

Guide updates

20.09.2016 - guide was created.





- guide was created. 25.09.2016 - some builds were modified, more information on them in guide with Sadism bars.





- some builds were modified, more information on them in guide with Sadism bars. 27.09.2016 - additional editing in guide and some builds were revamped, such as two Utility builds merged into one called "Battlefield Manipulator".





- additional editing in guide and some builds were revamped, such as two Utility builds merged into one called "Battlefield Manipulator". 01.10.2016 - modified "Anti-mobile" build into two "Unpredictable psychokinesis" builds with different focus on riskier or safer playstyle.





- modified "Anti-mobile" build into two "Unpredictable psychokinesis" builds with different focus on riskier or safer playstyle. 03.10.2016 - updated information in Interrupts section.





- updated information in Interrupts section. 07.10.2016 - added more tips on ultimates selection.





- added more tips on ultimates selection. 08.10.2016 - new section with some information regarding level 13 talent decision between Psychokinesis Pure Malice





- new section with some information regarding level 13 talent decision between 10.10.2016 - new build added "Backline catcher" which is a hybrid of utility build with some damage improving talents that compensate reduced Sadism.





- new build added "Backline catcher" which is a hybrid of utility build with some damage improving talents that compensate reduced Sadism. 23.10.2016 - you wanted exact numbers, math and comparison images of some of Alarak talents? Here it is! TheRealsveN from reddit did a huge post about Alarak talents, number difference, damage output and many other details with comparison pictures and detailed information on them. Preview of that post was added right above "Benefits and downsides" section.





- you wanted exact numbers, math and comparison images of some of Alarak talents? Here it is! from reddit did a huge post about Alarak talents, number difference, damage output and many other details with comparison pictures and detailed information on them. Preview of that post was added right above "Benefits and downsides" section. 07.02.2017 - added link to great Cover's advanced in-depth guide on Alarak. You really should read it just because it explains some interesting moments on Alarak as well as some common mistakes on him which many new Alarak-players are doing.





Hey all, Tal'Darim fanatics, highlords and ascedants! Like previous

There is no ideal and universal build for Alarak. But there is some good and bad talent synergy.





Even builds listed here are not the builds which you should follow as "go-to builds". For example you may find that sometimes level 13-16 can be vastly different from what is written here)





Each build focuses on different playstyle. I do not guarantee that any of these builds can be effective, sure some builds may be less effective, less "meta" or be completely useless. I just want to write about all possible playstyles as Alarak. It is up to you regarding on how to build Alarak.





Same build can work perfectly in one game and can fail completely in next game. It is okay, you are free to experiment with different talent builds (likely in Quick Match or Unranked Draft). This guide contains my exploration on experimenting with different Alarak builds.

Alarak is melee assasin with mostly ability power oriented damage, he still can deal good damage with basic attacks, but his strengh is focused around proper usage of his abilities. He is one of those heroes that can be built depending on enemy and your team, meaning that there is no only one go-to build. All talents are viable in some way, depending on how you and your team utilizes it.





Do not mindlessly follow these builds. Try to experiment, mix different talent at different tiers (levels), always try to understand WHY you are picking certain talents, will it give you benefits or it will be just a waste.





Here is good but slightly outdated quote from this



Quoted:



The unique ability that defines Alarak is Telekinesis Applied Force Quick Mind



Telekinesis Discord Strike Discord Strike



The final piece of Alarak’s base kit is Lightning Surge Thunderstruck



Blizzard took a fascinating approach to Alarak’s Heroics. Instead of choosing one at 10 and then upgrading it, you can just pick up your second Heroic at 20. Right now, Alarak’s level 10 choice is a no-brainer: Deadly Charge Counter-Strike Deadly Charge



Due to his trait, Sadism Alarak is all about the big moments. He lives and dies for those opportunities to jump in and blow all his cooldowns to delete someone instantly. When he dives, he dives hard. The rest of the time, however, he’s mostly just controlling the flow of fights and poking until he has the chance to dive in and finish someone off. In a lot of ways, Alarak is similar to Greymane in concept. Blizzard went through a lot of iterations with Alarak, but the overall product came out pretty nicely.The unique ability that defines Alarak is, a vector targeting (click + drag) ability that pushes enemies, as well as himself, around. What makes this ability so powerful is its versatility. For instance, it can pull people out of position for a big stun train combo or drag someone out of range of their healer. It also excels as a disengagement tool to push chasing opponents away or boost Alarak out of harm’s way. It can even be used as an interrupt for channeled spells. Talents likeandallow Alarak to control the flow of battle even more smoothly—but at the cost of some of his damage.isn’t Alarak’s only utility, though.also brings a brutal AoE silence on top of a hell of a lot of damage.isn’t always easy to hit because of the short delay, but the effects can be devastating when it does, especially in clumped up teamfights.The final piece of Alarak’s base kit is, a fairly straightforward point-and-click ability used mostly for sustain. There are some cute tricks that you can do by lining up shots to hit multiple Heroes (especially if you take), but most of the time, it’s just a good old-fashioned poke ability.Blizzard took a fascinating approach to Alarak’s Heroics. Instead of choosing one at 10 and then upgrading it, you can just pick up your second Heroic at 20. Right now, Alarak’s level 10 choice is a no-brainer:. It offers a long-distance engage, guaranteed damage, and even an escape when used properly.can be picked up at 20 in rare circumstances where Alarak needs to survive a huge burst of damage, but it is simply subpar toin its current iteration.Due to his trait,, he can dish out some serious hurt to anyone that’s unfortunate enough to get close to him, but the drawback is that his PvE is substantially weaker than other melee Assassins. For this reason, he’s not very useful for capturing merc camps, sieging, or clearing waves.



