Patch 1.4 UPDATE - NAIL THEIR SKINS TO THE WALL Top
REJOICE MY BRETHREN, FOR A NEW PATCH IS UPON US. Now that our opponents can outfit themselves with fancy new skins and a renewed sense of confidence, we can once again SHATTER WHAT FEELINGS OF GOOD WILL THEY ONCE HAD AS WE PEEL THEIR COSMETIC UPGRADES FROM THEIR WRITHING CORPSES AND WEAR THEM AS A FANCY HAT.
Team Fortress Krul has no need of skins - he needs only blood and the screams of the innocent to sustain him. ON TO THE CHANGES.
CHAMPION CHANGES
*note - Yes yes, I know that Joule had a big fancy upgrade this patch. I swear I'll get to covering the match up with her and the other idiots in this game that aren't Krul in this guide eventually. These things take time, be freaking patient. God.
- Increased crystal damage ratio to compensate for weapon damage ratio no longer computing with base stats, bug fix on weakness stacks
Awwww, look at those cute little designers trying to balance the man fruit ripening awesomeness of Krul. The weapon damage change basically just means you only get extra damage from the bonus provided by something like Breaking Point. Fortunately our build never really gave two hookers and a hotel room about the weapon ratio on this ability so who the f*** cares. Additionally, these idiot designers thus thought it'd be a good idea to increase the base damage, which is all you really wanted in the first place. Ironically, they've inadvertently given our build a bit of buff, which makes me a little happier in the pants than I'm emotionally comfortable with. Of course if you'd prefer, you can just build a crystal damage item instead of Breaking Point to maximize your burst on this ability, but that's making you sound dangerously close to one of those "assassin Krul" infidels and you don't want that do you? DO YOU? That's right, thought not.
I'll be honest here - I don't have the time or energy to make up a bunch of interesting s*** to say about all the changes to Celeste. Basically this pansy a** mage character got a bunch of power shifted from her ultimate to her basic abilities. The upshot of this change is that you don't need to worry about tanking her ultimate so much with your
and can save it for other stuff (more on this later). Nothing much changes here - avoid her stupid freaking stars and carefully insert your sword in her lower rectal cavity for maximum satisfaction.
ITEM CHANGES
Alright Sonny Jim, here's where the real mularky kicks in. Big time changes to some important items have got me all hopped up like Water Buffalo on Speed. Let's get stuck in.
Cheaper but no longer global (6 meter radius]
This actually seems like a way bigger deal than it is. You should be popping these things like m&m's throughout the game anyways so you'll just have to use a little of that grey matter upstairs when you do. Early on use 'em on enemy jungle camps to figure out where they're starting. For god's sake, it's not like the map is that big, so stop crying and just use your frickin' head when you cast them. The price drop is awesome, buy these like you're shopping at Costco.
Lower cooldown and damage nerf
It was never really all that important to Krul (at least not the GOOD kind of Krul) but now even less so. You can still build it for maximum disrespect when you're destroying opponents, but you're cooldowns aren't really low enough to make this super useful anymore.
Barrier now based on 20% missing health, duration down
Oh you motherf***ers. You did NOT just change my favorite item. Basically these peasants are saying you have to choose between activating it early to mitigate some burst on hanging onto it for a bigger shield late in the fight. To be clear - it's STILL a good item to buy but you might not need to rush for it anymore. The one good thing is, in sustained fights this shield is gonna be MASSIVE in the late game. Don't use it to tank ults like Koshka's anymore - save it for when you're down some health. Then activate it and detonate your stacks to get a huge shield and wave of health back. Then do that thing where your you use the enemy's private parts to make a rather fetching dinner jacket. Then win. Rinse, repeat.
Health Items - 100 less health for 100 less gold
Okay now they're really starting for f*** with my good humor. This is bad, especially with the changes to reflex block affecting max health. Still, it could be worse - the cost nerf means you can start stacking beef stats earlier and get to major items quicker. Still, if your enemy is one that is particularly vulnerable to either armor or shield stacking, you may consider heading towards major items for armor/shield first
,
now that stacking one type of defense stat is more efficient.
Armor/Shield - Stack one type of defense stat is more efficient.
Why are you reading this - I literally just said everything you need to know in the health section. Like, you read this far down so you must be reading everything right? What could this section possibly say that you don't know already. Stop wasting time and go kill things you f***ing scrub.
