New League of Legends champion is Zaahen, Riot confirms the Darkin joins the game

Cecilia Ciocchetti Published November 9, 2025

Riot Games introduced its newest League of Legends champion, Zaahen, a Darkin built for long and intense fights. He will arrive on League on Patch 25.23 and is designed to be a top lane champion — however Riot also sees him being played in the jungle.

Zaahen was revealed during the LoL Worlds 2025 Finals broadcast and the teaser showed his kit and role in short form. He uses auto-attacks for sustained fights, stacking his passive giving Zaahen a revive once fully charged. The release skin for Zaahen will be Immortal Dragon Zaahen, where he is re-imagined as a dragon lord.

Unlike other Darkins, Zaahen’s host, Xin Zhao, offered himself to Zaahen, who wields Darking power but is not influenced by it — which is why his weapon does not have a vigilant eye. He once fought alongside Yunara then went into exile after a great war.

Zaahen’s Kit and Abilities

• Passive – Cultivation of Ward: Zaahen builds stacks of bonus attack damage whenever he hits enemies with his abilities or auto-attacks. When he reaches full stacks he gains even more attack damage and, if he dies while fully stacked, he revives. “A Zaahen who multi-hits his W, E or R is going to get his full passive much quicker than one only hitting one enemy,” Riot said.
• Q – The Darkin Glaive: Zaahen strikes with an empowered auto-attack and heals a portion of his missing health. He can cast Q again to knock up enemies and extend his attack range.
• W – Dreaded Return: Zaahen stabs in a direction then pulls back every enemy he hits. Because his W hits multiple enemies it fills his passive stacks faster. Riot noted that “your tank can’t take the hit for ADC” as this ability targets everyone in its range.
• E – Warrior Rush: Zaahen dashes into a location, dealing damage to enemies in his path and can cross some small walls. This gives him more mobility and entry potential in fights.
• R – Grim Deliverance: Similar to Galio’s ult, Zaahen lands in a large area, dealing heavy damage to multiple enemies and gaining damage reduction while it is active. His ult helps him survive in long fights and stack his passive to be ready to revive Zaahen.

Image: Riot Games (via YouTube)

When playing as Zaahen you should watch your passive stacks closely. Riot advised players to pay attention to where the Darkin’s passive is when making decisions around being aggressive or not. “Too many players back off too early before full stacks, or commit too hard,” said Riot. And without enough stacks, Zaahen cannot be revived. When playing against Zaahen, players should keep their distance and avoid long fights. Kiting Zaahen, and disengaging when he is stacking his passive are the best easy to counter him. Zaahen’s strength comes in fights where he hits multiple enemies and stacks fast — lane-phase may be harder for him if he is kept away from targets, but once he closes in and gets full stacks he can turn a battle in his favour.

Zaahen will arrive to League of Legends in patch 25.23. With his revive mechanic and AoE abilities, he gives players a new way to dominate the Rift. But rotating ADCs or long-range top lakers might do what not even the Darkin power could and bring him ruin.

Featured image: Riot Games (via YouTube)