Heroes of the Storm: Arthas Walkthrough [Guide]

From the Warcraft Universe comes Arthas, the Lich King. He is, hands down, one of the tankiest heroes that you will get to play as, given his high health and even greater output of damage. In the hands of a skilled player, they will be able to put some serious hurting into enemies – with the added advantage of benefits such as mana and health generation, as well as crowd control abilities which would further improve your worth to a team. Here’s our guide on how you will be able to more effectively use the Lich King in Heroes of the Storm.

Introduction
Arthas Menethril was the crown prince of Lordaeron, and was under the tutelage of Uther the Lightbringer, trained as a paladin. After a battle with a being called Mal’Ganis, he was told to venture forth to the wastelands of Northrend with an army as well as his best friend Muradin Bronzebeard. There, they found the cursed sword Frostmourne which corrupted him, and caused him to claim Muradin as his first victim.

Destroying Mal’Ganis, he then turned his attention back home, killing his own father and raising his own undead army from the Lordaeron citizens that he had slain. This went on until he was able to find his way to the Frozen Throne in Icecrown, where he fused souls with Ner’Zhul and claimed his destiny to become the new Lich King.

Items
Arthas comes with Frostmourne, a cursed blade which allows him to deal tremendous damage to single or multiple targets at once. Aside from being a melee weapon, Frostmourne also grants Arthas cold based attacks, which can let him deal additional damage as well as slow enemies down or stop them in their tracks. In addition, Arthas also has the ability to summon creatures such as ghouls and other powerful entities that he can use as additional offensive tools.

Build
Arthas’ trait lets him utilize Frostmourne’s abilities. Frostmourne Hungers allows Arthas to deal double the damage when using basic attacks as well as regenerates your mana by 30. This effect can be used for both heroes and minions, and the latter can be killed with a single strike if the ability has been buffed effectively and if you are at a high enough level. This trait grants Arthas the ability to deal more damage when using basic attacks as well as to gain enough mana for spamming more powerful attacks. It’s basically a one-two combination that skilled players can definitely take advantage of. Frostmourne Hungers can be activated every 12 seconds.

As for starting abilities, Arthas has three to work with. Death Coil (55 mana cost, 9 seconds cooldown) deals damage to a target enemy and can also heal himself if Arthas is targeted. Howling Blast (75 mana cost, 12 seconds cooldown) roots enemies in place for 1.5 seconds and deals damage in an area of effect. Lastly, Frozen Tempest (10 mana cost per second) deals damage to all nearby enemies and slows them. More abilities can be added and existing ones may be enhanced or updated by choosing different talents or when the character is further updated.

For heroic abilities, Arthas can use either Army of the Dead or Summon Sindragosa. Army of the Dead allows Arthas to summon ghouls for 15 seconds, and each ghoul present may be sacrificed to heal his health. On the other hand, Summon Sindragosa is the more offense oriented ability as it can deal damage as well as slow heroes and freeze minions for 10 seconds, and structures for 20 seconds.

There are several ways by which to build Arthas. Players can use him as a tank, allowing him to deal damage and to withstand them as well. They can also be built to be a more effective pusher, giving you more control of the map. Arthas also has crowd control abilities that can allow you and your allies to basically toy with your opponents.

This build focuses more on Arthas’ ability to deal damage, as well as provides you and your team to take advantage of his crowd control capabilities so that you can take down enemies much faster:

Frost Presence – reduces the cooldown of Howling Blast by 2 seconds

Envenom or Eternal Hunger – Envenom poisons a target hero, dealing damage over six seconds. On the other hand, Eternal Hunger restores 60 mana when Frostmourne Hungers is used.

Obliterate or Frost Strike – Obliterate gives 50% splash damage when Frostmourne Hungers is used while Frost Strike also slows targets by 40% for 1.5 seconds when the same is used

Summon Sindragosa – deals damage and slows or freezes hit enemies, minions, and structures for some time

Trail of Frost – increases the range of Howling Blast

Embrace Death or Frostmourne Feeds – allows Death Coil to deal more damage depending on Arthas’ health. Frostmourne Feeds makes Frostmourne Hungers’ effects last for two basic attacks instead of just one.

