Samuro Talents

Level	Choices
1	? ? ✓
4	✓ ✓ ?
7	✓ ? ✘︎
10	✓ ?
13	? ? ✓
16	? ✓ ?
20	✘︎ ? ✓ ?

Way of Illusion greatly increases Samuro's damage, but only when the quest is completely done. It should be the pick in most of the games, unless you will have a hard time stacking it, which will happen when facing Heroes in lane that will not let you stack reliably, such as Fenix or Zeratul.

Way of the Blade increases Samuro's damage. It also increases the damage of Mirror Images, because they will critically strike more often. Additionally, Way of the Blade reduces the Physical Armor of Heroes that are hit by Critical Strike. It will be better than Way of Illusion if you are facing targets with much armor, such as Garrosh, Deathwing or Cassia.

Way of the Wind gives Samuro more sustain and greatly improved mobility that can be used to approach enemies, to retreat, or to dodge harmful effects. While it does not directly increase Samuro's damage, it enables him to be in melee range to deal damage much more often. Besides that, it also greatly improves his macro, since it increases his rotation speed. Furthermore, it allows him to tank more damage in lane without having to take a Healing Fountain or to Hearthstone. It is a great option for Players new to Samuro, since it will allow them to engage, escape, and heal themselves much easier.

Mirage increases the survivability of Samuro and his Images by allowing you to reduce the incoming Ability damage. This will also make your Images harder to deal with for the enemy team, which can buy your team time to rotate or escape. Mirage is recommended with Illusion Master, as it makes your Images harder for the enemy team to clear. It should be the default option for this tier, considering the armor will also makes Images harder to distinguish.

One With The Wind greatly increases the survivability of Samuro and his Images by allowing you to reduce all incoming damage at will. Unfortunately, this talent is much less versatile than the other 2 options, since it encourages you to start a fight with Wind Walk. Mostly you want to have Wind Walk ready, if you want to retreat or for some healing. It is still a decent option when paired with other Wind Walk Talents.

Deflection can only reduce incoming Attack Damage, and only does so while you are on the offensive. It is a good option against many Basic-Attack-reliant Heroes, such as Illidan, Greymane, or Thrall.

Burning Blade increases the damage that your Critical Strikes do, and also works on your Images. It also greatly improves Samuro's waveclear. This is the default Talent for this tier, as, differently from its counterparts, it does not need any conditions to increase Samuro's Damage. It also boost his PvE capabilities, which is extremely useful considering Samuro will be constantly clearing waves.

Phantom Pain can conditionally surpass Burning Blade's damage, but is much less consistent. Burning Blade offers almost as much damage, does so in an area of effect, and is not dependent on Images being active.

Crushing Blows is the worst Talent in this Tier. It does not add any extra damage in PvE situations, and it takes 7 or 8 Basic Attacks to be better than its counterparts. For this reason, we do not recommend this Talent.

Bladestorm is a good Heroic that greatly improves Samuro's waveclear. Given it deals less single-target damage than your Basic Attacks, it should mostly be used to clear a wave, as it deals enough AoE damage to quickly kill all minions. It has better range than your Basic Attacks, so it helps you to secure kills that could otherwise be prevented by enemies moving outside of Melee range. If an enemy is low on Health and you are able to get in range, this Heroic will almost always result in a takedown. If you do not have Mirror Image to cleanse a blind, Bladestorm will be a great way to keep dealing damage to your target. However, be aware that by using Bladestorm you will become an easy target, since it reveals which Samuro is the real one.

Illusion Master is a novel Heroic that is more of an extra passive, rather than an activated one. If you want to try a challenging and unconventional approach focused on cunning and subterfuge, try this Heroic out! Although powerful, this Talent adds a layer of mechanical complexity; we recommend Illusion Master for players who are already quite comfortable with Samuro's other mechanics.

Mirrored Steel works best when you are able to Basic Attack enemy Heroes frequently. It works well when paired with Press the Attack at Level 16. Mirrored Steel is also good choice when paired with Illusion Master, but be aware that this Talent requires more practice than others. A good Samuro can get much value from Mirrored Steel, while an inexperienced may not get anything from it.

Kawarimi allows you to create Images more often. Images created with Kawarimi will continue to execute whatever command Samuro was given prior to its cast. Just like Mirrored Steel, it can be a good choice in the hands of very good Samuro players, since it not only improves his PvE capabilities, but will also enable more deceiving options for him.

Shukuchi gives you a gap closer that opens up more options for engage and escape. It is the most straight forward and reliable Talent in this tier.

Merciless Strikes is a good Talent when paired with Burning Blade or Phantom Pain. If you have reliable sources of slows in your team, this Talent will greatly improve your effectiveness in fights.

Harsh Winds gives Samuro enough damage potential to kill many Heroes in the game by himself. Harsh Winds greatly increases Samuro's burst damage. This makes hit and run harassment much more meaningful, often forcing enemies to retreat from the battlefield completely. It also increases the damage dealt by Bladestorm, and is the standard pick with it.

Press the Attack is very good with Crushing Blows, because it will make your extra damage faster, and deal much more damage to enemies. It should be picked with Illusion Master, since it allows you to be attacking more often while controlling Images.

Dance Of Death can be decent if you get to reset Bladestorm often with it, but it is not hard to cancel it with stuns or silences. For those reasons, we do not recommend Dance of Death with Bladestorm.

Three Blade Style is a good choice to destroy structures or to pressure the opposing team into reacting in many different points at the same time, as it greatly increases Image durability and duration. Because you will be able to spread the Illusions out further, you will be capable of even more complex and mind-bending plays!

Several of the Talents that affect Wind Walk cause unique effects, almost like an Ability. Wind Strider is an amazing Talent because it allows you to activate these effects much more often. If you have two or more Talents invested into Wind Walk, this is almost irrefutably the best choice at Level 20.

Blademaster's Pursuit is primarily useful for the increased Move Speed. This Talent is a good alternative to Three Blade Style if you are looking for a last fight, since it will add more than the other options.