Roger is the ferocious werewolf of Mobile Legends: Bang Bang. Despite his intimidating appearance, he was once an honorable soldier of the Imperial Army. Roger later decided to settle at the edge of the fearsome Black Forest which is the home of the terrifying Whitefang and his wolfpack.

When the wolves were running out of prey, Whitefang decided to lead them outside the forest. One evening, they fiercely attacked a nearby village. When Whitefang was about to feast on a wounded girl, Roger jumped in to save her but he received a blow from Whitefang which left a big wound on his chest.

After putting the girl to safety, he managed to drive the wolves out of the village.  He later trained the villagers along with the little girl named Ruby, on how to fight back if ever they return. One full moon, Roger suddenly felt an unexpected transformation in his body. He saw an image of Whitefang in the mirror so he fled and wandered alone to avoid compromising the safety of the village.

Roger Overview

Roger is one of those rare heroes who has a dual function. He’s a marksman by default but can transform into a fighter in his wolf form. His flexibility allows him to function as a core hero. Two of his skills along with his transformation feature make him a great chaser and an escape artist.

As of writing, the current Global Top 1 Roger player is SgNo.1.  This guide will be based on his best Roger build. We’ll explore each spell, emblem configuration and item he picked for Roger that helped him reach the number one spot for this hero.

Skills

Passive: Full Moon Curse
In human form, Roger’s basic attack deals with a Movement Speed reduction of 10%. In wolf form, Roger’s basic attacks deal an extra 5% damage based on the enemy’s lost HP. 

First Skill: Open Fire
Roger fires two types of shots. The first one is a net that inflicts a Movement Reduction of 80% for 1.5 seconds. The second shot is a bullet that reduces that target’s Physical Defense by 10 for 5 seconds. The damage it deals with is 300 + 120% of Total Physical Attack Damage.

Second Skill: Hunter Steps
Roger’s Movement Speed gets a 40% boost for 2.5 seconds.

Ultimate Skill: Wolf Transformation
Roger leaps in a target direction while turning into a wolf that deals 200 + 100% Extra Physical Attack Damage to all enemies in a small area. This has a slow effect of 90% for 0.8 seconds.

Wolf Form

First Skill: Lycan Pounce
Roger dashes with a fierce attack to a target that deals 300 + 120% Total Physical Attack Damage. He becomes immune to any attacks during the dash and this can hit up to three enemies.

Second Skill: Blood Thirsty Howl
Roger will have an Attack Speed boost of 1.15 times while gaining a 50% Movement Speed if there’s an enemy with less than 40% HP. The skill will last for 5 seconds.

Ultimate Skill: Restore Human Form
Roger will spin while transforming into a human in a selected area. He’ll immediately gain a 200 + 200% Extra Physical Attack shield for 1.5 seconds.

Best Roger Build

Items

Tough Boots. This first and most affordable item on the list boosts Roger’s Movement Speed to +40 while giving him a Magic Defense of +22. On top of that, any control effects inflicted on him will have a 30% reduction. This will make up for Roger’s weakness against mage heroes.

Windtalker. The movement and attack speed boost of this cheap weapon has a big impact on the way Roger pokes and chases his enemies. It also has a Critical Chance increase and Typhoon passive that deals magic damage to up to 3 enemies. 

War Axe. As a fairly squishy hero in human form, bulking up Roger would be the next goal. This next weapon doesn’t just level up his HP but increases his damage and armor-busting capability as well because of its Physical Penetration. Its cooldown reduction allows Roger to cast his skills more.

Endless Battle. This item might be expensive but it’s worth it. It practically has a little of everything that is beneficial to Roger. Aside from the huge damage, the features that will sustain Roger are lifesteal, extra HP and mana regeneration. Instead of heading back home to heal and replenish his mana, he just needs to farm some creeps and minions to regain both. It will speed up his upgrade as well. Let’s not forget about the armor-busting and cooldown reduction that he can get from this weapon.

Late Game Items

Demon Hunter Sword. This tank-destroyer weapon also gives Roger a high additional Attack Speed, lifesteal, Physical Penetration and a fair amount of Physical Attack. The extra 9% additional attack damage based on the target’s current HP is what makes it a tank-destroyer.

