🧬 Who is Johanna?
Johanna is the immovable object of the Nexus. A tank’s tank, she specializes in waveclear, crowd control, and relentless frontline pressure. She doesn’t flinch, she doesn’t retreat, and with her powerful trait, she shrugs off disables like a boss while peeling for her team.
Main Roles:
🛡️ Main Tank | 📉 Crowd Control Machine | 🔥 Waveclear
Queen
🛠️ Abilities (Quick Look)
- Iron Skin (Trait – D): Activate for Unstoppable and a shield.
- Punish (Q): Short-range cone slow and damage.
- Condemn (W): AOE pull and damage.
- Shield Glare (E): Cone blind and damage.
- Blessed Shield (R1): Ranged shield toss, stun, and bounces.
- Falling Sword (R2): Leap into the air, land for AOE damage and CC.
🎮 Gameplay Guide
Johanna’s kit revolves around waveclear, sustain, and CC layering. She excels at initiating fights, peeling for carries, and surviving ridiculous punishment.
✅ Early Game
- Clear waves fast with Condemn (W) and Shield Glare (E).
- Scout bushes and front the lane.
- Rotate between lanes with teammates — you’re an escort and protector early on.
✅ Teamfights
- Condemn (W) into Punish (Q) for AOE control.
- Blind enemy auto-attackers with Shield Glare (E).
- Use Blessed Shield or Falling Sword depending on comp and situation.
- Iron Skin saves your bacon. Use it proactively before CC lands.
✅ Objective Control
- Zone control is your thing.
- Use Condemn to interrupt captures, and Shield Glare to blind DPS on shrines or points.
- Be the point-holder that never dies.
🛡️ Builds & Gameplay Focus
⚔️ CC Lockdown & Waveclear Build
Level 1: Laws of Hope
Level 4: Eternal
Retaliation
Level 7: Subdue
Level 10: Blessed
Shield
Level 13: Holy Fury
Level 16: Holy
Renewal
Level 20: Radiating Faith
Focus: Stun Chains, Teamfight Control, Wave Domination
The Lowdown: This build transforms Johanna into a one-woman crowd control machine. You’re not here for subtlety — you’re here to chain stuns, blind everything in sight, and create absolute chaos in the thick of teamfights. With talents that reduce the cooldown on Condemn and buff your Punish stuns, you’ll turn clustered fights into a control freak’s paradise.
Your job is to control space, dictate the flow of battle, and deny the enemy their key damage windows. Whether it’s blinding the auto-attackers, peeling for your backline, or pinning down priority targets, you’ve always got a tool ready. Blessed Shield is your instant engage or game-saving interrupt, and with cooldown talents, it comes up way more often than it should.
And let’s not forget the waveclear. Johanna melts minions like no one’s business, letting you hold lanes solo or rotate faster for early-game pressure. In short: you’re the queen of brawls, and nobody trades better in extended fights.
The Core Loop & Synergy:
- Laws of Hope (1) keeps you topped off with heals.
- Eternal Retaliation (4) turns W spam into waveclear mayhem.
- Subdue (7) turns Punish into a root if you hit multiple targets.
- Blessed Shield (10) = fight opener, stun chain initiator.
- Holy Fury (13) adds AOE damage around you when abilities are active.
- Holy Renewal (16) heals you per enemy hit by Shield Glare.
- Radiating Faith (20) makes Blessed Shield bounce even more for mega CC.
Key Tactics & Pro Tips:
- Always engage with Condemn → Punish → Shield Glare.
- Use Blessed Shield to disrupt enemy combos and initiate wombo chains.
- Stay mid-pack in fights to reach both front and backline with your CC.
- Prioritize blinding heavy AA heroes (Valla, Raynor, Greymane).
In short: You’re an unshakable CC queen who controls every teamfight’s pace.
⚔️ Mobile Disruptor & Self-Sustain Build
Level 1: Hold Your Ground
Level 4: Sins
Exposed
Level 7: Zealous Glare
Level 10: Falling
Sword
Level 13: Burning Rage
Level 16: Imposing
Presence
Level 20: Heaven’s Fury
Focus: Dive Denial, Survival, Chaos Disruption
The Lowdown: This build turns Johanna into a mobile frontline fortress that thrives on disorder. You’re the wall between your team and the enemy’s divers — and you don’t just block them, you punish them for trying. With enhanced sustain, shields, and anti-dive tools, you’re a nightmare for heroes like Illidan, Tracer, or Genji.
Your gameplay revolves around predicting dives and disrupting them hard. Iron Skin makes you unkillable when they try to burst you, while Falling Sword lets you reposition, peel, or counter-initiate at a moment’s notice. You’ll sow chaos in the enemy ranks, scattering their formation and turning clean engages into sloppy brawls.
This build shines in prolonged teamfights where control and survival matter more than burst. The longer you stay alive, the more your disruptive presence frustrates the enemy. You’re not just a tank — you’re a fight manipulator, and in your hands, every battle turns into a messy, drawn-out affair where your team comes out on top.
The Core Loop & Synergy:
- Hold Your Ground (1) buffs your trait’s shield.
- Sins Exposed (4) marks blinded enemies for bonus damage.
- Zealous Glare (7) adds a second charge to Shield Glare.
- Falling Sword (10) lets you disrupt and reposition mid-fight.
- Burning Rage (13) adds passive AOE damage.
- Imposing Presence (16) slows attackers, denying assassins.
- Heaven’s Fury (20) upgrades your ult with multiple mid-air strikes.
Key Tactics & Pro Tips:
- Double Blind: Use Zealous Glare to cripple AA carries.
- Use Falling Sword reactively to split enemies or counter-initiate.
- Imposing Presence is brutal against dive comps — stand between assassins and your backline.
- Burning Rage ensures constant damage and shrine control.
In short: You’re a mobile, unkillable wall that blinds and bullies backline assassins while disrupting teamfights.
📊 Final Thoughts
Johanna’s not flashy — she’s unstoppable. Whether you’re soaking wave after wave, stunning half the enemy team, or leaping onto their healer, you’re the rock holding the Nexus together.
Praise the Light — and bring the pain. ⚔️✨