Rogue Heroes

Rogue Heroes

This is a compilation of all the Rogue Heroes in Battleborn. Check the changelog every so often to see if a guide for your favorite character has been added!

 

Whiskey Foxtrot (Attacker)

 

Biography: Unlike his clone contemporary Oscar Mike, Whiskey Foxtrot (unit RDC-WF02-1221) originated from a batch of defective troopers, and is the last surviving member of his line. Rejected by the Peacekeepers, Foxtrot joined up with the Rogues after arriving in Solus. Full information on Whiskey Foxtrot's abilities, weapons, and talents can be found in-game or here.

 

How to Play Whiskey Foxtrot:

Whiskey Foxtrot is an annoyance the whole game before slowly evolving into a nightmare at level 10. Undoubtedly, if you're playing against a Whiskey Foxtrot, you want to end the game before he gets his final Helix. And similarly, if you're playing as Whiskey Foxtrot, you want to get that level 10 Helix ASAP.

With your basic ironsights, your accuracy is pretty poor. Your bullets will fire just a bit below the tip of the reticule, not actually where the reticule is. Additionally, your recoil is a bit bad, so drag your mouse ever so slightly downwards every time you shoot, and aim just a hair above your target's head (unless you just want to fill them with body shots).

Use your Overdrive when there's a gigantic, otherwise unmanageable enemy minion wave, or the enemies are getting a bit too close for your liking. Especially once you reach Helix 10, use that Overdrive to punish any enemies that are getting a bit too cocky. And know that with an enemy Reyna, your Helix level 10 renders her support abilities useless.

Flak Cannon should be used either to assist you in escaping (jump while sprinting, turn around mid-air and knock them backwards with it before turning back and running again), or to knock enemies back towards your team (the fight ain't over yet!). It's also a good tool for hitting enemies away from a team mate that they really want to kill.

As Whiskey Foxtrot, clearing out minion waves on Incursion is a cakewalk. Fire a Sticky Bomb at them, maybe a Flak Cannon (if there's no enemies nearby you might want to use it on later), and open fire. Keeping pressure on enemy minion waves is one of the most important things to keep in mind on Incursion, and Whiskey Foxtrot does it very well.

Like most ranged characters, Whiskey Foxtrot is not a tank. Stay at the back of the line, unless you're going to be rushing in to fire a Sticky Bomb and screw with your enemies' formation with Flak Cannon. If the enemy team focuses you, you'll more than likely die. So stay mobile, keep that gun firing, and be sure to throw a Sticky Bomb at an overextending enemies' face every now and then.

One of your biggest strengths is your passive. If there's a squishy minion nearby, or even a Stinger Turret or something, try to kill it before firing on your enemy. Once you kill an enemy, you'll deal 25% increased damage for 10 seconds. That's very significant, especially with Shield Penetration. That extra damage can make or break a fight, so be sure to pick off any easy targets you can before opening fire on your enemies, if at all possible. Use common sense, though; if an enemy is clawing at your face, it's not very smart to focus down a Thumper Turret. A smarter option would be to run to a minion wave, fire down a sticky bomb, and stay in the middle of the explosion radius, so that you'll both kill a minion to trigger your passive, and force your enemy to either take the damage or back off. This is an even better option with the Killer Regen Mutation; getting heals mid-fight just from a minion kill can turn the tide in your favor very easily.

Aside from his amazing level 10 Helix, Whiskey Foxtrot excels most at being unpredictable. His Ultimate turns his very predictable 3-shot burst damage into a barrage of metal and pain, no reloads required. Mid-fight, instead of just firing a few bullets at you, he can launch a handful of random scrap metal in your face to deal significant damage and screw up your positioning. Not to mention, if he gets a Sticky Bomb on you, you might not even notice, and instead just move to the side, thinking you've avoided that burst of damage, and keeping you in the fight longer than you otherwise would have stayed.

