Balmond is the fierce orc of Mobile Legends: Bang Bang. After the fall of the orc’s kingdom due to the attack of the demons, his father hoped that he will become someone who can lead their race and bring back their glorious days. Their clan was scattered into different small tribes under the oppression of the demons after their defeat.
Balmond trained relentlessly and his father taught him various types of combat skills. He also studied all kinds of ancient Orc tomes which improved his fighting techniques. When he was old enough, he led a group of Orc fighters to clash against a pack of oppressive demons in their tribe.
The story of their victory spread throughout all of the Orc tribes so they rallied behind Balmond to help him in his rebellion. This enraged Thamuz, the Lord Lava of the demons so he deployed a larger army to fight the orcs. When Balmond’s army was starting to get surrounded, he was still resilient to fight to the bitter end.
During a duel with a demon, Balmond has bitten its throat which sent a large amount of its blood to his body. The demon’s blood gave him a strange transformation and powers that he never had. In his rage, he attacked and defeated a cluster of demons which caused their blood to splatter on the other orcs who also gained unexplainable powers.
This made the demons fear the orcs’ newfound strength so Alice decided to settle their battle with a deal. Balmond agreed to remain loyal to the Abyss in exchange for regaining the entire Roaring Wilderness. His father’s dream of unity among the orcs and the rebuilding of their kingdom was finally going to happen.
Balmond Overview
Balmond used to be a fighter/tank because of his durability but he was back to just being a fighter in one of the previous updates. His most feared skill is the cyclone sweep because of its powerful damage and Area of Effect. This also helps Balmond clear up minion waves very quickly.
The current Global Top 1 Balmond is Adirheyassa. This guide will be based on his best practices and we’ll tackle what would be the best build, emblem and spell to use that worked well in his gameplay. Kudos to Adirheyassa for being the top Balmond player of Mobile Legends.
Skills
Passive: Bloodthirst
Whenever Balmond kills a creep or a minion, 5% of his Maximum HP will be restored. If he kills an enemy hero, this levels up to 20%. Note that the Maximum HP only covers his current HP.
First Skill: Soul Lock
This skill gives Balmond the ability to dash forward to an enemy and deal 150 + 60% Total Physical Damage. Upon contact, he will stop and slow the enemy by 30% for 2 seconds. This skill can activate Spell Vamp but not Physical Lifesteal.
Second Skill: Cyclone Sweep
Balmond can whirl his large axe continuously for 3 seconds using this skill. It will deal 50 + 50% Total Physical Damage to all enemies hit. The damage will keep on increasing by 25% every time the enemies are hit but its maximum is at 100%. This attack can be critical and can trigger Spell Vamp.
Ultimate: Lethal Counter
Balmond smashes his axe in a large fan-shaped area which can deal 400 + 60% Total Physical Damage plus another 20% based on the target’s lost HP as true damage. This will also reduce their movement speed by 40% for 2 seconds. Minions and Creeps will receive 1300 damage from this attack.
Best Balmond Build
Items
War Axe. This is the perfect item for Balmond because it makes him more durable and it reduces his cooldown. Despite having small initial damage, it increases as the weapon is used. It also has an increasing Physical Penetration bonus for a limited time. On top of that, it also improves the movement speed of the hero during use. Since Balmond is a chaser and tends to jump into a group of enemies—this definitely has a lot of features that can help him stay in the fight.
Warrior Boots. This item simply gives Balmond speed and further enhances his durability. What’s good about these boots is that their Physical Defense is not limited to the default. It keeps on increasing as the user gets attacked until it reaches the stack limit.
Dominance Ice. Another powerful item for Balmond. The enormous Physical Defense that it adds will definitely make Balmond more sturdy while its additional movement speed will help him chase the enemies faster. It also has a cooldown reduction which allows him to spam his skills more.
Bloodlust Axe. This brings in the real pain to Balmond’s opponents with its large damage and annoying Spell Vamp. Just when you thought that you’ve dealt great damage to Balmond, the Spell Vamp will just restore his health right away. This item reduces his cooldown as well making him a more powerful skill spammer.
Late Game Items
Brute Force Breastplate. There’s no way you can abuse Balmond after getting this item which lengthens his life further and increases his Physical Defense more. Beyond the default feature, this item increases the Physical Defense and Magic defense of the user when attacked. This also adds a small amount of movement speed.
Athena’s Shield. This last item certifies that Adirheyassa chose to make Balmond a tank. Considering the large amount of life that it adds along with the humungous Magic Defense, killing Balmond would be such a chore. Then add the passive that reduces the Magic Damage by a quarter—Balmond’s enemies might even die due to exhaustion.
Balmond Emblem Set
Adirheyassa seems to be doing great with his pick of the Custom Assassin Emblem Set. Despite being a fighter with a tanky build, he didn’t pick the custom fighter or tank emblems. Let’s look at his configuration of the Customer Assasin Emblem Set to see how they blend well with Balmond’s build and skills.
Agility. After acquiring several movement speed items, Adirheyassa chose to speed up Balmond even more by maxing out Agility. The Assassin Emblem has a default movement speed increase as well so this makes Balmond a fearsome chaser once he locks up his eyes on you.