Immortality. As a fighter who tends to jump into the action, the tendency to be killed is higher. Getting immortality gives Roger a chance to evade death late in the game where the respawning time takes forever. Considering the large HP and Physical Defense that this item provides, you may not even need the resurrection feature.

Roger Emblem Set

Despite functioning as either a marksman or a fighter, it’s recommended to use the Custom Assassin Emblem Set for Roger based on the Global Top 1 player. We’ll examine what’s his effective configuration of this emblem and how the selected features will work best for Roger.

The first feature that he maxed out is Agility for greater mobility. This is perfect for Roger considering his gameplay is heavy on roaming, poking, chasing and escaping. He maxed out Invasion for the next feature to increase Physical Penetration. This will make Roger’s damage more painful even at the start of the game. 

For the final feature, he chose Killing Spree which restores a good percentage of Roger’s HP in every hero kill while boosting his Movement Speed in a short period. This fits Roger perfectly because he tends to chase several low HP heroes after using his AoE skills during a clash.

Battle Spell

Retribution. Since Roger is mostly played as a core, retribution is the most recommended spell for him. His great mobility and roaming allow him to quickly respond to clashes or swiftly assist his teammates. Getting the buffs and strong items right away through farming will give his team an advantage.

Execute. When you’re not assuming the core player role, it’s good to have this spell handy in case your target survives your burst combo. 

Inspire. This third option allows Roger to go berserk on the battlefield. Boosting his Attack Speed with “inspire” on top of his second skill (wolf form) will allow Roger to eliminate his enemies quicker.

Roger Gameplay

Skill Sequence

Open Fire/Lycan Pounce. Roger’s first skill should be your upgrade priority because it functions as a high damage attack whether he’s in a human or wolf form. 

Wolf Transformation. This ultimate skill should be upgraded as soon as possible to increase its damage and lower its cooldown. You can shift more than once during a fight if its cooldown is reduced.

Hunter Steps/Blood Thirsty Howl. While its howl, speed boost and attack speed look intimidating, there’s no need to prioritize this second skill. Its movement speed boost requires having an enemy with less than 40% HP nearby so you can’t really utilize it all the time. Its speed boost in human form is good for escaping and chasing but it doesn’t inflict any damage that’s why there’s no rush to upgrade it.

Roger Combo

Second Skill + First Skill + Ultimate Skill + First Skill + Second Skill + Execute/Inspire
What’s nice about Roger is that his Ultimate Skill is already active at the start of the game. You can do this combo even just after having two skills. The combo starts with the second skill so you can run and position yourself properly before firing your first skill. What’s nice is that you can immediately repeat the combo again if your ultimate skill reached its lowest cooldown.

Fighting Strategy

Poke. If you’re not the core player, start the game by poking your enemy with your first skill. The moment you get your second skill, you can already follow the combo above to either finish off your enemy or make it go back home to heal. You can take advantage of killing the crab and clearing the minion wave while your enemy is away. This will give you a level and item advantage at the start of the game.

Push. Since Roger’s second skill in wolf form gives him a faster Attack Speed, take advantage of it to swiftly crush the enemy tower if it is unattended. You can even partner it with “inspire” to destroy the tower quicker.

Core player role. As a core player hero, you should farm on the jungle monsters and leave the minion waves to your teammates. After getting the red buff and killing the monsters beside it, check if you can assist a teammate nearby for an early kill. If it’s successful, do the same steps after getting the blue buff. Never ever let your enemies get the Turtle. Ask for assistance from your teammates if necessary.

Gank. If your build is strong enough to quickly kill an enemy single-handedly, you can start ambushing lone heroes who are typically farming in the jungle. Make sure that you’re aware of all of your enemies’ positions on the map before making a move because your target might have an ally nearby.

Roger FYI Checklist

• Roger’s first skill in wolf form allows you to pass through walls when leaping at an enemy. The dashing move when you’re shapeshifting has the same effect.
• You can execute the first skill to dodge the last bullet of Lesley’s ultimate skill if there’s a jungle monster or minion nearby. The same can be done with Harley’s ultimate skill but you need proper timing.
• Franco’s hook won’t hit you if you leap forward to him while transforming.
• Your transformation leap won’t avoid Lolita’s stun.