Dehaka · Bruiser
Dehaka Early Game Guide
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This guide is assembled by the site from match data and the game's own information — nobody wrote it by hand. Official and community guides appear alongside it when they exist.
Overview
Early, hold the solo lane: soak every wave, win trades when the enemy misses abilities and take mercenary camps when your lane is pushed. Early, keep your lane, take a camp when you can and rotate to map objectives and mercenary camps in time.
Strengths
- Good wave clear, according to Blizzard's own hero tags.
- Can hold a lane alone.
- Strong gank potential around the map.
Weaknesses
- Mana-hungry: Blizzard flags its energy as important, so manage it early.
- Low damage by itself: it needs its team to finish kills.
Build cheat sheet
Pick the build that fits what you want to do this game.
- Early game talentsBalancedRecommendedLevels 1 to 7 lean on survivability to win the early soak and the first objective; from level 10 it follows the balanced plan.
- Balanced talentsBalancedAdvancedAt each level, the talent that serves more than one plan. A safe default when you don't know the enemy team yet. Built by reading the talent texts; Blizzard publishes no pick rates.
Builds
Early game talents
When to use it
Levels 1 to 7 lean on survivability to win the early soak and the first objective; from level 10 it follows the balanced plan.
Map job
Battlegrounds change every match, so this is its job on any of them.
Solo laneMainHolds a lane alone so the rest of the team can rotate.- Double soakPriority 2Soaks experience in a lane, usually alongside a teammate, and clears waves fast.
- RotateMoves between lanes to gank and help.
- Mercenary campsTakes mercenary camps when it is safe.
- With the teamStays with the team for fights and objectives.
Talents by level
Enduring SwarmDark Swarm's duration is increased by 0.5 seconds and grants 50 Spell Armor while active.W
Tissue RegenerationRegeneration Globes grant 10 Essence. Repeatable Quest: Every 50 Essence collected permanently increases Health Regeneration by 4, up to 40, and maximum Essence by 1, up to 10.TraitQuest
Enhanced AgilityBrushstalker's Movement Speed bonus now lasts for 4 seconds after leaving a bush. Repeatable Quest: Every 50 Essence collected permanently increases the Movement Speed bonus of Brushstalker by 2%, up to 20%.MountQuest
- 1The most survivability-focused option at level 1.
- 4Upgrades Dark Swarm.
- 7Upgrades Drag for more survivability.
- 10Fits more than one plan at level 10: damage and survivability.
- 13Fits more than one plan at level 13: utility and damage.
- 16Fits more than one plan at level 16: damage and survivability.
- 20Fits more than one plan at level 20: damage and survivability.
Balanced talents
When to use it
At each level, the talent that serves more than one plan. A safe default when you don't know the enemy team yet. Built by reading the talent texts; Blizzard publishes no pick rates.
Map job
Battlegrounds change every match, so this is its job on any of them.
- Solo laneMainHolds a lane alone so the rest of the team can rotate.
- Double soakPriority 2Soaks experience in a lane, usually alongside a teammate, and clears waves fast.
- RotateMoves between lanes to gank and help.
- Mercenary campsTakes mercenary camps when it is safe.
- With the teamStays with the team for fights and objectives.
Talents by level
- Enduring SwarmDark Swarm's duration is increased by 0.5 seconds and grants 50 Spell Armor while active.W
- Tissue RegenerationRegeneration Globes grant 10 Essence. Repeatable Quest: Every 50 Essence collected permanently increases Health Regeneration by 4, up to 40, and maximum Essence by 1, up to 10.TraitQuest
- Enhanced AgilityBrushstalker's Movement Speed bonus now lasts for 4 seconds after leaving a bush. Repeatable Quest: Every 50 Essence collected permanently increases the Movement Speed bonus of Brushstalker by 2%, up to 20%.MountQuest
- 1Upgrades Dark Swarm for more survivability.
- 4Fits more than one plan at level 4: utility and damage.