Lastly, while headshots are important, and you should definitely take headshots where you can get them, it's more important to hit your target more frequently than it is to miss most of your shots and get one critical hit. Headshots are easy on NPC Thralls, not so much on enemy Battleborn. So instead, focus on pumping your enemies full of large quantities of bullets, rather than nicking their head every once in a while. On enemies like Miko, where the critical hit point is a huge target, go for it. But otherwise, you should focus for once on quantity instead of quality (unless you have absolutely amazing aim with such a low-accuracy weapon, in which case, ignore me).

 

Helixes:

The following is the list of Helixes I used in both Story missions and Versus matches. Some slight adjusts should be made depending on the match, but for the most part, this build worked very well.

1. Flak Off (Scrap Cannon now pushes enemies backwards). Not only great for pushing a retreating enemy back into your team, this also helps you escape from an undesirable situation when you jump in the air and fire it behind you.

2. Scrap Bank (Adds 2 charges to Scrap Cannon that don't cause the ability to go on cooldown). This gives you much more constant pushback (allowing you to push an enemy back towards your team three times), and lets you deal more damage more consistently.

3. Scoped Up (Fits your rifle with an ACOG scope that increases zoom and increases scoped accuracy by 30%). Let's face it, Whiskey Foxtrot's base accuracy is crap. Your shots go just under where your basic reticule is, not where it's actually looking. This lets you aim more effectively, and harass enemies from farther away; both very nice features.

4. Stick n' Sap (Enemies stuck with your Sticky Bomb now take damage over time on their Health and Shield while it's stuck to them). While it can be difficult to hit an enemy with a Sticky Bomb sometimes, it's now much more rewarding when you do. The damage is very good, and it helps get your explosion right through their shield. Plus, the alternative Helix, Triple Threat, has such a minimal increase in damage, and keeps you slow and vulnerable for way too long.

5. Reload Burst (Your reload speed is increased by 35% for 10 seconds after you kill something). Lets you kill something, then kill more things soon after, and so on and so on. Very nice Helix, especially paired with your built-in extra damage from kills. (Having unlocked the Mutation Killer Regen, I believe Killer Regen is a better choice, if it's available to you. It keeps you in a fight longer, especially if you take a moment or so to shoot down an enemy minion.)

6. Sticky Speed (Your sticky bombs travel 40% faster). This lets you stick enemies with your Sticky Bomb much easier. Plus, the alternative Helix that pushes you backwards when you use Scrap Cannon is essentially useless; the pushback given to you is insignificant, unless you're flying through the air. Nice for Benedict maybe, but not for you.

7. Duct-Taped Mages (Every other reload is now 60% faster). The "every other reload" schtick can be a bit frustrating, but the reload speed is still too good to pass up. Just make sure to use your slow reload while out of combat, so that your nearly instant one is available when you need it mid-fight.

8. Long Distance Flak (Increases density and range of your Scrap Cannon shots). This lets you not only hit enemies with Scrap Cannon easier, but it also knocks them backwards much farther if you hit them directly. This makes your little frustrating knockback with Scrap Cannon into a death sentence. And you've got three of them!

9. Swift Stickies (Reduces cooldown of Sticky Bomb by 25%). More frequent saps, explosions, and bombs? Yes, please.

10. What Shields? (Overdrive bullets bypass enemy shields entirely). Inarguably one of the best Helixes in the entire game. This renders an enemy Reyna entirely useless, and makes you a nightmare for the enemy team. That's 75 rapid-fire bullets that entirely ignore enemy shields. The best use for this is to activate it when a cocky enemy low on health but with a full shield (or even better, an Overshield) is pushing too far. You can shut down nearly anyone with this Helix.

 

Loadouts:

Whiskey Foxtrot's power lies in his level 10 Helix. Therefore, using shards on your Loadout rather than using them on build nodes for XP is questionable. If anything, build Shield Penetration for early game, and Shard Generation. The rest of your shards should go to building on build nodes for experience. If you reach level 10 and you still have shards, then have the final item in your loadout be Sprint Speed. Running circles around your enemies and hitting them backwards with Flak Cannon will be even easier now.

