🧬 Who is Kel’Thuzad?
Kel’Thuzad is the malevolent Archlich from the Warcraft universe, former human necromancer who achieved undeath through service to the Lich King. Once a member of the Kirin Tor, he forsook his humanity to become one of Azeroth’s most powerful practitioners of necromancy. In Heroes of the Storm, he serves as a ranged assassin who specializes in devastating spell combos and high-skill gameplay that rewards precise positioning and timing. His unique quest system allows him to grow increasingly powerful throughout the match, transforming from a vulnerable early-game mage into a late-game powerhouse capable of single-handedly winning teamfights through devastating chain combos.
Main Roles:
🧙 Ranged Assassin | ⛓️ Combo Mage | 📈 Scaling Specialist
🛠️ Abilities (Quick Look)
- Master of the Cold Dark (Trait – D): Complete quest by hitting heroes to unlock Glacial Spike bonus damage
- Death and Decay (Q): Create a decaying area that deals damage over time and slows enemies
- Frost Nova (W): Root target enemy and nearby enemies after a short delay
- Chains of Kel’Thuzad (E): Connect two enemies with chains that deal damage and pull them together
- Frost Blast (R1): Launch a projectile that roots and spreads to nearby enemies
- Shadow Fissure (R2): Create a massive delayed explosion in target area
🎮 Gameplay Guide
Kel’Thuzad excels at devastating spell combos that can instantly eliminate multiple enemies when executed properly. His gameplay revolves around completing his trait quest early, positioning safely for combo execution, and using his powerful crowd control chains to set up teamfight-winning plays. The key to mastering Kel’Thuzad lies in understanding combo timing, positioning for safety while maintaining threat, and managing your vulnerability periods between spell rotations.
✅ Early Game
- Focus on completing your trait quest by hitting enemy heroes with abilities
- Use Death and Decay for safe poke and wave clear
- Play defensively until you complete your quest and gain power spikes
✅ Teamfights
- Look for opportunities to chain multiple enemies together
- Position safely behind your frontline while threatening enemy backline
- Execute E-W-Q combos to devastate grouped enemies
✅ Objective Control
- Your area control abilities excel at contesting capture points
- Chains can pull enemies away from objectives or into your team
- Late-game power allows you to single-handedly control objective fights
🛡️ Builds & Gameplay Focus
⚔️ Chain Combo Master
Level 1: The Plaguelands
Level 4: Phylactery of
Kel’Thuzad
Level 7: Armor of the Archlich
Level
10: Frost Blast
Level 13: Power of
Icecrown
Level 16: Chilled to the Bone
Level 20:
The Damned Return
Focus: Spell Combos, Burst Damage, Team Fighting
The Lowdown: This build transforms Kel’Thuzad into the ultimate combo mage who excels at chaining devastating spell sequences that can instantly eliminate multiple enemies. The Plaguelands provides the foundation by making Death and Decay your primary waveclear and poke tool while offering crucial mana sustain for extended laning phases. Phylactery of Kel’Thuzad is essential for survivability, granting you a second chance when you inevitably get caught in aggressive positioning during combo attempts. Armor of the Archlich provides the defensive foundation necessary for aggressive spell casting, reducing the punishment for being in range to execute your devastating combos. Frost Blast serves as your primary teamfight initiation tool, capable of rooting multiple enemies and setting up perfect chain combos that can win entire teamfights. The late-game talents focus on maximizing your spell rotation effectiveness, with Power of Icecrown dramatically reducing your cooldowns and enabling rapid combo sequences, while Chilled to the Bone ensures your spells deal maximum damage to slowed enemies. The Damned Return provides incredible teamfight presence by allowing you to continue fighting even after death.
The Core Loop & Synergy:
- The Plaguelands: Death and Decay becomes your primary poke and sustain tool
- Phylactery of Kel’Thuzad: Death protection enables aggressive combo attempts
- Armor of the Archlich: Spell armor provides survivability during casting sequences
- Frost Blast: Multi-target root sets up perfect chain combo opportunities
- Power of Icecrown: Massive cooldown reduction enables rapid spell rotations
- Chilled to the Bone: Bonus damage against slowed enemies maximizes combo impact
- The Damned Return: Continue fighting as a shade after death for extended teamfight presence
Key Tactics & Pro Tips:
- Always lead with Chains of Kel’Thuzad to set up your combo sequence
- Use Frost Blast to root multiple enemies before executing your full rotation
- Position aggressively knowing Phylactery will save you from assassination attempts
- Power of Icecrown allows you to cast multiple combo sequences in a single teamfight
In short: You’re the combo devastation specialist. Chain your spells together to instantly eliminate entire enemy teams.
⚔️ Death and Decay Controller
Level 1: Barbed Chains
Level 4: Corpse
Feeders
Level 7: Chilling Touch
Level 10: Shadow
Fissure
Level 13: Icy Grasp
Level 16: Death and
Decay
Level 20: Might of the Scourge
Focus: Area Control, Sustained Damage, Zone Denial
The Lowdown: This build reimagines Kel’Thuzad as a methodical area controller who excels at sustained pressure and battlefield manipulation through superior zone denial and persistent damage effects. Barbed Chains dramatically increases your crowd control potential by making your chains slow enemies, creating powerful synergies with your other slowing effects and making it much easier to land follow-up abilities. Corpse Feeders transforms your minion interactions into powerful sustain tools, providing both health and mana restoration that enables extended laning phases and sustained teamfight presence. Chilling Touch creates a powerful damage amplification effect that makes all your abilities more threatening against slowed enemies, encouraging you to layer your slowing effects for maximum impact. Shadow Fissure becomes your primary area denial tool, capable of controlling large areas and forcing enemy positioning mistakes through its massive damage threat and long-range casting. The late-game focuses on maximizing your area control potential, with Icy Grasp making Frost Nova into a powerful area control tool and the upgraded Death and Decay providing incredible sustained damage and area denial that can single-handedly control teamfight positioning.
The Core Loop & Synergy:
- Barbed Chains: Chains slow enemies, enhancing combo setup and escape denial
- Corpse Feeders: Minion kills provide sustain for extended laning and teamfighting
- Chilling Touch: Bonus damage against slowed enemies creates powerful synergies
- Shadow Fissure: Long-range area denial for objective and teamfight control
- Icy Grasp: Frost Nova gains area effect for superior crowd control
- Death and Decay: Enhanced area damage and control for teamfight dominance
- Might of the Scourge: Spell power scaling makes late-game devastating
Key Tactics & Pro Tips:
- Use Barbed Chains to create slowing zones rather than just damage
- Corpse Feeders makes you incredibly sustainable in lane – abuse this advantage
- Shadow Fissure works best when cast on retreating enemies or chokepoints
- Layer your slowing effects to maximize Chilling Touch damage bonuses
In short: You’re the methodical zone controller. Use persistent effects and area denial to slowly strangle your enemies’ positioning options.
📊 Final Thoughts
Kel’Thuzad represents the pinnacle of high-skill mage gameplay in Heroes of the Storm, offering deeply rewarding mechanics that scale with your understanding of positioning, timing, and combo execution. Whether you prefer the devastating instant-kill potential of the chain combo build or the methodical area control of the sustained damage build, he provides some of the most satisfying gameplay in the entire roster. His quest-based scaling ensures that skilled players are rewarded with incredible late-game power, while his complex spell interactions create endless opportunities for creative play and game-changing moments.
Bow before the might of the Archlich and embrace the cold embrace of undeath! 💀❄️