Fury of the Storm or Absolute Zero – Fury of the Storm lets basic attack bounce twice, dealing 50% of the original damage to nearby enemies. Absolute Zero adds rooting abilities to Summon Sindragosa, and also extends its range.

The above build is best for being able to put a hurting on enemies, and players and their allies may also be able to take advantage of enemies that have been rooted or slowed. Frostmourne Hungers also comes into play here, as not only does it allow you to deal more damage, but Eternal Hunger also provides you with more mana which would in turn give you more energy to activate abilities.

For increased survivability, the build below is recommended so that you can last even longer in intense fights:

Frozen Wastes – increases the range of Frozen Tempest by 33%

Superiority or Eternal Hunger – Superiority reduces the damage take by Arthas from non-heroic enemies by 50%

Rune Tap – heals Arthas for every 3^rd basic attack done

Army of the Dead – summons ghouls that can then be used to heal Arthas when sacrificed

Immortal Coil or Stoneskin – Immortal Coil heals Arthas when Death Coil is used on enemies and increases healing effects by 50% if used on self. Stoneskin activates shields worth 30% of Arthas’ health, and this effect lasts for 5 seconds.

Legion of Northrend – summons 3 additional ghouls when Army of the Dead is used and makes them last for 50% longer

The build mentioned above will make Arthas insanely difficult to kill. Of course, this would also compromise your ability to deal damage, so use this type of build wisely and only if either you will serve as your team’s damage absorber, or if someone is more capable of making the kills for your team.

Strategy
The best strategy to use when playing Arthas is to get up close and personal with enemies. Arthas’ high health allows him to take on multiple enemies at once, and his slowing abilities would also give him the advantage. Although Arthas is capable of going at it alone when dealing with enemies, having an assassin or a ranged hero playing as a wingman would also be beneficial. While enemies focus on Arthas, other allies can sneak up or snipe at enemies, chipping away at their health or even dealing the killing blow.

Take advantage also of Frostmourne Hungers whenever possible. This allows Arthas to activate more abilities, specifically those that can affect multiple enemies at once. This would then give you the opportunity to single out a target that has already been slowed or frozen in place. Lastly, keep an eye on your health and replenish it when you have to. Stay away from ranged enemies or those with high movement speeds as they can dart in and out and slowly but surely wear you down to size.

Pros and Cons
Arthas is a powerful melee warrior that can deal damage as well as take it. However, Arthas is extremely slow and has a short range. Thus, ranged or speedy heroes can stay out of his range and hurt him without getting harmed. Those with slowing, stunning, or silencing effects will hurt Arthas even more.

Arthas also requires lots of mana in order to trigger abilities despite quick cooldown times. Fortunately, Frostmourne Hungers will take care of that. Players must thus make sure to use this trait liberally in order to replenish energy quickly. Arthas also has a rich mix of talents that can help him adapt to any type of situation. Make sure to build Arthas in such a way that his offensive and defensive abilities are balanced while using area of effect abilities to control the crowd more effectively.

Tips and Tricks
Use Frozen Tempest only when necessary. This includes trying to slow down faster opponents, giving you the chance to escape if you are dangerously low on health, or if you are trying to soften up a group of enemies for your approaching allies that can then finish them off. Keep an eye out on your mana, though, as this can drain your reserves quite quickly. Use this mainly for crowd control rather than for damage dealing, however, as Howling Blast or Summon Sindragosa would be much more effective if this would be your intent.

Despite your high health, make sure to use Death Coil on yourself every once in a while. Make sure to also regenerate your mana using your combat trait. These two abilities would allow you to indefinitely maintain both health and mana for the entire duration of the fight. As for heroic abilities, choose the one that suits your style. Army of the Dead will allow you to focus on lasting longer in fights, while Summon Sindragosa is used mainly for offensive purposes. Aside from that, use your high health statistics to keep the focus of attacks on you so that allies can do their thing and perform their own assigned roles in battle.