Vexana, the Shimmering Hope, was revamped in Mobile Legends: Bang Bang patch 1.6.94. She previously held the record for the lowest pick rate in ranked according to MLBB stats, and was nowhere to be seen in the competitive scene.

Thanks to the Rise of the Necrokeep patch, her kit has improved. She received a new character model, turning her from a horrific demon with giant horns to an attractive witch that could very well be the evil version of Rafaela.

Still, playing the hero requires a bit of patience, especially since all of her skills are skill shots. Learn more about the newest revamped Mobile Legends hero in this beginner’s guide, including recommended emblems, battle spells, and best builds for the hero.

Vexana’s skills in Mobile Legends: Bang Bang

Passive – Nether Touch

Enemies hit by Vexana or her Undead Knight will be curse and explode upon death.

The curse lasts for five seconds and affected targets will deal magic damage around them once they die.
Every basic attack and skill of Vexana inflicts a curse onto heroes, minions, and jungle monsters.
The passive gives Vexana wave clear in the laning phase. Maximize the passive and make sure to continuously curse at least one minion in a wave so that you’ll have a higher chance of getting all the last hit gold bonuses.
Spam Cursed Blast to force the enemy midlaner to move away from the creep wave, should they wish to avoid the explosion. The explosion deals 170 base damage at level one, and can stack upon killing multiple targets at the same time. Targets affected by the explosion also gets cursed.

Skill 1 – Deathly Grasp

Vexana unleashes a Phantom Claw that terrifies the first enemy hero hit. Phantom Power will then erupt at the enemy hero’s location, dealing damage to nearby enemies and terrifying them.

Deathly Grasp is a great initiation skill, but it takes getting used to with its thin hitbox and slow animation speed. Make sure to cast it where you predict the enemy will move to instead of auto casting it to avoid missing the target.
Try to cast the skill when the enemy heroes are clumped together, as the Phantom Power will erupt at the affected target and terrify nearby enemies as well.
The skill is also great for checking nearby brushes for enemies.
Use Deathly Grasp to harass opponents in lane, for it passes through minions.

Skill 2 – Cursed Blast

After a short delay, Vexana strikes the target area with a blast of Nether Energy, dealing damage to enemies within.

This is her bread and butter skill, so max this first.
Enemies inside the area of effect are slowed before it explodes, so cast Cursed Blast first followed by Deathly Grasp.
The skill curses anyone inside the circle, making it one of the best wave clear skills at level one. Spam it as much as possible in the laning phase.

Ultimate – Eternal Guard

Vexana summons an Undead Knight at the target location, dealing damage to enemies hit and knocking them airborne. The Undead Knight will then join Vexana in battle for some time.

The airborne knock up lasts for 0.8 seconds.
The Undead Knight lasts for 15 seconds in the battlefield before disappearing. It also attacks enemies at random, but prioritizes enemy heroes.
The Undead Knight will remain in the battlefield if you die and will continue chasing down enemies until 15 seconds have passed, or if it’s killed.
It will teleport behind you if you move away from its range.

A comprehensive guide on how to play Vexana in Mobile Legends

Recommended Battle Spell

Mobile Legends: Bang Bang battle spells Sprint and Flicker — Credit: ONE Esports

Flicker or Sprint are recommended for Vexana since she doesn’t have any mobility skills. Flicker is great against a crowd control-heavy team composition while Sprint works best against melee heroes and team compositions with less crowd control.

You can also go for Flameshot if you want to be aggressive in the early game. It doesn’t do much in the late game, however, as the damage from your skills would be enough to burst anyone within your range.

Recommended emblem set

Mobile Legends: Bang Bang mage emblem, Impure Rage — Credit: Moonton

Impure Rage inflicts extra magic damage with each skill equal to 4% of the target’s current HP. It also restores 2% max mana every two seconds, making it perfect for poke heavy heroes such as Vexana.

The damage also scales really well with her damage, turning her into a huge threat once she gets all her magic damage items.

Mystery Shop, also located in the mage emblem tree, is also a good option if you want to finish your core items faster. The 10% reduced cost on items is a game changer, especially if you manage to secure multiple kills in the early game.

Best build

Cooldown reduction and magic damage items are your priorities. Clock of Destiny should be your first item as it gives Vexana survivability with a HP boost and mana so that you can spam your skills as much as possible in the laning phase. You can also go for Enchanted Talisman to benefit from its mana regeneration passive.

After that, you can then build magic item damage such as Lightning Truncheon or Holy Crystal if your team is far ahead in the game. If your team is playing from behind, consider buying Ice Queen Wand or Winter Truncheon for survivability.

Finish your item build with Blood Wings or Immortality, depending on the situation. Go for the former if you are the main damage dealer in the team, or the latter if the game goes on for more than 25 minutes.

The best combos

Mobile Legends: Bang Bang Project NEXT, Rise of the Necrokeep update — Screenshot by Jules Elona/ONE Esports

In the laning phase, keep your opponent’s health bar low by landing a Nether Blast and Deathly Grasp combo. Once you reach level four, start ganking in the side lanes. You want to use Nether Grasp first against enemies with mobility skills before casting Nether Blast.

In team fights, cast Nether Blast first, Eternal Guard, then use Deathly Grasp on escaping enemy heroes. The knockdown of Eternal Guard lasts for 0.8 seconds, and enemies still have a chance to Flicker away. Hence, it’s recommended that you rely on your roamer to initiate during team fights, such as Atlas, Franco, or Tigreal.

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Mobile Legends Vexana guide: Best build, skills, emblem, combos