Our guide to dominating the battlefield with Raynor’s most powerful talent build.
Our complete Raynor guide has everything you need to know about playing this Hero, with the latest builds, tips, map advice and counters.
Raynor may not have the highest damage output of the Assassin class of Heroes in Heroes of the Storm, but what he may lack in firepower (relatively speaking), he more than makes up for in range and team support – traits which only go up in value as the game develops and death gains more of a sting for you and your friends.
Here’s our quick guide to getting started with this popular new player Hero, along with a build you might want to experiment with as you get to grips with the character.
Editor’s note – April update: As a pretty simple character, it should come as no surprise to learn that Raynor’s best talent build hasn’t changed over the last month. Further down the page we’ve added more advice for shining with this Hero on specific maps. We’ll keep adding to this section over time.
Raynor strategy overview – April 2016
During the opening laning phases of each game, you can go it alone if you really want but you’ll be even more effective teaming up with at least one other player and pushing a lane together. Raynor’s a little bit squishy when it comes to going toe-to-toe with other players, but his Inspire skill can give your teammates – and charging minions – a real boost in this vital opening stage.
When you reach the mid-game, you should again stick close to one or more players as they move from objective to objective. Most enemy Heroes can make pretty light work of Raynor, so make sure you stay behind your team, provide assault support from the rear, and be ready to run off to safety at a moment’s notice.
You’ve got plenty of range as Raynor, so use it to your advantage and maintain your rear position at all times. Don’t get drawn into traps, as you’ve no emergency way out of a problematic situation. Focus on taking out the opposite team’s forward minions and Heroes, so that your own team’s forward offensive gets the chance to shine and push even further.
The best Raynor talent build – April 2016
There are a few Raynor builds that have stood the test of time and proved popular amongst the playerbase. Here’s a really simple one that will help you get up and running and slaying enemies with the minimum of fuss. It’s a great place to start and comes highly recommended while you learn both the maps and the basics of combat encounters.
Raynor: New player auto-attack build
This build is a great starting point for any new player, as it provides you with an extremely powerful auto-attacking character, with a minimum of micro-management to worry about. The early-game talent picks boost your damage output considerably, while mid and late-game talents help you chase down fleeing Heroes and boost your survival chances.
Level 1 – Seasoned Marksman – For every 6 enemy Minion or captured Mercenary kills near your Hero, gain 1 Basic Attack damage. Hero Takedowns count as 3 Minion kills.
Level 4 – Focused Attack – Every 10 seconds, your next Basic Attack against a Hero deals 60% additional damage. Basic Attacks reduce this cooldown by 1 second.
Level 7 – Revolution Overdrive – Gain 10% Movement Speed while affected by Inspire. Increase this bonus by 5% for each allied Hero nearby when Inspire is cast.
Level 10 – Hyperion – Order the Hyperion to make a strafing run dealing 145 (69 + 4% per level) damage a second, hitting up to 4 enemies. Also occasionally fires its Yamato Cannon on Structures for 1740 (826 + 4% per level) damage. Lasts 12 seconds.
Level 13 – Giant Killer – Basic Attacks against enemy Heroes deal bonus damage equal to 1.5% of the Hero’s maximum Health.
Level 16 – Bullseye – The first enemy hit by Penetrating Round is stunned for 1 second.
Level 20 – Nexus Frenzy – Increases Attack Speed by 20% and Attack Range by 20%.
Raynor Abilities, Heroic Abilities and Traits – April 2016
Here’s a quick breakdown of Raynor’s standard and Heroic Abilities, unlocked as you level up in a match.
Abilities
Penetrating Round (Q) – Deals 526 (250 + 4% per level) damage and knocks enemies back. Mana: 60, Cooldown: 12 seconds.
Inspire (W) – Gain 30% bonus Attack Speed for 6 seconds. Nearby allies gain half of the bonus. Mana: 40, Cooldown: 10 seconds
Adrenaline Rush – Automatically activates to heal for 965 (458 + 4% per level) when you are below 30% Health. Cooldown: 40 seconds.
