Zaahen, the latest League of Legends champion to grace the Rift, made his dramatic debut at Worlds 2025. We now have the lowdown on his abilities, gameplay, and release date.
This new champion has been floating around leaking circles for weeks, but we couldn’t confirm anything until now. Riot Games introduced the Darkin—literally a fallen god, wielding both divine and profane power—ahead of the Worlds 2025 finals. We have an official look at this bad boy before he makes a jump to the live servers.
Table of contents
All Zaahen abilities in League of Legends
Zaahen is classified as a top lane melee champion, but that doesn’t mean he can’t play in the jungle. Riot took inspiration from Xin Zhao and other Darkin in League, and attempted to create something that felt similar yet unique.
Like many top laners, Zaahen revolves around ramping up into a late-game beast. He might not be the most impactful champion in the laning phase, but he should be a menace in teamfights. He slowly builds up momentum before eventually gaining a large power spike.
Passive – Cultivation of War
Zaahen’s attacks and abilities against enemy champions grant him stacks of Determination, gaining bonus attack damage per stack. When filled with Determination, Zaahen gains increased attack damage and can revive.
Q – The Darkin Glaive
Zaahen slashes twice on his next attack, dealing bonus damage and healing himself. Zaahen can recast this ability to have his next attack deal bonus damage and knock up his target.
W – Dreaded Return
Zaahen stabs in a direction, damaging enemies hit and pulling them toward him.
E – Aureate Rush
Zaahen dashes to a location and slices around himself.
R – Grim Deliverance
Zaahen rises, then stabs downward, damaging enemies and healing for a portion of the damage dealt.
Zaahen gameplay in League of Legends
Zaahen is a top lane melee champion with a ramping combat style. In other words, the longer a fight progresses, the stronger Zaahen becomes. He might not suit an early-game skirmish in the river, but he thrives in a late-game teamfight around the Baron.
His passive, Cultivation of War, stacks up attack damage with each attack and ability hit. When he reaches full stacks, he can revive. His passive can also stack multiple times if he hits several champions at once, making him a demon in hectic teamfight situations.
The fact that he can revive from death makes him a game-changer. His passive basically gives him a second chance, allowing him to dish out even more damage to his unsuspecting opponents. An Zaahen who multi-hits his W, E, or R will get his full passive much quicker than one who only hits one enemy, so don’t be afraid to jump in and wreak havoc.
Zaahen release date in League of Legends
In the description of Zaahen’s preview video, Riot confirmed that the champion hits the live servers on Nov. 19 at 11am PT / 1pm CT / 2pm ET / 9pm CEST. This means he’s coming with Patch 25.23. According to the patch schedule, this is the penultimate patch of the season.
League champions typically appear on the Public Beta Environment (PBE) a week or two before release. This test server allows you to try champions before they make their official debut. It’s a good opportunity to get a head start if you plan on picking them up in ranked. I rarely use the PBE, but I’m no stranger to loading it up when Riot announces an interesting champion. If you can’t wait to play Zaahen, nothing is stopping you from giving him a spin now.
