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Franchise-starcraft This is from the StarCraft universe.


Your demise is at hand!

Damage (7/10) Utility (7/10) Survivability (6/10) Complexity (8/10)

Alarak is a Melee Assassin Hero from the StarCraft universe. Not all heroes are born of altruism... Some, like Alarak, simply desire vengeance. As the new Highlord of the Tal'darim, Alarak leads his people to a destiny free of the corrupt influence of the fallen xel'naga, Amon.

Background[]

Alarak is the highlord of the Tal'darim. He was previously the First Ascendant in the Chain of Ascension under Highlord Ma'lash. During the End War, Alarak used his alliance with the Daelaam to overthrow and replace Ma'lash, and turn the Tal'darim against Amon.

Gameplay Summary[]

Alarak is a Melee Assassin dealing heavy damage to Heroes, thanks to his trait, Sadism. He excels at pulling opponents out of their positions of safety and striking them with a flurry of abilities. Additionally, many of his talents allows him to decrease the value of Sadism in exchange for more utility for his abilities.

Overall, Alarak perfoms the best cooperating with his team, creating opportunities for taking down opponents in a quick and coordinated way. Learning the timing of his Discord Strike and Telekinesis is key.

He controls the battlefield by manipulating the positioning of his enemies. He can sacrifice raw damage for increased utility through Sadism, allowing him to deal with each challenge differently. Telekinesis allows him to push himself and enemies in any direction, while Discord Strike can render them completely helpless afterward. He is better at damaging Heroes than he is at clearing Minions and Mercenaries, but can solo lane very effectively due to his high self-sustain. Alarak works best in direct cooperation with his teammates, as he can setup or secure takedowns extremly well. Reliably landing Discord Strike and Telekinesis can be difficult, and requires practice. Putting in the time to get comfortable with these Abilities is essential in leveraging his great potential.

Strengths[]

  • Formidable lane bully and duelist.
  • Can silence opponents with Discord Strike.
  • Telekinesis is a versatile tool with a lot of uses; it can be used to either push or pull opponents, and even Alarak himself, granting him a good escape tool.
  • Flexible talents that allows him to either increase his raw damage, or sacrifice Sadism for more utility.
  • Lightning Surge gives Alarak very high self-sustain.
  • Is currently the only character in the game that can access both Heroic Abilities. (Li-Ming has a similar alternative but requires Wave of Force to be selected as heroic ability, and has worse synergy)
    • Deadly Charge has huge range and damage, allowing Alarak to surprise his enemies out of their sight radius.
    • Counter-Strike is outstanding against teams with sustained damage, fast attackers, and to be used when expecting big cooldowns.
  • At level 13 he can access talents that provide him with massive powerspikes, particularly Rite of Rak'Shir, which allows Alarak to increase his Sadism progressively without a cap.

Weaknesses[]

  • Relatively mana-intensive.
  • Not very effective in sieging and other PvE situations (such as waveclearing and capturing Mercenaries).
  • High skill ceiling, due Discord Strike and Telekinesis requiring precision and timing.
  • Considerable low Basic Attack Damage.

Abilities[]

IconDiscordStrike
Discord Strike (Q) [Reverse Cone]
Mana: 45
Cooldown: 8 seconds

After a 0.5 second delay, enemies in front of Alarak take 182 (+4% per level) damage and are silenced for 1.5 seconds.

IconTelekinesis
Telekinesis (W) [Vector Targeting]
Mana: 30
Cooldown: 12 seconds

Create a force, pushing yourself and all enemies hit from the targeted point towards the targeted direction. Deals 50 (+4% per level) damage to enemies.

IconLightningSurge
Lightning Surge (E)
Mana: 25
Cooldown: 6 seconds

Deal 62 (+4% per level) damage to an enemy and an additional 100% damage to enemies between Alarak and the target. Restore 70 (+4% per level) health for each Hero hit.

Traits[]

IconSadism
Sadism [Passive]

Alarak's Ability damage and self-healing are increased by 100% against enemy Heroes.

Takedowns increase Sadism by 3%, up to 30%. Sadism gained from Takedowns is lost on death.

Heroic Abilities[]

IconDeadlyCharge
Deadly Charge (R)
Tier 4 (Hero Level 10)
Mana: 60
Cooldown: 45 seconds

After channeling, Alarak charges forward dealing 208 (+4% per level) damage to all enemies in the path. Distance is increased based on the amount of time channeled, up to 1.625 seconds.

Issuing a Move order while this is channeling will cancel it at no cost. Taking damage will interrupt the channeling.

IconCounter-Strike
Counter-Strike (R)
Tier 4 (Hero Level 10)
Mana: 50
Cooldown: 30 seconds

Alarak becomes Protected and Unstoppable and channels for 1 second. If an enemy Hero attacked Alarak during that time, Alarak sends a shockwave forward that deals 275 (+4% per level) damage.

