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Table of Contents
General Information
Welcome to our Falstad guide for Heroes of the Storm. Here you will learn everything you need to know in order to play Falstad in a competitive environment, whether you play on your own or with a team.
About the Author
Oxygen is a veteran of the MOBA genre, which he has been playing for nearly 15 years. He has coached some of Heroes of the Storm's most prominent North American players and teams alike, including Team Liquid. As a Master player, he enjoys playing all Heroes and roles.
1. Quick Reference for Falstad
Secret Weapon Build (talent calculator link)
The 
Secret Weapon build focuses on improving
Falstad's Basic Attacks through the aforementioned Talent. Out of the three
recommended Falstad builds, this one offers the most sustained damage and
self-sustain, but requires you to be able to
reliably deliver Basic Attacks to see substantial value. As such, this build is
generally recommended against two or more Tanks (at which
point 
Giant Killer becomes an outstanding Talent) or
when your opponents feature limited means of diving you.
Key Talents include Secret Weapon and
Seasoned Marksman, which significantly improves
Falstad's sustained damage, and 
Hammer Gains, which
provide a dependable way of healing oneself over time.
Magestad Build (talent calculator link)
The Magestad build revolves around improving the damage potential of
Hammerang. This build offers unparalleled burst damage
and waveclear, but may struggle against highly mobile
opponents such as Tracer or those who can reliably dispel
Flow Rider with long-range Abilities. The Magestad
build is generally at its best when your teammage can provide a reliable form
of crowd control so as to ensure perfect Hammerang
hits. Key Talents include Gathering Storm and
BOOMerang, which greatly increase the damage potential
of Hammerang, and the synergy between Flow Rider and
Aerie Gusts, which significantly reduce the Cooldown of
Hammerang.
Tazer Build (talent calculator link)
The Tazer build seeks to improve 
Lightning Rod.
Although this build provides less overall sustained and damage than other
Falstad builds, its main damage source is mostly unavoidable, making it very
reliable. The synergy between the Charged Up and
Static Shield also provides you with a very strong
defensive tool that can heavily punish melee Assassins
and Heroes who generally lack mobility. The combined effects of
Wingman, Charged Up, and
Thunderstrikes also make Falstad an excellent
duelist, thus improving your self-reliance. As such, this
build is mostly useful when your team composition lacks means of
controlling opponents and generally ensuring your
continued protection.
Synergies and Counters
Falstad is at his best when something stands between him and his enemies. Large, Healthy Tanks are particularly desirable as they draw attention away from Falstad, and often provide their own form of crowd control for potential follow-ups. Otherwise, anything that can protect Falstad is also desirable. Shielding effects are particularly impactful due to his limited Health pool.
As a frail ranged Assassin, Falstad tends to
naturally struggle against other high damage Assassins who have the ability to
effectively gap close past his
Barrel Roll's range or otherwise sneak up on him. With
little in the way of self-peeling, see to stay near your
healer when possible against such Heroes, and make no
bold attempts at outplaying your opponents. Also consider running a
Lightning Rod-centric build, as such builds tend to do
better against the majority of Falstad's counters.
Maps
Flight makes Falstad particularly effective on
larger Maps that feature multiple Objectives that must be contested, as it
allows him to effectively soak and
push without giving up potential team fighting presence,
as would other Heroes. Falstad's 
Mighty Gust also
makes him potent on Maps that feature Bosses, as he makes
it particularly difficult for opponents to safely try and claim or contest due
to the fear of being pushed away. With the Wingman
Talent, Falstad is also fearsome on any Map where Siege Giants are present.
Otherwise, Falstad's versatility makes him a viable pick almost anywhere.
TL;DR Tips
- Capitalise on
Flight's global range to split push or soak Experience. It can also be used to gank. - Using
Hammerang and 
Hinterland Blast against targets under crowd control will greatly improves your accuracy. Nothing beats practice, however. - Limit your offensive use of
Barrel Roll, as it leaves you vulnerable. - Use
Mighty Gust to disengage a losing battle, to split an opponent's forces in half, push your enemies into your team, or to steal capturable Objectives.||||||| .r0
2. Introduction
Falstad is a versatile and flexible ranged damage dealer. His strong points are his solid single-target DPS, extreme on-demand area of effect ranged burst damage, and map-wide mobility. However, his relative fragility makes him a high priority target.
3. Strengths
- Flight offers unparalleled Map control
- Solid single-target damage output
- Outstanding on-demand burst damage
- Strong in all phases of the game
- Versatile; fits most team composition
- Flexible talents that allow him to adapt to many different situations
- Access to Mighty Gust, one of the most powerful Heroic Abilities in the game
4. Weaknesses
- Extremely dependent on good positioning
- Low base Health
- Vulnerable to crowd control
- Lengthy Ability Cooldowns
5. Role in the Current Meta
Falstad's strong single-target sustained damage allows him to put a large amount
of pressure on anything within his Basic Attack range. His on-demand burst damage,
however, is where he truly shines: any bit of well-timed crowd control
sets Falstad up to deliver one of the most devastating combos in the game, in the
form of Hammerang and 
Hinterland Blast.
Barrel Roll, Hammerang's slowing effect, and 
Epic Mount
grant him respectable options for self-peeling, though they do not help
him against crowd control.
Falstad is a solid pick against any team composition that does not feature specialised
Assassins, such as Nova or Zeratul, who tend to force Falstad players to play
too defensively to be effective. Beyond this minor weakness, Falstad is widely
appreciated for his Flight Trait, which opens up a wide variety of
powerful Map control-related strategies.
6. Reading Further
To take things further, we have 2 more pages that you can read:
- Abilities and Strategy: an overview of your hero's abilities and how to use them;
- Talent Build: a detailed rundown of your talents and how to choose them.
7. ChangeLog
- 03 May 2017 (this page): Guide updated and moved to new format.
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