This guide has been updated in consideration of Uther's significant changes in the 3/24 patch.
Welcome to GosuGamers' introductory Heroes of the Storm info series. We'll cover a hero's basic kit and common play style to help you quickly get in fighting shape in Blizzard's upcoming MOBA. This is a brief overview of the hero, intended to demonstrate how to play to his strengths and counteract his weaknesses.
Uther the Lightbringer
Strengths
- High single-target healing power
- Highest HP pool of all support characters
- Great crowd control - packs a guaranteed stun in his basic kit, and another powerful stun as a Heroic ability
- One of two supports in the game that can learn the powerful Cleanse talent
- Can potentially make a difference in a team fight even shortly after he dies, due to his passive trait
Weaknesses
- Low damage-dealing capability
- No reliable escape ability
- Mana-hungry
- Melee attacks and short-range CC abilities make him vulnerable to counter play
Uther's Trait
Eternal Devotion
When killed, Uther's spirit remains temporarily on the battleground. He loses his spells and the ability to attack, but gains a new spell: Flash of Light. Flash of Light heals an ally for 81 (+22.5/lvl), 1.5 second cooldown.
Like any passive trait that requires you to DIE to take advantage of it, Eternal Devotion leaves much to be desired. The healing put out by Flash of Light is significant, and it can absolutely save the life of a teammate if you die first. However, the best course of action in most circumstances is to position yourself in such a way as to survive.
Uther's Abilities
Holy Light
Heal a single target at range for 135 (+40/lvl), 12 second cooldown
Holy Radiance
Heals allies in a line for 80 (+20/lvl) and damages enemies for 50 (+15/lvl), 12 second cooldown
Hammer of Justice
Stuns a single target at close range for 1 second, dealing 40 (+8/lvl) damage, 10 second cooldown
Uther's basic abilities and decent max HP allow him to be very disruptive to the enemy team - while his mana lasts. He's capable of throwing himself into the fray, keeping valuable allies in good health, and stunning to secure a kill or to peel a dangerous enemy off of a squishy teammate.
Uther is a powerful piece on the game board, and has a hard time disengaging under pressure. When your enemies inevitably wizen up to this, they will often choose to focus damage on him to remove him from the fight. It's not always appropriate to charge first into the melee, hammers blazing. Learning the right moment to move to the front line is crucial to playing this hero.
Uther's Heroic abilities
Divine Shield
Grants an ally immunity to damage and disabling effects for 3 seconds, increasing their movement speed by 20%, 70 second cooldown
Divine Storm
Stuns all enemies in an area around Uther for 1.5 seconds, dealing 75 (+25/lvl) damage, 80 second cooldown
Both of Uther's heroic abilities are really powerful. Depending on the enemy team comp and their strategy, both Divine Shield and Divine Storm can play huge roles in a fight. Long CC chains and high burst damage are currently popular and very dangerous - Divine Shield is the perfect answer to save your teammates. On the other hand, coupling Divine Storm with the Benediction talent can grant Uther 3 stuns, combining for 3.5 seconds of lockdown on a given target. As a general rule of thumb, if the enemy team is geared toward jumping on your team and bursting hard - against heroes like Kerrigan or Jaina, and combinations like Tyrael or Diablo with Tyrande, - Divine Shield is the right pick. Take Divine Storm when the enemy team doesn't revolve around a one-shot damage spike.
Key Talents
Level 1: Conjurer's Pursuit -OR- Reach -OR- Block
or or 
Conjurer's Pursuit increases Mana Regeneration by .5 per second - Every 3 Regeneration Globes gathered grants an extra +.25 Mana/second permanently.
Reach increases the range of Holy Light and Flash of Light by 40%.
Block periodically reduces the damage received from Hero basic attacks by 50%. Stores up to 2 charges with an 8 second cooldown.
Uther's level 1 talent picks are rather diverse and useful in various game situations. As always, his mana consumption poses a problem, and so he relies on picking at least one mana generation talent. Conjurer's Pursuit is very powerful, but doesn't show it until later in the game. By default, his heals are pretty short-range, so if your Illidan is depending on you to keep him alive while he dives into the back line of the enemy team, Reach can be an important tool to keep him up and also maintain safe positioning for yourself. If the matchup requires that your team charge into an enemy Sergeant Hammer, Block can allow you to move in for a crucial stun without spending half of your HP bar. Choosing the correct talent at level 1 requires some forecasting as to how the teamfights will play out. When in doubt, take Conjurer's Pursuit.
Level 4: Hammer of the Lightbringer -OR- Protective Shield
or 
Hammer of the Lightbringer causes your basic attacks to also restore 8 mana.
Protective Shield grants a shield to an allied Hero for 5 seconds, absorbing up to 185 (+35/lvl) damage, 60 second cooldown.
Protective Shield used to be an auto-pick at this tier, for good reason. It complements Uther's burst healing strength and goes a long way toward negating the enemies' burst damage. However, Hammer of the Lightbringer, after its recent changes, is now solidly viable as both a remedy for Uther's mana issues and as a substitute for Conjurer's Pursuit from level 1. Uther has a base attack speed of 1 swing per second, which means if you find yourself clearing a wave or helping with a mercenary camp, you can restore your mana between fights very quickly. It's difficult to determine when and whether this mana generation is worth skipping Protective Shield, but I highly recommend testing its power for yourself.
Level 7: Cleanse -OR- Clairvoyance
or 
Cleanse removes all stuns, roots, and slows from the target and prevents their reapplication for 1 second.
Clairvoyance reveals an area for 10 seconds. Enemies in the area are revealed for 4 seconds.
Crowd control abilities are very strong in this game. It's a theme in MOBAs. Because of this, taking Cleanse is usually more important than opting for Clairvoyance. In limited circumstances - i.e. when the enemy team is critically light on CC abilities - it can be appropriate and useful to choose the latter. Otherwise, stick to Cleanse; learn to use it, learn to love it. (You can read a more in-depth review of its utility in this article.)
Level 16: Benediction
Activate Benediction to reduce the mana cost of your next basic ability by 50 and its cooldown by 10 seconds.
This talent is amazing. It greatly boosts Uther's combat effectiveness at level 16 and beyond, granting either a huge burst of healing or a double-stun, whichever the situation calls for. This pick is about as automatic as it gets: take this talent and marvel as you ascend, the demigod of healing.
Conclusion
Don't blindly smash your face into the enemy, and avoid traveling alone. Uther is a valuable asset for your team, but his low damage and mobility mean he can't get much done by himself. In most circumstances, stay in the back of a fight and use your ranged heals to mitigate the opponents' initial burst damage, then look for the right moment to move in and lock them down. If you are taken down prematurely, don't forget to keep throwing Flash of Light for the duration of your ghost.
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