Depending on what ultimate he gets your pretty much safe. Be sure to not land your Drain Hope before he's used bubble.
1
Abathur
Smack his ugly ass down into the ground if you find him!
2
Nova
If you catch her she's dead. Throw down your Skeletal Swing and follow up with Drain Hope. Even if she catches you off guard you'll be pretty safe against her.
2
Gazlowe
Pretty annoying to lane against, but if you catch him without his turrets around he's no match for the king.
2
Azmodan
He's got no escape, and you can destroy his minions with Skeletal Swing.
2
Li Li
She can be annoying to chase down because of her light healing and trait ability, so unless she's trying to 1v1 you, there's no point in chasing. (Because she'll most likely just scurry away)
2
Malfurion
Watch out for his root ability, keep chasing with swings and you'll get him.
2
The Lost Vikings
When their grouped they can be a bit annoying, but your AOE will nuke them down. Use Drain Hope on the big fattie!
3
Muradin
Laning against him can be a pain if he does his stun and jump, but keep pushing and he's no problem.
3
Uther
He's not a threat damage wise, but his stuns can put you in a precarious situation. Also, it'll take you a long time to drain his health pool while he's healing.
4
Tyrande
Decent damage, stun and healing. Aslong as she doesn't kite you and dodges your Drain Hope and Skeletal Swings, you stand a chance. Entomb her if you can.
4
Zagara
Her minions can be annoying at range, but if you manage to close the gap and slow her down, you'll cleave down her minions with Skeletal Swing.
4
Kharazim
He doesn't have any way of slowing you down, and you can pretty much heal up the damage he deals. If not, he won't be able to chase after he's used Radiant Dash two times.
5
Arthas
At early lvl's it's pretty even and you'll have little trouble fighting him off with your Drain Hope and Skeletal Swing.
5
Tyrael
Has a lot of shielding, and descent damage. Keep at him with Drain Hope and keep landing those Skeletal Swings and you might be able to 1v1 him.
5
Diablo
He'll throw you around like a doll, but don't let that intimidate you. When he's down throwing, pop your Drain Hope and smack his face over with your mace!
5
Sylvanas
Damage-wise she won't be much of threat, but she can use her wraith ability to juke you. Land a Skeletal Swing and follow up with Drain Hope.
5
Nazeebo
Your Wraith Walk can teleport you out of his wall, so try to use this to your advantage.
5
E.T.C.
He's got decent self-healing and damage, so tread carefully against him. His stun & knockback combo can knock you straight into a enemy team.
6
Leoric
Depending on what type of build the enemy Leoric has, you have to be careful.
6
Tassadar
Decent damage, and he can escape pretty easily.
6
Zeratul
He can be hard to engage on because of his slow and blink, but if he challenges to a 1v1 you'll most likely win with Drain Hope and a couple of swings. If you're loosing just Wraith Walk outta there.
7
Jaina
She doesn't have much HP but her ability to kite is incredible. If you can't get within range, use your Wraith Walk and smack her in the face with your mace!
7
Johanna
She can shield much of your damage, and her pull-in ability cancels out your Drain Hope. She can also blind you which can leave you very useless.
7
Kael'thas
Try to dodge his abilites and land those Skeletal Swings. If he casts Pyroblast, pop your Wraith Walk and fly away. At lvl 16 he'll become even more powerful, and late-game he can do some serious damage.
7
Falstad
He can use his dash to get out of range of your Drain Hope so be careful when you cast it and don't miss any of your Skeletal Swings.
7
Anub'arak
He'll shield himself and spawn in 3-4 minions. With your Q you can take them out, but be aware he'll burrow away if he get's low. Follow him with Wraith Walk.
7
Raynor
His Q ability will knock you back and you'll be out of range with both Skeletal Swing and Drain Hope. Try and entomb him for an easier kill.
7
Sgt. Hammer
She'll attack you before you get in range, she'll push you away, and when you're finally in range with little to no HP, she'll boost away.
7
Chen
Chen can be quite annoying. He has CC, decent damage and a big shield. Don't use your Skeletal Swing when he's drinking!
7
Sonya
She has very good mobility, good self-healing and she can deal a lot of damage. Thread with care!
8
No Threat
9
Valla
Your slow and clunky, she's got speed. She'll run or vault out of your Drain Hope, and same goes for Skeletal Swing. Do not solo-lane against her.
9
Kerrigan
She's got tons of shielding, and depending on what lvl 1 talent she got, she can heal herself aswell. When fighting her, move around her so it's harder for her to land her pull-in ability and stun.
9
Thrall
Healing, good burst, speed and ultimates which will crumble you to pieces.
10
Illidan
Illidan is horrible to fight against. His abilities allows him to dodge every single one of your abilites and even if you entomb him, he'll be able to escape.
