Varian Talents

Table of Contents

• +Introduction
  • 1. Quick Reference
  • 2. Overview
  • 3. Strengths
  • 4. Weaknesses
  • 5. Role in the Current Meta
  • 6. Reading Further
  • 7. ChangeLog
• +Abilities and Strategy
  • 1. Tips on Ability Usage
  • 2. Heroic Strike (Trait)
  • 3. Lion's Fang
  • 4. Parry
  • 5. Charge
  • 6. Taunt
  • 7. Colossus Smash
  • 8. Twin Blades of Fury
• ×Talent Build
  • 1. Talent Build
  • 2. Common Talent Paths
  • 3. Level 1 Talents
    • 3.1. Discussion
  • 4. Level 4 Talents
    • 4.1. Discussion
  • 5. Level 7 Talents
    • 5.1. Discussion
  • 6. Level 10 Talents
    • 6.1. Discussion
  • 7. Level 13 Talents
    • 7.1. Discussion
  • 8. Level 16 Talents
    • 8.1. Discussion
  • 9. Level 20 Talents
    • 9.1. Discussion
  • 10. ChangeLog

General Information

On this page, we present the viable talent choices for playing Varian 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 Varian 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. Talent Build

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

Create your own build and share it with friends!

2. Common Talent Paths

3. Level 1 Talents

3.1. Discussion

Lion's Maw feels a bit underwhelming during the early phases of the game. However, as its Quest completion bonus kicks in, it possesses great synergy with Varian's Arms Build, especially after Colossus Smash has been picked at Level 10. The bonus damage from Lion's Maw and its potential to hit multiple enemies at the same time, makes it a perfect match for Master at Arms at Level 20.

Overpower should be Varian's go-to Level 1 talent in most cases, especially if you plan on building him as a Tank. Overpower also gets decent value if you decide to play the Arms Build featuring Colossus Smash at Level 10, since Varian's kill potential benefits greatly from the immediate cooldown reset on Heroic Strike after successfully parrying an enemy Hero's Basic Attack.

High King's Quest usually takes too long to reward you with its benefits compared to Lion's Maw and Overpower, in particular. However, on maps that provide enough opportunities to pick up Regeneration Globes, High King's Quest can be a decent choice on either of the two Assassin Builds.

4. Level 4 Talents

4.1. Discussion

Shield Wall becomes a powerful pick-up at Level 4. While the Invulnerability effect allows Varian to attack more recklessly, the loss of mobility and lockdown potential that comes by ignoring Warbringer is still noticeable. However, the strong synergy with other Parry-related talents, namely Overpower and Live by the Sword, more than makes up for it.

Warbringer provides Varian with a better Movement Speed Slow to hunt his targets down more efficiently. Furthermore, lowering Charge's cooldown by 8 seconds is a huge asset to both his chasing and peeling capabilities. We recommend picking it if you intend to pick Taunt at Level 10, however, only against team compositions that lack burst damage and rely heavily on Basic Attack Assassins such as Illidan, Raynor, or Valla.

5. Level 7 Talents

5.1. Discussion

Live by the Sword is a solid talent, which works best if paired together with Overpower at Level 1 and Shield Wall at Level 4. We usually recommend this talent if you plan on picking Taunt or Colossus Smash at Level 10.

Second Wind marks Varian's first power spike if you decide to go for Twin Blades of Fury. Its increased Attack Speed makes this talent truly shine. The synergy between the two enables you to capture any Mercenary and Boss Camp at or after Level 10. Since it scales with his maximum health value, Second Wind becomes a decent talent choice with Taunt as well.

Victory Rush is too unreliable a talent, since it only works if you have enemy Minions nearby. However, especially on larger maps this is not always guaranteed. On smaller maps, such as Battlefield of Eternity or Tomb of the Spider Queen, we find that Victory Rush can be a good situational choice due to the abundance of Minions that surround Varian while pushing with the Objective.

6. Level 10 Talents

6.1. Discussion

Taunt is Varian's most defensive Heroic Ability and provides and additional source of crowd control to his kit while also bolstering his health pool by a large margin. It is crucial to realize that by taking Taunt, you essencially sacrifice damage output and kill potential in favor of peeling potential for your allies. We highly recommend picking Taunt if you do not have any other Warriors in your team who could fill the role of a Tank.

