Foreword Top
Hi, I'm Ausar, and this is my way of playing Kestrel. Due to her perk most prefer playing her as a sustain-carry with a Sorrowblade and other high-weapon damage items. I instead take the best of both worlds, opening up with a devastating Tension Bow shot, building up Breaking Point stacks and finishing off with an ult.
Pre-guide Questions... Top
"WTF HAPPENED TO CAPS LOCK?!"
I'm sorry, but I only write in full caps when I'm in a drunken liquor-induced stupor, spouting obscenities and generally doing illegal activities. It's hard to predict when my next stupor will be, so yeah, no caps lock :D
"BUT KESTREL'S A STORMGUARD TOO"
stfu, Cath reigns as the supreme female character in Vainglory. Now let's move on...
Pros & Cons Top
"PROS AND CONS?!"
Yes, indeed. Every hero has their pros and cons (save for 1.4 Skaarf) and Kestrel is no exception. So here we go, what's she good at?
Pros:
Insane damage output
Invisibility!
Global Ult
Insane heroic perk
Great sustain damage
Ranged
Defense means nothing to her enemies
Elf ears
Great voice acting
Cons:
Skillshot-orientated hero
Invisibility does practically nothing for WP builds
Not durable
No reliable disables (her mist may not work 100% of the time)
Did I mention she's made of paper?
Not as bae as Catherine
Skills! Top
And as with any other hero she has her own fine kit of abilities. I'm not going to provide any numbers here; and I'm assuming you at least know what her abilities are. If you don't, go watch the spotlight already.
This is what makes Kestrel such a beast. It's also the reason why both WP and CP builds rely on her basic attacks so much; but let's ignore that decreased energy cost, since we're building WP. Look at that. 10% attacks speed PER STACK up to a maximum of 5 stacks. That means 50% attack speed at max - this makes Bonesaw so effective on her as she can easily reach max Bonesaw stacks, reducing her target's armor by 42% in total.
For the diehard math readers/lazy punks who don't want to calculate anything, this is the armor reduction of a target with a Metal Jacket:
100% armor = 170 armor
1% armor = 1.7 armor
42% armor shred: 71.4 armor reduction
The target is left with 98.6 armor.
Now that's some huge reductions, eh?
Your primary ability. This is your bread-and-butter skill and you're going to ABUSE the hell out of it's 4 charges and 3.3 second refresh. This does a bit of splash crystal damage, but we're building WP so we don't care. What we
do care about is the fact that it does extra piercing damage. Now that's where the real damage comes from. Even if your enemies build armor it won't matter as much to you as Ringo would.
"I feel like you're missing out on something..."
Right, one last thing. IT APPLIES BASIC ATTACK EFFECTS. Like Tension Bow.
Boom, there's where you're going to be earning your dolla from. In the early game not many heroes can easily withstand a TB-procced Glimmershot and come out unscathed. Like seriously, pair this up with your ult and watch them cry in frustration - but more on that later.
There you go. The ability that caused so much hype (and criticism) for Kestrel.
"1 RITO = 1 TAKA BUFF...oh I'm sorry, don't mind me."
Oooookay then, I'm just going to ignore that. But anyway this skill just turns you invisible. Boom. You also leave a mist that gives vision, and if you damage a target in the mist it stuns all enemies in the mist. So what's the catch?
IT IS
SO BAD
WITH WP KESTREL
There. I may be exaggerating slightly but mark my words, this is terrible for WP Kestrels, and instead a heaven for CP Kestrels. We're going to, as usual, focus on the WP part for a bit though.
So first off, weapon power increases the speed boost - this means we're going to use it mainly to close the gap to land our Glimershots. No, but seriously, if you were thinking of staying invisible, coming out of nowhere and suddenly shooting giant arrows you'd be disappointed. The invis time is 1.2 seconds. 1.2 SECONDS HOW IS THAT EVEN FAIR WTF???
"1 RITO = 1 KESTREL BUFF"
Shut up, you. So the second thing is that you can't use it when you're taking damage, so it really sucks.
"Is it that bad?"
