Things to say Top
Thank you for reading this guide! I can't believe my first ever guide got chosen by the staff :D
My IGN is okamikun and it's my first time writing a guide so please be kind to me. I will update the guide as I go and learn more about how to Gwen.
I haven't been playing VG for that long (maybe around 6 months) and I main Gwen (wow surprise).
This guide isn't perfect and probably has some mistakes but it is my take on a build for Gwen. I hope you all will read it and maybe comment some improvements? I would love to hear about your builds for Gwen.
Anyways, thank you and I wish you luck on the Fold!
*CP Gwen build explanation at the bottom but i'm working on it
Abilities Top
A: Buckshot Bonanza
Gwen's A skill is used for poking enemies and clearing lanes quickly. It also provides a slow and flare effect which will be very useful in chasing down enemies who are on low health and enemies who make use of stealth (Taka and Kestrel). I recommend maxing this skill first because it is your main POKING skill and clears the lane effectively. DO NOT take this as your main damaging skill unless you're going CP.
I like to max out this skill first because of its poking and slowing ability. Useful when clearing minion waves.
A: Skedaddle
Gwen's B skill is used for escaping dangerous situations. It provides her a temporary speed boost that increases in duration when you level it up. It also has a passive of additional speed that is disabled when Gwen takes damage from an enemy hero. Additionally, it blocks negative effects for a short time after it is used. This is a very useful skill. I cannot emphasize how useful it is for a squishy like Gwen. Stunned? No problem off you go! Enemy about to land a heavy attack on you? Too bad, they just wasted their skill! Low health? Zoom zoom away! This skill is basically a free reflex block.
Normally I would rather take the ult overdrive rather than max out htis skill. However, this skill should be maxed out if the enemy team has a lot of CC ie. stuns and roots
What can you do with it?
- Escape Ardan's cage (time it properly because the "reflex block" duration is very short)
- Escape most stuns and roots
- Escape slows
What can you NOT do with it?
- You cannot block burning effects (eg Ringo's Ult will still set you on fire)
- You also cannot cleanse yourself of effects
A: Aces High
Gwen's Ult charges up for a short time and stuns upon contact with an enemy hero. Extremely useful when running away or chasing down enemies in teamfights.
I would prefer taking the overdrive on Gwen's ult because I feel quite confident landing the stun. If you miss most of her stuns then you should consider maxing her B ability instead
WP Final Build Explanation Top
Sorrowblade
I feel that every carry hero needs a Sorrowblade. (yes i know they dont necessarily NEED one but.) It increases Gwen's basic attack power, ensuring she has a higher damage output. Get it as soon as you can to maximize damage and clear the lane faster.
Tornado Trigger
Not many people slap Tornado Trigger on Gwen but let me explain. It gives Gwen 35% critical rate and 30% attack speed. Putting 2 Torando Triggers on Gwen will basically give her 70% critical rate. You can replace it with one Tyrant's Monocle and one Tornado trigger. The critical rate is important on Gwen because most enemy heroes will buy armor against Gwen and the crit damage will help aloT. The attack speed is mostly to deal more attacks on the opponent. Also it has a nice passive of granting 10% bonus move speed for 1.2s which is great for Gwen's kiting and fleeing.
Poisoned Shiv
This is where your attack speed from the Tornado Trigger comes in handy. Even captains with high HP will fall at the feet of Gwen with a Poisoned Shiv and two Tornado Triggers. Its literally just a constant state of mortal wounds. Not to mention the sweet 10% lifesteal to give Gwen some sustain. However, please make continue to make wise decisions. It may give you sustain but it does not make you invincible but it does not mean you can 1v1 a Saw. You WILL still die.
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Aegis or Metal Jacket or Slumbering Husk
Like most carries, Gwen's defense is quite low. Buy ONE armor depending on the enemy team's build (eg if there's a Taka you get an Aegis and if there's a Ringo you get a Metal Jacket). Occasionally when the enemy team actually has both CP and WP heroes and are pretty good at them, you should get a slumbering husk. I recommend buying basic defense (like a Coat of Plates or Light Shield) really early ingame so you can farm without having to worry so much about dying.
Journey Boots
Gwen is rather fast with her +0.4 move speed from her B skill. I like Journey Boots on Gwen because the cooldown is reduced to 12s everytime you hit an enemy hero. Gwen can use this when she's retreating from enemies and kite them at the same time to reduce cooldown. This helps Gwen to maintain her distance and escape in tough situations while still dealing damage.
WP Optional Items Top
The items here are really situational things. It depends on whether you prefer the burst damage route or the sustained route. Personally I don't buy these often (except maybe BP)
Tension Bow
Ahhh good old Tension Bow. Perfect on a burst hero like Gwen especially in this update. But then again, its more of a burst damage route. Tension bow is great against enemy heroes that are a little more cautious, indecisive about whether to go in for a kill. I would say good item against maybe Reza or Koshka. You suddenly have a spike in attack power which would likely make them more wary about going after you.
Gwen's kit focuses on bursting enemy heroes down. Adding a Tension Bow on Gwen increases her burst damage. It also has 10% armor pierce, allowing Gwen to bypass enemy armor. Get it if the enemy team is building armor against you.
However, if you're up against opponents with high defense and not easily bursted down (like Reim) then you should get the Tornado Trigger and Poison Shiv combo.
Breaking Point
To be honest, I really like BP on Gwen, especially against heroes with high HP. Enemy heroes like Krul and Reim make it good for you to stack BP. The thing is Gwen can't really sustain in drawn out fights unless there is a reliable captain and the enemy team is not focussed on you. It's a good item on Gwen but I prefer the crit and mortal wounding route since there's a little more sustain.
