1. Introduction
2. Pros and Cons
3. Talents (Arguments and Concepts)*
4. Maneuvering tactics
5. Threats?
6. Closing words

Welcome to my Falstad guide.

In this guide, I will play the devil's advocate, showing you an unorthodox build of Falstad, so that you may understand how to maximise the potential of the hero.

People may realise by now, that Falstad isn't really participating much in the meta these days. This is because of the common stereotype that Falstad "is a lousy hero" or that "other heroes are just better".

Well, this guide hopes to prove you wrong.

Whenever you play with a Falstad player, don't you find it irritating that he's not contributing much to the teamfight using his skills and talents properly? This is because many Falstad players do not really know how to use the hero well, and thus limiting its ability and credential.

Falstad is a ranged assassin, make sure he lives up to his name.

Pros
1. Effective Damage Dealer
2. Able to 1v1 in the late game
3. Great AoE ultimate to turn the tides of the battle
4. Able to engage and disengage very well
5. Cmon, he can fly, which warrants him +pro

Cons
1. Kind of low hp and mp pool
2. Positioning is vital
3. With positioning and a good game sense, there's really no more cons

Level 1
Gathering Storm
By the time I reach level 20, I would already have accumulated 100+ damage! Such a great scaling talent
Whilst it is true, A hammerang that is thrown out with +200 damage isn't very useful in the late game. After all, this is a skill which has a cooldown, and also requires you to be a marksman... or just a normal player. Anyways, this skills may look good, but don't be fooled, because there is a better talent at level 1

Updraft
Wow, I can roll more! Such a surefire way to engage or disengage!
Well, the +30% increase is indeed a substantial amount, this talent is only taken if you do not have very good positioning in teamfights. More often than not, this talent will be rendered ineffective because you either go too in or go too out, in layman's term. Also, you can already pass through many impassable terrains with the normal Barrel Roll, so it doesn't really help much.

Seasoned Marksman
This is by far the best pick for Falstad, because it scales really well into the late game. Although the idea may be similar to picking up Gathering Storm, remember that this talent affects your Basic Attacks, which requires no cooldown or whatsoever, just you right-clicking the enemy.
But this talent requires you to stay in lane and not fight??
Technically yes, but remember, hero kills also awards you the charges... and with adequate knowledge of the game, balancing between soaking and ganking, your experience will be rewarded.
From the numerous Falstad gameplay that I have accumlated, I reckon that the average +damage will be around 50 at level 20 (and that's if you are losing substantially). If you are winning, the numbers just go higher

Bribe
Wow, Bribe, what an OP skill!
I feel that This talent has been over-rated, and is only great when it is in the early game. After all, the most you can do with it is to quicken your capture timing, otherwise you can just solo the camps yourself. At the very best, this talent only help you to cap 2 giant camps.

Level 4
Charged Up
With more damage on the target, means more dps. How very good is this talent!
While this talent may be enticing to some, always keep in mind that in 90% of the teamfights you encounter with Falstad, you are unable to stay in the radius of Lightning Rod in order to dish out more damage. Simply, the target wouldn't let you by running away. It's human instinct to run away. This talent does not yield much effectiveness, because of the aforementioned argument.

Flow Rider
Basic Abilities cooldown at a quicker pace, means I can use more skills
Almost always, in a teamfight, you will receive damage. Either someone is targeting you directly or there is an indirect attack which affects you. If there is a need to iterate, Tailwind states that you must not be damaged in order for this trait to activate.
How about farming? I can use more skills while farming, accelerating my pushing speed
That is true, but keep in mind that Falstad has a low mana pool. You are unable to spam your skills very often if you are considering to participate in a fight anytime soon. Playing Falstad requires the understanding of Mana conservation, which makes it even harder to prove this talent point.

Vampiric Assault
This talent will increase my sustainability
This talent point is definitely viable if you are playing solo, i.e taking mercenary camps or pushing out lanes. In a sense, it will make you more survivable during the course of the game. However, when playing Falstad, you are required to participate in most teamfight because of your Flight ability, and recovering 30 health per hit isn't very compelling when the enemies are hurling hundreds of damage on you. (you get the point).

Power Throw
Increasing the range of Hammerang may seem rather useless, but it is the slow I'm talking about here. The range is also cogent in the sense that you are able to hit more heroes with it (provided they stand in a line), and securing any kills. You can also chase someone in a more competent manner with your increased range. The amount of positive vibes this talent has is uncountable. The increased slow is common sensical.

