Stukov Build Guide “Our victory is assured!”
Welcome to our guide for Stukov, a Healer 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.
Stukov's Overview
Stukov is a high utility solo Healer, who provides excellent zone control. His exceptional healing is reliant on well timed use of Bio-Kill Switch. While his Abilities are very powerful, their use needs to be carefully planned to achieve maximum effect. Stukov has limited mobility, and should not roam by himself. He is designed to assist his allies, and will not perform well without them nearby.
Stukov's Strengths and Weaknesses
- Can Silence enemies with Lurking Arm
- Capable of exceptional multitarget healing via Bio-Kill Switch and Healing Pathogen
- Very strong Basic Attack
- Can remove an enemy from team fight range with Massive Shove
- Very high skill ceiling, but easy to start learning
- No mobility
- Long cooldown on Bio-Kill Switch
- No access to Cleanse or similar tools to remove crowd-control effects
- Unable to provide Unstoppable frames
Stukov's Talent Build Cheatsheet
Lurking Arms Build
RecommendedThe Lurking Arms build focuses on backing up your team with additional CC. This build shines if your team composition consists of heroes with reliable CC, allowing you to get the full duration of Growing Infestation in and helping secure enemy hero kills.
Standard Bio-kill Build
SituationalThe Standard Bio-kill build focuses on enhancing Stukovs trait. Reactive Ballistospores and Fetid Touch are both situational and the correct talent depends on the enemy team composition. If they have dive heroes, Reactive Ballistospores is the correct talent, if not Spine Launcher would be recommended. Targeted Excision will allow Stukov to use his trait more often, resulting in both more healing and damage/CC through Weighted Pustule. The level 20 talents are situational and most of the times you can pick the upgrade to your level 10 heroic ability.
ARAM Build
ARAMThe ARAM Build focuses having an endless supply of Healing Pathogen's up and running through Universal Carrier, simultaneously providing 10 armor on top of it.
Stukov's Synergies and Counters
Stukov's Maps
Stukov is great on maps that feature many choke points, and on maps with two lanes. Lurking Arm provides a lot of zone control in tight areas, while Healing Pathogen excells at healing large groups of allies. Stukov does not perform poorly on many maps.
Stukov's Tips and Tricks
- Use Bio-Kill Switch primarily to heal allies affected by Healing Pathogen.
- Cast Healing Pathogen onto Heroes who will spread it to as many allies as possible.
- Weighted Pustule is useful for harassment and light disengage. It can also secure kills on fleeing enemies.
- Channel Lurking Arm onto choke points, or use it to cancel channeled enemy Heroics.
- Massive Shove can be used to push enemies far away from team fights, or simply to Stun them against nearby terrain.
- Use Flailing Swipe to peel and disengage if a fight is not looking favourable for your team.
Stukov's Role in the Current Meta
Stukov is great on teams that want to zone enemies away from essential allies and objectives. He performs very well with teams that strive to protect their backline damage dealers, because such team compositions usually stay grouped within Healing Pathogen spread range.
Stukov has the ability to apply slows almost constantly, can channel an area of effect Silence indefinitely, and can single handedly remove an enemy Hero from a team fight. Despite being heavily armed with monstrous amounts of utility, he is still a viable solo healer for most team compositions.
Changelog
- 26 Sep. 2023 (this page): ARAM Build added.
- 08 Feb. 2022 (this page): Guide has been reviewed and no changes are needed for now.
- 12 Dec. 2021 (talents page): Guide has been reviewed and no changes are needed.
- 12 Dec. 2021 (this page): Guide has been reviewed and no changes are needed.
- 11 Nov. 2021 (talents page): Talents have been updated.
- 11 Nov. 2021 (this page): Guide has been updated with a new recommended build.
- 19 Jun. 2021 (talents page): Talents have been updated.
- 20 Jan. 2021 (talents page): Guide has been reviewed and no changes are needed.
- 20 Jan. 2021 (this page): Guide has been reviewed and no changes are needed.
- 18 Dec. 2020 (talents page): Updated talent choices.
- 18 Dec. 2020 (this page): Updated builds.
- 18 Dec. 2020 (this page): Changed a few talents.
- 18 Dec. 2020 (this page): Changed a few talents.
- 19 Jul. 2020 (talents page): Updated talent choices to showcase the new builds.
- 19 Jul. 2020 (this page): Added new builds and talents.
- 02 Jul. 2020 (talents page): Guide has been reviewed and no changes are needed.
- 02 Jul. 2020 (this page): Guide has been reviewed and no changes are needed.
- 05 Dec. 2019 (this page): Added a note regarding this seasons Anomaly.
- 04 Sep. 2019 (this page): Guide has been reviewed for latest patch and no changes are needed.
- 05 Aug. 2019 (talents page): Updated talents.
- 05 Aug. 2019 (this page): Updated talents
- 18 Apr. 2019 (this page): Talents and discussion and builds updated to account for balance patch.
- 17 Apr. 2019 (talents page): Talents and discussion and builds updated to account for balance patch.
- 08 Aug. 2018 (talents page): Talent discussion and recommended Talents have been updated for Stukov's rework in the Whitemane release patch.
- 08 Aug. 2018 (this page): Guide updated for Stukov's rework in the Whitemane release patch.
- Recommended Builds and Talents updated.
- 12 Oct. 2017 (talents page): Balance patch update.
- Eye Infection Removed.
- Updated text for Fetid Touch, Poppin' Pustules, and Superstrain.
- 09 Oct. 2017 (talents page): Updated Eye Infection text and moved from Not Recommended to Situational.
- 09 Jul. 2017 (this page): Guide added.
More Healer Guides
Outofmilk is an avid Heroes of the Storm player, and has been playing this game since the first wave of Alpha invites. He currently plays around the Grandmaster / high Master area and is now here to share his knowledge with you.
- Heroes of the Storm Updated PTR Patch Notes: November 26th
- Celebrating 30 Years of Warcraft in Heroes of the Storm
- Heroes of the Storm PTR Patch Notes: November 14th
- Heroes of the Storm Patch Notes: October 14th
- Heroes of the Storm PTR Patch Notes: September 26th
- Heroes of the Storm Live Patch Notes: August 12th
- Heroes of the Storm PTR Patch Notes: July 15th
- Blizzard at Gamescom 2024