Heroes of the Storm Falstad

[Damien 1,514]

This thread is for comments about our Falstad build guide for Heroes of the Storm.

[Guest Karazax]

It seems the most common Falstad builds now are auto-attack based.

 

1) Seasoned Marksman or Power Throw

4) Vampiric Assault after the nerf of Gathering Power

7) Secret Weapon

10) Hinterland Blast

13) Giant Killer

16) Hammer Time

20) Nexus Frenzy

[Oxygen 446]

It seems the most common Falstad builds now are auto-attack based.

 

1) Seasoned Marksman or Power Throw

4) Vampiric Assault after the nerf of Gathering Power

7) Secret Weapon

10) Hinterland Blast

13) Giant Killer

16) Hammer Time

20) Nexus Frenzy

Falstad's waning popularity (both quick match, hero league, and tournament-wise) makes it pretty difficult to set a precedent for a better build. I'll certainly update it when we get to see more competitive play out of him.

[Guest Ragnar]

If there is enough dmg in team comp but a lack of / want for CC then this build is awesome:
http://www.heroesfire.com/hots/talent-calculator/falstad#klHA

 

So nice to dash in and push away half the team while the ones close by gets pummeled down by your own team.

Useful for pushing away enemy team from objectives etc.

[Oxygen 446]

If there is enough dmg in team comp but a lack of / want for CC then this build is awesome:

http://www.heroesfire.com/hots/talent-calculator/falstad#klHA

 

So nice to dash in and push away half the team while the ones close by gets pummeled down by your own team.

Useful for pushing away enemy team from objectives etc.

 

It took a while, but players have finally figured out that Gust could be powerful. Our guides are made to represent the meta, not what I personally believe - so I'm glad to be able to write about the ability's newfound niche. Will update soon.

[Guest Michal]

I would suggest that Gathering Storm(tier 1) to be optional or even recommended, specially for 2 lane maps and heavy burst builds. It is certainly easier to stack than Seasoned Marksman on those maps. Because let's not forget, it hits twice, so it is not that hard to add +25-50% to dmg of Hammerang. Also to state that, "later on, the occasions to use Hammerang are too few" is so wrong for any build, as it is main source of burst and CC.

 

 

Just pure math view, the raw dps growth of Gathering Storm is higher than from Marksman. From my exp it is average to gain 17-25 stacks of marksman and 90-150 stacks of storm. CD of Hammerang is 10sec, attack per/s is 1.43 = 7 attacks per 10sec.

 

- if we give marksman the biggest value (25) that is 7*25=175dmg or 175/10=17.5dps increase

- if we give storm the smallest value (90), Hammerang hits twice so it is 90*2=180dmg or 180/10=18dps increase

 

So even if we give marksman biggest expected value and to the storm smallest, storm wins, but only by a hair. Now comes the triumph: Hammerang can damage multiple targets, so when you are hitting more than one target (almost every-time), its pure dps increase is incomparable to the Seasoned Marksman.

[Guest JyronStone]

Regarding the Aerie Gusts talent: the guide mentions the potential power Flow Rider could grant so long as Tailwind is kept active, but notes the prohibitive 6 second waiting period if you get so much as grazed. Aerie Gusts has synergy that the guide doesn't mention by reducing this to a two seconds downtime, allowing you to get more uptime from Flow Rider even against minor annoyances such as bouncing damage or objective minions. Taking the above post into account, this synergy also results in more potential opportunities to rapidly gain Gathering Storm stacks with Flow Rider's cooldown reduction in spite of these incidental damage ticks.

 

Was this indirect buff overlooked, or merely unmentioned and still considered inferior to Hammer Time/Overdrive for an offensive talent pick?

[Guest Wrexsoul]

Just a quick note: The guide is updated with Mighty Gust as a viable talent choice for level 10, but the level 20 talent choice info still states Wind Tunnel as not being recommended since "Mighty Gust should never be taken". Would be nice if the info regarding Wind Tunnel could be updated since it's a very interesting talent. 

 

Also, it might be gimmicky, but the guide never mentions the potential to single-handedly steal a boss/merc camp from the enemy team using Fly and Mighty Gust (ideally with Wind Tunnel). Fly in as they kill it, Wind Tunnel the opposing team out and cap the camp. 

[Guest Ubernaught]

With the update to the level 10 suggested (gust of wind now being a reccomended choice) the level 20 reccomendations need to be altered.

