🧬 Who is Artanis?
Artanis, the Hierarch of the Daelaam, brings Protoss honor and warrior discipline to the Nexus as a relentless bruiser who thrives in extended combat. The protagonist of StarCraft II: Legacy of the Void, Artanis has united the scattered Protoss tribes and now leads from the front lines with his twin psi-blades. His unique shield mechanics and swap ability make him a high-skill warrior who can turn the tide of battle through precise positioning and aggressive sustained damage. Unlike other warriors, Artanis has no escape abilities – he’s designed to commit fully to fights and emerge victorious through superior tactics and unwavering determination.
Main Roles:
⚔️ Bruiser | 🛡️ Frontline | 🎯 Sustained Damage
🛠️ Abilities (Quick Look)
- Shield Overload (Trait – D): When taking damage, gain a shield equal to 15% max health. 20 second cooldown, reduced by basic attacks and abilities
- Blade Dash (Q): Dash forward dealing damage to enemies in your path, can be reactivated to return to original position
- Twin Blades (W): Next 4 basic attacks have increased attack speed and cleave nearby enemies
- Phase Prism (E): Swap positions with target enemy hero after a brief delay
- Purifier Beam (R1): Target enemy hero is followed by a deadly beam that deals massive damage over time
- Suppression Pulse (R2): Blind and slow all nearby enemies after a short delay
🎮 Gameplay Guide
Artanis excels as an aggressive frontline bruiser who commits fully to fights and outlasts enemies through shield generation and sustained damage. His playstyle revolves around intelligent positioning, timing shield procs perfectly, and using Phase Prism to create advantageous engagements. He rewards players who understand when to engage and how to maximize value from extended trades.
✅ Early Game
- Play aggressively to reduce Shield Overload cooldown through combat
- Use Twin Blades for efficient waveclear and camp taking
- Look for Phase Prism opportunities on overextended enemies
✅ Teamfights
- Position to maximize Twin Blades cleave damage on multiple enemies
- Use Phase Prism to isolate priority targets or escape dangerous situations
- Time your shield procs to maximize effective health in extended fights
✅ Objective Control
- Your sustained damage and shields make you excellent for extended objective fights
- Phase Prism can secure kills on enemies retreating from objectives
- Use Blade Dash for mobility during rotations but save the return for safety
🛡️ Builds & Gameplay Focus
⚔️ Shield Tank Warrior
Level 1: Reactive Parry
Level 4: Shield
Surge
Level 7: Follow Through
Level 10:
Suppression Pulse
Level 13: Phase Bulwark
Level
16: Titan Killer
Level 20: Force of Will
Focus: Survivability, Shield Management, Frontline Presence
The Lowdown: This build transforms Artanis into an unkillable frontline presence who can wade into the enemy team and emerge victorious through superior sustain. Reactive Parry provides significant physical damage reduction, making you incredibly tanky against auto-attack heavy compositions. Shield Surge dramatically increases your shield value and gives you movement speed when it activates, making you both tankier and more mobile. Follow Through synergizes perfectly with your ability rotation, providing consistent damage increases. Suppression Pulse offers incredible team fight control, blinding entire enemy teams and allowing your team to dominate extended engagements. The later talents focus on maximizing shield value and providing utility through displacement effects and crowd control.
The Core Loop & Synergy:
- Reactive Parry – Reduces physical damage and enables aggressive positioning against AA-heavy teams
- Shield Surge – Increases shield size and provides mobility burst when shield activates
- Follow Through – Ability-weaving provides consistent damage amplification throughout fights
- Suppression Pulse – Team-wide blind creates massive advantages in extended team fights
- Phase Bulwark – Phase Prism becomes a defensive tool while providing additional shields
- Titan Killer – Percentage-based damage allows you to threaten high-health targets
- Force of Will – Makes your shields nearly permanent and provides incredible late-game scaling
Key Tactics & Pro Tips:
- Use Phase Prism defensively to escape when your shield is down
- Weave abilities between auto-attacks to maximize Follow Through uptime
- Position aggressively when shield is available, play safer when it’s down
- Suppression Pulse wins team fights – use it when enemies are grouped and committed
In short: You’re the immovable object. Plant yourself in the enemy team and watch them crumble against your shields.
⚔️ Phase Prism Playmaker
Level 1: Amateur Opponent
Level 4: Psionic
Synergy
Level 7: Warp Sickness
Level 10:
Purifier Beam
Level 13: Graviton Vortex
Level
16: Zealot Charge
Level 20: Nexus Blades
Focus: Playmaking, Displacement, Single Target Lockdown
The Lowdown: This build focuses on maximizing Artanis’s unique displacement potential and turning him into a high-impact playmaker who can single-handedly change team fights through positioning manipulation. Amateur Opponent provides consistent damage against heroes and reduces your trait cooldown faster, enabling more aggressive plays. Psionic Synergy gives you incredible ability uptime, allowing for constant pressure and shield generation. Warp Sickness makes your Phase Prism a powerful debuff tool that sets up kills for your team. Purifier Beam provides incredible single-target pressure that forces enemies to either take massive damage or completely disengage. The later talents enhance your ability to stick to targets and create chaos in enemy backlines through superior mobility and crowd control.
The Core Loop & Synergy:
- Amateur Opponent – Increased hero damage and faster shield cycling enables aggressive trading
- Psionic Synergy – Ability spam provides constant pressure and shield generation
- Warp Sickness – Phase Prism becomes a powerful debuff that enables team follow-up
- Purifier Beam – Forces individual enemies out of fights or deals massive damage
- Graviton Vortex – Phase Prism pulls multiple enemies, creating massive team fight advantages
- Zealot Charge – Mobility and unstoppable frames allow you to stick to priority targets
- Nexus Blades – Massive damage amplification makes you a legitimate carry threat
Key Tactics & Pro Tips:
- Use Phase Prism to isolate enemy backline heroes for your team
- Purifier Beam forces enemies to either take damage or abandon their team
- Combine Graviton Vortex with your team’s AOE abilities for devastating combos
- Zealot Charge makes you nearly uncatchable when hunting priority targets
In short: You’re the master tactician. Manipulate enemy positioning and watch superior strategy triumph over brute force.
📊 Final Thoughts
Artanis embodies the Protoss warrior philosophy of honor, strategy, and unwavering determination. His unique kit rewards players who think tactically about positioning and timing, offering incredible power to those who master his shield mechanics and displacement abilities. Whether you’re tanking damage on the frontlines or making game-changing plays with Phase Prism, Artanis demands respect and intelligent play from both allies and enemies.
En Taro Adun – let your blade strike true and your shields never falter. ⚔️🛡️