Xerath is one of the greatest bully champions in League of Legends. This mid-lane mage has incredible poke on all of his 4 skill-shot abilities. When it comes to skill requirements, he is somewhere in the mid-ranges of difficulty.
In this Xerath guide, we are going to outline all the knowledge you need to play this champion!
How to Play Xerath
How to Play Laning Phase With Xerath
Since Xerath is not a champion that can roam particularly well, the most important thing to focus on when playing this champion is the laning phase. In this phase of the game, we want to put as much pressure as possible on our enemies. This will enable us to accumulate significant leads and seize a victory in the later stages of the game.
In the early stage of the laning phase (first 7 minutes) we will mainly want to farm to get our first item components. Since we do not have much damage in the early game, trading too much will do nothing but waste our mana. However, when we get enough gold for a Lost Chapter, we will start being able to solo kill our opposing laner.
To start getting the kills, the key thing we will have to focus on is landing the skill shots, as this is the only way we will deal sufficient damage. To land the skill shots, we want to predict enemy movement.
If you are playing in rank below silver, most enemies will walk in the same direction as the one they walked before you started charging your spell. However, if you are higher ranked, the enemies will start trying to side-step your abilities. This is not a problem as you can easily learn to predict their side steps and continue landing abilities consistently.
When it comes to using abilities, the most ideal scenario is the one in which we hit both the minions and the enemy. We want to do this as hitting the minions will push the wave, and force our enemy under the tower. When the enemy is under the tower, we can poke them much more easily with them being unable to retaliate.
Team fighting
In team fighting with Xerath, we always want to stay in the backline. Getting too close to the enemies will result in us instantly dying, as Xerath is one of the champions least resistant to melee range fights. The ideal we are trying to aim for is standing in the backline, and firing away at enemy carries.
Build & Runes
The build we will want to acquire is the following:
- Luden’s Companion
- Rabbadon’s Deathcap
- Shadowflame
- Stormsurge
- Void Staff
- Sorcerers Shoes
This is a full AP build that will have the highest possible damage output. This kind of build will force us to play safe, and it will do the most harm to the enemies if we manage our gameplay correctly.
Here are the best runes for Xerath:
- Dark Harvest
- Cheap Shot
- Eyeball Collection
- Ultimate Hunter
- Presence of Mind
- Cutdown
This rune page loadout features Dark Harvest which will enable us the highest damage output in the late game. It also includes the Ultimate Hunter rune that will significantly reduce our ultimate cooldown. Overall, it’s a good page for confident and aggressive gameplay.
Final Thoughts
Xerath is a pretty interesting and unique mid-lane mage. He requires safe and precise gameplay coupled with really advanced skill-shot mechanics. The best way to play him is with a full AP build coupled with Dark Harvest as keystone rune!