10
The Butcher
The Butcher has an incredible amount of self-heal and damage. You won't win a 1v1 against this guy.
Leoric is an extremely powerful tank with a high focus on hero damage and self-healing. His uniqueness comes from the fact that he can't die! With his trait Undying, he becomes a very sustainable hero that can stay on the battlefield for all eternity.
- Long cooldowns
- Decently high learning curve
- Requires skill-shotting with abilities
- March of the Black King can easily be dodged, and needs to be perfectly timed.
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In-game I'm called MuchConfuse and I've played Heroes of The Storm since the beta. Before that I used to play a lot of League of Legends. I'll be posting HoTS videos on my channel atleast every Monday. Check it out here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPRkvrkngPZpZQ97WQqkS2A
Leoric's abilities are mainly focused on dealing damage to heroes and mobility. With that said, there is only 2 of his abilites that deals damage to non-heroic sources. His Q and R (if you picked March).
Keeping that in mind, he is classified as a "Hard" hero to play. This I suppose is because you have to time some of his abilites and two of'em are "skill-shots".
Skeletal Swing is your bread and butter ability. This is what you'll use to clear minion waves, defeat merc camps, and slow the enemy. It's got a wide arc which can hit a whole minion wave, gate and two towers, and also fort with tower.
This ability only works on heroes. This will keep you alive for longer in teamfights, and it's essential that you land this whenever you engage in fights. If you miss you will have a 12 sec CD and no self-healing, which will make you more susceptible to death.
Wraith Walk is your mobility. When used, you will seperate from your body and turn into a wraith. Use this to escape from certain death or chase down an enemy. This ability does NOT cancel out ults like Nova's Triple Tap and Kael'thas's Pyroblast. Confirmed Aug 22/2015.
March of the Black King is your damage ultimate. This is great for splitting up the enemy team or just intimidating them. It doesn't deal that much damage on it's own, but it's enough to make the enemy move away.
You want to choose this if your team has some stuns, or cc's already. If your team has no CC at all, you might want to take Entomb instead.
Entomb is an incredibly cool ability. This can actually be viable in some cases, and it works amazing with combos like Devouring Maw, Ring of Frost and Furnace Blast. It can even be used to zone away enemies on maps like Dragon Shire where you can block one of the entrances to the shrine by putting down the prison sideways! You should definitly experiment a bit with it, and you'll get great pleasure by locking up pesky heroes that has no way of escape!
Undead Abilities
- When dead, your ability's change.
Ghastly Swing This ability is the same as before, only that it doesn't deal any damage. It's great for slowing down the enemy team, and should be spammed if you're killed in a teamfight. Since we're picking up Consume Vitality in this build, we want to spam this ability on as many enemies as possible when dead. This will help us ressurect even faster. It doesn't matter what you hit with it to heal, aslong as their enemies you'll regain HP. So if the enemy team is running away, you want to get to a lane and spam it on minion waves.
Drain Essence Use this the second you die and latch it onto the closest hero. Go over and slow him, and keep on him. If your whole team is dead, you might want to "camp" a enemy hero, so you can regain health even faster. This works best on tanks with high HP as it's healed for a percentage of their HP. Be sure to get out of harms way before you ressurect!
Undying is what makes this hero unique. He'll never die! Your focus when dead is just to harass the enemy team and slow them down. Keep an eye on your timer so you don't ressurect in the middle of the enemy team!
It's important to remember, that even though you don't die completely, the enemy team will still be rewarded 100 percent XP for killing you, so try not to die!
Note: When you're flying around as a ghost, and the enemy team suddenly decides to go all ghost busters on your ***, you can just hearthstone back to base.
***************** As of the Kharazim patch, 18 August 2015, they have nerfed Leoric's ability to heal up while Undying. At the same time, they've given a little buff to Drain Essence and Willing Wessel. I think they are encouraging the use of Drain Essence and the time Leoric spends dead hasen't really been changed overall.
*****************
BLUE color means this talent is viable, and can be used depending on the situation. GREEN color means this talent is what's recommended for this build. RED color means this talent is NOT recommended for this build, and should be picked at own risk.
Block is great when the enemy has a Raynor, Valla or Nova. If the enemy team is lacking in auto-attack Heroes, you can get Reanimation or Hopelessness. Reanimation is pretty good aswell. If you manage to farm up a lot of globes, it'll really pay of into mid/late-game. When Undying you can pick up globes aswell, so pick them up to gain massive amounts of HP! With Mana Thirst you'll most likely never run out of mana, but the 50 mana cap makes it a bit wasted. Especially considering the other talents.
