Whitemane Build Guide : Desperation is a Stinky Cologne :: Heroes of the Storm (HotS) Strategy Builds

Whitemane

Build: Desperate Please

Level 1

Level 4

Level 7

Level 10

Level 13

Level 16

Level 20

Whiteman in a Nutshell Top

Whitemane
...is a healer whose kit is built around dealing damage to Enemy Heroes in order to restore health to her team, and she will deal more Hero damage than other healers on average. She can excellently heal an entire team while dealing damage in a team fight, or burst heal an Ally through several seconds of focus fire from the Enemy Team. This comes at a trade off of having no self peel until Level 20, and no Crowd Control (CC) at all until Level 16, as well as increased vulnerability with her Active Trait (D) reducing her Armor.

Because of these mechanics, Whitemane flourishes in a group that provides her lots of CC and team fights often. She is also helpful to compositions that want to bring a little more damage to the line up, or one that splits up often, as she will act as a pseudo damage dealer for her mini group.

Avoid bringing Whitemane into a group that cannot protect her or where she fears multiple melee enemies diving her. Whitemane has only a single emergency talent to save herself or buff her defenses should she face a chain CC burst combo.

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Pro's:

Good Damage (for a healer, lmao)
Strong Single Target Burst Healing
Steady Group Healing
Flexible build paths

Con's:

Little to No CC
Little to No Damage Reduction
Only 1 Emergency Button

Bring If:

You love Whitemane.
Your team provides CC.
Your team needs steady damage from their healer.
You enjoy playing a healer with a dynamic skill rotation.

Avoid If:

The Enemy team is Melee Dive heavy.
Your team has no peel.

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How To Play: Top

Desperate Plea (Q):
Heal target ally. No cooldown (CD). Mana cost stacks up to 3 times, falls off after 4 seconds.
'Use this constantly to apply your Passive Trait Zeal to your Allies, making sure to let the stacks fall off as much as possible. If needed, Q can be spammed to keep a rapidly dying Ally alive. The bar that appears on your screen after using this skill is the time remaining indicator for the 4 seconds of the mana cost stack.'
Inquisition (W):
Single target channeled damage and slow. Removes stacks of Q per tick. Shares CD w/Clemency.
'The slow this skill provides helps secure kills, especially when paired with the root from the talent Harsh Discipline.'
Searing Lash (E):
Ground Targeted AoE Damage. Fires a second attack if the first hits a Hero.
'Bread and butter damage skill.'
Clemency (1):
Single target channeled heal. Removes Stacks of Q per tick. Shares CD w/Inquisition.
'Yes, even with an Active Trait she also starts with a skill in the 1 slot, and it is a powerful channeled HoT that is tied to the CD of her W.'
Passive Trait:
Targets of Q are marked. Marked Allies heal for 100% of the damage Whitemane inflicts.
'Buffs your Q targets to heal for the damage you deal.'
Active Trait (D):
Increase Spell Power, reduce Armor.
'Glass Cannon Mode.'
Scarlet Aegis (R1):
AoE Heal and Armor buff.
'Spirit Dragon, I call on you to save us!'
Divine Reckoning (R2):
Ground Targeted AoE DoT, damage restores Whitemane's mana.
'More Deeps.'

General Tips:

1. Always Open w/Q
'Its better to have Zeal up on a front line target and not feel bad about dealing damage then to start an attack and have to cancel to apply Q to a target that comes under fire.'
2. Keep E on CD
'Getting off good E's helps keep your team healthy.'
3. 1 is Better than W
'Generally, its better to remove stacks of Q w/heal channel then damage channel. Mostly for the reason stated by opening with Q: you're there to heal. Secure kills with W only when its safe.'
4. Always Be Auto-Attacking
'This is super important. 1. All your damage heals your marked Allies, even from AA's. So make sure to weave AA's into every step of your rotation if possible. 2. Most of the damage talents are AA related, so if you went damage and are not AA'ing then you are losing out on your talent's output.'
5. How To Use D
'Use it here: D > Q > Q > Q > R1 > 1, or here: D > R2 > E > W. Don't use it if you are targeted by an Enemy, unless you have the Radiance talent.'

