Celeste, the Artillery Mage by Pearlkite

Celeste, the Artillery Mage

By: Pearlkite
Last Updated: Sep 10, 2015
5 Votes
Build 1 of 1

Celeste

Build: Pure Damage Output

Ability Path

Julia's Light
Heroic Perk
Heliogenesis
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
Core Collapse
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
Solar Storm
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12

Threat Meter

Threat
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Threat Hero Notes
1
Krul Enemies with low mobility and little range are weak against Celeste. Be wary of sword throw from the bush.
1
SAW Enemies with low mobility are weak against Celeste.
2
Adagio
3
Vox Enemies with high mobility are strong against Celeste, but Vox is a bit different, because he has little range.
4
  No Threat
5
Celeste
5
Ringo Ringo's mobility is actually only barely above average. You will have little problem landing your skill shots. You also have about the same DPS. Max rank Heliogenesis out-ranges Ringo.
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  No Threat
7
  No Threat
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  No Threat
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  No Threat
10
Taka Enemies with high mobility are strong against Celeste.
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Koshka Enemies with high mobility are strong against Celeste.
10
Fortress Enemies with high mobility are strong against Celeste. Fortress makes his entire team into assassins. Fortress is especially deadly when paired with stuns.
10
Glaive Enemies with high mobility are strong against Celeste.

Understanding Celeste. The Role of Celeste. Top


(This image would be better if it was wide.)

Celeste is a talented mage, who lights up the Halcyon Fold. Her presence and her skills enchant the fold with prettiness and beauty.

Celeste is an artillery mage, able to output massive amounts of damage at great range. She is often the primary damage dealer of a team. Celeste is the premier CP carry of VainGlory. She is the true definition of a glass cannon type character, fragile yet powerful. Celeste fights from the furthest edges of battle, zoning and killing enemies with Heliogenesis and her other skills. Celeste's play style trades "attack speed" for damage and range. Players with a good understanding of Celeste will be dexterous and predictive in the placement of her skills, which are immensely powerful, but have a delay.

Celeste is one of the most consistent heroes in the game. She is fairly strong at every stage of the game, due to high base damage on her skills.


Mage Comparison: Celeste v. Skaarf
Skaarf and Celeste serve different purposes. Skaarf has a faster, more sniper-like play style while Celeste is slower, is more focused on pure damage output, and is more like a traditional mage.

Celeste has a more exacting play style than Skaarf. While Celeste's abilities are more precise, Skaarf's abilities are more less precise, or more cooncidental.

Play Style and Skill Analysis Top

Some general tips for playing Celeste.

Celeste's play style is passive. You will have better positioning, and an easier time landing your skill shots if you let the opponent chase you rather than you chase them.

Be careful in landing your skill shots, especially against Taka and Vox. Only use your skill shots if you are almost sure it will hit. Your basic attack, while more limiting and having little range, is still strong.


A) Heliogenesis:
Heliogenesis is Celeste's main skill, and main source of DPS. It deals immense damage, especially if you land the following supernova. Besides zoning enemies, it can be used for vision. It can be used to safely check bushes around the map for enemies. Be sure to check more subtle, less obvious places like the mini-bush near the centre of the map and the bush between the two jungle healing camps.

Be thorough in using Heliogenesis to scout bushes. Be sure to check more subtle, less obvious places. Pictured is the range on max rank Heliogenesis.

Heliogenesis is also Celeste's primary tool to last-hit minions.

Heliogenesis should always be maxed. Max rank Heliogenesis greatly increases its range.


B) Core Collapse:
Core Collapse is an AoE stun. Often, it is not necessarily best used immediately at the beginning of team fights, but rather when you can catch multiple enemies in it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BC-Tv8V-5kI&t=5m5s
Taka's skills place him behind the opponent. Predicting and baiting him into using his gap-closing skills can lead to a successful stun behind you.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BC-Tv8V-5kI&t=11m5s
Core Collapse is part of Celeste's combos.
A + B + A. This guarantees that you'll land the following supernova for more damage.
B + A + C. This is Celeste's immense burst combo, able to bring squishy characters to near-death or death.


C) Solar Storm:
Solar Storm is a global ultimate. This means it has full map, unlimited range. However, its targetable range is about half the map. Solar Storm deals immense (burst) damage. The proper way to use Solar Storm to snipe off-screen targets is to click on its skill button, click on the mini-map to your desired location, aim then fire.

Build Purpose and Item Analysis Top

The purpose of this item build is pure damage output, by building pure crystal power (CP).

Starting Items:

Energy Battery v. Crystal Bit at the start of a game:
Celeste's skills use a lot of energy. However, it is viable to start with a Crystal Bit instead of an Energy Battery if you are willing to (very) constantly use potions to replenish your mana. Perhaps the main reason to start off with a Crystal Bit instead of an Energy Battery is to be stronger against initial jungle invades.


