks. You should be fine with just about anything else.

If you think there is someone I should add, don't hesitate to tell me!

Start with Dagger and Health Potion. Head bottom. When minions spawn, try to farm quietly to get gold. Punish the enemy champion if he is getting aggressive. You don't have to kill him; just W --> E --> Q and he/she/it should back off. Never go into a 2v1; play it safe when your teammate is away. By the end of early game, you should have Berserker's Greaves, Zeal, and probably a b.f. sword.

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You should have Phantom Dancer finished by now. Keep farming. Xin Zhao is a decent harasser, so attack an enemy to make them back off. Zoning is important. Just don't be so aggressive that you will catch tower aggro or get ganked. You should be getting some kills by punishing people that come too close.

If team fights break out, BE THERE. Xin Zhao has the means to turn the tide, and you should never pass off a chance to get gold, kills, and experience.

When enemies are recalling or dead, and your lane is not is danger, you can get dragon with a friend or gank mid.

By the end of Mid game, you should have Black Cleaver and Bloodthirster done.

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This is my favorite part of the game. At this stage, if your team is winning the majority of fights and pushed more into enemy territory, you should go for baron. If you are losing, hang in there and be aggressive when minions/champions push too far. Frozen Mallet should be finished. Infinity Edge should be within your grasp. team blue agreed to a surrender 5 votes, 0 against! GG, you just won.

Xin Zhao is now considered a pretty good jungler, on account of Challenge.

You will need flash/ghost and smite. Start with Vampiric Scepter. Go to blue golem, then to wolves, wraiths, red buff, double golems, and then repeat. Audacious Charge is now our priority. Next is Battle Cry. We need Three Talon Strike only for the knock up, so that will be leveled last.

Xin Zhao is a great ganker, so if a lane is pushing too hard, don't hesitate to gank. Your core items will be: Mercury's Treads, Wriggle's Lantern, Trinity Force, Black Cleaver, and Infinity Edge or a tanky item like Randuin's Omen. The sixth item slot can be used for wards, elixirs, and such. Don't forget ' Wriggle's Lantern's active. It lets you ward more.

For a full Xin Zhao jungle guide, check out http://www.mobafire.com/league-of-legends/build/xin-zhao-ranked-jungler-98109#chapter12

Now comes the big part: Items.

CORE ITEMS
These are the items I get every game, without fail.

As you can see, there are only two core items, since games can vary widely.

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This a pretty standard AD carry build. I'll have some highlights for each item.


This increases Xin's attack speed even more, so that he can heal quicker. I will suggest alternatives later.


CORE item. This will give you a sick 55 attack speed, along with movement speed and crit change


CORE item. Gives you some nice damage, along with MORE attack speed. Usually, I get Zeal, b.f. sword and then Black Cleaver first, before Phantom Dancer since I usually have decent attack speed with Zeal.


I like this item because it gives you more damage and lifesteal. Better yet, if you get fed, Bloodthirster will give you 100 attack damage. 100!


This is the ultimate AD carry item. nice 80 AD, along with a huge crit strike chance. I also love how this psychologically messes with your enemy if you are doing well. "Oh no! He's got an Infinity Edge! I'm so gonna fail! I'd better stay back." These kinds of things will definitely help you win, unlikely as it may seem.

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These are among the best boots in the game. With magic resist and tenacity, you will be less susceptible to CC. I just don't like how expensive they are $.$


This is a great survivability item. Not only does it give you 700 health, but it also slows opponents! SCORE!


I know this may not seem like the best item for Xin Zhao, but for survivability it offers everything. Its passives are great, too. (believe it or not, but the AP does help increase Audacious Charge's damage.)


I like this item in that it gives health, mana, and magic resist. In addition, its passive block a negative spell every 45 seconds! Now you can escape with 30 health when Karthus casts Requiem.


Second most armor in the game, more mana, cooldown reduction, enemy debuff. U mad, bro?


If you are facing against heavy AP casters like Brand or LeBlanc, this is the item for you. If you are facing against AD melee like Wukong or Warwick, Frozen Heart is your best bet.