*** As of Kharazim patch, 18 August 2015, Reanimation has been nerfed. Health regeneration was brought down from 1.5 to 0.75. You won't be ressurecting as fast now, especially late game, so don't take your endless globefarming for granted ***
When escaping with Wraith Walk your body can sometimes take a lot of damage, so if their focusing you really hard you might wanna pick Hardened Bones. EDIT: After watching the WCA, where the likes of Tempo Storm and Cloud9 picked Leoric, I've decided to change the talent to Hardened Bones. The 25% really seems to make a difference in higher competetive plays, and when you are being focused by 5 heroes, this talent is essential. Fealty Unto Death is a great talent, especially when you've just started playing Leoric and you're struggeling to land those Drain Hope's. It'll be more reliable and it's easier to focus on staying alive. On maps like Cursed Hollow and Battlefield Of Eternity you should pick Willing Vessel instead, as it'll benefit you with more healing and most teamfights will be out of lane.
Ossein Renewal is picked on lvl 7 because we want a tanky Leoric. This is also very useful for healing up our HP pool when we're walking around like a ghost in "death". It's also a great beginners pick, as it gives more survivability. As of the Kharazim Patch 18 August 2015, this talent has been nerfed. Healing while Undying has been reduced from 20% to 10%. I still consider the talent very powerful as you shouldn't be dying if you use this properly, and this nerf only lengthens the time you stay dead. Paralyzing Rage gives your Skeletal Swing an incredible slow, and can sometimes help in securing kills. It's a good counter for Heroes like Valla and Lili, which has a lot of movement speed. Lingering Apparition can be considered if you're pushing down lanes a lot, and want to be able to get even further back to safety. Be aware though, that the enemy team will have more time to nuke down your body when you do this. Ghastly Reach is a talent that I feel is a bit wasted considering the arc already is quite big, and the other available talents. BUT, there are uses for it. It's very effective against Heroes like Sgt. Hammer and Valla which can make big gaps between you and them. On maps like Sky Temple you can also hit all guardians with it.
If your team is lacking in dps you should go for March of the Black King, but only if the enemy team isn't riddled with high mobility Heroes like Tychus, Valla, Tyrael and so forth. You wanna be able to nail down all of your 3 hits, so timing is critical. If you have a Uther which can stun the whole team with Divine Storm you're good to go. Entomb is great for when you have a Valla, Falstad, Jaina, Kael'thas or The Butcher on your team. Anyone with a lot of burst AOE damage is great for when you trap the whole enemy team. Be aware though, that many heroes can escape the prison. Illidan, Sylvanas, Falstad, Anub'arak, Kerrigan and basically any hero that picked Bolt of the Storm at lvl 20. Also, be careful not to trap one of your teammates inside as they can't escape either, and it sucks for them if their trapped in a small prison with 5 angry enemies! Also, some sneaky skunks like Murky can even squeeze out on the side if you're not blocking it completely!
If you wanna dash out some good AOE damage while your all up in the enemy team, you should go with Burning Rage. If not, you can pick between Crushing Hope or Drain Momentum. If your team has a lot of CC and slows, pick Crushing Hope. If not, and you have to rely on yourself to slow the enemy team, pick Drain Momentum. Spell Shield is great if you're struggeling to stay alive in teamfights when the enemy team has a Jaina or Kael'thas.
Consume Vitality will mostly be your go-to ability at lvl 16. Mainly due to it's healing potential. When Undying kicks in from you "dying", you will be able to heal yourself up even faster. Renewed Swing can be picked incase your team is missing in damage and you have a strong healer like Uther. If you picked Paralyzing Rage at lvl 7, you should also consider Renewed Swing instead, as the slow will make it way more easier for enemies to be picked off. As of the Kharazim Patch 18 August 2015, this talent has been nerfed. While Undying you heal for 1% (used to be 2%) and it now caps at 5%. This change isn't as significant, and I only think their doing this to encourage the use of Drain Essence while Undying.
Also, Skeletal Swing now does NOT do 100% increased damage to structures, which means you might want to pick Renewed Swing if your going to do a lot of heavy pushing.
At lvl 20 you'll either choose between Death March or Spectral Leech. March of the Black King when you land your third hit, they'll most likely be scattered all around either way. If you are the main tank on the team, you should pick Death March if your going to use March of the Black King as an opener. If not, always go with Spectral Leech.
If you're HP is being bursted down quickly this might be a better choice aswell. If your dying too quick in teamfights you might wanna try Hardened Shield. Buried Alive deals 600dmg in total, if they stay inside for the full duration. This can be viable if you have a very strong healer to back you up, but it's not recommended.
So after playing him for quite some time now, I decided to give a quick rundown on how to actually play him.
Depending on who you're up against in lane, you can mostly play aggresivly early game. Sometimes you can even zone out the Hero.
