Zul'jin Build Guide “Taz'dingo!”

Last updated on Sep 26, 2023 at 11:00 by Outofmilk 36 comments
General Information

Welcome to our guide for Zul'jin, a Ranged Assassin 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.

1.

Zul'jin's Overview

Zul'jin is a Ranged Assassin who can be utilized as either a Marksman or a pseudo-Mage His play style is ultimately dependent on the way in which Zul'jin is talented. Berserker Icon Berserker upgrades tends to shift Zul'jin toward Attack Damage, while Twin Cleave Icon Twin Cleave upgrades combined with Guillotine Icon Guillotine make for exceptional burst damage. Much like other Ranged Assassins, learning how to effectively position within the allied backline is integral to Zul'jin's success; as many times he will end up being the enemy team's primary target of focus.

"You Want Axe?" is a Baseline Quest that can be broken down into 3 components. Every 5 Basic Attacks against Heroes will increase Zul'jin's Attack Damage by 1. Although not quite as important for Zul'jin when utilizing a Twin Cleave Build, the damage granted by this portion of the quest can add up fast and should always be "farmed" by striking over-extended Heroes with Basic Attacks whenever possible. The second portion of the Quest is completed once Zul'jin has struck enemy Heroes with 75 Basic Attacks. This grants Zul'jin 1.1 additional Basic Attack range which is incredibly important for either of Zul'jin's two builds. The bonus range will allow Zul'jin to either deal Attack Damage from a safer position during fights, or more quickly generate the remaining stacks of the "You Want Axe?" Quest in order to obtain the Twin Cleave upgrade. Once Zul'jin has landed 150 Basic Attacks on enemy Heroes, his Twin Cleave will revolve around twice (which is an integral component for a Twin Cleave Build).

Although at first glance the Warlord of the Amani might seem relatively easy to master, his Trait Berserker Icon Berserker adds some interesting depth the stereotypically straightforward Ranged Assassin pick. Players will constantly need to determine when to sacrifice Zul'jin's very own Health for a massive bonus to his damage output. The ability to balance this mechanic will quickly separate the good Zul'jin players and the great.

2.

Zul'jin's Strengths and Weaknesses

V Strengths
  • +Incredibly high single-target damage output via Basic Attacks
  • +Good burst damage from Twin Cleave Icon Twin Cleave combined with Guillotine Icon Guillotine
  • +Multiple sources of bonus Attack Range makes effective positioning easier than similar Ranged Assassins
  • +Regeneration Icon Regeneration adds nice self-sustain in lane and between teamfights
  • +Taz'dingo! Icon Taz'dingo! provides a decent means of survivability to the otherwise squishy Hero
  • +Can fill multiple roles to accommodate a multitude of team compositions and match-ups
  • +Twin Cleave Icon Twin Cleave Build grants impressive waveclear
X Weaknesses
3.

Zul'jin's Talent Build Cheatsheet

Twin Cleave Build

Recommended
Level 1 Recklessness Icon
Level 4 Amani Hide Icon Troll's Blood Icon ? Voodoo Shuffle Icon ?
Level 7 Arcanite Axes Icon
Level 10 Taz'dingo! Icon Guillotine Icon ?
Level 13 Eye of Zul'jin Icon Ensnare Icon ?
Level 16 Wrong Place Wrong Time Icon
Level 20 Amani Resilience Icon Buzzsaw Icon ? A Surprise For Ya Icon ?

The Twin Cleave Icon Twin Cleave Build relies on the AoE poke damage provided by Zul'jin's Twin Cleave. When running this build, completing the final portion of "You Want Axe?" is imperative. The completion of this Quest by landing 150 Basic Attacks on enemy Heroes literally doubles the effectiveness of Twin Cleave as the blades begin to revolve twice. Arcanite Axes Icon Arcanite Axes is integral to the build, as it will endlessly increase the amount of damage the blades deal as the Match goes on. A single combo of a fully Talented cast of Twin Cleave combined with Guillotine Icon Guillotine can easily delete squishier members of the enemy backline such as Ranged Assassins or Healers. This is the standard build of Zul'jin and should be picked in most games.

Grievous Build

Situational
Level 1 Boneslicer Icon
Level 4 Amani Hide Icon Troll's Blood Icon ? Voodoo Shuffle Icon ?
Level 7 Vicious Assault Icon
Level 10 Taz'dingo! Icon Guillotine Icon ?
Level 13 Eye of Zul'jin Icon Ensnare Icon ?
Level 16 No Mercy! Icon
Level 20 Amani Resilience Icon Buzzsaw Icon ? A Surprise For Ya Icon ?