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Talents Up Close Top

Whitemane is actually very flexible in terms of Talent choices, depending on how much damage, healing, and/or survival you need. She has a single target Unstoppable at Level 7, a teamwide one w/her R1 Storm Talent, and survival choices on almost every tier. Beginners will want to stick to healer talents.

Whitemane generally has 2 build paths:

Lv1:

Lv4:

Lv7:

Lv10:

Lv13:

Lv16:

Lv20:

HEALER:

'This build is defensive healer playstyle: R1, Q/1 over E/W.'

DAMAGE:

'This build is for focus on damage: R2, D on CD, E/W over Q/1. You can sub in Harsh Discipline at Level 16 or Judgement Day at 20 if you need the CC to secure kills.'

SURVIVAL:

'This third build is for pure utility and defense, when your survival is a simple matter of win/lose. If your doing ok by Level 10, get R2 for Level 20 Judgement Day setups.'

TALENTS BY LEVEL:

LEVEL 1:
- 1. Pity the Frail: (heal)
  E hits on Heroes lower W/1 CD. Zeal heals low health Allies more.
- 2. Righteous Flame: (damage)
  E does more damage, hitting w/second half grants Attack Speed.
- 3. Inquisitors Prayer: (survival/mana)
  E hits on Heroes stack Health and Mana permanently.
LEVEL 4:
- 1. Unwavering Faith: (damage)
  AA range increase. AA damage bonus on hit per Zeal.
- 2. Martyrdom: (heal)
  Q healing % increase. Additional Q healing per Zeal.
- 3. Indulgence: (survival)
  Move Speed % increase. Additional Move Speed per Zeal.
LEVEL 7:
- 1. Zealous Spirit: (survival)
  Auto Zeal self at 2 stacks of Q.
  'Very little reason to get this, Zeal's are provided basically for free to Allies you want to heal by your kit. However, there is a small case to be made that this will help in AoE situations, as well as helping buff your Level 4 talent's.'
- 2. Saintly Greatstaff: (damage)
  E marks enemies. AA deals bonus spell damage, consuming the mark.
- 3. Intercession (2): (utility)
  Target Ally gains Unstoppable. Stacks Q once per use.
LEVEL 10:
- 1. Scarlet Aegis (R1): (heal/survival)
  AoE heal and Armor buff.
  'R1 is for when they are running your team over, this will make your team a little harder to run over.'
- 2. Divine Reckoning (R2): (damage/mana)
  Ground Targeted AoE DoT, damage restores Whitemane's mana.
  'R2 is for when your team needs your help securing kills and you need help with Mana.'
LEVEL 13:
- 1. Subjugation: (heal/survival)
  W reduces targets damage.
  'Guards against burst from a single Enemy.'
- 2. Lashing Out: (best/damage)
  Resets E CD if second half hits enemy Hero.
  'I feel like this talent is mandatory but go w/what works for you.'
- 3. Scarlet Wrath: (heal/damage)
  AAs extend Zeal's and lower D CD.
LEVEL 16:
- 1. Radiance: (heal/survival)
  Reaching 3rd stack of Q heals all Allies w/Zeal. At 3 stacks of Q, D increases Armor.
  'Also good for people diving you, or when you know you need team healing. There are levels of skill involved w/this talent and managing stacks.'
- 2. Shared Punishment: (damage)
  W chains to a second target, both lose 10 Armor.
- 3. Harsh Discipline: (utility)
  E roots targets of W.
  'This can be used to offensively root an enemy target mid team fight. Warning: Not reliable.'
LEVEL 20:
- 1. (R1) Scarlet Crusade: (heal/utility)
  R1 heals more and grants Unstoppable.
  'Dispel AoE CC instantly.'
- 2. (R2) Judgement Day: (survival/utility)
  R2 deals more damage and pulls enemies to center once each.
  'Can use to pull attackers off you, or more CC for a Wombo.'
- 3. Guiding Light (3): (utility)
  Permanently Zeal a single Ally, recastable.
  'See: Level 7 Zealous Spirit.'
- 4. Purge the Wicked (4): (damage)
  Single target DoT, reduces armor.