Battle Momentum
Similar to tailwind. This plus that = imba
Same argument as tailwind. To reiterate, you just don't have the mana to complement the decrease in cooldown.

Secret Weapon
This may be an unorthodox talent to pick up, but it sure works wonders. Having an 80% increase in basic attack is amazing, considering your build is circled around using your normal attack. As a calculation, once you throw out your Hammerang, you are able to utilize this critical damage 4 times at max. Secret Weapon is lethal when combined with your level 16 talent, Hammer Time, because it allows you to hit the enemy at least 2 times.

BOOMerang
I don't know what people think of this but I am certain that this talent is of a lower capability than Secret Weapon, just because you are able to BOOM the Hammerang doesn't mean anything, just a little added burst damage. In the long run, you'll realise that Secret Weapon works better than this talent

Free Roll
No mana, solves mana issue
Nahhh, level 7 talent is important, and Barrel Roll costs 75 mana. This talent scales down during the course of the game, just because your mana pool gets larger. Furthermore, what are you going to do with Free Roll? At most, you are going to use it 2 times in a fight.

First Aid
Heals. A lot.
This talent is the most competitive against Secret Weapon, whereby it increases your survivability in a very crucial moment. Also applying to Sylvanas Life Drain vs Unstable Poison, many pro players go for the latter. Similarly, I would rather Falstad goes for more damage than a burst heal. This is because Falstad isn't a hero which requires going to the front line and attacking. Also, Falstad has the ability to Hearthstone back to base and use Flight to rejoin the battle. Unlike heroes like Tychus or Raynor, who monopolizes on the burst heal talent at level 7 because they have a lower attack range or a generally lower movement than Falstad, the hero in question is able to fight without much risk of dying immediately. To add on, the talent which I recommend also complements every other talent picked up, and makes the word "assassin" more poignant. Predominantly a better talent than Vampiric Assault
This is the only talent which I may give it a leeway, and it is picked only on certain occasions. Otherwise, I would rather Secret Weapon as my first choice.

There is going to be no arguments for this talent pick. If you follow my build, I recommend the former. Just because it suits well with what you are building up. If you want to play a rather sinister, causal Falstad, then it is up to you. This is purely based on preference.

Hinterland Blast
I have no qualms for this talent pick-up, because it suits the way I play Falstad: aggressive, damage dealer, assassin.

Mighty Gust
I don't really like this ultimate. No damage = not fun in my opinion. You can still pick this up to steal boss, turn the fight in your favor, be a prick and push the team back... It's really up to you.

Giant Killer
This talent is one of the best in inflicting tons of damage using your right-click. A must have to augment your talent choices. My Falstad builds around right-clicking on enemy heroes, and most of the time you will right click the enemy heroes... You get my point?

Crippling Hammer
This talent is counter-intuitive after picking up Power Throw. Lol..

Thunderstrikes
Take note of the plural form of the talent
This is a Hammerang build, and I've already mentioned in the front that you may not be able to maximise your thunderstrike duration. Moreover, it doesn't deal as much damage as the one I propose. Unlike Gall's level 13 ability Rising Dread to increase his Dread Orb's damage, you are the one controlling the radius of Lightning Rod, which may endanger your life.

Static Shield
5% x 5 = 25%, + 100% = 125% = no death!
You are going full assassin build. No healing!! Just kidding. On a side note, static shield doesn't provide as much as First Aid, so if you aren't going to pick First Aid, then don't pick this. Aaaand read above. Simply doesn't provide as much sustain as you think.

Aerie Gusts
Oh my good, 2 seconds? I have tailwind almost every time!
Not really viable when you are either running with high chance of success, or running just to die. 30% isn't going to make you Godlike, just saying. And it really limits your option if you opt for this talent, seriously.

Hammer Time
This is centrifugal to your current build-up, because it just propels any damage inflicted by you. Having a short stun is also great in chasing enemies. Keep in mind that Hammerang also provides a slow. A stun + a slow is devastating. And also supplements your Secret Weapon talent by a huge margin.

Afterburner
If you desire to pick this, why not Aerie Gusts? you can argue by yourself on this one. And if you decide to pick Aerie Gust, why not this? Hohoho, a paradox for you. (No hard feelings!) On a lighter note, Afterburner doesn't provide much movement, or rather, is insignificant because you already have taken up a stun from Hammer Time. If you are talking about running away, it is certainly useful, but what's next?