The Grievous Throw Icon Grievous Throw build focuses on high damage output on a single target. Boneslicer Icon Boneslicer and Vicious Assault Icon Vicious Assault synergize well and reward Zul'jin greatly should he have more attack speed through his trait, this also means that Taz'dingo! Icon Taz'dingo! becomes close to mandatory for the build to shine. After level 16, Zul'jin completely negates enemy armor, countering certain enemy heroes such as Garrosh or Uther.

Basic Attack Build

Situational
Level 1 Recklessness Icon
Level 4 Amani Hide Icon Troll's Blood Icon ? Voodoo Shuffle Icon ?
Level 7 Ferocity Icon
Level 10 Taz'dingo! Icon Guillotine Icon ?
Level 13 Eye of Zul'jin Icon Ensnare Icon ?
Level 16 Let the Killing Begin Icon No Mercy! Icon ?
Level 20 Amani Resilience Icon Buzzsaw Icon ? A Surprise For Ya Icon ?

The Basic Attack Build focuses on maximizing the effectiveness of Zul'jin's core mechanic Berserker Icon Berserker, and the insanely high single-target damage output he is able to maintain with his Basic Attacks. The combination of Recklessness Icon Recklessness, Ferocity Icon Ferocity, and Taz'dingo! Icon Taz'dingo! will cause Zul'jin to tear through his opponents as both his Attack Speed and Attack Damage will be phenomenal for Taz'dingo's entire duration should he become the target of the enemy focus. Amani Resilience Icon Amani Resilience provides Zul'jin with a much needed boost of survivability for when the Unkillable effect of Taz'dingo wears off. The Basic Attack build should only be used if you have a team composition consisting of crowd-control allowing you to Basic Attack enemy heroes down.

ARAM Build

ARAM
Level 1 Headhunter Icon
Level 4 Troll's Blood Icon
Level 7 Arcanite Axes Icon
Level 10 Taz'dingo! Icon
Level 13 Eye of Zul'jin Icon
Level 16 Wrong Place Wrong Time Icon
Level 20 A Surprise For Ya Icon

The ARAM Build focuses on primarily the Twin Cleave stacking on Zul'jin, but also on Auto-attacking a lot to stack Zul'jin's Trait damage.

4.

Zul'jin's Synergies and Counters

V Zul'jin synergizes with

Zul'jin performs best with Heroes who are able to provide him a strong frontline as well as Healers who can help him manage his Health drain. Uther and Tyrael work particularly well with Zul'jin as Divine Shield Icon Divine Shield and Sanctification Icon Sanctification can be overlapped with Taz'dingo! Icon Taz'dingo! for a phenomenal results.

X Zul'jin is countered by

Zul'jin is heavily countered by enemy Heroes that can dive him, disable him via Stuns or Silences, and burst him down, especially before he is able to activate Taz'dingo! Icon Taz'dingo!. Heroes with reliable Blinds (such as Li Li's Blinding Wind Icon Blinding Wind) also severely hinder Zul'jin's effectiveness in battle.

5.

Zul'jin's Maps

Zul'jin's stronger maps
None
Zul'jin's average maps
Battlefield of Eternity Blackheart's Bay Braxis Holdout Cursed Hollow Dragon Shire Garden of Terror Infernal Shrines Sky Temple Tomb of the Spider Queen Towers of Doom Warhead Junction Hanamura Temple Volskaya Foundry Alterac Pass
Zul'jin's weaker maps
None

Zul'jin's role as a Basic Attack focused Ranged Assassin makes him a viable pick for most occasions. Nothing about his kit makes him particularly good or bad or any specific map and his viablity in a match should be centered more around the team's composition and it's needs as opposed to the map selection.

6.

