Deathwing Build Guide “All will burn beneath the shadow of my wings!”

Deathwing is a melee Bruiser with various ranged Abilities that also make him a threat to be reckoned with from larger distances. His massive dragon form renders him resistant to enemy crowd control, however, it also prevents any form of healing or Shielding on him.

He excels at dealing dangerous burst damage onto his foes, however, most of his Abilities have a rather slow casting animation, allowing most opponents to dodge them if they are not impaired in their movement. Thus, Deathwing is a heavy hitter that is somewhat reliant on his teammates to pave the way for his impactful damage Abilities by using crowd control effects on enemy Heroes.

Strengths

• Outstanding burst damage
• Immune to any form of crowd control
• Global re-deployment thanks to Dragonflight
• Great at pushing and sieging enemy Structures

Weaknesses

• Cannot be affected by allies' buffs or healing
• Slow casting animations
• Poor in-combat mobility
• Weak against high mobility Heroes

Molten Flame Build

Recommended

Level 1 ?

Level 4

Level 7

Level 10 ?

Level 13

Level 16

Level 20

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Deathwing's Molten Flame Build empowers the damage you can deal from the distance to enemy Heroes caught within Molten Flame for a few seconds.

The damage comes from the combination of multiple Talents that empower the same Basic Ability: Infernus at Level 4, Wicked Inferno at Level 13, and Conflagration at Level 16.

When playing this Build, you should heavily prefer World Breaker Form.

Basic Attacks Build

Situational

Level 1

Level 4

Level 7

Level 10 ?

Level 13

Level 16

Level 20

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Deathwing's Basic Attacks Build makes you harder to kill and increases your damage at the same time, especially when you can fight at melee range.

The combination of Dragon Soul at Level 1 and Heat Wave at Level 4 boosts your damage and survivability during the early game and after.

In the mid game, Fire and Fury at Level 13 further empowers Deathwing's overall power when fighting at melee range.

While transitioning to the late game, you gain access to Elementium Plating at Level 16 that increases your survivability even more.

When playing this Build, you should use Destroyer Form when you can play aggressively or World Breaker Form when you have to play defensively or poke.

Dragonflight Build

Situational

Level 1

Level 4

Level 7

Level 10

Level 13

Level 16

Level 20

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Deathwing's Dragonflight Build is a powerful choice for games where you can safely land on top of enemy Heroes with Destroyer after your Tank engages.

The combination of Dragon Soul at Level 1 and Heat Wave at Level 4 boost your damage and survivability during the early game and after.

In the mid game, Fire and Fury at Level 13 further empowers Deathwing's overall power when fighting at melee range.

The key Talents of this Build, however, are Death Drop at Level 7 increasing the damage dealt by allied Heroes and Gaze Onto Destruction at Level 16 reducing the damage dealt by enemy Heroes while also Slowing them.

When playing this Build, you should heavily prefer Destroyer Form, especially when landing from Dragonflight.

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Deathwing synergizes with

It is hard to find Heroes that naturally synergize with Deathwing, since he cannot be buffed or enhanced in any way. However, there are some Heroes, usually crowd control heavy Tanks, that can make it easier for Deathwing to land his devastating damage Abilities. Consequently, we find Heroes like E.T.C., Johanna, or Arthas to be a fitting match, since their Stuns and Slows can buy enough time for Deathwing to wipe the opposing team off the battlefield.

Deathwing is countered by

Because of Deathwing's health, size, and low mobility, there are two types of Heroes that counter him very well. Firstly, percentage-based damage abilities, such as Tychus' Minigun or Greymane's Cursed Bullet inflict a lot of damage on Deathwing's high health pool. Secondly, nimble Assassins like Zeratul, Valla, or Tracer have an easy time dodging and thus diminishing a lot of Deathwing's damage due to long casting animations on most of his abilities.

Deathwing's stronger maps

Deathwing's average maps

Deathwing's weaker maps

None

Deathwing excels on maps that feature a pushing Map Objective, such as Alterac Pass, Braxis Holdout, or Infernal Shrine. Furthermore, he usually performs better on larger maps that allow his Dragonflight to have global impact.

• Most of your damaging abilities have a significant casting delay until they hit. Take this into consideration and aim accordingly.
• Deathwing can only restore lost Armor Plates by using Dragonflight.
• On push-heavy maps such as Tomb of the Spider Queen or Towers of Doom, Burn Beneath My Shadow at Level 10 is a good choice. Use Cataclysm shortly before a Structure is about to fall to maximize value of the talent.
• When fighting melee Heroes, Destroyer Form is recommended. Against ranged Heroes, World Breaker's long distance abilities have an edge.
• Despite Deathwing being such a massive combatant, it is often wiser to avoid direct combat and reposition him globally via Dragonflight and push a lane away from the enemy team.

Deathwing is a Hero that defies standard limitations and requirements. As an entity that cannot be put to stop by crowd control on the one hand, but also does not get affected by any allied buffs or heals on the other hand, he is best played on push-heavy Maps like Alterac Pass, Infernal Shrines, and other Maps with a moving Objective. Here, Deathwing can make best use of his devastating area of effect Abilities to secure the Objective and make sure that the ensuing push will have a significant impact. Cataclysm, by itself, can wreak absolute havoc in the enemy ranks next to a charging Cavalry Unit on Alterac Pass or a pushing Punisher on Infernal Shrines.

As a Deathwing player, it is important to remember that you are the architect of your own fortune. Being independent of your Healer, resistant to enemy crowd control, and having a global reposition Ability in Dragonflight provides you with unique freedom on the battlefield. Use these features wisely to make an impact where it is most needed.