Venom is a high hp, fast moving Vanguard that can terrorize the enemy back line. His abilities give him the fastest movement of any tank, giving you the mobility to put pressure on any opponent you need to. In this guide, we will start with an overview of his abilities for new players. If you already know the basics of the character, skip down to the next section where we will give you some tips and tricks that will elevate your consistency. Finally, we will give you some guidance on if Venom is the right character for you.
Basic Ability Guide (For Beginners)
You can find a bulleted list of the character's abilities in game under their character tab. This portion of the guide will cover the same info, as well as some extra information and tips that the game doesn't clearly outline. If you already have a basic grasp of the character, skip to the next section for more advanced tips.
Venom's abilities all tie in together to make the character usable, so you have to understand his entire kit to make effective use of him. For all of your direct attacks, you will use his primary fire "Dark Predation". This shoots out a string of tendrils that reach up to 15 meters. This makes Venom exclusively a close to mid range character. Any long range fights will leave him vulnerable and unable to fight back.
To counteract the distance issue, Venom has "Spectacular Spin", aka your web swing. This lets you quickly move across the map and fling yourself rapidly towards your opponents. It has a 8 second recharge time, so you can use it a good amount. 8 seconds is long enough to get trapped and die though, so you need to be ready to fight after you use it.
While you are airborne, you can utilize his Frenzied Arrival ability. This lets you quickly dive down to a point and emit splash damage. The damage is only a maximum of 65 hp at the very close range of 2 meters, and falls off to about 25 damage at the maximum range of 6 meters. You want to use this to close the gap on opponents you see and begin putting pressure on them. In the air, you have no way of attacking them, so you need to get down as quickly as possible. Think of this move as purely a grounding tool to stop your movement, and the damage you deal on landing is simply a bonus.
To help you survive in combat situations when you land, Venom comes equipped with an ability that can literally double expendable hp. Symbiotic Resilience will, when activated, instantly give you a 100% health bonus to any hp you have lost. Additionally, it gives a bonus 100 hp on top of that. It's important to note this hp is not permanent and will quickly degenerate. You want to use this as your emergency "time to go" ability that lets you escape combat. It has a 15 second recharge time, which short enough that you can retreat, heal up, head back to battle and it be ready to use again.
Venom's final basic ability is called "Cellular Corrosion" and it is more complex than his other abilities. Upon activation, it latches tendrils onto nearby opponents (8 meters away maximum). While latches, the opponents will get a 15% movement speed reduction, which makes it harder for them to get away from you. If the opponent gets 12 meters away from you, their connection will break. If they stay connected however, they will take additional damage after 3 seconds of being connected. The damage starts at 5 hp and increases to a maximum of 80 hp if they stay attached for the full 3 seconds. This move is great for when you get behind the opponent. They are more likely to stay attached for the full time, and they either move toward you or toward the rest of the battle.
For Venom's ultimate ability, he dives underground and gives you a 7 meter radius to activate his attack over a 4 second window. When you activate, any opponents in the radius will have their hp cut in half, and take an additional 40 damage on top of that. A lesser known part of this ability is 100% of the damage you deal is converted into bonus health to Venom! This move is not meant for killing players, but rather making them vulnerable while you become un-killable for a short period. Since it deals damage equal to half of their hp, you will very rarely get a kill from using it. You want to use this on full hp opponents, or to more effectively attack a group of low-hp individuals.
Tips and Tricks For Gameplay
Venom is fairly straightforward, as his ability set makes him essentially a combo character that you repeat over and over. You want to focus on the opponent's back line and "squishy" low-hp characters. You can focus on the opponent's healers so that your team can more effectively kill the rest of the team.
He is different from other Vanguard and isn't your normal tank. You aren't there to take bullets for the team. Your job is to be a menace to the enemy team as much as possible. If they use ultimate abilities just to get rid of you, then you are doing your job right. Them wasting abilities on just 1 player means your team has less to worry about. Furthermore, you want to focus on targeting the enemy back line and single out the more evasive characters.
Venom's combo is most commonly used as follows: run to an area where you can spot your opponents. Use your web swing to position yourself where you can dive directly onto your intended target(s). As soon as you land and are next to the enemy, use your latching ability to make it harder for them to escape. Continue attacking with your primary attack until everyone is eliminated or you get very low hp. If low hp, use your resilience ability to gain hp and plan your escape route. If you can't swing out, find some cover to run towards until it can recharge. The web swing should get yo back to your healers safely. Once you are back, get your heals and get back to the fight quickly. Repeat the combo as you see more targets avalible.
You will need to practice when to effectively use your resilience bonus hp ability. If you use it soon soon, you lose out on a bunch of extra hp. If you use it too late, you may not get to use it at all. Generally, you want to be ready to activate once you are at about 150-100 hp. This gives you enough to survive a little longer if needed, but you get the most fight out of your battles before you need to run.
You don't have to use Venom's ultimate as soon as you get it. Save it for when the enemy team has made a return from spawn or are making a big push. Losing half of your health is scary for most players, so they will often fall back quickly to find healing. Use the bonus hp you get to put pressure on the smaller targets first, then move to any bigger targets (vanguard). Once your hp returns to normal, make a plan on where to escape and recharge your abilities.
You can also use his ultimate as an extra hp bar. If you are really making a difference in your fight, use your ultimate instead of your resilience to get bonus hp. This will help you lock in those kills you are after. You can use that resilience as your escape measure when you need it. I wouldn't recommend using resilience first before your ultimate. The ultimate does damage, so you want to capitalize on that, not spend your time running away with extra hp. Only do it if the risk of dying is worth it for the kill confirms you will get.
Venom's passive ability lets him not only run up walls, but hide on them. Some maps may offer favorable situations where you can climb a wall, wait for the enemy team to pass under you, and you drop down onto your key targets. This method can save you web swing, which can ensure your survival if things don't go as planned.
Is Venom For You?
Venom is a fast, aggressive Vanguard that hunts for easy kills. He doesn't play the typical tank roll of sticking with the team the whole game, and instead are often alone in combat. He requires you to actively use all of your abilities and pay attention to their cooldown timers.
If you are a player that likes the DPS role, but you need a Vanguard? Venom may be the character for you. You are kill-centered and don't care as much about staying on point constantly. You have higher hp, allowing you to take some risks that a DPS can't always take. You have a bigger hitbox and lower damage than a DPS character, but you can make just as much of an impact.
If you are a player that wants to be a team player and stick to objective, Venom may not be the right character for you. He requires quick thinking and an aggressive mindset to be successful. If you are looking for a character that is more team-centered and wants to fill the typical tank role, check out our Doctor Strange guide and see if he is a better pick for you!