As soon as minions start fighting in the middle of the lane, walk up to the middle (caster) minion, and land your Skeletal Swing on all 7 of the minions. If the enemy hero starts to harass you, throw down Drain Hope and he'll most likely run off. If not, you can walk up and start hitting him. A 1v1 at early lvl's will almost always be in your favor, even against The Butcher.
You're extremly slow and clunky, so trying to score some kills can be very hard if you're solo-laning. Try and call for ganks if they overextend and keep Wraith Walk close in-case someone tries to gank you.
If you're pushing down the lane and the enemy Hero is dealing low/medium damage to you, it's possible to throw down a Skeletal Swing onto the turrets/gate. Be aware tho, that this makes you an easy target for a gank. Do NOT attempt this if someone is SS or your Wraith Walk is on CD. Throw down 1 Skeletal Swing and run back. You can also try to land a Drain Hope onto the enemy Hero behind the gate, and if you hit, you'll regain enough HP that he won't be able to deal significant damage to you.
After you've pushed down the lane and taken care of a minion pack, you can also go over to another lane and try to gank. Stay in a bush close to the lane you wanna gank, mount up, and run it with a Skeletal Swing onto the enemy hero. If you coordinate well enough with your team, it'll be easy to secure a kill.
Towards mid-game, you wanna start grouping up with your team to get the objectives. If you're the only tank, it's important to remember that you ARE going to go in head first. If a teamfight is about to erupt, you take control. The enemy team will try to nuke down your assassins, and you HAVE to protect them.
You are there to distrupt the enemy team, and a great way to do this is to smack a Skeletal Swing onto as many as you can. If you get March of the Black King you wanna throw this down whenever the enemy team is clumped up or CC'd. If their coming through a thight passageway, you wanna just bash in there with your March of the Black King and make them flee! Make sure that your team is right behind you tho, to support you. Being the center of attention can be taxing, and you want your healer to help you out!
If you die in a teamfight, make sure you are just as focused and ready for action as you were before! When Undying kicks in, you have to slow down the enemy team and target the enemy tank with Drain Essence. This will make you cheat death, and disrupt the enemy team.
If it's towards the end of the game, you have to be walking ward. Map control is extremly important in any MOBA, and Hots is no exception! Follow the enemy team, slow them down and keep an eye on them as much as you can. If you're deep in enemy territory and you suddenly realize you are about to ressurect, click B and laugh as they desperatly click you.
These are just some tips and hints on how to play Leoric and it's very important to remember that every match is different. Being able to adapt, play aggresive or defensive, picking your moments, are all part of success and winning. Pick your talents right, help your teammates and DO THE OBJECTIVES and you'll win matches like there were no tommorrow!
Hope you guys enjoyed the guide! If you did, you can leave an upvote, and a comment on what you thought about the guide :)
If you have any questions, leave them in comment section aswell, and I'll answer them as soon as I can!
Cya in the Nexus ;)
For more guides you can check out my YT channel aswell, where I'll be uploading short and simple vids with some of my favorite builds. youtube.com/channel/UCPRkvrkngPZpZQ97WQqkS2A
In this section I'll throw in the changes that come to Leoric with certain patches, so be sure to check this out if you've been away from the game for a time!
Aug 18 - 2015 Kharazim Patch
Undying (Trait)
Many of Leoric’s healing effects during Undying are now half as effective
Reanimation (Talent)
Health regeneration during Undying decreased from 1.5 to 0.75 Health per second
Ossein Renewal (Talent)
Heal amount during Undying reduced from 20% to 10% of Leoric’s maximum Health
Ghastly Swing (Q)
Consume Vitality (Talent)
Healing reduced during Undying from 2% to 1% of Leroic’s maximum Health per target hit, capping at 5%
Drain Essence (W)
Now restores up to 12.5% of Leroic’s maximum Health during Undying, rather than a flat amount (was approximately 10%)
Willing Vessel (Talent)
Now also increases Drain Essence’s healing to 15% during Undying
Skeletal Swing (Q)
No longer deals 100% increased damage to structures
Oct 07 - 2015 Lt. Morales patch
Ossein Renewal (Talent)
Now dismounts Leoric upon activation
No longer causes Leoric to pause briefly when activated while moving
Skeletal Swing (Q)
Damage decreased from 100 (+10 per level) to 85 (+8.5 per level)
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Leoric is an extremely powerful tank with a high focus on hero damage and self-healing. His uniqueness comes from the fact that he can't die! With his trait
Undying, he becomes a very sustainable hero that can stay on the battlefield for all eternity.
Drain Hope and
March of the Black King
Wraith Walk
Triple Tap
Pyroblast
Entomb
Devouring Maw
Ring of Frost
Furnace Blast
Dragon Shire
Cursed Hollow
Battlefield Of Eternity
Sky Temple
Tychus
Divine Storm
Bolt of the Storm
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