Vainglory Heroes and Roles Guide

Vainglory Heroes and Roles Guide by KFU

This is a guide to let players further understand each role.

Roles

Carry: A Hero who typically does the most damage on a team. These heroes are normally the squishier heroes on the halcyon fold because their offensive items outweighs their defensive items.

The carry role include mages and snipers.

Sniper: Sniper refers to a hero who does most of his/her damage trough Basic Attacks. Snipers may also have abilities that are treated as a basic attack (ex: Kestrels Glimmer Shot). Sniper typically build Weapon Power ( Red Items)

Mages: Mage refers to a hero who does most of his/her damage with abilities. Some mages can be played either as a sniper or mage (ex: Vox). Mages typically build Crystal Power (Blue Items).

Jungler: A hero who is task with Clearing the jungle, Pressuring the enemy jungle, Pressuring Objectives and Periodically ganking the lane.

The jungle role Includes Warriors and Assassins

Warrior: Warrior refers to a hero who does most of his/her damage in elongated fights. Warriors does not have a specific damage path unlike mages who strictly build Crystal Power. Warriors normally have a form of built in sustain which makes them survive and thrive in long fights. (Ex: Glaive and his ultimate)

Assassins: Assassins typically refers to a hero who does most of his/her damage in bursts. Different assassins have Different Primary damage type (ex: Koshka, CP | Idris, WP). Assassins are usually picked against squishy heroes or versus warriors who have a weak early game, since most assassins early game are stronger than warriors.

Captain/Support: A hero who is task with protecting their carries and jungler. These Heroes typically have the most health and defense on their team. They are task with Getting vision ( called warding by some players) and pressuring objectives with their jungler.

The Captain role includes Protector, Initiator, and Juggernauts.

Protector: Protector typically refers to a hero who revolve around protecting and peeling for their carry and jungler. Protectors normally have a High amount of Hard Crowd Control (CC) abilities and High health. In some cases ( See Lyra) Protectors may have a small health pool, in this case they may have abilities that promote zone control and Healing to keep themselves and carries safe.

Initiator: Initiator typically refers to a hero whose primary job is to Initiate a fight, they usually dive head-on into battle with no intentions of stopping. Initiators normally have abilities to help them get a fight started (ex: FlickersUltimate). Because of their aggressive nature, Initiators usually lack guaranteed Hard CC abilities. Initiators also has the lowest health amongst Captains/Support which makes Peeling for their carries a Lot more difficult.

Juggernauts: Juggernaut typically refers to a hero who has the most health in the Captain/Support role. Juggernauts usually have Abilities or Ability Passives that help them absorb more damage while taking less (Ex: Ardan and Phinn’sHeroic Perk) They typically have less Hard CC abilities than a Protector. Most Juggernauts have a way of getting a fight started but it is typically on a longer cool down timer than that of an initiator.

Heroes

Adagio, Roam, Protector – Very Oppressive in the laning phase because of his incredibly long range and sustain for his carry using Gift of Fire. Buy an early poison shiv/have it somewhere in your build to negate a percentage of healing he does.

Alpha, Jungle, Warrior – Super strong Mid-Game. She’s very sticky but if kited properly she can be rendered useless. CC is her enemy

Ardan, Roam, Protector – Average Early Game but he gets strong as the game goes on. Main way of starting a fight is with his gauntlet. It’s a very telegraphed ability so it’s easily block-able or canceled by CC. Playing versus Ardan, try to Take advantage of him Early game, his Vanguard will give a smaller shield so its easier to break through. Playing as Ardan try to use your Ultimate to separate the enemy team so you can have a 2v3 or 1v3 team fight advantage.

Baptise, Jungle, Mage – Has high base damage from his Bad Mojo. Having an early Reflex Block will save you from Ordained and possible death.

Baron, Lane, sniper – Really Strong Mid-Late game. Baron has massive damage output so try to get your allied carry ahead of him. Assassins work well for this purpose. It seems that Joule works well versus Baron because of her Heroic Perk bonus armor. Atlas versus any Basic Attack orientated hero.

