Overview

Narbash has a rough reputation. In fact, many consider him to be the worst Support Hero in Paragon. Although he brings a stun, a movement speed buff and an Ultimate that causes a slow and a knockup, he's under-tuned right now. His speed boost isn't that fast, his stun no greater than Dekker's and his heal - which is what most people have an issue with - is downright terrible. 

Narbash is a melee caster who uses the power of his drums to support his allies. Utilizing different types of utility and a variety of melodies, Narbash inspires his team to march into combat and overtake his enemies.

Despite the above, Narbash can actually be very strong if you build him as a tank. As much armor and health as you can stand, with some mana, you can then get stuck into combat, deliver your stuns and cause a nuisance with your powerful Ultimate. I will stress however that like any Support Hero, Narbash relies massively on the rest of his team. If they aren't following up or don't have the damage, it doesn't matter what Narbash does: you won't win. 

Updated: 30 August 2016

Pros

Cons

Good lane push potential when paired with another player

Relies heavily on cooldown reduction to be truly effective

Valuable crowd control 

His "heal" is terrible 

For a Support, more than capable of dealing good damage

Can be mana intensive early game 

His Ultimate ability can comfortably win team fights

His Ultimate needs his team to follow up

A lot of fun to play

Quite a slow playstyle

Lore

  • Once turned an actual battle into a dance battle through inspired drumming.
  • Ancient sculptures have been found that look just like him.
  • At least 600 people believe they are his best friend. They may all be correct.

Abilities


Wallop (LMB) - Your primary means of attack, Wallop allows Narbash to swing one of his clubs, dealing moderate damage. Your default attack speed is slow but you can cleave with it. If you're in lane by yourself, it's also more than enough damage to last hit-effectively. I will stress that as Narbash and certainly in a team fight, you'll not use it as often as you think - you should be allowing your heavy hitters to be in front of you, striking the enemy.Thunk (RMB) - With a relatively long cooldown, Thunk is a valuable and near instant stun. It deals reasonable damage and during early game, can offer strong poke against any enemy you're facing. I will stress that Thunk is - arguably - your only means of defence and it's also highly valued in team fights. If you know the enemy has a Gideon for example, don't use it until the Gideon has appeared and attempted to use his Ultimate ability. You can then instantly interrupt it before continuing with the rest of your skills. Management of Thunk and when best to use it is often key to an effective Narbash. 

Tip - Leveling up Thunk increases the duration of its stun. This is crucial for locking down players as long as possible - upgrade it early!

March! (Q) - Unquestionably a valuable skill, March! is easily overlooked and yet it offers a great deal of value to any team. Whether you're retreating and need a speed boost before getting into Travel Mode, or for you and your team to pursue an enemy who isn't in Travel Mode, it can often keep you alive or secure a kill. It's best used slightly early so that you can get the hop on an enemy or retreat quick enough to not take ranged damage. 

Tip - In lane you can often secure an early kill with your partner by using March! > Thunk to sprint towards, and stun an enemy. During the first 10 minutes this combination works exceptionally well.

Song of My People (E) - Without question Narbash's worst skill, it heals for (by default) 6 health per second at a cost of 12 mana per second. As you level it up, it'll eventually heal for 18 per second, at a cost of 36 mana. It's pretty garbage whatever way you look at it: overly expensive to maintain and it heals for very little. Certainly towards the mid and end-game, when your team mates might have 2-4,000 health, healing them for 18 per second (or around 40 with Cards) still takes an age. Upgrade it last, and only use it after a team fight. 

Tip - Never upgrade Sony of My People until you have to. You're better spending the points in more valuable skills than increasing the mana cost of your heal. 

Crash Bang Boom! (R) - Probably one of the best Ultimate abilities in the game, Crash Bang Boom! causes a large AOE three second slow around Narbash which deals damage over time and upon the final strike of his drum, knocks enemies into the air. The Ultimate is capable of interrupting skills and if a player is caught in it when next to you, unless they use a teleport or leap skill, they can't outrun it. In a team fight and especially in the Jungle, it's incredible for securing kills and causing massive disruption. 

Tip - Always try to get as close to your enemies as possible with Crash Bang Boom! This makes it harder for them to run out of the radius when combined with the slow. 

Skill Order

When it comes to Narbash, the key is to upgrade your stun and Ultimate as quickly as possible. Your health regeneration remains poor throughout, so it's best to leave it until last while your stun and Ultimate are invaluable. 

