Mephisto Talents
Welcome to our Talents page for Mephisto. Here, we give you an overview of how strong each of Mephisto's talents is. Then, we present several viable builds, before analyzing each talent row separately, so that you can make informed decisions.
Mephisto's Talent Build
Level | Choices |
---|---|
1 |
![]() ![]() ![]() |
4 |
![]() ![]() ![]() |
7 |
![]() ![]() ![]() |
10 |
![]() ![]() |
13 |
![]() ![]() ![]() |
16 |
![]() ![]() ![]() |
20 |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Mephisto's Talent Build Cheatsheet
Skull Missile Build
RecommendedThe Skull Missile build focuses on buffing up Mephisto's Skull Missile. Through the level 1 Quest, we get an extra charge of Skull Missile. Combination with the later Talents turns Mephisto into a Hero with strong burst capabilities. The core strength of the build shows up at level 16; should you have the level 1 quest completed, everytime you dive in and are able to land your abilities, you turn Mephisto into a Skull Missile machine-gun.
Standard Lightning Nova Build
AdvancedThe Lightning Nova focuses heavily on sticking to your enemies with your Nova,
rewarding you greatly for doing so.
Frost Storm makes it much
easier to keep Lightning Nova applied to enemies for maximum damage,
but any of the Level 7 options can be very useful depending on the team compositions.
Shard of Hate helps out with reducing the
basic ability cooldowns of Mephisto, allowing
you to dive in more often with
Shade of Mephisto.
Static Field greatly enhances the damage and
effective area of Lightning Nova. Once Mephisto has
Mimic, it becomes possible for him to completely
reset the cooldowns of Lightning Nova and Shade of Mephisto. At this point,
his Health and Mana are the only things limiting his ability to keep two
Lightning Novas active throughout a team fight.
Level 1 Talents for Mephisto


Quest: Hit Heroes with Skull Missile.
Reward: After hitting 20 Heroes, increase Skull Missile's damage by 100.
Reward: After hitting 40 Heroes, Skull Missile gains an additional charge.


Every 3rd hit from Lightning Nova against the same target deals 65 (+4% per level) bonus damage and grants Mephisto 2 Mana.


Shade of Mephisto grants 25% Spell Power while active and for 2.5 seconds after ending.
If Mephisto hits enemy Heroes at least 18 times with his Basic Abilities while Shade of Mephisto is active, then increase the duration of the Spell Power bonus to 10 seconds after it ends.
Discussion
Unyielding Power is a quest that enhances
Skull Missile upon completion of its components.
It significantly increases Skull Missile's damage and lowers its cooldown.
This Talent is a key piece for a Skull Missile Build.
Furious Spark is a great way to increase the damage
of
Lightning Nova. It is very easy to trigger the
bonus damage against most Heroes. This is especially true against lumbering
frontline Warriors. Furious Spark is recommended Talent to go at level 1 as
it gives the most damage increase.
Malicious Intent is an interesting option here.
The instantly gained Spell power is decent, however, it lasts for a very short duration.
Adding in the condition to hit enemy Heroes 18 times to extend the duration makes it
a tough choice compared to the other two Talents.
The damage increase provided by Furious Spark and Unyielding Power
makes it so Malicious Intent is never worth picking.
Level 4 Talents for Mephisto


Skull Missile grants 10 Mana and heals Mephisto for 70% of the damage it deals to Heroes.


At the end of its duration, Lightning Nova grants Mephisto a Shield equal to 40% of the damage it dealt to Heroes. Lasts 5 seconds.


Increase Regeneration Globe healing duration by 150%. Every tick of Regeneration Globe healing activates Lord of Hatred, reducing Basic Ability cooldowns by 1 second.
Discussion
Hateful Mending is a healing option that is tied to
Skull Missile. The healing provided by this Talent is very low when
compared to Spite and lacks the utility. Hateful mending should not be picked at all.
Static Barrier is very strong, as it will give you
a Shield when you need it most. You will often be trading damage with enemy
Heroes when Lightning Nova is used. With this Talent you will be able to stay
on the offensive, when you would otherwise need to relent. Static Barrier
provides Mephisto with self-sustain during combat, and is recommended for this
reason.
While Spite itself reads as healing
duration, it also increases the Mana Regeneration duration.
This allows you to poke more often during
the laning phase and you will find yourself very rarely having to hearthstone
back to regenerate Mana. Regeneration Globes will also activate
Lord Of Hatred.
Level 7 Talents for Mephisto


Shade of Mephisto grants 25 Armor while active and for 2.5 seconds after it ends.