Patch 1.3 UPDATE - Dead Men Rush In Top
BWAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHA. THOSE FOOLS. THEY ACTUALLY BUFFED KRUL. IT'S LIKE THEY WANT YOU TO PICK THIS GUY UP AND PWN PEOPLE SO BADLY THEY CAN'T LOOK AT THEIR LOVED ONES FOR A WEEK.
Alright B*****es, let's see what's changed:
KRUL -
- Charge up delay reduces from 3.0 seconds to 1.5
Ah HA! Now we're talking. This passive was generally kind of useful before for setting up those boss-hog ambushes, but now it's freaking perfect. The reduction in charge up time means you don't have to be in the bush way in advance of your prey to get the bonus. You can be more reactive - spot an opponent out? Slide into a bush, wait a second, then go all Deliverance on their unsuspecting ********. ROLL TIDE.
- Proc on-hit effect, reduced cooldown by 2 seconds, bigger barrier crystal ratio
The on-hit effect and cooldown reduction parts of this change are awesome, but frankly you probably won't be using AfterShock too much in a tanky build (unless you're building extra damage like a JABRONI or are insanely far ahead of your opponents) so it's not overly impactful. Still, you won't hear this humble sinner complaining.
The Barrier crystal ratio, however, is giving me a strange tingling in my pants. The 25% increase in barrier ratio means that DMR on crystal builds will turn you into a thundering rhino of infinite manhood that can take more shots to the mouth than a college co-ed on a Saturday. Given how ridiculous this is now, you should consider building
Frostburn as part of your core build. Since the bonus crystal power gives you additional tankyness, you can likely build it a little earlier and still be the boss hod team fighter with the damage soaking capabilities of a military grade Sham Wow.
- Increased base damage, lowered damage per stack
Not much to say here other than your upfront burst damage can land faster. Basically means that you don't have to obsess over getting max stacks every time before detonating. This is actually really valuable because it means enemies that want to use item activations or abilities to dodge the detonation won't be able to time it as easily. Detonate early to catch them off guard and make sure to tea bag their corpses when you're done.
BASE STAT INCREASES - Health per level, armor per level, shield per level all increased
The beef get beefier. More health, more armor, more shield, more b***es. One more patch like this one and even the turrets are gonna look at you warily. Who needs the f***ing Kraken when Krul is this beastly?!!
TEAM FORTRESS KRUL Top
Are you tired of losing? Does your sick crystal ninja Koshka build feel about as impactful as a Koosh ball in a moon bounce? NEVER FEAR WEARY TRAVELLER, KRUL IS HERE.
Krul is a bursty tank/assassin/god/prize-winning journalist/catch-all do-all murder everything Yolo king that will turn you from snot-nosed scrublord nerd into a world-eating god of war so virile you can impregnate an entire village with a single dirty thought. Prepare your ******** my friend, you're about to get a Krul bomb launched straight up it.
KRUL IS A TANK, PLAY HIM AS SUCH Top
Many many builds you see here build Krul as an assassin/burst champ. DO NOT BE TAKEN IN BY THEIR IGNORANCE. Krul is an absolutely beastly off-tank who doesn't take no **** off of nobody. His Spectral Smite does absolutely crazy damage - literally all you need to completely wreck with this broken motherf***er is one decent attack speed item and you're set.
You may notice that this guide is called "Team Fortress Krul". That's cause when you build Krul with a Crucible for his second item you turn you team into a band raging Heavies with an insatiable bloodlust and ludicrous survivability. What's better than one tank item? HOW ABOUT TWO? TO HELL WITH THAT, BUILD THREE IF YOU WANT. It seriously doesn't matter, because your damage will ALWAYS be relevant so long as you're putting those Breaking Point and Spectral Smite stacks to good use. Plus, your Dead Man's Rush gives you a health shield AND functions as a gap closer. Seriously, if your kit was any more stacked it'd make Kate Upton jealous.
BROKEN-A** ABILITIES Top
SHADOWS EMPOWER ME - This is probably the least exciting part of his kit, but it's still pretty freaking good. Ostensibly the idea here to help you with ganks - sit in the bush, zoom out of the bush like a hopped-up undead Speed Racer, slow enemy, profit. In practice this is actually a lot more useful in jungle ambushes. Sit in a bush while an opponent takes a camp, wait till they're low, then zoom out into their face and casually explain to them in no uncertain terms that you sword will now become a permanent aspect of their lower extremities. Then take the rest of their jungle because F*** those guys.
