Arguably more fun to play than Joker, Catwoman takes some getting used to before you can use her effectively. Her will costs are steeper than the damage you can deal if you don't make use of her basic attacks and position properly. I play her like an assassin, an attack damage blaster or even half-enforcer. This guide will attempt to talk about the different ways she can be played, some tricks for each role, and some builds to go along with whatever role you decide to roll with!



By ~rhoogers on Deviantart!


Stolen Powers:



When Catwoman pops her ultimate, she's faster than the Flash. Steal his Super Speed and become inescapable, or impossible to catch up with.



Being able to use teleport multiple times throughout a match can turn the tide of so many battles. It can also be used to teleport to cameras, surveillance drones and lane drones to nab a power relay.

Ability Order:

Priority:
> > > >

R > Q > E > P > W

At level 1, the two most viable skills are Whip Strike and Cat's Paw. Whip Strike will be more useful for trading damage in lane and harassing your opponents, as well as securing last hits on drones. However, Cat's Paw is more useful for something like an early invade of the enemy jungle. Due to it's immense slow, it can really help secure that first blood if you coordinate properly with your team.

Laning Phase: As a note, I wouldn't attempt taking Catwoman into the jungle. Her wave clear is non-existant unless she gets Mega Rod, and that artifact won't become too useful until she already has some good attack damage from other artifacts.

So in the lane, whether solo or duo, I'd recommend starting with Whip Strike, and then grabbing either Cat's Paw or Acrobat. You want to get those 3 skills right off the bat so as to be able to execute your full combo. After maxing Whip Strike, I'd recommend maxing Acrobat after, as the will cost increase is extremely minor compared to all of the benefits it gives you.

The choice of maxing Cat's Paw or Cat Burglar depends on your playstyle. Cat's Paw's will cost gets substantially higher as you rank it up, so be mindful of when you're using it, and of how large your will pool is to accomodate it. Try not to think of Cat's Paw as a damaging ability (though it does do a fair amount) so much as a tool that helps me set up the bulk of my damage. Cat Burglar is fantastic to max third due to the .75 second cooldown reduction, which enables you to rreduce the cooldown on your ult substantially. Oh, and the extra credits certainly don't hurt. ;]

Also, of course take your ultimate whenever possible. The free Acrobats with a super short cooldown make her more mobile than the flash for a good duration, and the bleed + damage on Acrobat is devastating.



Artifact Build:

Balanced Blaster:



This is a well-rounded build that gives Catwoman a fair amount of survivability and utility while still enabling her to dish out quite a bit of damage. Lobo's Chain, Deadshot's Visor and a critical strike can all land with her Whip Strike as it deals on-hit effects.

Burst Assassin/Crit:

      **

Glass cannon is the theme of these picks: kill them before they kill you, and pray to the RNG gods. Taking the ZEISS GOGGLES with the mod that gives you additional crit is incredibly strong right now. Her damage output with crit, attack speed, AoE, attack pen and Deadshot's will be through the roof, but make sure to be extra cautious about facerolling. You won't live very long if you don't position extremely carefully!

Enforcer/Bruiser Catwoman:

/

Though it may seem boring to play a blaster on the tankier side, this Catwoman is SO frustrating to play against. It keeps her in the fight for a long time, and the base damage of her abilities is high enough that she still feels powerful even when you sacrifice those inventory slots for defense. Metallo's Heart is a must for this, with the large will pool and cooldown reduction, not to mention that she'll win most battles due to the attack speed decrease! Itemize additional attack armor or power armor depending on the biggest threats on the enemy team.


General Gameplay:

There are two things that are essenital to be mindful of in order to master Catwoman: managing will costs and positioning.

Will costs - If you play her on the squishier side, trading damage with her whip skills and her basic attacks is a lot trickier, and often you want to save your Acrobat + Cat's Paw combo for an escape instead of an initiation. Spamming her Whip Strike and Cat's Paw is not rewarding, as the will costs will add up, and if you don't supplement your combos with basic attacks, you'll be a sad, weak kitty. If you build her with more will and defense, then her damage will be more consistent and you can attempt to whittle an enemy down over time as opposed to killing them instantly.

Positioning - Whip Strike has the sweet spot on the outmost edge that will increase its damage by 25%. This stacks with the augment from her Acrobat, for up to a 50-65% damage increase (depending on the rank of Acrobat). Knowing when to get in close to basic attack and when you should use your empowered Whip Strike takes some getting used to. Also, once her ultimate is active, she deals damage to enemies she passes through when she uses Acrobat, meaning she can deal damage to multiple people while sticking on them for her basic attacks. That tactic will be overall more damaging than positioning at a distance for the Whip Strike, so try not to focus too much on the perfect-distance Qs.


In a lane:

If you're solo against 2 people as Catwoman, play as passively as possible while trying to get the last hit on drones. Since she's melee, she can't easily farm credits by walking over them without taking damage from the enemies, so focusing on sustaining yourself in the lane and getting credits and experience is your focus.

If you're solo against another solo, be mindful of trying to trade damage. The burst from her combo doesn't quite pick up until level 4, so any attempts to harass will probably do more harm than good. Be aware of when you're using your standard E W Q combo for dueling, because it leaves you quite vulnerable to ganks. Don't commit to any battle unless you're absolutely sure you're in the clear. Risk vs. reward is the name of the game!

In a duo lane, Cat's Paw can set up some great exchanges. Coordinate with your lane partner to deal some damage while they can't fight back, and as long as there aren't more enemy drones than allied ones, it's likely you'll win the exchange. She fares best with a ranged blaster or marksman, as having a double melee lane is usually rough to establish lane dominance.



In a teamfight:

Depending on your build and playstyle, Catwoman tends to align herself in 2 roles during a teamfight.

On the squishier side, Catwoman needs to play more like an assassin. She can't run in face first or she'll get focused quickly, so she needs to position herself to deal burst with her whip. If she finds that she's in the clear and not getting focused down, ideally she should get in and take out a marksman or blaster, and then back out of harm's way to find her next target.

On the tankier side, Catwoman can afford to be more openly aggressive and can even lead the charge into a fight. Initiating with a quick Acrobat into Cat's Paw can catch the enemy off guard and set your team up for an aggressive play. Knowing when to whittle down the enemies and when to peel for your teammates is also crucial. Keep an eye on your fellow blasters and any marksmen you have, as it's likely they'll be getting focused down. Often it's more important to protect your allies and keep them in the fight than to use your damage and utility to kill an enemy.



Advanced Tactics:

Catwoman is difficult to master as is, so when I think of "advanced tactics" I feel like most good plays on her might be considered "advanced".

Something I think is critical to learning is when to stay in melee for basic attacks and when to stay at the edge of a fight for maximum damage whip strikes. If the enemy team has massive AoE or a powerful front line, try to use your ultimate to juke skill shots and get in position for the additional damage for Whip Strike. If you think you have the opportunity to jump onto a squishy target without taking punishment, begin with the Whip Strike at range, and then Acrobat into melee range, Cat's Paw and start basic attacking them down. If your ultimate is on at this point, remember that using Acrobat THROUGH them also deals damage. This is a critical bit of additional damage, and why it's so good to max Acrobat after Whip Strike.



Fin

Thanks for stopping by! I hope there was some useful information contained in here. Good luck and be sure to hit me up at https://twitter.com/IC_Zagnette if you have a suggestion, comment, or just wanna say hi and stuff!

But remember, no matter how scary you play this kitty cat, dogs are infinitely more terrifying. NIGHTMARE FUEL