Illidan Talents

Last updated on Mar 26, 2021 at 20:30 by Derenash 57 comments
General Information

Welcome to our Talents page for Illidan. Here, we give you an overview of how strong each of Illidan's talents is. Then, we present several viable builds, before analyzing each talent row separately, so that you can make informed decisions.

1.

Illidan's Talent Build

Level Choices
1 Immolation ? Battered Assault Unending Hatred ?
4 Reflexive Block ? Thirsting Blade ? Hunter's Onslaught
7 Rapid Chase ✘︎ Friend or Foe Unbound ?
10 Metamorphosis ? The Hunt
13 Nimble Defender ? Elusive Strike ? Sixth Sense
16 Marked for Death ? Fiery Brand ? Blades of Azzinoth
20 Demonic Form Nowhere to Hide ? Nexus Blades ✘︎ Bolt of the Storm ?
2.

Illidan's Talent Build Cheatsheet

Flexible Build

Recommended
Level 1 Battered Assault Icon Unending Hatred Icon ? Immolation Icon ?
Level 4 Hunter's Onslaught Icon Reflexive Block Icon ?
Level 7 Friend or Foe Icon
Level 10 The Hunt Icon
Level 13 Sixth Sense Icon Nimble Defender Icon ? Elusive Strike Icon ?
Level 16 Marked for Death Icon Fiery Brand Icon ? Blades of Azzinoth Icon ?
Level 20 Bolt of the Storm Icon Nowhere to Hide Icon ?

The Flexible build revolves around getting specific Talents to compensate Illidan's weaknesses. This build is recommended if the enemy team have different ways to deny your Basic Attacks, so you build around dealing with what they feature.

At level 1 you can choose to have a good presence in early teamfights through Battered Assault Icon Battered Assault, to be better in lane and mercenaries at the early game with Immolation Icon Immolation, or to have a great mid game and late game with Unending Hatred Icon Unending Hatred.

Hunter's Onslaught Icon Hunter's Onslaught is the default Talent at level 4, but Reflexive Block Icon Reflexive Block can be a great option against Heroes dependent on Basic Attacks, like Raynor or Greymane.

At Level 16 you have to choose between 3 options to increase your damage.

  • Blades of Azzinoth Icon Blades of Azzinoth is a great option when paired with Unending Hatred Icon Unending Hatred or if the enemy team does not feature blinds.
  • Fiery Brand Icon Fiery Brand is extremely effective against Healthy or Armored Heroes, like Deathwing, or Cho.
  • Marked for Death Icon Marked for Death, being the only talent that boosts Illidan's PvE capabilities while not dependent on delivering many Basic Attacks, is a good option if opposing team has many different counters for Illidan.

Basic Attacks Build

Situational
Level 1 Battered Assault Icon Unending Hatred Icon ?
Level 4 Thirsting Blade Icon
Level 7 Friend or Foe Icon
Level 10 Metamorphosis Icon
Level 13 Sixth Sense Icon Nimble Defender Icon ? Elusive Strike Icon ?
Level 16 Blades of Azzinoth Icon Fiery Brand Icon ?
Level 20 Demonic Form Icon

The Basic Attacks build focuses on improving Illidan's team fighting presence. It is commonly picked as a means of punishing team compositions that lack the tools to hinder Illidan's Basic Attacks. Key Talents include Metamorphosis, the Heroic Ability core to the build, Battered Assault Icon Battered Assault, which significantly improves Illidan's team fighting damage output, and Demonic Form Icon Demonic Form, which further increases Illidan's damage output and makes crowd control ineffective.

3.

Level 1 Talents for Illidan

Illidan Immolation ?
Immolation (Level 1) World of Warcraft Illidan

After using Sweeping Strike, burn nearby enemies for 22 (+4% per level) damage a second for 4 seconds.

Illidan Battered Assault
Battered Assault (Level 1) World of Warcraft Illidan

Increase Sweeping Strike's Basic Attack damage bonus duration from 3 to 5 seconds. If Sweeping Strike hits 2 Heroes its damage bonus is increased from 35% to 125%.

Illidan Unending Hatred ?
Unending Hatred (Level 1) World of Warcraft Illidan

Quest: Minion kills grant 0.2 Basic Attack Damage. Hero Takedowns grant 1 Basic Attack Damage.

Reward: After gaining 20 increased Basic Attack Damage, receive an additional 20 Basic Attack Damage.

3.1.

