Welcome everyone to my first guide!
I have been playing HoTS since beta and have decided to write a guide for Greymane as I am enjoying playing him more than any other hero so far.
This guide will primarily focused on random quick matches but I will make note of abilities that shine when used by a coordinated team.
Also as he is still new I will be updating this guide regularly.


King of a ruined land, bearer of a dark curse, owner of some badass muttonchops, Genn Greymane is all of these things and more. Torn from his homeland by forces unknown, Genn now fights in the Nexus, eager to prove that the darkness that rests within him can be put to use for the forces of Light.

The most effective way of playing Greymane I have found so far is being in human form most of the time, throwing out Gilnean Cocktail's and poking from range, only shifting into Worgen form to go for the kill.

Level 1:

Wolfheart: This should be your default pick for level 1 as the unmodified 16 second cooldown is much too long to dish out any real damage. The other three picks are far worse in terms of damage and should be avoided if you are going for straight dps.

Perfect Aim: There are very few circumstances where this is needed and Wolfheart is just too good not to pick up.

Scented Tincture: Doesn't increase dps so it isn't worth getting in this build, but it is a key part of my Bartender build below.

Viciousness: Not a bad talent by any means and probably worth taking in a Worgen focused build, but I haven't found such a build to be viable.

Level 4:

Thick Skin: Basically a modified version of block, but Greymane is not a tank so this talent is usually not needed. Can be helpful in a quick match without a tank, or a game against many auto-attack based enemies, but there are better options.

Eyes in the Dark: My default pickup, invaluable as an escape after diving into Worgen form to finish off a wounded enemy. Note: Like all stealth, this effect will not be applied if you have a DoT on you, so I tend to skip this one if fighting against such heroes. eg.( Nazeebo, Lunara)

Insatiable: In his current form I haven't had any mana issues with Greymane, so i find this talent almost useless. Maybe worth considering if your team has multiple healers to keep your health up.

Draught Overflow: Only worth taking if you are having trouble hitting with Gilnean Cocktail but you are giving up some important survivability for it.

Level 7:

Quicksilver Bullets: A good pick if you are up against a heavily ranged team and are having trouble getting close enough to attack, otherwise skip.

Incendiary Elixir: Also viable, the added damage to the initial hit is useful when there is nothing around to explode the cocktail on. I would take this if you aren't staying alive long enough to build Wizened Duelist stacks.

Wizened Duelist: Unless I have been having a terrible game up to this point I will always take Wizened Duelist. The extra 30% damage just destroys in the late game if you can stay alive to build it.

Level 10:

Go for the Throat: This heroic is what evolves Greymane from a skirmisher into a killing machine. The damage is does at level 10 is ridiculous and the range makes it amazing for finishing off fleeing enemies. Just take it.

Marked for the Kill: Greymane's second Heroic is certainly nothing to sneeze at, and in the hands of an experienced player with a well communicating team, it would certainly pull in front of Go for the Throat. The main problem with it is that random teams rarely take advantage of the vulnerability and by yourself, its damage doesn't seem to be as high as Go for the Throat.

Level 13:

Running Wild: Of the level 13 talents, I prefer this or On the Prowl, but all of them are viable. The range increase on Darkflight is great for chasing heroes who themselves have an escape type ability such as Valla or Zeratul. The increase on disengage helps get you out of trouble, and is especially useful if you took Eyes in the Dark.

Visceral Attacks: Visceral attacks is the only talent in this tier that directly affects your damage but I find it the least useful as it is very easy for enemies to get away from you when you are in Worgen form, making you unable to land the basic attacks in the first place.

On the Prowl: On the Prowl is my go to talent here as it isn't hard to keep Inner Beast up for 3 seconds by attacking a creep wave or hero. The 30% movement increase means that in your human form, it is nearly impossible for another hero to run away from you, as the increased speed lets you keep getting in auto attacks to refresh it.

Unfettered Assault: I haven't tested this one as much as the others but the extra second cooldown increase doesn't seem worth the little extra range, especially as you should only be shifting to kill fleeing enemies or get close to a ranged hero.

Level 16:

Concentrated Blast: The choice on this tier depends on your team. If you have a teammate with a dependable slow, take Executioner, if not take this. In your human form you should be aiming for 100% up-time on Inner Beast in a fight, and an extra 80% damage on your already powerful Gilnean Cocktail is a big boost.

Relentless Predator: Another worgen tanking talent, skip it.

Executioner: As stated above, if you have a hero that can work with this such as Jaina, Malfurion or even Brightwing or Valla with the right talents, then this talent makes you absolutely shred enemies with your increased attack speed.

