Overview

Leoric : Mithril Leoric Consume Vitality Skeletal Swing's cooldown is reduced by 2 seconds. Enemy Heroes hit heal Leoric for 4% of his maximum Health. Paralyzing Rage Increases the Slow of Skeletal Swing by 20%. Drain Momentum Drain Hope no longer Slows Leoric. If Drain Hope lasts its full duration, gain 30% Movement Speed for 4 seconds. Entomb Create an unpassable tomb in front of you for 4 seconds. Hardened Bones Gain 50 Armor while Drain Hope is active. If Drain Hope lasts its full duration, retain the Armor bonus for 2 seconds. Mithril Mace Increase Leoric's Attack Speed by 20%. Repeatable Quest: Nearby enemy Minion deaths grants 0.3% permanent Attack Speed, and Takedowns grant 3% permanent Attack Speed, up to 30%. Spectral Leech Basic Attacks against enemy Heroes deal bonus damage equal to 2.5% of the Hero's maximum Health and heal Leoric for twice that amount.

Talent Breakdown

Level 1

Consume Vitality (Q) (Recommended)

Skeletal Swing's cooldown is reduced by 2 seconds. Enemy Heroes hit heal Leoric for 4% of his maximum Health.

Skeletal Swing's cooldown is reduced by 2 seconds. Enemy Heroes hit heal Leoric for 4% of his maximum Health.

Fealty Unto Death (Situational)

When a nearby Minion dies, you restore 1% of your maximum Health and 5 Mana. Half as effective while Undying.

When a nearby Minion dies, you restore 1% of your maximum Health and 5 Mana. Half as effective while Undying.

Ossein Renewal (Situational)

Cooldown: 120 seconds

Active: Activate to heal Leoric for 30% of his maximum Health over 5 seconds. Regeneration Globes lower the cooldown of this Ability by 20 seconds. 120 secondsActivate to heal Leoric for 30% of his maximum Health over 5 seconds. Regeneration Globes lower the cooldown of this Ability by 20 seconds.

Level 4

Ghastly Reach (Q) (Not Recommended)

Increases the range of Skeletal Swing by 25%.



Increases the range of Skeletal Swing by 25%.

Paralyzing Rage (Q) (Recommended)

Increases the Movement Speed slow of Skeletal Swing to 60%.



Increases the Movement Speed slow of Skeletal Swing to 60%.

Kneel, Peasants! (Q) (Situational)

Skeletal Swing deals 100% more damage to Minions, Mercenaries, and Monsters.



Skeletal Swing deals 100% more damage to Minions, Mercenaries, and Monsters.

Level 7

Willing Vessel (W) (Situational)

Increase the healing from Drain Hope to 25% of Leoric's maximum Health. If Drain Hope lasts its full duration, Leoric instantly heals for an additional 5% of his maximum Health.

Increase the healing from Drain Hope to 25% of Leoric's maximum Health. If Drain Hope lasts its full duration, Leoric instantly heals for an additional 5% of his maximum Health.

Drain Momentum (W) (Recommended)

Drain Hope no longer Slows Leoric. If Drain Hope lasts its full duration, gain 30% Movement Speed for 4 seconds.

Drain Hope no longer Slows Leoric. If Drain Hope lasts its full duration, gain 30% Movement Speed for 4 seconds.

Hopelessness (W) (Situational)

Increases the range of Drain Hope by 25%.



Increases the range of Drain Hope by 25%.

Level 10

Entomb (R1) (Recommended)

Cooldown: 50 seconds

Create an unpathable tomb in front of you for 4 seconds.

50 secondsCreate an unpathable tomb in front of you for 4 seconds.

March of the Black King (R2) (Situational)

Cooldown: 50 seconds

Become Unstoppable and swing your mace three times, healing yourself for 12% of your maximum Health for each enemy Hero hit and dealing 250 (+4% per level) damage. 50 secondsBecome Unstoppable and swing your mace three times, healing yourself for 12% of your maximum Health for each enemy Hero hit and dealing 250 (+4% per level) damage.

Level 13

Unyielding Despair (W) (Not Recommended)

Drain Hope's cooldown is reduced by 0.5 seconds for every 1 second it is active. If Drain Hope lasts its full duration, its cooldown is reduced by an additional 3 seconds.

