Auriel Build Guide : Auriel - Maximum Damage, Maximum Healing, Maximum Versatility. (Patch 2.30) :: Heroes of the Storm (HotS) Strategy Builds

Created 10.08.2016. After hero release.

Updated 20.08.2016 (patch 19.5) - Some changes to were made in the patch. Builds, talent descriptions and more was updated as necessary.

Updated 25.09.2016 (patch 20)- Deep revision of builds and talents. After the hero has settled into its place in the meta, and after the changes to the core of the game, done by the last patches, some talents and strategies had to be evaluated again.

Updated 09.08.2016 (patch 2.27) - Cosmetic changes. Talents section revision and rework.

Updated 05.03.2018 (patch 2.30) - Minor changes and updates.

Finally the day has come.

A new support has entered the Nexus, and she is everything we had hoped for. I can say that is my favorite support already, followed by . The strangest thing for me is, that most of the time doesn't feel like a support, but rather like a range assassin, who can also keep the entire team alive. She can dash out lots of damage, has pretty high health pool, lacks any sort of mana problems, since she has no mana pool, and she can heal the entire team. To top that off you get the chance to negate damage by blinding enemies, making plays to set kills with your stun, as well as cancel all sorts of channeled abilities.

She is truly amazing. :)

In the future I will add more information, about play-stile, individual builds, maps and more. So feel free to check my later updates.

Keep in mind that you should pick your build based on the teams and the development of the match. Take builds as guidelines, to help you learn what works best for you.

In my assessment has only 1 viable heroic - , 2 viable talent at level 7 - and , and one dominating talent at level 20 - ( is viable on bigger maps). Her level 16 talents are absolutely situational, and depend on the individual matches. In the general case the best performing level 16 talent is , followed by .
That means the core to the builds are only the level 1, 4 and 13 talents.

The challenge of building is to balance between dealing damage yourself, (so you fill your healing energy faster), and negating enemy damage through stuns and blinds.
The challenge of playing , is to balance between generating energy yourself, getting it through your allies, negating damage by blinding people, canceling enemy channeled abilities ( , ...), stunning heroes for your team to kill, managing to keep everyone alive..... It's a lot I know ;D.

Tight maps. Max damage and CC.

This is a bit different from the standard way people play . It is for maps such as , and . ( and are kind of middle ground. As long as you play this build well, you will do very well there too. Since those maps have lots of tight spots, where you can stun people, we take and to get the best out of . This gives you lots of Crowd Control and huge damage output, (therefore huge healing energy generation). Since we are not upgrading at level 4 or 13, all level 1 talents for will perform much worse. The talent we can get most out of is . On tight maps heroes naturally clump together more. We use that! The point is not to cast as offensive ability. At least most of the time ;). Rather you use the natural clumping of heroes, to get the most out of your Area of Effect healing spell. The key is to hit as many of our teammates as we can, while they are engaging as many enemies as possible. We not only heal our team, but damage any enemies near them. My playstyle relies on powerful clutch-heals, with lots of energy, rather than small frequent heals. The best talents to round that build off, are at 16 and at 20, to further exploit the tight spaces. This build is much harder to play, than other builds centered around talents. But it also gives much better results. I personally prefer it over any other, as it allows to be aggressive play-maker hero, and lets you get great results. Sometimes even carry your team, as long as you have the skill needed to execute it.

Tight maps. Burst damage and CC.

This is kind of a compromise build. It gives you the play-style you would use on big maps, but still lets you use the tight spots in certain maps. It is mainly for people that don't like, or can't use well the and play-style. As this playstyle is much easier to do, it might be good for most people that are just starting to play .

Wide maps. Burst. Wave-clear. Mobility.

This is standard play-style build. Usually best for maps with lots of space, where you can get most out of your . Or maybe I should say, where you can't do much with , or even , as heroes tend to spit way too much. And generally, there is too much space for to be effective. Wide maps, especially the ones that make your team split more, are generally not good for . They are not bad. They are just not good ether. So this is a build where you try to get the best out of the hero in a bad situation. The maps that I recommend you switch to based builds are , , and . In fact I would not play her on the last 2 maps in draft game modes, unless it is to counter pick against some hero.

You go for fast high-damage hits with and follow up with high burst of healing. Works better in games where the fights tend to be fast, due to burst/dive compositions.

