Introduction Top
Zeratul is the dark templar in the Starcraft series. He is one of the most versatile heroes that exists in Heroes of the Storm. In competitive play he is always banned or given a very high priority pick. Although his burst is rivaled by Nova, he brings more than just damage to a game. The core strength of the hero comes from his ultimate
Void Prison which has many uses which I cover later in the guide.
PROS:
[*] The sheer burst from his combo can erase most assassins/specialists/supports in the game.
[*] The enemy team is forced to pick someone that can deal with you/counter you.
[*] Versatility of Void Prison.
[*] Extremely fun play style. (Best looking hero in the game).
CONS:
[*] Easily countered if the enemy team can react fast enough.
[*] Void Prison just got nerfed because it was TOO good.
[*] Almost useless if the enemy team is very tanky.
Spells and Abilities Top
(Q) Cleave
A basic spell that damages nearby enemies instantly. Useful for finishing a hero off, or to start your combo.
(W) Singularity Spike
Your bread and butter spell, the largest portion of your damage output.
(E) Blink
Your main escape tool until level 13, where you should get wormhole which will allow it to be both a gap closer and an escape.
Trait
The reason Zeratul is feared. This makes Zeratul "invisible" to enemies. Although considered invisible there is still a small sheen on the screen that any skilled HotS player will recognize, there is still the ability to show up unexpected to fights a midst the chaos.
Heroic Abilties
(R) Void Prison
This ultimate makes Zeratul who he is. This talents versatility is evident in every team-fight and can change from game to game. You can use it to combo with AoE ultimate damage by catching the enemies off guard and canceling it before your teams AoE hits to ensure the maximum damage is applied. It is also useful when trying to escape while blink is on cool-down, or the opposite by catching someone who is trying to get away. The opportunities to use this ultimate come up so often that there is no reason to get Shadow Assault.
(R) Shadow Assault
I would honestly say to never get this ultimate unless you are just messing around in normal games because it is vastly inferior to Void Prison. This ultimate will give you extra burst which is unnecessary with this build because you will already have so much of it.
Talent Guide Top
Level 1
There are two options in your talent choices at level 1.
Greater cleave is my choice at level 1. This talent is instrumental in pushing waves faster and also hitting more of the enemy team in a clustered fight.
Block can be chosen if the enemy team has many assassins as blocking a few auto attacks could be the difference between life and death.
Level 4
Gathering power is the clear choice at level 4. It makes your spells do up to 15% more damage. The key to this talent is gathering stacks. As you kill enemy heroes you gain damage, the downfall is death will erase all the stacks and you have to start collecting all over again.
Level 7
There are three very different choices that you can pick at level 7.
Void slash is my talent of choice, the extra instantaneous burst it gives you is amazing. This is the level where you can start deleting squishier heroes.
Shadow spike is useful if you are just learning Zeratul, this talent makes you much safer and able to burst from a distance.
First Aid is very useful on assassins that have to get into a fight and stay in it, which is not Zeratul. I would only get this talent if you are afraid of dying, or want to have some better sustain.
Level 10
Void Prison is the ONLY choice at level 10, the other heroic doesn't even exist to me. The plays you can make with this ultimate are game-changing.
Level 13
Wormhole is the clear choice at level 13. This talent allows you to initiate with blink, drop your combo, and blink back out safely.
Level 16
Double bombs increases your burst by about 50%. As the name of the talent suggests you can (W) Singularity Spike twice.
Level 20
Rewind is the new spell they added for Zeratul to replace the extra blink that you would normally get at 20. Rewind is INSANE and is the perfect talent for Zeratul. It allows you to (Q) cleave twice, (W) singularity spike four times, and (E) blink twice every minute.
Combos Top
Combos
Pre-level 13 combo
Before level 13, NEVER blink in unless it is safe to and you can definitely secure a kill. Staying alive is more important than nabbing that one kill. To start the combo you want to either be mounted, or mount out of vision, chase an enemy down, use Q then W and auto them as much as possible until you are in danger of dying and then blink out. It is key to remember to never use blink to engage until you get wormhole.
Level 13 combo
Once you get wormhole, you should always be looking for easy kills. Now you can blink in and then blink back to your initial blink spot. The wormhole effect only lasts for three seconds, so you should always be keeping that in mind.
Level 16 combo
Once you get double bombs everyone that is not a tank should fear you. Your combo does not change much, only adding an extra W before you blink out.
Level 20 combo
Rewind, possibly the most broken talent in the game. The different spell combos that open up once you get this talent will be to much for me to cover, it is just something that you will learn in time. The biggest use of this spell in my opinion is being able to 4 bomb someone, making even the biggest tank rethink a fight.
Void Prison Tips Top
Void Prison
REMEMBER, you can unfreeze by pressing R again (there is a one second delay though).
There are many things that void prison can do (even though Blizzard removed the easy ability to steal camps, it can still be done its just more difficult).
1. The main use of the ability is its strong team fight presence. Use it on some key members of the enemy team and it is instantly a 5vX for five seconds. Another use of it in team fights is to combo with another ally with a massive AoE spell. Have an Uther, ETC, or Nova on your team? Freeze them and unfreeze right when the other ability hits.
2. It can be used to save teammates/yourself, if blink is ever on CD and you need to escape or an ally is about to die, no problem just place your ultimate to block a path or freeze the enemy. Be careful though as this ability will also freeze your allies.
3. This spell can also be used to pick off running enemies, if a few enemies are getting away just freeze them until your team can re-position around the circle and get some easy kills.
4. This spell can still be used to steal camps with some strategic placement. Originally you could just put the ultimate on the capture circle and no one could enter it but you, now you have to freeze the enemy outside of the capture circle and you can swoop in and steal the camp.
Conclusion Top
Zeratul is both a strong hero in solo and competitive play. His burst is great in competitive games although he is very dependent on positioning throughout the fight. In a coordinated game his biggest strength comes from Void Prison, you have the ability to save yourself and others or even set up massive AoE damage.
One of the tougher assassins in the game, but when played correctly he can change the pace of a game by deleting enemy heroes and being a general menace to the enemy team.
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