Orphea Build Guide “I won't miss your face.”

Last updated on Nov 22, 2020 at 15:00 by Oxygen 20 comments
General Information

Welcome to our guide for Orphea, a Ranged Assassin in Heroes of the Storm. Within these pages, you will find everything required to understand how best to play this hero, in both different map styles and team compositions.

1.

Orphea's Overview

Orphea is an odd caster with above-average survivability and high damage output potential but limited access to crowd control. Given that all of Orphea's Abilities have a cast time or delay, they can all be avoided by prepared opponents... unless you are better prepared.

2.

Orphea's Strengths and Weaknesses

V Strengths
  • +Powerful burst damage
  • +High sustain damage potential for a caster
  • +Relatively high survivability
X Weaknesses
  • -All Abilities have a short cast time or delay, making them avoidable
  • -Very limited access to crowd control
  • -Relatively short range on most Abilities
  • -Unable to efficiently claim Mercenary Camps
  • -Particularly weak when playing from behind
3.

Orphea's Talent Build Cheatsheet

Overflowing Chaos Build

Recommended
Level 1 Ancestral Strength Icon
Level 4 Chaotic Assault Icon
Level 7 Insatiable Icon
Level 10 Crushing Jaws Icon Eternal Feast Icon ?
Level 13 Abyssal Symbiosis Icon
Level 16 Dead Magic Icon
Level 20 Eldritch Conduit Icon Engulfing Oblivion Icon ?

Meta build. Focuses on providing reliable damage through Overflowing Chaos Icon Overflowing Chaos stacks generation for powerful Basic Attacks woven between Ability casts.

Shadow Waltz Build

Situational
Level 1 En Pointe Icon
Level 4 Allegrissimo Icon
Level 7 Insatiable Icon
Level 10 Crushing Jaws Icon Eternal Feast Icon ?
Level 13 Determination Icon
Level 16 Bond of Anguish Icon
Level 20 Eldritch Conduit Icon Engulfing Oblivion Icon ?

Orphea's Shadow Waltz Build focuses on improving sustain damage, particularly against tanky, melee-heavy team compositions. En Pointe Icon En Pointe, Allegrissimo Icon Allegrissimo, and Bond of Anguish Icon Bond of Anguish combo together to dramatically improve Shadow Waltz Icon Shadow Waltz's damage potential. Recommended for advanced Orphea players only.

4.

Orphea's Synergies and Counters

V Orphea synergizes with

Since Orphea depends highly on skillshots to deal damage, she works well with any Hero that can provide reliable crowd control. Her frailty also makes her dependent on other Heroes to peel for her against melee Assassins particularly; Tanks tend to fulfill these two needs, though other Hero types can too.

X Orphea is countered by

Since Orphea relies chiefly on skillshots with a cast time to deal damage, she does particularly poorly against Heroes that have ways of quickly dodging her Abilities.

5.

Orphea's Maps

Orphea's stronger maps
Alterac Pass Cursed Hollow Garden of Terror Sky Temple Towers of Doom Volskaya Foundry Warhead Junction
Orphea's average maps
Braxis Holdout Dragon Shire Hanamura Temple Infernal Shrines Tomb of the Spider Queen
Orphea's weaker maps
Battlefield of Eternity Blackheart's Bay

Orphea's inability to deal sustain PvE damage makes her a poor choice on Maps where the Objective consists of Monsters that have to be killed. Otherwise, she is a reasonable pick on most Maps, as long as another Hero is able to claim Mercenary Camps.

6.

Orphea's Tips and Tricks

  • Each enemy Hero hit by Overflowing Chaos Icon Overflowing Chaos generates one Chaos, making area hits key to improving your survivability.
  • Shadow Waltz Icon Shadow Waltz may be tempting to use on-Cooldown, but using it to avoid dangerous skillshots is paramount.
  • Chomp Icon Chomp synergises naturally with Shadow Waltz; use the latter to dash to your intended target.
  • Both Dread Icon Dread's initial wave and eruption can hit a given target.
7.

Orphea's Role in the Current Meta

Compared to most other casters, Orphea provides higher-than-average on-demand burst damage and decent sustain damage. On the other hand, she lacks much crowd control, making it necessary to pick her along Heroes who can provide it. As with many Heroes who provide little more than damage, Orphea's popularity depends entirely on her power level resulting from game balance. Regardless, building a team composition that aims to stay ahead of one's opponents in terms of Experience is the best way of exploiting Orphea's strength as a snowballing Hero.

Due to her reliance on crowd control, Orphea is at her best when part of a roaming group of Heroes. She can hold her own in the offlane as well against most melee Heroes, but must be careful when rotating and may need help clearing out large Mercenary Camps.

8.

Changelog

  • 22 Nov. 2020 (talents page): Talent description for Ancestral Strength and Insatiable updated.
  • 30 Aug. 2020 (this page): Role in Current Meta section updated.
  • 14 Aug. 2020 (talents page): Talent builds and recommendations updated.
  • 14 Apr. 2020 (talents page): Talent builds and recommendations updated.
  • 14 Apr. 2020 (this page): Guide fully reviewed.
  • 27 Jan. 2020 (talents page): Talent builds and recommendations updated following January 22 balance patch.
  • 15 Dec. 2019 (this page): Added a note about current Anomaly.
  • 11 Dec. 2018 (talents page): Talents updated.
  • 06 Dec. 2018 (talents page): Shadow Waltz build added.
  • 13 Nov. 2018 (talents page): Guide published.
  • 13 Nov. 2018 (abilities page): Guide published.
  • 13 Nov. 2018 (this page): Guide published.
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