As a part of the 7.19 PBE Cycle update, Xin Zhao will be getting a gameplay update. On a thread posted at the League of Legends boards by Riot Xenogenic, the designer who has been working the upgrade, he explained the goals and the reasons behind it.
First and foremost, Xin Zhao’s Q and E abilities were left as there are to preserve the mechanics the current players love. It was also an action to be able to provide new updates without hurting the skills that made Xin Zhao who he is. The updates, on the other hand, were made to improve Xin Zhao’s kit.
These improvements will give Xin Zhao more meaningful and exciting decisions. It will also give him a new unique identity within League of Legends. It will also make Xin Zhao flexible and give him a more meaningful place in team fights.
These changes include:
New Passive – Determination
The passive portion of Battlecry in which every third hit deals bonus damage which heals Xin is transferred to the overall passive for his kit.
New W – “Wind Becomes Lightning”
The new second skill is a two-part flowing attack with his spear which includes a sweeping slash in front of Xin Zhao which is followed by a long-range thrust.
The first is Slash which deals damage in a cone in front of Xin. The second is Thrust which deals higher damage at long range and slows targets hit at 1.5 seconds.
E modified
The attack speed steroid which Battlecry provided is now given after dashing to targets with E.
R modified – “Crescent Guard.”
Xin Zhao’s ultimate is now an instant cast sweeping circle which will knock enemies back, dealing damage. The knockback also excludes the last target he dashed to or attacked.
For 3 seconds after casting “Crescent Guard,” Xin Zhao creates a zone around himself which will block damage dealt with him from champions outside of his guard area. The duration of this stance will be extended slightly every time Xin Zhao attacks an enemy champion.
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Xin Zhao is an excellent initiator to combat with both his charge and ultimate which allows him to deal damage to all units around him. To check out his new modified skills, League of Legends is a free-to-play MOBA game from Riot for PCs and gaming laptops.