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Hey, ShoulderCliff66 here and this is my second guide. The other one can be found here:Your text to link here...
In this guide I want to talk about my favorite god to date, Erlang Shen. I've seen him only a few times out in the arena and clash and was awed by his speed and finesse, so I gave him a shot and fell in love. He has a high attack speed, great movement, and a kit that fully supports being an outright nuisance whilst still getting a good number of kills. He's very much like an assassin, but with a warrior's kit. I like to take full advantage of this and I'm well rewarded each time.
Ninja Tabi for more speed and a boost to his mana because he relies on them to poke and manipulate the enemy.
Rage for early crits and it's stacking passive
Titan's Bane for base penetration - (by this point you'll already be feeling how nice his AA is)
Wind Demon for more attack speed and more critical hits - (here is where the enemy starts getting really upset with you)
The Executioner for more armor reduction, and to contribute to team kills. Tanks don't stand a chance (looking at you Ganesha and Xing Tian from my match last night)
And finally, Frostbound Hammer to really slow them down and make sure each one of your hits really meets its mark - not to mention the boost to health, so you could argue this is defensive as well.
Some alternative options include building some damage mitigation. You could replace the last two items of the build with any of these. Though, my two suggestions would be Shifters Shield and Ichaival for added damage and speed because the whole point of this guide is to not get hit and just be clever and quick.
I like Purification Beads because CC is the bane of Erlang's existence. I also like Heavenly Wings for when my Transformation is on cooldown. A tertiary option would be Bracer of Undoing. Get a bit of a heal and 3 seconds off all of your abilities.
Other options are the usual, like Aegis and Meditation Cloak. Or really whatever fits your fancy. I use the Beads and Boots cause it's just my style.
Passive: HE GETS A DOG?! THAT HELPS HIM??!! Awesome sauce. The hound even procs items, but at a reduced portion.
Spot Weakness: Great attack boost and should always be on when getting into that 1v1. Increases your damage by up to 85 + 15% your physical power at max rank. Level this SECOND.
Pin: Your bread and butter damage-wise. It's a small AoE, and enemies in the center get rooted for 1.3 seconds after taking about 265 + 45% damage. This is your lock down in a fight, your defense in a fight you intend on finishing, your poke, and part of your being a nuisance. Level this FIRST.
72 Transformations: You turn into a weasel for speed and attack speed, or a turtle for knocking dudes around and a temporary health shield. Level this THIRD, but you'll use it frequently and often. It's your chase, your escape, and key in manipulating the bad guys.
9 Turns Blessing: Ah, the sweet sweet heal of 450 +15% is VERY nice on this. Level this as you can.
So I've touched this a bit already, but really you're here to be a nuisance and get kills. IMO, Erlang morphs into a weasel for a reason. Ha!
Typical playstyle for me is staying on just the wee edges of the fight, much like an assassin or hunter. Because we're built for damage and not like a typical warrior with a slew of defenses, we can get got fairly easily. Here's the trick, constantly poke and pin with his 2- Pin. And when they are getting to grouped up, smack em around a bit with his Transformation as a Turtle. When someone gets just a bit too low, go in for the kill. Pin em, open that Third Eye with his 1 - Spot Weakness, and finish them off. If they try to escape, use your Weasel powers to speed up to em, Pin em, smack em around very quickly and get out.
For his Ult, use it wisely. It draws aggro and you're not built for defenses. I use this in a few ways:
1st- out of battle to top off my health without returning to the Fountain.
2nd- going into a fight so I get that top off midway through (thoroughly undoing any work the opponent gets in - nuisance) but without aggro'ing the bad guys.
3rd- when they're trying to run away without an escape, I get them turned back around to face me honorably. The heal is nice too.
4th- In a desperate move to save a teammate and maybe get a quick kill if I'm lucky, I'll use the aggro to pull the bad guys off my pal(s).
The key is to know when to use it and not get yourself killed. And understand the heal isn't instant, but happens at the end. The added protections are negligible at best, and you're not built for defense, so it doesn't matter.
Erlang Shen is a Chinese Warrior god who plays like an assassin. He utilizes his entire kit, and can be a major nuisance - just be prepared to be targeted for revenge kills.
And deffo watch out for CC.
That's all I've got for now. This isn't the final version, as every guide should be fluid and flexible. Speaking of which, if you have any concerns, questions, or suggestions drop a comment.
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Other things that are off here...2 crit, but the 2nd isn't Deathbringer. Mink form gives him a 5 second Fatalis effect so Frostbound Hammer isn't all that needed. He has 0 actual protections in his main example build, and he should have at least 1 (IMO).
Qins > Crit for ES.