Heroes of the Storm Gul'dan

[Damien 1,514]

This thread is for comments about our Gul'dan guide for Heroes of the Storm.

[Guest Rampant Hellfire]

Rampant Hellfire stacks with the amount of heroes you hit. If you hit 3 at once you get instantly 3 stacks.

[Micekrispies 4]

On 8/13/2016 at 11:08 AM, Guest Rampant Hellfire said:

Rampant Hellfire stacks with the amount of heroes you hit. If you hit 3 at once you get instantly 3 stacks.

Great point! I completely overlooked that when I made my initial write up. I went ahead and fixed the error as well as made some changes to the talents page for the balance update on August 24th. Thanks for the heads up!

-MK

[Mongrel 1]

In my experience, a more Fel Flame oriented build has worked better. That is to say, Pursuit of Flame level 1, Hunger for Power (or conceivably Bound by Shadow) level 7, Fel Armor if necessary at level 13 (otherwise Healthstone), and Rampant Hellfire level 16. 

I think the build you posted here is probably more powerful for very good Gul'Dan players, but you should maybe include the above build as an "intro to Gul'Dan" build for those newer to the hero. Not only it is waaaaaaay easier (getting the Pursuit of Flame quest to activate is much easier than Corruption since it's on such a short cd), but it also focuses on what should be Gul'Dan's most important spell (Fel Flame) and can still output good damage. It also helps with one of Gul'Dan's biggest weaknesses: range. A 10% bonus isn't anything to write home about, but it does allow Gul'Dan to play just a little safer, which seems paramount for a hero that essentially casts spells with his health, especially for those new to playing him. I wouldn't use it at higher level play, but I also wouldn't use Gul'Dan at higher level play. 

Just some food for thought.

[Guest JIM]

This site has really fallen behind as of late. Does this reflect a waning interest in the game?

[Valks 2,378]

3 hours ago, Guest JIM said:

This site has really fallen behind as of late. Does this reflect a waning interest in the game?

What do you mean? Could you perhaps elaborate on why you believe we have fallen behind?

[positiv2 953]

4 hours ago, Guest JIM said:

This site has really fallen behind as of late. Does this reflect a waning interest in the game?

HotS section is currently being worked on and you should see a revamp soon™ [src]. Make sure to check back every once in a while to see when the revamp is done!

[Micekrispies 4]

Hey Jim,

Would truly love to hear more specific feedback on your thoughts. In regards to the currently available content for Gul'dan, all of it should be up to date. Like Positiv has already mentioned, all of the guides are being updated to the most recent patches alongside being transferred over to an entirely new format. Although I will be out of town away from my computer for a few days (11/10-11/13), Gul'dan is next on my list to transfer and should be good to go shortly! 

-MK

[Guest Vilecat]

Is there a reason why there's no Life Drain build at all?
I see each talent upgrade has notes on Life Drain talents, but I see nothing concrete on how well or bad focusing on Life Drain is. I'm very curious on the matter.

[Micekrispies 4]

On 12/24/2016 at 6:50 AM, Guest Vilecat said:

Is there a reason why there's no Life Drain build at all?
I see each talent upgrade has notes on Life Drain talents, but I see nothing concrete on how well or bad focusing on Life Drain is. I'm very curious on the matter.

Hey VileCat!

In short, the reason there is currently no Drain Life build is that (at the time of this writing) it would be much weaker and easily outclassed by both other build paths, given Gul'dan's role in the meta. With the exception of Devour the Frail, all other Talent options surrounding Drain Life only provide Gul'dan additional utility, not raw damage output. Although there are some very specific situations where the utility provided by one or two of these Talents may benefit Gul'dan, it is often times not worth sacrificing his damage for these talents, especially since his greatest strength lies in his ability to quickly tear apart enemy teams from a distance. Also, Drain Life can be very easily mitigated by the targeted enemy via movement/positioning, stuns, or reliable heals. Putting too much weight into this ability can heavily cripple Gul'dan's overall performance. I'm always open to discussion, so feel free to let me know your thoughts!

Happy Holidays!

-MK

[Guest Vilecat]

Thank you for the answer!

I never went full Life Drain since it's indeed easy to interrupt, but the few talents I'd grab for it would allow me more sustainability, or that's what I feel. I've never been able to constantly harrass with a Fel Flame build with Varian or Butcher ready to jump at me. I have yet to give the Corruption build enough plays to really say how I feel about it. In terms of talents, the build I went for looks like 2, 2, 4, 1, 2, 3, 1.  I guess it's more of an all-around build than Life-drain focused. 

 

[Guest TomahawkNT]

On 12/26/2016 at 10:33 PM, Micekrispies said:

Hey VileCat!

