Raynor Talents
Welcome to our Talents page for Raynor. Here, we give you an overview of how strong each of Raynor's talents is. Then, we present several viable builds, before analyzing each talent row separately, so that you can make informed decisions.
Raynor's Talent Build
Level | Choices |
---|---|
1 | ✓ ? ? |
4 | ✓ ✘︎ ? |
7 | ✘︎ ? ✓ |
10 | ? ✓ |
13 | ✓ ? ? |
16 | ✓ ? ✘︎ |
20 | ? ✓ ? ✘︎ ✘︎ |
Raynor's Talent Build Cheatsheet
Penetrating Round Build
RecommendedThe Penetrating Round Build is designed to amplify Raynor's damage while also giving him good survivability. At level 1, Exterminator will drastically increase Raynor's PvE damage. It should be picked in Maps where waveclear and mercenaries are essential, or in Battlefield of Eternity, to greatly increase damage on immortal. At Level 10, both Heroic Abilities are viable, however, we recommend Raynor's Raider as the main option, while Hyperion can be a great option to push Forts, Keeps or to control Objectives in Volskaya Foundry or Infernal Shrines.
Adrenaline Build
SituationalThe Adrenaline Build greatly amplifies Raynor's self-sustain from Adrenaline Rush, and Attack Speed during Inspire. This build may not have a good early game and mid game, but it becomes extremely good at level 20 with Raiders Roll.
We recommend this build if you are in maps that will often reach Level 20, such as Volskaya Foundry or Alterac Pass.
Level 1 Talents for Raynor
Basic Attacks deal 50% more damage to Minions, Mercenaries, and Monsters. This is increased to 125% while Inspire is active.
Passive: Inspire does not expire on friendly Minions and Mercenaries.
Quest: Every time the primary target of Give 'Em Some Pepper is a Hero, permanently increase its damage bonus by 0.75%.
Gambit: Gain 60% bonus Give 'Em Some Pepper damage. Every death reduces this bonus by 15%.
Deal 12% more damage to Stunned or Slowed Heroes.
Enemy Heroes hit by Give 'Em Some Pepper are Slowed by 10% for 2.5 seconds.
Discussion
Exterminator has no value when fighting other Heroes, as it only boosts Raynor's damage against PvE targets. However, when you need extra PvE damage, or in maps like Battlefield of Eternity or Infernal Shrines, Exterminator will be very impactful. Be aware that with it, Inspire stays permanently on Minions and Mercenaries, so it might be useful to boost a mercenary camp right after it is captured.
Veteran Marksman is a risky choice, and should only be picked if the opposing team does not feature several threats to Raynor. Only get this Talent if you are very confident in your own ability, because it will fall behind the other 2 options very quickly after each death.
Ace In The Hole slightly improves Raynor's teamfight presence. The extra damage provided by it is very noticeable, and the slow will slightly increase Raynor's kiting capabilities. This is a good Talent overall, but it competes with Exterminator, which is an excellent choice to improve your macro power. We recommend picking Ace In The Hole if you already have good waveclear in your team.
Level 4 Talents for Raynor
Reduce Adrenaline Rush's cooldown by 10 seconds. Casting Adrenaline Rush grants 25 Armor for 3 seconds.
Give 'Em Some Pepper heals Raynor for 3% of his maximum Health, increased to 6% if the primary target is a Hero.
Gain 200 bonus maximum Health.
Quest: Every time Give 'Em Some Pepper's primary target is a Hero, gain an additional 8 maximum Health.
Discussion
Fight or Flight adds 25 Armor for 3 seconds whenever Raynor activates Adrenaline Rush. 3 seconds is more than necessary to make Raynor much harder to take down. The lowered Cooldown on Adrenaline Rush is a nice bonus to have for sure. It is the default Talent for this tier, because it covers Raynor's main weakness, being dived.
Sustaining Rounds is too unreliable compared to the other talents, as it usually does not give Raynor any value if he is pressured (and thus cannot use Basic Attacks) or Blinded by an enemy.