Well, maybe not. I'm going to put down a list of the uses of Active Camo:
*Closing the gap to fire shots (main use)
*Speeding up yourself when chasing
*Backing off
*Escaping (the least plausible usage)
So there. Not much to say about this skill. It can be very useful though - if you're doing a good job keeping your distance and laying down your shots, you should be able to use this to quickly reposition and shoot some Glimmershots or your ult.
BWAHAHAHA. Even if her perk sounds awesome, no matter how fun her first 2 abilities are to use, you play Kestrel only for this ult. Don't deny it, there's no point. It's crazy awesome. It's global, it does a **** ton of damage, AND IT PIERCES ARMOR. Any fool who buys Metal Jacket against you is about to learn what piercing means. Oh, it also gives you full stacks of your perk, so if you built raw damage you should use this at the beginning.
"So...what's the catch?"
For one, it's a skillshot, so your aim has to be true to even do anything with this. Second, it only does damage to the first target in it's path, which means annoying enemies like Ardan or Phinn can step in the way to block the shot. Well...maybe not Phinn, he's much too slow.
Oh, and one more thing: it does ZERO piercing damage at level 1. This makes Kestrel sort of level-dependent, but not as much as Krul. You can still set up aggressive plays at level 6.
Starting -
Why a flare gun, you may ask? It's because vision is wision. You never know when you may need it, so just grab one. It may save your life while pushing the lane!
The Weapon Blade is just for extra basic attack power, but if you're really worried about harass in lane (which you shouldn't) you can just grab a Book of Eulogies.
Early Game -
"But she's a sustain hero! Why would you buy TB on her?!"
As I said in the beginning, this is to lay down a very peculiar combo: use a TB-procced Glimmershot, shoot the rest of your Glimmers, basic attacks a few times and ult. Easy kills will be obtained.
But of course, we can't deny the fact that she's great with sustain damage, so...
Core (15 mins) -
So, Breaking Point. Why did I buy this item on her? Simple: It gives you 300 damage and 100% more crit chance and crit damage at max stacks. Of course, you're never going to reach the full 20 stacks, but it packs a lethal punch even only after 5 seconds of fighting - hell, when you reach 10 seconds you'll have the equivalent of a Sorrowblade and Tyrant's Monocle. Kestrel's range allows her to stack Breaking Point stacks whilst still keeping a safe distance.
And what is Breaking Point without any tankiness? Build a Kinetic Shield or a Coat of Plates depending on the main type of damage you're facing. You can build both if you want, it's even better.
Weapon Extensions -
Three items listed here: Sorrowblade, Bonesaw, and Serpent's Mask.
Let's start with Bonesaw - it's easily one of my recommended items to get. It gives you increased attack speed AND shreds the enemy's armor; great with your heroic perk, like I've already mentioned. A definite buy from me.
If you're really ahead and rich and think you don't need anything else that has to do with armor, then just buy Sorrowblade for the raw damage it provides. Extremely lethal once you've got your heroic perk up and going. If you did buy a Sorrowblade you might want to open up fights with you ult to get full Adrenaline stacks.
Lastly, Serpent's Mask is a situational item; you usually won't get it as you won't be lifestealing off much, and if you absolutely need more survivability you might want to get a defensive option instead. Though, it's still a viable choice.
Defensive Extensions:
Which one is the right one for you, you may ask?
Aegis and Metal Jacket for typical shield and armor stats; it's simple.
HOLY MOTHER OF SLOWS, Shiversteel got buffed for ranged heroes. And it's dirt cheap! So get it if you can't chase your prey.
Crucible is for when they've build extreme piercing and you can't do anything about it with your shield/armor. For those of you who don't know the more shield/armor there is, the more effective piercing is. So if they've got Broken Myth or Tension Bow, you should consider getting this or Shiversteel.
Stages of the Game Top
Beginning:
Okay, so this is where you start. Not much to say here. Kestrel can fulfil two roles in the game: a laner and a jungler. The laner is highly recommended; jungle Kestrel is just meh. Roam Kestrel is...you're going to play him like Teemo ain't ya?