While Shade of Mephisto is active, enemies who are hit by Lightning Nova are Slowed by 15% for 1 second and the Slow from Skull Missile is increased to 50%.


Shade of Mephisto grants 20% Movement Speed while active and for 2.5 seconds after it ends.
If Mephisto hits enemy Heroes at least 18 times with his Basic Abilities while Shade of Mephisto is active, then reset the cooldown of Shade of Mephisto.
Discussion
All Talents at Level 7 are great for Mephisto and tie down to certain situations or enemy compositions.
Ghastly Armor should be picked
if the enemy composition has Heroes that either counter you
or are able to dish out alot of damage because you teleported into them.
Abilities like
Living Bomb that do damage after shade
has ended makes Ghastly Armor a great Talent.
Frost Storm will allow you to greatly reduce the
Movement Speed of enemy Heroes hit by Skull Missile. It also Slows enemies near
Lightning Nova. This Talent is great if the enemy composition is stacked up
or if they have Heroes with semi-decent mobility.
Trickery is the most offensive option here,
because the increased Movement Speed makes it much easier to apply Lightning
Nova to enemy Heroes. This Talent is great if the enemy composition consists of
Heroes with great mobility that you would need to chase down with your Abilities.
Level 10 Talents for Mephisto


- Mana: 80
- Cooldown: 120 seconds
Channel for 2.5 seconds, revealing all enemy Heroes. After the Channel completes, all enemy Heroes take 357 (+4% per level) damage and are Slowed by 25% for 2.5 seconds.


- Mana: 50
- Cooldown: 50 seconds
After 1 second, unleash a wave of evil spirits that Root the first enemy Hero hit for 2.5 seconds and deal 250 (+4% per level) damage to them over the same duration.
Durance of Hate spreads outwards from its initial target, Rooting and damaging additional nearby enemy Heroes.
Discussion
In this section we discuss when and why to pick a given Heroic Ability. If you want to read how they work in detail and/or you are looking for some tips on how to use them, check them out on the Abilities and Strategy page.
Consume Souls will damage, Slow, and reveal
all enemy Heroes. This can only be avoided by
Heroes that can prevent damage with Shields, enter Stasis, or temporarily exit
the Map. It is an extremely reliable effect, and works well with most
Heroic Ability chains. This Talent is also great for when enemy Heroes
manage to slither out with a tiny amount of Health, allowing you to safely get a kill.
Durance of Hate is a great Talent and allows
your team to follow-up on a target you hit with Durance of Hate.
Durance of Hate will also spread out from the initial target, allowing Mephisto
to Root several targets if used correctly. This Talent alone can be
the difference of a lost or won teamfight.
Level 13 Talents for Mephisto


Hitting a Hero with Skull Missile grants 25% Spell Power for 6 seconds. Skull Missile deals 40% more damage to Heroes under 50% Health.


Lord of Hatred also reduces the cooldown of Mephisto's Heroic Ability. Mephisto is healed for 15% of his maximum Health and Mana when he casts his Heroic Ability.


