Merlin

How to play Merlin

Merlin is a ranged mage from the Arthurian pantheon who deals magical damage. Top players play Merlin in the Mid lane.

In your kit, Flicker (short range teleport) is your way in and out of fights. Eclipse (elemental damage spells) and Vortex (elemental control spells) add damage and pressure. Your ultimate is Elemental Mastery (radiate damage, change stance), on a long cooldown (about 40s at rank 1), so save it for fights that matter. Your passive is Overload: enhanced attacks after ability.

Community guides level Eclipse / Radiate / Frostbolt, Vortex / Dragonfire / Blizzard and Flicker first. Max Eclipse / Radiate / Frostbolt first, then Vortex / Dragonfire / Blizzard, then Flicker.

Most of your damage comes from abilities, so fight from behind your front line and never be the closest god to the enemy. Aim your damage where the enemy has to walk, not where they are standing. In the mid lane, clear the wave quickly, then help the side lanes or the jungle.

Start with Bluestone Brooch, then buy Spear of Desolation. Top players buy it in the first two or three slots. Your core is Chronos' Pendant and The World Stone, and you finish with Soul Gem, Rod of Tahuti and Obsidian Shard. A good relic is Aegis of Acceleration. If the enemy team heals a lot or you keep dying, open the full tool and enter the enemy gods for the exact swaps.

If you own Aspect of Pandemonium, it reworks Elemental Mastery (radiate damage, random abilities). It changes what to build, so turn on Aspect in the tool when you play it.

Top players win most often against Hercules, Ne Zha and Jing Wei, and struggle against Pele, Gilgamesh or Nu Wa. Against those, play safer and consider a defensive item earlier.