Kael'thas Build Guide “Anar'alah belore!”
Welcome to our guide for Kael'thas, a Ranged Assassin in Heroes of the Storm. Within these pages, you will find everything required to understand how best to play this hero, in both different map styles and team compositions.
Kael'thas's Overview
Kael'thas is a Ranged Assassin, with an exceptional overall damage potential. All of his abilities deal AoE damage, severely punishing enemy teams that stand close together. However, Kael'thas is the definition of "glass-cannon"; his low maximum health and total lack of mobility leave him completely exposed to enemy assassins and bruisers.
Kael'thas' Trait mechanic, Verdant Spheres,
allows him to improve the effectiveness of one Basic Ability at a time.
It is important for players to decide which ability should be
empowered and when, as every situation is incredibly different and will
need to be approached accordingly. Try to not waste Verdant Spheres
on an ability simply because it was available, as Kael'thas may immediately
find himself in a dire situation without it.
Kael'thas's Strengths and Weaknesses
Very high single and area damage with appropriate talents
All of his abilities have an AoE component
Gravity Lapse provides crowd control
Excellent waveclear
Phoenix is an exceptional zoning tool
Effective gank during the early game
Has extremely low mobility and survivability
Requires close attention to positioning
Completely Mana dependant
Has difficulty self-peeling enemy Heroes; consistantly requires allies' assistance
Kael'thas's Talent Build Cheatsheet
Standard Flamestrike Build
Recommended The Standard Flamestrike Build focuses on bolstering the damage output and utility
of Flamestrike, providing Kael'thas with an even stronger kit and higher teamfight presence.
It is important for Kael'thas to try to complete the quest portion of Mana Addict
as early as possible, as the reward will grant a massive shield that can be used defensively to help Kael'thas survive teamfights.
Every talent synergizes with eachother in this build which is what makes it so great.
Empowering Flamestrike with
Verdant Spheres is crucial to make it
easier to hit enemy heroes, making great use of either
Ignite or
Fury of the Sunwell.
ARAM Build
ARAMKael'thas's ARAM build is similar to the standard build as the build works very well even in ARAM. Focusing on heavy siege and getting the most out of Flamestrikes makes Kael'thas a desirable pick should you get him in ARAM.
Kael'thas's Synergies and Counters
Kael'thas requires allies who are going to be able to provide him good peel and healing when he is targeted in team fights. A solid frontline with ample crowd-control will help keep enemies at bay, while Healers who can provide a source of Health or damage mitigation can keep him from being immediately picked off.
Kael'thas's Maps














Kael'thas' high AoE and team fight damage cause him to be an incredibly effective pick on smaller maps where fights and skirmishes break out often. His strong waveclear also makes him a valuable pick on maps where quickly killing large amounts of low health targets is vital, such as on Tomb of the Spider Queen, Braxis Holdout, and Infernal Shrines. Kael'thas also favors maps with many narrow pathways and chokepoints. These passages force enemies close to one another and susceptible to Kael'thas' team-wide damage. Try to steer clear of large Battlegrounds with multiple objective locations as this may allow Kael'thas to be isolated and picked off while his team is split-up accross the map.
Kael'thas's Tips and Tricks
- Since Kael'thas lacks any type of mobility, positioning is extremely important. Once an enemy Hero is attacking him, he must rely on his allies to assist him. Protect Kael'thas by being proactive and keeping a distance.
Verdant Spheres should be used with
Living Bomb, followed up with
Flamestrike when Kael'thas needs waveclear.
Gravity Lapse should only be empowered with
Verdant Spheres to catch an enemy Hero hiding behind a minion or to stun multiple enemy Heroes. Empowered
Gravity Lapse can also be useful should you need the extra duration on the stun.
Phoenix can be used to zone enemy Heroes, kill Mercenaries, clear Minion waves, and to siege or defend Forts and Keeps. Its relatively low cooldown encourages Kael'thas to use it liberally.
- Channel
Pyroblast behind walls or Kael'thas' frontline. Try to use it proactively and early in fights, rather than saving it to finish enemies off.
Gravity Lapse is difficult to hit. Take the time needed to land it, as Kael'thas is defenseless if it misses the desired target(s).
Kael'thas's Role in the Current Meta
Kael'thas' sheer amount of damage makes him a good choice for most team
compositions, although his complete lack of mobility requires his team to have
a solid frontline and good
peeling. Otherwise, Heroes like
Zeratul and Tracer
will kill him immediately in every team fight. Kael'thas is exceptionally good
at contesting map objectives and fighting in choke points,
as all of his abilities deal AoE damage. Additionally,
Phoenix can be used either to deal damage or
discourage movement past the affected area, effectively zoning
entire teams from objectives.
While decent during the early game, Kael'thas only really begins to shine once he is able to utilize his Talent selections to deal significantly more damage. Kael'thas should stay as far back as possible and poke with Living Bomb and Flamestrike. Using Living Bomb in the middle of team fights can absolutely decimate the enemy team. Also remember to keep an eye out for the position of enemy Heroes who will attempt to flank Kael'thas. During the late-game, Kael'thas should rarely (if ever) be left alone. This holds true especially against enemy teams that have a highly mobile assassin who will be able to capitalize on Kael'thas' isolated position.
Changelog
- 26 Sep. 2023 (this page): ARAM Build added.
- 20 Jan. 2021 (talents page): Guide has been updated for the Twin Spheres change.
- 22 Dec. 2020 (talents page): Updated Level 4 talents.
- 28 Oct. 2020 (talents page): Updated Sunfire Enchantment's discussion.
- 29 Mar. 2020 (this page): Guide has been reviewed for latest patch and no changes are needed.
- 20 Jan. 2020 (this page): Guide has been updated with the change to Twin Spheres
- 05 Dec. 2019 (this page): Added a note regarding this seasons Anomaly.
- 04 Sep. 2019 (this page): Guide has been reviewed for latest patch and no changes are needed.
- 04 Jun. 2019 (this page): Updated guide.
- 14 May 2018 (this page): Guide updated in accordance with the May 9th Balance Update.
- 24 Mar. 2017 (this page): Moved guide to new format.
More Ranged Assassin Guides
Outofmilk is an avid Heroes of the Storm player, and has been playing this game since the first wave of Alpha invites. He currently plays around the Grandmaster / high Master area and is now here to share his knowledge with you.
- Heroes of the Storm Live Patch Notes: January 27th
- Heroes of the Storm PTR Patch Notes: January 6th
- Dominate Every Map in Heroes of the Storm: Complete Guide
- Heroes of the Storm Live Patch Notes: December 9th
- Heroes of the Storm Updated PTR Patch Notes: November 26th
- Celebrating 30 Years of Warcraft in Heroes of the Storm
- Heroes of the Storm PTR Patch Notes: November 14th
- Heroes of the Storm Patch Notes: October 14th