Maul Hero Class Guide

Playstyle Summary

The Maul is a slow but devastating heavy-weapon hero class. Wielding a giant hammer, Maul warlords excel at wide-swinging blunt attacks that can sweep away groups of units in just a few strikes. In battles, a Maul acts as a frontline bruiser – soaking damage in heavy armor and smashing through enemy lines with massive crowd control (CC). However, Maul fighters are ponderous in movement, making them easy for faster heroes to kite and evade. Overall, the Maul’s playstyle is about engaging boldly, disrupting enemy formations, and delivering crushing blows while relying on toughness and momentum to compensate for its lack of agility.

Core Playstyle Highlights

  • Blunt Damage Specialist: All Maul attacks deal Blunt damage—a type most enemies have lower resistance against.
  • Sweeping AoE Attacks: The Maul’s skills have wide attack arcs, perfect for hitting multiple foes. It thrives in clumped fights, knocking down and damaging entire groups in one combo.
  • High CC and Disruption: The Maul features multiple forms of crowd control, including knockdowns, stuns, and even a grapple.
  • Stamina-Fueled Power: Many Maul abilities have enhanced effects at the cost of stamina.
  • Vulnerable Mobility: The trade-off for this power is slow movement and limited evasiveness.

Strengths

  • Massive AoE Damage: Its wide swings allow you to hit many targets at once, making the Maul extremely effective in sieges or choke-point fights.
  • Strong Crowd Control: With multiple CC tools (such as knockdowns from Bonebreaker/Earthsplitter and stun/knockout from Strike & Grapple), the Maul disrupts enemy plans and creates openings for your team.
  • High Survivability: Heavy armor, high HP (especially if spec’d into Toughness), and defensive runes allow the Maul to soak up significant damage.
  • Teamfight Impact: Well-played, the Maul can isolate enemy heroes and set up AoE knockdowns, enabling your allies to follow up effectively.

Weaknesses

  • Stamina Reliance: Your most powerful moves consume stamina. Running out of stamina leaves you unable to dodge or attack effectively, making you vulnerable.
  • Predictable Attacks: Many Maul strikes have big wind-ups or are easily telegraphed, so savvy opponents can sidestep or counter your attacks.
  • Situational Ultimate (Forge of War): If misused, your ultimate can leave you vulnerable during its slow animation, especially in one-on-one situations.

🔁 Auto-Attack Stagger Cancel

An essential trick for Maul users:

  • Auto-attack → Dodge (into enemy)
    This causes a slight stagger and lets you maintain pressure between skills. Great for locking down heroes or harassing units between cooldowns.

⚔️ Suggested Skill Loadout (Balanced & Effective)

✅ Mjölnir / Mountain Breaker / Earthsplitter / Forge of War

  • Mjölnir – mobility & finisher
  • Mountain Breaker – consistent combo starter, CC cleanse, armor shred
  • Earthsplitter – wide AoE, great for unit clearing
  • Forge of War – safe, uninterruptable damage burst

You can swap Forge with Maelstrom if you’re playing more mobile or flanking styles—but expect less consistency in front-line fights.

Skill Rotation (OLD)

  1. Engage with Mighty Mjölnir: Use the sprinting shoulder charge to close the gap and knock your target off balance.
  2. Follow-up with a Big Swing (Earthsplitter or Bonebreaker): Immediately after your charge, unleash a wide arc attack to hit as many enemies as possible. Choose Bonebreaker for tightly clustered foes or Earthsplitter for spread-out groups.
  3. Spin with Maelstrom: With enemies knocked down or reeling, activate Maelstrom to perform a series of sweeping strikes. Pour in some stamina to maximize the combo, thrashing surrounding units and keeping foes staggered.
  4. Finish or Disengage: At this point, most enemies should be badly hurt or dead. If you’ve chosen Forge of War and the enemy is regrouping, now is the time to slam down and crush the survivors.

Note: The Maul’s rotation is flexible. Sometimes you may initiate with a different skill depending on the situation, but the general pattern is to engage with a stun/knockdown, deal AoE damage, and then manage your stamina to quickly dodge any counterattacks.

Gear & Seasonal Runes (Silla)

Armor Options:
– Guardsman’s Armor (4-piece): For a tankier playstyle, offering an HP boost and all-around defense.
– Hammer of the Gods Armor (4-piece): For aggressive play, reducing Mjölnir cooldown and stamina costs.

Weapon:
Use a Maul with high Blunt damage and Armor Penetration. Look for rolled stats like Critical Value to boost your burst.

Runes:
Equip seasonal runes to shore up weaknesses or enhance your CC. For example, Titanic Shockwave increases Earthsplitter’s AoE by +25%, while Typhon’s Demise gives extra defense and CC immunity during Maelstrom. Additionally, general runes like stamina cost reduction or bonus health synergize well with the Maul’s needs.

TL;DR Summary

  • Role: A heavy AoE bruiser with unparalleled crowd control. Initiate decisively and smash through enemy clusters, but be mindful of your slow speed.
  • Strengths: Massive blunt damage, multiple CC tools, and high durability when built correctly. A well-timed combo can wipe out enemies before they react.
  • Weaknesses: Very slow and stamina-dependent. If you miss your combo or exhaust your stamina, you become vulnerable. Your attacks are also telegraphed, making them easier to dodge.
  • Attribute Build: Generally stack Armor and Toughness for survivability. Some players opt for a 50/50 Armor-Toughness split, while others go for 100% Armor and rely on gear to provide extra defense.
  • In Short: Smash first, ask questions later. As a Maul, you initiate decisively, deliver crushing blows, and control the battlefield with knockdowns and grapples. Manage your stamina and positioning to avoid being countered.