Drain Hope's cooldown is reduced by 0.5 seconds for every 1 second it is active. If Drain Hope lasts its full duration, its cooldown is reduced by an additional 3 seconds.

Hardened Bones (W) (Recommended)

Gain 20 Armor while Drain Hope is active. If Drain Hope lasts its full duration, retain the Armor bonus for 3 seconds.

Gain 20 Armor while Drain Hope is active. If Drain Hope lasts its full duration, retain the Armor bonus for 3 seconds.

Ominous Wraith (E) (Situational)

Increase Wraith Walk's duration by 100%. Enemy Heroes that come in contact with the wraith deal 50% less damage for 4 seconds.

Increase Wraith Walk's duration by 100%. Enemy Heroes that come in contact with the wraith deal 50% less damage for 4 seconds.

Level 16

Crushing Hope (W) (Not Recommended)

If Drain Hope lasts its full duration, it instantly deals an additional 15% of the target's maximum Health as damage. This damage does not heal Leoric.

If Drain Hope lasts its full duration, it instantly deals an additional 15% of the target's maximum Health as damage. This damage does not heal Leoric.

Royal Focus (E) (Not Recommended)

Wraith Walk increases the damage of the next Skeletal Swing within 5 seconds by 50%. Each enemy Hero hit by this Skeletal Swing reduces the cooldown of Wraith Walk by 7 seconds. Wraith Walk increases the damage of the next Skeletal Swing within 5 seconds by 50%. Each enemy Hero hit by this Skeletal Swing reduces the cooldown of Wraith Walk by 7 seconds.

Mithril Mace (Recommended)

Increase Leoric's Attack Speed by 20%.

❢ Repeatable Quest: Nearby enemy Minion deaths grant 0.3% permanent Attack Speed, and Takedowns grant 3% permanent Attack Speed, up to 30%. Increase Leoric's Attack Speed by 20%.Nearby enemy Minion deaths grant 0.3% permanent Attack Speed, and Takedowns grant 3% permanent Attack Speed, up to 30%.

Level 20

Buried Alive (R1) (Situational)

The duration of Entomb is lowered by 1 second, but enemies trapped inside are Silenced and take 45 (+4% per level) damage every 1 second.

The duration of Entomb is lowered by 1 second, but enemies trapped inside are Silenced and take 45 (+4% per level) damage every 1 second.

Death March (R2) (Not Recommended)

The final swing of March of the Black King also applies Drain Hope to nearby enemy Heroes.

The final swing of March of the Black King also applies Drain Hope to nearby enemy Heroes.

Spectral Leech (Recommended)

Basic Attacks against enemy Heroes deal bonus damage equal to 2.5% of the Hero's maximum Health and heal Leoric for twice that amount.

Basic Attacks against enemy Heroes deal bonus damage equal to 2.5% of the Hero's maximum Health and heal Leoric for twice that amount.

Burning Despair (W) (Not Recommended)

Deal 40 (+4% per level) damage per second to nearby enemies. The damage and area is increased by 100% while Drain Hope is active.

Deal 40 (+4% per level) damage per second to nearby enemies. The damage and area is increased by 100% while Drain Hope is active.

Shroud of the Dead King (Not Recommended)

Cooldown: 75 seconds

Active: Activate to become Protected for 3 seconds, preventing all damage.

75 secondsActivate to become Protected for 3 seconds, preventing all damage.

How it Plays

Laning Phase (Roughly levels 1-9)

Heroics/Mid-game

A Note on Ominous Wraith

Late game (16 onward)

All Shall Suffer!