Blackfeather, Jungle, Assassin – In the current meta (as seen in the VG8 and Vainglorious tier rank) blackfeather has moved from the lane to the jungle. He is played as a CP assassin receiving a major Power Spike at Level8 and having a Shatterglass. Possible counters may be assassins since CP Blackfeather has little sustain/tankiness and heroes who can dodge his On-Point.

Catherine, Roam, Protector – Strong captain in her current state. her heroic perk being buffed recently pushes her over the edge. She’s strong at all point throughout a game where she can get picks on players who are out of position. Stay together with your team when you have no vision on the enemy, buy a Reflex Block to block her ultimate since it’s her main engage tool.

Celeste, Lane, Mage – She is not Particularly strong at the moment and neither is she weak. She is very good versus immobile heroes such as Saw. Frostburn is a great item because it gives her a tad-bit of team-wide utility. Celeste is an ‘Okay’ hero before she his her first major power spike at Level 8 which pushes her range and possible damage output over the edge. Assassins are very effective against her because she is such a squishy hero.

Flicker, Roam, Protector – Powerful early game because of his ability to stealth around and gank with his Fair dust, and steal away jungle camps when enemy jungler least expect it. When playing against Flicker buy a contraption, he will be rendered useless when trying to engage on you. When playing as flicker and you’re roaming around the map and your ally is in trouble, you can use your ultimate to make them invisible, granting them bonus move speed. flickers Ultimate is global.

Fortress, Roam, Initiator – Insanely Powerful Early and Mid-Game. He has the potential to dive carries with his whole team. When playing against a fortress, buy war threads so you may re-position your whole team if he attempts to dive on you, heroes such as Lance does well since they provide a lot of peel.

Glaive, Jungle, Warrior – Powerful at all times in the game, but his impact on the game can be reduced if rotate and make plays before him. Glaive Afterburn is one of the most powerful ability in the game. It makes early game ganks and late game picks rewarding. Post 6 be careful while dueling a glaive, watch the white bars below his health bar because the more he has the harder he is to die. Also Atlas is your best friend.

Grace, Roam, Protector – Powerful at all times in the game. Her passive damage reduction and holy shield make her great for team fights. When playing with a grace on your team don’t be scared to dive when she’s level 6, her ultimate gives you 40% damage reduction for about 2 seconds and heals you after its completed. Playing as a grace, you DO NOT need to use your ultimate to save someone, its best use to start a fight/during a fight when they are at 50-75% HP. Playing her at a high level is knowing which hero to give the damage reduction and when to do so. Playing versus a grace try to kite her as much as possible. Her Benediction is a targeted ability HOWEVER, the damage can be dodged with a movement ability or boots active.

Grumpjaw, Jungle, Warrior – Powerful Early-Mid game. His damage reduction is an amazing part of his kit which makes him insanely tanky with little health item. Playing against him requires to buy an Atlas and early defense because of his somewhat high base damage, CC cancels his ultimate so Catherine is an amazing counter pick. Playing as Grumpjaw try to use your ultimate on a priority target, remember that the carry or Jungler isn’t always the most important. Sometimes the captain removing the captain from the fight is best.

Gwen, Lane, Sniper – Most powerful Mid game. Her Passive makes her extremely oppressive during the early game when put together with tension bow. Playing as Gwen, try to hit heroes with your passive as much as possible its a nice burst of damage. Playing against Gwen start early armor to reduce the damage she does with her passive.

Idris, Jungle, Assassin – Idris is strong Late game. He is effective in both his WP and CP path. Playing against Idris Buy an Atlas, he is Basic Attacked orientated in both CP and WP. Aso prioritize heroes who can keep him CC’d if Let loose you’ll be reporting teammates for INTing. Playing as Idris, try to use your Chakram to poke as much as possible during the laning phase. Basic Attack as much as possible, your ultimate CD is reduced by Basic Attacks

Joule, Jungle, Warrior – Strong Mid game. WP Joule seems to be the most favorable of her play style. Playing as Joule, try to face your enemy when taking damage, you have increased armor at the front and sides of your mech. You should also hit as much Thunder Strike as you can because you get bonus armor peirce if you do.