Talents[]

Tier 1, Hero Level 1[]

IconWideLightning
Sustaining Power
Tier 1 (Hero Level 1)

Increases the healing you receive from dealing damage to Heroes with Lightning Surge by 40%.

IconLightningSurge
Extended Lightning
Tier 1 (Hero Level 1)

Reduce Sadism by 10%.

IconQuestTalent Quest: Hit Heroes with the center of Lightning Surge.
IconQuestTalent Reward: After hitting 5 Heroes, increase Lightning Surge's range by 20%.
IconQuestTalent Reward: After hitting 15 Heroes, Lightning Surge's center also Slows enemies by 40% for 2 seconds.
IconQuestTalent Reward: After hitting 3 Heroes with a single cast, increase Sadism by 10% and instantly gain all other Rewards.

IconHardenedFocus
Ruthless Momentum
Tier 1 (Hero Level 1)

Basic Abilities recharge 20% faster while above 80% Health.

Tier 2, Hero Level 4[]

IconLightningSurge
Negatively Charged
Tier 2 (Hero Level 4)

Increase the Lightning Surge damage bonus to enemies between Alarak and his victim to 150%.
IconQuestTalent Quest: (Repeatable) Each Hero hit by the center of Lightning Surge permanently increases the damage bonus by 5%.

IconDiscordStrike
Chaos Reigns
Tier 2 (Hero Level 4)

IconQuestTalent Quest: Hit Heroes with Discord Strike.
IconQuestTalent Reward: After hitting 15 Heroes, increase Discord Strike's damage by 50.
IconQuestTalent Reward: After hitting 2 Heroes with a single Discord Strike, increase its damage by 50.
IconQuestTalent Reward: After hitting 3 Heroes with a single Discord Strike, increase its damage by 80 and instantly gain all other Rewards.

IconSadism
Show of Force
Tier 2 (Hero Level 4)

Heroes hit with 3 of Alarak's Abilities within 2 seconds take an additional 77 (+4% per level) damage.

Tier 3, Hero Level 7[]

IconDiscordStrike
Dissonance
Tier 3 (Hero Level 7)

Increases Discord Strike's silence duration by 0.75 seconds.

IconAppliedForce
Hindered Motion
Tier 3 (Hero Level 7)

Telekinesis slows enemies by 25% for 2.0 seconds.

IconAppliedForce
Applied Force
Tier 3 (Hero Level 7)

Reduce Sadism by 10%, but Telekinesis pushes 20% further and has 20% increased range.

Tier 4, Hero Level 10[]

IconDeadlyCharge
Deadly Charge (R)
Tier 4 (Hero Level 10)
Mana: 60
Cooldown: 45 seconds

After channeling, Alarak charges forward dealing 208 (+4% per level) damage to all enemies in the path. Distance is increased based on the amount of time channeled, up to 1.625 seconds.

Issuing a Move order while this is channeling will cancel it at no cost. Taking damage will interrupt the channeling.

IconCounter-Strike
Counter-Strike (R)
Tier 4 (Hero Level 10)
Mana: 50
Cooldown: 30 seconds

Alarak becomes Protected and Unstoppable and channels for 1 second. If an enemy Hero attacked Alarak during that time, Alarak sends a shockwave forward that deals 275 (+4% per level) damage.

Tier 5, Hero Level 13[]

IconSadism
Pure Malice
Tier 5 (Hero Level 13)

Increase Sadism by 10% any time an allied Hero dies, up to 40%.

Sadism gained from Pure Malice is lost on death.

IconSadism
Blade of the Highlord
Tier 5 (Hero Level 13)

Basic Attacks against Heroes increase Sadism by 7% for 4 seconds, stacking up to 35%. Basic Attacks against Heroes refresh this duration.

Icon Rite of Rak'Shir
Rite of Rak'Shir
Tier 5 (Hero Level 13)
Cooldown: 300 seconds

Activate to mark an enemy Hero for 300 seconds.

Hitting the marked Hero with Discord Strike increases Sadism by 3%. Killing the marked Hero increases Sadism by 5% and lowers the cooldown of Rite of Rak'Shir to 10 seconds.

Sadism gained from Rite of Rak'Shir is lost on death.

Tier 6, Hero Level 16[]

IconDiscordStrike
Lethal Onslaught
Tier 6 (Hero Level 16)

Hitting an enemy Hero with Discord Strike grants 50% of Sadism's damage bonus to Alarak's Basic Attacks for 4 seconds. Basic Attacks against Heroes refresh this duration.

IconLightningSurge
Lightning Barrage
Tier 6 (Hero Level 16)

Hitting an enemy Hero with the center of Lightning Surge allows it to be cast again for free on a different primary target within the next 2 seconds. This free cast cannot benefit from Lightning Barrage.

