Zhou Yu | Honor of Kings Hero Guide
Overview
Zhou Yu is a hero in Honor of Kings.
Class: メイジ.
Recommended position: ミドルレーン.
Lanes: ミドルレーン.
Features
Role: Mage, AoE Mage. Playstyle: Sustained damage, Push. Difficulty: Hard. Power spike: Early game
Key stats
Win rate: 51.7%
Pick rate: 0.5%
Ban rate: 0.0%
Kills: 3.6
Damage: 96316
Assists: 8.1
How to play
Zhou Yu is a Mage with strong lane clear and poke. His Basic Attacks and skills apply marks to enemies and structures, and when they reach max stacks they deal damage over time.
His basic combo flows from Skill 2 into Skill 1, then the Ultimate. This spreads a field of flames while dealing damage and Crowd Control. Skill 1 summons a field of wind that Knocks back enemies, and using Skill 2 inside it lets you extend it in a chosen direction. Skill 2 summons flames at a chosen spot, dealing damage over time. The Ultimate summons flames in a chosen direction, dealing damage and Stun to enemies within Skill 2's area.
For skill leveling, prioritize the Ultimate first, and when you can't take the Ultimate, prioritize Skill 2.
Advanced tips
When playing Zhou Yu, you may feel like you can't deal damage, you can't find your rhythm, or your survival rate is low. The lack of damage comes from not using Skill 1 and Skill 2 to spread flames across the battlefield. Losing your rhythm often comes from misunderstanding his role, so coordinate with allies and focus on well-positioned attacks and quick strikes. The low survival rate stems from having no dash, so in skirmishes, positioning and skill management are especially important.
Zhou Yu is a hero who lays down flames over an area with Skill 2, controls how the flames spread with Skill 1, and locks down the whole battlefield with the Ultimate. Skill 1 has long reach, and firing flames toward a wall makes them stack, so you can deal stack damage to enemies caught in the flames by the Ultimate. A useful technique is to use Skill 1 in the opposite direction and place Skill 2 over a wall to wrap enemies in flames and kill them. When diving an enemy tower, fire Skill 1 and immediately Flash toward the enemy, pushing them into the tower's range to finish them off.
When on the offensive, work with allies to push a tower, spread flames around the enemy tower with Skill 1 and Skill 2, break their defensive formation, and then advance. When on the defensive, wrap the area around your own tower in flames with your fire skills, clear the lane quickly to stop the enemy's advance, and wait for their mistakes to counterattack.
An engage combo is to detonate Skill 2, spread flames with Skill 1, and once they reach the enemy's position, immediately follow the Ultimate with Flash to catch them off guard and land Crowd Control. Another pattern is to place Skill 2 at your own position, spread flames outward with Skill 1, place Skill 2 again at the enemy's position, and use the Ultimate once the flames reach them, dealing extra damage and Crowd Control with a two-stack flame pool. Alternatively, go from Skill 2 into Skill 1 to spread flames sideways, then once they spread, use Skill 2 to spread them vertically, and when they reach the enemy, use the Ultimate to land Crowd Control and combo damage.
In terms of matchups, pairing with tower-pushing heroes like Agudo or Lu Bu lets Zhou Yu's flames push enemies back, creating an environment where allies can push towers easily. Against enemies without strong dashes like Mozi or Musashi, he can fight while burning and healing to gain the upper hand. On the other hand, heroes like Alessio who float above the battlefield with their Skill 2 or Skill 3 don't take damage from the flames on the ground.
Skills (level values & ratios)
Passive: Blaze：Basic attacks and skills apply a Blaze mark to enemies, towers, and crystals for 4s. When the mark reaches full stacks, it ignites, dealing 125 (125 + 17% of Magic ATK) magic damage per second for 4s and reducing Move Speed by 15% for 1s.
Targets currently ignited do not accumulate marks. Base Damage 125〜251 / Slow 15%〜30%
Skill 1: Wildfire：Generates a strong wind, creating a wind zone. The wind zone lasts 3s, increasing the Move Speed of allied heroes in range by 5% (up to 5), with double the effect on self. Reduces enemy heroes' Move Speed by 10%. The moment the wind is generated, knocks back enemies in range in the chosen direction and deals 200 (200 + 30% of Magic ATK) magic damage.
If a burning area stays within the wind zone for 1s or more, a new burning area spreads in the chosen direction. The damage of the old and new burning areas stacks. Burning areas deal 100 (100 + 25% of Magic ATK) magic damage to enemies every 0.5s. CD (s) 5→4 / Knockback Damage 200→400 / Flame Damage 100→200 / Move Speed Up 5%→10% / Slow 10%→20% / MP Cost 40
Skill 2: Scorching Bolt：Fires a fire arrow at the target's location, dealing 250 (250 + 40% of Magic ATK) magic damage and creating a burning area for 6.5s. Deals 100 (100 + 30% of Magic ATK) magic damage every 0.5s to enemies in the burning area. If 6 or more are created, they disappear in order of oldest first. Skill 2 accumulates 1 charge every 0.6s, up to 3 charges (affected by CD Reduction).
Passive: While Zhou Yu is in a burning area, restores 35 (35 + 7% of Magic ATK + 2% of bonus HP) HP every 0.5s. Stack Duration 9→7 / Fire Arrow Damage 250→500 / Flame Damage 100→200 / HP Restore 35→70 / CD (s) 0.6 / MP Cost 50
Ultimate: Flames of War：Unleashes flames in the chosen direction, dealing 200 (200 + 40% of Magic ATK) magic damage. When the flames pass through a burning area, they stir up a powerful heatwave, dealing 200 (200 + 40% of Magic ATK) magic damage and stunning enemies for 1s. CD (s) 10→8 / Cone AoE Damage 200→400 / Heatwave Damage 200→400 / MP Cost 60
Zhou Yu — Early / Mid / Late Game
Early game: Your instant burst isn't strong, so the key to your playstyle is hitting enemies continuously to limit them, valuing sustained fighting power. As a Mage, support your team's early damage while you scale up.
Mid game: Skill 2 is your main damage and harassment tool, while Skill 1 is more of a supportive buff, so it makes sense to level up Skill 2 first. Its multi-hit nature triggers item Passives to make up for weaker early burst.
Late game: In team fights, use your short Cooldowns to keep cycling your skills and deal sustained damage with the Stun and bonus damage from your mark. You have no mobility skill and struggle when enemies stick to you, so use Flash to secure your survival.