Overview

Diablo : Rock em' Sock em' Diablo Devil's Due Black Soulstone increases the effects of Regen Globes and Healing Fountains by 2% per soul. From the Shadows Increases the range of Shadow Charge by 40%. Diabolical Momentum Basic Attacks reduce the cooldown of Overpower and Shadow Charge by 1.5 seconds. Apocalypse Create a demonic rune under each enemy Hero on the battleground. After 1.75 seconds the rune explodes dealing 137 damage and stunning for 1.75 seconds. Devastating Charge Shadow Charge's terrain collision against Heroes deals an additional 5% of the target's maximum life. Quest: Each time an enemy Hero takes terrain collision damage, increase the maximum life damage by 2%, to a maximum of 10% bonus. Domination Casting Overpower resets the cooldown of Shadow Charge. Hellgate Activate to teleport a short distance and place a Demonic Rune at that location. After 1.75 seconds the rune explodes dealing 137 damage and stuns enemies for 1.75 seconds.

Talent Breakdown

Level 1

Bulwark (Q) (Not Recommended)

Increases the duration of Armor granted by Shadow Charge from 2 seconds to 4 seconds.



Increases the duration of Armor granted by Shadow Charge from 2 seconds to 4 seconds.

Devil's Due (Trait) (Recommended)

Black Soulstone increases the effects of Regen Globes and Healing Fountains by 2% per Soul.

Black Soulstone increases the effects of Regen Globes and Healing Fountains by 2% per Soul.

Life Leech (Not Recommended)

Basic Attacks against enemy Heroes deal bonus damage equal to 1% of the Hero's maximum Health and heal Diablo for the same amount.

Basic Attacks against enemy Heroes deal bonus damage equal to 1% of the Hero's maximum Health and heal Diablo for the same amount.

Level 4

From the Shadows (Q) (Recommended)

Increases the cast range of Shadow Charge by 40%.



Increases the cast range of Shadow Charge by 40%.

Speed Demon (Not Recommended)

Being Stunned or Rooted increases Diablo's Movement Speed by 30% for 5 seconds.



Being Stunned or Rooted increases Diablo's Movement Speed by 30% for 5 seconds.

Demonic Strength (E) (Not Recommended)

Once Overpower's stun expires, the target is slowed by 30% for 3 seconds.



Once Overpower's stun expires, the target is slowed by 30% for 3 seconds.

Level 7

Soul Feast (Trait) (Situational)

Black Soulstone increases Diablo's Health Regeneration by 0.4 per second per Soul.



Black Soulstone increases Diablo's Health Regeneration by 0.4 per second per Soul.

Soul Shield (Trait) (Situational)

Black Soulstone grants Diablo 0.25 Spell Armor per soul, reducing Ability Damage taken by 0.25% per Soul.

Black Soulstone grants Diablo 0.25 Spell Armor per soul, reducing Ability Damage taken by 0.25% per Soul.

Diabolical Momentum (Situational)

Basic Attacks reduce the cooldown of Overpower and Shadow Charge by 1.5 seconds.



Basic Attacks reduce the cooldown of Overpower and Shadow Charge by 1.5 seconds.

Level 10

Apocalypse (R1) (Recommended)

Cooldown: 100 seconds

Create a demonic rune under each enemy Hero on the battleground. After 1.75 seconds the rune explodes dealing 137 (+4% per level) damage and stunning for 1.75 seconds. 100 secondsCreate a demonic rune under each enemy Hero on the battleground. After 1.75 seconds the rune explodes dealing 137 (+4% per level) damage and stunning for 1.75 seconds.

Lightning Breath (R2) (Not Recommended)

Cooldown: 60 seconds

Become Unstoppable while channeling lightning that deals 800 (+4% per level) damage over 4 seconds. The direction of the Lightning changes with your mouse cursor position. 60 secondsBecome Unstoppable while channeling lightning that deals 800 (+4% per level) damage over 4 seconds. The direction of the Lightning changes with your mouse cursor position.

Level 13

Devastating Charge (Q) (Recommended)

Shadow Charge's terrain collision against Heroes deals an additional 5% of the target's maximum life.

❢ Quest: Each time an enemy Hero takes terrain collision damage, increase the maximum life damage by 2%, to a maximum of 10% bonus.) Shadow Charge's terrain collision against Heroes deals an additional 5% of the target's maximum life.Each time an enemy Hero takes terrain collision damage, increase the maximum life damage by 2%, to a maximum of 10% bonus.)

Fire Devil (W) (Situational)

Fire Stomp increases Diablo's Basic Attack damage by 20% and surrounds Diablo in flames that deal 20 (+4% per level) damage every second. Lasts 6 seconds.

