Murky, the Baby Murloc, is one of the cuddlier characters within the world of Heroes of the Storm. With googly eyes and a buck-toothed grin, he may look dismissible in battle – but he should never be overlooked as the Murloc race has skills that will cause big problems if you don’t take them seriously. Murky is a specialist character that can also greatly support his teammates by providing boosts and making things hard for enemies on the field. Here’s our guide on how to better play and control Murky to full advantage.
Introduction
Murky is a Baby Murloc, and he belongs to a race native to the Warcraft universe. A mysterious species, much of their origins and culture are shrouded in mystery. What is known, however, is that they can be found in huge numbers and can help each other when under attack, showing at least a bit of sentience and intelligence.
What makes Murky such a pain to do battle with, however, is that each time he dies, he can immediately respawn using an egg cleverly hidden within the vicinity. This shows not only resilience, but even a form of immortality as he comes back in exactly the same form. This will prove to be a headache to anyone foolish enough to face any member of this race, as there really is no way to beat an enemy that comes back over and over again.
Items
Murky’s main weapon is a pufferfish, which he can use to attack enemies either directly or as an explosive weapon. He can also call upon other murlocs and other sea creatures to help him and his teammates out. Lastly, he has the ability to release an oily compound that will deal damage to enemies as well as cause different kinds of effects.
However, Murky’s best ability is his ability to lay and leave eggs. Should Murky die, he will respawn wherever the egg is located, allowing him to get back into the action much faster than usual.
Build Guide
Murky’s trait, Spawn Egg, allows him to drop an egg every 45 seconds. Should Murky die, he will respawn at the Egg’s location after 5 seconds. This will allow him to continue on much faster than other heroes as he would not need to start from the usual spawn point. However, enemies can attack the Egg as well, so this must be well hidden so that it would not be found.
Murky’s other abilities are Pufferfish, Slime, and Safety Bubble, and existing abilities may be enhanced or new abilities are added by choosing the right talents. The first ability, Pufferfish (4 seconds cooldown) allows Murky to use a Pufferfish like a bomb, dealing damage to enemies around it and more to structures. Slime (4 seconds cooldown) on the other hand, deals damage to an area and slows enemies. Enemies hit with Slime will also get dealt damage over time, although enemies can also hit the pufferfish to prevent it from exploding. Lastly, Safety Bubble (14 seconds cooldown) lets Murky become invulnerable for two seconds, although he cannot attack nor use abilities during this period.
As for heroic abilities, which would be available at level 10, players can choose between Murky’s two available ones. March of the Murlocs (80 seconds cooldown) will let Murky summon a group of Murlocs which would damage and slow enemies within their path. This ability will also deal half damage to structures. On the other hand, Octo-Grab (40 seconds cooldown) will stun a target enemy for about 3 seconds as well as deal minute damage to them.
Murky’s talents can be built around defense, and this is a good build to do as Murky is quite fragile as compared to other heroes. If you want to maximize health and defense to prolong his life in the field, then choose talents as follows:
Bubble Breeze – adds 20% to your movement speed while using Safety Bubble
Assault Egg – movement speed is increased by 20% for five seconds upon respawn from egg. Egg health is also increased, making it harder to destroy
Slimy End – automatically triggers Slime upon death
Octo-Grab – stuns enemies upon impact, allowing you to move away without being chased down
Bubble Machine or Hidden Assault – Bubble Machine reduces cooldown of Safety Bubble by 5 seconds while Hidden Assault keeps Murky cloaked for 10 seconds after respawning from the Egg. Sight range is also increased by 150% for the latter.
Blood for Blood – steals health from enemy and slow him by 30% for 3 seconds
Bolt of the Storm – teleports to a different location
This build will ensure Murky’s longevity in a fight , but you’re pretty much left with a character that might be able to absorb more damage but at the expense of less usability as a team player. However, this next build takes advantage of Murky’s powerful support abilities, and this one is the more recommended kit if you want to be a more useful hero for your team.
Bigger Slime or Bribe – Bigger Slime increases the range of Slime by 30%, while Bribe allows Murky to instantly defeat Mercenary camps should he earn enough bribes which are earned by killing enemy minions.
Promote – boosts minion health and damge, has two charges per cooldown
Tufferfish – makes Pufferfish tougher, making it harder to destroy
March of the Murlocs – damages all enemies and structures within the path of a group of Murlocs that Murky has summoned
Slime Advantage or Wrath of Cod – Slime Advantage allows Murky to deal more basic attack damage to slimed enemies, while Wrath of Cod increases Pufferfish damage by 50%
Any of the three based on personal preference
Never-Ending Murlocs – makes summoned Murlocs travel faster and cling to opponents longer
This is the best build as this takes advantage of Murky’s abilities and it maximizes chances of slowing and damaging enemies, weakening them enough and opening opportunities for stronger teammates to swoop in and pick them off.
Strategy
The best strategy when using Murky is to be up close to the enemies. This is, of course, a risk as Murky has low health and deals mediocre damage when it comes to attacks. Still, make sure to spam Slime and Pufferfish as they require no mana and have relatively short cooldown times. For Pufferfish, launch it when everyone is busy so that they wouldn’t have time to disarm it. Use Slime when there are a bunch of enemies close to you and if your allies are ready to pick them off once they get hit by your ability.
If you find yourself trapped by enemies with no means of help, then launch either Safety Bubble and move away, or use March of the Murlocs, if you have chosen this ability, to be able to retaliate. Of course, make sure that you have an Egg close by so that you would not lose any ground previously covered should you fall in battle. This will allow you to be right behind and help your allies that are still in the field.
Pros and Cons
Murky does not require mana to call upon abilities. Also, these abilities have relatively short cooldown times. However, these skills are not that powerful when it comes to dealing damage, so the best that players can do is to keep on spamming and to pray that enemies slowed by some of Murky’s attacks can be completely taken down by allies that can pick up the slack for you.
Murky is also quite fragile, with very low health and survivability. Although Spawn Egg does allow him to get back quite quickly, the Egg must be hidden well so that it would not get destroyed. Secondly, this strategy would not be useful especially if you have just been freshly hatched and is then immediately surrounded by enemies that have already had the chance to level up.
Tips and Tricks
Spam Slime and Pufferfish, but keep your fingers ready to activate Safety Bubble at all times. You’ll never know as to when you would need to quickly escape. Make sure also that your team is ready to cover your tracks, and that they are able to deal quick and massive damage to enemies that have been slowed. Other than this, make sure that you are able to move in and out of danger safely, and to always have an egg nearby.
March of the Murlocs is an amazing ability as it can quickly clear a lane of lower minions and it can also help slow down enemy heroes in their tracks. This will give you a means to escape as well as give our teammates a chance to really deal some damage as they have the advantage during this period. Activate March of the Murlocs whenever it is available and if enemies have lined up in your path.
Should you choose Octo-Grab over March of the Murlocs, however, make sure to choose the Tier 7 talent … And a Shark Too! This talent greatly increases the miniscule damage being dealt by this ability previously, increasing greatly your kill chances. Even if it does not result in a kill, the stun effect will surely be an opening for you and for others to strike.