Hi guys welcome to my first build ever created on my favorite carry, Xin Zhao, the Seneschal of Demacia. In this guide I will be giving you tips and advices on playing Xin as a DPS. The way I build Xin Zhao is through stacking attack speed, attack damage and armor penetration. There are many ways to play this versatile champion but this is my favorite way of playing him and it has gotten me a lot of success in both normal and ranked games.

Pros

- Powerful early game through late game
- Great disable (Three Talon Strike)
- Strong AoE in team fights
- Easy to master
- Tons of damage output

Cons

- Squishy (this is the dps build)
- Need good farm for his items
- Requires decent skills in team fights as you will be in the center of the fray

For runes I go straight ArPen and attack speed. The reason behind this is because attack speed early game allows Xin Zhao to proc his Q ability faster and get that disable in for a quick kill and maybe even First Blood. As for ArPen, it allows his attacks to hit a lot harder since all of his attacks are physical damage. With this DPS rune build you will be able to put out a lot of damage early and get those early feeds for your expensive items. There are room for adjustment with the runes as they are your preference but with these 2 types of runes I found works very well in the early game with Xin Zhao.

Yes. I know. I used a 22/0/8 mastery. I know some of you are thinking: "OMG NOOB HE DIDN'T GO 21/0/9 LIKE EVERYONE ELSE!" The reason for this mastery set up is not because I like to be a noncomformist; it is because for a DPS Xin, maxing some of the talents in the offense tree is better than putting a random point elsewhere. The reason behind be going into the Utility tree is because early game Xin has mana problems if you use his abilities for last hitting minions like me. Battle Cry and Three Talon strike are very good for getting last hits on minions early game, believe it or not. Since I am building Xin as a pure DPS carry, going into the defense tree is not as useful as going into the utility tree and getting that mana regen and experience bonus.

Ahh. The items. This is where the beauty starts.

Doran's Blade - This item is a great starter item for Xin as it will provide survivability in the lane, extra damage with your ArPen runes, and 3% lifesteal in addition to your passive. All together its everything you ever wanted at level 1 for Xin.

Brutalizer - The Brutalizer is a great first item for Xin as it will provide that extra damage for some early game damage output and armor penetration for more damage. In addition, the ability CD is also nice as it will allow you to use all your abilities more often to finish the enemy.

Mercury Treads - I always go with Mercury Treads if the opposing team has any type of CC. As a squishy DPS carry, you cannot afford to be disabled/stunned/silenced and whatnot for too long and getting raped because you can't escape fast enough. If the opposing team does not carry and CC, then go with Berserker Greaves, as it will provide you with more attack speed.

Sword of the Divine - After you get this item you will notice a difference in your ability to take it to the enemy's face and destroy them 1v1. The attack speed on this item is awesome and it will take you to the next level as a DPS Xin. In addition, the 100 magic damage proc on this item greatly adds to your damage, especially against tanks during mid-game when they are stacking armor to counter your Xin's awesomeness. Lastly, the active ability of this item is awesome as it can allow you to hold your ground against champs like Jax and tanks with Ninja Tabi and high armor.

Last Whisper - Straight up damage and ArPen. Enough said. After you get this squishies will go down faster than they can ghost away. Tanks will take a second thought when going up against you face to face.

Youmuu's Ghostblade - The most amazing item in the game for an attack speed/arpen AD DPS carry. It's passive gives you that extra arpen for some hard hits on even the high armor tanks like Malphite, Shen and Rammus. The additional ability CD reduction allow you to spam your Q,W, and E spells to chase down and disable anyone that tries to run. When activated, it's like Master Yi's Highlander on Xin. Enough said. You can imagine the rapage your enemy will get.

Frozen Mallet - This item is mainly to add to your survivability during late game due to your extreme squishiness. Also, the passive ability allow you to constantly slow the enemies you hit and allow you to disable them nonstop for some wtfpwned kills.

Madred's Bloodrazor - You will probably never get to this item but if you do, this is a great end game item for Xin. The attack damage and more attack speed from this can make Xin a very powerful champion. But the main point of this item is this: it's passive. At this point of the game, the opposing teams tank probably has all the tank items he can get and therefore probably stacked a good amount of armor to counter your insane attack speed and damage. To counter that, Madred's passive allow you to deal constant magic damage in addition to your physical damage, which can make you a tank killing machine.

Ultimate > Three Talon Strike > Battle Cry > Audacious Charge

Ghost - Very good ability on Xin as you can catch up to fleeing enemies and get in range to dominate them with you combo E - W - Q. Also good for running away.

Ignite - Very good for putting that last few damage to finish off the enemy as they get out of your E ability's range.

Flash - Used the same way as Ghost, but it might get taken out so I don't want to rely on it too much.

Exhaust - Could be useful to slow them down but I tend to use this against other AD/AS dps champions. But since the nerf I find this almost useless.

So here ends my guide to playing a pure DPS Xin Zhao. Hope this guide will help you in your games and allow you to be dominating with him. Just remember, don't be greedy, idiotic, noob, etc and charge head into a bunch of enemies thinking you can take them all with your awesomeness. NO. You will be taken down faster than you can land that last hit to proc Three Talon Strike. Remember: You are squishy. You are squishy. You are not the tank. You will die very fast if you fail at timing and positioning. Play smart. You are the team's carry. The person that will destroy half the enemy team and live to tell the tale. Let the tanks tank. You can't put out your awesome damage if you are dead before you can land a single hit. Last but not least, remember this is a guide. You can always change things up to fit your tastes, preferences and game situations. Don't be the person who listens to everything a person says. Learn to adapt.