Hey guys,
I’ve seen quite a few questions on here about how to play ISIC, complaints that he’s underpowered, etc. I think when played properly he is probably the best tank in the game, with good minion wave clear, a ton of inherit tankiness and an easy to land stun that can turn team fights, punish melee’s etc so I figured I’d write up a guide on how to play him properly.
The helix build I use is this: http://battlebornforum.com/pages/battleborn-helix-build-editor-isic/?rows=-1,-1,1,-1,0,-1,0,-1,1,-1,
The mutations at level 5 and 7 really help but if you don’t have them you can take left side at level 5 and right side at level 7.
Some key ISIC beginner tips that I see new players not understand are:
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Almost all of your damage comes from your charged up shot, its also very easy to hit with (it has a giant hit box) and it does AoE so for wave clear it is essential to use it as often as possible. You should be shooting your base attack exactly until you are overcharged, then either using an ability or releasing the overcharge for your big burst. Rinse and repeat. The overcharge shot does 150-200ish damage in AoE while your normal attacks do 20-25 so the difference is huge.
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A lot of ISICs forget to use their secondary attack button which in ISICs case holds up a little shield. This can absorb 2000 damage and particularly if you are getting dove by enemies that are over extending can keep you alive along enough for your team to save you. It is deceptively powerful.
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Your ultimate looks cool, but it is very situational because while you are using it you are very vulnerable, particularly to melee characters. I don’t actually use it very often on meltdown, usually I use it when I am far back from the enemy and am clearing minions or hitting structures, or just trying to get some poke damage down. Occasionally you can use it to finish off a fleeing opponent. However, ISICs primary role is usually to be up in the front lines being tanky, reflecting damage, and landing stuns which doesn’t work in conjunction with the ultimate at all. Note that this does change at level 10 if you take the left side helix which lets you be super tanky while ulting.
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ISIC’s ult has two different attack modes, rocket and minigun are on left and right click respectively. The right click attack has a significantly higher DPS. The left click is better for finishing off fleeing targets.
A full build / strategy description is here: http://battlebornforum.com/threads/isic-tank-dps-pvp-helix-build-last-words-not-found.91/
Feedback is welcome, enjoy!
