Strengths & Weaknesses
Strengths
- +Passive sustain scales with missing HP—excels in extended fights where opponents are damaged
- +Skill 2 provides flexible engage/disengage with terrain control (push/pull mechanics)
- +Ultimate deals true damage based on enemy HP loss, making it effective against tanky targets
Weaknesses
- −Early game damage is modest; requires Serpent's Blood stacks to deal meaningful AoE damage
- −No innate defensive tools—vulnerable to burst and crowd control chains before stacking passive
- −Skill 2 telegraphed displacement can be dodged; requires good positioning to maximize utility
Abilities
PBloody Kiss
Gain Serpent's Blood on auto attacks. At 4 stacks, deal 250 (+150% AD) physical damage to nearby enemies and drain 10% of damage dealt as HP (increased up to 100% based on missing HP). Reduce cooldowns of abilities 1 and 2 by 1s, and ability 3 by 2s. While this ability is active, Veres gains 35% movement speed and immunity to crowd control.
1Bloody Fangs
Veres' snake splits into 2 lines and strikes, dealing 130 (+70% AD) physical damage and slowing targets by 50% for 2s. If both lines hit the same target, stun them for 1s. Veres gains Serpent's Blood if the attack hits a hero.
2Serpent's Embrace
Veres launches a snake in a straight line, pushing nearby enemies away and pulling distant enemies toward him, applying a brief stun and dealing 100 (+50% AD) physical damage. Veres gains Serpent's Blood for each hero hit.
RVenom
Veres dashes and commands his snake to strike from the ground, dealing 300 (+12(LV+3)) true damage equal to 1% of enemy's missing HP. If hitting a hero, enter Enrage, gaining 30% attack speed, 150 armor, and 15% armor penetration for 4s (10s if enemy dies to this ability). When Bloody Kiss is active, Enrage duration increases by 2s for each hero hit.
Skill Order
Priority: R > Q > W| Skill | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1Bloody Fangs | 1 | · | 3 | · | 5 | · | 7 | · | 9 | · | · | · | · | · | · |
2Serpent's Embrace | · | 2 | · | 4 | · | · | · | 8 | · | 10 | · | 12 | · | · | · |
RVenom | · | · | · | · | · | 6 | · | · | · | · | 11 | · | · | · | 15 |
Loadout
Golden Body
Spirit
Dragon's ClawStandard Build
1
2
3
4
5
6Core Combos
Poke & Stack
1Build Serpent's Blood stacks safely in lane. Use Skill 1's slow to kite away after landing both fangs for stun setup.
Full Engage
21RInitiate with Skill 2 to position enemies, chain Skill 1 for stun, then ult for true damage burst. Execute when enemy HP is low for maximum ult scaling.
Cleanup
R1Use ult to trigger Enrage mode (30% attack speed), then auto-attack to stack passive quickly. Follow with Skill 1 if target escapes.
Gameplan
Early Game
Levels 1–6- →Focus on safe auto-attack trades to build Serpent's Blood passively; avoid all-ins before 4-stack passive is reliable
- →Use Skill 1 for kiting and poke—the 50% slow is your primary control tool. Land both fangs for stun opportunities
- →Play around team fights rather than solo duels; your passive sustain is stronger in multi-target scenarios
Mid Game
Post Broken Spear- →Transition to team fight engagement using Skill 2 to control spacing—use displacement to isolate carry targets
- →Stack passive before ult combo; force extended fights where your sustain scaling advantage compounds over time
- →Roam to create pick opportunities where Skill 2's pull can catch isolated enemies into ult burst
Late Game
Teamfight phase- →Position as a secondary initiator; let tanks engage first, then follow with Skill 2 to reposition priority targets
- →Ult timing is critical—use it on enemies below 50% HP to maximize true damage output and trigger Enrage mode
- →Stay in fights longer than opponents expect due to passive lifesteal scaling; use this to outlast enemy cooldowns
Matchups
Veres gets countered by
ZillExtreme burst and mobility prevent stacking passive; can reset and kite indefinitely
LilianaLong-range CC and silence completely shut down Veres's close-range combo patterns- YbnethAnti-heal invalidates passive sustain scaling, making prolonged fights unwinnable
Veres synergizes with
GrakkGrakk's hook chains into Veres's Skill 2 displacement for guaranteed team fight control
BrightBright's CC setup allows Veres to land full Skill 1 stuns and position optimally for ult burst
CreshtCresht's poke + CC enables Veres to stack passive safely while setting up lethal ult windows
Pro Tips
- →Stack passive before high-value ults in team fights—delay engagement 2-3 seconds to guarantee 4-stack AoE and max lifesteal conversion
- →Skill 2 pull effect works defensively: use it to yank enemies out of positioning for favorable trades or to escape gank attempts
- →Track enemy damage dealt to you—as you take more damage, your passive lifesteal becomes exponentially stronger, turning 1v2 situations winnable
Veres is a niche A-tier pick for extended team fight scenarios where his true damage scaling and passive sustain compound. Pick into mixed-damage team compositions with tanky frontlines; avoid early game skirmishes and setup-dependent engages. Currently underutilized due to meta favoring burst assassins over sustain warriors.