Imperius Abilities and Strategy

• Molten Armor is very strong in a 1-versus-1 situation, as it focuses all of its damage on the same target.
• Angelic Armaments can be used to take down enemy Heroes, so do not hesitate to use the activatable component if you do not have to worry about getting damaged.
• Celestial Charge can be used to impale and Stun several enemies at once, however, keep in mind that Imperius cannot move during the animation.
• Molten Armor can be activated while Imperius is impaling enemies with Celestial Charge to maximize his damage output.
• Stutter-stepping is crucial when playing Imperius in order to maximize Valorous Brand's damage output.
• To improve Imperius's waveclear, use Solarion's Fire when the enemy Minion wave is lined up in a straight line.
• The closer your target is from you, the easier it is to hit Celestial Charge. If you aim Celestial charge very close to Imperius, it will hit enemies much sooner, because there will be no time spent moving towards the enemy.

Celestial Charge (Q) Imperius

• Mana: 40
• Cooldown: 10 seconds

Lunge towards a targeted direction and stab, dealing 35 (+4% per level) damage. If an enemy Hero is hit, Channel to Stun for 1 second and deal 80 (+4% per level) additional damage when it fully finishes.

Celestial Charge is Imperius's main gap closer, allowing him to catch up to fleeing enemy Heroes and impaling them on his spear. It is absolutely mandatory to aim this ability with diligence, as its hitbox is relatively small.

Celestial Charge can be used both offensively and defensively. It can be a great offensive tool to dive for enemy Heroes, locking them down, and allowing your allies to finish them off. By the same token, however, it can also be used defensively on engaging enemy Warriors or Assassins to peel for allies in trouble.

Solarion's Fire (W) Imperius

• Mana: 50
• Cooldown: 8 seconds

Release a fiery wave that deals 110 (+4% per level) damage. Enemies hit by the center take 50% bonus damage and are Slowed by 40% for 3 seconds.

Solarion's Fire provides Imperius with much needed waveclear, especially in the solo-lane. It can be used against Minion waves or enemy Heroes to poke them from a safe distance. Make sure to hit as many enemies as possible with the center of Solarion Fire's projectile to maximize its damage output.

Molten Armor (E) Imperius

• Mana: 75
• Cooldown: 12 seconds

Shroud Imperius in flames for 3 seconds, striking a nearby enemy for 19 (+4% per level) damage every 0.25 seconds. Imperius heals for 50% of the damage dealt, increased to 100% against Heroes.

Molten Armor is an important self-heal source and should be used during team fights to keep Imperius alive for as long as possible. This ability also turns Imperius into one of the strongest duelist in the game due to the fact that all of its damage gets focused on the singular target Imperius is dueling.

If used with Basic Attacks in between to consume Valorous Brand's marks, Molten Armor will provide an incredible amount of healing on Imperius, allowing him to march forward towards the enemy team. The only major downside of this ability, however, is its relatively long cooldown. Furthermore, its healing output is somewhat underwhelming if used only against non-Heroic targets and should thus be mainly used against Heroic enemies if possible.

In this section we discuss how this Heroic Ability works and give some tips on how to use it. If you are looking for a detailed explanation on when and why you should pick it, check out the dedicated section in the Talent Build page.

Angelic Armaments (R) Imperius

• Heroic
• Mana: 70
• Cooldown: 70 seconds

Summon a ring of blazing swords that grants 850 (+4% per level) Shield for 3 seconds.

If the Shield lasts the full duration, this ability can be reactivated within 5 seconds to launch 6 swords toward an area, each dealing 140 (+4% per level) damage to the first enemy hit.

Angelic Armaments can be used in two ways to empower Imperius's combat performance during team fights.

Firstly, it can be used as a so-called panic-button to provide strong self protection during team fights thanks to the massive Shield it grants. Combined with the strong self-sustain deriving from consuming Valorous Brand's marks and using Molten Armor, Angelic Armament's shield can buy enough time for the self-heal to bring back enough health for Imperius to continue fighting.

Secondly, it can be used to damage and potentially execute damaged enemy Heroes by shooting Angelic Armament's swords towards the target's location. Firing the swords follows similar mechanics as Li-Ming's Magic Missiles, requiring you to aim at the desired location with all swords launching towards it at once. If aimed properly, this Heroic Ability can deal a terrifying amount of damage.

In this section we discuss how this Heroic Ability works and give some tips on how to use it. If you are looking for a detailed explanation on when and why you should pick it, check out the dedicated section in the Talent Build page.

Wrath of the Angiris (R) Imperius

• Heroic
• Mana: 80
• Cooldown: 80 seconds

After 0.75 seconds, charge in the target direction, lifting the first enemy Hero hit into the Heavens. While in the air, Imperius can steer the landing location by moving.

After 2 seconds, slam the target into the ground, dealing 250 (+4% per level) damage to them, increased by 20% for each Valorous Brand on the target when landing, and Stunning them for 1 second.

Wrath of the Angiris enables Imperius to dash to effectively remove one enemy Hero from combat for a short period of time. Combined with the re-location upon landing, this can be very impactful and allow your team to finish off an enemy Hero with great ease. However, this Heroic Ability requires precise timing and execution, as it comes with a short channeled activation timer. Thus, if used too early or too late, Wrath of the Angiris can get interrupted by enemy Heroes, or miss completely if no enemy Hero is hit.

Upon landing, the enemy Hero who got caught by Wrath of the Angiris will take some damage, increased by 20% for each Valorous Brand's mark on them. The duration of Valorous Brand's marks is not paused while Imperius is in the air, so they could expire before landing, resulting in less damage done.

Valorous Brand (D) Imperius

• Passive
• Cooldown: 25 seconds

Each Basic Ability marks enemy Heroes hit for 10 seconds. Basic Attacks consume the target's marks, dealing 20% bonus damage per mark and healing for 75 (+4% per level) per mark.

Imperius's Trait provides him with a powerful combination of self-sustain and bonus damage. The important requirement to get maximum value from this Trait is smart timing and positioning to get as many Basic Attacks in as possible. Due to the 10-second time window that Valorous Brand's marks stay active on enemy Heroes, Imperius can use his abilities to spread the brands on multiple targets, enabling him to consecutively deal bonus damage throughout a team fight.