In short, the reason there is currently no Drain Life build is that (at the time of this writing) it would be much weaker and easily outclassed by both other build paths, given Gul'dan's role in the meta. With the exception of Devour the Frail, all other Talent options surrounding Drain Life only provide Gul'dan additional utility, not raw damage output. Although there are some very specific situations where the utility provided by one or two of these Talents may benefit Gul'dan, it is often times not worth sacrificing his damage for these talents, especially since his greatest strength lies in his ability to quickly tear apart enemy teams from a distance. Also, Drain Life can be very easily mitigated by the targeted enemy via movement/positioning, stuns, or reliable heals. Putting too much weight into this ability can heavily cripple Gul'dan's overall performance. I'm always open to discussion, so feel free to let me know your thoughts!

Happy Holidays!

-MK

Hello,

New to the game, but mostly because of Gul'dan during the "play every hero" weekend. The first build I made, and have been sticking with, is the Drain Life build. Admittedly, I'm a newb, but with focus on Drain Life and Darkness Within. 

My reasoning, and strategy, is to utilize minions to keep health/mana as full as possible at all times. Using LIfe Tap to do extra damage, and against Heroes specifically, it heals more due to Harvest Life, allowing you the advantage in a heads up fight, especially if you get them below half for Devour the Frail to kick in. Yes, Heroes can and do walk away from you, but ambushing half-health or lower heroes (even if Gul'dan's health is getting low) works pretty well. Even if they're not quite to half, most don't realize how quickly that ramped up damge from Devour the Frail hits. 

This is just my experience and I've only been playing this weekend. I came here to learn how to use him better, not pretend I know how. That said, I've had better luck with my strategy than the Corruption build, but I think it's a combination of 1) My playstyle and 2) Not enough practice with Corruption. 

I did just want to point out my experience for anyone considering a Drain LIfe build, but unsure how to make it work. My number one advice is to not ignore enemy Minions. They're great fodder to keep Drain Life off CD (resets every time it kills someone), and keeping your health and mana fairly topped off as you go for the heroes/structures to win the game.

[Guest Ferrcrux]

I find that the drain life build is most effective versus enemy compositions that mostly contain divers such as Illidan who can easily dodge your other abilities.  Talenting for drain life allows you undodgeable survivability and damage that can allow you to stall for your team and it is also very effective at baiting enemies who think they have enough dps to kill you.  That said, drain life undoubtedly does less damage than Gul'Dan's other builds, and you don't really want to pick him into a dive comp in the first place.  

[Valks 2,378]

On 1/17/2017 at 7:07 PM, Guest TomahawkNT said:

This is just my experience and I've only been playing this weekend. I came here to learn how to use him better, not pretend I know how. That said, I've had better luck with my strategy than the Corruption build, but I think it's a combination of 1) My playstyle and 2) Not enough practice with Corruption. 

I do think Drain Life is much more forgiving, especially with the ability to reset on minions as you said. You are basically a walking fountain of mana and HP, so there is much more room for error/sustainability, which I'm sure appeals to many.

[Valks 2,378]

On 1/18/2017 at 2:21 AM, Guest Ferrcrux said:

I find that the drain life build is most effective versus enemy compositions that mostly contain divers such as Illidan who can easily dodge your other abilities.  Talenting for drain life allows you undodgeable survivability and damage that can allow you to stall for your team and it is also very effective at baiting enemies who think they have enough dps to kill you.  That said, drain life undoubtedly does less damage than Gul'Dan's other builds, and you don't really want to pick him into a dive comp in the first place.  

As you've said, it's basically just there to serve as a sustain build. You sit there as a big green pool of mana and health, acting as an irritating wall for the enemy team to overcome. 

If you're looking for pure damage though, it's definitely better to go for one of the other builds.

[tomahawknt 0]

I made an account, but used the same name as my Guest TomahawkNT. 

Thanks for the responses. I can definitely see what you're saying. Even without talenting, I've noticed Corruption doing decent damage compared to Drain Life. There definitely seems to be a split between his talent choices. As a beginner I'm definitely more inclined to Drain LIfe because it's easier, but after playing more I see how you guys mean that Corruption does TONS more damage. So while I might be living longer with DL, I'm definitely not helping my team as much.

 

Thanks all.

[Valks 2,378]

1 hour ago, tomahawknt said:

I made an account, but used the same name as my Guest TomahawkNT. 

Welcome to the forums! :D

1 hour ago, tomahawknt said:

As a beginner I'm definitely more inclined to Drain LIfe because it's easier, but after playing more I see how you guys mean that Corruption does TONS more damage. 

This is pretty much the key difference. Drain Life is far more forgiving, so people default towards that build. Anyway, glad to see that you've come around and joined the Corruption builders! 

[Fransoa 25]

I've been playing Gul'dan recently and he seems really strong, isnt he a bit op?

Anyway he is like an overkill mix of an assassin and specialist, providing tons of damage, waveclear and some CC. I always got to be the top or 2nd Siege and Hero Damage dealer.

I've been going solely with the Fel Flame Build, the corruption build seems like such a waste, I mean, its basically the same playstyle and roughly the same damage numbers untill you pick the level 16 talent but getting those corruption stacks seem so hard.