Wide maps. Prolonged fights and blind.

This build and play-style are the same as the previous one. The sole difference is, you rely on in combination with and to debilitate enemy auto-attack heroes. This build is only useful in long fights, where the reduced cool-down will give you more DPS, and most importantly - will let you negate damage, by blinding key auto attackers. This is very strong against melee assassins. Or if you are in double tank/support composition. However you must be able to hit 2 enemy heroes with consistently, or the build will not be effective.

Here is a breakdown of all the talents as well as some notes on them. I have rated them as:
[bad] - No useful benefit and no synergy with other talents.
[average] - Useful only in builds dedicated to 1 function / boosting 1 ability.
[good] - Nice talent with good synergy with other talents. Useful in multiple situations.

Level 1

[*] -[bad]- By taking this talent, you can land your on any hero, all the time. But gets really easy to land properly after just a bit of practice, so is unnecessary. Also it will not give you any bonus to the ability. Judging this talent on its own, it is not bad, however it is really poor choice in comparison with any other talent in this tier. This is a learning talent, so you can master the hero. As players become better with , this talent will become useless. In my opinion for to be viable, Blizzard need to add some extra functionality, such as damage increase to non-heroic targets.

To illustrate my statement - at the moment Swift Sweep is the highest win-rate talent in the tier overall, but when you use only hero league statistics in gold league and above, it is behind Searing Light with about 1%. If you use platinum and diamond league only it is behind with 2.3% (Win rates at the moment are 55.2 for Swift Sweep and 57.5 for Searing Light ).

[*] -[good]- The best thing about is the cool animation after you complete the quest. :D I am sorry I just love how it looks ;) Completing this quest is easy and usually you will get it done around level 10. The upside to is the power of your hit. It gives some burst damage, both in hero fights and when clearing a wave. That in turn gives you a bigger burst of energy, for fast follow up heals.

[*] -[average]- This is the best sustain damage boost for . If you hit 2 heroes you will decrease the cool-down in half, effectively doubling the damage output in longer fights. So against heroes is better than . However will not give you any boost against non-heroic units, (including objective related ones). Also to get the benefits you will have to be near the front-lane for prolonged time. Lastly you need to hit 2 heroes consistently. So unless you are really good with landing , it is better to play with .

When deciding between Increasing Clarity and Righteous Assault, take under account the length of the battles. If both teams have sustain compositions, like double warrior or double support, you can get more out of Righteous Assault. However if you are facing burst or dive compositions, and your team-fights end fast Increasing Clarity is the better option. Also sometimes Increasing Clarity can be taken, to help with the map objective, or with wave-clear, in case your team struggles in those areas. Keep in mind that both Increasing Clarity and Righteous Assault will need you, to further invest in Sacred Sweep talents at level 4 and level 13, to get full value.

[*] -[good]- This is very tricky talent. However if you play with it right, will give you the biggest damage boost, you can get as . In a way it is like 's and 's . It seams counter productive to the basic hero kit and play-style, but when executed properly you win the team-fights with 1 single move. However it also takes a lot of micro management, and the ability to cast at the exactly right moment. Keep in mind that you do not want to use as an offensive ability, and waste your heals. Rather you want to cast it on as many of your teammates as possible, when they are clumped together with as many enemies as possible. Remember that the damage part is only a bonus! If you want to play with , you will have to cast less often. But that way it will be more powerful. Just make sure to pick the right moments! Usually you will be healing your front-lane heroes, that are being attacked by the enemy front-lane. Or your dive heroes charging the enemy back-line. Or your own back-line being dived be the enemy. Ether way you will hit both friends and foes. 1000 heal to your heroes and 300 damage to the enemies attacking them, will turn the fight around in a flash. And remember that when you deal damage you get energy. For example if you hit 2 friendly heroes and 2 enemies with 1000 energy , you will heal a total of 2000 health and deal 600 damage. That in turn will generate 240 energy for you. So if used correctly gives you the biggest damage boost you can get, AND lets you keep, on average, 24% of your energy when you cast . Also works really well with , if you cast on your teammate, as he exits stasis.

