Best Battlerite champions – who to pick in the big new hero brawler

A typical match in a MOBA can last upwards of an hour as they go through lengthy phases of laning, roaming, and so on. The new kid on the block – Battlerite – does away with all that fluff: it is a series of deathmatch fights in a best of five series. Given how competitive it is, it is a good idea to get to grips with what is going on and what you need to be doing. Hence our Battlerite champions guide.

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There’s a basic tutorial in-game that works as a beginner’s guide to Battlerite champions. You should play it through to quickly get to know how the game works. Elements like the controls, EX abilities, and the Battlerite system are all explained there, so it is vital you play it! It is under the Practice tab in-game if you have missed or forgotten it.

The tutorial doesn’t teach you everything though, so we’ve put together a guide to the best Battlerite champions in each role: melee, ranged, and support.

Battlerite strategy

The Battlerite strategy is a little different to other MOBAs. The champions with the highest damage outputs are not typically spell-slinging ranged mages, but the burly warriors who are hard to kill.

That’s because the strategy is all about ranged characters backing off and using abilities to escape from their opponents. As a melee character, your job is to deal out damage by hounding ranged and support champions and not letting them escape. A ranged champion’s duty is to make sure enemy melee champions stay away from you.

This means mobile and defensive abilities are the ones to watch for. Do you have an ability that lets you escape available? Does the enemy have an ability that stuns you, allowing a melee champion to beat you down? It is a game of cat and mouse between ranged and melee champions.

On top of that, Battlerite champions have a unique health system that sees champions suffer a reduction to their maximum health as they take damage. There is a 40HP buffer, but further damage after that will decrease your max health. For example, a champion with 200HP that takes 50 damage will see their max health dip to 190HP.

Healing allies before that can happen is your key role as a support. Many supports are also able to apply buffs and debuffs to other champions, but ensuring your allies do not suffer too much of a max health drop is priority number one.

Best Battlerite melee champion: Raigon, The Exiled Prince

Described as one of the beginner-friendly melee Battlerite champions, Raigon has a little bit of everything. He can dive on enemies, deflect projectiles, and even heal himself. While other champions focus on a single niche, Raigon fits them all.

Left mouse button – Sword Slash: Strike with your sword to deal damage. Every successful hit decreases the cooldown of Retribution and charges it up by one, to a max of three.
Right right mouse button – Retribution: Swing in a targeted direction, dashing forward slightly in the process. It deals damage and heals Raigon, dealing increased damage and healing more with every charge from Sword Slash. The combo of hitting three Sword Slashes and then using Retribution Strike is Raigon’s typical damage combo.
Space – Heavenly Strike: Leap to a target area, dealing damage to targets in front of you as you land. This is Raigon’s primary tool for closing in on an enemy.
Q – Parry: Doing exactly what it says on the tin, Parry blocks the next five attacks, stunning melee attackers and reflecting back projectiles in a target direction. It is Raigon’s defensive ability so try to use it to foil ranged characters’ projectile ultimates.
E – Seismic Shock: This acts as a way to set up Raigon’s combos. After a short wind up, he fires a projectile that knocks the first enemy hit into the air, dealing damage and causing them to be untargetable and unable to move or use abilities until they land. You can time Heavenly Strike to hit as the opponent lands, guaranteeing more damage.
R – Dragon Palm: The first of Raigon’s abilities to cost energy is Dragon Palm, which deals damage and knocks the enemy back. It is a situational ability for when you need an enemy to back off. It is perfect for if you are fighting in a corridor, as if they collide with a wall on the knockback it deals increased damage.
Shift + Left mouse button – Slicing Wind: In a pinch, Raigon can do some extra healing with Slicing Wind. At the cost of one energy bar, his next two Sword Slashes will send forth short-range projectiles that deal damage and heal Raigon. Similar to Dragon Palm, it is best to use in tight spaces when you are in desperate need of healing.
Shift + E – Tectonic Shock: Tectonic Shock improves Seismic Shock to inflict Incapacitate on landing. This is an effect that stuns the enemy until it either wears off or they take damage. This means it is easier to land follow-up combos, but a good Raigon won’t need to Incapacitate to land his follow ups.
F – Wrath of the Tiger: Raigon’s ultimate ability is somewhat challenging to use. He charges forward, and if an enemy is hit, he deals damage and begins slashing all enemies in an area around them. Should he miss the enemy, though, the opportunity is wasted. A successful deployment of Wrath of the Tiger makes Raigon invulnerable, and any hit enemy can trigger it: from champions, to the Orb, to summons like Blossom’s Tree of Life.

What makes Raigon one of the best Battlerite champions for new players is he gives you an idea of what all melee champions should be doing: jumping on the enemy, dealing damage, and getting out of engagements with more health. Seismic Shock is a great way to set up a good fight, and Parry gives Raigon a good way to turn the tables when the enemy tries to fight back.

Best Battlerite ranged champion: Ashka, The Molten Fury

The tutorial introduces you to Jade, but the best of the Battlerite champions for ranged attackers is Ashka. He has a little bit more in the way of defensive capabilities, meaning he’s a good way to get to grips with the fight-and-kite gameplay of ranged champions.