Invasion. This emblem feature will make sure that the enemies absorb most of the pain that Balmond is giving them. It will help bypass most of the Physical Defense that the opponents have.
Killing Spree. It’s clear that Adirheyassa wants Balmond to become a chaser tank because this feature would restore a large percentage of the hero’s life in every kill then increase the movement speed as well. It’s as if Balmond doesn’t have those already.
Battle Spell
Retribution. It’s rare for a fighter to get this spell, much more, a tank/fighter. This means that Balmond deals enough damage to lead the team in getting the turtle and Lord. It’s awkward to see him farm as well when he’s supposed to be protecting the marksman with his tank build. So far, this worked very well for Adirheyassa.
Execute. If one of your teammates assumed the role of a core player ahead of you, the Execute spell would be the next best option. This is a good alternative for Balmond’s combo if his ultimate skill is still on cooldown.
Sprint. As an enemy chaser, getting away from Balmond would be next to impossible once this is activated considering that most of the recommended items for him already increased his movement speed.
Balmond Gameplay
Skill Sequence
Cyclone Sweep Spam. Balmond’s Skill 2 is his bread and butter that’s why you should prioritize upgrading it. It has a short cooldown and a painful Area of Effect damage. It’s painful because its damage keeps on increasing the more a target gets hit. This skill lives up to its name because it literally lets Balmond sweep out a minion wave very quickly. Upon completing your cooldown reduction items, you can spam this even more like a tornado. Don’t forget the fact that its damage can also get critical.
Ultimate Instantly. Press the plus sign to upgrade the ultimate the moment you see it. It’s one of the most feared ultimate skills in Mobile Legends, especially in a group fight. The reason for that is its wide Area of Effect damage that works perfectly with Balmond’s second skill. It also hits harder when the enemies have low HP because it adds a large percentage of damage based on the amount of lost HP. They didn’t call it “Lethal Encounter” for nothing.
Shocking Soul Lock. This dashing attack that slows down your enemies has larger initial damage compared to your second skill but it’s shockingly your least priority. The reason for that is its longer cooldown and that it doesn’t have an Area of Effect damage that keeps on increasing unlike Balmond’s Skill 2. It’s not very effective in clearing out minion waves but it’s definitely good for chasing enemies or escaping an ambush.
Balmond Combo
First Combo:
Skill 1 + Skill 2 + Basic Attack + Ultimate
This is practically the combo that you’ll be using the most. You may skip using the Basic Attack if your damage is high enough to use the Ultimate. This depends on what type of enemy you’re facing. When facing a tank hero you will need to repeat the first three steps before using your Ultimate Skill.
Second Combo:
Basic Attack + Skill 1 + Skill 2 + Ultimate
This combo is applicable when you’re ambushing a blinker hero. From the bush, shock your enemy with your Basic Attack then use your Skill 1 if your enemy tries to blink and escape. The moment you get close enough to your enemy, start attacking with your Skill 2 then Ultimate.
Fighting Strategy
Skills Extras. You should take note of the capabilities that Balmond’s skills have that you won’t find in the game’s description. The first skill could actually allow Balmond to pass through walls. This is good during an ambush and escaping.
The cyclone sweep cannot be easily stopped by certain stuns. Eudora’s stun and Franco’s hook won’t stop Balmond from spinning but a jump from Guinevere will do. Balmond’s ultimate can also be easily interrupted by Zilong’s hook and flame shot’s knockback. Beware of casting your ultimate when you’re near an enemy who can cancel it.
Heal-All-You-Can. You don’t always have to waste your time going back to the base to heal. If you just killed an enemy in your lane with a little life remaining, take note that Balmond’s Bloodthirst passive allows him to regain a small percentage of his life when killing enemy minions. This is the same with creeps but a larger percentage is gained when killing an enemy hero. Combine this with your Spell Vamp items and your need to go back home will be greatly reduced.
Attacking Techniques
Poker Ace. Poke your enemies with your Skill 1 & Skill 2 combo then move back out. Most of the time, this combo can reduce more than half of your enemy’s life. After the enemy used up the healing spell, do another surprise attack from the bush using the same combo then use your ultimate. If you have Execute as your spell, you can actually kill an enemy with this combo even before you get your Ultimate Skill.
Kill Steal. This is the most annoying practice for teammates who are trying to get all the glory of the kills for themselves instead of thinking about the overall benefit for the team. Balmond’s Ultimate is meant to be used when the enemy’s HP is low because the impact of its damage depends on the lost HP. Balmond has a good way of securing the team’s kill for the benefit of everyone. It’s better to steal the kill than give your enemies a chance to escape.
Jungling Trick. Since Balmond’s second skill has an Area of Effect, you can actually farm two creeps at once by poking the Red Buff creep and the one on top of it. When they’re already positioned close to you, start your Skill 2 to attack both of them at the same time.
With Balmond’s tanky build, he performs best when he has a backup or a partner. For the average solo gamer, he’s a bit difficult to use during the late part of the game especially when you’re trying to carry the entire team to win. Make sure to finish the game the soonest possible time because the late part of the game can be a pain for him.
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