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.