Lava Wave Timings
Game Time values to cast Lava Wave at the right time to maximize the Experience gained with it.
Introduction
Lava Wave allows you to soak distant lanes
while getting Experience from other lanes or while helping allied Heroes.
What is the best moment to cast Lava Wave if you want to catch as many Minions as possible?
The answer is different for almost every lane across all Battlegrounds and changes as the Game Time goes on, based on the number of lanes involved, because Minions do not spawn exactly every 30 seconds.
After casting a lot of Lava Waves and doing some math, we have managed to extrapolate Lava Wave timings for each lane on each Battleground. You can use Lava Wave timings to cast it when the Game Time shows the corresponding amount of seconds.
This guide has been created with the help of Debug Mode, a special Sandbox for all Battlegrounds. Take a look at our Debug Mode Guide in the Gameplay Guides section if you want to test out our timings for Lava Wave on a specific Battleground.
Usage
To make it easier to learn, as the numbers were a bit less homogeneous across all lanes
and Battlegrounds compared to what you see here, we have rounded the values a little.
Our simplifications come at the cost of occasionally casting Lava Wave
with a few seconds of unnecessary delay.
Being slightly late is not a bit deal because
Lava Wave can collect Experience Globes on its path
and because you will usually be able to normally soak enemy Minions that are
already clashing with allied Minions and/or that are near allied Structures.
On the other hand,
being too early is usually a big mistake because it could cause Lava Wave to miss the whole next wave
of Minions, unless you need to cast Lava Wave defensively,
to quickly kill enemy Minions near allied Structures and deter the enemy team from sieging.
Timings
All you need to remember is, for each Battleground, the yellow numbers in the images below
and to add 1 second every 4 minutes, starting from when you reach Level 10,
that usually happens shortly after 6 minutes of Game Time. You do not really need to learn
the orange numbers because you can easily calculate them by adding 30 seconds to the yellow
numbers. Considering that Lava Wave has 120 seconds of cooldown,
make sure to delay each consecutive cast by 0.5 seconds.
If you do not want to learn all those numbers or if you cannot remember what is the current timing for a given lane while playing, bookmark this guide and click on the Maps name at the top to quickly find what you need. Alternatively, just cast Lava Wave when the Game Time shows 22 seconds or 52 seconds, except for Towers of Doom where the simplified values are 28 seconds and 58 seconds.
Alterac Pass

Lane | Timing | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
6:00 | 10:00 | 14:00 | 18:00 | 22:00 | 26:00 | 30:00 | ||||||||
Top | 14 | 44 | 15 | 45 | 16 | 46 | 17 | 47 | 18 | 48 | 19 | 49 | 20 | 50 |
Middle | 18 | 48 | 19 | 49 | 20 | 50 | 21 | 51 | 22 | 52 | 23 | 53 | 24 | 54 |
Bottom | 14 | 44 | 15 | 45 | 16 | 46 | 17 | 47 | 18 | 48 | 19 | 49 | 20 | 50 |
Battlefield of Eternity

Lane | Timing | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
6:00 | 10:00 | 14:00 | 18:00 | 22:00 | 26:00 | 30:00 | ||||||||
Top | 18 | 48 | 19 | 49 | 20 | 50 | 21 | 51 | 22 | 52 | 23 | 53 | 24 | 54 |
Bottom | 18 | 48 | 19 | 49 | 20 | 50 | 21 | 51 | 22 | 52 | 23 | 53 | 24 | 54 |
Blackheart's Bay

Lane | Timing | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
6:00 | 10:00 | 14:00 | 18:00 | 22:00 | 26:00 | 30:00 | ||||||||
Top | 12 | 42 | 13 | 43 | 14 | 44 | 15 | 45 | 16 | 46 | 17 | 47 | 18 | 48 |
Middle | 16 | 46 | 17 | 47 | 18 | 48 | 19 | 49 | 20 | 50 | 21 | 51 | 22 | 52 |
Bottom | 16 | 46 | 17 | 47 | 18 | 48 | 19 | 49 | 20 | 50 | 21 | 51 | 22 | 52 |
Braxis Holdout

Lane | Timing | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
6:00 | 10:00 | 14:00 | 18:00 | 22:00 | 26:00 | 30:00 | ||||||||
Top | 16 | 46 | 17 | 47 | 18 | 48 | 19 | 49 | 20 | 50 | 21 | 51 | 22 | 52 |
Bottom | 16 | 46 | 17 | 47 | 18 | 48 | 19 | 49 | 20 | 50 | 21 | 51 | 22 | 52 |
Cursed Hollow

Lane | Timing | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
6:00 | 10:00 | 14:00 | 18:00 | 22:00 | 26:00 | 30:00 | ||||||||
Top | 14 | 44 | 15 | 45 | 16 | 46 | 17 | 47 | 18 | 48 | 19 | 49 | 20 | 50 |
Middle | 18 | 48 | 19 | 49 | 20 | 50 | 21 | 51 | 22 | 52 | 23 | 53 | 24 | 54 |
Bottom | 14 | 44 | 15 | 45 | 16 | 46 | 17 | 47 | 18 | 48 | 19 | 49 | 20 | 50 |
Dragon Shire

