This is a community-driven one-for-all Steel build guide. You are welcome to update it if you see any aspect of his gameplay is missed. All updates are moderated. Feel free to read this Steel Guide through and ask your questions here or at our Discord server.
Last updated on May-13: updated to reflect changes from v40.0 (May-16 2017)
Table of Contents
- TL;DR
- Overview
- Abilities Analysis
- Deck Considerations
- Build #1 (Damage)
- Build #2 (Max Support)
- Gameplay
- Heroes Synergy
- Steel Updates
TL;DR on Steel
Steel is a melee tank who uses his shield to protect his allies. Steel can use his shield defensively to block incoming damage or offensively as a means of crowd control.
When playing Steel, pick up cards that increase your Health, Basic and Ability Resistances.
Early game use your abilities to zone out enemies and keep them from gathering amber. Steel can take a ton of punishment with his Bulwark.
Bull Rush knocks enemies back in the direction you're moving.
As soon as you have your Ultimate, Shield Slam, look to set up kills for your allies. So initiate with your Ultimate then Bull Rush enemies back into your team. Late game your ability to lock enemies down is crucial. When initiating a fight, target the enemy damage dealers and don't forget, Force Shield deployed with Bulwark blocks enemy projectiles.
Lore of Steel
Steel Overview
Steel's Strengths
- Coming soon
Steel's Weaknesses
- Coming soon
Steel's Abilities Analysis
- Punch (Basic Attack)
Melee basic attack dealing Basic Damage.
- Base damage is 58 and increases by 1 each Hero level up to 72 at level 15.
- Attack speed increases with Hero level.
- Ability Card scaling factor is 60%.
- Bulwark (Alternate Ability)
Steel deploys his shield, crouching behind it for a short period of time. The shield blocks all enemy projectiles and applies a 3 seconds of Slow to enemies that are touching it.
Re-triggering or attacking will cancel the ability early.
- Cooldown remains constant 18 seconds at all ability levels.
- Base cost is 80 Mana and increases by 10 each ability level up to 110 Mana at level 4.
- Base Ability duration is 4 seconds and increases by 1 each ability level up to 7 seconds at level 4.
- Slow effect remains constant 180 at all ability levels.
- Bull Rush (Primary Ability)
Steel charges forward 1600 units, dealing Ability Damage and knocking back any enemy heroes he hits. Enemy minions will be knocked up.
- Base damage is 75 and increases by 45 each ability level up to 210 at level 4.
- Cooldown remains constant 12 seconds at all ability levels.
- Base cost is 65 Mana and increases by 5 each ability level up to 80 Mana at level 4.
- Ability Card scaling factor is 80%.
Good initiation and escape ability keeping in mind the fact that ranged attacks distance is 1300 units. Very often is used right after the ultimate to prolong "knockedup" state of a targeted enemy and bring it closer to your team for focused fire.
- Ablative Armor (Secondary Ability)
[Passive]: Grants Steel four stacks of 50 / 65 / 80 / 95 Ability Armor up to 4 stacks. Taking Ability Damage removes one stack. Steel gains one stack every 6 / 5 / 4 / 3 seconds. This timer is reset whenever he takes new instances of Ability Damage.
- Shield Slam (Ultimate Ability)
Steel slams down at a targeted area, knocking up all enemies, dealing Ability Damage and also applying Stun for 2 seconds.
- Base damage is 210 and increases by 110 each ability level up to 430 at level 3.
- Stun effect remains constant 2 seconds at all ability levels.
- Base cooldown is 90 seconds and decreases by 15 each ability level down to 60 seconds at level 3.
- Base cost is 50 Mana and increases by 35 each ability level up to 120 Mana at level 3.
- Ability Card scaling factor is 90%.
You can target an area not further than 900 units away from you which is pretty much close. For instance Basic Attack range is 1200 units. Radius of Shield Slam impact is 450 units.
An extremely impactful ability since it knockups all enemies in AOE making them helpless for 2 seconds. Which is a lot for a good initiation. A well landed Slam can disable an entire enemy team giving you and your teammates those precious seconds to focus down a carry or to pick off a dangerous initiator.