Welcome to another installment of "A Detailed Breakdown". Today, the focus is going to be on everyone's favorite (most hated, probably) feed-machine, Leoric, The Skeleton King. Contrary to what hero league would show you, Leoric actually does have abilities that aren't his trait, and we are here to explore that. This build focuses on a very niche build, and one thatbe picked in every situation. It all but requires a support (making it difficult to consistently choose in QM), and is at its best when playing with a party. With regard to counter-play, this build can shine immensely when facing multiple warriors, for a number of reasons which will be discussed throughout the guide. Due to the niche nature of this build, I will also touch on safer alternatives throughout the talent breakdown, as you should never "lock in" this build. Be ready to change your path, and adapt to what your team needs.As usual, we will begin by looking at the baseline build path.Leoric has one of the nicer talent trees, with many viable alternatives, and multiple efficient build paths. Though our focus is on the Mithril Mace build, I will still attempt to touch on the other options, just in case.While this will not provide as much up-front healing as Ossein Renewal, it does provide considerably more sustain than Fealty Unto Death in teamfights, and can give more overall healing than Ossein in longer teamfights, or repeated skirmishes. In addition, the two second CDR on Skeletal Swing synergizes very well with each level four talent, and if you talent into it, the Royal Focus build.This talent is the uncontested champion of lane sustain for Leoric's level one talents. If you are expecting a long laning phase, or if you expect to spend a lot of time pushing back aggressive split-pushers, this can be a highly effective talent. In addition, the extra mana makes it easier to trade in lane, as you are not as bound by your resource pool. It is not, however, the most effective talent in teamfights.Providing more healing over a shorter period of time than Consume Vitality, Ossein Renewal is the pure sustain option. The ability is self-explanatory, and offers no other utility. It can be useful if you need the extra healing, but in most situations, Consume Vitality will provide you almost as much, with the added benefit of a two second CDR.This talent can be useful to catch more slippery targets with your q before they slip out of range or snag another hit or two with the swing to add to your Consume Vitality (level 1 talent) health return, but it is not worth sacrificing the extra slow, nor the considerable wave clearing boon from the other two talents on this tier.This is an excellent talent to enhance the build, as your primary goal is to slap people as many times as possible with your gigantic mace. The added slow assists you in that, keeping them where they need to be for you to smack em' good. In taking this, you do give up a large portion of your waveclear, however. It is not detrimental, but you will absolutely feel the difference.Despite me listing this as situational, this is by far my favorite talent that Leoric has. The bonus to waveclear is immense in itself, which makes this ideal for any situation where you have to split often from your team, or on maps like Braxis Holdout, where there will be many minions to clear. What really makes this my favorite, though, is the way it feels. With this talent, Q becomes an incredibly satisfying button to press, from the sound it makes, to the animation, to the way minions just break under the power of the Skeleton King's might. Exactly as the talent says... Kneel, peasants!If you find yourself really needing the extra sustain, this can be a good pickup at level seven. It adds 5% of your maximum health to the Drain Hope heal, as well as an extra little burst of health at the end, if it was not broken. However, most ranged targets will be able to break this, as well as almost anyone with a dash/blink, etc, which makes it a bit more difficult to get full value from. Still, it can be very useful when there are tanks like Arthas around, who really can't afford to take the time to run back/out of range of the spell.In practice, this gives you 20% movement speed while Drain Hope is active (thanks to the removal of the self-slow), and an additional 30% if it lasts the full duration. This is a considerable movement speed increase, and just like Paralyzing Rage from the previous tier, it can greatly assist in your mission to slap as many people as (in)humanly possible. In a pinch, it can also help you to escape from a dangerous situation, as well.If you are struggling to keep a target in range of your W, this is a perfectly viable talent. It is simple and to the point, doing nothing more/less than making it easier to keep enemies on your leash. As a result, against certain teams it can actually provide more effective healing than Willing Vessel, as you are far more likely to maintain the full duration of your W's. For our purposes, however, it does not help keep you within AA range,Entomb is not only an incredibly effective blocking/trapping tool in general, it is also the ideal candidate for keeping enemies within slapping range. For 4 seconds, you effectively have free reign to apply your Drain Hope, and smack any and every trapped enemy left right and center. By the time you hit level 20, this means 4 or more AA's before the walls even come down (From Spectral Leech alone, this is 10% of each target's maximum health, and 20% of yours).MotBK is basically a health bar reset. Even landing one good swing means getting back as much as 60% of your maximum health. The damage on it is there, but is not anything substantial. You are also forced to go through all