League of Legends Xin Zhao Guide: Best Build, Runes, Combos

Xin Zhao is a powerful early-game jungler in League of Legends known for his aggressive playstyle, strong dueling potential, and reliable engage. With his ability to dive into fights and lock down key targets, Xin Zhao excels at snowballing leads and creating pressure across the map. In this guide, you’ll learn the best build, runes, items, and essential combos to maximize Xin Zhao’s impact and carry your team to victory.

Xin Zhao Abilities Overview In League of Legends

Xin Zhao’s kit revolves around quick engages, sustained damage, and disrupting enemies in close-range combat. His passive, Determination, empowers every third auto attack to deal bonus damage and heal him. His Q – Three Talon Strike makes his next three attacks faster and stronger, with the final strike knocking up the target. W – Wind Becomes Lightning deals damage in a line and slows enemies hit by the outer edge, making it great for catching targets or clearing camps. His E – Audacious Charge lets him dash to an enemy, dealing damage and slowing all nearby foes, making it his primary engage tool. Finally, R – Crescent Guard is his ultimate that knocks back all non-challenged enemies and temporarily grants bonus defense against anyone outside its circle, turning Xin Zhao into a tanky duelist during fights.

How To Play Xin Zhao In League of Legends

Best Summoner Spells For Xin Zhao

The best summoner spells for Xin Zhao are Smite and Flash. Smite is essential for securing jungle objectives and clearing camps quickly, while Flash gives you a reliable tool to engage, escape, or reposition during fights. Together, these spells maximize Xin Zhao’s gank potential and overall map impact.

Best Runes For Xin Zhao

The best runes for Xin Zhao are from the Precision tree with Conqueror as the keystone. This gives him strong sustain and consistent damage in extended fights. Pair it with Triumph for healing on takedowns, Legend: Alacrity for attack speed, and Last Stand to boost damage when low on health. For the secondary tree, take Resolve with Second Wind and Unflinching for extra durability in trades and better tenacity. This setup makes Xin Zhao tanky and dangerous in both duels and teamfights.

Best Build For Xin Zhao

The best build for Xin Zhao in League of Legends focuses on mixing damage and durability so he can dive into fights and survive. Start with Goredrinker for sustain and AoE healing in skirmishes. Follow it up with Plated Steelcaps or Mercury’s Treads depending on whether you’re facing heavy AD or AP/CC. Next, build Black Cleaver to shred armor and boost mobility, then Death’s Dance for more survivability and damage. Finish with Sterak’s Gage for a shield under pressure and Guardian Angel for late-game safety. This build makes Xin a deadly frontline bruiser who thrives in extended fights.

Best Combos To Learn For Xin Zhao

The best combos to learn for Xin Zhao are simple but deadly. Start with E (Audacious Charge) → Q (Three Talon Strike) → W (Wind Becomes Lightning) for a quick engage and knock-up. In fights, use W before E for bonus attack speed right before jumping in, giving you faster Q procs. For all-ins, go W → E → Auto → Q → R (Crescent Guard) to burst a target and push others away, buying you time to reset your Q. Always try to chain Q’s third hit with your E jump to guarantee the knock-up right after you land.

Conclusion

Xin Zhao is a powerful and aggressive jungler who excels at early skirmishes and diving into the heart of team fights. With the right build, runes, and combo execution, he can dominate objectives, control the pace of the game, and carry his team through solid engages and reliable burst damage. Mastering his timing and combos will turn Xin Zhao into a consistent threat on the Rift, making him a top-tier pick for players who like to play fast and lead the charge.