Arthur: Hold Your Own

Build and Guide Arthur: Hold Your Own

Cheat Sheet
Skills:

Holy Guard (Magic) - First priority, allows for damage to multiple enemies at a time)

Righteous Fervor (Physical) - Attack is powerful, but the slowdown capabilities make it even more valuable

Deep Impact (Physical) - Big move that can change the flow of a skirmish, but make sure it’s used on a Hero and not a minion

Paragon (Passive, always active)

Items:

Mantle of Ra

Sonic Boots

Medallion of Troy

Frost Cape

Mail of Pain

Hyoga’s Edge

Arcana:

Level 1:

Gale

Strength

Leech

Life

Guard

Stab



Level 2:

Batter

Cyclone

Pummel

Passion

Reinforce

Vamp



Level 3:

Bloodlust

Indomitable

Obliterate

Mythril

Skewer

Valiance

Colossus

Reave

Tyrant

Introduction
Arthur is a tank in warrior’s clothing, dealing heavy damage right from the start while slowly building defense and resistance as a match plays on. Eventually Arthur can lead an entire team to victory with his powerful skills and ability to buff and debuff those around him with each skill. Arthur should stay grouped with allies as he battles at the beginning, but once the late game starts his true power can be unleashed.

Skill Build
Here’s is Arthur’s main skill set, in order of priority:

Holy Guard (Magic)

Arthur summons divine blades that circle around him, dealing 100(+57) (+0) magic damage per hit for 5 seconds.

Arthur needs to be up close and personal with enemies to be effective, and that proximity makes Holy Guard his most important ability. The constant damage these dancing swords deal can whittle down a group of minions very quickly, making them easy picking for a normal attack or a separate ability. Pairing this with the slowdown ability of Righteous Fervor late in the game can give Arthur some devastating power.

Righteous Fervor (Physical)

Arthur powers up, raising his movement speed By 30%. During his next normal attack, Arthur leaps at his target, dealing 180 (+164) Physical damage and slowing their movement speed by 90% for 1 second. The target damaged by this ability will be marked for 5 seconds. Marked enemies will suffer additional damage from Arthur's normal attacks and abilities equal to 1% of their maximum HP as magic damage. This ability also raises the movement speed of nearby ally heroes for 5 seconds.

Righteous Fervor can turn the tide of a skirmish, dishing out decent damage and a slew of ally buffs and enemy debuffs. Marking an enemy for additional damage means follow-up attacks from Arthur are going to be crucial, but the slowdown will make landing those follow-ups easier especially against faster enemies. Keep one finger hovering above this move at all times.

Deep Impact (Physical)

Arthur jumps up high and crashes towards an enemy hero, dealing 750 (+213) physical damage and knocks surrounding enemies into the air for 0.5 seconds. Enemies caught in the blast radius suffer 100(+57) physical damage every second for 5 seconds.

Deep Impact is the finishing blow, a move that can and will take out multiple enemies with a single activation. The massive damage during the initial plunge is beneficial enough, but the damage over time makes sure those affected go down for the count. Save this for the first salvo when approaching a group.

Paragon (Passive)

Arthur is blessed by the heavens and gains 28 armor (scales with hero level).

Arthur’s passive ability buffs his armor and keeps buffing as he levels up, making him a more durable tank as the game progresses.

Items
The top Item Build for Arthur is as follows:

Mantle of Ra: +80 Attack Damage / +330 Armor

Unique Passive – Burn: Deals 100 (+4 per level) magic damage to nearby enemies every second.

Sonic Boots: +110 Armor

Unique Passive: Mov. Speed +60

Unique Passive: Reduce normal attack damage taken by %15

Medallion of Troy: +10% Cooldown Speed / +360 Magic Defense / +1000 Max HP

Unique Passive – Blessed: Gains a shield that absorbs 300 (+50 per level) magic damage every 18 seconds

Frost Cape: +10% Cooldown Speed / +300 Armor / +800 Max HP

Unique Passive – Frost Power: After using an ability, the next normal attack reduces movement speed by 30% and deals 150 Physical Damage (20 additional damage for each level gained) to an area. 3-second cooldown.

