Heroes of the Storm: Diablo Walkthrough [Guide]

Diablo, aka the Prime Evil, the Demon Lord, the Lord of Terror etc. Regardless of what you call him, Diablo spells bad news for anyone foolish enough to face him. Given the ability to gain souls from slain opponents, Diablo is able to use you even after death. He also has various stunning and damage dealing abilities that enemies will have to deal with. Most of the time, however, this would be in vain. Here’s our guide on how to be able to use the Lord of Terror from the franchise that bears his name so that he can instill even more fear into his opponents’ hearts.

Introduction
Diablo is the Lord of Terror from the Diablo franchise. Along with his brothers Mephisto and Baal, the Prime Evil is one of the rulers of the Burning Hells, where he relishes on the fear that his enemies and victims feel. Banished from Hell, Diablo and his brothers spread terror and destruction across the lands of men until they were defeated and had their souls locked via Soulstones.

Diablo, at this time, would taste freedom and revival numerous times, but he was defeated time and time again by heroes that would rise up again him. After his assumed death at the hands of the Nephalem, the question remains – Is Diablo really gone? Or is he still lying in wait until the right time comes for him to spread terror once again?

Items
Diablo utilizes his claws to rip and rend at the enemies’ flesh. However, Diablo’s claws would seem to be very minor as compared to his other abilities. With his abilities to control fire and lightning, among other arcane abilities, he can deal damage to enemies quickly and effectively, among other effects.

Diablo also utilizes his ability to use souls captured from defeated enemies. He can use Souls to revive instantly, as well as gain health. Thus, the more he kills, the more powerful Diablo can get.

Build
Diablo’s trait, Black Soulstone, allows him to accumulate and collect Souls at a rate of 10 per hero killed, and 1 per minion killed. Diablo will gain 5 maximum health for each soul captured. Players can also resurrect 5 seconds after dying at a cost of 100 souls. Diablo can carry a maximum capacity of 100 souls.

Diablo, in addition, has three abilities to start with. Shadow Charge (50 mana cost, 10 seconds cooldown) lets Diablo charge at a target, dealing damage and stunning them. Secondly, Fire Stomp (50 mana cost, 6 seconds cooldown) deals damage to all enemies in a radius around Diablo. Lastly, Overpower (50 mana cost, 12 seconds cooldown) deals damage and stuns a target slightly as well. This ability also places the target behind Diablo.

For heroic abilities, Diablo can use either Apocalypse or Lightning Breath. Apocalypse (100 mana cost, 120 seconds cooldown) places a rune under all heroes and explodes after a short time. Upon explosion, all heroes are damaged and are stunned for 2 seconds. Lightning Breath (80 mana cost, 60 seconds cooldown), on the other hand, gives Diablo a mouse controlled lightning that damages enemies for 5 seconds.

Diablo’s build recommendations center around being able to deal more damage, or being able to take more damage. For the latter, this includes also coming back from the dead as quickly as possible. With either of the two kits mentioned above, players controlling Diablo will be able to use the hero’s full potential, either as a full blown hero killer or a shock absorber that will then allow others to sneak in and hurt opponents that are too busy dealing with Diablo to notice.

The first build gives Diablo some great damage dealing potential, allowing him to take out enemies much more quickly and gain more souls:

Soul Steal – grants 3 souls once Overpower was used

Swallowing Flames, Molten Impact, or Demonic Strength – Swallowing Flames lets Fire Stomp’s range increased by 50%. Molten Impact deals 50% more damage to non-heroic enemies. Demonic Strength deals 25% more damage when Overpower is used.

Battle Momentum – Reduces ability cooldowns when basic attacks are used

Apocalypse or Lightning Breath – Apocalypse damages and stuns all heroes on the battleground while Lightning Breath lets players control lightning which damages all enemies in its path.