Lane | Timing | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
6:00 | 10:00 | 14:00 | 18:00 | 22:00 | 26:00 | 30:00 | ||||||||
Top | 16 | 46 | 17 | 47 | 18 | 48 | 19 | 49 | 20 | 50 | 21 | 51 | 22 | 52 |
Middle | 18 | 48 | 19 | 49 | 20 | 50 | 21 | 51 | 22 | 52 | 23 | 53 | 24 | 54 |
Bottom | 16 | 46 | 17 | 47 | 18 | 48 | 19 | 49 | 20 | 50 | 21 | 51 | 22 | 52 |
Garden of Terror

Lane | Timing | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
6:00 | 10:00 | 14:00 | 18:00 | 22:00 | 26:00 | 30:00 | ||||||||
Top | 14 | 44 | 15 | 45 | 16 | 46 | 17 | 47 | 18 | 48 | 19 | 49 | 20 | 50 |
Middle | 18 | 48 | 19 | 49 | 20 | 50 | 21 | 51 | 22 | 52 | 23 | 53 | 24 | 54 |
Bottom | 14 | 44 | 15 | 45 | 16 | 46 | 17 | 47 | 18 | 48 | 19 | 49 | 20 | 50 |
Hanamura Temple

Lane | Timing | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
6:00 | 10:00 | 14:00 | 18:00 | 22:00 | 26:00 | 30:00 | ||||||||
Top | 16 | 46 | 17 | 47 | 18 | 48 | 19 | 49 | 20 | 50 | 21 | 51 | 22 | 52 |
Bottom | 16 | 46 | 17 | 47 | 18 | 48 | 19 | 49 | 20 | 50 | 21 | 51 | 22 | 52 |
Infernal Shrines

Lane | Timing | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
6:00 | 10:00 | 14:00 | 18:00 | 22:00 | 26:00 | 30:00 | ||||||||
Top | 14 | 44 | 15 | 45 | 16 | 46 | 17 | 47 | 18 | 48 | 19 | 49 | 20 | 50 |
Middle | 18 | 48 | 19 | 49 | 20 | 50 | 21 | 51 | 22 | 52 | 23 | 53 | 24 | 54 |
Bottom | 14 | 44 | 15 | 45 | 16 | 46 | 17 | 47 | 18 | 48 | 19 | 49 | 20 | 50 |
Sky Temple

Lane | Timing | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
6:00 | 10:00 | 14:00 | 18:00 | 22:00 | 26:00 | 30:00 | ||||||||
Top | 16 | 46 | 17 | 47 | 18 | 48 | 19 | 49 | 20 | 50 | 21 | 51 | 22 | 52 |
Middle | 18 | 48 | 19 | 49 | 20 | 50 | 21 | 51 | 22 | 52 | 23 | 53 | 24 | 54 |
Bottom | 14 | 44 | 15 | 45 | 16 | 46 | 17 | 47 | 18 | 48 | 19 | 49 | 20 | 50 |
Tomb of the Spider Queen

Lane | Timing | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
6:00 | 10:00 | 14:00 | 18:00 | 22:00 | 26:00 | 30:00 | ||||||||
Top | 16 | 46 | 17 | 47 | 18 | 48 | 19 | 49 | 20 | 50 | 21 | 51 | 22 | 52 |
Middle | 18 | 48 | 19 | 49 | 20 | 50 | 21 | 51 | 22 | 52 | 23 | 53 | 24 | 54 |
Bottom | 14 | 44 | 15 | 45 | 16 | 46 | 17 | 47 | 18 | 48 | 19 | 49 | 20 | 50 |
Towers of Doom

Lane | Timing | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
6:00 | 10:00 | 14:00 | 18:00 | 22:00 | 26:00 | 30:00 | ||||||||
Top | 24 | 54 | 25 | 55 | 26 | 56 | 27 | 57 | 28 | 58 | 29 | 59 | 30 | 00 |
Middle | 24 | 54 | 25 | 55 | 26 | 56 | 27 | 57 | 28 | 58 | 29 | 59 | 30 | 00 |
Bottom | 24 | 54 | 25 | 55 | 26 | 56 | 27 | 57 | 28 | 58 | 29 | 59 | 30 | 00 |
Volskaya Foundry

Lane | Timing | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
6:00 | 10:00 | 14:00 | 18:00 | 22:00 | 26:00 | 30:00 | ||||||||
Top | 16 | 46 | 17 | 47 | 18 | 48 | 19 | 49 | 20 | 50 | 21 | 51 | 22 | 52 |
Middle | 18 | 48 | 19 | 49 | 20 | 50 | 21 | 51 | 22 | 52 | 23 | 53 | 24 | 54 |
Bottom | 16 | 46 | 17 | 47 | 18 | 48 | 19 | 49 | 20 | 50 | 21 | 51 | 22 | 52 |
Warhead Junction

Lane | Timing | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
6:00 | 10:00 | 14:00 | 18:00 | 22:00 | 26:00 | 30:00 | ||||||||
Top | 14 | 44 | 15 | 45 | 16 | 46 | 17 | 47 | 18 | 48 | 19 | 49 | 20 | 50 |
Middle | 18 | 48 | 19 | 49 | 20 | 50 | 21 | 51 | 22 | 52 | 23 | 53 | 24 | 54 |
Bottom | 14 | 44 | 15 | 45 | 16 | 46 | 17 | 47 | 18 | 48 | 19 | 49 | 20 | 50 |
Changelog
- 31 Mar. 2022: Tables added.
- 18 Dec. 2021: Guide created.
Elitesparkle is a multiple times Master player in Europe who plays Heroes of the Storm since its release. He is an active member of the community who likes to teach new and veteran players all he knows about his favorite game. He also produces more teaching content on his Tips of the Storm page on Ko-fi.
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