three swings, which means that you could be setting yourself up for death if you don't properly position yourself from the start. While the sustain can be useful the long and easy-to-dodge cast time is what really makes this a situational pick, and one that frequently falls behind Entomb.For Leoric's Drain build, this is often the go-to talent on this tier, for obvious reasons. It enables far more applications of the spell, enhancing every other drain talent in the process. For our AA-focused build, however, it provides very little benefit. We do not need constant application of Drain Hope.Given the need for being right in the face of the enemy with this build, Hardened Bones is a very good choice. It provides 20 armor for up to seven seconds at a time, which will help us greatly in staying in the fight long enough to be effective. This does make it far more important that you choose targets that are unlikely to leave the range of your W, however, as picking the wrong one can effectively render this talent useless.While this talent is far more tailored to the more popular "Wraith" Leoric for obvious reasons, it can still prove quite beneficial to the needs of this one. If chosen in this build, Wraith Walk will largely be used as a means of engagement, attempting to pass through as many enemies as possible with the added duration and damage debuff, and finishing the wraith walk next to your chosen target, to beat on them while their damage is withered away. Outside of this, however, its usage is limited as activating it again forces you to stop auto attacking. This is... a rather important aspect of an AA build to be giving up, even for a few seconds. However, in picking this talent, you are leaving your options open for level 16. This can be very helpful, as you can still swap on the fly to the "Wraith" build if you/your team needs it, or stick to the Mithril build if not.Another staple in the "Drain" build, this talent provides a solid chunk of burst damage with each application of Drain Hope. As useful as this is in that particular build, it is far from worthwhile in this one. It provides no benefit to our sustain, our CC, or our AA damage, making it unfitting for a build relying on all three of those aspects.Another excellent talent... again, not for this build. It greatly increases the uptime of Ominous Wraith's damage debuff, while giving you a nice little damage boost to your Q. If you took Ominous Wraith at level 13, this talent is perfectly viable (though you are effectively switching builds, thus why it is listed as not recommended). If you are sticking to the Mithril build... it is rather obvious which talent you should take instead. This talent also synergizes well with Consume Vitality at level 1, if you chose it.The namesake of the build, this is what you have been building for all along. This talent makes your attacks much faster, greatly increasing your damage output in the process. Against multiple clumped targets, the 100% cleave damage on your first two swings makes this even more potent. The biggest drawback of this talent is the difficulty Leoric has in sticking to his targets long enough to make this effective. This is why it has been recommended to talent into virtually everything we can to negate that weakness, though it is also highly beneficial if your team has CC of their own to assist you in this. This is the one of the main reasons why this build can be very team-dependent. Still, by now you should be well aware of whether or not you can get benefit from this talent, and can choose whether or not to commit to it.Despite the fact that you are sacrificing an extremely well-synergized and potent talent for this build in taking this (Spectral Leech), it still has a place in certain situations. Against characters that can easily escape you (Genji, Tracer, Zeratul), this turns your Entomb into a death sentence to them. They do not have anywhere near the health pool they need to survive three seconds of helplessness, and if you do not finish them in that window, your teammates surely will (team pls). In most situations, however, you are trying to be more of a tank-buster, through your W, your Mithril Mace attack speed, and your Spectral Leech talent. Thus why this is listed as a situational pick.This is an incredibly potent talent in the "Drain" build, to finish things off, but even if you chose MoTBK at level 10, neither Mithril nor Wraith builds will want to pick this. Simply put, we did not talent into Drain Hope as heavily, and there are better alternatives.This is the talent that really causes Mithril Mace (and by extension, the build) to shine. It turns is into a powerful tank-buster, letting us shred through enemies like Garrosh and Stitches with ease. Keep in mind that this should only be taken if you did indeed choose Mithril Mace, but when chosen in combination, is almost always the best choice (barring the example listed in Buried Alive's context).Another good alternative in the Drain build, and another talent that is not worth it for ours. It provides no benefit to our sustain, nor our AA potency, nor our CC. For these reasons, we leave it to other builds to let itshine.This talent looks enticing on paper, but when we consider what Leoric's role is and what his stats already are, it loses much of its appeal. A window of Protected is less useful on a bruiser like Leoric, as we have no burst damage, and no flashy plays to make this window valuable, Instead, it simply gives us three extra seconds of survival, during which time the enemy can essentially just ignore us.Leoric has a relatively consistent playstyle throughout the course of a game. Serving as a powerful solo-laner in the earlier stages, and an annoying, burly bruiser in