IconDiabolicalMomentum
Mocking Strikes
Tier 6 (Hero Level 16)

Basic Attacks against Stunned, Silenced, Slowed, or Rooted Heroes reduce the cooldown of Alarak's Basic Abilities by 2.5 seconds.

Tier 7, Hero Level 20[]

Note: Players will be able to choose either the other heroic ability from level 10 above, or decide between Hasty Bargain and Last Laugh. If the alternate heroic ability is chosen, it takes the place of Sadism.



IconDeadlyCharge
Deadly Charge (R)
Tier 4 (Hero Level 10)
Mana: 60
Cooldown: 45 seconds

After channeling, Alarak charges forward dealing 208 (+4% per level) damage to all enemies in the path. Distance is increased based on the amount of time channeled, up to 1.625 seconds.

Issuing a Move order while this is channeling will cancel it at no cost. Taking damage will interrupt the channeling.

IconCounter-Strike
Counter-Strike (R)
Tier 4 (Hero Level 10)
Mana: 50
Cooldown: 30 seconds

Alarak becomes Protected and Unstoppable and channels for 1 second. If an enemy Hero attacked Alarak during that time, Alarak sends a shockwave forward that deals 275 (+4% per level) damage.

IconHastyBargain
Hasty Bargain
Tier 7 (Hero Level 20)
Cooldown: 20 seconds

Activate to permanently reduce your Sadism bonus by 4% and reset the cooldowns of your Basic Abilities.

IconLastLaugh
Last Laugh
Tier 7 (Hero Level 20)
Cooldown: 30 seconds

Activate teleport to the chosen location and remove all Roots, Slows, and damage over time effects. If Alarak fails to hit enemy Heroes 3 times with Basic Abilities within 4 seconds of using Last Laugh, his Health is reduced to 1.

Talent Builds[]

Tips[]

  • Analyze well the enemy team composition, and adjust the talents accordingly. Sometimes it is more viable to sacrifice damage from Sadism in order to gain advantage over the opponents.
  • Alarak requires very precision, since his skillshots can be hard to hit. Using the "On Release" option (at the Keybinds menu) for Discord Strike, Telekinesis and Counter-Strike allows for better aiming with the reticules.
  • The Telekinesis > Discord Strike is generally the best way to take down enemy Heroes, but requires practice and precision to master.
  • Mastering Telekinesis is the key to mastering Alarak himself; try to find creative ways to use it, such as pushing opponents towards your allies' Heroic Abilities, to prevent the enemies' own abilities, or to reposition Alarak in order to flee.
  • Always try to hit as many opponents as possible with Lightning Surge to increase your healing, and also to gain stacks for the Extended Lightning and Negatively Charged quest talents.
  • Always cast Deadly Charge out of the opponents' field of view, so Alarak can enter the fight by surprise and throw opponents off balance, or to secure a kill when enemies are fleeing. Notify your team before casting this ability, so they know how to follow up.
    • Be careful to not channel the ability near enemy minions that can attack Alarak, as it will cancel the cast.
    • Under the right conditions, Alarak can use Deadly Charge as a escape tool, as long he is not hit during the channeling.
  • Make sure to cast Counter-Strike in the right moments, to hit as many opponents as possible.
    • The counter can trigger from damage over time effects.

Matchups[]

Pairings[]

Alarak is best paired with Heroes that can follow up his kill setups, such as burst damage Assassins, and/or Heroes with reliable crowd control to ensure his Telekinesis > Discord Strike combo. His strong teamfight presence also allows for effectively split-pushing.

ETCplate
Alarak works well with Heroes who help set up kills with crowd control effects. Alarak’s follow-up combo with Telekinesis and Discord Strike is particularly strong when combined with Heroes like E.T.C. who can quickly force enemy Heroes out of position. What’s also great about this combo is that both Alarak and E.T.C. can be the start of a crowd control chain on an enemy hero as long as they are coordinated enough to space their abilities properly. This makes it doubly scary for an enemy team to be near them, as either one can isolate and kill someone in seconds.


Kel'Thuzadplate
Alarak and Kel'Thuzad are both heroes who are great at capitalizing on the mistakes of their enemies. If an enemy hero steps slightly out of position, they can find themselves quickly pulled into the opposing team via Alarak’s Telekinesis, or pulled to their teammates with Kel’thuzad’s Chains of Kel'Thuzad. Either way, once one of these paired heroes lands an ability on an enemy, the other one can quickly follow up, resulting in devastating damage or even a quick kill.


Kerriganplate
Hard-engage Assassins like Kerrigan also work well with Alarak, as they both have strong initiation tools that can both move and crowd control enemy Heroes caught out of position. Also, if a Kerrigan combo goes awry, Alarak’s Telekinesis is great for shoving enemy Heroes away to help her retreat back to the safety of her team.