Level 4

[*] -[good]- If you invested in any talent boosting at level 1, than is almost a must. It will nearly double the power of the first talent. 20% radius seams small, but already has some pretty impressive range, and with you can reach so far its crazy. The high-damage area of is relatively small cone. If you know geometry, you will realize that 20% radius is in fact about 40% bigger middle area, and most of it is at the end furthest from you. So hitting heroes with it now is easy.

[*] -[average]- In most cases you will stun with in 2 situations. In the first you push an enemy into a wall, away from your team. The idea is to take 1 hero out of the fight, giving your team a numbers advantage, In that case you attack the rest of the enemies or retreat from combat. Slowing the hero your team is not focusing is not helpful. The second situation is when you manage to isolate 1 enemy hero, and you stun it so your team can get an easy kill. In this situation the enemy can't escape, so again the slow is not important. If you are on a map where you can get lots of stuns with , invest in . It outperforms greatly.

[*] -[good]- - This is a pure damage talent. I would recommend it only on maps with lots of tight spaces, such as , or . On those maps you can stun with your , with relative ease. You can complete the quest around level 13 easily, and 200 extra damage is hard to argue against. Even late game hitting someone for over 500 damage, and stunning them, is very powerful. And remember when you do damage, you get energy, so you can heal. 200 extra damage is 80 extra energy. Emphasize is on EXTRA.

Level 7

[*] -[average]- You heal for as much energy as you have. is on 4 seconds cool-down. With , this is reduced to 2 seconds. If your team deals so much damage, that you fill all your energy in 2 seconds, than they don't really need healing. You have already won the fight! If you play for as much sustain healing as you can get, and you use your as soon as you can, than you probably are not healing more than 1 or 2 heroes with it. This has viable in some situations, but usually its best to keep for healing multiple heroes. Lastly 4 seconds is so little, that there is just no point to take a talent to decreases it, when there are other viable talents. All that said, if you pair this with a hero like or , who can feed you energy fast enough to cast full energy heals oncooldown, this becomes teh best talent in the tier.

[*] -[bad]- "A talent that helps me only 1 time after I take a globe??? Ahm......wtf?! This is too situational to be of any use. I can get the benefit only one time per fight, and you want me to go around the map hording globes?! Hm...... Nope! PASS! THINK OF SOMETHING THAT IS NOT COMPLETELY USELESS!!!" - Believed to be said by Auriel, right before sending the whole Blizzard creative team, to keep Diablo company in hell! ;)

[*] -[average]- Definitely a strong talent. It is very simple your team's tank gets damaged, you get energy. 2 downsides exist however. The first is, that you have to be really good with your placement. Constantly change between teammates. It is a skill you have to learn, one way or the other, so not a big deal. The second downside however is troubling. If your teammate takes lots of damage, but you only generate energy to heal 20% of that damage, than you get a dead team member on your hands. has problems, when only one hero is being focused. Still this is the best option in the tier, and you have some other methods of saving people so you are fine.

[*] -[good]- This is some reliable energy generation. You can fill your energy reasonably well. If you are in a game where you think, the fights will be rare, take this to stack some healing before engagements. If the enemy team has a low damage composition, so they can't blow someone up, and you can play riskier is again a strong talent. If we add the fact that now you don't have to juggle your , changing the target every 5 seconds, then we have a wiener. In the last patch got boost to her AAs, as well as this talent. And got nerfed, so is now the best talent in the tier. But in the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king.

Level 10

[*] -[bad]- "Cool-looking. Flashy. Makes you feel immensely powerful........ And completely useless, in any practical situation!" - Whispered by Auriel, when staring at the spirits of all her teammates, surrounded by enemy heroes.

is a win-more ability, and its far better to take a heroic, which will save a team member in the first place. That is why will never be better than . We were all pumped about Resurect, and dreaming about the great plays and could do together. But the reality is, that Blizzard put so many holes in this ability, that if it were a ship, it would sink like a rock, as soon as it hit water. The ability has been changed 3 times already, but the main issues with it remain. You lose a hero in the first place. And the resurect takes too much time, so someone else dies, or teh fight is disengaged, and the resurecting hero is isolated and in a bad position. Most of the time the target just resurects, only to be killed again. The only way to use this is after the fight is over and you won.

[*] -[good]- Long stasis effect, that will keep your teammate alive is critical situation. I love the way this ability works. If someone is near dead, pop . If the enemy team runs away, so they don't get blasted by your heroic, than you just saved a teammate. If they stay and try to finish the job, than the blast damage will fill your energy bar, so you can immediately heal the hero leaving stasis with . If you took at level 1 you will damage the enemy heroes even further, forcing them to retreat.