So anyway, grab your starting items and move to the lane. If your team has coordinated an early-game jungle invade go along with it; Kestrel has a good early game owing to her heroic perk.
Level 6: Now this is essentially a milestone in your journey. You're going to have to want to put a point in your ultimate; you should have your Tension Bow too. Now coordinate with your team to storm the enemy jungle. Your role? To instantly drop one of them. Open with a TB-procced Glimmershot, then fire your remaning Glimmers. Fire a few basic attacks afterwards.
"He ran away WTF DO I DO?!"
Let him run. Of course not you idiot, use your ult and headshot that sorry dude. He'll never want to mess with you again...probably.
15 Minutes (Mid-Late Game): The Kraken has spawned, the ganking phase is over, and teamfights start to happen. When they do, you want to start with your ultimate, then use a TB-procced Glimmershot. This way you get instant burst damage and the attack speed to quickly stack Bonesaw.
Keep your distance while firing down your shots; you don't want to get caught out from the likes of Krul. If they do get close try to invis away; if you can't keep kiting them and stacking your Breaking Point.
Late Game: Everywhere you step is lethal now. Be careful. Make sure your support uses flares to navigate around the map. Use your ult in the correct situation (1v1=finisher, teamfight=initiator) and attempt to claim victory.
Scary Enemies and Nice Allies Top
"Did you just seriously make a reference to Skrillex?"
Yes and no. Shush.
So as with all heroes, Kestrel is weak against some and has great synergy with others. I'll be listing them down below...
FRIENDS
YES, YES, YES, THE ULTIMATE COMBO HAS ARRIVED. NOT ONLY DO THE BOTH OF YOU EXUDE SO MUCH SWAG THAT IT'LL AUTOMATICALLY WIN YOU THE GAME, YOU'RE BOTH STORMGUARD. WHICH MEANS DOUBLE SWAG.
In all seriousness though she is a magnificent ally. She can stun to keep a target in place, lining up the perfect time for your ult; she can help you keep enemies at bay and if you want to go for a Blitzkreig tactic, let her silence the enemy team while you stealth, ult out of nowhere and claim glory. Magnificent.
An even longer AOE stun than Catherine's? Great. Not to mention that she can help you tank AND deal damage so the enemy can't ignore her. Technology has taken Man far, my friends.
Oh and of course, if you really want to just instakill an enemy just combine both your ults together. They'll be wondering where poor Skaarf went.
She should actually be your enemy since you're a Stormguard, but who cares right? Like both Joule and Catherine her stun is infinitely handy in landing your skillshots, and both your long ranged will be very annoying for your foes.
And if you want the lolz shoot both of your global ults from across the map and instakill their carry. eZ.
Foes
Once Ringo gets into range, it'll be very hard for you to escape with Active Camo - or with anything really. His slow has insane range, he has one of the highest attack speeds in the game with Twirling Silver and he can instantly finish you off with his ult. Keep your range, advance from where he can't really see you and try to burst him down.
Who thought one of your greatest allies would also be one of your greatest enemies...? Actually it happens all the time. But no joke, this mecha-nerd. Her additional armor is insane; Bonesaw is very much appreciated for this hero. Additionally her damage is not to be trifled with, and for a character practically made of paper like Kestrel is sucks. A few Thunder Strikes and you're forced to run or die; one Big Red Button and you're dead. Wait for her stun to be used before engaging.
Not very cool. Her ability to instantly close the gap, burst you down and stun you for 2.2 seconds is devastating, seeing as how you have no effective escape mechanism. However just like you, she is squishy; if you're able to land some burst she should retreat. Get an early Reflex Block to counter her stun.
Oh wow. The mother of all skillshots, Skye is going to be one pain in the neck. She can dodge your skillshots effortlessly with Suri Strike, prevent you from running with her ult and destroy your squishy self with Barrage. Luckily, if she misses her Barrage or walks into your mist trap, she's dead meat.
Food
You can easily destroy SAW if you play carefully. Don't go straight up in a 1v1 against him; keep poking, and then 1S1K off him. Ez.
WIP
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