Colossus Smash turns Varian into a hard-engaging melee Assassin. Its Vulnerability debuff can pave the way for quick take-downs, especially if your team features burst-heavy ranged Assassins who can follow up on Varian's charge. In order to unleash Colossus Smash's full potential, it should always be used first, followed up by Lion's Fang and Charge to maximise your damage output against the vulnerable target.

Twin Blades of Fury increases Varian's Attack Speed and Movement Speed tremendously, causing him to become a deadly Bruiser, who can wreak havoc within the enemy lines. If paired with Second Wind at Level 7, Varian can duel almost any other Hero in a one-versus-one situation, so feel confident when you meet foes in the open. Also, make sure to capture Mercenary Camps and Bosses by yourself every now and then to provide your team with additional lane pressure.

7. Level 13 Talents

7.1. Discussion

Juggernaut has great synergy with Warbringer at Level 4, especially if the enemy team consists of several high health Heroes.

Mortal Strike is a very effective talent if you decided to go for the Fury Build featuring Twin Blades of Fury at Level 10. Due to the increased Attack Speed, Heroic Strike will trigger a lot more frequently, which in return will maintain Mortal Strike's healing debuff constantly on your primary target.

Shattering Throw is a very powerful counter to Heroes like Tassadar or Johanna, who possess powerful shielding abilities. If the enemy team does not use any shields at all, Shattering Throw completely shuts down Chen's Fortifying Brew.

8. Level 16 Talents

8.1. Discussion

Banner of Ironforge is a fantastic talent for Varian, since it provides himself and nearby allied Heroes with a significant defensive buff. This becomes particularly useful during longer skirmishes and team fights around Map Objectives. Keep in mind that you can also use Banner of Ironforge to mitigate some of the damage that Mercenary Camps or Bosses deal to you and your teammates.

Banner of Stormwind can be a worthy substitute to Banner of Ironforge if your team needs additional mobility to either engage the enemy team or retreat away from them. If timed well, Banner of Stormwind can definitely become a life saver for threatened allies.

Banner of Dalaran remains a very situational, yet rewarding choice. We would only recommend picking this talent if two requirements are met. Firstly, Varian himself goes for the Arms or Protection Build. Secondly, your team needs to feature at least one Mage, such as Li-Ming or Jaina, to increase Banner of Dalaran's overall value.

9. Level 20 Talents

9.1. Discussion

Master at Arms provides a significant late game damage spike to Varian, allowing him to apply the Vulnerable debuff to multiple enemy Heroes at the same time. While this effect alone would probably already be enough to justify taking Master at Arms, the additional cooldown reduction on Colossus Smash renders this talent extremely powerful.

Glory to the Alliance's noteworthy cooldown reduction on any Banner talent from Level 13 is a solid reason to pick this talent, as it basically allows you to have a guaranteed Banner during every major team fight. The additional increased healing and health regeneration helps your allies to out-sustain the enemy team during longer skirmishes and team fights. We strongly recommend picking Glory to the Alliance if you went for Second Wind at Level 7 and Twin Blades of Fury at Level 10, since it boosts Varian's self-healing tremendously.

Demoralizing Shout is an excellent counter against team compositions who focus a lot on damage. Being able to cripple several melee and ranged Assassin allows Varian to protect not only himself but also nearby allies in his vicinity. Consequently, this talent becomes our go-to choice at Level 20 when playing the Protection Build.

Frenzy's effect is strong, yet it is not really needed, since we find Twin Blades of Fury's original buffs to be sufficient. Consequently, we recommend sacrificing additional damage in favor of utility or self-sustain by picking either Demoralizing Shout or Glory to the Alliance.

Vigilance offers too little to compete against any of the other Level 20 talents.

10. ChangeLog

+ show all entries - show only 10 entries

• 11 Jul. 2017: Changed High King's Quest from Situational to Recommended.
• 03 Jul. 2017: Updated Varian's Level 1 talents.
• 16 May 2017: Updated Warbringer's description.
• 11 Mar. 2017: Updated Varian's talent section to fit the current meta.
• 28 Feb. 2017: Updated Warbringer in accordance with the latest Balance Update.
• 18 Feb. 2017: Re-arranged Varian's Level 13 and 16 talent tiers in accordance with the Lucio Update.
• 04 Feb. 2017: Updated Level 7 talent discussions and assessments.
• 20 Dec. 2016: Updated text for some talent discussions, but assessments remain the same.