Our essential gameplay and talent build guide for Artanis this month.
Our complete Artanis guide has everything you need to know about playing this Hero, with the latest builds, tips, map advice and counters.
What Artanis lacks in crowd-control he more than makes up for in raw survivability, thanks to an auto-popping shield which keeps him on his feet in a fight against just about any other Hero. He packs some pretty mean burst-damage too, and is excellent at isolating a problematic enemy team member, so that his allies can get to work obliterating them.
Editor’s note – February update: There are just a few gentle tweaks to take into account when playing the preferred Artanis talent build this month. We’ve also started fleshing out our Artanis guide with advice for standing out on particular battlegrounds – we’ll be adding to this section constantly over time.
Artanis strategy overview – February 2016
Things can get pretty frantic, pretty fast when getting stuck into a team fight with the Melee Warrior Artanis. You should be chipping away with Basic Attacks in order to keep your hield cooldown nice and low, but you also need to be very wary with your positioning as you’re quite vulnerable without this ability.
Look for DPS targets on the peripherary of the fight who can be picked off with your burst-damage – this also allows you to make good your escape if the fight starts going against your team. You also – later in the game – have skills like Purifier Beam to stop a low-health opponent from getting to safety.
When you’re not getting stuck into a fight with your buddies, use your innate strengths to deal with map objectives and Mercenary Camps, or to simply clear down a lane that’s not getting enough love from your team. Those extra pushes can make all the difference, and you don’t want to miss a single scrap of minion XP if you can help it.
The best Artanis Talent build – February 2016
There are a few preferred builds for Artanis, but we like to use the following as a base which you can then play around with depending on how the late-game battle is going.
Artanis standard build
Level 1 – Reactive Parry – Activating Twin Blades reduces the damage received from the next Hero Basic Attack by 50%. Can store up to 2 charges.
Level 4 – Templar’s Zeal – Blade Dash cooldown recharges 75% faster while you are below 50% health
Level 7 – Psionic Synergy – Every time Blade Dash hits an enemy Hero, it reduces Shield Overload’s cooldown by 4 seconds.
Level 10 – Purifier Beam – Target an enemy Hero with an orbital beam from the Spear of Adun, dealing 404 (192 + 4% per level) damage per second for 8 seconds. The beam will chase the target as they move. Unlimited range
Level 13 – Phase Bulwark – When Shield Overload activates, you take 50% less damage from Abilities for 3 seconds.
Level 16 – Zealot Charge – While Twin Blades is active, you charge a short distance to your target.
Level 20 – Target Purified – If the target of Purifier Beam dies, it automatically recasts on the nearest enemy Hero.
Artanis Abilities, Heroic Abilities and Traits – February 2016
Artanis can be a little fiddly to master on the battlefield, but you’ll get considerably ahead of the curve if you take a little time to study up on his Abilities before charging into a match. Here’s what you need to know about this Hero’s core skills.
Abilities
Blade Dash (Q)– Dash forward and deal 125 (60 + 4% per level) damage to enemies, then return and deal 375 (178 + 4% per level) damage. Mana: 65, Cooldown: 10 seconds.
Twin Blades (W)– Your next Basic Attack immediately strikes the enemy 2 times. Mana: 25, Cooldown: 4 seconds.
Phase Prism (E)– Fire a Phase Prism that deals 145 (69 + 4% per level) damage to Heroes and swaps your position with theirs. Mana: 70, Cooldown: 14 seconds.
Heroic Abilities
Purifier Beam (R)– Target an enemy Hero with an orbital beam from the Spear of Adun, dealing 404 (192 + 4% per level) damage per second for 8 seconds. The beam will chase the target as they move. Unlimited range. Mana: 80, Cooldown: 80 seconds.
Suppression Pulse (R)– Fire a large area pulse from the Spear of Adun, dealing 250 (119 + 4% per level) damage and Blinding enemies for 4 seconds. Unlimited range. Mana: 40, Cooldown: 50 seconds.
Trait
Shield Overload– If you take damage while below 50% Health, gain a 984 (467 + 4% per level) point Shield for 5 seconds. Your Basic Attacks lower the cooldown of Shield Overload by 4 seconds. Cooldown: 20 seconds
Artanis counters and match-ups – February 2016
If you’re looking to find the best counters and match-ups for Artanis in the current metagame, we recommend checking out a community-curated list like that found over at HeroesCounters. As a quick overview of how things currently stand, here are the top five counters for Artanis, with suggestions of good partners to pair up with too.
- Strong against- Sgt. Hammer, Nova, Zeratul, Lt. Morales, The Butcher
- Weak against- Uther, Brightwing, Li Li, ETC, Muradin
- Teams well with- Tassadar, Abathur, Malfurion, Lt. Morales, Murky
Artanis tips and battleground guides – February 2016
If you’re new to Artanis, there are a few useful tips worth knowing in order to get the most out of the Hero from the very beginning. Let us know of any other useful advice you’ve learned in the comments section, and we’ll include them the next time we revise this article.
- You can use Phase Prism to handily teleport through barriers and get at a fleeing enemy Hero. Just make sure you’re not putting yourself into greater danger yourself by doing so…
- If you suspect the enemy has a lot of crowd-control at their disposal, be very cautious in using Blade Dash, as they may pin your down and nuke you before you can begin the second half of this manoeuvre.
- Try to keep in mind that your Trait only triggers once you’ve dropped below 50% health. Because of this, don’t be too quick to disengage in battle, as this is the moment where you truly shine. The shield is a core part of Artanis’ character, and getting used to its extra immunity is an essential part of mastering the Hero.
- Blade Dash is tremendously effective at whipping through a line of minions, and is a great way of working towards a lane clear. Obviously you need to keep in mind that the first half of the attack may have you diving deep into the unknown…
- Phase Prism is best used to pick out the softest target in the enemy team, often standing at the back, and often healing up the team. Use this skill to take them out of action and into the arms of your allies.
Battlefield of Eternity
- The claustrophobic nature of many sections of this map mean your Purifier Beam should be able to do extremely solid work all the way through each round.
- This advice goes for all Heroes, including Artanis: you’ve a window of opportunity to work on lanes before the Immortal battle begins, so don’t just wait for things to kick off – work that lane!
- Given Artanis’ innate aptitude for dealing with single targets, you’ll find him a strong Hero to wield during the Immortal fight phases of each match, with Shield Overload proving extremely helpful for holding off damage.
Blackheart’s Bay
- Artanis is very effective at clearing the Doubloon camps early on in the match, so don’t be afraid to hoover up some bonus coins for your team while they focus on the more traditional lane-controlling stage of the game.
Fightin’ Cowboy’s videos helped us out a huge amount while we were learning the game. The builds have changed with balance patches and shifting metagames, but the broad principles remain the same.
