AThe Falling Snow
The Falling Snow Passive
On auto attack, reduce Karsu's Max Mana by 1 (Min: 40). After Stall (15), Snowpiercer arrows gain 33 (+33 per Rank) Crit.
Hero
Karsu
Tier A
Duelist
The Finisher
Karsu tier and best specialization
A
A tier on patch 0.5.12
Karsu is rarely picked, but runs that keep him win more often than with any other hero, and often on SSS too, though that sample is small. Player lists still rate him C, a boss killer weak in regular fights, so he stops at A.
Plays in these tier list comps
Specializations, best first
Picked at rank B and locked for the run. The order weighs what each one does for this hero in the comps that win, not the ability on its own.
- AThe Falling Snow PassiveAuto attacks shrink his Max Mana, and after Stall (15) Snowpiercer arrows gain Crit; patch 0.5.9 buffed it, and its runs win the most of his three.
- A
The Warband PassiveEvery cast adds Crit, Attack and Attack Speed that other Duelists inherit; Rush Duelists Stack runs it and 0.5.9 buffed it again, though one player calls it bait. - B
The Frostbite Passive · +WarriorMakes him a Warrior whose auto attacks fire an extra Frost arrow; no published comp uses it and its runs win the least of his three.
Tiers are reviewed by hand after each patch (latest: 0.5.12), weighing the runs players share, most of them in Red Rift, the comps that clear the high difficulties, current player tier lists and recent balance changes. All 25 heroes side by side are on the hero tier list.
Karsu fires a volley whose arrow count scales on Attack Speed, up to fourteen, each one applying Frost. He is area control disguised as a Duelist: at 5 range he never enters the fight, and a full volley slows an entire board at once.
The Warband feeds the other Duelists
Every Snowpiercer cast under The Warband permanently gives Karsu 2 Crit, 3 Attack and 4 Attack Speed (3 before 0.5.5). Each new combat opens with the other Duelists receiving everything the spec has given him so far, Backup included, and the banked Attack Speed also adds arrows to his own volleys, one per 50. A rank S Karsu on this spec anchors Rush Duelists Stack, passing the stats to Irini and Nyx.
His two upgrades there serve the same group. Freezing Acceleration, at rank A, gives any Duelist 2 Attack Speed whenever it attacks an enemy with Frost, and every Snowpiercer arrow inflicts 3 Frost plus 2 per rank. Critical Timing, at rank S, grants +50% Crit for Rush (10) and again after Stall (20).
Borrowed Burn
Sword of Combustion gives 30 Attack Speed and 40 Attack, and each auto attack adds bonus damage matching however much Burn the target carries. None of Karsu's own abilities inflict Burn; in the Stack build it comes from Duelist's Flame Banner, 3 Burn on every Duelist auto attack. His second item, Lone Wolf's Bow, splashes only if no hero stands within 2 hexes of him when combat starts; his attack range of 5, shared only with Hoyoung, is the longest on the roster.
Arrows without The Warband
The Falling Snow lost its flat 5 extra arrows when Snowpiercer was rewritten in 0.5.4. Each auto attack now takes a point off his Max Mana, from 85 down to a floor of 40, so his Mana bar shrinks as the fight goes on, and after Stall (15) Snowpiercer arrows gain 25 Crit plus 25 per rank. The Frostbite gives the Warrior class and 40 Attack instead, and each auto attack fires an extra arrow that inflicts 1 Frost plus 1 per 100 Attack Speed. His base Attack has been 33 since 0.5.3, up from 30, when both his Max and Starting Mana also rose by 5.
Base stats
- Health
- 650
- Defence
- 29
- Attack
- 33
- Crit
- 15
- Magic
- 0
- Range
- 5
- Max mana
- 85
- Mana regen
- 4
What Karsu gains per rank
A hero climbs C → B → A → S — 3 upgrades in all. Every stat rises at the same rate on every hero, with one exception: the primary stat of the class rises three to four times faster. For Karsu that stat is Attack speed.
| Stats | Per rank | C → S |
|---|---|---|
| Health | +12.5% | +37.5% |
| Defence | +8 | +24 |
| Attack | +6 | +18 |
| Magic | +6 | +18 |
| Attack speedprimary | +20 | +60 |
| Crit | +4 | +12 |
| Mana regen | +1 | +3 |
Health rises as a percentage of base health; every other stat is a flat addition. The specialization is chosen at rank B, and the class modifier pools open at A and S.