DEAD MAN'S RUSH - Okay now we're getting saucy. Don't be fooled - this ability IS a gap closer but that's NOT why it's awesome. It's an out-freaking-standing ability because it's a gap closer THAT GIVES YOU A FREAKING SHIELD. So not only are you now standing on top of that hapless idiot about to issue a road side lobotomy, but that foolish mortal isn't gonna do **** if he's foolish enough to turn and fight. Never forget about the shield here - it can absolutely save your life in a pinch. If you can utilize your passive to gap close, save this bad boy to chase. Otherwise, just lead with this b*** and laugh as your opponents focus you and get melted.
SPECTRAL SMITE - Ho-lee monkey testicles, this skill is just stupid. This is the reason you are building tank and still wrecking fools who think they can duel you. Basically this ability states that unless your enemies burst you down immediately (WHICH ISN'T GONNA HAPPEN CAUSE YOU'RE BUILDING TANKY RIGHT?!!) you are going to bring all manner of unholy justice down on their unworthy hides.
An important note for this ability is to always try to use this secure neutral monsters (mines, kraken, etc.). There's no other character in the game that gets to use such a ridiculous ability on such a short cooldown, so use that to your advantage to avoid folks stealing camps.
FROM HELL'S HEART - At some point you've just got to wonder if the designers are f***ing with us on this s***. A long range stun that can still hit opponents, EVEN IF YOU MISS ON THE FIRST SHOT. What?! That's right, never forget that this is a boomerang skillshot. So extra style points if you manage to land the sword as it's coming back.
More seriously, this is your ultimate trump card. No matter how fed a character is, if you land this s*** their a** is boned. The cooldown is pretty reasonable, so try your best not to teamfight without this ability up (especially if the enemy has a really fed carry). That said, never be shy about throwing it out. The second you see a carry out of position, throw this bad boy out and prepare to stamp so scrubs.
POTIONS? WE DON'T NEED NO GODDAMN POTIONS Top
Big point here - you DO NOT need potions on your first clear. Spectral Smite is so powerful it makes jungling a snap. Instead, use the Flare Gun to see where you opposite jungler is starting. If they're foolish enough to start their closer camps, go take one of their far camps. Then just stop by the item shop and buy a potion, maybe a scout trap or two, and continue on your merry way.
This is even more effective if you're running double jungle - go marauding through your opponent's jungle with the knowledge that they'll be none the wiser and you'll be twice richer.
Seriously though, if you first buy potions on Krul I will find you and I will beat you in public with a Home & Gardening magazine. Nobody wants to be shamed like that, so just leave well enough alone.
IF YOU FORGET TO BUY BOOTS I WILL BREAK YOUR LEGS Top
Don't forget your boots! Remember that fully upgraded boots provide more than just movement speed!! Krul can be kited really badly if you don't buy boots/use your abilities correctly so REMEMBER TO GET THEM. A Krul with fully upgraded boots, a gap closing passive, a gap closing ability, and a long range stun is a Krul that should NEVER be escaped, I don't care who you're facing.
Seriously though, what's with all the tank items? Top
Because it f***ing works, that's why. Not good enough? Okay, fine, let me explain.
Krul's damage is always going to be good - the problem a damage-focused build will have is that you tend to get bursted down rather quickly. The whole point of Krul is to survive in teamfights long enough to get max stacks of Spectral Smite on an enemy carry and then pop them like a cherry on prom night. So if your only real weakness is burst damage, why not just build resistances to negate it?
Crucible is a freaking awesome item on Krul. Even damage heavy builds include it. Throw that bad boy up the minute the enemy if looks at you funny and then proceed to smash their faces in while they fruitlessly attempt to do anything useful to you. It creates a dilemma - do they focus the tanky Krul and risk getting melted by your team's carries? Or do they attempt to ignore you and then find out exactly how effective that is when an armor-shredding undead nightmare detonates his stacks on you and vaporizes one of your allies?
The thing is - you're still basically being an assassin. You're just an assassin who can empower his entire team, initiate a teamfight, and f*** those *****es up whether they focus you or not. Either way they aren't getting out of this alive.