Behemoth Armor provides Raynor with a useful amount of bonus health. Moreover, stacking this talent is usually not that hard. In most games the overall health value will be between 500 and 700 bonus health, which makes Raynor more resilient and also boosts the healing value of Adrenaline Rush, since it scales with Raynor's maximum health. However, we only recommend this Talent if opposing team has no burst damage. If they do, Fight or Flight will be a better option.
Level 7 Talents for Raynor
Increase Penetrating Round's Slow by 15% and its duration by 2 seconds.
Reduce the Mana cost of Adrenaline Rush from 75 to 45. While Inspire is active, increase Adrenaline Rush's cooldown reduction from Basic Attacks by 300%.
Increase the area of Give 'Em Some Pepper by 15%. Each enemy Hero hit by Give 'Em Some Pepper grants Raynor 10 Mana and reduces the cooldown of Penetrating Round by 1.5 seconds.
Discussion
Heavy Slugs is an underwhelming Talent. While it increases Penetrating Round's slow, Unstable Compound will greatly reduce its cooldown, and therefore, will always be more effective.
Differently from Fight or Flight, Fuel The Rush is only good when combined with other Adrenaline Rush-oriented Talents. Therefore, we only recommend it if you are going to empower Adrenaline Rush at other Levels.
Unstable Compound is one of the most versatile talents in Raynor's tree. Not only does it expand the area of Give 'Em Some Pepper but it also provides consistent Mana gain and Cooldown reduction on Penetrating Round. Be aware that the Cooldown is reduced based on each Hero hit by Give 'Em Some Pepper, so each empowered shot should be aimed where several enemies are located.
Level 10 Talents for Raynor
- Mana: 100
- Cooldown: 100 seconds
Order the Hyperion to make a strafing run for 12 seconds, hitting up to 4 enemies for 66 (+4% per level) damage every second. Every 4 seconds, it can fire its Yamato Cannon at a Structure, dealing 794 (+4% per level) damage.
- Cooldown: 45 seconds
Summon a Banshee that assists Raynor. The Banshee deals 84 (+4% per level) damage per second and regenerates 75 (+4% per level) Health per second if it hasn't taken damage in the last 4 seconds. Can reactivate to retarget or move the Banshee.
The Banshee respawns automatically after 45 seconds.
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.
Hyperion is a very useful Heroic Ability when it comes to zoning enemies from Map Objectives. Furthermore, Hyperion is an excellent pushing tool, which greatly aids in taking down enemy Structures. However, refrain from using Hyperion carelessly, as its long Cooldown makes misuse very unforgiving.
Raynor's Raider provides great single-target damage and allows Raynor to hunt down retreating opponents very efficiently. Combined with his dangerous Basic Attacks, the Banshee can take down enemy Heroes from a safe distance. However, make sure to manually reassign a new target if needed and always try to keep track of your Banshee's health.
Level 13 Talents for Raynor
Reduce the cooldown of Penetrating Round by 3 seconds. Penetrating Round hitting two or more enemy Heroes reduces its cooldown by an additional 3 seconds.
Gain 10% Movement Speed while mounted and unmounted. Inspire grants 10% more Movement Speed.
Increase Adrenaline Rush healing by 50%. While Inspire is active, gain 1 Basic Attack range.
Discussion
Line 'Em Up's Cooldown reduction on Penetrating Round feels good, and pairs very well with Unstable Compound and Paint Them Red.
Giddy-Up provides Raynor with a noticeable Movement Speed while mounted and unmounted. This makes up for the lack of escape mechanisms Raynor's kit suffers from, while also greatly improving his kite capabilities.
Give Me More! is the only Talent to increase Raynor's self-sustain at this tier. It is a good choice if you need the extra safety provided by it. However, if you are planning to get Paint Them Red at level 16, it will be better to reduce Penetrating Round's Cooldown through Line 'Em Up instead.
Level 16 Talents for Raynor
Increase the damage of Penetrating Round by 50% and heal for 90% of the damage Penetrating Round deals to Heroes.
Increase the Attack Speed bonus of Inspire by 20%.
Passive: After every 12 Basic Attacks, cast Inspire for free.
