Riot announced Xin Zhao’s rework in July, and players have been eagerly awaiting the changes to their favorite Demacian spearman. The details of his rework were revealed by Riot yesterday, and it could be available for testing on the PBE as early as today.
Before we delve into the details, it’s important not to get too excited. This rework isn’t as significant as Galio’s or Warwick’s. It’s more comparable to the Rek’Sai update in Patch 7.11. Unfortunately, it’s a little disappointing and feels somewhat rushed.
New Passive: Determination
Previously, Xin Zhao’s W ability caused bonus damage and healed him every third attack. Now, this passive becomes his actual passive ability, and his W is replaced by a completely new ability. Xin’s survivability from this passive was one of the defining characteristics of his playstyle, so it’s nice to see it incorporated in some form.
New W: Wind Becomes Lightning
This is where things become a bit unclear. Riot initially mentioned that Xin’s W would receive the most attention in the rework. After all, it was simply an attack speed boost, which was uninspiring at best.
However, the replacement ability is also rather uninspired. It seems like the design team borrowed this ability from other champions’ kits just because it was an improvement over Xin’s original W, rather than creating something new and exciting. The ability causes Xin to swing his spear in a cone in front of him, dealing damage, and then stab forward, dealing more damage and slowing enemies. It bears a striking resemblance to Rengar’s Q and even Sejuani’s W.
Modified E: Audacious Charge
Audacious Charge remains mostly the same, but with one added bonus. The attack speed buff from Xin’s old W will now begin after he lands his E on a target, ensuring that his camp clear and ganking potential won’t decrease. Xin’s hard-engaging E is an important part of his identity, and it would have been detrimental to remove or change it too much.
Modified R: Crescent Guard
Xin’s modified ultimate ability, unlike the new W, sounds impressive. It still functions similarly, with a sweeping lance attack that knocks back all enemies except for the last one he targeted. However, it now creates a zone where Xin blocks all incoming damage from outside, similar to Shen’s W but on a larger scale. This zone lasts for three seconds, and its duration is extended with each attack on a target.
Overall, these changes enhance Xin’s identity as a battle leader who excels at charging into combat and intimidating his opponents. What’s more important is that, with his new abilities, he will be able to succeed at all stages of the game, even when playing from behind. That’s something the old Xin couldn’t do.
Although these new ideas seem successful, the new W ability feels like an afterthought. It’s the only ability in his kit that needed replacing, and even so, the new ability seems lackluster. It works well with his kit, but it doesn’t make him stand out as a unique champion. This ability was just added to Sejuani’s kit in April.
All in all, if there was a misstep, it was only with the W ability in Xin’s rework. These changes should be good news for Xin’s fans. The update is expected to be available on the PBE this week, possibly today, for testing.