Heroic Abilities
Hyperion (R) – Order the Hyperion to make a strafing run dealing 145 (69 + 4% per level) damage a second, hitting up to 4 enemies. Also occasionally fires its Yamato Cannon on Structures for 1740 (826 + 4% per level) damage. Lasts 12 seconds. Mana: 100, Cooldown: 100 Seconds
Raynor’s Raiders (R) – Summon two Stealthed Banshees that attack an enemy. Each Banshee deals 95 (45 + 4% per level) damage a second and lasts 22 seconds. Can reactivate the Ability to retarget the Banshees. Mana: 100, Cooldown: 80 seconds
Traits
Advanced Optics – Basic Attack range is 20% further than other ranged Heroes, and you see 10% further than other Heroes.
Raynor counters and match-ups – April 2016
When it comes to working out which Hero is strong against another, there are many different opinions out there. We recommend taking a “wisdom of the crowd” approach to researching this sort of thing via a site like HeroesCounters.
Here you’ll find people highly engaged with a particular character, and while the votes aren’t given any weighting through strength of participation, you should be able to get a good feel for the most obviously strong or weak match-ups and team synergies.
For quick reference, here are the top five votes for each category, accurate at the time of publication:
- Strong against- Cho’gall, Leoric, Valla, Diablo, Sylvanas
- Weak against- Illidan, Kerrigan, Li Li, Artanis, Jaina
- Teams well with- Lt. Morales, Arthas, Li Li, Thrall, Jaina
Raynor tips and battleground guides – April 2016
Here’s a handful of important tips to keep in mind when you play this character:
- There are very few occasions when it is incorrect to use Inspire when it’s off cooldown, and you’re in any kind of combat situation. Even if all you have around you is a handful of minions, this Ability can make a major difference.
- Focus on your positioning above all else when you’re playing as Raynor, and make sure you’re always hitting at maximum range. Things may look quiet right now, but you never know what’s around the corner and heading in your direction.
- Raynor is super-squishy if he gets caught out on his own, so be extremely careful when chasing after a fleeing target. If you’ve chosen the Raynor’s Raiders Ability, it’s great for finishing off any stragglers that try to escape.
- When you’re just starting out with the Hero, don’t get too fixated on maximising the stacks of Seasoned Marksman if it’s in your build. Even treating it as a passive skill will give a sizeable boost to your damage output.
- Don’t forget that your Pentrating Round ability will push back an enemy. Either flank them and force them towards your team with this Ability, or use it to stop a friendly channeled Ability being interrupted.
Battlefield of Eternity
Stay close to your friends at all times on this small two-lane map, move with the pack, and make sure you’re firing Inspire up whenever it’s off cooldown. Hyperion can be godly for Raynor at Level 10 when the enemy team is typically clustered together during the Immortal fight phase.
Blackheart’s Bay
Raynor does his best work on Blackheart’s Bay when he’s moving between the top two lanes and using his outstanding ranged damage to pick off stragglers on the opposing team. Inspire increases Raynor’s damage output temporarily, and should be popped while you’re taking down Treasure Chests for nice and fast Doubloons, and before the enemy can spoil your plans. Hopefully…
Cursed Hollow
There’s not a lot of map-specific advice for Raynor on Cursed Hollow. Your primary objective is to keep on soaking lanes for XP and pushing the level advantage as hard as you can. Try and stick with at least one other team member at all times, otherwise you risk getting picked off fast.
Dragon Shire
Focus on pushing a lane and building up your Seasoned Marksman stacks. You are almost certainly not the best person to pilot the Dragon Knight, and so only pick it up if no-one else is nearby and you risk losing it altogether. If the enemy team manages to bag the objective, focus on taking down the Knight with everything you’ve got.
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.
