The new League of Legends champion revives the strongest part of Aatrox's old kit and mixes it with Xin Zhao's
If you remember the time when Aatrox could revive himself, the new League of Legends champion Zaahen is bringing that mechanic back. As a support main with a fragile playstyle, I’m always wary of top laners — especially those like Aatrox, who refuse to leave the meta. His sheer kill potential constantly threatens champions like Janna and Senna, as well as my own morale.
Now, seeing Zaahen enter the Rift feels like a nightmare returned. He merges Aatrox’s brutal melee dueling power with Xin Zhao’s stacking damage, resulting in a champion that can chase, strike twice, and recover from death thanks to his passive. That last part alone feels like a step back — some things perhaps should have stayed gone.
Lead gameplay designer Blake "Squad5" Smith describes Zaahen as a "tougher, top lane melee character" that’s "inspired by Xin Zhao and other Darkin 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."
Zaahen’s kit features dashes, pulls, and double slashes reminiscent of Aatrox’s abilities, while adding Xin Zhao–style stacking attack damage and a revive mechanic similar to Anivia’s. Ironically, Riot once removed Aatrox’s revive with patch 9, yet the feature makes a return through this new champion.
Author’s Summary
Zaahen’s arrival brings Aatrox’s lost revive mechanic back to League of Legends, merging old Darkin aggression with Xin Zhao’s sustained damage for a dominant new top-lane brawler.