🧬 Who is Leoric?
Leoric, the Skeleton King, brings royal undead authority to the Nexus as a tanky bruiser who refuses to stay dead. The mad king of Tristram from the Diablo universe, Leoric was driven to madness by Diablo’s corruption and now seeks to reclaim his dominion over all realms. His unique Undying trait allows him to continue fighting even after death, making him one of the most persistent and oppressive heroes in the game. Leoric excels at sustained damage through percentage-based attacks, crowd control through his Entomb ultimate, and maintaining constant map presence through his death mechanics. He rewards aggressive positioning and fearless engagement, knowing that death is merely a temporary setback.
Main Roles:
👑 Bruiser | ⚔️ Solo Laner | 💀 Sustain Tank
🛠️ Abilities (Quick Look)
- Undying (Trait – D): Upon death, become a wraith that can slow enemies and resurrect faster by dealing damage to enemy heroes
- Skeletal Swing (Q): Swing weapon in an arc, dealing percentage-based damage and healing for each enemy hit
- Drain Hope (W): Tether to an enemy hero, dealing damage over time while healing yourself
- Wraith Walk (E): Become unstoppable and uncollidable, gaining movement speed for a short duration
- Entomb (R1): Trap target area in a ring of bone walls for several seconds
- March of the Black King (R2): Become unstoppable and deal damage to nearby enemies while gaining armor
🎮 Gameplay Guide
Leoric thrives as an aggressive frontline bruiser who can afford to take risks others cannot due to his Undying trait. His playstyle revolves around sustained combat through percentage-based damage, intelligent use of his mobility and crowd control, and leveraging his death mechanics to maintain map pressure. He excels at 1v1 duels, extended team fights, and creating chaos through his zoning abilities.
✅ Early Game
- Play aggressively in lane – your Undying trait makes trades favorable
- Use Skeletal Swing for efficient waveclear and sustain
- Look for extended trades with Drain Hope against enemy solo laners
✅ Teamfights
- Position aggressively to hit multiple enemies with Skeletal Swing
- Use Entomb to isolate priority targets or create terrain advantages
- Don’t fear death – your wraith form can still contribute to fights
✅ Objective Control
- Your percentage damage makes you excellent against high-health objectives
- Entomb can secure kills on enemies retreating from objectives
- Even when dead, your wraith can slow enemies and reduce death timer
🛡️ Builds & Gameplay Focus
⚔️ Entomb Control King
Level 1: Hopelessness
Level 4: Willing
Vessel
Level 7: Hardened Bones
Level 10:
Entomb
Level 13: Crushing Hope
Level 16:
Unyielding Despair
Level 20: Buried Alive
Focus: Crowd Control, Team Fighting, Zone Denial
The Lowdown: This build transforms Leoric into a team-fighting powerhouse focused on controlling enemy positioning and creating massive advantages through strategic Entombs. Hopelessness enhances your Drain Hope significantly, making it deal more damage and slow enemies, turning it into both a damage tool and utility spell. Willing Vessel provides incredible sustain and makes you nearly unkillable in extended fights by dramatically reducing ability cooldowns. Hardened Bones gives you significant spell armor, making you incredibly tanky against ability-heavy compositions. Entomb becomes your defining ability – trapping key enemies and creating 4v5 scenarios. The later talents focus on making Drain Hope an area-of-effect nightmare while giving Entomb game-ending potential through its upgrades.
The Core Loop & Synergy:
- Hopelessness – Drain Hope becomes a powerful slow and damage amplification tool
- Willing Vessel – Massive cooldown reduction enables constant ability spam and sustain
- Hardened Bones – Spell armor makes you incredibly tanky against magical damage
- Entomb – Game-changing crowd control that creates massive positional advantages
- Crushing Hope – Drain Hope affects multiple enemies, multiplying your impact
- Unyielding Despair – Drain Hope becomes nearly undodgeable and provides massive utility
- Buried Alive – Entomb becomes a team-wiping ultimate with massive area denial
Key Tactics & Pro Tips:
- Use Entomb to isolate enemy carries during team fight initiations
- Drain Hope multiple enemies with Crushing Hope for massive sustain and damage
- Position aggressively – your spell armor and sustain make you nearly unkillable
- Entomb can be used defensively to save allies or create escape routes
In short: You’re the puppet master. Control enemy positioning and watch them dance to your royal decree.
⚔️ Unstoppable Skeleton Warrior
Level 1: Kneel Peasants
Level 4: Fealty Unto
Death
Level 7: Royal Focus
Level 10: March of
the Black King
Level 13: Drain Momentum
Level
16: Mithril Mace
Level 20: Death March
Focus: Sustained Damage, Solo Fighting, Relentless Pressure
The Lowdown: This build focuses on maximizing Leoric’s individual combat prowess and turning him into an unstoppable force in both team fights and solo scenarios. Kneel Peasants provides significant waveclear improvement and gives you area-of-effect slow, making Skeletal Swing both a damage and utility tool. Fealty Unto Death dramatically reduces your death timer and makes your wraith form more threatening, encouraging aggressive plays. Royal Focus gives you incredible mana sustain and ability uptime, enabling constant pressure. March of the Black King provides incredible team fight presence and makes you nearly unkillable during its duration. The later talents focus on maximizing your mobility and damage output while providing incredible late-game scaling through enhanced basic attacks and ultimate improvements.
The Core Loop & Synergy:
- Kneel Peasants – Skeletal Swing becomes an AOE slow that enhances team fight control
- Fealty Unto Death – Faster respawns and stronger wraith form encourage aggressive plays
- Royal Focus – Mana sustain enables constant ability usage and map pressure
- March of the Black King – Incredible team fight ultimate with damage and survivability
- Drain Momentum – Drain Hope provides mobility for better positioning and sticking power
- Mithril Mace – Basic attacks become significant damage threats with armor reduction
- Death March – March becomes a team-clearing ultimate with massive area control
Key Tactics & Pro Tips:
- Use March of the Black King to dive enemy backlines fearlessly
- Combine Drain Momentum with March for incredible mobility and sticking power
- Your enhanced basic attacks can duel most heroes effectively with this build
- Play aggressively knowing your reduced death timer makes risky plays worthwhile
In short: You’re the relentless monarch. March forward with royal authority and crush all who oppose your eternal reign.
📊 Final Thoughts
Leoric embodies the concept of relentless pressure and royal authority, bringing a unique playstyle that rewards aggressive positioning and fearless engagement. His Undying trait fundamentally changes risk assessment, allowing for plays that would be suicidal on other heroes. Whether you’re controlling team fights through strategic Entombs or marching through enemy lines as an unstoppable force, Leoric demands respect and intelligent counterplay from opponents who must deal with his constant presence.
The Skeleton King’s reign is eternal – embrace death as merely another tool in your royal arsenal. 👑💀