Tyrant's Monocle
Sometimes I substitute a Tornado Trigger with Tyrant's Monocle to get abit more crit damage. You can do that too late game if you have enough gold. It's really up to one's preference.
General Tips Top
1. DO NOT OVERSTAY IN TEAMFIGHTS. Most Gwens that I meet often stay too long in a teamfight even when their captain is low on health. If the situation gets too risky (two teammates on low health with 3 enemies) run away! It's better to have two dead teammates than three dead teammates. Stay under your turret and defend it as best as you can. Don't try to engage alone even if the enemies are low health. Gwen is quite squishy and you will mostly likely die before killing the enemies.
2. STAY ON THE EDGES OF A FIGHT. Do not attempt to go in the middle of a fight. Gwen is ranged for a reason. Stay on the edges of the fight so that you can deal damage while avoiding being damaged. If an enemy turns their focus on you don't hesitate to run away or stun them.
3. YOUR ULT IS USEFUL. Gwen's Ult can be used to initiate or end fights. For example if you're in lane with your team and there's only one enemy laner, you can stun the enemy laner and your entire team can attack them. This is also useful for when the enemy laner is pushing the lane abit too much (especially if theyre attacking your turret). It can also be used to end enemies on low health (like Kestrel's Ult) but take note of it's limited range. Ult can also be used to steal Krakens, Gold miners and Dragons. Just stay in the bush and wait till its low health before popping your Ult. REMEMBER IT NEEDS SOME TIME TO CHARGE UP SO DON'T WAIT TILL THE LAST SECOND TO DO IT.
4. REMEMBER YOUR STUN HAS TO CHARGE UP. Gwen can easily escape from enemies by stunning them with her Ult and running away. (try to use this under your turret when you're low health and the enemy is chasing you) However, she still has to charge up her Ult which allows the enemies to damage you before you can get the Ult up. Make sure you're a safe distance away from the enemy before using your Ult. Also be wary of enemies who can avoid your Ult (like Taka and other Gwens). You don't want to waste it.
Countering CP Gwen Top
CP GWEN CAN BE YOUR NIGHTMARE. For WP Gwens, her A is a poking skill used to push lane and slow enemies. For CP Gwen however, it will take off almost half your health. Also CP Gwen's Ult will deal devastating damage. If CP Gen decides to combine both her Ult than her A skill, you'll become a dead Gwen. I recommend not engaging a CP Gwen on your own but if you must, remember to get an Aegis. Observe when she uses her skills. The CP Gwens that I've played against often use their B skill when laning to move faster. Once she uses her B skill, use your Ult on her so she cannot escape. Go in and deal some damage but come out BEFORE the stun duration ends (do not use your B skill to run away). Chances are she will use her A skill immediately to slow and deal damage to you. If she misses, you can go in and deal more damage to her. Always make sure your B skill is up before facing off CP Gwen so you can escape from her stuns and recall.
Another strategy is to hide in bushes and stun her before going in for an easy kill. The perks of being WP is that you'll have more sustained damage than CP Gwen. CP Gwen has to wait for her A and ult to recharge before she can deal a huge amount of damage so time your attacks such that you attack her when her skills are down. Keep in mind that you can take maybe about 1 A and 1 Ult from a CP Gwen before dying so don't hesitate to terrorize CP Gwen early game. (make sure she cannot farm as much so that she will fall behind in gold and be unable to get her CP items. Coupled with the fact that CP items are more expensive than WP, it'll put CP Gwen at a major disadvantage.)
*Tornado Trigger and Poisoned Shiv will become extremely useful against a CP Gwen
CP Final Build Explanation (WIP) Top
*** GET A WEAPON BLADE AND A SWIFT SHOOTER FOR EARLY GAME TO HELP IN FARMING ***
Shatterglass
As a CP Gwen your only form of damage is your abilities so in order to maximize that damage, get a Shatterglass as soon as you can.
Spellfire
Might as well maximize damage by applying Mortal Wounds :D
Clockwork
I cannot stress how important this is for CP Gwen. Your only reliable damaging skill is your A and the cooldown on that is quite long compared to traditional CP heroes like Skaarf. So, it is super important to get the cooldown asap.
Aftershock
Again more cooldown and energy for Gwen. Can swap this for a Broken Myth.
Halcyon Chargers
Gwen is a very energy hungry hero so the cooldown and energy recharge provided by Halcyons would be good.
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Aegis or Metal Jacket or Slumbering Husk
I recommend buying basic defense (like a Coat of Plates or Light Shield) really early ingame so you can farm without having to worry so much about dying. CP Gwen is kind of sad in lane early game and gets abused alot due to long cd and no energy. Get the defense!!!
General Tips Top
*** I don't usually play CP Gwen ***
1. Get 2 weapon blades or 1 weapon blade and 1 swift shooter to deal with early game farming. With CP Gwen, it is quite hard to last hit minions so go with the weapon items first. Once you get enough gold you can get more CP items and ditch the weapon items.
2. CP Gwen is pretty much only useful if you have a good tanky captain to take your damage. In this case you should stay behind the captain most of the time and deal damage with your A. Try not to put yourself in the frontlines because you do not have sustain.
3. Cheese strat: Hide in bush, use your ult, use your A. Late game damage should be enough to kill most carries.
Final Thoughts on WP and CP Gwen Top
I don't get why
why would you go cp gwen when you can wp
sure the damage is horrifying but it can be easily countered with slumbering/celestial shroud
wp gwen is continuous damage
cp gwen is extreme burst damage
i only ever play cp gwen when i can use talents and abuse the 120% damage and 50% energy cost from the rare talent :DDD
but then again you do you
thanks for getting this far this last part is just a quick rant(?)
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