Starting ability
Snowpiercer Active
Loose a volley of 5 (+1 per 50 Attack Speed) arrows at nearby enemies. Each arrow deals 25 (+100% Attack, +100% Magic) damage and inflicts 3 (+2 per Rank) Frost. Max Arrows: 14
Specializations
A hero unlocks one of these at rank B. The choice is locked for the run, and it decides which role the hero ends up playing.
AThe Warband
The Warband Passive
On cast, permanently gain 2 Crit, 3 Attack, and 4 Attack Speed. At start of combat, other Duelists gain all stats gained from this ability. Backup.
BThe Frostbite
Extra classes it can gain: Warrior
Gain the Warrior class and 40 Attack.
The Frostbite Passive
On auto attack, fire an additional arrow that inflicts 1 (+1 per 100 Attack Speed) Frost and deals 1% (+10% Attack) of normal auto attack damage.
Class upgrades
Picked at rank A and again at rank S. Drawn from the shared pool for the hero class, so two heroes of the same class compete for the same upgrades.
Burning Attacks
On auto attack, inflict 1 (+1 per 33 Attack Speed) Burn (Max: 10).
Burning Acceleration
Whenever a
Duelist attacks an enemy with Burn, they gain 2 Attack Speed. Backup.
Poisonous Attacks
On auto attack, inflict 1 (+1 per 50 Attack Speed) Poison (Max: 6).
Poisonous Acceleration
Whenever a
Duelist attacks an enemy with Poison, they gain 2 Attack Speed. Backup.
Freezing Attacks
On auto attack, inflict 1 (+1 per 80 Attack Speed) Frost (Max: 6).
Freezing Acceleration
Whenever a
Duelist attacks an enemy with Frost, they gain 2 Attack Speed. Backup.
Debuff Velocity
On auto attack, gain 1 Crit and 1 Attack per Debuff on the target.
Rush Dynamo
Duelists gain 1 Attack Speed per Rush trigger this game. Backup.
Critical Timing
For Rush (10), gain +50% Crit. After Stall (20), gain +50% Crit.
Critical Invigoration
On Crit, heal 50% Crit health and gain 3 Mana.
Rolling Speed
Duelists gain 2 Attack Speed per reroll this game. Backup.
Golden Eye
Every 9 auto attacks, gain 1 Shard.
Ranger
Gain 1 Range and 40 Attack Speed.
Scaling Speed
At start of combat, if this Hero is adjacent to exactly one other Hero they both permanently gain 25 Attack Speed.
Stall Dynamo
Duelists gain 1 Attack Speed per Stall trigger this game. Backup.
Guildrun Heroes
Questions people ask
What tier is Karsu in Guildrun?
Karsu is A tier on patch 0.5.12. The strongest specialization is The Falling Snow, rated A.
What class is Karsu in Guildrun?
Karsu is a Duelist hero with 650 health, 29 defence, 33 attack and 15 crit at rank C.
Which specializations can Karsu take?
Karsu has 3 paths: The Falling Snow, The Warband, The Frostbite. One is picked at rank B and stays locked for the rest of the run.
What does Karsu gain per rank?
Every stat rises at each rank, but Attack speed rises three to four times faster than the rest, because it is the primary stat of Karsu’s class. There are 3 upgrades between C and S.
What is Karsu’s starting ability?
Snowpiercer (Active). Loose a volley of 5 (+1 per 50 Attack Speed) arrows at nearby enemies. Each arrow deals 25 (+100% Attack, +100% Magic) damage and inflicts 3 (+2 per Rank) Frost. Max Arrows: 14
What does ranking a hero up actually do?
Rank B unlocks the specialization. Rank A adds a class upgrade. Rank S adds a second class upgrade and a fourth item slot. A hero below rank B cannot take a specialization at all.
Can a hero play outside its class?
Yes, and that is the point of the game. Specializations exist to pull a hero out of its class role. A Mage can end up as the damage carry, a Vanguard can end up generating shards.
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