Overview

I would argue that Grux is the most useful out of all the fighters in Paragon. Similarly to Feng Mao or Khaimera he's more than capable of dealing large amounts of damage. His kit not only defend a Tower comfortably but he can also flip a fight thanks to his pull. Where Khaimera and Feng Mao can only wait for a minion wave to arrive, Grux can pull minions and enemy players towards him, instantly disrupting any perceived safety the enemy may think they have. 

Grux is a melee Fighter who uses his abilities to tear through his opponents. His versatility allows him to lock down enemies and terrorize the battlefield.

While Grux doesn't have the luxury of building armor and damage from single cards (unlike Khaimera) he does have an ease of access to Lifesteal and a variety of cards that benefit his bleeding. In most circumstances he still excels if you pursue damage and attack speed and while Sevarog might be in favor at the moment (purely for his root), Grux remains a threat and a well rounded hero.

Updated: 06 April 2017

Lore

• Has crushed the skull of every challenger in his tribe.
• Still cannot defeat his grandmother in single combat.
• Seeks the forgiveness of his gods.

Abilities

Chop (LMB) - There's very little to Chop besides the fact that it's your bread and butter skill. Outside of your active abilities, you'll be using Chop near permanently. When clearing minion waves or jungle camps and in an effort to preserve your mana, you should use this skill. It might clear a little slower than Double Pain but it will ensure you have mana for your next fight. 

Tip - Chop cleaves all enemies in front of Grux, similar to Feng Mao's Sweep. Position yourself alongside minion waves to hit them all at the same time. 

Double Pain (RMB) - A cleave attack that causes bleading to all enemies it slices through, Double Pain is amazing for clearing minion camps and waves when used in combination with Smash & Grab. The downside is that it's Bleed component isn't great (it's a tiny damage over time) and it's relatively heavy on mana. If you can, try to use it after Smash and Grab to cleave through a perfectly grouped bunch of enemies.

Tip - After using Smash & Grab Double Pain will cut down all enemies at the same time. It works as well against Heroes, as it does minions. 

Smash & Grab (Q) - A powerful conal pull, Smash & Grab pulles enemy units towards Grux after the briefest pause. Those who're pulled are stunned and all those in its cone land directly in front of Grux. What's particularly powerful about Smash & Grab is the fact it's so fast and if timed correctly, you can comfortably pull multiple players at once. Whether preventing a Hero escaping or defending a Tower, effective use of Smash & Grab is fundamental to Grux's potential. Just be aware its range is relatively short so you'll need to be quite near players for it to land. 

Tip - Smash & Grab is amazing when defending a Tower. You can be sure the enemy team will group up, so if timed correctly, you can pull several players at once. 

Charge (E) - A valuable tool for engaging or escaping, Charge is not only your primary means of chasing down enemies once they've used their escape skills, but it's also your only form of escaping enemies. With a default range of 1200 units, it's one of the longest "leaps" in the game. This not only grants Grux considerable survivability should he need to leave a fight, but it also ensures that the likes of Gideon - even when they've used their Ultimate ability - are interrupted. Just be aware that there's a small wind-up time to Charge before Grux propels himself forwards. 

Tip - Charge deals a reasonable amount of cleave damage. If you can, always try to burst through multiple enemies for a little extra output. 

Warlord's Challenge (Ultimate) - There was a time where Warlord's Challenge was exceptional and while it's still valuable, it's primarily used for the Stun rather than raw damage output. Although there is an incremental damage bonus per basic attack alongside a bleed (for 8 seconds) it's a largely negligible bonus. The stun however is invaluable as it prevents enemies from using key skills such as Gideon's Ultimate ability.

Tip - Try to use Warlord's Challenge the moment you're next to enemy players. It'll stop them using an escape skill and will instantly boost your basic attacks. If they do try to escape, you can then pull them back.  