BUSTED A** FOOLS WHO THINK THEY CAN FIGHT YOU Top
KOSHKA - Her burst is gonna be a problem in the early game, but who cares? You're spending the early game farming right? RIGHT?! Plus, with that early vision you're getting from all those
Flare Guns and
Scout Traps you're buying, it's not like she's ever gonna sneak up on you. Once you get your
Reflex Block she's already essentially screwed (this should be your cue to RUSH THIS S*** Einstein). By the time late game rolls around and you've got your baller-a**
to mitigate her burst to anyone on your team (cause you KNOW she ain't messin' with you no more) she becomes about as dangerous as my cat Mittens. Mittens has been dead for three years. She can't do s***.
1.3 PATCH UPDATE - No armor/shield on passive, Twirly Death lower base damage + higher ratio, higher base armor
Her early game damage got nerfed and she doesn't gain bonus stats from her passive. This means you can fight her earlier before she gets significant items. Her buffed late game damage is meaningless - if she's wasting that on you she and the rest of her scrublord teammates are gonna get fried in your special blend of herbs and spices. Just make sure your tanky items are arriving before her crystal items are, or she'll destroy you. With an early tank item and her reduced burst you should own her.
SAW - Man, f*** this guy. He's not actually THAT bad of a matchup for Krul once you've got your defensive items, but he's ******* annoying. The problem here is that Saw gets stronger as the fight goes longer thanks to his passive giving him attack speed. This sucks cause that's pretty much what you want to do. Sure, he can't really burst you down, but if he kites you back with that BULLS*** dash and gets any kind of peel from his teammates you're gonna have a problem. So don't let that happen. Engage on him with your passive and save Dead Man's Rush and Boots (WHICH YOU'VE TOTALLY BEEN UPGRADING) to stick to him and burn his face off. Generally if you get a decent burst on Spectral Smite he'll get spooked and run off. If Saw is running away instead of hurting you, he's already dead.
PETAL - HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA, EAT S*** B***. Seriously though, if you get beat by a Petal while playing Krul you are doing something wrong. Sure, Petal's got range and her ultimate hurts, but COME ON. She has zero ways of escaping you. Plus, if she burns her ult to hurt you chances are it's not hitting your back line carry, which means the rest of her team is about to get lobotomized. Jump on Petal, scare the **** outta her, use Crucible and Aegis to tank her ult, then beat her like she owes you money.
1.3 PATCH UPDATE - Attack speed at level 12 down
LOL. That's right, suck it you fricin tree-hugging hippie champ. Seriously tho, if you haven't killed this champ multiple times before she's reached level 12 you're doing something wrong. She was already easy, this just makes things easier.
KRUL - DON'T FIGHT IN THE EARLY GAME. It's borderline guaranteed that this enemy Krul is one of those chumps building straight damage, which means he will whip you like a government mule in early 1v1s. Play safe and get your Crucible ASAP. Once you're tanky enough that you're not going down easy stick to your team and use your vastly superior teamfighting presence to show that bizarro Krul just who the alpha male is around here. Feel free to focus his squishy *** in teamfights and cackle like a Disney bad guy when your Crucible tanks his entire Spectral Smite burst.
1.3 PATCH UPDATE - See above section for notes on his buff, DUH
The matchup hasn't changed (I mean, obviously) but you SHOULD be cognizant of the changes and how much more threatening they make your opponent. Be particularly wary of the
change as this makes crystal-build Kruls tankier than before. Don't forget that
buffs make it way easier for an opposing Krul to dip into a brush quickly and then come storming out like a pissed-off tidal wave without warning.
CELESTE - She's got a stun and a heck of a lot of damage to work with, but she's manageable. Basically, if she gets a stun and/or a clear shot on you with her ult you're gonna have a bad time. Avoiding the stun can be a bit tricky if she knows what she's doing but generally doable. Even if she does stun you, you're tanky enough to keep moving forward provided she doesn't burst you down with her ult. But she's not gonna do that because Celestes build a ton of crystal damage, and you've got a freaking
Aegis don't you? Use Aegis and
Crucible to negate her ult and then pounce on her like a hobo on a ham sandwich (if you get that reference pat yourself on the back). The
is even funnier in this context because it'll save your teammates a lot of AOE damage.