Fire Stomp increases Diablo's Basic Attack damage by 20% and surrounds Diablo in flames that deal 20 (+4% per level) damage every second. Lasts 6 seconds.

Hellfire (W) (Not Recommended)

Each enemy Hero hit by Fire Stomp increases the damage of the next Fire Stomp by 12%, up to 120%.

Each enemy Hero hit by Fire Stomp increases the damage of the next Fire Stomp by 12%, up to 120%.

Level 16

Debilitating Flames (W) (Not Recommended)

Enemy Heroes hit by Fire Stomp are slowed by 15% for 2 seconds, up to 30%.



Enemy Heroes hit by Fire Stomp are slowed by 15% for 2 seconds, up to 30%.

Domination (E) (Recommended)

Casting Overpower resets the cooldown of Shadow Charge.



Casting Overpower resets the cooldown of Shadow Charge.

Fearful Presence (Not Recommended)

Cooldown: 20 seconds

Active: Activate to reduce the damage dealt by nearby enemy Heroes by 30% for 3 seconds.

Passive: Heroes and Summons that attack Diablo have their Attack Speed slowed by 20% for 2.5 seconds. 20 secondsActivate to reduce the damage dealt by nearby enemy Heroes by 30% for 3 seconds.Heroes and Summons that attack Diablo have their Attack Speed slowed by 20% for 2.5 seconds.

Level 20

Dying Breath (R1) (Not Recommended)

Apocalypse's cooldown is reduced by 20 seconds and is cast for free when Diablo dies.



Apocalypse's cooldown is reduced by 20 seconds and is cast for free when Diablo dies.

Hellstorm (R2) (Not Recommended)

Lightning Breath lasts and reaches 50% longer.



Lightning Breath lasts and reaches 50% longer.

Lord of Terror (Situational)

Cooldown: 60 seconds

Active: Activate to steal 10% of the maximum Health of nearby enemy Heroes.

60 secondsActivate to steal 10% of the maximum Health of nearby enemy Heroes.

Hellgate (Recommended)

Cooldown: 90 seconds

Active: Teleport and place a demonic rune at target location. After 1.75 seconds the rune explodes dealing 137 (+4% per level) damage and stunning enemies for 1.75 seconds. 90 secondsTeleport and place a demonic rune at target location. After 1.75 seconds the rune explodes dealing 137 (+4% per level) damage and stunning enemies for 1.75 seconds.

How it Plays

Phase One: Roaming Gank Squad

The Importance of Walls

Phase Two: Teamfighting

Kneel Before the Lord of Terror!