Alpha Killer: The only time I would consider taking this is if you are up against a team that is full of tanks, as without it you can dive in when they are at low health, but they will stay alive long enough for their teammates to destroy you or for them to get away.

Level 20:

Unleashed: Quite an underwhelming talent, definitely useful if the enemies are all bunched up on low health, but as this very rarely happens, I prefer other options.

Gilnean Roulette: If you took Marked for the Kill then take this talent, it vastly improves its use in team fights. But again, it really only works if your team is ready for it.

Hunter's Blunderbuss: Definitely my favourite, not only does it make clearing minion waves or merc's as simple as walking, it also lets you damage enemies that are hiding behind minions as well as put out a lot more damage from a safe range during team fight.

Tooth and Claw: You really shouldn't be in Worgen form long enough for this to make much of a difference, somewhat useful on Haunted Mines, but I still think Hunters Blunderbuss is better.

This Greymane build is focused on hunting Nova and Zeratul if there is no one else on you team that can or will, revealing them with your Gilnean Cocktail then closing them gap with Darkflight aswell as dishing out some serious aoe damage with your Cocktails and auto attacks.

Level 1:

Wolfheart: Cannot be taken in this build.

Perfect Aim: Similarly this talent has no place in this build

Scented Tincture: The core of the bartender build, reveals the target for an insanely long 10 seconds. The bane of stealthy heroes.

Viciousness: Once again, simply not part of this build

Level 4:

Thick Skin: If you are confident in your ability to land your Gilnean Cocktails, then this is the talent to pick as the base of this build is revealing, then closing in on stealth heroes, and both Nova and Zeratul have very strong auto attacks, this make the initial confrontation much easier.

Eyes in the Dark: This talent is never a bad pickup, and can be valuable if you just someone then realise you are going to lose but all the same it is not the strongest talent here.

Thick Skin: Same as the pistolier build, I just don't have any mana issues with Greymane so I don't find this talent particularly valuable.

Draught Overflow: My usual pick for this build, helps a lot in revealing stealthed heroes when coupled with Incendiary Elixir.

Level 7:

Quicksilver Bullets: Not really useful in this build, skip.

Incendiary Elixir: Another talent that is core to this built, it lets you throw a Cocktail and have it explode into its splash without having to hit someone with the initial throw. This splash is a surprisingly large area so you can just throw it in the direction of a stealth shimmer and you will most likely hit and reveal that hero.

Wizened Duelist: Once again if you are confident in your ability to hit the stealthed hero with the initial Cocktail throw, then this talent can really help make the ensuing fight a lot shorter in your favour.

Level 10:

Go for the Throat: As with the pistolier build, my choice here is Go for the Throat, especially against Zeratul as he will most likely blink away after you Darkflight to him, and as he will still be revealed, this talent is amazing for closing with him once more.

Marked for the Kill: Again not an awful choice, but harder to hit than Go for the Throat as this is a skillshot that needs to be aimed, whereas Go for the Throat is just a target click.

Level 13:

Running Wild: Generally the best talent to take, as your Cocktails range is quite long, and it may reveal a hero outside your default Darkflight range. Also makes it far easier to catch up with Zeratul.

Visceral Attacks: Once the hero is revealed, I find it rarely takes long to kill them, making this talent a little useless.

On the Prowl: The same logic as above; once revealed, fights with stealthed heroes rarely take very long.

Unfettered Assault: Possibly useful for that little extra closing, but I find Darkflight and Go for the Throat to be enough

Level 16:

Concentrated Blast: Great talent, the more damage that can be done with the initial Cocktail, the shorted the fight will be and the sooner you can get back to safety.

Relentless Predator: Somewhat useful against Zeratul's or Nova's slow, but Concentrated Blast is a better option

Executioner: This build focuses on solo killing stealth heroes, and as Greymane has no slows of his own, this isn't much use.

Alpha Killer: This talent can help you kill a hero faster, but as its a percentage of max health, and both Nova and Zeratul have fairly low health, its not as attractive.

Level 20:

Unleashed: Same as pistolier build, underwhelming talent, skip it

Gilnean Roulette: Against a single foe, the shots pierce is wasted.

Hunter's Blunderbuss: Still the best option as I have had stealthers reveal themselves by getting hit by this cleave, and also it really helps your team fight potential.

Tooth and Claw: Eh, the main time you will be in Worgen form is when you close in on the enemy, and cleaving isn't very useful against one foe.

Thanks so much for reading this guide, any new ideas or theories are welcome.

I will do my best to update this in a timely fashion whenever the hero is changed or I find another way to play him that I prefer.

All the best.
serenity1313