Stronger: Hercules Guide (Mid-S7)

What's going on, Stuke here for another guide. This guide will be focusing on the Hero who was the decedent of the all-powerful god of the sky and the ruler of all the gods. I introduce Heracles- I mean Hercules.
Note: you don't have to follow this guide to the smallest detail, these are suggestions on how to play Hercules. I encourage you to look at the comment section below and see other suggestions.

Hercules is a Physical, Melee, Warrior that uses his ability to catch players off guard, set them up for a ton of pain, and secure a kill. What also makes Herc dangerous is that the more hits he takes, the more power he gains.

• High Crowd Control
• High Sustain
• Hard-Hitting Combo

• Needs to take hits
• Susceptible to Anti-Heal
• Combo Reliant

You want a passive that makes you a threat when fought head-on, then this is what you want. Every time Herc gets damaged by an enemy god, he gains a spike in damage for a short duration. While I recommend you not rush the enemy without a plan, Herc specializes in that kind of reckless play style to an extent.
You charge in whatever direction you are facing and carry all enemies with you, this works best in conjunction with his second ability as well as alone to put the enemy further out of position than they already are. Use it to get the enemy out from under tower, into a wall, or within range of your tower.
You create a line attack on the ground dealing damage, and at the tip, you send whoever was unfortunate enough to be standing there flying. This is what you use to set up your main combo/ damage dealer.
Like every good solo lane god, they have a way to stay alive in lane and team fights. When activated you get some health back, but that's not all, he also gains a boost to his protections for a short duration. If you think that's all then you would be wrong, every time Herc takes damage during the duration of this ability, he gains a percentage of health back for every hit he takes the end of the duration. This ability should be used before a fight to gain the protection benefits as well as the additional healing for when the duration is up.
Are you a fan of bowling, then you'll love this Ultimate. After ripping a part of the earth out of the ground, you throw it and watch it roll dealing a large amount of damage. But wait there's more, it can also bounce off walls and continue to deal more damage, so you can deal more and more damage on the same target if they are hit by the bounce.

Herc is the quintessential warrior. He can take the hits and deal it right back, with the help of his 3 to stay in the lane he is perfect for the Solo role as a bruiser or a tank. So, to keep up with his wall of a god, your build should give you the tools to stay active throughout the whole fight and come out with only scratches. Here is a selection of items that can synergize with Hercules that could be a nice addition to your build.

Some might say that you don't need SoG on Hercules since he has a very nice heal but here's the problem. The cooldown is fairly long and takes a while for the heal to go off, so having this item in your arsenal is not a bad idea. Not to mention that getting hit by as displacement crowd control gives you a percentage of your health back for a short duration.
Herc has little to no mobility unless you want to waste your 1 instead of keeping around for engagements, but that's where this nifty item comes in. Activating your 3 will not only give you a good chunk of health but also give a very decent movement speed boost that can be used offensively and defensively.
Besides being a nice thematic item on Herc, it's super effective none the less. Herc wants to get in people's faces and set them up for his combo but he can't do that while taking too much damage especially against auto-attack gods. Now you can run at your enemies and they will hurty themselves more than they will hurt you. Pair this with Shield of Thorns for that extra pinch of salt.

• Feel the Burn
  While it is not recommended you get hit a lot, Herc is an exception. Make full use of your passive and your 3rd ability to stay in the fight and punish anyone who dares to fight you head-on.
  
• Positioning in the Key
  Similar play style to Tyr, Herc relies on the positioning of his enemy for his combo to be effective. Unlike Tyr, Herc has the means to take his opponent out of position to set up the rest of his combo with his 2nd ability.
  
• Beefcake
  Herc is big, and thicc, use that size to act as a meatshield for smaller allies as well as rushing in there to get in the enemy's face.

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The one combo Herc has but honestly, that's all you need.
Utalizing his whole kit, Herc can become a serious threat to anyone unfortunate enough to get caught in his grasp.

Herc is at his most powerful at this stage of the game, if you're able to catch the enemy out of position and get set up for your combo then you'll bully them out of the lane phase in no time. Keep in mind it is still early in the game so don't go tower diving or anything reckless until you get more defense.
This is where Herc starts to plateau. While he still can hurt, not as much as before but also his defenses start to get a boost so you're setting up for the late game.
You are now a meat shield. Your main purpose is the take the hits and displace the enemy for the rest of your team to dive in. Not the most glamorous of Late-Game roles but Herc excels at it better than some of the other Warriors.

In conclusion, Hercules is a giant threat if not dealt with early not because of what he can do but what he prevents you from doing. With a good number of CC abilities and able to displace anyone who dares to get too far from the team and able to rush the enemy without any problem of making it back out alive. Use your abilities to get the enemy is a bad position, use your kit to keep you alive throughout the fight, and remember who put the "glad" in gladiator.