🧬 Who is Junkrat?
Junkrat is the explosive-obsessed demolitionist from the Overwatch universe, bringing his chaotic destructive power to Heroes of the Storm as a ranged assassin specializing in area denial and indirect damage. Born from the Australian Outback’s irradiated wasteland, Jamison Fawkes embraces mayhem and destruction with gleeful abandon. His unpredictable playstyle revolves around lobbing grenades, setting traps, and controlling space through explosive chaos. Unlike traditional ranged assassins who rely on precise aim, Junkrat excels at controlling areas, denying enemy movement, and dealing massive damage through calculated chaos and positioning.
Main Roles:
💥 Ranged Assassin | 🚫 Area Denial | ⚡ Burst Damage
🛠️ Abilities (Quick Look)
- Total Mayhem (Trait – D): Drop grenades when taking damage or dying that explode after a delay
- Frag Launcher (Q): Lob a grenade that bounces and explodes, dealing area damage
- Concussion Mine (W): Deploy a mine that can be detonated to damage and knockback enemies
- Steel Trap (E): Place a trap that roots and damages the first enemy to trigger it
- RIP-Tire (R1): Control a explosive tire that can be detonated for massive damage
- Rocket Ride (R2): Launch yourself across the map, exploding on impact for area damage
🎮 Gameplay Guide
Junkrat excels at controlling teamfights through area denial, indirect damage, and unpredictable positioning. His gameplay revolves around predicting enemy movement, controlling space with traps and mines, and maximizing damage through grenade bounces and explosive combos. The key to mastering Junkrat lies in understanding projectile physics, trap placement psychology, and using your chaotic abilities to create organized destruction.
✅ Early Game
- Use Frag Launcher to clear waves and poke from behind cover
- Place Steel Traps in bushes and common rotation paths
- Use Concussion Mine defensively to escape ganks or create distance
✅ Teamfights
- Focus on area denial rather than direct targeting
- Use Concussion Mine to separate enemy frontline from backline
- Position traps to cut off enemy escape routes during fights
✅ Objective Control
- Steel Trap provides excellent area denial on capture points
- Frag Launcher’s area damage excels at clearing objective minions
- Your explosive kit makes you excellent at defending choke points
🛡️ Builds & Gameplay Focus
⚔️ Explosive Ordinance
Level 1: Put Some English On It
Level 4: Taste for
Explosions
Level 7: Sticky Wicket
Level 10:
RIP-Tire
Level 13: Ripper Air
Level 16: Endless
Nades
Level 20: Cannonball!
Focus: Grenade Mastery, Area Damage, Sustained Pressure
The Lowdown: This build transforms Junkrat into a grenade-lobbing artillery specialist who excels at sustained area damage and battlefield control through superior projectile mastery. Put Some English On It provides the foundation by dramatically increasing your grenade damage when they bounce, rewarding skilled trajectory planning and indirect fire techniques. Taste for Explosions creates powerful synergies with your explosive theme, healing you whenever your abilities deal damage and encouraging aggressive positioning through sustained combat effectiveness. Sticky Wicket makes your Steel Trap into a devastating area control tool by causing it to slow enemies even after they escape, creating zones of danger that enemies must respect. RIP-Tire serves as your primary teamfight disruption tool, capable of forcing enemy teams to scatter and creating massive damage opportunities when properly piloted. The late-game talents focus on maximizing your grenade output and impact, with Ripper Air providing incredible mobility options and Endless Nades creating constant pressure through rapid-fire explosive barrages that can overwhelm enemy defenses.
The Core Loop & Synergy:
- Put Some English On It: Bounced grenades deal massive bonus damage, rewarding indirect fire
- Taste for Explosions: Healing on ability damage enables aggressive sustained combat
- Sticky Wicket: Steel Trap creates lasting slow zones for superior area control
- RIP-Tire: Mobile explosive for teamfight disruption and priority target elimination
- Ripper Air: Concussion Mine becomes a mobility tool for repositioning and escapes
- Endless Nades: Rapid grenade resets create overwhelming sustained damage
- Cannonball!: RIP-Tire gains massive damage and area for game-ending teamfight impact
Key Tactics & Pro Tips:
- Always aim for grenade bounces to maximize Put Some English On It damage
- Use walls and terrain to create unpredictable grenade trajectories
- RIP-Tire is best used to force enemy positioning rather than just damage
- Combine Concussion Mine with Ripper Air for incredible mobility and escape options
In short: You’re the explosive artillery master. Control the battlefield through calculated chaos and overwhelming firepower.
⚔️ Trap Master
Level 1: Bouncy Bouncy
Level 4: Tricky
Shuffles
Level 7: Extra-Wound Timers
Level 10:
Rocket Ride
Level 13: Chattering Teeth
Level 16:
Steel Trap
Level 20: Puckish Scamp
Focus: Crowd Control, Area Denial, Pick Potential
The Lowdown: This build reimagines Junkrat as a cunning trap specialist who excels at controlling enemy movement and creating devastating pick opportunities through superior area denial and crowd control mastery. Bouncy Bouncy provides enhanced mobility and positioning options by allowing your grenades to grant movement speed, creating a dynamic playstyle where aggressive grenade usage is rewarded with superior positioning advantages. Tricky Shuffles transforms your basic attacks into powerful tools by granting movement speed and making you harder to pin down, encouraging active repositioning and kiting behaviors. Extra-Wound Timers dramatically increases your trap duration, creating semi-permanent zones of denial that force enemies to take longer routes and make positioning mistakes. Rocket Ride becomes your primary engagement tool, providing global presence and the ability to initiate fights or escape danger while dealing significant area damage. The late-game focuses on maximizing your trap control potential, with Chattering Teeth making your traps mobile threats and the upgraded Steel Trap providing incredible area control through multiple simultaneous traps.
The Core Loop & Synergy:
- Bouncy Bouncy: Grenades grant movement speed, enabling aggressive repositioning
- Tricky Shuffles: Basic attacks provide mobility and survivability through evasion
- Extra-Wound Timers: Extended trap duration creates lasting area denial
- Rocket Ride: Global mobility for engages, escapes, and map presence
- Chattering Teeth: Mobile traps actively hunt enemies for superior control
- Steel Trap: Multiple simultaneous traps for overwhelming area denial
- Puckish Scamp: Enhanced mobility and survivability for sustained harassment
Key Tactics & Pro Tips:
- Place traps in rotational paths and common engagement zones
- Use Bouncy Bouncy speed boosts to constantly reposition and stay safe
- Rocket Ride works best when enemies are grouped or focusing other targets
- Chattering Teeth traps should be used to cut off escape routes during teamfights
In short: You’re the area denial specialist. Control the battlefield through strategic trap placement and superior positioning games.
📊 Final Thoughts
Junkrat brings calculated chaos and explosive mayhem to Heroes of the Storm, offering a unique ranged assassin experience that rewards creativity, positioning, and unconventional thinking. Whether you prefer the sustained artillery bombardment of the explosive build or the methodical area control of the trap master build, he provides engaging gameplay that scales with your understanding of projectile physics and enemy psychology. His ability to control large areas while dealing consistent damage through indirect methods makes him a valuable asset for teams that embrace controlled chaos.
Time to bring the mayhem and watch the world burn! 💣🤡