[Hero Wars Guide]Helios

Hero Guide

• This hero’s name is derived from the Greek word for sun, and he is depicted as a sun god in mythology.
• In Hero Wars, he is portrayed as a handsome character with a romantic relationship.
• He specializes in mitigating physical damage. Although classified as a magic DPS, he lacks significant magic penetration. As a result, his role tends to be that of a supplemental damage dealer rather than a primary attacker.

Helios’ strengths and team strategy

• Helios excels as a magic DPS with effective counters to physical attacks.
• His first artifact grants armor, making him very effective against physical teams that lack armor penetration buffs.
• With his third skill, Helios summons protective orbs that block physical attacks. These orbs work differently than barriers, but still provide strong defensive benefits.
• His fourth skill summons sun orbs to counter critical attacks. For each critical hit an opponent receives, Helios will retaliate once. For example, if an opponent’s skill deals four critical hits, Helios will counterattack four times. This makes him especially effective against heroes who rely on frequent critical hits.
• A notable interaction occurs when Isaac counters magic attacks from Helios’ team, often triggering critical hits through combos with Sebastian. In such cases, Helios retaliates in kind, leading to an unpredictable counter-rush where luck plays a significant role.
• Against physical teams, simply including Helios can be a strong strategy. However, without additional Magic penetration – often provided by Orion – its damage output can be limited.
• Helios is especially strong against physical DPS heroes that focus on critical hits, such as Yasmine and Keira. Yasmine, in particular, will struggle against Helios unless she is specifically prepared to counter him.
• Early in the game, Yasmine has a significant advantage, but a leveled Baby Helios can effectively counter her. As a result, some guilds employ a strategy known as the “Yasmine Killer,” where Helios is included with lower-level champions in guild battles. This tactic forces opponents who rely solely on a leveled Yasmine to face a difficult matchup.
• Helios is also an effective counter to Sebastian. With Merlin as his Patron, Helios can consistently trigger critical counters. Alternatively, with Biscuit as his Patron, Helios can overwhelm Sebastian’s ability to cut debuffs.
• With Biscuit as his patron, Helios can serve as a backline hero in control teams. This makes him especially valuable for defending engineers in the Clash of Worlds (CoW) game mode.
• While Helios lacks inherent Magic Penetration as a base stat, he can gain it through Role Branches, Winter Skin, and Merlin’s Patron Effect.
• Building a strong magic team often involves choosing Aurora as a tank, which can make it difficult to incorporate armor buffs. Helios fills this gap by providing armor buffs while fitting seamlessly into magic-based lineups.
• Helios is one of the few DPS heroes that can effectively operate behind Dorian. The classic combination of Orion, Dorian, and Helios-known as “ODH” for their initials-has been a popular strategy for over five years.
• While most magical heroes have low durability against physical attacks and require significant investment to be effective, Helios is an exception. He can perform well with minimal leveling in certain scenarios.

Disadvantages of Helios

• Helios has a limited ability to increase his own magic penetration, requiring team composition to compensate. This limitation is less important early in the game, but becomes a critical factor later.
• Helios’s specialization in countering critical hits makes him a somewhat underwhelming hero for beginners to prioritize. While he was once a key choice for countering Yasmine, the time frame in which beginners rely heavily on Yasmine is relatively short. As a result, when evaluating whether to invest in Helios, players often conclude that Amira could suffice instead. However, Amira generally requires a longer leveling time to become combat-ready than Helios. This resource allocation dilemma often leads novices to choose neither. As a result, there are cases where beginners find success in the very early stages by sticking with Yasmine.
• Historically, Helios has been a popular backline hero for defensive teams. However, many players now prefer alternatives such as Martha, Thea, or Fafnir for such roles.
• Although Helios counters physical attacks, he is less effective against physical teams that do not rely on critical hits.
• Helios’s counter to critical attacks isn’t always active; there are moments when it doesn’t trigger. This opens up opportunities for manual countering. However, the periods when it’s inactive depend on whether Merlin is present, creating a binary decision that can lead to mistakes in some cases.  
• While effective against frequent critical attackers, Helios struggles against heroes with fewer attacks or those who use lifesteal or magic immunity. For example, Ishmael, with both lifesteal and magic immunity, is a poor matchup for Helios.
• The effectiveness of his counters against Yasmine and Keira depends heavily on team composition. When supported by Heroes like Nebula or Fafnir, Yasmine and Keira can mitigate Helios’ counters.
• Helios’ reliance on countering makes him vulnerable to Dorian’s lifesteal buffs, which can neutralize his effectiveness.
• All of Helios’ attacks, including his counters, are magic-based. This makes him easy prey for heroes who specialize in magic defense, such as Rufus and Thea.
• The meta of the game has shifted away from physical-heavy strategies, reducing the utility of Helios as a physical counter. In many cases, teams can successfully counter physical opponents without Helios.
• While Helios has long been a reliable partner to Orion or a key member of magic teams, newer, more powerful heroes like Polaris and Augustus have emerged as strong competitors.
• Helios’ dominance as a critical counter has also waned with the rise of Amira, a powerful alternative with broader utility.
• While Helios benefits greatly from pairing with Orion, the synergy is not equally reciprocal. Orion can work effectively with other heroes, leaving Helios sidelined in modes like Clash of Worlds (CoW) or Grand Arena when Orion is used elsewhere.
• Helios was once a prominent counter to the Dante and Sebastian combo, but he lost this niche role due to a developer nerf – reportedly a bug. This adjustment reduced his presence in the meta and made him a less popular choice.
• Summary of Helios’ challenges :
  1. Limited opportunities: Helios only shines in certain scenarios, which have become increasingly rare.
  2. Team Dependency: His effectiveness often depends on strict team compositions.
  3. Viable Alternatives: Many other heroes offer similar or better value in different situations.
  Despite his potential to excel in certain matchups, Helios has become a less frequently chosen hero since 2025. The rise of more versatile and powerful alternatives has further diminished his standing among players.

Other

T.B.D.

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