teamfights, he does not require much in the way of flashy plays to be effective. It is easy to become overconfident and make misplays, however, thanks to his Undying trait. It is always important to remember that"Trait value", as the meme has come to be known, is worthless without, at the very least, a good trade. You still give a full kill's worth of exp to the enemy, and you are still out of commission (with the exception of one slow and vision) until your health regenerates.Thanks to wonderful combination of powerful cleave and potent 1v1 spells, you are a terror as a solo laner. Trade often and trade aggressively against other melee laners (especially other warriors). You are not as effective against ranged enemies, as they can often break your Drain Hope before it sees much value. Despite this, even without your trading power, you can still clear the lane very efficiently. When you do trade, do your best to time it so that your single target, empowered basic attack is the one you engage on. A typical example of a trade rotation goes as follows:Obviously, this rotation shifts slightly based on the exact situation, but that is your general combo when trading. Outside of these trades, simply utilize your Q and AA cleaves to shred through waves, and keep the lane centered to the best of your ability. You only want to push the lane when you are actually attempting to get some damage off on the towers. Ever since the removal of ammunition, there is no benefit to keeping your minions at the enemy towers anymore. In fact, it actually puts you in greater danger, as to continue to soak you will need to be further from your own fortifications.When you hit level 10, you are far more potent in many situations. With Entomb, you now have the ability to catch individual targets that strayed too far from their team, or a means of heavy disruption on multiple enemies in the middle of a teamfight. Thanks to the short cooldown of this heroic, you can also use it to force extended trades if laning phase is carrying on longer than expected. Given your 1v1 power, you will win a great deal of these trades, with the potential to snag a kill for your team if the enemy was low enough to begin with.If you took MoTBK, you now have a health bar reset button. Really, that's all it is. It does some damage, but it is mostly for the sustain. When preparing to cast it, do your best to position it so that you will:hit as many targets at possible, andNot put yourself in a bad position at the end of the castDespite the simplicity of the spell, it does take a great deal of consideration to use effectively. The cooldown is rather short, however, which makes a less-than-ideal cast slightly more forgiving. Even still, a misplaced ultimate can essentially result in a suicide, as you cannot cancel it once it has begun. Be wary, and time it well.With both ults on short cooldowns, you are at maximum effectiveness more often than many other heroes. Be constantly looking out for picks, and ways to effectively engage the enemy in skirmishes and teamfights. Ideally, your team will be ready and willing to pick up the aggression.If you chose Ominous Wraith at this stage, you have effectively kept your options open and can still transition into Wraith build if need be. Regardless of whether or not you choose to do so, your playstyle has shifted slightly nonetheless. For engagements, you should now be looking to use Wraith Walk, rather than be saving it for an escape. You want to pass through as many enemies as possible, without ending off at a position that is not favorable for you to start attacking. Ideally, you want to end your cast in a position from which you can land a solid Entomb, to further wreak havoc among the enemy team. If that is not feasible, simply end the cast next to the target you intend to be focusing with your attacks.Level 16 is an important step for the Mithril build, as you need to be ready to stack as quickly as you can as soon as you get it. Clear waves as you already should have been doing, and communicate with your team that you need stacks. For example, if there are two waves needing clearing, ask if you can take them both. It will make it far easier for you to get stacked up, and ramped to full power ASAP.If you took Royal Focus, your goal is now to apply your damage debuff to as many enemies as possible, and weave large, multi-target Q strikes in between casts to get the CDR from your shiny new talent. Your focus is largely off of doing damage, now, instead leaving that to other members of your team. You are there to disrupt and debilitate the enemy.At level 20, Spectral Leech comes online (unless you find yourself in a situation where taking it would not be as beneficial). Tanks will learn to fear you, and if not, they will meet their end swiftly by your speedy mace bashes, and draining strikes. If you have Entomb, your focus should be on trapping as many targets as possible now, rather than trapping one DPS, or other thing similar to it. You want to hit as many targets as possible with your AA's and Entomb will help you do that.If you took Buried Alive, you are still looking to hit as many targets as you can with AA's, but Entomb should be used to utterly shut down a key, hyper-mobile target. If you can land it on Genji, for example, he is almost always going to die (which is satisfying in and of itself). Otherwise, keep playing as you normally would.If you made it this far, thank you so much for reading. I know this is a very niche build, but it is certainly my favorite as far as fun-factor goes, for this hero. It is always useful to have multiple builds in mind, so that you can adapt to the unfolding situations of any given game.Until next week, best of luck in your games, heroes!