- 7Upgrades Drag for more utility.
- 10Fits more than one plan at level 10: damage and survivability.
- 13Fits more than one plan at level 13: utility and damage.
- 16Fits more than one plan at level 16: damage and survivability.
- 20Fits more than one plan at level 20: damage and survivability.
Abilities
QDrag15s75 mpDehaka lashes out his tongue, dealing 160 (+4% per level) damage to the first enemy hit, Stunning and dragging them with him for 1.75 seconds. If Dehaka is Stunned or Silenced while using Drag, the effect ends.- WDark Swarm10s50 mpDeal 52 (+4% per level) damage every 0.5 seconds to nearby enemies for 3.5 seconds. While active, you are able to move through units. Can be cast during Drag and Burrow.
EBurrow20s65 mpBurrow into the ground, entering Stasis and becoming Invulnerable for 2 seconds. While Burrowed, Dehaka can move at 50% movement speed.
RIsolationHeroic60s70 mpLaunch biomass that hits the first enemy Hero dealing 200 (+4% per level) damage, revealing, Silencing, and Slowing them 30% for 3 seconds. Additionally, their vision radius is greatly reduced for 6 seconds.Heroic — applies a silence and hits an area. Save it for priority targets or to interrupt a channel.
RAdaptationHeroic60s70 mpAfter 4 seconds, heal for 100% of the damage Dehaka took over this period.Heroic — heals. Time it for the enemy's burst, not for chip damage.- DEssence CollectionTrait5sHeal Dehaka for 29 (+4% per level) Health per stored Essence over 5 seconds. Can be cast during Drag and Burrow. Passive: Gain 10 Essence from Takedowns and 2 Essence from nearby Minions dying. Maximum of 50 Essence.
ZBrushstalker75sActivate to burrow to a bush on the Battleground. Passive: Gain 20% movement speed while in a bush and for 2 seconds after leaving.
Strategy
1Early talents
The first three talent tiers (levels 1, 4 and 7) set up how you soak and trade. The early build below leans on survivability to win that phase.
- Picks: Enduring Swarm and Lurker Strain.
2Trading
Trade when the enemy uses their main ability on the wave; your sustain wins long trades. The kit brings crowd control (stun) with Drag, mobility with Dark Swarm and sustain with Essence Collection.
3Soaking and rotations
Soaking is the laning phase: stay in range of your minion waves, rotate between lanes so none is left empty and group before each objective spawns.
4Early objectives
Early, keep your lane, take a camp when you can and rotate to map objectives and mercenary camps in time. Your big moments are level 10, when you pick Isolation or Adaptation, and level 20, when the heroic gets its upgrade.
Tips
- Trade when the enemy uses their main ability on the wave; your sustain wins long trades.
- Enduring Swarm is your first purchase that changes the lane: get it early.
- Use Drag in lane only when your partner or jungler can follow.
- Keep Dark Swarm ready when the enemy's gankers are missing.
- Early, keep your lane, take a camp when you can and rotate to map objectives and mercenary camps in time.
Matchups
Strong against
Blizzard classifies Tychus as a Ranged Assassin: once Dehaka is on top of them, that distance stops mattering.
Blizzard classifies Valla as a Ranged Assassin: once Dehaka is on top of them, that distance stops mattering.
Blizzard classifies Xal'atath as a Ranged Assassin: once Dehaka is on top of them, that distance stops mattering.
Weak against
Dehaka has to walk up to start a fight, and Ancient Spear (stun) stops that engage before it lands.
Dehaka has to walk up to start a fight, and Onslaught (stun) stops that engage before it lands.
Dehaka has to walk up to start a fight, and Staggering Blow (stun) stops that engage before it lands.
Changelog
- Updated for patch 2.57.0.98304.
- Updated for patch 2.57.0.98297.
- Updated for patch 2.57.0.98285.
- Guide created for patch 2.55.17.98025.
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