One other note - smart Celestes will always be checking bushes with
. This makes your passive somewhat useless, as it's largely used for ambushes. If the Celeste is even half decent you should never get the jump on her. Fortunately she has no mobility so that doesn't matter a whole heck of a lot. If it's really a problem, you can always build
Warhorn.
1.3 PATCH UPDATE - Heliogenesis crytal ratio buff, Quality of Life fixes on Solar Storm
The buff to Heliogenesis sucks, but you're a tank so it's not the biggest deal. She already did a fair amount of damage so this isn't new. Dodge those balls like a nerd in a middle-school gym class and make sure to use your activated items to tank the ult. Also she apparently has prettier effects now, so make sure to compliment them when you see them. Women like that s***.
ARDAN - Who? Seriously, if this prick is building as a tanky support he means absolutely nothing to you. Ignore him like you do all those lingering doubts about the choices you've made that have lead to this moment. Just bury 'em deep down and focus somebody squishier.
UNLESS - if this fool actually builds squishy because he's trying to impress his girlfriend or some s***, feel free to show him the error of his ways. If an Ardan ults you after you've got your core items, remember this - you are NOT stuck in there with him, HE IS STUCK IN THERE WITH YOU. Beat him senseless till he either A.) leaves the ring and deactivates the ult or B.) gets his techno a** repurposed into a rather impressive jet airplane engine. Either one works for you.
CATHERINE - Man, not even a plunging neckline and a costume straight out of a Brazzers double feature can keep me from completely hating this thirsty-a** ho. To be clear, this b*** isn't gonna do f***-all to you in terms of kill pressure. Oh no, she's a strong independent woman which means she's gonna be passive aggressive all up on your b*** a**. If the Catherine is any good at all you won't touch the carries unless she really wants you to (or just f***s up). Her stun is problematic, but it's the silence on her ult that really greases your bacon. The silence not only prevents you from getting your burst damage down, it keeps you from using activated items. So yeah, that boss-hog Crucible you were using to tank Koshka burst? NADA. That Aegis you've been saving to laugh at the Celeste ult? FORGET IT. A decent Catherine takes a build that makes you a rampaging Sherman tank and turns you into a beached whale. If the enemy has a Ringo you might as well just go back to the jungle cause you ain't killing jack today mate.
Oh and LEST WE FORGET. This piece of s*** porn movie dropout also has a ******* PAIN IN THE A** NO GOOD VERY BAD GTFO HERE SHIELD. That's right - you could try to focus her and take her down but that shield is gonna tank all your nappy-headed nonsense. Then she's just got strut her fat a** outta there while her carry tears you a new a**hole.
Best advice for this one is try to make sure you engage on your terms. You're the boss so act like it. Get ambush kills in the jungle and never charge her head-on (giggity). A
Warhorn might be an interesting idea for getting up close on the carries before she has a chance to stop you. Really though, you just want to avoid situations where she can see you coming (giggity giggity). Flanking and attacking from behind is also preferable to get to the enemy backline before she can stop you (giggity giggity, giggity goo).
GO FORTH AND WRECK FACE YOUNG GRASSHOPPER - STRATS Top
TEAM FORTRESS KRUL IS READY AND WAITING. Don't listen to the haters who want to moan that tanky Krul doesn't have 1v1 power. Yes, his dueling ability is weakened by this build, BUT WHO GIVES SALT S***. This is a team game and we're playing to WIN, not prove how good we are at solo killing the enemy jungler. TEAM Fortress Krul is all about grouping with your team and giving the enemy carries fits while your carries laugh mirthfully.
Remember in the early game to farm safe and build your attack speed quickly. Don't engage the enemy too much unless you have a friend with you. A burst champ like
will give you problems early on. Once you start getting tanky and have your attack speed up to par, they can no longer burst you and it's time to assert your dominance.
This build relies on a lot of farming early on - don't plan on ganking all that much. Don't worry - you'll make up for it later when you're basically winning teamfights with a single ult. Mid to late game, roam with your team and pick off idiots who think they have any right to be anywhere but crying in their base.
AND THAT'S IT. Go forth and conquer. YOU ARE THE BOSS. YOU ARE THE ALPHA. YOU ARE THE MAN.
YOU. ARE. KRUL.
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