In Zarya's patch Alarak got buffed, his Counter-Strike Wide Lightning









Comprehensive Alarak Theorycrafting:



math inside, comparison pictures and more



(by TheRealsveN)

Quoted:





“What are you doing? If you must learn, do it on the battlefield.”

Level 1

Without Effort: Reduces Telekinesis Mana cost by 30 (Removes the cost)





Applied Force: Reduce Sadism by 10% to increase Telekinesis push distance by 20%





Power Conduit: Reduce Lightning Surge Mana cost by 10

You can compare the Telekinesis push distance with and without the talent here.



Which of the Mana cost reduction talents is better depends on the other talents you take. Without looking at other talents and assuming you spam all your abilities as soon as they are available you will save 2.5 Mana per second with Without Effort and 1,67 Mana per second with Power Conduit. With a completed Endless Energy talent in conjunction with Power Conduit, you will save 2.5 Mana per second as well. Finally, with Without Effort and Quick Mind you will save 5 Mana per second.



As a result, if you pick Quick Mind you should consider picking Without Effort. If you complete Endless Energy and you will not pick Quick Mind both talents are equal and the choice depends on the frequency that you use the corresponding ability with (if you stop spamming them on cooldown at least). If you pick neither Quick Mind nor Endless Energy, Power Conduit breaks even when using Telekinesis every 18 seconds. Less frequent use of Telekinesis sees Power Conduit becoming more efficient.





Level 4

Double Cross: Increase Discord Strike range and area by 25%.





Reckless Strike: Reduces Discord Strike delay but makes Alarak Vulnerable.





Cycle of Discord: Reduces Discord Strike cooldown by two seconds. Reduces the cooldown by an additional three seconds and refunds the Mana cost if you miss.





Extended Lightning: Increases Lightning Surge Range by 20%.

You can compare the Lightning Surge and Discord Strike ranges with and without the talent on images below.







Alarak Q Range Comparison - with Double Cross









Alarak E Range Comparison - with Extended Lightning



It is difficult to compare the other three talents objectively. In a sense, they all make hitting your Discord Strike easier. If you can hit every Discord Strike then Cycle of Discord is a good pick because the cooldown reduction will increase your Discord Strike DPS by 33%. You could make an argument for the range and area increase of Double Cross making it easier to hit multiple enemies but if you take a look at the size comparison I feel like that is unlikely. Finally, Reckless Strike reduces the delay at the cost of making yourself vulnerable. I have not tried this in a real game yet. However, I could imagine that it might at least be handy if you want to combo heroes that can potentially dodge it with a mobility spell. The question is if this is worth being vulnerable.



< . . . > The motivation for this research was that I enjoy playing Alarak and I wanted to make a better-informed decision about the talents I take. You can also make a case for Alarak being a particular interesting subject for theorycrafting since you can compare many of his talents pretty well from a mathematical standpoint. I had Alarak’s shop page open in the background so he was constantly complaining.You can compare the Telekinesis push distance with and without the talent here.Which of the Mana cost reduction talents is better depends on the other talents you take. Without looking at other talents and assuming you spam all your abilities as soon as they are available you will save 2.5 Mana per second with Without Effort and 1,67 Mana per second with Power Conduit. With a completed Endless Energy talent in conjunction with Power Conduit, you will save 2.5 Mana per second as well. Finally, with Without Effort and Quick Mind you will save 5 Mana per second.As a result, if you pick Quick Mind you should consider picking Without Effort. If you complete Endless Energy and you will not pick Quick Mind both talents are equal and the choice depends on the frequency that you use the corresponding ability with (if you stop spamming them on cooldown at least). If you pick neither Quick Mind nor Endless Energy, Power Conduit breaks even when using Telekinesis every 18 seconds. Less frequent use of Telekinesis sees Power Conduit becoming more efficient.You can compare the Lightning Surge and Discord Strike ranges with and without the talent on images below.It is difficult to compare the other three talents objectively. In a sense, they all make hitting your Discord Strike easier. If you can hit every Discord Strike then Cycle of Discord is a good pick because the cooldown reduction will increase your Discord Strike DPS by 33%. You could make an argument for the range and area increase of Double Cross making it easier to hit multiple enemies but if you take a look at the size comparison I feel like that is unlikely. Finally, Reckless Strike reduces the delay at the cost of making yourself vulnerable. I have not tried this in a real game yet. However, I could imagine that it might at least be handy if you want to combo heroes that can potentially dodge it with a mobility spell. The question is if this is worth being vulnerable.