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This is the CORE jungling item, letting you place wards every three minutes.


This is more of a survivability item, but I like to take this when jungling. It gives me good sustain.

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I saw another Xin build this once (but with two Warmog's Armor). He proceeded to carry the enemy team, tanked full health turrets, and even ran up to our spawn pool, killed a low-health ally, got hit by the superturret, and survived. This build will make you a supertank. That Atma's Impaler will give you a ridiculous amount of damage XD

Here we will look at alternatives.


I usually get this item with a Health Potion because it builds into Berserker's Greaves later. It also gives good attack speed.


This is a popular item, giving health, lifesteal, and damage. Pretty good.


I get this when I jungle. It will build into Wriggle's Lantern. For regular laning, I usually don't get this, but I suppose it can build into a Bloodthirster.


I wouldn't get this unless your team was full of high-damage people and they needed a tank.


Good if you are up against skill-shot people in your lane (ex. Lay Waste, Rupture, thundering shruiken)

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These boots are just about the only ones that seem to fit Xin Zhao. Berserker's Greaves, of course, because of the attack speed.
Mercury's Treads because of the reduced crowd control.
Ionian Boots of Lucidity because of the cooldown reduction.
Mobility Boots because of the enhanced movement to get to team fights quickly.

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I ranked these from 1 to 5 stars.

*****
This is inching closer and closer to being in my regular builds. The highest attack speed in the game (correct me if I'm wrong), extra damage every fourth attack, and an active that does not allow that pesky Jax to dodge your awesomeness. UPDATE: Sword of divine has been removed from gameplay. Guess I'll have to test around for suitable alternatives...

****
I like the boosts and the aura this gives. I usually can't find a spot for this in my build, though. Highly recommended.

****
This is great for taking down those tanks that built Frozen Heart and Thornmail because they're scared of you.

***
Armor, magic resist, cool passive. Get this if you are getting focused too much.

***
Good stats, great active and passive. Usually I just don't have space to put that in.


If you think there is something else I should considers, feel free to ask.

Deciding what item to pick is purely situational. You should know what the enemy team can do, and how you can counter it. Below I have listed a couple of examples.

high CC/shutdown team:

lol... Cho'Gath and Skarner look so much alike...

The last two champions had CC, yes, but Warwick, Malzahar, and Skarner all had suppresses, which was potentially dangerous.

Items:

As you can see, I sacrificed 2 item slots for survivability items. CC is the bane of Xin Zhao's existence, so Mercury's Treads decreased that, Quicksilver Sash lets you cleanse the suppresses, and Force of Nature helps against Fiddlesticks and Malzahar. A Banshee's Veil could also be used as well.

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AD-dominant team

This team is slightly unlikely to actually exist, but for our purposes, they are all high AD characters.

Items:

The trick is to kill them before they kill you. Frozen Heart gives a nice slow, armor, and mana. Otherwise, you need to increase your damage output so that they can't hurt you as much as you can hurt them.

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AP-dominant

This is a huge burst damage team of AP nukers (mostly) . Again, not likely to happen, but this is a scenario.

Items:

I really can't think of a way you could possible survive under the onslaught of nuke after nuke except for magic resist and tank items. That Atma's Impaler lets you have some extra AD and Banshee's Veil blocks a spell every 45 seconds, which might save your life.

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Tank Dominant

I know Garen sometimes can be a AD carry, but the rest of them are tanks.

items:

Madred's Bloodrazor deals damage based on health, attack speed lets you utilize that bloodrazor, and Last Whisper has armor penetration that let you shred through their defenses.

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Well-balanced team

This team is very well balanced, with a support, AP nuker, jungler, tank, and AD carry.

Item:

This, more or less, is the most common type of team scenario, so I usually go with my standard build.

That's about it for now! Thanks for taking the time to read my guide on Xin Zhao. If you have questions, comments, or concerns, don't hesitate to comment below, and I will try to get back to you as soon as possible.

Thanks to jhoijoi for her awesome Making a guide!

1/20/12: Added Guide :D
Removed Sword of the Divine, since it was removed from gameplay
2/8/12: Added "you should play xin zhao if..." section