The level 4 talent Improved Life Tap is amazing, I wouldnt drop that for nothing as beside the health that you use to get mana, Life Tap also has a short cooldown so you cant double tap it.

I think Blizzard knew how much damage he can do so they didnt even want to give him Bolt of the Storm at level 20, they instead gave him a shitter version of it :)))

[positiv2 953]

14 hours ago, Fransoa said:

I've been playing Gul'dan recently and he seems really strong, isnt he a bit op?

Anyway he is like an overkill mix of an assassin and specialist, providing tons of damage, waveclear and some CC. I always got to be the top or 2nd Siege and Hero Damage dealer.

I've been going solely with the Fel Flame Build, the corruption build seems like such a waste, I mean, its basically the same playstyle and roughly the same damage numbers untill you pick the level 16 talent but getting those corruption stacks seem so hard.

The level 4 talent Improved Life Tap is amazing, I wouldnt drop that for nothing as beside the health that you use to get mana, Life Tap also has a short cooldown so you cant double tap it.

I think Blizzard knew how much damage he can do so they didnt even want to give him Bolt of the Storm at level 20, they instead gave him a shitter version of it :)))

I love Gul'dan as well, though I feel like I'm a bit too trigger happy when it comes to Life Tap. Have you got any tips about when (not) to tap? I'm never quite able to strike the balance.

Corruption build is more reliant on positioning, but is very powerful as well. Try to pay more attention to your position and you will find yourself dealing huge amounts of damage in teamfights.

[Fransoa 25]

21 hours ago, positiv2 said:

I love Gul'dan as well, though I feel like I'm a bit too trigger happy when it comes to Life Tap. Have you got any tips about when (not) to tap? I'm never quite able to strike the balance.

Corruption build is more reliant on positioning, but is very powerful as well. Try to pay more attention to your position and you will find yourself dealing huge amounts of damage in teamfights.

Well it's basically not when to tap but when to use spells, I tend to spam Fel Flame a lot but if it won't hit anyone it's better not to use it, same goes for E, I try and hit it on at least 2 targets in extended team fights. If you aren't getting value out of your spells it means you'll consume life for nothing.

Also I'd take Health stone unless they have extremely scary bursters like li-ming, nova. Against Zagara, enemy tanks and supports it's a battle of attrition, who can last longer. 

[Valhalen 1,484]

11 hours ago, Fransoa said:

Well it's basically not when to tap but when to use spells, I tend to spam Fel Flame a lot but if it won't hit anyone it's better not to use it, same goes for E, I try and hit it on at least 2 targets in extended team fights. If you aren't getting value out of your spells it means you'll consume life for nothing.

Also I'd take Health stone unless they have extremely scary bursters like li-ming, nova. Against Zagara, enemy tanks and supports it's a battle of attrition, who can last longer. 

To complement, I'd like to note that Gul'dan really shines when he has a pocket healer, particularly Malfurion; their synergy is amazing, as Malfurion sustained healing keeps Gul'dan on his toes, and Innervate means less Life Taps. Also, Entangling Roots makes very easy to hit all of Gul'dan's abilities.

Edited April 8, 2017 by Valhalen

[hammadroppa 2]

Malfurion is always a nice healer to have as Gul'dan.  Auriel is absolutely my favorite though.  You compliment each other so well.  Also, corruption build is focused more on burst damage while Fel Flame is more sustained damage.  Drain Life builds might work at lower ranks if enemies can't interrupt you or lack focus but I'd generally advise against it.

[Valhalen 1,484]

18 hours ago, hammadroppa said:

Malfurion is always a nice healer to have as Gul'dan.  Auriel is absolutely my favorite though.  You compliment each other so well.  Also, corruption build is focused more on burst damage while Fel Flame is more sustained damage.  Drain Life builds might work at lower ranks if enemies can't interrupt you or lack focus but I'd generally advise against it.

I main Auriel, and they indeed work well. Gul'dan provides quick energy under the effects of Bestow Hope. But I still think Malfurion and Gul'dan are a BFF pair. Auriel works better with bursty heroes with high spike damage, like Jaina, Li-Ming and Kael'thas.

[Farbas 5]

I'm using this build and I'd like to have some feedback, I'm trying to balance it and have a bit of everything, but the idea is more about sustained damage.
Is the increased area of Pursuit of Flame really worth it? It seems really small and maybe a damage bonus on Corruption is better?

[positiv2 953]

5 hours ago, Farbas said:

I'm using this build and I'd like to have some feedback, I'm trying to balance it and have a bit of everything, but the idea is more about sustained damage.
Is the increased area of Pursuit of Flame really worth it? It seems really small and maybe a damage bonus on Corruption is better?

Even though 10% radius increase is somewhat small, it means a 21% area increase, which is not that small anymore.

Fel Flame can eat through your mana quite easily, and sometimes getting a Corruption in there can be difficult without having to tap. This makes the quest rather hard to complete, so it is better to take a 21% area increase over a quest talent that you might not be able to complete. However, if your playstyle allows getting a few Corruption casts, feel free to take Echoed Corruption.