Raynor Talents

Level	Choices
1	✓ ? ?
4	✓ ✘︎ ?
7	✘︎ ? ✓
10	? ✓
13	✓ ? ?
16	✓ ? ✘︎
20	? ✓ ? ✘︎ ✘︎

Exterminator has no value when fighting other Heroes, as it only boosts Raynor's damage against PvE targets. However, when you need extra PvE damage, or in maps like Battlefield of Eternity or Infernal Shrines, Exterminator will be very impactful. Be aware that with it, Inspire stays permanently on Minions and Mercenaries, so it might be useful to boost a mercenary camp right after it is captured.

Veteran Marksman is a risky choice, and should only be picked if the opposing team does not feature several threats to Raynor. Only get this Talent if you are very confident in your own ability, because it will fall behind the other 2 options very quickly after each death.

Ace In The Hole slightly improves Raynor's teamfight presence. The extra damage provided by it is very noticeable, and the slow will slightly increase Raynor's kiting capabilities. This is a good Talent overall, but it competes with Exterminator, which is an excellent choice to improve your macro power. We recommend picking Ace In The Hole if you already have good waveclear in your team.

Fight or Flight adds 25 Armor for 3 seconds whenever Raynor activates Adrenaline Rush. 3 seconds is more than necessary to make Raynor much harder to take down. The lowered Cooldown on Adrenaline Rush is a nice bonus to have for sure. It is the default Talent for this tier, because it covers Raynor's main weakness, being dived.

Sustaining Rounds is too unreliable compared to the other talents, as it usually does not give Raynor any value if he is pressured (and thus cannot use Basic Attacks) or Blinded by an enemy.

Behemoth Armor provides Raynor with a useful amount of bonus health. Moreover, stacking this talent is usually not that hard. In most games the overall health value will be between 500 and 700 bonus health, which makes Raynor more resilient and also boosts the healing value of Adrenaline Rush, since it scales with Raynor's maximum health. However, we only recommend this Talent if opposing team has no burst damage. If they do, Fight or Flight will be a better option.

Heavy Slugs is an underwhelming Talent. While it increases Penetrating Round's slow, Unstable Compound will greatly reduce its cooldown, and therefore, will always be more effective.

Differently from Fight or Flight, Fuel The Rush is only good when combined with other Adrenaline Rush-oriented Talents. Therefore, we only recommend it if you are going to empower Adrenaline Rush at other Levels.

Unstable Compound is one of the most versatile talents in Raynor's tree. Not only does it expand the area of Give 'Em Some Pepper but it also provides consistent Mana gain and Cooldown reduction on Penetrating Round. Be aware that the Cooldown is reduced based on each Hero hit by Give 'Em Some Pepper, so each empowered shot should be aimed where several enemies are located.

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.

Hyperion is a very useful Heroic Ability when it comes to zoning enemies from Map Objectives. Furthermore, Hyperion is an excellent pushing tool, which greatly aids in taking down enemy Structures. However, refrain from using Hyperion carelessly, as its long Cooldown makes misuse very unforgiving.

Raynor's Raider provides great single-target damage and allows Raynor to hunt down retreating opponents very efficiently. Combined with his dangerous Basic Attacks, the Banshee can take down enemy Heroes from a safe distance. However, make sure to manually reassign a new target if needed and always try to keep track of your Banshee's health.

Line 'Em Up's Cooldown reduction on Penetrating Round feels good, and pairs very well with Unstable Compound and Paint Them Red.

Giddy-Up provides Raynor with a noticeable Movement Speed while mounted and unmounted. This makes up for the lack of escape mechanisms Raynor's kit suffers from, while also greatly improving his kite capabilities.

Give Me More! is the only Talent to increase Raynor's self-sustain at this tier. It is a good choice if you need the extra safety provided by it. However, if you are planning to get Paint Them Red at level 16, it will be better to reduce Penetrating Round's Cooldown through Line 'Em Up instead.

Paint Them Red provides Raynor with an incredible amount of self-sustain while also increasing his AoE damage. It will be good in all games, but it excels with Talents that reduce Penetrating Round's Cooldown, like Unstable Compound or Line 'Em Up. Focus on using Penetrating Round to hit 2 or 3 enemies, so you will get more heal from this Talent.

Rallying Cry greatly increases Raynor's DPS. This Talent is a great option when paired with other Inspire Talents, as it will be activated much more often. However, in some games it may be wiser to get Paint Them Red instead, as it will give you much more survivability.

Bounty Hunter is good against high-health Warriors and protects Raynor with additional Armor. We consider Bounty Hunter a winmore Talent, since it will only be good in very specific situations where enemies cannot kill you at all.

Cavalry's Arrived's extra damage during hyperion is an interesting addition, and the extra Cooldown reduction may be excellent on maps with long fights inside an objective, such as Volskaya Foundry and Infernal Shrines. However, if you are being constantly targeted, we recommend getting Raiders Roll instead.

Dusk Wing is a great Level 20 upgrade for Raynor's Raider. It makes the Banshee much easier to navigate, as it covers a greater distance. Despite that, the armor reduction provided by it is excellent to disrupt the enemy frontline, because they will have -30 armor for the whole fight, as long as the Raider is alive.

Raiders Roll greatly increase Raynor's resistance to burst damage and crowd controls. It is a good choice if you are being targeted often, as it can even triple the Healing from Adrenaline Rush.

Sergeant Pepper is an underwhelming Talent, the small extra DPS provided by it cannot compare to its counterparts. If you are looking for more damage, we recommend picking Cavalry's Arrived or Dusk Wing, as these will add more damage and utility to your team.

Execute Orders is a strange Talent to have, as it is only valuable if you die. At Level 20 and beyond, a death may result in an objective capture, which can easily finish the match. Therefore, we do not recommend this Talent.