There are five darkin champions in League of Legends right now: Aatrox, Varus, Rhaast, Naafiri, and the newest addition, Zaahen. If you’re trying to figure out who they all are, what makes them tick lorewise, and which ones are actually worth playing in ranked, I’ve got you covered.
Last updated: April 13, 2026, patch 26.7
Who Are All the Darkin Champions in LoL?
The darkin champions in League of Legends are Aatrox (the Darkin Blade), Varus (the Arrow of Retribution), Rhaast (wielded through Kayn), Naafiri (the Hound of a Hundred Bites), and Zaahen (the Unsundered). All five were once Shuriman Ascended warriors who became corrupted through blood magic after the Void War and were later imprisoned inside their own weapons by the Aspects of Targon.
That’s the short version. But each of these champions plays completely differently, fills a different role, and has wildly different lore. I’ve dumped close to 200 ranked games across this roster over the past two seasons, so let me break down what actually matters for each one.
Aatrox, the Darkin Blade
Aatrox is the poster child for darkin lol content. He’s a top lane juggernaut who swings a massive greatsword and heals through everything if you let him. His kit revolves around landing the sweet spots on his Q (The Darkin Blade), which hits three times in a chain. Miss those sweet spots and you’re a big red minion.
I played 47 games of Aatrox last split and went from Gold 2 to Plat 4 almost entirely off his back. He’s disgusting into melee matchups. His ultimate, World Ender, turns him into this giant winged demon that heals for bonus amounts on everything. Teamfights where you land a good W into Q combo feel illegal.
His biggest weakness? Grievous Wounds guts him. One Executioner’s Calling and your healing drops hard. He also falls off late game compared to scaling picks. But in solo queue below Diamond, people don’t respect his level 6 power spike and you can snowball off that.
Varus, the Arrow of Retribution
Varus is the oddball darkin. He’s an ADC. The only ranged darkin champion in the game. Lorewise, Varus is actually three beings in one body: the Darkin Varus, and two Ionian hunters named Valmar and Kai who he hasn’t fully consumed yet. It’s one of the more tragic stories in League of Legends lore.
In-game, Varus has bounced between lethality poke builds and on-hit attack speed builds for years. His Q (Piercing Arrow) is one of the longest-range poke abilities in the game. His W passive (Blighted Quiver) stacks blight on targets, and his other abilities detonate those stacks for percent-health magic damage.
Honestly? I think Varus is underrated right now. His R (Chain of Corruption) is one of the best engage tools any ADC has, and in a meta where bot lane agency matters, that root spreading through a team can win fights by itself. If you’re grinding ranked and want to understand how ranked works in LoL, Varus is a safe pick to learn the role on.
Rhaast (Kayn’s Darkin Form)
Here’s where it gets confusing. Kayn isn’t a darkin. He’s a human Shadow Order assassin trained by Zed. But his weapon, a scythe, contains the darkin Rhaast. During every game, you choose between two transformations: Shadow Assassin (Kayn keeps control) or Darkin (Rhaast takes over).
Rhaast is the bruiser/drain-tank form. His abilities deal percent-max-health damage and heal him for a chunk of the damage dealt. His R (Umbral Trespass) lets him dive inside an enemy champion and then burst out, healing for a percentage of their max health. Disgusting in teamfights.
The form you get depends on which type of champion you fight early. Hit ranged champions for Shadow Assassin orbs, melee champions for Darkin orbs. I’ve had games where I needed Rhaast but kept ganking the enemy Jinx by accident and locked myself into the wrong form. Tilting beyond belief.
Rhaast is the pick when the enemy team has three or more melee champions. Into those comps he’s almost unkillable with Goredrinker or Eclipse. Shadow Assassin is better for squishy comps, but Rhaast is the darkin pick that feels the most like a raid boss.
Naafiri, the Hound of a Hundred Bites
Naafiri broke the mold when she launched in 2023. She’s not a humanoid with a darkin weapon. She IS the weapon, a darkin dagger that took over a pack of dune hounds. So you’re playing as a dog. A pack of dogs, actually.
She’s a mid lane assassin designed to be straightforward. Riot specifically said they wanted a “low-complexity assassin” and they delivered. Her Q (Darkin Daggers) throws blades that bleed targets. Her W (Hounds’ Pursuit) sends her pack charging at a target. Her E (Eviscerate) is a short dash. Her R (The Call of the Pack) summons more hounds, gives her a shield, and buffs her movement speed.
Naafiri is the darkin champion I’d recommend to anyone who’s new to assassins. She doesn’t have the mechanical ceiling of Zed or Akali, but she can still one-shot squishies and roam like crazy. If you’re picking up a fresh LoL smurf account and want to stomp lower-elo games while learning assassin fundamentals, she’s perfect for that.
