The new League of Legends champion revives a key part of Aatrox's kit combined with Xin Zhao's
The new champion Zaahen brings back the long-lost revive mechanic once held by Aatrox. As a squishy support main, facing top laners terrifies me, and Aatrox is my personal nightmare. Known for his relentless gameplay and constant presence in the meta due to his kill potential, Aatrox threatens to dismantle champions like Janna and Senna—and my patience.
Zaahen blends Aatrox's melee chase-down style with Xin Zhao's stacking damage, making him already intimidating. On top of that, Zaahen's passive includes a revive, which might push some players to frustration.
Lead gameplay designer Blake "Squad5" Smith says Zaahen is a "tougher, top lane melee character" inspired by Xin Zhao and other Darkin champions in the game. "We tried to make something that felt like he hit similar notes but at the end of the day was uniquely his own thing," he explains.
Zaahen's abilities include dashes, pulls, and double strikes, closely resembling Aatrox's kit. Additionally, his passive combines a stacking attack damage mechanic similar to Xin Zhao’s and an Anivia-like revive. Smith notes the irony of this revive mechanic, considering Riot removed Aatrox's revive passive in patch 9.
Summary
Zaahen revives a powerful gameplay element from Aatrox and Xin Zhao, creating a unique and challenging top lane champion that redefines melee combat in League of Legends.
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