Scout Trap at the start of a game:
Notice how the Scout Trap exceeds the 300 gold you get at the very start of the game. The Scout Trap is bought when you move in into the jungle at the start of a match to deter enemy jungle invades. Do not forget to safely check jungle shop bushes with Heliogenesis for enemies.

This a tip for every laner, but it especially applies to Celeste. Place a Scout Trap at the bottom of the bush on your side of the lane. This provides permanent vision of your bush area, making it much safer for an easy-to-gank character like Celeste to survive and farm safely. This will almost never be stepped on, and Celeste especially is excellent at protecting it. A likely time it may be stepped on is when your enemies in jungle chase your allies all the way back to your turret, when your enemies over-extend. A stun, a Core Collapse placed right on top of the mine will deal significant damage and can possibly kill your opponent(s).

Other general tips for laning are to "retreat" after every attack, and to stay at the top of the map, especially if you cross the 50-yard line.

Fortress + (2) stuns especially give Celeste a very hard time.


A Scout Trap placed at the bottom of your lane bush provides excellent utility and damage, and will almost never be stepped on.

CP Items:

Shatterglass:
Shatterglass is the queen of efficiency for CP items, just like Sorrowblade for WP items. It should (almost) always be the first item to complete for any CP carry.


Broken Myth:
The efficiency of Broken Myth is very close to the efficiency of Shatterglass. There are several reasons it should not be the first item to complete, however. Broken Myth is intended to be a non-primary sustained damage amplifier. (Analysis of 1.5 Broken Myth by Gadianton -- http://brokenmyth.net/the-new-broken-myth-v1-5-0-a-comprehensive-guide)


Eve of Harvest:
Lifesteal and Eve of Harvest is not truly essential to this build, to Celeste's play style of pure damage output. However, it is (almost) always worth completing as your third offence item over a second Shatterglass. Eve of Harvest has a reputation for being a bit OP, because of AoE damage. Lifesteal is reduced for AoE and DoT damage in other games. The efficiency of Eve of Harvest (still) does not compare to the efficiency of Shatterglass and Broken Myth, however. Eve of Harvest is a highly recommended third offence item to complete.


Frostburn:
Items that inflict the slow effect are deceptive in effectiveness. Slow tends to be a support trait, and not an item for true carries. Carries never build or complete utility items. Carries are (almost) always better off building more damage, or building more defence for melee carries.


Clockwork:
Clockwork and cooldown acceleration items is one of the most inefficient items in the game. The reason behind this is it is more effective for your abilities to be more powerful, than it is for them to have a lower cooldown. This is another thing you see in other MOBA's and games. Lower cooldown only matters if a fight lasts long enough. There is also value in burst damage. High base damage on abilities, which Celeste offers, does make cooldown more relatively effective. Clockwork is (almost) never worth building.

This philosophy can also be seen in WP item builds. The play style of Joule is poke and nuke. Although attack speed affects the cooldown of her Thunder Strike, the standard item build for Joule skimps on attack speed because it does not synergize with her play style. It is more effective to have your abilities be more powerful, than for them to have a lower cooldown, even if you sacrifice theoretical, sustained DPS.

Although Celeste's basic attacks are not reliable -- little range and non-AoE, they still do a lot of damage. Clockwork does not affect the damage of your basic attacks at all.

Joule and Celeste have a similar role and share many similarities. Both are known for their immense nuking power, both rely on skill shots, both have an AoE stun with a delay, and both are relatively slow and are weak against opponents with high mobility.

Offensive Items Summary:
A truth about item builds is that there is always only one intended item build. There is a standard item build for each type of hero.

Standard CP carry build:
Shatterglass + Broken Myth + Eve of Harvest
Standard WP carry build:
Sorrowblade + Serpent's Mask + Bonesaw

You can apply the exact same build mentioned in this guide effectively for almost every CP carry like Skaarf, Vox, and Koshka.

Utility/Defence Items:
Defence items have a higher priority than utility items for melee heroes, but the opposite is true for range heroes. Range heroes will never defeat melee heroes in close combat and instead rely on their range and dexterity to succeed. Range heroes often have minimal/no defence and instead focus on damage and utility. Range carries often only need enough defence to survive burst damage.


Reflex Block:
Reflex Block is one of the best items in the game. Reflex Block is by far the most efficient tier 2 defence item. Reflex Block protects against bursts of damage, which is vital for any carry.

For a more detailed and thorough analysis of items and distinct item builds in the game, check out this guide. http://www.vaingloryfire.com/vainglory/guide/standard-item-builds-distinct-item-build-types-and-item-build-trends-10973

Examples Top

A game in "The Hotness" (skill tier 7), patch 1.6. Notable is our triple stun team composition. (The value of CC. -- http://forums.vainglorygame.com/index.php?threads/the-value-of-cc.22846)

Update History Top

August 20. 2015
  • Added Celeste's play style and build purpose.

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