Heroes of the Storm: Falstad Walkthrough [Guide]

Falstad Wildhammer is a ranged player’s dream come true. Able to deal tons of damage from a distance, he can safely be out of harm’s way even before you notice him attack. Mounted 100% of the time, Falstad is the best character to play if you want to move around. He’s not just a swift character, however, as there are tons of other ways for him to hurt and frustrate opponents. Here’s our guide on how to best play this character from the Warcraft franchise.

Introduction
Falstad Wildhammer, also known as the Wildhammer Thane, is the High Thane of the Wildhammer Clan and the successor to the previous Thane Maz Drachrip. From Aerie Peak, he presides over his group while trying to maintain neutrality among the warring factions of the Horde and the Alliance. Recent skirmishes between races, however, have made him lean more towards the latter when it comes to better relationships between groups.

Upon the crystallization of Magni Bronzebeard, The Council of Three Hammers was formed, symbolizing the three major dwarven clans within Azeroth. This comprised of Muradin Bronzebeard of the Bronzebeard clan, Moira Thaurrisan of the Dark Irons, and Falstad himself, representing the WIndhammers.

Items
Falstad Wildhammer rides a gryphon which enables him to fly. This gives him above average speed as compared to other heroes as well as the ability to strike from afar. In addition, Falstad also wields a powerful hammer which he can throw against and through enemies, as well as the ability to call upon the elements such as thunder and lightning to deal damage to his opponents.

Build Guide
Tailwind is a trait which allows Falstad to move 20% faster if he does not take damage for 6 seconds. This allows Falstad to move even faster than usual, which makes him great for escaping attacks or moving towards a better position to support his allies or attack.

Falstad’s three starting abilities are Hammerang, Thunderstorm, and Barrel Roll. More abilities can be added and the aforementioned skills may also be enhanced by choosing the appropriate talents once the character levels up. Hammerang (70 mana cost, 10 seconds cooldown) deals damage within the path of its initial path as well as its return path with the added bonus of slowing enemies hit for two seconds by 25%. On the other hand, Thunderstorm (50 mana cost, 15 seconds cooldown) is both a passive and active ability where in, passively, deals damage to one random target every eight seconds while, actively, this ability will deal damage to four nearby enemies, although hitting the same enemy multiple times will lessen the damage inflicted. Lastly, Barrel Roll (75 mana cost, 16 seconds cooldown) will make Falstad dash forward and generate a shield for 2 seconds.

Heroic abilities for Falstad are Aerial Blitzkrieg and Shock and Awe. Aerial Blitzkrieg (100 mana cost, 100 seconds cooldown) deals damage and stuns all nearby enemies while Shock and Awe (100 mana cost, 90 seconds cooldown) deals damage to all enemies within a line. Both abilities will have a short delay before being activated.

Falstad can be built in one of two ways. He can either be built to deal heavy damage, or built in order to sustain more damage. The kit that you will choose will depend on your personal preferences, or you may choose a combination of both. In any case, here’s how to build Falstad in order to maximize his damage dealing potential.

Seasoned Marksman – Falstad gains one basic attack damage for each enemy killed by basic attacks

WIldhammer or Zap! – Wildhammer deals 150% damage to the first enemy hit by Hammerand wile Zap! Reduces the passive activation time of Thunderstorm by 2 seconds

Battle Momentum – basic attacks reduces the cooldown of abilities by 0.5 seconds

Aerial Blitzkrieg – deals damage and stuns for 1.5 seconds all nearby enemies, has a short delay

Giant Killer or Lightning Storm – Giant Killer gives Falstad extra basic attack damage equal to 1.5% of the enemy hero’s maximum health while Lightning Storm allows Thunderstorm to hit two targets instead of one when activated passively

Overdrive – increases ability power by 25% and mana cost by 40% for 5 seconds

Preparation – allows Falstad to activate Aerial Blitzkrieg at half the time and gives him a shield equal to half of Falstad’s maximum health

If you want to be more of a heavy hitter, then the above kit is recommended. However, if you want to be able to survive longer even if you try and become more of a close quarters fighter, then improving your health and boosting your defenses is important. With that, here’s the recommended build in order to survive tougher fights and more powerful enemies for longer.

Dog Fight or Updraft – Dog Fight lets Falstad’s Barrel Roll shield last for 3 more seconds while Updraft increases the range of Barrel Roll by 20%

Vampiric Assault – heals Falstad with the amount equivalent to 15% of basic attacks made

First Aid – heals about 10% of Falstad’s total health over six seconds

Aerial Blitzkrieg – same reason as above

Crippling Hammer – slows enemies hit by Hammerang by 50%

Stoneskin or Gust of Wind – Stoneskin gains Falstad shields worth 30% of his health for 5 seconds while Gust of Wind reduces the cooldown period of Tailwind by 3 seconds

Preparation – same reason as above

The above build increases the ability of Falstad to absorb more damage. This allows him to last longer and to be more effective in battles where he is more of an active participant rather than a fighter that will only dart in and out of combat from time to time.

Strategy
Falstad can make heavy damage at a range, although not on a consistent basis. He also has some decent crowd control abilities that can stun or slow enemies. This makes Falstad a good character to play for those who want to attack from a distance. Players should be able to make Falstad come near crowds of enemies, taking advantage of his Hammerang and Thunderstorm abilities as well as his Aerial Blitzkrieg abilities.

For defensive purposes, use Tailwind and Barrel Roll to either move away from danger or to move into the action. The latter will help also in giving you some partial defense while also allowing you to move in or out of the action. Make sure that you have abilities that can be triggered at the point that you are already in the position to attack, however, as your basic attacks will not deal a lot of significant damage. At this point, spamming abilities is your best available move in order to put in maximum hurting to a group of enemies.

Pros and Cons
Falstad is a great character to play if you want to make potshots at your opponents from a distance. He is capable of dealing damage well out of the range of most heroes, and his movement speed is also an added plus especially against slower opponents. The problem with Falstad, however, is that he is unable to sustain his offense continuously due to high mana costs of his abilities and slow energy regeneration. This means that all he can really do is deal damage to enemies for brief periods rather than on a continuous basis, which in turn means that he couldn’t really be considered as a finisher unless when it comes to enemies that are within death or to those that do not have the abilities to heal or defend themselves.

Falstad is also prone to crowd control effects. Once stunned or slowed, he becomes a sitting duck that would not be able to properly defend himself against a group of enemies. Getting surrounded will also compromise his speed as he would have nowhere to go to. Thus, players that use Falstad should mind that there should always be an opening for him to run to should things get ugly.

Tips and Tricks
Make sure to use Hammerang on a group of enemies. Also, take note of the fact that this ability also has the ability to deal damage on your projectile’s return path. This allows you to deal damage while moving away. Barrel Roll is also a great trick to do as this will allow you to move quickly even if Tailwind is not available. Lastly, make sure that you are close to enemies once Thunderstorm is available for activation.

As for heroic abilities, remember that both Aerial Blitzkrieg and Shock and Awe would only be triggered after a short delay. While both abilities are powerful, Aerial Blitzkrieg targets random enemies while Shock and Awe requires you to have more control and timing when it comes to hitting multiple enemies. The former is good to use if you don’t care about who you hit while the latter has the risk reward factor of hitting more targets depending on the crowd’s position once the ability has been activated.

Lastly, make sure to move around in order to avoid getting hit with powerful shots that can greatly sap your health. Take advantage of Falstad’s speed and maneuverability so that you can avoid getting hit and to be in a more favorable position to attack and unleash your abilities when the situation calls for it.