Zaahen, the Unsundered
The newest darkin champion. Zaahen dropped in patch 25.23 on November 19, 2025, and he’s wild. According to Riot’s ability breakdown, his thematic quote is: “Ascended. Darkin. I am the blade between.” That sums him up. He’s caught between his Ascended past and Darkin corruption.
Lorewise, Zaahen inhabits the body of Xin Zhao (yes, that Xin Zhao). He’s a top lane skirmisher and jungler who’s all about extended fights. The longer you auto-attack, the stronger you get. His passive, Cultivation of War, stacks Determination on enemy champions hit. At 12 stacks, he gains bonus AD and can trigger a revive that makes him invulnerable for 4 seconds.
A revive passive. In 2025. Riot went there.
His Q (The Darkin Glaive) is a double-strike that heals him, with a recast that knocks up. His W (Dreaded Return) pulls enemies toward him. His E (Aureate Rush) is a dash. His R (Grim Deliverance) is a slam that ignores armor partially and makes him CC-immune during the cast.
I’ve been spamming Zaahen since his release and went on an 8-game win streak in Plat. He feels broken into matchups where the enemy can’t disengage, because every auto you land makes you harder to kill. I think Riot will tune him down eventually (that revive is going to cause problems in pro play), but right now he’s a free LP machine if you can pilot him.
Darkin Lore: Why Do They All Share a Theme?
Every darkin champion was once a Shuriman Ascended, basically a god-warrior empowered by the Sun Disc. After fighting the Void War alongside the Aspects of Targon, the surviving Ascended went mad. They turned on each other, used blood magic to twist their bodies, and became the Darkin. According to the League of Legends Universe page, this conflict was called the Great Darkin War.
The Aspects eventually trapped each darkin inside their own weapons. That’s why every darkin champion has a signature weapon: Aatrox’s sword, Varus’s bow, Rhaast’s scythe, Naafiri’s daggers, Zaahen’s glaive. They ARE their weapons, possessing whoever picks them up.
This shared origin is why all darkin champions have self-healing or drain mechanics. Blood magic is their thing. It’s also why they all have names with double letters (Aatrox, Rhaast, Naafiri, Varus, Zaahen). That naming convention is a Darkin language pattern that Riot confirmed years ago.
Riot released three champions in 2025 tied to seasonal themes: Mel for Noxus, Yunara for Ionia, and Zaahen for the Darkin season. For 2026, Riot confirmed they’ll only release one new champion, and it won’t be Darkin-themed. So five is the number for now.
Which Darkin Champion Should You Play in Ranked?
Depends on your role and playstyle. Here’s the quick breakdown:
| Champion | Role | Difficulty | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aatrox | Top | Medium | Lane bullying, teamfight frontline |
| Varus | ADC | Medium | Poke comps, team utility |
| Rhaast | Jungle | Medium | Drain-tanking into melee-heavy teams |
| Naafiri | Mid | Low | Roaming, quick picks, assassin beginners |
| Zaahen | Top/Jungle | Medium-High | Extended skirmishes, split pushing |
If you’re hardstuck and looking to climb, Aatrox and Rhaast are the safest darkin picks because they’re rarely in a truly bad spot. Naafiri is your fast-food option when you want kills without thinking too hard. Zaahen has the highest ceiling but also the steepest learning curve around his Determination management.
And if you’re trying to climb fast through a specific rank, LoL rank boosting from Playplex can get you past the divisions where you’re stuck so you can focus on improving at your actual skill level.
FAQ
How many Darkin champions are in League of Legends?
Five. Aatrox, Varus, Rhaast (through Kayn), Naafiri, and Zaahen are all playable darkin champions as of patch 26.7. Zaahen was the most recent addition, released in November 2025.
Is Kayn a Darkin champion?
Not exactly. Kayn is a human assassin, but his scythe houses the darkin Rhaast. You can choose to transform into Rhaast during the game, which makes him take over Kayn’s body. So Rhaast is the darkin, Kayn is just the host.
What are Darkin in League of Legends lore?
Darkin were Shuriman Ascended warriors corrupted by blood magic after the Void War. The Aspects of Targon imprisoned them inside their own weapons to stop their rampage. When someone picks up a darkin weapon, the darkin tries to possess them.
Who is the newest Darkin champion in LoL?
Zaahen, the Unsundered. He launched on November 19, 2025 in patch 25.23 as a top lane skirmisher. His kit revolves around stacking Determination through auto-attacks, and at max stacks he gets a revive.
Will Riot release more Darkin champions in 2026?
Unlikely. Riot confirmed only one new champion is coming in 2026, and the Darkin-themed season concluded in 2025 with Zaahen’s release. No new darkin champions have been announced, but Riot could always revisit the theme later.
That’s every darkin champion in League of Legends right now. Five corrupted god-warriors, five very different playstyles, and some of the best lore Riot has written. If you’re looking to add one to your ranked pool, Aatrox and Zaahen are my top picks for solo queue on the current patch. Pick up a darkin weapon and go terrorize some lanes.