Balmond is an easy to use fighter that can deal lots of damage while being extremely mobile. Here’s everything you need to know to get you started playing the Bloody Beast.

Overview

When it comes to sustained damage, there’s no other fighter that can match Balmond’s raw DPS output. He has great area of effect damage, good crowd control, and can deal true damage thanks to his second skill. Each kill on a minion or an enemy hero will also regenerate a portion of his health so he has pretty good sustain in lane. Balmond’s second skill can also deal critical damage so he can be a pretty heavy hitter in team fights. Needless to say, when it comes to dealing damage, Balmond has no shortage of ways in doing so.

There are a few drawbacks to his kit however. Balmond benefits mostly on building damage items. Due to this, he can be pretty squishy. Almost like a glass cannon where he deals a lot of damage but has very little durability. This can be detrimental in matchups where you’re up against long ranged heroes that can deal burst damage from afar. His crowd control, while pretty good, can’t pin down high priority targets the way other heroes could. Overall, Balmond is a pretty great hero with a solid win rate. If you’re willing to play around his drawbacks and make the most out of his strengths, you have a strong fighter that can help carry games.

Abilities

Balmond’s kit is all about dealing sustained aoe damage. He also has great mobility and an execute to help him finish off low health targets.

Passive – Bloodthirst

Balmond recovers 5% of his Max HP upon a minion or creep kill, and 20% upon an enemy hero kill.

This is a pretty straightforward passive. It’s what gives Balmond enough sustain to allow him to stay in the lane and farm up. It’s what makes him a perfect hero in the EXP Lane. It’s also great in close call situations when dueling as you can just hit a few minions and regenerate before trading back again with your opponent.

First Skill – Soul Lock

Balmond charges forward and deals 150 / 175 / 200 / 225 / 250 / 275 (+60% Total Physical Attack) Physical Damage to enemy units along the way. after hitting the target, he will immediately stop, slightly knocking back and slowing that enemy by 30% for 2 seconds.

This is Balmond’s primary initiation and mobility skill. This allows him to charge into fights, chase targets, or escape ganks. It can’t go through terrain though so be careful not to get yourself stuck in tight spaces.

Second Skill – Cyclone Sweep

For 3 seconds, Balmond brandishes the large axe [7 times], continuously dealing 50 / 80 / 110 / 140 / 170 / 200 (+50% Total Physical Attack) Physical Damage to nearby enemies. Each time an enemy is hit by this skill, the next damage dealt to this enemy by this skill is increased by 25%, capped at 100%(or 100 / 160 / 220 / 280 / 340 / 400 (+100% Total Physical Attack) Physical Damage, for a total of 575 / 920 / 1265 / 1610 / 1955 / 2300 (+575% Total Physical Attack) Physical Damage).

Cyclone Sweep is Balmond’s signature ability. This ability is his main source of damage. It’s pretty easy to use as you literally just walk up to enemies and pop it open. You spin around dealing damage in an aoe. Use this to clear minion waves, to deal damage in teamfights, and to win trades.

Ultimate – Lethal Counter

Balmond raises his giant axe, dealing 400 (+60% Total Physical Attack) plus 20% / 25% / 30% of the target’s lost HP True Damage to enemies in a fan-shaped area in front of him and slowing them by 40% for 2 seconds. Deals up to 1300 damage to non-hero units.

Balmond’s ultimate is a great tool for initiation or finishing off targets. It has a wide area of effect and deals a decent amount of damage. It’s perfect for ambushing enemies or for just dealing damage in a team fight. Use this ability wisely. If you time it right, you can kill the entire enemy team in one sweep.

Builds

When it comes to builds, all you need to focus on Balmond is increasing his sustain, DPS, and durability. Most of the time, you’ll try running an offtank build to help you last longer in fights. However, if your team has enough tanks and initiation heroes, you can opt for a more damage oriented build focusing on items that give you raw damage to increase the effectiveness of your abilities. Regardless of what build you decide to run, there are two items that you always need to have. These two core items are Bloodlust Axe and War Axe.

• Bloodlust Axe

+70 Physical ATK

+10% CD Reduction

+20% Spell Vamp

• War Axe

+35 Physical ATK
+550 HP
+10% CD Reduction

Unique Passive – Fighting Spirit: Dealing damage to enemies grants 9 Physical Attack and 3 Physical Penetration per second for 3s, to a max of 8 stacks (Marksmen/Mages/Supports only receive 33% of these stacked effects); also grants 15% Movement Speed at full stacks.

It seems fitting that both of the core items are Axes considering he wields one as his weapon. Both of these items give Balmond the stats he needs to succeed. Bloodlust Axe gives him damage and spell vamp which increases his sustain. War Axe lets him deal more damage as the fight goes on which works heavily in his favor since he excels in extended fights.

Useful Tips

1. For emblems, always go with the Fighter set and take Festival of Blood as your talent. This increases Balmond’s spell vamp by 8% and continually increases every time he gets a kill up to a maximum of 12%.
2. For your Battle Spell, go with either Flicker or Sprint. Flicker is the all purpose battle spell that gives you an additional blink to help you escape or chase targets. Sprint works similarly although instead of a blink, it drastically increases your movement speed which can allow you to stick to your targets better or outrun your opponents.
3. Balmond is weak against opponents that can prevent him from getting too close or outlasting his damage. His biggest counters are Nana, Chou, Eudora, and Alpha. These heroes are strong against Balmond in all stages of the game so you need to be careful and rethink your strategy when up against them.

So there you have it! That’s everything you need to know on how to play Balmond in Mobile Legends. Be sure to check back with us again for more awesome guides on your favorite games. Have fun!