Heroes of the Storm Guide: Tyrande and the Damage Build

Tyrande Whisperwind – how to play this hero in Blizzard’s Heroes of the Storm? We show you the owl way to deal damage.

We took the time to write a German guide to Tyrande in Heroes of the Storm (HotS) – maybe you’ll learn a few tricks and tips.

Those who have not yet taken a look at Blizzard’s MOBA should check out our beginner’s guide to Heroes of the Storm.

Tyrande Whisperwind

The night elf Tyrande Whisperwind is not only the reigning High Priestess of the moon goddess Elune but also a witness to the first major attack of the Burning Legion on Azeroth. She witnessed the fall of the Highborn and the resulting splitting of the continents as well as the formation of the Maelstrom.

Yet despite Tyrande wearing the garb of a priestess, this cannot disguise the fact that she is one of the most talented huntresses of Azeroth – the women of the night elves are by no means reclusive nuns but rather powerful units on the battlefield who know how to use the forest and the protection of the night like no other race. She is also popular with the men, after all, both Stormrage brothers have fallen for her, with Malfurion ultimately drawing the big prize.

Tyrande’s abilities in Heroes of the Storm

In the Nexus, Tyrande is classified as a supporter, which many players will dismiss with a roll of the eyes as a “boring healer”, but this couldn’t be more wrong. While it’s possible to improve her healing abilities through the right talent choices, she will never match the performances of Li Li or Lt. Morales. No, Tyrande’s true strengths lie in boosting her teammates or – if one chooses to go that route – in her ability to deal significant damage herself. Let’s take a quick look at her abilities:

• Light of Elune – Tyrande’s active healing. When applied to herself, it heals for a small amount; however, on an ally, it heals for three times that amount.
• Guardian – An owl flies in a straight line across the battlefield, revealing the map in a wide strip. It stops at the first enemy hero hit, deals minor damage, and reveals them for 5 seconds.
• Moonlight Projectile – Calls a moon projectile in a small, round target area, which deals damage after a brief delay and stuns enemies for 1 second.
• Hunter’s Mark (Trait) – Tyrande’s trait must be activated manually. It increases the damage taken by a selected target by 25% and reveals them for that duration.
• Starfall (Heroic 1) – Calls down waves of moon shards in a large target area for 8 seconds, dealing damage to all targets in the area every second. Enemies in the target area are slowed by 20% for the duration.
• Shadow Mimic (Heroic 2) – Cloaks all allies across the map for 8 seconds and heals them for a small amount every second during that time. At the end of the duration, allies receive a slightly stronger healing.

Tyrande’s “Owl Build” – The spec for DPS

In my opinion, the funniest but also riskiest way to play Tyrande is the “Owl Build” or, as we like to call it, the Victory Owl. As the name suggests, all possible improvements are invested in upgrading the Guardian. Let’s take a quick look at the talents to choose.

This is the Owl Build talent setup to deal powerful damage with Tyrande:

The three upgrades of the Guardian (level 1, 4, and 16) ensure that the owl strikes multiple targets and the damage dealt increases by up to 200% depending on the distance traveled. For each hero hit, the cooldowns of Tyrande’s abilities are reduced by 2 seconds – so if the owl hits 5 heroes at once, that’s a whopping 10 seconds less you have to wait for the next owl.

While Starfall could also be chosen as the heroic ability, ever since the redesign of Shadow Mimic this is hardly an option anymore. A group stealth with map range and integrated healing is simply too powerful not to choose. The increased range of the Moonlight Projectile and the boosted healing from Light of Elune still make you a valuable member in team fights that no one wants to miss.

Strengths and Weaknesses

The Victory Owl is particularly strong on maps where you know where enemies are likely to be at certain times. Fights over a tribute of the Raven Lord, a shrine of hell, the Dragon Knight, or a boss make it relatively easy to land devastating hits with the owl. The owl’s effectiveness is diminished when enemies are frequently on the move, switching from lane to lane, or when Tyrande is so close to the action that she can hardly benefit from the “Ranger” talent.

The subjective fun of this build depends heavily on a single ability: if you manage to land a few good hits with the Guardian, you can easily even push the assassins out of the number one spot for hero damage.

This little video clip shows what this looks like in the best (and probably rarest) case:

If you frequently miss, Tyrande is still not useless since skilled heals and targeted stuns can still make a significant contribution. It takes a lot of practice and perhaps a sense of where enemies are running to use the Guardian precisely.

Small Tips for Conclusion

• In every impending team fight, you must weigh: Do you prefer to stay at a distance to strengthen the owl or do you dive into the fray to heal friends and stun enemies?

  

• Always keep an eye on the map! An enemy on another lane flees behind a wall and wants to teleport to base? Secure the kill with a targeted Victory Owl and be sure that someone at the other end of the data line will be very upset.
• Use Shadow Mimic often. With its short cooldown of 50 seconds, you should hesitate to make use of it. Especially individual allies in a tight situation could survive due to the cloak (and healing).
• The Hunter’s Mark also applies to bosses and map objectives! Especially on the Battlefield of Eternity, weakening the Immortal can ensure that you defeat the enemy Immortal even when you are outnumbered.
• Try to lure enemies into choke points where the Guardian can hit multiple targets at once. It’s best to let your teammates do this so you can attack from a distance.
• Always use pre-shooting when you are absolutely sure of hitting with the Guardian. Two consecutive hits from the Guardian can take out weaker characters like Nova even at full health.
• If you are unsure in a situation whether to cast the healing from Light of Elune on yourself or an ally, ALWAYS choose the ally, as they will be healed stronger than you yourself.

I hope the little guide has pleased you and awakened the desire to give the priestess of Elune a chance – because in experienced hands, she is far more than a boring supporter and can turn the tide of battle single-handedly.