Welcome to the second installment of "A Detailed Breakdown", a series of guides that I intend to put out weekly, based on my favorite builds of each character I choose to dive into. Today we're going to be looking at Diablo, our resident all-in combo tank in the Nexus. This particular build, lovingly named "Rock em' Sock em' Diablo", is actually standard in most regards, which might not be surprising to anyone familiar with Diablo's rather linear talent tree. Still, the focus in these breakdowns is more around the "why" of each choice, rather than what the choice is.With that being said, let's not waste any time and hop into what the baseline build is.While there may not be as much variance in the build over the course of multiple games as other heroes may have, it is still worth discussing why we tend to pick what we do here, and if there are viable alternatives in any given tier.Due to the speed at which our combo works (see "Domination" at level 16), the first cast of Shadow Charge almost never utilizes the doubled armor duration, mitigating some of the effectiveness of this talent. In addition, given Shadow Charge is our initiate, our burst, and one of our primary displacement tools, it cannot afford to be timed around the armor buff. Having said that, against teams with multiple heavy damage sources (and little in the way of % damage, as armor does not affect this), it can be helpful.Given our intended playstyle as a roaming, snowballing monstrosity, Devil's Due is is the go-to for this tier. It enables us to sustain for repeated ganks, and at max souls, even 1 globe will often be enough to get you back in fighting shape. This is also incredibly useful in things such as boss fights (both against the boss and against teams contesting it). Strongly recommended in most situations.Diablo does not have high attack speed, which already cripples the effectiveness of this talent. In addition, you are more often going to be batting around the squishy backliners/dive assassins than swapping blows with another tank. The damage boost is rather low, and the health return is nowhere near the increased regen from Devil's Due.This not only greatly increases your engage/peel range, it also makes your early game ganking an utterly horrifying experience for the enemy team, Shadow Charge can be cast almost as soon as you become visible to the enemy. By then, it is usually too late for them. Virtually always going to be the talent to pick.This is not actually a bad talent, and were it elsewhere on the tree, it might manage to see play. However, thanks to From the Shadows being on the same tier, this is almost never going to be worth taking over it. The range provides mobility in itself, and lends well to our combo potential. This does not benefit the combo in any way.Again, this is not a bad talent, but thanks to the combo-focused nature of this build, its effectiveness is mitigated. Overpower is supposed to be cast in between our two Shadow Charges and our Shadow Charges are, ideally, going to be slamming enemies into walls. This means that the 3 second slow is actually only going to do be doing anything for about 1.5 seconds, thanks to the animation period and subsequent 1 second stun from the second Shadow Charge. A 30%, 1.5 second slow is not nearly enough to surpass From the Shadows, on this tier.The two trait talents are the greedier options of the tier, as if you die at 100 souls, you lose their entire effect for a few minutes. Soul Feast is highly effective if you notice an enemy is frequently splitting from the enemy, or if they are not clumping in general. It lends itself highly to the short bursts of a ganking playstyle, where you might take a few hits, but will not be there for an extended period. This allows you to move on to the next gank/pick more quickly, as you can recover more quickly. It can give some extra staying power in fights, as well. Diabolical Momentum tends to outperform it in extended fights, however, and Soul Shield gives more effective HP over the course of a fight, when fighting multiple mages.This talent should only be picked if virtually all of the enemy team's damage is spell-based. It outperforms Soul Feast in this situation, and increases your effective HP by almost 25%. It drops off considerably, however, with the addition of even one AA-based assassin. It is useful in fringe cases like the one mentioned, but otherwise should not be taken.This talent shines in large teamfights and extended skirmishes, pulling far ahead of the other two when you have enough time for the cooldown reduction to add up (and it really does). In games where you are engaging far more in quick skirmishes and ganks (this becomes more common in QM, though it can happen in ranked as well), the usefulness of this talent becomes very limited. Pay attention to the environment of any given game, and talent accordingly.A single well-timed Apocalypse can win entire teamfights, if not the game, later on. It has incredible combo potential with characters like ETC and Zeratul, as well. On its own, it is somewhat easy to dodge. However, if you do not need it for a combo, or to stun a cluster of enemies, you can add it to your combo for even more stun potential.Okay. Objectively speaking, this heroic is not nearly as good as Apoc. It doesn't stun, it isn't global, it's a self-root, and the damage is pretty easy to dodge for some characters. With all of that said, however... I tend to have more fun screwing around with this ult. I'm telling you now that you would be better served picking Apoc, but... try this one out in a QM game, some day. It can be pretty fun causing havoc in the low-coordination environment there.Devastating Charge adds a considerable amount of damage to your combo, any time you can collide with a wall (which should be most of the time, with proper positioning). It also allows you to significantly chunk enemy tanks, if they are diving your backline or present an otherwise favorable opportunity for you to charge them instead of a squishier foe. It will deal far more damage than any other talent on this tier in almost any situation.For a new Diablo player, this talent can be taken instead of Devastating Charge as you learn to position yourself and become more skilled with your charges. Devastating Charge will provide no benefit if you are not colliding with walls, so this is a decent crutch while improving one's skills. I still recommend moving to Devastating Charge as soon as you feel ready, though.Another crutch talent, but (in my opinion) not as effective as Fire Devil. Given these are just damage-boosting talents, I see no reason to take this over Fire Devil, if you are needing that crutch.The slow isn't bad for such a large ability, but it competes with Domination on the level 16 tier. There is no contest between the two.This is the bread and butter of the build and, arguably, Diablo himself. It dramatically increases his versatility and damage (if you took Devastating Charge, even more so), and gives him an additional stun