Discussion

Immolation Icon Immolation provides Illidan with a steady source of area of effect damage, something that his base kit sorely lacks. Immolation helps at all stages of the game, be it with waveclearing, claiming Mercenary Camps, or simply dealing more damage whenever Sweeping Strike Icon Sweeping Strike is used—which is always.

Battered Assault Icon Battered Assault has the potential of greatly increasing Illidan's team fight damage. However, you do need to ensure that Sweeping Strike Icon Sweeping Strike meets its condition of hitting at least two Heroes whenever it is used. Battered Assault is typically picked on Maps that do not feature many Mercenary Camps, as the value of the Immolation Icon Immolation alternative Talent diminishes in this case.

Unending Hatred Icon Unending Hatred provides the largest, most reliable damage increase in this Tier, albeit much later into the game. With one of the highest Attack Speeds in the game, Unending Hatred will increase your Basic Attack damage by 40 on completion, which translate to 35% extra damage at Level 10. The downside of Unending Hatred is that it requires time to stack and become impactful. Unending Hatred is recommended on Maps where you do not need to fight during the early game, such as Sky Temple or Cursed Hollow. It is also excellent on Maps where Illidan needs to double soak, like in Towers of Doom or Garden of Terror.

4.

Level 4 Talents for Illidan

Illidan Reflexive Block ?
Reflexive Block (Level 4) World of Warcraft Illidan

Using Dive grants 75 Physical Armor against the next 3 Hero Basic Attacks for 4 seconds, reducing the damage taken by 75%.

Illidan Thirsting Blade ?
Thirsting Blade (Level 4) World of Warcraft Illidan

Betrayer's Thirst's healing from Basic Attacks is increased from 30% to 50% while Sweeping Strike's damage bonus is active.

Illidan Hunter's Onslaught
Hunter's Onslaught (Level 4) World of Warcraft Illidan

Basic Abilities heal for 35% of the damage they deal. This bonus is doubled versus Heroes.

4.1.

Discussion

Reflexive Block Icon Reflexive Block is a powerful choice against teams that feature at least two Heroes with powerful Basic Attacks, such as Cho'gall, Greymane, Leoric, Ragnaros, Raynor, Sgt. Hammer, Stukov, The Butcher, Thrall, Varian, Zeratul, or Zul'jin. Otherwise, the other 2 options will generate more value in the form of self sustain.

Thirsting Blade Icon Thirsting Blade fulfils the same purpose as Hunter's Onslaught Icon Hunter's Onslaught. Its effectiveness depends just on how much you are able to freely deliver Basic Attacks. If the opposing team features several sources of Blind or crowd control, Hunter's Onslaught may end up being more reliable.

Hunter's Onslaught Icon Hunter's Onslaught will be decent in every scenario, because it greatly enhances your self-sustain in lane, and its value cannot be reduced by blinds or fast Basic Attackers. It is the alternative to when there are either not many Basic Attack-reliant Heroes on the opposing team, or in the presence of Tracer or Tychus, both of which quickly chew through and waste Block charges.

5.

Level 7 Talents for Illidan

Illidan Rapid Chase ✘︎
Rapid Chase (Level 7) World of Warcraft Illidan

Dive grants 20% Movement Speed for 3 seconds. If the target is an enemy Hero, reduce its cooldown by 1 second.

Illidan Friend or Foe
Friend or Foe (Level 7) World of Warcraft Illidan

Increases the range of Dive by 20% and allows it to be used to dive to allied Heroes.

Illidan Unbound ?
Unbound (Level 7) World of Warcraft Illidan

Sweeping Strike can go over walls and terrain.

Reward: After hitting 15 Heroes with Sweeping Strike, gain a second charge.

5.1.

Discussion

Although Rapid Chase Icon Rapid Chase provides reliable Movement Speed increase and cooldown Reduction on Dive Icon Dive, the Friend or Foe Icon Friend or Foe alternative is much more versatile with its range increase and ability to jump to allied Heroes.

Friend or Foe Icon Friend or Foe provides Illidan with more mobility. The range increase is useful for chasing, whereas the option to jump to an ally is invaluable to keep yourself alive or avoid dangerous area of effect Abilities. With this Talent, Illidan becomes a much safer Hero, because you can easily use Dive Icon Dive from a large distance, Sweeping Strike Icon Sweeping Strike towards your desired target, and Dive again towards an ally to disengage as soon as enemies starts to focus you.