1. Thunk

2. March!

3. Song of my People

4. Thunk

5. Crash Bang Boom!

6. Thunk

7. Thunk

8. March!

9. Crash Bang Boom!

10. March!

11. March!

12. Song of My People

13. Crash Bang Boom!

14. Song of My People

15. Song of My People

Recommended Cards

What's The Order?

1. Health Potion

2. Mana Potion

3. Shepard's Pial

4. Brawler's Ward

5. Circlet of Health

6. Tempered Plate

7. Tuned Barrier

8. Honor of the Pure

9. Pendulum of Lords

What If I Don't Have These Cards?

If you don't have Shepard's Pial, take a Scout's Ward or simply save your card point. If you don't have Honor of the Pure, take Amulet of the Veteran with x3 Major Health. The rest of the cards are available in all decks. 

Tactics

Early Game (Level 1-9)

Like any support Hero early game is all about soaking as much as humanly possible to acquire card experience. You need to get your armor, health and cooldown reduction online as quickly as humanly possible so that mid to late game you can cast spells regularly. If you can, try to pair with an ADC in lane so that you can gaurentee last hits against minions. If you're forced to solo lane, be sure that you last hit all minions to maximize your gains. I'd also advise at this point in the game that you're free to roam to secure kills if you like but it's not always worthwhile as you'll lose card experience during travel time.  

Mid Game (Level 10-12)

As a support Hero, during the mid-game you should regularly be rotating. You're often key to securing kills or helping an ally defend a tower. Performing this well relies on you constantly looking at the mini-map and understanding how long it will take for you to rotate lanes. If you can, it's also advisable that you roam with a partner so that if you do encounter an enemy on the way to another lane, you're in a strong position to kill them. Finally, always try to maintain a Blue Buff during this period of the game - it'll help massively with cooldowns and mana gain. 

Late Game (Level 13-15)

Your role between mid and late game doesn't change a great deal but you'll need to group a lot more. Always be present at team fights, always stay with your team and never solo lane - it's simply too risky. 

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 Narbash. 

Hero

Threat

Dekker: Simply because of her ability to slow, stun and trap you, she's a threat. She can stop you using your Ultimate with a well timed stun and can easily prevent your escape. 

6/10

Grim.exe: His slow is incredibly annoying and when he's late game, the combination of damage and crowd control make it very challenging to fight him. He'll regularly send his Ultimate your way as there's nothing you can do to avoid it but you should be able to survive it if you aren't too low.

7/10

Riktor: His pull combined with his Ultimate ability and silence can make life very miserable for you. In a team fight, he can single you out and there's absolutely nothing you can do to defend yourself - it's even more annoying when he interrupts your Ultimate. 

7/10

Grux: Although you can comfortably build resistances against him, Grux and his pull are frustrating to fight against. It pulls you out of position, forcing you to use your stun or speed boost in the hopes of escaping. Unfortunately you're usually too far out of position by that point to save yourself. 

7/10

Khaimera: Simply because of his burst and self sustain, Khaimera falls into similar territory as Grux. His leap and Ultimate combo deal enormous damage and while you are relatively tank and your stun valuable against him, if you're remotely low health you'll likely die. 

7/10

Tips

This list of tips and tricks are just a handful of things we think will help your Narbash 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. Never just randomly use your stun on an enemy. Unless it's super early game, you'll often find if you have used it - you'd wish you hadn't. Save it for key skills the enemy might use or to secure a gaurenteed kill.

2. Song of My People is mana intensive and heals for very little. You're best of using a variety of Growth cards that can heal your team for a similar amount, for no mana cost. 

3. Despite having a "speed boost" skill, it isn't fast enough to the point where you can evade all damage while escaping. If you leave using March! until the last minute, you'll likely die. 

4. Based on the above, March! is best used when chasing down enemies, or retreating when you already have a reasonable health pool. 

5. Although Narbash can deal damage, he's a liability if he doesn't acquire lots of armor and health. You need to take damage so you can comfortably use your Ultimate. 

6. Narbash, once he has armor, is exceptional for body-blocking for his team. Use his size to protect your weak allies. 

7. If Gideon is on the opposing team, always save Thunk for his Ultimate. If you don't have it, his Ultimate can clean up your team. 

8. Song of My People is best used after a team fight, alongside other Growth cards that provide health regeneration. It might not heal for much, but it gives your team some health back to then push down a tower. 

9. Narbash, arguably, is strongest during a Jungle fight when the enemy team will struggle to avoid your Ultimate ability. 

10. Building on the above, Narbash works amazingly well with Heroes such as Steel or Riktor that you can combo with. 


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Last Updated: Sep 07, 2016

About The Author

Lewis is a long standing journalist, who freelances to a variety of outlets.

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