Left mouse button – Fireball: Ashka launches a projectile in a target direction. It is a simple attack, but it can re-apply the Ignite effect that is applied by other abilities if it lands.
Right mouse button – Fire Storm: Locking himself in place, Ashka launches three projectiles. Each deals damage, knocks enemies back, and applies Ignite. Ignite deals damage over time but cannot kill an enemy as the final source of damage.
Space – Searing Flight: Ashka’s escape ability, Searing Flight transforms him into fire as he flies to a target area, dealing damage to nearby enemies. It is the primary way for Ashka to get away from enemies and avoid incoming attacks. When it is on cooldown, Ashka is much more vulnerable, so it is vital that it is used well.
Q – Flamestrike: After a delay, Ashka causes an area to explode, dealing damage and stunning enemies caught in it. It is best used when you can anticipate an enemy’s location, either forcing them to run into it or using it while they are immobilised.
E – Molten Fist: Charging forward, Ashka hits the first enemy struck, knocking them back, inflicting a Snare, and jumping back himself. If he does not hit anyone it is just a dash forwards.
R – Firewall: At the cost of one energy, Ashka creates a wall of fire, destroying projectiles and applying Ignite to enemies that pass through it. It is a good way to defend yourself when against an enemy who is setting up a projectile-focused ultimate.
Shift + Space – Searing Fire: On top of the effects of Searing Flight, Searing Fire transforms Ashka into Pure Fire, causing his Fireball attack to heal him. In a desperate situation, it is great for getting some health back, but the 2 energy cost means it is very situational.
Shift + Q – Molten Chains: Similar to Searing Fire, it is a situational ability that you won’t see yourself using too much. It applies Petrify, which shields and stuns an enemy until it wears off or the shield is broken. If you are confident the ability will land, it gives you a lot of time to run away from an enemy, and destroy the Orb or gather health from smaller pickups.
F – Infernal Scorch: This ultimate ability can cause absolute chaos. It is both a way to execute an enemy, with a large amount of upfront damage, and a great method to escape from the enemy. Given the large area of effect, it is best used to damage the entire enemy team, with the fire that it leaves being a great way to split them up, too.

The greatest challenge in playing Ashka, and all ranged champions, is knowing when to blow your cooldowns. Fire Storm can deal huge damage, but it locks Ashka in place, meaning a strong player can punish him for it with targeted abilities and slick movement. That sort of awareness – knowing when you are able to stand still to fire – is something you’ll come to learn with time in Battlerite. By using the best Battlerite champions like Ashka, you should pick up those skills in no time at all.

Best Battlerite support champion: Blossom, The Forest Mender

Blossom is a good support champion to start with because she has a basic set of abilities that, generally, fit all situations. She can escape from attacking enemies, heal allies, and defend from incoming projectiles.

Left mouse button – Thwack!: Fire an acorn in a straight line to deal a small amount of damage. If the weapon is charged (which happens automatically over a period of six seconds), it deals double damage and inflicts a Snare.
Right mouse button – Nourish: Blossom’s healing ability heals an ally in a target area, and grants a buff that heals over time. It is as simple as that!
Space – Hop: As you might guess, Blossom hops towards a target location. This ability grants invisibility until she casts another ability. It is Blossom’s way of getting away from an enemy and avoiding damage.
Q – Tree of Life: With this ability, Blossom summons a tree that heals nearby allies every second. It also absorbs damage, meaning it can be used to block enemies or projectiles in a pinch.
E – Boom Bloom: Similar to Ashka’s Flamestrike, Blossom targets an area with a seed, which stuns enemies after a delay. It also deals a small amount of damage before the stun.
R – Gust: Blossom summons a barrier of wind, pushing back enemies and reflecting projectiles. It is yet another way for Blossom to prevent enemies from firing deadly projectiles at the team, at the cost of one energy.
Shift + Space – Tag: Rather than jumping to a target location, Blossom dashes forward, avoiding attacks. On the first enemy struck, Blossom deals damage and knocks them back. It is one of the few ways Blossom can deal damage. It is useful to finish an enemy off, but otherwise can be a waste of one energy.
Shift + Q – Forest Sanctuary: Where Tree of Life heals allies, Forest Sanctuary prevents them from taking damage. When you can see a heavy combo coming, Forest Sanctuary can save your team-mates. It is one of the strongest EX abilities in the game and therefore not to be underestimated.
F – Dance of the Dryads: With this ultimate, Blossom jumps up into the air, firing three waves of projectiles upon landing which Weaken opponents. It can do a lot of damage, but also locks Blossom out of using her healing abilities during the cast. It is useful if you are in desperate need of damage, but Gust and Forest Sanctuary are often better uses of her energy.

What makes Blossom a good Battlerite champion for beginner supports is she will get you thinking about abilities, such as her R and EX abilities, that cost energy apart from her ultimate. While her ultimate is useful, Forest Sanctuary is a brilliant defensive tool, and Gust can completely negate enemy ultimates.

On top of that, Nourish’s healing is solid, giving a burst and healing over time mean she can heal multiple allies at once, making her effective at preventing allies from going past that threshold of missing 40 of their health. That’s why she’s one of the best Battlerite champions.

Those are our picks of the best Battlerite champions for beginners. Did you start with these champions, or do you have other favourite Battlerite characters? Let us know in the comments.