Unbound Icon Unbound adds a new dimension to the way Illidan can be played by allowing you to quickly move through both impassable terrain and thin Structures like Gates and Walls, making you much more nimble and difficult to catch. Its additional charge will be incredibly strong against teams based on Basic Attacks, because Illidan will be able to constantly reset Evasion Icon Evasion through Elusive Strike Icon Elusive Strike. The only issue with this Talent, however, is how Illidan needs to risk himself to complete the Quest. In the end, the range provided Friend or Foe Icon Friend or Foe generally ends up being more useful.

6.

Level 10 Talents for Illidan

Illidan Metamorphosis ?
Metamorphosis (Level 10) World of Warcraft Illidan
  • Cooldown: 120 seconds

Transform into Demon Form at the target location, dealing 46 (+4% per level) damage in the area. Temporarily increases maximum Health by 220 (+4% per level) for each Hero hit by the initial impact. Lasts for 18 seconds.

Illidan The Hunt
The Hunt (Level 10) World of Warcraft Illidan
  • Cooldown: 100 seconds

Charge to target unit, dealing 251 (+4% per level) damage on impact and stunning for 1 second.

6.1.

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.

Metamorphosis Icon Metamorphosis is the source of much of Illidan's team fighting power, and is generally picked as a means of crushing team compositions that are ill-equipped to counter Illidan. In the presence of one or more of Illidan's "enablers" as allied Heroes, and in the absence of Illidan's counters, Metamorphosis opens up the possibility for team fighting-centric strategies that simply focus on fighting as often as Metamorphosis is available. Refer to this guide's Counters section for more information about Illidan's counters.

The Hunt Icon The Hunt allows you to create Map pressure through split pushing and ganking. It may also be used as a key Ability in burst compositions, although using it as a means of initiating is ill-advised. The Hunt is typically used on larger Maps such as Garden of Terror and Warhead Junction or as a counter to other Heroes with global movement Abilities such as Brightwing, Dehaka, or Falstad.

7.

Level 13 Talents for Illidan

Illidan Nimble Defender ?
Nimble Defender (Level 13) World of Warcraft Illidan

If Sweeping Strike hits an enemy Hero, gain 25 Armor for 2 seconds, reducing damage taken by 25%.

Illidan Elusive Strike ?
Elusive Strike (Level 13) World of Warcraft Illidan

Sweeping Strike reduces the cooldown of Evasion by 3 seconds every time it damages an enemy Hero.

Illidan Sixth Sense
Sixth Sense (Level 13) World of Warcraft Illidan

While active, Evasion grants Illidan 75 Spell Armor against the next 2 sources of Spell Damage, reducing their damage by 75%.

7.1.

Discussion

Nimble Defender Icon Nimble Defender provides a dependable damage reduction when fighting enemy Heroes, reducing all damage that taken by 25% with an approximate 50% uptime (via the Cooldown reduction provided by Betrayer's Thirst Icon Betrayer's Thirst). It is, however, less specialized than its counterparts, and should only be picked if no value is to be gained from them.

Elusive Strike Icon Elusive Strike has niche use against team compositions that feature three or more Heroes with potent Basic Attacks, including, but not limited to, Cho'gall, Greymane, Leoric, Ragnaros, Raynor, Sgt. Hammer, Stukov, The Butcher, Thrall, Tracer, Tychus, Varian, Zeratul, and Zul'jin. The cooldown reduction provided by this Talent, compounded with that provided by Betrayer's Thirst Icon Betrayer's Thirst, will cause Evasion Icon Evasion to be available much more often than it normally would.

Sixth Sense Icon Sixth Sense reduces Ability damage taken for the next 2 instances of Ability damage taken. This unfortunately includes any damage dealt by Abilities, as minute as it may be, such as ticks from Stitches's Shambling Horror Icon Shambling Horror or Dehaka's Dark Swarm Icon Dark Swarm. This makes it very difficult to reduce the damage of Abilities that are actually dangerous, such as Nova's Precision Strike Icon Precision Strike. Sixth Sense still has a place place against caster-heavy team compositions, such as those that might feature Chromie, Jaina, Kael'thas, Kel'thuzad or Nova.

8.

Level 16 Talents for Illidan

Illidan Marked for Death ?
Marked for Death (Level 16) World of Warcraft Illidan

Dive deals an extra 180 (+4% per level) damage if used consecutively on a target within 10 seconds.

