Melee Heroes Battlerite Guide

Last update: 25 January 2017

They are melee champions. Most of the time they draw the enemies' attention on themselves by engaging them in direct combat. Their main job is to interrupt opponents' actions and cover allies who are more prone to damage. This group includes: Rook, Croak, Freya, Shifu and Bakko.

• Rook
• Croak
• Freya
• Shifu
• Bakko
• Ruh Kaan

Rook

Rook is an extremely universal character, who can either be a typical warrior or a relentless tank. Apart from his battle hammer, he wields a beef bone, which is surprisingly effective as a weapon.

Hints

• Pummel - a successful attack stacks 3 weapon charges. Each charge increases damage dealt by Crushing Blow skill. This is something you should remember about and use that skill every time you get all 3 charges, so that you could stack charges again - this way you maximize the damage dealt by this Hero.
• Crushing Blow deals area damage, so you can hit more than one target with it. Note that with 3 weapon charges Crushing Blow puts an inflicts Armor Break on targets, making them suffer more damage from melee attacks.
• Rush is very useful for pulling enemies away from your ally. This skill is effective at long range, the longer the distance Rook covers, the greater damage he deals. Try to pin your opponents against walls, so to limit their mobility. Rush can also be used as a means of escape or help you get a health or energy orb more quickly.
• Berserk is a skill that significantly enhances Rook's combat effectiveness. Make sure that you use it properly, though. It is best casted just before taking a hit from an opponent, so to have a 100% certainty that it is launched. If you use Berserk when standing away from an opponent, they will certainly not attack you, and you will just waste time.
• Boulder Toss is useful for so-called zoning, i.e. pulling your opponents away from important targets or interrupting their skills. This is especially useful when fighting over the orb in the center of arena or when an enemy is about to launch their Ultimate Skill.
• Smack has a pretty long range, so you can use it to hit targets who are running away from you. This is a good finisher, but remember that Rook must be facing the target for the duration of the skill if you want it to be of any use.

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Croak

Croak is a typical hit-and-run character. Thanks to his high mobility, Croak can deal quick strikes and immediately spring back to safety. This Hero is a rather complex one, so it may take a while before you master his mechanics.

Hints

• Blade Flurry is Croak's basic attack, so you must learn its range. Since Croak is a melee fighter, he must get close to his target in order to be effective. Note that the first 4 strikes are fast, and the following ones are a bit slower (when you stop attacking of a couple of seconds it resets). This feature makes this Hero a hit-and-run character - you should deal some damage and get back to safety for the duration of the fast attacks cooldown.
• Frog Lip is not only excellent for quickly jumping to opponents or getting back to safety, but also resets Blade Flurry fast attacks! You should remember this if you want to make the best use of Croak's hit-and-run mechanics.
• Camouflage conceals the Hero, making him hard to spot. This comes in handy when your Hero is being targeted by a ranged character. Moreover, Camouflage resets Blade Flurry fast attacks.
• Toxin Muck is a very useful skill, which can help you keep your Hero's health on a safe level. Toxin not only deals damage to opponents, but also heals your Hero.
• Noxious Lounge is a skill useful for chasing opponents. Although it does not deal much damage, it allows you to keep harassing an opponent. In a critical situation it can also let you dodge an enemy's attack or swiftly escape from a dangerous situation - when combined with Frog Lip the Hero can quickly cover a pretty long distance.
• Venom Wind is another skill useful for quick movement. What is more, it deals pretty high area damage. This skill is easy to avoid, so try selecting targets that have just used up their escape options.
• When buffed up by EX, Camouflage enables the Hero to move quickly in shadows, but more importantly, performing a basic attack while this skill is active can inflict two effects!
• The first attack puts Incapacitate effect on the target, which prevents them from using their skills. Using any skill on such target or hitting it with your basic attack cancels the effect.
• The second attack causes Stun, which makes the opponent hit by it completely lose control over their Hero.
• It is good to remember that using this skill should be well-coordinated with your teammates. This way you can immediately remove two enemies from combat and eliminate at least one of them.

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Freya

Freya is a skillful female warrior, especially good at close quarters, although she also has ranged skills, e.g. a hammer throw. Freya can take a lot of damage, since she uses protective shields.

• When playing as this Hero you should know well what Static is - this is a debuff, which, when put on an opponent, can inflict an extra effect. This effect is inflicted upon using Storm Mace, Electric Shield, Thunderclap and Lightning Strike. Each basic attack on the target takes 2 extra points of damage.
• When you hit your target with Storm Mace and put Static debuff on them, hitting the target again will cause an extra effect: Incapacitate.
• Spring is useful for dodging. After the leap you get a movement speed bonus. Freya won't jump off far, but sometimes even a small dodge can save your Heroine's life. Also remember than after making the leap your basic attack deals extra damage.
• Electric Shield is another way, in which you can put the Static debuff on a target. This skill not only creates a protective shield around the Heroine, but also absorbs the first projectile that hits it. Moreover, it drags the attacker to Freya. This is also a great way to cover an ally and drag an opponent into a trap.
• Charged Strike is another way to gain a protective shield. Note that if the target you are attacking is inflicted by Static debuff, Freya gains a greater shield. This is best combined with Thunderclap skill or Lightning Strike - you can put the debuff on opponents who are standing next to each other and cast Charged Strike in order to get a really huge protective shield.
• Lightning Strike makes Freya briefly unhittable, and after a while she falls down from the sky dealing high area damage and putting Static on all opponents in range. For a maximum effect make sure that your targets have used up all their means of escape. Its casting time is relatively long and it is easily visible when the skill is being launched.