Basic Attacks hit enemies near the primary target and activate Lord of Hatred against enemy Heroes, reducing Basic Ability cooldowns by 1 second per Hero hit.
Discussion
Abhorred Skull grants Spell Power whenever an enemy
Hero is hit by Skull Missile, and the extra damage to an enemy Hero below
50% Health adds a little bit of extra damage to Skull Missile.
Most Skull Missile Talents only work well as part
of a Skull Missile Build, but this Talent can be very strong in other Builds
as well.
Hysteria allows you to reduce your Heroic cooldown
with Lord of Hatred. Hysteria has great synergy with Mephisto's level 4 Talent
Spite,
meaning every healing tick from Regneration Globes also reduces the cooldown of your Heroic Ability.
This pairs greatly with both Consume Souls and Durance of Hate, allowing you to cast
them more often throughout a game.
Shard of Hate causes your Basic Attacks to trigger Lord of Hatred and
splash to enemy Heroes nearby the initial target. This is a great Talent for both
waveclearing and teamfighting. In teamfights Shard of Hate will
allowing you to further reduce the cooldown of your Basic Abilities
and will greatly increase the damage you can dish out during a Shade.
Level 16 Talents for Mephisto


Skull Missile explodes on contact with Lightning Nova, dealing 138 (+4% per level) damage to nearby enemies.


When Lightning Nova's damage bonus reaches 30%, enemy Heroes within its radius take damage equal to 10% of their maximum Health.


Increase the duration of Lightning Nova by 1 second and the maximum amount of bonus damage it can deal from 30% to 42%.
Discussion
Lightning Reaction is quite strong when it works.
The issue with it is the difficulty of getting it to work when (and where) you
need it to. Skull Missile is a slow moving projectile that is launched from the
casting location after a relatively long delay. A lot can change from the time
you cast it, to the time it arrives were you wanted it to go. It may be helpful
to practice with this Talent in Try Mode, where you can disable cooldowns and
get a feel for it more quickly.
Static Field can generate huge bursts of damage,
especially when multiple enemy Heroes are hit by its effect. Static Field will
damage all enemy Heroes within Lightning Nova's radius, not just the enemies
hit by Lightning Nova. When picking Static Field, it is important to focus on hitting
multiple targets with your Nova to trigger Static Field.
Animosity is an interesting way to increase
Lightning Nova's damage. Animosity falls just short of Static Field, primarily
because it does not damage enemies inside of Lightning Nova.
Level 20 Talents for Mephisto


Consume Souls deals bonus damage equal to 10% of the target's missing Health. If Consume Souls initial cast kills a Hero it will cast 1 additional time.


Durance of Hate Silences enemies while they are Rooted and for 3 seconds after its Root expires.


While both Shade of Mephisto and Lightning Nova are active, Lightning Nova also casts from the Shade's location.


- Cooldown: 20 seconds
Activate to swap locations with Shade of Mephisto and refresh its duration.
Passive: Shade of Mephisto benefits from all of Mephisto's level 7 Talents.
Discussion
Consumed by Hatred turns
Consume Souls into a global execute that repeats if a
Hero is killed by the initial blast. When picking this Talent, it is
very important to time your Consume Soul so that you kill an enemy Hero with it,
allowing you to get a free Consume Souls in.
Unspeakable Horror is an extremely powerful upgrade
for Durance of Hate, but this value can be lost if Durance of Hate does not hit
an enemy Hero.
Mimic makes it possible to cast two Lightning
Novas at the same time. Thanks to
Lord Of Hatred, this
will often reset all of your Basic Abilities. Mimic is very powerful when
combined with
Static Barrier and
Static Field. This would be the most recommended
Talent due to the damage increase Mimic will give you.
Shade Lord is a great survivability Talent for
Mephisto, as it turns Shade of Mephisto into a proper escape. In addition, it
opens up many plays that are not otherwise possible, however, due to not being a pure damage
upgrade unlike the other Talents, it does not see much play.
Changelog
- 07 Mar. 2021: Guide has been updated with talents and builds.
- 06 Dec. 2020: Guide has been updated with a new build. Changed Lightning Nova build talents.
- 09 Nov. 2020: Guide has been reviewed and no changes are needed.
- 19 Jul. 2020: Guide has been reviewed no changes are needed.
- 14 Apr. 2020: Updated talents and build.
- 12 Jul. 2019: Removed reference to Talent "Anger" which was removed in balance patch. Updated text on rebalanced Talents.
- 26 Nov. 2018: Updated Talent discussion to reflect meta developments.
- 12 Sep. 2018: Updated Talent discussion to reflect meta developments.
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