Xerath’s passive is the “Mana Reserve” and ensures that his next autoattack restores mana every 16 seconds. When Xerath kills a unit, this cooldown is reduced by 2.5 seconds. Your passive is therefore particularly useful for paying the high mana costs for your abilities in the early game.

At level 1, you start as Xerath with your W, the “Eye of Destruction”. Xerath summons a barrage of arcane energy that slows enemies in the area of effect by 25% for 2.5 seconds and deals magic damage. Enemies in the center of the area hit take increased damage and are slowed more. The W is therefore part of your Poké Damage and at the same time makes it easier for you to hit your other abilities. You maximize the W second, as you can use it less often than the Q.

At level 2, you will then unlock your Q, the “Arcane Pulse”. If you hold down the Q, Xerath charges up an energy beam and slows himself down by up to 50%. As soon as you release the button, he fires it and deals magic damage to all enemies hit. The range of the Q increases if you hold the button down for longer. This ability is only there for one purpose: to deal damage. You use it to repeatedly poke your opponents from a safe distance. As Q is your main source of damage, it is maximized first.

You skill your E, the “Shock Orb”, for the first time at level 3. It deals magic damage to an enemy it hits and stuns them for 2.25 seconds. This ability is your only hard CC and you should use it carefully. If you use the E offensively and your opponent dodges it, nothing will stop them from attacking you. At the same time, E is also an excellent tool for catching opponents or keeping opponents who have already been caught in CC for longer. You maximize this ability last, as you mainly use it for the stun and its duration is not increased by ability points.

Xerath’s ultimate ability is the “Arcane Ritual” and is leveled at levels 6, 11 and 16. Xerath immobilizes himself for up to 10 seconds and receives 4, 5 or 6 barrage charges, depending on the Ult level, which he can fire during this period. Each individual shot causes magical area damage at the target location. You can use this ult to snipe opponents after a fight who would otherwise escape with little HP. You can also use it before a fight to stun the opponent’s carries and make it more difficult or even impossible for them to play the fight.

Combos

W->Q: your simplest poke combo, where you first cast your W on the opponent and then immediately charge up your Q. However, you only release the Q when the W has hit and your opponent is less able to dodge due to the slowdown.

E->W->Q: your standard stun combo, where you first stun the opponent with your E and then hit them with your W and Q during the CC for a good amount of damage.

W->E->Q: this variant of the stun combo is particularly suitable for targets that are already under CC, which you want to burst as quickly as possible by performing all 3 abilities as quickly as possible. However, you can also use this combo a little slower on a moving target and make it easier to hit the E by slowing down the W.

From level 6, you can use the Ult after one of the two previous combos for an all-in.

Q->Flash: you can increase the range of your Q by flashing while channeling. This allows you to deliver the coup de grace to opponents who are trying to escape and are just outside your range.