Battlerite: Pestilus Guide
While far from an expert, I’ve been playing Pestilus almost exclusively from the start of Season 1, and have reached the Diamond league in 3v3. At the time of writing, Pestilus is the newest character in Battlerite, and has some interesting mechanics not seen in other champions. This basic guide is aimed at new Pestilus players to help them choose the best battlerites. Before we begin, let’s take a look at some of this champion’s characteristics.
Pestilus At a Glance
- Spammable M1 heals (much like Poloma’s)
- Decent burst heal in the form of M2 and Q
- Poor mobility (single, slow escape on Space)
- Weak against ranged DPS
- Needs teammates to keep pressure off him
Battlerites
Much like with other champions, I recommend building your Pestilus depending on the composition of the enemy team. There are some rites which are clearly better than others, however. Let’s dive in.
Round 1
Most of Pestilus’ battlerites can be grouped into three rough builds based around his Infest (Space), Bloodsucker (M2), and Queen (Q) abilities, and round 1 is no exception. While new players might be tempted to go for the double Infest, it is actually the weakest rite in the tier. Almost 4 seconds of being effectively invulnerable is nothing to scoff at, but you’re also not doing anything else during that time. No, the real choice this round is between Colony and Broodmother.
Colony spreads Moth by firing out actual Moth projectiles from your target, which can be dodged or countered. It is a good choice when facing ranged teams, and synergizes well with tier 3 rite Insectivore.
Broodmother, on the other hand, is highly useful when facing melee-heavy teams who tend to get in your face. A second panic in addition to your E definitely comes in handy during Sudden Death, too.
Battlerite of choice: Colony or Broodmother (when facing a melee-heavy team).
Round 2
On the off-chance that you went with Scourge in the first round (and you shouldn’t) you might consider Spores. But, really, there’s only one good choice in this tier.
Hardened Carapace not only blocks attacks (including a part of ultimates like Iva’s or Jade’s), but also heals you and everyone in the area of effect while doing so. Your Queen is squishy, and this rite lets it survive longer.
Battlerite of choice: Hardened Carapace.
Round 3
Round 3 is where Pestilus truly starts to shine. We have a choice between an amazing rite, and a gimmicky one which is only occasionally useful. I’m not considering Disperse, and neither should you. Don’t even think of using Infest offensively (to knock your enemies out of position, or otherwise) — as your sole escape ability, it should be saved for the inevitable sticky situation.
Insectivore: hands-down, the best rite in Pestilus’ arsenal. As long as your target is affected by Moth, your M2 will deal 36 damage to an enemy (or heal an ally for the same amount) while only hurting you for 9. And this is on a 4-second cooldown! Move over, Ruh Kaan — I’m the nuker now.
Hive Mind: a fun gimmick that is unique to Pestilus, but ultimately, less useful than the alternative. With its 30 HP, the Queen is often destroyed before it reaches the enemy, giving them free energy (move it right before the time is up to make things harder for your opponents). Works if you tend to play defensively and heal, while your teammates take all the heat.
Battlerite of choice: Insectivore. Possibly Hive Mind if you don’t like using your M2 offensively.
Round 4
Just like in the previous rounds, we are going to ignore Defiler and focus on the other two rites instead.
Overlord: movement speed is hugely important in Battlerite, and every bit helps. This rite synergizes well with Colony in tier 1.
Blight: definitely worth pursuing if you’ve picked all Queen rites up till now. The snare will make it harder for enemies to escape the AoE panic and damage.
Battlerite of choice: Overlord or Blight (if picked all Queen rites up till now).
Round 5
There’s no contest here; the blind is so good that it can turn the tide of the battle. Compared to many other support champions, Pestilus’ ultimate is quite powerful, and this battlerite only makes it better. The only downside is that you won’t get a chance to use it much, as it only comes in round 5.
Battlerite of choice: Blind Beetle.
Finally, let’s take a look at two common builds you will see in the wild.
Bloodsucker Build
My build of choice! You pick Colony > Hardened Carapace > Insectivore > Overlord > Blind Beetle. Keep your Bloodsucker (M2) on cooldown, firing it at both on your allies and enemies as long as they have the Moth effect active. You might need to be a little more aggressive than you are used to in order to make full use of your immense burst.
This build actually enables you to trade M1s with a ranged DPS, up to a point. You should come out on top if you have a Queen healing you up — if not, consider bailing.
Queen Build
For this popular build, simply go “full Queen” with Broodmother > Hardened Carapace > Hive Mind > Blight > Blind Beetle. Despite touting the advantages of the previous build, I’ve used this one a lot for the sheer novelty of ordering your Queen around the battlefield, and can vouch it for being viable up until, and including, the Diamond league.
With this build, you’ll probably find yourself not using your M2 offensively unless left alone (and since you’re a slow healer with a large hitbox , that’s unlikely). Instead, you will be firing your Bloodsucker to blow up the Queen at opportune moments. This battlerite combination works best against melee teams with counter abilities.
Now go and spill some blood for Rasal!
