With lines like ‘we bring the pain’, Zul’jin the Armani troll warlord makes his brutal intentions clear as the latest hero to enter the Nexus.  Zul’jin descends from a long line of forest trolls that are best known for their berzerking skills. At low health, he will deal a ton of damage and potentially become invulnerable, making him god-like.

In Heroes of the Storm, Zul’jin is an aggressive ranged assassin, capable of solo laning. He works very well with healers and supports that can shield or sustain him as he exchanges health for damage output.

Let’s take a look at his passive and active abilities :

Abilities

Berserker is Zul’jin’s bread and butter, a trait that provides passive and active boosts. In its passive form he attacks 1% faster for every 1% of maximum health missing. When activated it increases his basic attack damage by 25% but consumes 2% of his maximum health per attack, making him a very powerful hero. Players must use his active skill wisely because it eats away his health very quickly as his attack speed increases. Since he will be constantly low on health, Zul’jin does not make a good hero to contest objectives in Sky temple, Haunted Mines and Garden of Terror.

Grievous Throw launches a jagged axe forward, dealing 125 damage to the first 2 enemies hit, marking them for 8 seconds. Marked enemies take 50% bonus damage from Zul’jin’s next 3 basic attacks. To maximize your damage against marked enemies, only use it in open areas where there are no structures to obstruct you from landing your next few basic attacks.

Twin Cleave is Zul’jin’s crowd control ability that damages enemies nearby. Two axes fly in a large circular arc dealing 112 damage and slowing affected enemies by 15% per axe for 2 seconds. Players can be slowed a maximum of 30% if they happen to be at the point where both axes cross paths. Caution: you’ll miss this opportunity if you cast when the enemy is right in front of you. Since Twin Cleave is tricky to master, you should practice to cast it to the side of the target instead. This increases the chance of the axes hitting enemies as they retreat.

Regeneration helps Zul’jin stay alive longer, giving him 25% of his maximum health over 4 seconds. During an intensive team battle, Zul’jin might run low on health and attempt to regenerate. Channeling this ability can be interrupted when the hero moves or takes damage. It is therefore imperative for players to pick isolated locations to heal.

Ultimates

To compliment his abilities, Zul’jin can pick either Taz’dingo or Guillotine as an ultimate.

Taz’dingo! is an impressive ability that makes Zul’jin unkillable for next the 4 seconds and his health cannot be reduced below 1. This ultimate synergizes beautifully with his trait, Berzerker. With it, he can boost his attack speed to almost 100% without fear of being killed. Taz’dingo is best used when he is at low health, however, applying it preemptively could save him from an enemy’s ability combo. He can also use it defensively to escape, when the battle is not to his team’s favor.

Guillotine launches a massive axe into a targeted area, dealing 210 damage and more, the lower his health is. When this ultimate is used, there is a slight delay before it hits the target area. It is therefore essential that players trace enemies movement before casting it. Guillotine is best used with other teammates crowd control abilities like E.T.C’s mosh pit, Thrall’s earthquake and Zeratul’s void prison to ensure it strikes intended targets.

TL;DR

• Use Berzerker active trait wisely, it increases your attack speed but drains your health quickly, leaving you vulnerable.
• As Grievous Throw will mark the first two targets it hits, use it when your targets are in clear view without enemy minions blocking your path.
• Always randomize the location you pick for Regeneration, damage from enemies could interrupt it.
• Sometimes it is good to use Taz’dingo early to avoid enemy combos or escape a messy team fight.
• Tracing your enemy’s movements is crucial when casting Guillotine as there is a slight delay.

Zul’jin is best paired with strong frontline heroes that can peel the enemy away from him as he deals massive damage. As noted above, given he trades health for attack speed and damage, a good support hero like Uther and Auriel can help sustain his life.

Players will need to constantly balance when to sacrifice Zul’jin’s health for increased damage and speed. Mastering this will make you a strong Zul’jin player and an asset to the team.

Source for Images: Heroes of the Storm Youtube Channel