Rath is a Jungle Ganker

#1

Since I’ve started trying to master Rath, I was forced to adapt my playstyle multiple times to find out where he fits in best. I tried running him as a straight DPS chaser as he initially appears, train go boom. Tried using him as a lane clearing melee, train go boom. Even tried sticking behind a tank and hitting everything that came close, train go boom.

But after a devastating loss where I was by far the least productive member of the team, barely making a dent in the other fed heroes, I decided to try him in a peculiar way. I hadn’t really seen it done much, because Battleborn works differently than your conventional MOBA, but Rath is an absolutely fantastic jungler.

I spend most of my time playing as him now running around, collecting shards, killing thralls, generally assisting the team behind the front lines, but whenever I see a sniper harassing from the tunnels in Incursion or attempting to kill thralls, I jump in and slay with massive burst damage, usually approaching singular opponents who are distracted with my teammates.

I find the stun combo (his first mutation) to be incredibly useful for this, as it prevents the need for much chasing in the early game, and as long as you keep your damage buffed on your helix you can dominate from the shadows. It’s a bit unorthodox compared to how most characters are played, but I think Rath requires that kind of steady rhythm and power creep to be successful, as his health is far too low to take any kind of champion pairing.

Buffing your Smash into a tri-pronged earthquake cannonball is a blast too, not to mention a great way to start a gank.

Since I’ve figured out this rather effective style I’ve been having far more success with Rath. So this should mostly function as a PSA: don’t try to play Rath frontline. Jungle your heart out, and your K/D will surely rise, at least from my experience. The enemy team might hate you for it, but rescuing a wounded teammate with a well-placed Slam or Dreadwind is a fantastic feeling, and a great way to contribute to the team.

Just don’t let Galilea get close to you until endgame.

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#2

I don’t really moba, so I don’t know what half of those words mean, but he is supposed to be an assassin. He’s got a knock up, a slow, and a silence, if you spec him right, plus an ult that does HUGE damage, and atm is really hard to get away from. He’s good at targeting one enemy, getting an advantage over them in one on one, and then not letting them escape. He doesn’t have huge health, so you don’t really want to charge in, and his lack of range means you kind of want to avoid ranged enemies, unless you are going after them for the kill.

#3

That’s essentially how I play him, yes, but at first glance he definitely looks like the kind of character to go charging headlong into battle, when in reality he’s the opposite. Early in the game, I find it more valuable to hang back and collect shards for gear and large minions (along with some base defenses,) than join the fight early on.

I usually make my first appearance on the battlefield about seven or eight minutes in, when our base is heavily defended in Incursion, or our lane is push-heavy in Meltdown. Most people will forget you even exist by that point, and it’s oh-so-satisfying to lunge out from a sniper perch or from atop middle lane to annihilate a problem champion before disappearing back into the shadows.

Rath is the most satisfying assassin-type character I’ve played in a MOBA alongside Deande, and he can dominate the late-game after his power creep sets in.

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#4

This is already common knowledge according to the various guides online, but I’ve seen so many people rush in expecting to wreck just by sprinting at an opponent and holdi down R2. Thought I’d just add to the love for this excellent character.

#5

I loved Rath in the CTT, but felt the nerf during the BOB, which consequently made me de-prioritize the space vampire now in the game launch version.

However, your post (which btw radiate so much appreciation and awe - all too scarce qualities on the forum these days) inspire me to the point where I’ll give Miko a rest today and go all-in Rath, instead.

So … thanks, @SmokusPocus :dukeaffirmative:

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#6

I think that’s a different (somewhat illegal) “game” entirely. :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:

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#7

Glad I made him sound fun enough for people to give him a try! I almost didn’t like him at first, since he seemed incredibly weak to nearly every other Battleborn no matter how I seemed to play him, but everything eventually clicked. I’ve been playing a few characters to their Mastery already (Montana and Thorn,) and since I focus on one character at a time generally, you really find an appreciation for how every individual character functions as you learn the ins and outs of their kit.

Rath took some time to get used to, I’ll be honest, but learning how to jungle in Battleborn was tons of fun, and being a lethal vampire samurai has become as fun as I anticipated.

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