Varian Talents

Level	Choices
1	✔ ✔ ✔
4	✔ ? ?
7	✔ ✔ ?
10	✔ ✔
13	? ? ?
16	✔ ✔ ✔
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 pick Mortal Strike at Level 13, since Varian's immediate cooldown reset on Heroic Strike after successfully parrying an enemy Hero's Basic Attack will apply the anti-healing effect.

High King's Quest usually takes quite long to reward you with its benefits compared to Lion's Maw and Overpower. However, if you decide to go for Twin Blades of Fury at Level 4, High King's Quest still is the best choice.

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 if used right after Colossus Smash has been applied on the enemy. The bonus damage from Lion's Maw and its potential to hit multiple enemies at the same time make it a perfect match for Master at Arms at Level 20 as well.

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 Tanks in your team.

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. After Level 7, Varian can solo clear any Mercenary Camp (including Bosses!) thanks to the fast Attack Speed and the resulting self heal provided by Second Wind.

Lionheart is a really solid talent, which enhances Varian's self-healing if Lion's Fang hits enemy Heroes. This is particularly useful against team compositions that feature multiple melee Heroes, since they are usually easier to hit.

Second Wind's reliable self-healing can often be a lifesaver when Varian charges into the enemy team's ranks, especially if there are no Blinds to prevent him from landing Basic Attacks. Due to the fact that Second Wind scales with Varian's maximum health and not his Attack Damage, the talent becomes quite strong if paired with Taunt.

Victory Rush can be an unreliable talent, since it only works if you have enemy Minions or Monsters nearby. However, especially on maps like Braxis Holdout or Infernal Shrines, lowering the cooldown near Map Objectives, such as Skeletal Guardians or Zergs is an easy thing to do. All in all, we find that Victory Rush can be a good situational choice on those maps, while being an underwhelming talent on maps like Sky Temple or Cursed Hollow that do not feature any Monsters at all.

Shield Wall becomes a powerful pick-up at Level 10. 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 protection it offers 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.

Juggernaut has great synergy with Warbringer at Level 10, 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 Protection Build featuring Taunt at Level 4. Combined with Overpower at Level 1, you can guarantee an application of Mortal Strike after successfully taunting an enemy Hero and parrying the following Basic Attack.

Shattering Throw is a very powerful counter to Heroes like Tassadar or Johanna, who possess powerful shielding abilities.

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 Dalaran is a surprisingly rewarding choice. We recommend picking this talent if two requirements are met. Firstly, Varian and his allies do not really need additional Armor to protect themselves. Secondly, your team needs to feature at least one Mage, such as Li-Ming or Jaina, to increase Banner of Dalaran's overall value.

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 while also allowing them to chase down fleeing enemies.

Glory to the Alliance's noteworthy cooldown reduction on any Banner talent from Level 16 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.

Demoralizing Shout is an excellent counter against team compositions that focus a lot on burst damage. Being able to cripple several melee and ranged Assassin allows Varian to protect not only himself but also nearby allies in his vicinity.

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.

Frenzy's effect is strong, yet it is sometimes not really needed, since we find Twin Blades of Fury's original buffs to be sufficient. If you get the feeling that your team does not benefit from either of the Banners picked at Level 16, however, picking Frenzy is by no means a bad decision.

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