[Oxygen 446]

Just a quick note: The guide is updated with Mighty Gust as a viable talent choice for level 10, but the level 20 talent choice info still states Wind Tunnel as not being recommended since "Mighty Gust should never be taken". Would be nice if the info regarding Wind Tunnel could be updated since it's a very interesting talent. 

 

Also, it might be gimmicky, but the guide never mentions the potential to single-handedly steal a boss/merc camp from the enemy team using Fly and Mighty Gust (ideally with Wind Tunnel). Fly in as they kill it, Wind Tunnel the opposing team out and cap the camp. 

 

I'll see to it, thanks for the comment.

 

With the update to the level 10 suggested (gust of wind now being a reccomended choice) the level 20 reccomendations need to be altered.

 

Good catch, thanks. I still wouldn't recommend Wind Tunnel over Epic Mount, however.

[Guest drawer]

The Q build (Gathering Storm on 1 and BOOMerang on 7) should now be mentioned in the talent build section? Since it's now heavily used and even preferred by pro players.

[Oxygen 446]

The Q build (Gathering Storm on 1 and BOOMerang on 7) should now be mentioned in the talent build section? Since it's now heavily used and even preferred by pro players.

 

Yup, I run that build myself. I'm in the process of updating all of the older guides, and this update is coming soon™.

[Guest Chris]

Falstad got a major rework, needs updated

[Damien 1,514]

Falstad got a major rework, needs updated

It should be up in a few hours

[Guest Tonamy76]

Both of these builds are trash.  Epic mount for lvl 20?  Way to nerf your damage output.  Also, while Gust may have a 60 second CD vs Blast, it does zero damage which is the point of an assassin.

[Guest Emergenza]

JFYI: Gathering storm (L1) -> the bonus damage by hitting heroes with Hammerang has been decreased to 1,5 / hero (down from 2, as mentioned in your tooltip) =:o)

[Guest Tonamy76]

Both of these builds are terrible.  They may work for a pro level player, but for most average people in bronze/silver, they don't have the personal skillcap to make use of the talents from 10->  Their primary goal should be pure AA damage output.  13 should be giant killer, 16 is useful for chase or run away, but epic mount at 20 is still a joke, nexus frenzy is much more powerful in lower ranks.  It's so frustrating to be in games with players who come here and see these builds then look like a kid on the short bus throwing the game because they can't use them.

[Oxygen 446]

On 8/13/2016 at 1:33 AM, Guest Tonamy76 said:

Both of these builds are terrible.  They may work for a pro level player, but for most average people in bronze/silver, they don't have the personal skillcap to make use of the talents from 10->  Their primary goal should be pure AA damage output.  13 should be giant killer, 16 is useful for chase or run away, but epic mount at 20 is still a joke, nexus frenzy is much more powerful in lower ranks.  It's so frustrating to be in games with players who come here and see these builds then look like a kid on the short bus throwing the game because they can't use them.

The idea of the guide is that it should help you reach that level where you can exploit such builds.

[Guest Waffles]

Mighty Gust is now the only recommended heroic, yet the strategies page still goes on and on about using Hinterlands Blast in team fights, without mentioning Mighty Gust at all.

[Mongrel 1]

I started playing Falstad when I was very new to the game (though a long time veteran of other MOBAs, to be fair). First time I played him I took the ult upgrade for Hinterland Blast. Second time I took Epic Mount, and never looked back. The utility in Epic Mount far outshines every other talent at that level (unless you absolutely need the greater damage output Nexus Frenzy gives you). Even on really small maps the map presence and escape potential Epic Mount gives you is staggering. If you think this guide is bad because it recommends Epic Mount I'd say you don't understand how to take full advantage of the talent. It certainly is less useful if you're not jumping everywhere around the map to soak/take mercs/support team/push/pick off low health heroes fleeing combat/etc and casually avoiding ganks like no one's business.

It is odd, however, that Hinterland Blast is now listed as not recommended though. I find that it's my go-to, with Mighty Gust only being taken when my team lacks good cc, or if we're getting reamed by a dive heavy team. If I were making the guide I'd make Hinterland Blast recommended with Mighty Gust listed as situational, though even with Gust being the recommended ultimate I feel like Blast should at least be situational. It's very powerful and far easier to use, fitting into pretty much every team comp no problem, whereas I've seen inexperienced players hurt their team/help the enemy inadvertently with Gust. 