Overdrive
Hmm, a rather intriguing talent, but is not really viable when you are going for a right-click build. Overdrive may be competent when you are going for an all rounded, basic ability build, emphasizing on both Hammerang and Lightning Rod. In other cases, it is just not really suitable.

Call of the Wildhammer
This talent provides a one-shot burst, with a 90 second cooldown afterwards. Probably a great feeling after decimating some heroes, but if it has no impact on "some" heroes, then in every case, this is pretty much useless

Nexus Frenzy
Pretty good, really good, must pick

Epic Mount
In simple terms, why are you in such a hurry? Where do you want to fly to?

Wind Tunnel
VOIDED

Falstad is a rather unique hero, and it can be weak if you are new to this type of gameplay. And by weak I mean reallllllly useless. On the other side of the spectrum though, it can be a game changer.

General Rule of Thumb
Understand that Falstad is able to dish out massive damage. Do not be wary when engaging in a 1v1 with another squishy hero. Chances are they may lose. Always remember to calculate your approximate damage done to your opponent so that you are not caught offguard when they escape with a slither of health. {P.S you are able to deal at least half of any heroes, tanks exclusive, in the early game)

Early Game
Try to capitalize on your seasoned marksman ability. Make full use of your flight ability, and move around the map effectively. Do not waste any time walking around the map, because it just limits your potential as a hero. It is alright if you find yourself always having to hearth back to base, because you can get to lane in no time.

Mid Game
Always be present in team fights because your team needs you. Don't idle and try to farm minion waves when your team is engaged in a fight. You'll just get a verbal beating afterwards. Make sure you land your Hinterland Blast at appropriate positions.

Get Bruiser camps on your own. Get mercenary camps on your own. Don't attempt the boss on your own.

Late Game
Try and be the one to defend the base when being pushed out by minions alone to exploit your Seasoned Marksman ability. Push as according to your team. Be the one to help out, not the one who will lead the game. Keep in mind that you are always in a precarious position; take note of your health every time.

Flight
Your cool Mount, Flight. Flight is really key in turning the fight from a 4v4 to a 5v4, with an added element of surprise. Position your flight well. If you see your allies having the upperhand, fly in front of the enemies. If you see your allies requiring backup, fly to a safe distance. Don't compromise on using flight because it has a significant cooldown. In MOBA games, seconds pass by really quickly.

Don't be afraid to Hearth back to your fountain, heal up, and Fly back to the fight. It really helps a lot when you require the little bit of HP and MP.

You can also manipulate the ability by treating it as a delayed fountain. Take a mercenary camp by yourself, Hearth back to the base, and fly back to where you want to be, and pretend nothing happen.


Hammerang
When trying to farm, position your Hammer so that it hits the most number of minions.
When fighting in a team fight, try and position your hammer so that it hits more than one person, but take into account the person you are targeting. For example, rather than hitting 3 enemies in the back line, you would rather hit 2 enemies, with one of them already being your target

Lightning Rod
Just press it on your target

Barrel Roll
Be very careful not to roll to deep into the team fight, because you may lose your positioning really quickly. A general sensing is not to roll into the fight, but instead saving it unless you are chasing the opponent, which may be inferred as you have won / going to win the team fight

Hinterland Blast
Try and utilize the range of this ultimate by picking off low health losers. Also, do not save your blast so that you can secure a 5 man wombo combo instant kill, because that is most likely not going to happen. Don't be afraid to use it on one person, provided your team do not have to resource or skill to chase him down. Treat this ultimate more like a kill-steal fashion, than a pretended 5 man team wipe.

Alternatively, you can also use your blast as a psychological shock to the opponents, crippling them and imbuing much fear into their hearts. Make it so that it will be etched into their minds forever, haunting them in their dreams, preventing them from moving further in life. Yup, that's the reality of such an ultimate.

You are a threat to everyone. Just play well.

...

Oh, you thought I meant threats to Falstad?

Thanks for reading my first guide! Please comment on your ways of Falstad, or if you have any better suggestions with a better play style as an assassin, feel free to voice it out!

P.S this it my first guide, I still am very new to this, so pardon my lack of glittery images (I don't, for one, know how to do them) If you want more guides by me, please tell me and I will be most willing to publish my rendition of the hero

Thank you once again for taking your time to read this guide, or pretending to read it!

Rock your Falstad gameplay!