Xerath's ultimate currently does not properly represent his theme as a "siege tank."

Lainchan··4 votes·974 views

It has nothing to do with his level of power (well, maybe a little), but his ultimate currently does NOT feel like raining down death upon a battlefield from afar- it feels more like some sort of aerial sniper, attempting to weaken or kill backline/fleeing targets. This owes itself to its small AoE making it difficult to hit more than one target unless they're really close together, as well as him being unable to move or cast other spells during the duration of the ultimate (compare to Caitlyn ult, a "sniper" themed ultimate). The latter is the worst offender of making Xerath feel more like a sniper, as ulting effectively absolves the player of responsibility for all actions except the three shots they are about to take, which puts their focus entirely on picking out a target and aiming. A "siege tank" ult would not involve this level of focus and precision against one target, rather trying to decimate clumps of targets or zone them out trying.

Some things that could be done about this without shifting power levels:

  • FX overhaul to make each charge of Rite of the Arcane feel more impactful (I think W feels very impactful largely because the sound of it hitting the ground is much louder than the sound it makes as it is falling)

Things that would shift power levels:

  • Larger AoE on each charge of Rite of the Arcane

  • Allow Xerath to cast other spells but not move during Rite of the Arcane (Explanation: Having his ultimate force you to commit only to the Rite of the Arcane charges often makes it unusable or suboptimal in fights as anything but a sniping tool, allowing Xerath to use other spells would just make it a matter of finding a safe place to root himself and then barraging the enemy with heavy fire, which I feel is much more thematic.)

Anyone else agree, or am I just grasping at straws? I know this isn't the most popular mid laner right now.

9 Comments

Hyrum Graff1 votes

Why do you think xerath should be a seige tank and not a sniper?

Lainchan1 votes

Why do you think xerath should be a seige tank and not a sniper?

Simply because that was his original concept and the fantasy that I want him to fulfill. I can't speak for other people, but I have read a lot of posts expressing that they felt his new ultimate is rather underwhelming.

NoticesKouhai1 votes

Didn't Riot say they wanted him to be more of a sniper?

Lainchan1 votes

In this case, the rest of his kit is dissynchronous to his ultimate. The rest of his kit focuses on long range AoE destruction at the cost of mobility, while his ultimate makes him feel more like a long range single target sniper.

NoticesKouhai1 votes

I'll admit, I haven't played much Xerath. But don't most of his skills need good aim to hit?

Lainchan1 votes

His Q is his main ability. It's massive and hits multiple people at once. His W is also a big AoE, and while it does "reward precision" in that it does the most damage and slow in its very center, I'd argue that's more just limiting the highest damage potential to when the enemy is stunned or rooted or just too predictable. The only single target thing that you could say requires aim is his E, which just sets up his other spells or helps play keep-away.

Hyrum Graff2 votes

Didn't Riot say they wanted him to be more of a sniper?

This is what I was alluding to.

In this case, the rest of his kit is dissynchronous to his ultimate. The rest of his kit focuses on long range AoE destruction at the cost of mobility, while his ultimate makes him feel more like a long range single target sniper.

I don't play xerath, but if it's true that the rest of his kit feels more like an aoe seige mage than a sniper, then the rework, didn't work as intended, and I'd say that's an issue with the rest of his kit, not his ult.

NoticesKouhai1 votes

Fair enough.

Predatorator1 votes

I agree with You about making better FX for his ultimate, and, most of all, to enlarge its charges' AoE. Personally, i'm ok to see even Rite of the Arcane's range to get lowered, to get a larger hitbox on its charges.

More from Champions & Skins