- Cooldown: 40 seconds
If Give 'Em Some Pepper's target is a Hero, it deals an additional 3% of their maximum Health as damage and grants Raynor 10 Armor for 3 seconds.
Activate Give 'Em Some Pepper to apply it to Raynor's next Basic Attack.
Discussion
Paint Them Red provides Raynor with an incredible amount of self-sustain while also increasing his AoE damage. It will be good in all games, but it excels with Talents that reduce Penetrating Round's Cooldown, like Unstable Compound or Line 'Em Up. Focus on using Penetrating Round to hit 2 or 3 enemies, so you will get more heal from this Talent.
Rallying Cry greatly increases Raynor's DPS. This Talent is a great option when paired with other Inspire Talents, as it will be activated much more often. However, in some games it may be wiser to get Paint Them Red instead, as it will give you much more survivability.
Bounty Hunter is good against high-health Warriors and protects Raynor with additional Armor. We consider Bounty Hunter a winmore Talent, since it will only be good in very specific situations where enemies cannot kill you at all.
Level 20 Talents for Raynor
Give 'Em Some Pepper lowers the cooldown of Hyperion by 5 seconds if the primary target is a Hero. These Heroes are targeted by the Hyperion for 100% increased damage for 6 seconds.
Increase the Health and leash range of Raynor's Raider by 100%. Its Basic Attack lowers enemy Hero Armor by 3 for 1 second, stacking up to 30.
Adrenaline Rush grants Unstoppable and continues healing for an additional 2 seconds. The additional duration ends upon reaching 70% Health.
Give 'Em Some Pepper now activates every 3 Basic Attacks.
Reduce Raynor's death timer by 35 seconds. Upon death, the Hyperion is cast towards the closest enemy Hero.
Discussion
Cavalry's Arrived's extra damage during hyperion is an interesting addition, and the extra Cooldown reduction may be excellent on maps with long fights inside an objective, such as Volskaya Foundry and Infernal Shrines. However, if you are being constantly targeted, we recommend getting Raiders Roll instead.
Dusk Wing is a great Level 20 upgrade for Raynor's Raider. It makes the Banshee much easier to navigate, as it covers a greater distance. Despite that, the armor reduction provided by it is excellent to disrupt the enemy frontline, because they will have -30 armor for the whole fight, as long as the Raider is alive.
Raiders Roll greatly increase Raynor's resistance to burst damage and crowd controls. It is a good choice if you are being targeted often, as it can even triple the Healing from Adrenaline Rush.
Sergeant Pepper is an underwhelming Talent, the small extra DPS provided by it cannot compare to its counterparts. If you are looking for more damage, we recommend picking Cavalry's Arrived or Dusk Wing, as these will add more damage and utility to your team.
Execute Orders is a strange Talent to have, as it is only valuable if you die. At Level 20 and beyond, a death may result in an objective capture, which can easily finish the match. Therefore, we do not recommend this Talent.
Changelog
- 25 Jun. 2021: Updated Level 1 Talent recommendations.
- 04 Jun. 2021: Updated Builds and Talents to better reflect current meta.
- 18 May 2021: Updated Builds and Talents after Raynor's recent rework.
- 26 Mar. 2021: Updated Talent recommendations.
- 17 Feb. 2021: Updated Indomitable Resolve's relevance.
- 17 Apr. 2020: Updated Talents and builds to better reflect current meta.
- 14 Feb. 2020: Updated Raynor's talents and builds in accordance with the latest Balance Update.
- 04 Jul. 2019: Revised and updated Raynor's Talents.
- 26 Jul. 2018: Updated Raynor's talents and adjusted the recommended Builds accordingly.
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Derenash has been playing Heroes of the Storm since 2015 and has achieved Grandmaster in multiple seasons, peaking at Top 1 in Season 3 and 4 of 2018. He participated in the HGC Copa America in 2018 where his team had a strong victory. He is passionate about teaching others about the game, and streams often on Twitch in Portuguese, and you can find him in Wind Striders' Discord as well where he is happy to answer any questions in English or Portuguese.
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