 

How to Unlock Whiskey Foxtrot:

Achieve Command Rank 16 OR Win 15 matches.

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Toby (Defender)

 

Biography: Despite his talent for engineering, Toby was rejected as a potential Peacekeeper conscript due to his adorable and diminuitive form. Toby then offered his genius to the Rogues, where he can pour his anxious, self-loathing energy into the construction of walking death machines. Full information on Toby's abilities, weapons, and talents can be found in-game or here.

 

How to Play Toby:

More information coming soon.

 

How to Unlock Toby:

Achieve Command Rank 24 OR Win 5 matches as a Rogue Hero.

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Shayne & Aurox (Attacker[s])

Portrait

 

Biography: Bound by an uneasy alliance, this 16-year-old, boomerang-slinging punk and her companion omnidimensional horror are one of the Rogue's best brawler teams. Formidable on their own but fearsome together, Shayne and Aurox fight for nobody but themselves, and like it that way. Full information on Shayne and Aurox's abilities, weapons, and talents can be found in-game or here.

 

How to Play Shayne & Aurox:

Shayne & Aurox together create an interesting and complex Hero.

Keep in mind that their bond goes beyond just visuals. If you're close enough to an enemy while basic attacking, then both Aurox and Shayne will be hitting them. Similarly, Aurox's attacks can reach a bit farther than Shayne's. In addition, whenever you use your Ultimate ability, all of your other abilities won't be available, as Aurox won't be there to do them with you. Don't maim yourself at a bad time by using your Ultimate without thinking about it.

Your Fetch ability isn't just good at dealing damage and bringing an enemy to you, it can also bring an enemy to your team. Dragging an enemy in the middle of your entire team means it's over for them. Additionally, you can use Sneak Attack to escape from an undesirable situation just as much as you can use it to get into a better position to take out an enemy player.

Shayne & Aurox's secondary attack is a Boomerang. This does pretty minimal damage, so don't rely on it too much. The best thing it's used for is a bit of poke at a distance, softening up an enemy minion wave, and trying to finish off a retreating enemy who's too far away for a melee, while Fetch is on cooldown. Sure, the last thing is a bit specific, but it happens more often than you'd expect.

You can cancel your Sneak Attack early by pressing the button again, so do your best to get in a good position before coming out of it. And make sure to focus down any supports before anyone else; if someone's healing your target, then odds are, that target is not going to die.

Shayne & Aurox are able to be extremely aggressive while also being extremely elusive. Don't leave your team hanging when a team fight begins, and definitely don't throw boomerangs the whole time. You have a right to be in the enemy's face every second of every minute, so long as you have a decent health pool at your back.

If an enemy is chasing you and you've already burned all your other abilities, place your Ultimate down in a choke point. They can either chase you and get horribly damaged, or back off. Either way, either you or your team is going to be benefiting.

And one final tip, it's good in one-on-one fights to stall for time until your skills come off their cooldown. Run circles around your enemy and dodge their attacks until you're able to throw another Fetch their way. That 2-second stun (provided you select that Helix) makes any enemy a fish in a barrel.

 

Helixes:

The following is the Helixes that I believe work best for Shayne & Aurox to stay alive and slaughter their enemies. Most of the available Helixes are actually very good options, so this is by no means the only way to build this Hero.

1. Welcome Committee (After hitting an enemy with Fetch, gain an Overshield). Overall a better option than Aura of Annoyance; while the other Helix gives away your position way worse than a shimmer ever could, Welcome Committee helps you stay alive in the midst of a fight, and is a good way to get some extra shields while running away.

2. Wait For the Drop (At the end of Stealth Strike, slow nearby enemies for 3 seconds). This slow keeps enemies within range of your attacks, helping you deal way more damage than just a 25% boost that's offered by the alternative Helix.