if you can find another angle to bop your enemy into the wall. In virtually every situation, this is the go-to talent.This is actually a pretty good talent. The problem is, just like with Debilitating Flames, it competes with a talent that practically makes Diablo the monster that he is. For that reason alone, it is not recommended.The cooldown reduction is rather minimal from this talent, and the free cast on death is rather unpredictable to play around. Ideally, you should not be dying anyway. This talent benefits from an already losing situation, which is not desirable, especially when compared to other options.The same explanation as was given at level 10 applies here. It's not recommended, but if you're just messing around, it adds to the fun of Lightning Breath. Give it a shot in QM some time. For the purpose of the build, however, Even if you did take Lightning Breath, there are still better talents.Against a heavy warrior comp, this can not only provide a solid chunk of damage to multiple targets, but also can heal you for a significant amount (over 1000 hp, when hitting multiple tanky targets). Think of it as a sustain tool rather than a burst mechanism, however. It gives you much more staying power in teamfights.This talent greatly increases your versatility, as well as provides you with another zoning tool and/or stun, if the enemy cannot avoid it. Unlike many characters with teleport talents, This one should be used quite aggressively, to position yourself for a stun combo, or to shut down an escape path. In a pinch, it can also be used as an escape tool if you have not already used it in a fight.This build consists of two phases, more based on the average environment of a HotS match than the build path you have chosen. Diablo is potent from level 1, and his abilties (with the notable exception of level 16 and to a lesser extent, 20) are not significantly altered by any one talent.This phase tends to work best with a duo partner, or ideally, a team of your own. The more planning you can do, the better. Assuming you are playing alone, however, look at the lay of the land in any given game, and make a decision as to what lane would be best to camp. You will not be laning (well, you might if you're solo. Those games don't always pan out how you'd like them to), but rather, you will be constantly ganking lanes whenever the opportunity arises. If you do have someone to join you like Tyrande, as an excellent example, it can make this even more potent.Ideally, you want to gank a lane with a hefty damage-dealer in it, like Thrall or Butcher, or another hero with stun-lock so that you can simply shut down the enemy until they die. If your team doesn't have that option, try to consider which lane can be killed the fastest. Early game, you don't have your Shadow Charge resets. This means that you have to rely on one charge, one Overpower, and body blocking to secure the kill. Once your spells are on cooldown, there is not a great deal you can do to stop the enemy from retreating. Still, with the help of the stun from Shadow Charge (provided you have lined it up correctly), this is often enough to get the job done.Rinse and repeat the ganking process as often as your health and mana allow. Devil's Due will assist greatly in maintaining a constant uptime on your ganking presence. During map objectives, do not be afraid of skirmishes. You are a potent early game hero, and can enable very easy picks for your team with even the slightest positioning mistake from the enemy.Shadow Charge is a mediocre spell without having a wall available to add extra damage and a one second stun to the cast. Try to only use it when you can line up properly, as the likelihood of a failed gank is greatly increased by going about it without one. Only charge in without a wall if you are certain that the Overpower followup on its own will be enough for you and your ally to finish off the enemy. This detriment is mitigated somewhat by Domination at level 16, as you can then use Shadow Charge as a means of flipping someone over and charging them back into the middle of your team. Even without a wall, this is an effective strategy. It is, however, almost always going to be a better plan to bat the enemy into a wall first, no matter what level you are.At level 13, this importance is even more pronounced, thanks to Devastating Charge. Even if not for a kill, if you can Shadow Charge an enemy into a wall without killing yourself in the process, do it. You need to stack your buff from this talent, and once you have, it is a bursting machine. Combined with resets, you can do a flat 30% of any target's maximum health in about two seconds, plus the baseline bonus damage from colliding with a wall. This is considerable damage on squishy and tanky targets alike.Given you have very little pushing strength, and most of the time your enemies will be sticking together by this point in the game (usually around levels 10-13 onward), you need to be doing the same. Stick with your team and be on the lookout for picks. Enemies roaming alone will be easy kills with the firepower your team will provide, and a single target that strays too far from their team makes for an easy pick to gain the advantage in any future fight.If you took Diabolical Momentum at level 7, it is important that you are constantly attacking during teamfights, for obvious reasons. Oftentimes, it can even be more beneficial to slap the enemy tank a few times, instead of chasing after the mobile squishy target that is just out of range. The reason for this is that the added cooldown might just enable you to cast your combo a second time, and the increased range in From the Shadows might just let you catch the squishy anyway. Cooldown reduction goes a long way.All in all, simply remember that Diablo is, above all else, a displacement/dive tank. Your focus should always be on one of two tasks: Peeling for your backline (if the enemy comp has dive assassins like Genji or Tracer), or barreling down the squishy backline of the enemy (in cases like Li Ming or KT). Adapt your position according to the current situation, and you will truly embody the Lord of Terror that you have chosen.I hope you enjoyed this guide, if you stuck around to read this much of it. This one felt a little different to do, as the build as actually very standard. Diablo has a rather linear tree right now, and in spite of loving the path for what it is, I really hope he gets some talent reworks to open up multiple paths. Should it happen, I might even be able to revisit this later with much more detail.As a final parting question: I posted on my wall yesterday about it, but in case you missed it... should I add an "Abilities" section prior to the "Talent Breakdown" section? I'm not sure if it's necessary, but it also occured to me that new players might not be very familiar with the heroes' baseline abilities, either. Thoughts? Comments? Let me know, and I may or may not add it into next week's Detailed Breakdown.Again, thanks for reading!