Kestrel, Lane, Sniper – Extremely Strong at all points in the game, she can be built as a full damage Sniper with WP, or an extremely deadly assassin using CP. During Laning Phase stands behind minions when playing versus Kestrel, this drastically reduces the damage she can do with Glimmershot making you win valuable trades. Playing versus a WP kestrel in team fights Juggernauts need to stand in front of their carries and absorb damage since her arrows only proc WP damage on the first target it hits. Playing versus CP kestrel pick a Hero that can stick to her, because cp Kestrel cannot stealth mid-fight (WP Kestrel can). Playing as kestrel try to hit as many arrows as you can, be careful taking trades when enemies are standing in their minion waves. Try to use your Mist to start/turn fights.

Koshka, Jungle, Assassin – Insanely strong Early-Mid game, however, her Mid game is decided by how well she does in the early game. Playing as Koshka try to invade the enemy Jungle as much as you can stealing farm and getting kills. If done correctly you can be two levels ahead of your jungle opponent and can possible snowball a game, ending it before 17min. Playing versus a Koshka prioritize early vision and early defense if you’re not confident enough. Try to have your carry rotate down to the jungle to punish her invades. Get a reflex block before/when she reaches level 6, her ultimate stun you long enough to wish you never queued up for ranked.

Krul, Jungle, Warrior – Insanely strong Mid game, Krul gains passive life steal so it’s easy for him to farm the jungle and stay healthy. Playing as Krul, try to attack as many targets as possible in a team fight. Your passive from Spectral Smite allows you to reduce a person damage output to a possible 50% while increasing your own survivability. Playing versus Krul buy Atlas as usual since he’s Basic Attack orientated and try to burst him down as fast as possible. The longer the fight goes on, the weaker you get and the stronger he becomes.

Lance, Roam, Protector – Strong at all points of the game. Lance’s ability to lock down targets is what made him a highly prioritized pick in ranked and pro-play. Playing as Lance try to land your impales, if you miss you’ll be vulnerable for a short time. Use your Gythian Wall to knockback/stun targets who try to drive your carries. Playing against a Lance play around his cooldowns, try to bait out abilities then engage when they are down. During laning phase try not to get hit by his Impale, it does a LARGE amount of damage to carries.

Lyra, Roam, Protector – Strong at all point in the game, expecially early. Lyra has the ability to keep her carry healthy while they take risky/unsafe trades. Playing against a Lyra prioritizing an early poison shiv is a good buy. Playing as a Lyra try to use your Bright Bulwark to block dashes, it can block even ultimates!! IF engaging on an enemy carry you can Activate atlas>ultimate>Bright Bulwark in that order to get a fight started, his renders Basic Attack Orientated carries useless long enough to be killed.

Ozo, Jungle, Assassin – Okay. He can be extremely strong if you’re very efficient at playing him but weak if you aren’t. Playing as Ozo try to get as much Accrobounces as you can, it’s FREE GOLD! Playing versus an Ozo prioritize an early poison shiv because her heals ALOT. Prioritize picks such as Lyra because She renders all of his abilities useless using her Bright Bulwark. REflox block is key to defeating an ozo since his ultimate can get you killed if not positioned properly.

Petal, Jungle, Mage – Extremely powerful During the Early-Mid game. After she has her frostburn it will be a pain to play against her since her kiting power will be multiplied by 10. Playing as Petal try to invade early, your munnions have a long leash range, and you have long Basic Attack Range. Playing versus Petal prioritize AoE damage combined with wave clear. Celeste and Scarff are both good picks. These pick can clear her munnions in one or two spells cutting her damage by over 50%.

Phinn, Roam, Protector – Too Strong late game. His passive and Fortified Health from Polite Company makes him annoying to deal with. He gets 15% additional Armor, HP, and Shield. Playing versus a Phinn try to Reflex Block his ultimate, it’s his only way of Hard Engage. Playing as a Phin try to stand in front of your carries to block skill shots, you’re big and you’re a tank.