Skill Order

There are a couple of variables when it comes to upgrading Grux skills. It's best - as far as I'm concerned - to maximize his damage as much as possible before taking defensive skills such as Charge. 

1. Double Pain

2. Smash & Grab 

3. Charge

4. Double Pain

5. Warlord's Challenge

6. Double Pain

7. Double Pain

8. Smash & Grab 

9. Warlord's Challenge

10. Smash & Grab 

11. Smash & Grab 

12. Charge

13. Warlord's Challenge

14. Charge

15. Charge

Recommended Cards

Full build (including active link)*

For early game, simply purchase Sage's Siphon > Madstone Gem > Guardian's Ward. You can then switch these out as you earn additional card points. Also note that if you want Thermo-bond, just drop Cup of the Vampire but adjust your initial Adament Edge first (cheap upgrades only). 

Tactics

Early Game (Level 1-9)

This is all about farming jungle camps and early ganking while carries are weak. Key is to quickly take the first white camp (right side) before the green. Once you've got the green buff, you're free to take the rest of the white camps and the river buff on 3 minutes. At this stage, you should be looking for ganks on right or mid lane, before backing and moving to left lane. You can repeat this rotation for at least 15 minutes. 

Mid Game (Level 10-12)

You should, by this point, have secured multiple kills and have most of your cards online . You should be maxmizing your ganking to the point where if you take someone down at mid - hypothetically - that you then help to push a Tower. It's worth noting at this stage however that carries are beginning to hit hard and enemy Tanks are difficult to deal damage to. If you have lost a Tower or the enemy has, there are also fewer opportunities to gank easily as teams tend to begin to ball up. 

Late Game (Level 13-15)

Late game is risky for any melee Hero. Teams tend to ball up and reduce the chances of any opening for you. Unlike Khaimera and Feng Mao however, Grux has the luxury of his pull and can often dictate play. If there's a stand-off, or the enemy team are pushing on your Tower, his pull is often an incredible method of defence. Just be sure that once you pull the enemy in, that you use your Ultimate ability followed by Double Pain. I would advise at this stage of the game that you don't solo roam and if you do, only push lanes past the mid point. Stick with your team. 

Matchups

These god threat levels (1 being lowest threat and 10 being highest threat) are to help you determine which enemy gods can give you a headache. For the gods listed here, take extra care as they're particularly dangerous for Grux. 

Tips

This list of tips and tricks are just a handful of things we think will help your Grux play. We'll continue to add to the list as required and if you have any tips you'd like to share, let us know in the comments below and we'll place them here. 

1. I can't stress this enough - never engage using Charge. Good players will always use their "out" skills when you do. They'll then have created distance you can't do anything about. 

2. Double Pain is brilliant for quickly clearing minion waves after Smash & Grab, but is mana intensive. 

3. Grux can't build damage and armor on one set of cards (unlike Khaimera) so you have to be prepared to sacrifice some damage if you want survivability. 

4. Smash & Grab is your main tool for forcing a fight, whether attacking or defending. Don't waste it. 

5. Grux has a relatively long cooldowns on his pull. You have to ensure you're landing them against the enemy otherwise you'll leave yourself vulnerable and spend considerable mana for nothing.

6. Always use Warlord's Challenge after you've pulled someone towards you. Any Heroes you pull that have an escape will, at that point, try to use it. You want to ensure you interrupt that action. 

7. Smash & Grab will stun any enemies pulled and is capable of interrupting Ultimate abilities such as Gideons. 

8. If you're escaping, always try to Charge through enemies. It's sometimes enough damage to finish off a low health Hero. 

9. Use Smash & Grab when under a Tower to pull the minion wave towards you. You can then kill them instantly with Double Pain to prevent the enemy team using them to push onto the Tower. 

10. Your Bleed might be small, but it's often enough to finish off a low health Hero. Try to tag those who're low health with Double Pain. 

11. It's often worth building Grux as a support hero so that you deal damage early game, but are "tanky" late. His pull and stun alone often help him carry teams.