Zul'jin's Tips and Tricks

  • The damage caused to Zul'jin by activating Berserker Icon Berserker can be used to help him attain his bonus attack speed much faster, however try to never abuse Berserker to the point of leaving Zul'jin with low health in a potentially compromising position.
  • Grievous Throw Icon Grievous Throw will only strike and mark the first two enemies it comes into contact with. When intending to hit an enemy Hero, Zul'jin should avoid casting Grievous Throw at Heroes buried behind enemy minions, mercenaries, or structures.
  • Because Twin Cleave Icon Twin Cleave always travels the same distance in a circular motion, Zul'jin can cast it at an angle to strike enemies close to him who would otherwise avoid its pathing.
  • Make sure to find a safe stop to take cover before channeling Regeneration Icon Regeneration as damage will interrupt it's effect (this includes aggro on those pesky lane minions!)
  • Although Zul'jin will get the most value from casting Taz'dingo! Icon Taz'dingo! at low Health, it may sometimes be a wiser play to cast Taz'dingo preemptively to avoid enemy ability combos that would otherwise result in certain death.
  • There is a slight delay when casting Guillotine Icon Guillotine, therefore Zul'jin should keep an eye the target's movement path and aim the ability accordingly.
7.

Zul'jin's Role in the Current Meta

Zul'jin is a solid pick for most team compositions as he will readily fill the need for a Ranged Assassin who can either deal a large amount of sustain or burst damage. Zul'jin is very susceptible to enemy Heroes who are able to dive onto him and disable him with Stuns or Silences. This is why it is imperative that Zul'jin be accompanied by a strong frontline comprised of Heroes who will be able to peel for him as he dishes out an endless volley of Basic Attacks or a heavy-hitting cast of Twin Cleave Icon Twin Cleave. He is also at his best when paired up with a solid Healer or two who can keep his Health up as he drains it for the bonus Attack Speed and thus extra damage of Berserker Icon Berserker's active. Healers who have means to boost his Movement Speed or to cleanse allies (such as Intercession Icon Intercession by Whitemane) away Stuns, Slows, or Roots are definitely a bonus as his lack or reliable gap-closer may result in him being easily cornered by the enemy team.

8.

Changelog

  • 26 Sep. 2023 (this page): ARAM Build added.
  • 02 Mar. 2021 (talents page): Guide has been updated with a new build and talents updated.
  • 02 Mar. 2021 (this page): Guide has been updated with a new build and talents updated.
  • 20 Jan. 2021 (talents page): Guide has been reviewed up talents have been updated.
  • 20 Jan. 2021 (this page): Guide has been reviewed up talents have been updated.
  • 21 Aug. 2020 (talents page): Guide has been updated for the addition of A Surprise For Ya.
  • 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.
  • 23 Oct. 2019 (talents page): Updated Amani Hide talent.
  • 04 Sep. 2019 (talents page): Guide has been reviewed for latest patch and no changes are needed.
  • 04 Sep. 2019 (this page): Guide has been reviewed for latest patch and no changes are needed.
  • 24 Jun. 2019 (talents page): Talent descriptions and recommendations have been updated in accordance with meta.
  • 24 Jun. 2019 (this page): Guide updated in accordance with meta.
  • 30 Jun. 2018 (talents page): Talents and recommendations updated following the June 27 balance patch.
  • 13 Dec. 2017 (talents page): Made updates for the latest balance patch.
    • Level 4 Talent Amani Rage has had the Armor Bonus reduced from 10 to 5 and the Health Regeneration duration increased from 6 to 10 seconds.
    • Level 7 Talent Arcanite Axes no longer reduce the cooldown of Twin Cleave.
    • Level 13 Talent Lacerate has had the Slow amount reduced from 15% to 10%.
  • 02 Nov. 2017 (talents page): Updated the guide following the most recent balance patch, with the following changes being notable.
    • Level 7 Talent Ferocity has had its Passive Attack speed bonus increased from 35 to 40%.
    • Level 7 Talent Vicious Assault (Q) has had its damage bonus increased from 30 to 35%.
    • Level 16 Talents Wrong Place Wrong Time and Let the Killing Begin are now correctly labeled Recommended and Situational respectively.
  • 17 Oct. 2017 (talents page): Talents page updated for Zul'jin's rework in Junkrat's patch.
  • 06 Oct. 2017 (talents page): Level 4 Talent Let The Killing Begin has had its duration reduced from 15 to 12 Seconds. Level 16 Talent Ferocity has had its Bonus Attack Speed reduced from 40% to 35%.
  • 01 Sep. 2017 (talents page): Level 1 Talent Boneslicer has had the bonus damage increased from 20 to 30%.
  • 11 May 2017 (talents page): Level 13 Talent Voodoo Shuffle has been changed from "Situational" to "Recommended". Its cooldown change has been noted and discussed.
  • 06 Jan. 2017 (talents page): Added talent discussions.
  • 05 Jan. 2017 (this page): Guide added.
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