Read full comprehensive Alarak theorycrafting post on Reddit









Advanced Alarak tips



Cover did a great advanced guide on Alarak with some interesting GIFs, advice and tips.



Quoted: Yo, this is Cover, I play Heroes of the Storm regularly in the NA region and am currently top 100 Grandmaster rank. Alarak is my favorite hero, I have him at level 20 and over 300+ games with him. Before he came out he was my #1 hero I wanted added into the game (now add Fenix already blizzard) and I’m very happy with his high skillcap playstyle. here’s my in-depth guide on Alarak



With the way knockbacks function in Heroes of the Storm, if a target is being pushed fast enough, they will go through body collision. This can make hitting your combo tough as the opponent will pass through your body.





An easy way that I use a lot is to simply pull them to the side of you instead of directly into you.





Finally, you can actually use this combo to your advantage!





Read full in-depth Alarak guide from Cover









Benefits and Downsides of Alarak

Pros:



+ Awesome voice-over (voiced by John de Lancie)

+ Huge burst of damage from successfully landed combos

+ Good laning sustain and poke with strong laning presence

+ May improve already good utility for the cost of some damage

+ Thanks to short cast-time of his abilities, can be very unpredictable

+ Good against ability reliant heroes (Kerrigan, Greymane) and mages

+ Have two interrupts (silence, battlefield manipulation with Telekinesis)



Cons:



- Terrible PvE

- Very vulnerable to CC

- Have no talents that empower AA

- Struggles a lot from missing skillshots

- Weak against mobile and ranged auto-attack based heroes

- If not talented into Lightning build, self-sustain becomes mana-heavy and weak mid and late game. Hey all, Tal'Darim fanatics, highlords and ascedants! Like previous Dehaka guide , this one will be focused around the same principles:Alarak is melee assasin with mostly ability power oriented damage, he still can deal good damage with basic attacks, but his strengh is focused around proper usage of his abilities. He is one of those heroes that can be built depending on enemy and your team, meaning that. All talents are viable in some way, depending on how you and your team utilizes it.. Try to experiment, mix different talent at different tiers (levels), always try to understand WHY you are picking certain talents, will it give you benefits or it will be just a waste.Here is good but slightly outdated quote from this article about Alarak In Zarya's patch Alarak got buffed, hisgot unstoppable during protection and got higher damage. Also various talents and abilities were buffed as well, such asbecoming baseline and improved utility talents at level 7 and level 13.Cover did a great advanced guide on Alarak with some interesting GIFs, advice and tips.Awesome voice-over (voiced by John de Lancie)Huge burst of damage from successfully landed combosGood laning sustain and poke with strong laning presenceMay improve already good utility for the cost of some damageThanks to short cast-time of his abilities, can be very unpredictableGood against ability reliant heroes (Kerrigan, Greymane) and magesHave two interrupts (silence, battlefield manipulation with Telekinesis)Terrible PvEVery vulnerable to CCHave no talents that empower AAStruggles a lot from missing skillshotsWeak against mobile and ranged auto-attack based heroesIf not talented into Lightning build, self-sustain becomes mana-heavy and weak mid and late game.





Every build listed above resolves around different styles of playing Alarak. You can be poke master that keeps safe distance and using spells just to disengage all-ins and dives, you can dive backline by yourself with powerfull all-in combos, you also can provide good amount of utility such as slows, silence (more often or with longer duration) while trading some damage for it.



As you can see, some builds vary very slightly, but I will try to explain every of these builds and what can be good or bad with them. Same build can work perfectly in one game and can fail completely in next game. It is okay, you are free to experiment with different talent builds (likely in Quick Match or Unranked Draft). This guide contains my exploration on experimenting with different Alarak builds.



There won't be "All-Talents tips" section like in previous my Every build listed above resolves around different styles of playing Alarak. You can be poke master that keeps safe distance and using spells just to disengage all-ins and dives, you can dive backline by yourself with powerfull all-in combos, you also can provide good amount of utility such as slows, silence (more often or with longer duration) while trading some damage for it.As you can see, some builds vary very slightly, but I will try to explain every of these builds and what can be good or bad with them. Same build can work perfectly in one game and can fail completely in next game. It is okay, you are free to experiment with different talent builds (likely in Quick Match or Unranked Draft). This guide contains my exploration on experimenting with different Alarak builds.There won't be "All-Talents tips" section like in previous my guide about Dehaka , or this guide can become too big. Instead, I'll try to explain certain talent picks in each build.