Level 13

[*] -[good]- The enemy has - ! They have - ! ? ? ? ? ? ? - ! ;D The amount of damage you can negate is huge. If the enemy has any hero with strong auto attacks, that you can consistently hit with , than just go for this.

[*] -[good]- I recommend taking only in case you already have talents that improve at level 1 and 4, and you have no target you must blind with . Like for example. Even then consider if there is any enemy hero, that you can't shake off of your team. 1 strong side to this talent is that it can cancel channeled abilities such as , but you already have that ability with . can be fun to play and strong if you can position, so you drag a running enemy hero toward your team. At the end of the day this is a good talent, however in most cases you need the extra utility provided by other talents in this tier.

[*] -[bad]-
"Don't worry! This will get buffed."
"I sure need more range and width on my Detainment Strike. As is I can barely hit I hero."
- conversation between Auriel and Chromie.

[*] -[good]- If you have , than you should take . The utility is great. You get way easier stuns and you can push enemies away from you, or your team. The only reason not to take at level 13, is if you need the blind effect of .

Level 16

All of the level 16 talents are highly situational. And highly effective.

[*] -[good]- - More damage for your team - more healing energy for you. If you have any strong auto attacker, this will help greatly. I personally had lots of success with and . But many others work well too.

[*] -[average]- - Same as , but for mages. This is worse talent, because mages will get less damage boost than auto-attack heroes. Mages generate more energy in the general case. This is due to the Area Of Effect damage they do. But the ability damage boost is just not enough to match the boost from that AA heroes get. If you can choose between a mage and AA hero, always go with the AA hero.

[*] -[good]- The potential of this talent is great. But you need time to get the benefits. Also you need to take a lot of conditions into account. First you have to have good energy generation. Second you need to be able to pace yourself, when using . At this point of the game, you will know how the fights are going, and whether or not you can afford . If you constantly need to use small heals in battles, or if you struggle to fill your energy bar fast enough, than you are better off, with one of the other talents in the tier. In case you usually do big clutch-heals, in key moments, than is exactly what you need. It has to be noted, that at level 1 benefits greatly from all the tier 16 talents, however the synergy with is best. As with , do not alter the way you use just to get stacks. This is also ability bonus talent! has no limit, so the longer the game goes, the better for you. I personally manage to get 10 - 15 stacks until level 20.

Level 20

[*] -[good]- - Great boost to the effect of . However you still have to overcome the fact, you took .

[*] -[average]- In some cases the 50% damage reduction is the difference, between saving the stasis target and failing. It is definitely nice, but the cool-down of is not that small - 60 seconds. In most cases will have the same result, if cast after .

[*] -[good]- This is an interesting form of . It works really nicely as a follow up to . Also you can use it at any moment you need to shield your entire team. It is usable once every 45 seconds. The downside of the ability is, that you can't pre-shield your team, but the amount of healing is generally larger than , and the heroes that need help the most, will also benefit the most.

[*] -[average]- This is great talent, and lots of fun to use. But other than this one time, I used it to finish off the enemy core with 2% left, I didn't see a lot of benefit from . It is nearly impossible to use as escape, or reposition on the field, because of the 3 seconds of channeling it needs to activate. You can use it to move around the map fast or return to the field, after you portal to base. Kind of like 's . Unfortunately has no ability like to basically push the enemy team under a keep or something, but one can dream. :) Unless you are the master of and never miss with it. I can see this as the best talent in the tier, if the preparation time was reduced to 1 second, but the cool-down was increased to compensate. As it is now however, I recommend as the better option.

Thanks for reading. Please rate and comment. If you liked this guide, please feel free to check my other guides.

Auriel - Maximum Damage, Maximum Healing, Maximum Versatility. (Patch 2.30) by Santy

Auriel - Maximum Damage, Maximum Healing, Maximum Versatility. (Patch 2.30)

Auriel

Build: Tight maps. Max damage and CC.

Auriel

Build: Tight maps. Burst damage and CC.

Auriel

Build: Wide maps. Burst. Wave-clear. Mobility.

Auriel

Build: Wide maps. Prolonged fights and blind.

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