Raynor Talents

Table of Contents

• +Introduction
  • 1. Quick Reference for Raynor
  • 2. Overview
  • 3. Strengths
  • 4. Weaknesses
  • 5. Role in the Current Meta
  • 6. Reading Further
  • 7. ChangeLog
• +Abilities and Strategy
  • 1. Tips on Raynor's Ability Usage
  • 2. Penetrating Round
  • 3. Inspire
  • 4. Adrenaline Rush
  • 5. Hyperion
  • 6. Raynor's Raider
  • 7. Give 'Em Some Pepper
• ×Talent Build
  • 1. Raynor's Talent Build
  • 2. Raynor's Common Talent Paths
    • 2.1. Standard Auto Attack Build
    • 2.2. Self Heal Build
  • 3. Level 1 Talents for Raynor
    • 3.1. Discussion
  • 4. Level 4 Talents for Raynor
    • 4.1. Discussion
  • 5. Level 7 Talents for Raynor
    • 5.1. Discussion
  • 6. Level 10 Talents for Raynor
    • 6.1. Discussion
  • 7. Level 13 Talents for Raynor
    • 7.1. Discussion
  • 8. Level 16 Talents for Raynor
    • 8.1. Discussion
  • 9. Level 20 Talents for Raynor
    • 9.1. Discussion

General Information

On this page, we present the viable talent choices for playing Raynor in a competitive environment in Heroes of the Storm. For each talent, we explain what they do and why they should or should not be taken.

The other pages of our Raynor guide can be accessed from the table of contents on the right.

About the Author

KendricSwissh is a Master League Warrior and Support player in Hero League. He has been playing Heroes of the Storm since the early stages of the Alpha version and has mastered a large number of Heroes. He is also creating Heroes of the Storm related content on YouTube, most notably his series called Epic Plays of the Week, which focuses on video clips submitted by his viewers. He is also a streamer on Twitch where he will gladly answer all of your questions about the game.

1. Raynor's Talent Build

Level	Choices
1	✔ ✔ ✘
4	✔ ✘ ✔
7	✘ ✔ ✘
10	✔ ✔
13	✘ ✔ ✔
16	✔ ✘ ✔
20	✘ ✔ ✘ ✔

Create your own build and share it with friends!

2. Raynor's Common Talent Paths

3. Level 1 Talents for Raynor

3.1. Discussion

Ace In The Hole is a very powerful talent on Raynor, especially if your team composition features an abundance of Slows and Stuns. It is worth mentioning that this talent increases all of Raynor's damage, not just his Basic Attacks.

Veteran Marksman is a decent talent if your team does not feature several reliable sources of crowd control, which would render Ace In The Hole much weaker. The talent also shines on larger battlegrounds like Volskaya Foundry or Infernal Shrines, which usually provide longer matches for Raynor to collect Veteran Marksman stacks on.

Exterminator has little value during when fighting other Heroes, as it only boosts Raynor's damage against PvE targets. Compared to the value the other Level 1 talents offer, especially during team fights, Exterminator feels underwhelming.

4. Level 4 Talents for Raynor

4.1. Discussion

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 400 and 500 bonus health, which makes Raynor more resilient and also boosts the healing value of Adrenaline Rush, since it scales with Raynor's maximum health.

Fight or Flight adds 25 Armor for 4 seconds whenever Raynor activates Adrenaline Rush. This a very long duration during team fights and makes him much harder to take down. The lowered cooldown on Adrenaline Rush is a nice bonus to have for sure.

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.

5. Level 7 Talents for Raynor

5.1. Discussion

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 a consistent 10% Movement Speed Slow, which provides outstanding damage synergy with Ace In The Hole at Level 1.

Fuel The Rush is not really needed, as we find the original cooldown refreshing rate to be sufficient already.

Heavy Slugs is not as reliable as Unstable Compound and does not give you as much bonus damage throughout the game.

6. Level 10 Talents for Raynor

6.1. Discussion

Hyperion is a very useful Heroic Abilitiy 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 Assassins and Specialists 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.

7. Level 13 Talents for Raynor

7.1. Discussion

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.

Rallying Cry is a useful supportive talent that does not only increase Raynor's own mobility and Attack Speed boosts' duration by 1 second, but also increases your allies' combat performance.

Debilitating Rounds's cooldown reduction on Penetrating Round feels good, however, the increased Movement Speed Slow is barely noticeable. While this is not a bad talent per se, we prefer the other talents over this one.

8. Level 16 Talents for Raynor

8.1. Discussion

Bounty Hunter's active component is amazing to immediately trigger Unstable Compound's Movement Speed Slow. Furthermore, it is an amazing talent against high-health Warriors and protects Raynor with additional Armor. Bounty Hunter is easily one of the best talents in Raynor's tree.

Paint Them Red provides Raynor with an incredible amount of self-sustain. We definitely recommend this talent if you struggle against enemy Warriors and high burst damage.

Give Me More! comes too late in Raynor's talent tree to become relevant. While the increased healing on Adrenaline Rush is nice to have, Give Me More adds no additional damage to Raynor's late game, which is something he really needs.

9. Level 20 Talents for Raynor

9.1. Discussion

Execute marks the ultimate late-game power spike for Raynor. Not only does the increased Attack Speed proc Give 'Em Some Pepper more often, the additional damage against low-health targets causes Raynor to become a scary ranged Assassin to face.

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. The free self-heal and Attack Speed boost after the Banshee gets destroyed can give great value during team fights.

Indomitable Resolve's cooldown reduction and Unstoppable effect are nice to have, however, the overall value of this talent remains weak. Hyperion's team fight damage is rather underwhelming in the late game, furthermore, it can be dodged easily by most enemy Heroes. If it is reliable extra damage that you seek, we suggest going for Execute instead.

Weak Spot Acquired's Armor Reduction sounds great at first, however, Raynor often has to switch targets, depending on who is in his range. Unfortunately, the Armor reduction does not stack either and as such, we consider this talent inferior to the consistent bonus damage Execute offers.