From the Shadows or Crippling Shadows – From the Shadows increases Shadow Charge’s range by a third while Crippling Shadows adds a 3 second slowing effect to Shadow Charge

Fire Devil, Firestorm, or Continuous Overpower – Fire Devil adds 10 second damage to nearby enemies after Fire Stomp has been used while Firestorm lets Fire Stomp hit twice, with damage increased to 150%. Lastly, Continuous Overpower lets players use Overpower twice.

Dying Breath or Hellstorm – Dying Breath lets Diablo use Apocalypse once he dies while Hellstorm increases the length and reach of Lightning Breath by 50%

This build is recommended for those that want higher damage at the expense of lower health and regeneration. The next build lets Diablo absorb even more damage on top of his natural tankiness.

This build also allows Diablo to return faster from death, giving him the chance to lay out more destruction and absorb more damage in behalf of his other allies:

Devil’s Due or Soul Feast – Devil’s Due lets Diablo resurrect using only 75 souls while Soul Feast lets Diablo gain even more health and increased health regeneration for each soul collected

Amplified Healing – increases regeneration and healing effects by 30%

Endless Death or Siphon the Dead – Endless Death allows Diablo to store more souls while Siphon the Dead lets Diablo heal 3% of his health per second per soul consumed

Apocalypse – same reason as above

Spell Shield or Relentless – Spell Shield, every 30 seconds, lets Diablo decreases ability damage taken 50% 2 seconds after taking damage from abilities. Relentless reduces crowd control effects against Diablo by 50%

Imposing Presence – attack speed of enemies that attack you are slowed by 30%

Storm Shield or Bolt of the Storm – Storm Shield gives all nearby allies shields worth 20% of their max health for 3 seconds while Bolt of the Storm lets him teleport to a nearby location

The kit above gives Diablo more survivability. At the very least, this allows Diablo to escape from danger as well as to come back from the dead much faster.

Strategy
Diablo is a melee warrior, and is hands down the tankiest character among all heroes. This means that he can sustain a lot of damage and can also deal more pain than usual. Getting near enemies is a must, and Fire Stomp is the best weapon to use when there are lots of enemies around. Players may also use Overpower to control a single enemy. This allows Diablo and his teammates to gang up on one target that may want to escape.

Shadow Charge, on the other hand, can be used to race towards an enemy that may otherwise be out of range or can move quickly away from harm. It can also be used to escape attacks should the situation call for it. Diablo is also one of those characters where in any of his heroic abilities can be used for any type of situation. Use Apocalypse if you want more crowd control functions, while Lighting Breath can be used to deal high damage to nearby enemies and can even instantly kill lower level heroes and minions. This will then allow you to collect more souls, increasing your health and giving you a quicker way to return from death.

Pros and Cons
Diablo can sustain a lot of damage, but all the tankiness in the world will be for naught if your high damage dealing capabilities will be rendered useless. Due to his size and low speed, ranged enemies and those with knockback attacks will keep Diablo well out of range, unless Shadow Charge or Apocalypse can be used to stop enemies in their tracks.

Diablo is also susceptible to slow and stuns, so having a support ally within reach is also very important. His attacks and abilities are extremely effective when they connect, so make sure that teammates can slow enemies down or root them long enough for you to be able to connect with a killing strike or, at the very least, another strike that will stun them long enough to finish them off.

Tips and Tricks
Use Overpower if you want to separate an enemy from his allies. For a quick attack as well as for a means to escape, use Shadow Charge. Fire Stomp, on the other hand, is very effective in dealing damage to enemies around them. If you can afford it, use Lightning Breath in the same situation as it would be more effective. Lightning Breath and Fire Stomp is great for team vs. team fights, although in lesser numbers, using Apocalypse is better.

Take advantage of your stunning abilities to get near opponents, and players should also make sure that allies can sweep in and do some damage as well. For defensive purposes, having someone that can swoop in and finish off opponents that you have hurt and slowed, or at least having an ally that can keep you alive long enough to be within striking distance is also essential so that you can make good use of Diablo’s more powerful abilities.