3. Hulk Out With Your Djinn Out (Increase Shield Regeneration by 105 per second). Crazy good shield regen that's far more useful than the iffy Boomerang attack.

4. Holding It Down (Fetch now stuns for 2 seconds instead of pulling). While the pull of Fetch is nice, a 2 second stun is way more useful, both in 1v1's and chasing scenarios.

5. The Immortal Aegis (Every time any skill concludes, trigger your shield regen). Overall, this'll keep you in a fight for longer. It also pairs nicely with Holding It Down in a 1v1 scenario, as your shield will regen, and they can't stop it, due to the stun.

6. Shield Smasher (60% of Fetch's damage penetrates shields). This Helix makes Fetch an absolutely terrifying ability, especially with the other Fetch Helixes in this build. Stunning an enemy, dealing good damage to their health, and regenerating your shield while they can't stop it.

7. Bigger, Badder Djinn (+240 Maximum Shield Strength). The bigger shield, paired with the Overshield Helixes, massively helps your sustain. While the HP Regen from Alone Time is nice, having more shield is better in the long run.

8. Djinn to the Face (Increases damage of Stealth Strike's final impact by 15%). This makes activating Stealth Strike and immediately ending it even more viable; a nice burst of damage from out of nowhere is bound to freak out any enemy.

9. Sic 'Em, Aurox! (Increases Fetch damage by 15%). Especially paired with the stun and shield penetration Helixes, this Helix makes Fetch by far your best damage-dealing ability. At this point, you'll be especially terrifying in one-on-ones.

10. Aurox Beckons (During Ultimate, Aurox pulls in nearby enemies, slowing them). The other Helix, Aurox Hungers, sounds nice in theory, but the massive damage dealt by the Ultimate pretty much makes the shield regen useless. Adding in an extra slow keeps enemies in the damaging zone longer, and makes landing your Fetch much easier.

 

Loadouts:

In my opinion, since Fetch is so harmful to enemies, your Loadouts should focus on Skill Damage and Cooldown Reduction. If need be, Attack Speed is a decent option. But Skill Damage, allowing your abilities to do more by percentage, and Cooldown Reduction, letting you use your high-damaging abilties more frequently, are the far better options.

 

How to Unlock Shayne and Aurox:

Achieve Command Rank 6 OR Complete 5 co-op missions or matches with at least one other player.

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Reyna (Supporter)

 

Biography: Known as "the Valkyrie", Reyna Valeria is one of the few Battleborn native to the Solus system, and the ad-hoc leader of the Rogues. Reyna uses her command glove to shield her allies from danger and mark targets for swift retribution. Full information on Reyna's abilities, weapons, and talents can be found in-game or here.

 

How to Play Reyna:

Reyna is one of the more dangerous supports available. She's much different than Miko in that she sets her support ability (Shield Booster) on an ally, maybe fills up their shield with Plasma Pulse, but then she's mostly directly involved in the fight.

Of course, if your Shield Booster is available, keep an eye out for an ally that needs it. It can easily save someone's life more often than you might think. Otherwise though, participate in fights; Reyna's basic attacks aren't half bad.

Be sure to use Priority Target on enemies that dive-bomb your team, or enemies that are extending just a bit too far. Especially with the Lockdown Helix, Priority Target can be a death sentence for any enemy it hits.

Because of how easy it is for Plasma Pulse to overheat (after about 6 shots), it's best to only use it on shielded enemies, and to use your pistols otherwise. Specifically in Incursion though, Plasma Pulse shots excel at taking down Sentry shields, so don't be afraid to get a couple hits in to help your minion waves out.

It's important to remember that all the buffs Helixes give to your Shield Booster Overshield don't just apply to your target, they apply to you as well. So once your Shield Booster heals, returns damage, and heals up the shield, do your best to always have an ally by your side. You can't activate the shield without an ally, and minions don't count, so be sure to stick with the team. If you're about to die, try to throw out a Shield Booster as well.

