New League of Legends Champion: Zaahen Abilities, Gameplay, and Release Date
We’ve just gotten a much clearer look at the newest member of the Darkin troupe: Zaahen, the Unsundered. In the aftermath of the Wyldbloom and LeBlanc’s machinations for power, Zaahen returns to the Mortal Realm after centuries in exile in the Spirit Realm.
The latest Darkin champion, Zaahen, unlike his brethren, resisted the corruption as he fought in defense of Ionia against his kin. When the war had been won, he voluntarily locked himself within a glaive with the help of the Kinkou Order – the very glaive Atakhan wields in the cinematic Twilight’s End.
But in the final moments of desperation, Xin Zhao urges Zaahen to aid them. The Darkin warrior takes over Xin Zhao as his host and destroys Atakhan in a single cut. Based on his visuals and champion design, it’s likely he’ll be a Top/Jungle bruiser hybrid.
If you’re eager to try out Zaahen, rest assured, you won’t have to wait long! Zaahen will arrive in the PBE by tomorrow, and will arrive on the live patch on November 19th 11am PDT.
Zaahen: Kit and Abilities
Zaahen’s kit, from first look, appears to excel in skirmishes and duels. Longtime players of Xin Zhao will find many similarities between the Seneschal of Demacia and the Unsundered.
Here’s a brief rundown of what you can expect from Zaahen’s abilities once his release hits:
- [P] Cultivation of War: Zaahen’s attacks and abilities against an enemy champ grant him a stack of Determination, giving him extra AD per stack. Once fully stacked, Zaahen gains increased AD and can revive if he takes lethal damage.
- [Q] The Darkin Glaive: Zaahen slashes twice on his next attack, dealing bonus damage and healing himself. Can be recast to have next attack deal bonus damage and knock up his target.
- [W] Dreaded Return: Stab in a direction, damaging enemies hit, stunning them, and pulling them towards him.
- [E] Aureate Rush: Dash to a location and slices around himself.
- [R] Grim Deliverance: Rises then stabs downward, damaging enemies and healing for a portion of the damage dealt. Zaahen is immune to crowd control and gains damage reduction for the duration of the windup and cast duration.
Ability Rundown source: [1]
Gameplay: First Impressions
On first impression, Zaahen appears to be a strong skirmisher. With plenty of lifesteal and CC (crowd control) in his kit, he would likely excel in both competitive ranked and professional play. However, he does not appear to be overly complicated, lending to the idea that he’ll be a simple but deadly stat checker.
When does Zaahen Release?
Zaahen will arrive on Summoner's Rift with Patch 25.23. Expect the Unsundered to land on November 19th at 11am PDT / 8pm CET. We're currently in Patch 25.21, so that'll be two more patch cycles.
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Featured Image Credit: Riot Games
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