Whenever Jarvan III, the king of Demacia, delivers one of his rallying speeches from the glinting marble balcony atop the Royal Palace, Xin Zhao is at his side. Coined the Seneschal of Demacia, Xin Zhao is the personal steward of the Lightshield Dynasty. His enigmatic, silent vigil has led to an abundance of conjecture concerning his �secret life� and origins. Whether it�s "Zaun double-agent" tendered at the dinner table or "indebted rune mage" mused in the editorials of the Demacian Constant, Xin Zhao betrays no hints to sate the curiosity of the masses�for good reason.

Prior to the formation of the League, Noxus was renowned for a spectacle called The Fleshing. It was a gladiatorial event with a cruel twist: as a fighter won matches, his number of opponents (generally prisoners of war) fought simultaneously would increase. This meant eventual death for every contender, but with unparalleled glory. Xin Zhao, known then as Viscero, was slated to face 300 soldiers, nearly six times the previous record. This was clearly meant to be his final match. Jarvan II, hearing of this unprecedented feat, infiltrated the arena to offer him an alternative: serve Demacia and punish those who ultimately sentenced him to death in exchange for his freedom. Xin Zhao accepted, astonished that a king would risk his own life on his behalf. Under the cover of a prearranged Demacian assault on Noxus, Jarvan liberated Xin Zhao and his 300 opponents. During their retreat, Xin Zhao took a poisoned dart meant for Jarvan. This act of loyalty, from a man who vowed no allegiance, earned Xin Zhao a spot at his side until the day the king died. Now in the service of his son, Jarvan III, Xin Zhao is stepping into a new ring � the Fields of Justice � to fight for his adopted country and to honor the legacy of the man who gave purpose to his life.

"Death is inevitable; one can only avoid defeat." �- Demacian Manual of Arms

Hello Players!
You are probably here becase everyone says Xin Zhao is OP, but you cant manage to dominate games.
I had the same problem and thats why I thought about my own guide to perfect my playstyle with Xin Zhao.
I allways got some kills in the early game, but as soon it came to mid game, exspecially in teamfight Xin gets crushed so easily. Having a good early will up the chance to get focused in teamfights even more. So we need a bit of tankyness paired with solid lifesteal and of course some damage.
So lets dig into my tips. (with a spear behind it?)
Parts of this guide where inspired by this guide: http://www.mobafire.com/league-of-legends/build/guardsman-bobs-way-of-xin-zhao-58494 from VAIReetaws so thanks to him. <3

+ Xin has great damage in early levels
+ Frozen Mallet gives him enough HP to be a bit tanky
+ ...

- Missing some Atkspeed in early game.
- Three Talon Strike mainly used for knockup
- ...

I find Greater Quintessence of Desolationarmorpen quints and Greater Mark of Desolationreds to be essential on every AD character so this are pretty much given.
On blue and yellow there are some choices. I like to use crit chance runes for some random crits in low lvl fights, but you can also use atkspeed,atackdmg or even something like armor and magic res or flat hp.

21/0/9

21 in offense are standart for AD chars aswell.Cooldown reduction +Magic Pen overattackspeed for more Audacious Charge damage.

Now: "Why Utility instead of Defense?"

I want to build Xin a bit tanky, but I prefer thexp bonus andhp reg over some tank stats. Xin gets really great with lvls so getting faster level ups with bonus xp is just awesome.

You may try a 21/9/0 aswell and see whats better. (write a comment please)

Start buying a Longsword for some dmgboost and money left for a HP pot.
Build it into a Phage on your first trip back. Get also some boots. If you have enough money on your first back get the lvl 2 boots instantly before Frozen Mallet.
You may vary here between Berserks Greaves and Mercurys Treads.
If one of the enemys is fed or they group up, you should consider buying a Vampiric Scepter early.
After Frozen Mallet you need your other core item Youmuu's Ghostblade.
After that the only thing you need is atkspeed and some lifesteal.
Starks Fervor is your item of choice here.
If the game is not over at this point get Phantom Dancer for more atkspeed and crit or a survivability item. ( Banshees, Sunfire, Warmogs, Force of nature)

Dont follow my skill sequence too close. Just remind yourself of this concept.
Max R when you can.
Max E first.
Get 2 Levels in W early.
Get 2 Levels in Q early.
Second skill to max may vary or max them simultaneously.

When you gank 1 or 2 enemies in lane use E follwed up R (if available), then hit Q and then W.
This cloese the gap between you an the enemys, (maybe hits hard with R and gives some def. stats to you), then with Q your attacks do more damage and prepare for the knockup. With W you get the 3 hits for knockup faster and you also get the cooldown down faster.

When you go into a fight with more than 2 enemies you may want to save W until later in the fight. You have 5 seconds of increased atkspeed, but after that you lose you passive bonus for the time of the cooldown. In a bigger fight it is better to save the W skill for the second or thrid enemy you trying to kill.

Update:
In the patch preview video Phreak said that they change some things with Xin. Most interesting thing for me is, that the passive bonus of W will stay after activation. Yay! ^_^

Ghost + Exhaust.
Together with your Q and E you can slow people pretty long with an exhaust.
Ghost is good to run after people until you have Youmuus. You could exchange with Ignite for a sure kill early or even heal to make you even more dangerous in 1v1 / 1v2.

First game ever exactly following my guide.