Edited August 30, 2016 by Mongrel

[Oxygen 446]

On 8/29/2016 at 1:16 AM, Guest Waffles said:

Mighty Gust is now the only recommended heroic, yet the strategies page still goes on and on about using Hinterlands Blast in team fights, without mentioning Mighty Gust at all.

Good point. I'll see to it. Older guides need a bit of a brush up, to be fair.

On 8/30/2016 at 0:29 PM, Mongrel said:

I started playing Falstad when I was very new to the game (though a long time veteran of other MOBAs, to be fair). First time I played him I took the ult upgrade for Hinterland Blast. Second time I took Epic Mount, and never looked back. The utility in Epic Mount far outshines every other talent at that level (unless you absolutely need the greater damage output Nexus Frenzy gives you). Even on really small maps the map presence and escape potential Epic Mount gives you is staggering. If you think this guide is bad because it recommends Epic Mount I'd say you don't understand how to take full advantage of the talent. It certainly is less useful if you're not jumping everywhere around the map to soak/take mercs/support team/push/pick off low health heroes fleeing combat/etc and casually avoiding ganks like no one's business.

It is odd, however, that Hinterland Blast is now listed as not recommended though. I find that it's my go-to, with Mighty Gust only being taken when my team lacks good cc, or if we're getting reamed by a dive heavy team. If I were making the guide I'd make Hinterland Blast recommended with Mighty Gust listed as situational, though even with Gust being the recommended ultimate I feel like Blast should at least be situational. It's very powerful and far easier to use, fitting into pretty much every team comp no problem, whereas I've seen inexperienced players hurt their team/help the enemy inadvertently with Gust. 

Epic mount is epic, as the name implies.

Regarding Gust, I feel like it belongs in any comp. Being able to disengage at will (or force engages, if you fly behind opponents) is simply that valuable. Falstad is currently considered the best hero in the game by all 3 regions, and it is because of Gust entirely. I can't recommend anything else.

[Guest dyd]

There are some interesting variations popping up with how pros build Falstad. Namely how Seasoned Marksman is sometimes taken in the Mage build (or how BOOMerang is taken in AA build, depends on how you look at it).

Pros seem to be taking BOOMerang consistently, even in AA builds (Seasoned Marksman + Hammer Gains + Giant Killer later). Falstad can potentially spend a lot of time solo laning, and BOOMerang dramatically improves his wave clear. With BOOMerang, he also has decent single target burst, which is where Secret Weapon really shines.

Pros seem to like this build (Seasoned Marksman on 1, Hammer Gains / Static Shield on 4, BOOMerang on 7, Giant Killer / Flow Rider on 13), especially in China and Korea.

Also I've never seen them take Updraft on 4. Never.

[Valks 2,375]

On 2/6/2017 at 5:37 AM, Guest dyd said:

Also I've never seen them take Updraft on 4. Never.

I would imagine that it's because Updraft basically is a risk-reward talent. You can fully commit and dive to secure a kill with a burst-oriented build, but you then rely on either your teams competency or more commonly the enemy team's incompetency to retreat. 

It also lets you setup for bigger Gust setups, maybe catching an extra enemy for a second easy pick. Just my two cents!

[Fransoa 25]

Isnt't Hinterland Blast at least a situationally good talent, for when you need more damage. I feel like the 25 second cooldown reduction for each enemy hit is huge, that means that it has 95 seconds cooldown if you hit one target, if you hit 3 or 4 which is somewhat doable, you put it on 45 and 20 seconds CD respectively which is insanely low for an ultimate of these proportions.

[positiv2 953]

10 hours ago, Fransoa said:

Isnt't Hinterland Blast at least a situationally good talent, for when you need more damage. I feel like the 25 second cooldown reduction for each enemy hit is huge, that means that it has 95 seconds cooldown if you hit one target, if you hit 3 or 4 which is somewhat doable, you put it on 45 and 20 seconds CD respectively which is insanely low for an ultimate of these proportions.

It's probably way too situational. In order to have bigger advantage from it than from Mighty Gust, you would need to play against a team full of immobile heroes, your team would have to have a stun/root with a long duration, and you would need to have a lot of luck. The ability itself isn't bad, it's just that Mighty Gust is much better.