Reim, Jungle, Mage – Most powerful Mid and Late game. Reim is a great tank while not being tanky, the longer he goes on the harder it is to kill him. Playing as Reim, don’t be scared to fight, most fight you’ll win will look bad. The more damage you do the tankier you become. Playing versus a reim buy poison shiv since most of his survivability comes from his healing with Eve of Harvest.Try to dodge his Winter Spire, if you do he loses out on alot of survivability. Reflex Block is highly recommended for his ultiamate.

Ringo, Lane, Sniper – Most Powerful Early and Mid game, he can be powerful Late game but as of right now many other carries out do him late unless you have Druid like positioning. Playing as Ringo try to abuse your Passive during the laning phase for poke. Use your Twirling Silver as an auto attack reset. Playing versus a Ringo Get an Atlas, its verry effective versus him.

Rona, Jungle, Warrior – Not sure when she is most powerful since she is not playing a lot in Ranked and VG8. Playing against Rona buy an atlas because it reduced her attack speed. Playing as Rona try to use Into the Fray to land on all members of the enemy team , if you do you can get a possible 6-8 Breaking Point Stacks off the bat. Lance is a good counter pick because she can negate her engage with Gythian Wall.

Samuel, Lane, Mage – Extremly strong Mid and Late game. His kit makes him insanely powerful in team fights and kiting. Playing as Samuel try to abuse your passive for damage and the sustain, it allows you to take bad trades. Use your Drifting Dark to output more damage and shorten the CD on Malice and Verdict. Playing versus a Samuel, have your captain Body Block his Malice and Verdict, Try to burst him down.

Saw, Lane, Sniper – Early Game hero, his passive gives him immense attack speed which is insanely annoying for opposing varies with short attack range. Playing against saw, buy Atlas as usual and try to play a hero that can harass him early so he does not get an early lead. If say is Hard CC’s during his Suppressing fire, it will be canceled and he will receive zero spin-up stacks. Playing as saw, try to be extremely aggressive early, poking your opposing lane so he/she may miss CS while taking damage.

Skaarf, Lane, Mage – Extremely weak early game, but is extremely strong after completing 2-3 Items. he offers a small bit of team utility from his goop. Playing as Scarff you can use your ultimate to start a fight, it gives bonus movement speed to allies inside it while reducing the movement speed of enemies. Playing against scarf try to prevent him from scaling because if he does scale you’re gonna have a bad time. Phinn and Ardanradn are good counter picks.

Skye, Jungle, Sniper – Power spike happens MId-Late Game. She is highly mobile because of this she is regarded as one of the heroes with the highest skill cap. Playing against her prioritize CC because she can’t move if she’s cc’d. Playing as skype use your abilities to reposition while using your ultimate to zone/direct the enemy team to where you want them.

Taka, Jungle, Assassin – Power spike happens usually after he has completed his Aftershock/Stormcrown and reaching Level 6. He is great at diving turrets and getting out without trading a kill in return. Playing as Taka be careful of who you use your ultimate on, the target me be very squishy but you might be CC’d or killed before you can assassinate them. You’re Kaiten gives you immunity to all forms of damage and CC, use it to dodge enemy abilities, enemy damage, and turret shots. The Overdrive of this ability reduces its energy cost to ZERO. Using your Ultimate on a target with a lot of life steal can be a good idea in certain situations, your ultimate will reduce their healing for a short while. Playing versus a Taka try to buy a contraption as soon as possible so you can track him all game, if you do this it will prevent surprise ganks and assassinations.

Vox, Lane, Sniper – Most powerful late game, Vox is extremely mobile and can dodge many skill shots if played properly. Playing as Vox you can start a fight with your ultimate rendering the enemy team unable to run away or defend for a short time. playing versus a Vox, shut him down early and buy an Atlas, a crucible is a good pickup since you’ll be able to block his ultimate.