The New League of Legends Champion Revives an Old Mechanic
If you recall the days when Aatrox could revive, the new champion Zaahen is bringing that feature back to League of Legends. Zaahen combines aspects of Aatrox’s melee combat style with Xin Zhao’s stacking damage mechanic.
Champion Background and Design
Lead gameplay designer Blake "Squad5" Smith describes Zaahen as a "tougher, top lane melee character". He was inspired by Xin Zhao and other Darkin characters, aiming to create a unique champion with familiar notes.
Champion Abilities and Mechanics
- Zaahen's kit includes dashes, pulls, and double strikes, similar to Aatrox’s playstyle.
- His passive involves a stacking system akin to Xin Zhao’s attack damage mechanic and features an Anivia-style revive.
Smith admits that the revive ability is somewhat ironic because Riot removed Aatrox's revive passive in patch 9.
Author's Summary
The new champion Zaahen reintroduces an old revive mechanic and blends it with familiar melee combat and damage stacking elements, making him both nostalgic and uniquely threatening in the top lane.