Mail of Pain: +300 Armor / +1200 Max HP

Unique Passive – Riposte: 15% of the physical damage taken is deflected to the enemy as magic damage (calculation is based on damage before damage reduction)

Hyoga’s Edge: +100 Armor / +100 Magic Defense / +1200 Max HP

Unique Passive – Biting Cold: Normal attacks increase the wearer’s movement speed by 10% and reduce target’s movement speed by 25% for 2 seconds

Sonic Boots are far and away the first item Arthur players should build, as the speed boost it provides is invaluable to his success. Mantle of Ra and Hyoga’s Edge should be next, the order depending on whether you want to focus on immediately dealing top damage or slowing the opponent down. Medallion of Troy can wait until mid-game but should not be left to late game, as the shield makes Arthur’s tank abilities even more potent. Frost Cape and Mail of Pain can be held off until the end, and they’re also interchangeable based on the choice made earlier with Mantle of Ra and Hyoga’s Edge.

Arcana
The best Arcana loadout for Arthur looks like this:

Level 1:

Red:

Gale
Strength
Purple:

Leech
Life
Green:

Guard
Stab
Level 2:

Red:

Batter
Cyclone
Pummel
Purple:

Passion
Reinforce
Vamp
Green:

Assault
Endurance
Ravage
Level 3:

Red:

Bloodlust
Indomitable
Obliterate
Purple:

Colossus
Reave
Tyrant
Green:

Mythril
Skewer
Valiance
All three levels of Arcana focus on delivering buffs to HP, attack damage, and defense, essentially making him even more of a tank than he already is. These Arcana come with a few extra perks too: Vamp, Vamp II, and Reave give Arthur the ability to siphon health from opponent while attacking, giving him even more of a health buffer in the midst of battle. Skewer’s armor piercing perk in addition to a damage boost makes it a solid choice when Level 3 Arcana become available.

Early Game
Arthur should stick to the side lanes in the early going, aiding allies as they clash with enemy heroes. Holy Guard should be the first skill unlocked, as it can damage both minions and heroes while Arthur concentrates on a single target. Righteous Fervor should be unlocked immediately after to open up the normal/Fervor/normal three-hit combo possibility early. Arthur can venture into the wilds if he wishes, but only to support any archers or long-distance allies that are taking out monsters.

Mid Game
Mid Game Arthur must approach battle with two strategies in mind. If allies outnumber enemies, Arthur should lead the charge into battle, using Holy Guard to deal quick damage to multiple enemies while mixing in Righteous Fervor and Deep Impact. If enemies outnumber allies Arthur should not engage, instead prepping Righteous Fervor to slow down any fast enemies in the group.

Late Game
Toward the end of the game Arthur will be a sheer powerhouse, particularly if he’s able to purchase his entire item loadout. However, he is better suited for dealing with enemy heroes than targeting the final towers directly. His most powerful attack, Deep Impact, will move Arthur away from a tower and toward a nearby enemy Hero anyhow, so it’s best to clear the way for Super Minions and other heroes to take the direct offensive on the enemy’s Crystal.

FAQ/Tips
As mentioned in Early Game, use a normal attack, Righteous Fervor, and another normal attack in quick succession for a three-hit combo dealing decent damage. The additional debuff to a Hero’s speed from Righteous Fervor will make the third hit all but certain.

Late Game Arthur can swat enemy minions like flies, taking most normal minions down in one to two normal attacks. If a swarm of minions is approaching, make Arthur take the lead.

The Sprint Talent is only helpful to boost Arthur’s speed in Early Game, while Execute is perfectly suited to finish off enemies who have taken heavy damage and try to flee throughout a match. Make Execute the Talent of choice.

Matchups
Arthur matches up well against other Warriors and Tank throughout a match thanks to his own tank-like durability, so heroes like Lu Bu, Maloch, and Zanis should not give him much trouble. Mid Game Arthur can also hold his own with Assassins like Butterfly and Murad, as Righteous Fervor can slow them down and make them easier to attack. Mages and Marksmen are more of an issue, as Arthur needs to be able to take the long-range blows these Heroes dish out in order to get in and counterattack. Save attacking those types of heroes for the late phases of the game.