Utherplate
Alarak often puts himself at risk, particularly if he takes the Deadly Charge Heroic. The temptation to fly into a dangerous position alone to make a big play is strong, and Alarak will get himself into these sticky situations from time to time. Uther is great at enabling Alarak to make those big plays, as he can use Divine Shield in combination with his other single-target mitigation abilities and talents to keep Alarak alive when he would otherwise meet a quick end. His Hammer of Justice also proves to be a reliable follow up to Alarak's strong abilities.


Effective against[]

Alarak excels at moving enemies out of position, particularly those who rely too much on their cooldowns. If well timed, his abilities can interrupt many key abilities and prevent the enemy team from unleashing mayhem. Also, thanks to his Sadism, he performs well against Heroes with low health, particularly frail Assassins.

Chenplate
Similar to Diablo, Alarak is one of the few Heroes in the game with multiple channel-interrupting abilities. Both Discord Strike and Telekinesis are strong interrupts for Chen’s Fortifying Brew, cancelling his Shield gains and securing an easy kill for his team.


Gul'danplate
Like Chen, Gul'dan really doesn’t like Heroes who can interrupt his Drain Life. Not only can Alarak almost guarantee that Gul’dan won’t get value out of his key healing ability, but he can also easily put Gul’dan out of position in the laning phase and during teamfights.


Vallaplate
While this counter is not as strong as the others listed, Alarak is a scary opponent for Heroes like Valla, that rely heavily on using an ability to escape bad situations and kite their enemies, and his Discord Strike can capitalize on that thanks to its Silence effect. If Alarak can land a Telekinesis > Discord Strike Combo, he can set up unique kill windows on Heroes like Valla by removing their ability to use their key survivability tools.


Effective foes[]

Despite his raw power, Alarak is quick to take down by Heroes that can stun him efficiently. Heroes with high mobility can also become a nuisance for him, as most of his abilities require pinpoint precision. Additionally, making Alarak waste his Telekinesis early in the teamfights makes harder for him to escape, allowing the team to retaliate.

Anub'arakplate
Anub'arak excels at fighting Heroes that relies on Ability Damage thanks to his natural spell damage armor and Harden Carapace. Anub'arak can stun Alarak from afar with Impale, and chase him with Burrow Charge once Alarak exhausts his cooldowns.


The Butcherplate
While Alarak can punish The Butcher's Ruthless Onslaught with a well timed Discord Strike, a good The Butcher player will wait for the right time to strike, and capitalize on its cooldown. Once The Butcher gets personal and pins Alarak down with Lamb to the Slaughter, Alarak will quickly fall.


Cho'gallplate
Although Cho'gall's large size makes him an easier target to Alarak's abilities, he has good tools to pressure Alarak. Since Gall cannot be silenced due to Ogre Rage, he is unnafected by Discord Strike, allowing him to stay in the fight more often. Additionally, Cho can also easily dive and break the backline using Surging Fist; if he picks Surging Dash, he becomes even more dangerous, as it will prevent Alarak from pushing him with Teleknesis.


Utherplate
Uther can both mitigate the damage from Alarak's abilities as well protect himself from his deadly advances. If given chance, Hammer of Justice and Divine Storm can pin down Alarak before he has any time to react.


Skins[]

Highlord of the Tal'darim (base)
 
Alarak - HT - Brown Alarak - HT - Red Alarak - HT - White Alarak - HT - Purple
Highlord of the Tal'darim Crimson Ivory Regal IconShard 100
Highlord Alarak IconShard 100
The Highlord's armor serves as both ceremonial adornment and as a conduit of raw power. Adorned with blood shards and fueled by terrazine, it channels Alarak's fury directly into his blades.
Alarak - Master - Red Alarak - Master - Orange Alarak - Master - Green Alarak - Highlord - Amethyst
Highlord Golden Emerald Amethyst IconShard 150
Herald of N'Zoth IconShard 400
The God of the Deep writhes within his prison, thrashing endlessly. Alarak, the Corruptor's Herald, brings word of the Old God's return, preparing all realities for the coming change.
This skin is related to the Warcraft themed-skins. Features altered voice-over and themed abilities.
Alarak - HON - Black Alarak - HON - Purple Alarak - HON - White Alarak - DHON - Deep
Herald of N'Zoth Twilight Bone Deep IconShard 600
Dark Nexus IconShard 400
In the forgotten darkness beyond reality, a new avatar of primordial power has been forged. The dark mirror of Alarak's malice and sadism seethes with contempt toward all of existence... including its own.
Alarak - Dark Nexus Alarak - Dark Nexus - Forgotten Alarak - Dark Nexus - Shattered
Dark Nexus Forgotten Shattered

Patch changes[]

External links[]

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