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Shifu

Shifu is a martial art champion and master spear fighter. Among his skills there are both rapid attacks as well as those that let him immediately close the gap to an enemy. All this makes him a perfect assassin.

Hints

• Spear Slash is Shifu's basic attack, which stacks up 3 weapon charges - these can be used for the Impale skill. This attack has a pretty long range, so you can deal high damage with it even when your target is running away.
• Impale is a spear thrust, the more damaging the more weapon charges you have. This skill has a pretty long range, because Shifu also does a short slide toward the target. Thanks to the weapon's long range you can hit enemies who think they are safe beyond your reach. This can be work a bit as gap closer, since Shifu covers a short distance during the attack.
• Fleetfoot is a skill perfect for confusing opponents. For a brief moment Shifu becomes immaterial and moves much more quickly. This skill is great for making surprise attacks, e.g. you can activate it, run from behind a wall and get behind your opponent's back. Before the opponent reacts you will surely inflict a lot of damage. Another example of using this skill is activating it just before an enemy fires a projectile at you. Dematerializing will result in the projectile going through Shifu's body without hurting him. Flreetfoot is also a good way to get yourself out of an unfavorable situation.
• Kunju is a countering skill. Shifu becomes immaterial and the attack targeted at him hits the attacker in the back. Moreover, activating this skill grants bonus damage to Spear Slash. Remember to perform a basic attack after using this skill, so not to waste the bonus.
• Javelin allows Shifu to appear next to his opponent immediately. Keep in mind though that before you do this you should carefully aim at the target. This may be a little problematic at first, but practice makes perfect. Try to predict your opponent's movement and aim the Javelin at the spot where the target is going to be in a moment. Remember that the Javelin throw can be used to pull yourself to a wall, which can help Shifu dodge an incoming attack. Another smart use of the Javelin is pulling yourself to a wall close to healing orbs.
• Tendon Swing can put an enemy out of action for a brief moment. A successful attack causes the Incapacitate effect on the target, making them unable to perform any action. This skill deals area damage, so it can hit several targets at once.
• Whirlwind transforms Shifu into a whirling death machine. All targets around him take damage. This skill lasts 3 seconds, and while it is active you can move Shifu around freely.

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Bakko

Bakko is a heavily armored warrior fit for close quarter combat. He has many crowd control skills, which makes him quite troublesome to enemies. Moreover, he also has a protective shield and deals quite a lot of damage.

Hints

• War Axe is Bakko's basic attack, which stacks up to 3 weapon charges. These charges are then consumed by another one of his skills, Blood Axe. Thanks to this one you can take extra 4 damage points for every charge and slow down the target for a short time. You should remember of that and use it whenever possible - especially when your opponent is trying to run away.
• Bulwark is Bakko's protective shield. This skill puts up a shield in front of the Hero. Every time an opponent hits it they get stunned for as long as the shield is active. It is worth remembering that the shield deflects projectiles at the attackers. This can save your ally's life.
• Shield Dash is useful for knocking an opponent back from your teammate. If it is only possible try to nail opponents to walls in order to deal increased damage and give your ally time to catch some breath. It is also good to remember that hitting an enemy with Shield Dash interrupts their active skill.
• Try to use War Shout when you are close to an ally so that the shield covered both of you.

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Ruh Kaan

Ruh Kaan was awoken by a grave robber looking for the crypt of Ark'Dun. While pursuing a personal vendetta against the man who disturbed his peace, Ruh Kaan found his way into the Arena. This evil sorcerer uses black magic and consumes the souls of all who stand in his way.

Hints

• Defiled Blade is this Hero's basic attack. Ruh Kaan uses his weapon for dealing melee damage. After charging the weapon (which takes several seconds), Ruh Kaan deals extra damage and heals himself with each strike.
• Shadowbolt is a ranged ability. Ruh Kaan gathers dark energy and fires a projectile toward target direction. When the weapon is fully charged it deals extra damage. The hero has to stand in one place while casting this spell, so if you need to escape, just cancel it.
• Sinister Strike lets your Hero move quickly in target direction. Ruh Kaan briefly becomes immaterial and makes a quick spin while dashing forward. After the dash he strikes with his weapon for area damage. This ability can be used for avoiding opponent's projectiles or closing the gap while chasing someone.
• Consume has the Hero create a shield of dark energy, which absorbs the first projectile or melee strike targeted at Ruh Kaan. Successfully blocking the strike it resets the cooldown of Shadowbolt.
• Claw of the Wicked is a skill with which Ruh Kaan is able to pull target to himself. With it you can also hold an opponent long enough for your team to eliminate them. Before using this ability, wait until the target has run out of their means of escape - this way it will be easier to catch them.
• Nether Void makes Ruh Kaan teleport over a long distance. This way he can not only avoid taking damage, but also inflict Curse on all nearby enemies upon emerging in target location. Attacking a Cursed target heals the Hero. Nether Void can also be used for running away (works through walls) as well as for good positioning, e.g. when you want to use Claw of the Wicked more effectively.
• Shadow Beast is this Hero's Ultimate Skill. Ruh Kaan turns into a Shadow Beast. When transformed, Ruh Kaan deals very high damage, but can only use two abilities: the basic attack, which deals area damage and heals the Hero, and Shadow Claw, which pulls target toward him from afar. Shadow Beast is best used when you are in the middle of melee combat. No use of launching it when you are standing in the center of the map away from enemies, because the effect will soon pass gaining you no profit.

Suggested Battlerites progression