Your Ultimate isn't exactly good until Helix 10, so until that point, use it to shut down areas from ranged enemy fire. For instance, in a long-lasting teamfight, there may be an enemy Marquis constantly shooting down your allies' shields during an otherwise even fight. Throw down your Ultimate to deny your enemy easy ranged kills. This also helps your ranged allies get free hits on your enemies without repercussions.

Reyna isn't the best support, but she makes up for it with the high amount of damage she can deal as a support. Always be helping your team mates out whenever possible, but keep in mind that you can be a painful experience for any enemies you come across.

 

Helixes:

These are the Helixes I use whenever I play Reyna. I feel they're the best for supporting your team, which is really your main priority in the end. Reyna has pretty good damage for a support, but as long as your Shield Booster is off cooldown, you should be looking for a team mate to help out.

1. Electrostatic Induction (Using Shield Booster on an ally instantly restores some of their shield). This makes your Overshield even better at saving allies from the brink of death, and plus, it's less time you need to Plasma Pulse their shield up.

2. Lockdown (Basic attacks and Plasma Pulse shots slow Priority Targets for 3 seconds). Your allies already focus your Priority Target (if they know what they're doing), but now your basic attacks keep enemies in range for their death even longer.

3. Plasma Burst (Plasma Pulse shots explode, dealing damage to nearby enemies). Enemies that're grouping up will now all take damage, especially very good shield damage. This is a bit better than just 18% better pistol damage, in my opinion.

4. Vital Protocol (When a Shield Booster is applied, heal the receiver in addition to granting an Overshield). This Helix makes you even better at supporting. Especially since, with the existence of Shield Penetration, just Overshields aren't enough.

5. Improvised Tactics (While your Overshield from Shield Booster is active, your cooldowns are reduced by 15%). This not only lets you set more Priority Targets, it lets you re-set your Overshield more frequently.

6. Vigilance (Your Overshields can take more damage before breaking). The use for this is obvious; your power as a support character can use this. (Having unlocked the Therapeutic Booster Mutation, I'd say to choose that instead if the enemy team has a large amount of crowd control. You should be able to tell if they do by this point in the game.)

7. Pulse Pounder (Increases damage of Plasma Pulse by 18%). This Helix will help you melt through enemy shields quicker, especially with the Plasma Pulse's explosions.

8. Dogpiler (Increases damage done to Priority Targets by 16%). While the alternate Helixes' extra 4 seconds is nice, your allies will usually start attacking a marked enemy right away; it's better to get them out of the fight sooner, rather than have a larger window for bonus damage.

9. Kinetic Deflection (15% of the damage that Shield Booster absorbs is reflected back at the attacker). A minor version of ISIC's best Helix, this makes you and whatever ally you use Shield Booster on dangerous to attack. That Overshield never looked so terrifying. 

10. Mobility Module (Photonic Module now lasts 4 seconds longer, and follows Reyna around). A great Helix, allowing your ranged allies within the shield to attack enemies, while enemies aren't able to attack back. Not with ranged attacks, anyway.

 

Loadout:

In my opinion, Reyna's Loadout should focus on Shard Generation, Health, and Shield. Every one of Reyna's Helixes is a significant buff, so it's important to get them as soon as possible. Shards let you do that. And the extra health and shield helps keep Reyna in the fight longer, supporting her team mates like she's supposed to.

 

How to Unlock Reyna:

Achieve Command Rank 8 OR Get 50 assists in Versus matches.

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Orendi (Attacker)

 

Biog​raphy: Unhinged, unpredictable, and feared even by members of her own faction, Orendi channels bursts of chaotic energy to ravage her opponents at incredible speed, and seeks to test herself against the greatest challenges Solus has to offer. Full information on Orendi's abilities, weapons, and talents can be found in-game or here.

 

How to Play Orendi:

More information coming soon.

 

How to Unlock Orendi:

Starter Character.

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