Illidan Fiery Brand ?
Fiery Brand (Level 16) World of Warcraft Illidan

Every 3rd attack against the same Hero deals an additional 7% of their maximum Health as damage.

Illidan Blades of Azzinoth
Blades of Azzinoth (Level 16) World of Warcraft Illidan
  • Cooldown: 8 seconds

Hitting 5 Heroes with Sweeping Strike allows Blades of Azzinoth to be activated, increasing Basic Attack damage by 75% for 8 seconds.

8.1.

Discussion

Marked for Death Icon Marked for Death provides Illidan with an alternative way of dealing damage that is no longer tied to his Basic Attacks. This is particularly useful against Heroes that are able kite to reduce your uptime, or otherwise have access to Blind or other forms of crowd control. Marked for Death also turns Dive into a sustain damage increase against Structures and Mercenary Camps. It should be noted that this Talent also makes Illidan particularly strong at destroying Cores. Its important to note that the extra damage added to Dive Icon Dive is counted for Hunter's Onslaught Icon Hunter's Onslaught.

Fiery Brand Icon Fiery Brand is Illidan's specific version of Giant Killer Icon Giant Killer. Although it requires 3 consecutive Basic Attacks to trigger, Illidan's very fast Attack Speed, and the fact that Fiery Brand deals a hefty 7% of the target's Health as pure damage makes the Talent a reasonable choice against team compositions that feature healthy or Armored Heroes such as Deathwing, Cho or two or more Tanks or Bruisers. A downside in Fiery Brand is that it, differently from the other 2 options, does not increase your self-sustain at all.

Due to how Damage calculations are made, Blades of Azzinoth Icon Blades of Azzinoth benefits much more from Unending Hatred Icon Unending Hatred than from Battered Assault Icon Battered Assault and is an excellent pick if you got the former. However, if the opposing team does not feature many blinds, this Talent can be good with Battered Assault as well.

9.

Level 20 Talents for Illidan

Illidan Demonic Form
Demonic Form (Level 20) World of Warcraft Illidan

Permanently remain in Demonic Form. Metamorphosis also increases Attack Speed by 20% and reduces the duration of Stuns, Roots, and Slows by 50%. Illidan can now mount in Demonic Form.

Illidan Nowhere to Hide ?
Nowhere to Hide (Level 20) World of Warcraft Illidan

The Hunt gains unlimited range. Illidan passively reveals enemy Heroes below 25% Health anywhere on the Battleground.

Illidan Nexus Blades ✘︎
Nexus Blades (Level 20) World of Warcraft Illidan

Basic Attacks deal 20% more damage and Slow enemy Movement Speed by 20% for 1 second.

Illidan Bolt of the Storm ?
Bolt of the Storm (Level 20) World of Warcraft Illidan
  • Cooldown: 70 seconds

Activate to teleport to a nearby location.

9.1.

Discussion

Demonic Form Icon Demonic Form provides Illidan with everything he needs. The Attack Speed increase synergises nicely with Betrayer's Thirst Icon Betrayer's Thirst, as more Basic Attacks provide more cooldown reduction, which translates into more survivability. The crowd control reduction also indirectly improves his survivability and general uptime.

Nowhere to Hide Icon Nowhere to Hide is a good option to get on extremely large Maps, like Alterac Pass or Warhead Junction. It allows you to constantly threaten Core, while also being able to take part in the teamfight, which is extremely useful in the lategame.

Nexus Blades Icon Nexus Blades provides less damage and utility than Demonic Form Icon Demonic Form. Although 20% increased Basic Attack damage and 20% increased Attack Speed may appear as equivalent at a glance, one must remember that Attack Speed also provides Illidan with cooldown reduction through Betrayer's Thirst Icon Betrayer's Thirst. The Slowing effect of Nexus Blades is also less than useful to a Hero with infinite chasing potential.

Bolt of the Storm Icon Bolt of the Storm is a powerful Talent for any Hero. Illidan's mobility, however, is high enough to justify picking another Talent. Bolt of the Storm still finds niche use for The Hunt Icon The Hunt users, as they generally need the added survivability that would otherwise be provided by Metamorphosis Icon Metamorphosis.

10.

Changelog

  • 26 Mar. 2021: Updated Talent recommendations.
  • 04 Mar. 2021: Builds and Talents updated after recent balance patch.
  • 22 Sep. 2020: Builds and Talents updated to reflect current meta.
  • 14 Jan. 2018: Updated Metamorphosis and Standard Split builds.
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