Alternatively Shield Slam is an awesome AOE interruption tool. In a team-fight be patient. Wait until you see enemies going all-in and charging all their abilities into your teammate. Disable them all at once with one Slam and see them melting down in a cross-fore of your allies.
Steel's Deck Considerations
Coming soon.
Core Cards for Steel
Coming soon.
Steel Build #1 (Damage)
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | |||||||||||
| ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | |||||||||||
| ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ||||||||||||
| ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
Starter Hand
Build Order
+ Quartzblade ← 
Minor Cast Minor Cast Minor Cast
+ Silverspear ← Minor Cast Minor Cast Minor Cast
+ 
Windcarver Blade ← 
Kinetic Kinetic Kinetic
+ Honor the Pure ← 
Health Health Health
+ 
Adamant Edge ← Minor Cast Minor Cast Minor Cast
+ Quartzblade ← 
Cast Cast Health
+ Silverspear ← Cast Cast Cast
+ Elysian Diamond ← 
Major Cast Divine Health Major Cast
+ Lord's Ward ← Divine Health Health 
Lesser Health
Final hand
Silverspear ← Cast Cast Cast
Honor the Pure ← Health Health Health
Windcarver Blade ← Kinetic Kinetic Kinetic
Lord's Ward ← Divine Health Health Lesser Health
Quartzblade ← Cast Cast Health
Elysian Diamond ← Major Cast Divine Health Major Cast
Steel Build #2 (Max Support)
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | |||||||||||
| ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | |||||||||||
| ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ||||||||||||
| ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
Starter Hand
Build Order
+ Circlet of Health ← Lesser Health Divine Health Divine Health
+ 
Tuned Barrier ← Lesser Health Divine Health Divine Health
+ 
Brawler's Ward ← Minor Cast Major Cast Major Cast
+ 
Burst-Engine ← Minor Cast Major Cast Major Cast
+ 
Tempered Plate ← Lesser Health Divine Health Divine Health
Final hand
Brawler's Ward ← Minor Cast Major Cast Major Cast
Burst-Engine ← Minor Cast Major Cast Major Cast
Tempered Plate ← Lesser Health Divine Health Divine Health
Tuned Barrier ← Lesser Health Divine Health Divine Health
Circlet of Mana ← Lesser Health Divine Health Divine Health
Circlet of Health ← 
Basic Mana Advanced Mana Advanced Mana
Gameplay with Steel
Early Game
Coming soon.
Mid Game
Coming soon
Late Game
Coming soon
Tips and Tricks with Steel
- Coming soon
Heroes Synergy
Steel and Dekker
Double Stun
If you manage to get a team with Steel and Dekker you will get an opportunity to combine their two stuns together to isolate and eliminate your target. Well, actually three stuns since we are talking about Shield Slam, Bull Rush and Stasis Bomb. If you manage to land them all in a perfect order you will have about 5 seconds of stun which is nearly a 100% secured kill. The same is applicable to Narbash (Thunk) and Rampage (Boulder Throw),
Steel Updates
v40.0 (May-16 2017)
Force Shield
- Has been removed.
- Has been reworked:
- Steel now deploys a smaller, attached Force Shield as an extension of his shield while channeling Bulwark.
- Duration increased (4 seconds at all levels → 4 / 5 / 6 / 7)
New Ability: Ablative Armor (E / Circle)
- Passive: Grants Steel four stacks of 50 / 65 / 80 / 95 Ability Armor (For a total of 200 / 260 / 320 / 380 Ability Armor).
- Taking Ability Damage removes one stack.
- Steel gains one stack every 6 / 5 / 4 / 3 seconds. This timer is reset whenever he takes new instances of Ability Damage.
v38.3 (Mar-13 2017)
Bulwark
- No longer occasionally blocks the pull of Grux’s Smash & Grab
Force Shield
- Force Shield builds and becomes active .5 seconds faster
v38.1 (Feb-28 2017)
Shield Slam
- Reduced range to 900 from 1500.
- Reduced radius to 450 from 500.
