Greetings Protectors !

My name is Bart VonDoom, I have been playing Infinite Crisis since the first day of the closed beta, and I play both Gotham Divided and Coast City, but mostly GD. From his release date, Blue Beetle has become my favourite champion to play, as to my mind he's got it all, he's ranged and melee, has an awesome burst due abilities with high damage ratios and TRUE DAMAGES, combined with a decent attack speed and mobility, and he's definitely a very fun champion to play as you can often surprise your opponents. As mentioned, I mostly play on Gotham Divided, so this guide is focused on solo laning (generally mid, and also top when you have a jungler) and snowballing on other lanes after exterminating everything on yours, unleashing the power of the killing machine that is Blue Beetle. This is my first guide, and other will follow if you guys like what you read and rank it good, so green thumb if you enjoy that guide please.


Play Style and Role:

This guide is how I personnally play the Beetle and may not be fit for every single game. If you are looking for a more generic how to build guide, then this guide may not be for you. That said, if you are looking for a fun way to obliterate your lane, earn credits rapidly and then snowball on the other lanes to help your teammates to get even more XP, and are not afraid of taking some risks, you will find what you need here ! The Bug works pretty well harrassing/poking from range to lower them under 40-30% HP, and then turning into melee to jump at their throat and finish them off. You can also return to ranged to finish off a fleeing foe, which really helps to get double or triple kills.  I play him as an assassin, would he be ranged or melee as in the end this is exactly what he is, a killer, an exterminator, an obliterator. But all the killing machine he can be, he also come with some issues, but this build is made to make the most of pros, and limit his cons.


Pros and Cons:

Pros:

Excellent burst damage at all time thanks to OP AD ratios
TRUE DAMAGE thanks to his passive, won't be lowered by opponent's armor
Good mobility and attack speed, can snowballs like no one else
Can easily escape and/or secure kills with his ranged W
Two champion's forms, two types of gameplay and all together 6 abilities
Can surprise your opponents at all time

Cons:

Squishy, he's not a glass canon, but it's not far from one early game
Somehow items reliant, and thus needs to farm well
Difficult champion to play and master, if not the most difficult in the game to date
You will often get focused in teamfight


Augments and Mods:

Augments and Mods are somehow a personal choice that influence your gameplay, and this list is not an exception. I chose those Augments and Mods as they work well together and contribute to that build by helping to get items quickly and empowering Blue Beetle where he needs it. 

For Augments I use the following:

Kord Industries SLASHER: 1.8 Attack Penetration, 2.01 Attack Damage
Queen Industries HEX: 2.41 Attack Damage, 6.25% Critical Damage
Queen Industries FALCON: 2.41 Attack Damage, 2.81 Attack Speed
Queen Industries COLUMBUS: 0.3 Attack Damage/Level (max 5.7), 1.5 Attack Penetration

This leaves us with 7,13 Flat attack damage at level 1 and 12, 53 at level 19 (to that you add the +10 attack damage of the Mega Rod, which makes you start with an extra 17,13 attack damage at level 1), 3.3 Flat attack penetration (which will add to the Deathstroke's Claymore attack penetration during the game), 2.81 attack speed (which will add to Huntress' Crossbow and Velocity 9 Implants attack speed during the game) and 6.25% Critical damage (which scales brilliantly with Joe Chill's Revolver and Velocity 9 Implants)


The mods I am using are here to allow me to quickly get my first item (the Mega Rod) to max level, and then to enhance my damage and critics potential:

Queen Industries Discounted Mega Rod:  200 credits off Tier 1 - This allows you to buy it a level one, with two Tektite Vials

Queen Industries Empowered Deathstroke's Claymore: Terminate 2 - deal 10% of the target's maximum HP as attack damage and increase further damage you deal to the target by 5% for 5s - Active greatly enhance your damage and ensure more kills

OR

Queen Industries Empowered Coda Blade: +10 Attack Damage at tier 3 ensure you early kills.


Queen Industries Empowered Joe Chill's Revolver: Deadly 3 - +75% Critical Damage (tier 3) - This simply means you will be able to one shot opponents when you'll do a critic (well, 75% of the time, and not the tanks)

The first mod is just vital for me, as it allows you to buy the Mega Rod at level one, and that means extra 10 extra attack damage, 10 health regen per 10 second and the passive Shockwave 1 (Your Basic Attacks explode, dealing 15 Attack Damage (+ 2% Bonus Health) to other enemies nearby) that will allow you to be a farming machine and clear the lane like no one else FROM THE START OF THE GAME, simply play safe and stay out of range while you attack the drones at the first levels, and at level 3/4 your credits will be way higher than your opponent's. It also leaves you with enough credits for two Modular Tektite Vials for health and will sustain.  It will also ensure you can max up the Rod very quickly, and move on to your next item.

The second mod simply ensure you kills as soon as you hit tier 3 with the Claymore, activate to do 10% maximum health of the target and do even more damages (5% increase damages) for 5 seconds. Add your AD ratio to this, you try doing the maths, too big numbers give me headaches.

Alternativelty getting an early tier 3 Coda Blade will give you +50 AD and a massive advantage.

The third mod's name says it all: DEADLY ! This is just making Blue Beetle insane when doing crits (+75% damages !!!), and will allow you to one shot opponents, thanks to your lovely AD ratios.


Stolen Powers:

I don't use Blue Beetle's X-Ray Vision, and don't get me wrong that power is far from being bad, it is just a personal choice. I find the Bug more in need of Nightmare Batman's Consume for the extra health gain, to help with his squishyness early game and help with roaming around as you can consume environmental objects that can block your way. I also use Cyborg's teleport as it teleports you in 2,5 seconds instead of 4, to ensure map presence and surprise ganks, or simply to quickly assist teammates in need.

I have experienced to use Atomic Joker's Detonate instead of Nightmare Batman's Consume as some of you adviced and I have to admit I am not a fan. Although the damage dealt buy Detonate is area damage and way higher than Consume, I really feel that Blue Beetle needs this health gain at low level, and a few times that it saved my life while ensuring me a kill, so I will stick to Consume, eventhough Detonate is a good viable option, and it also works on environmental objects, so good for roaming too.

I have also tried Hawkgirl's Super Speed as a replacement for the Consume (you will need to be more comfortable with your health sustain to use it thoug) and I find it remarkably good as it can act as a chasing spell and also as an escape, so defo a good replacement for the Consume once you are more familiar with BB.


Item Choices:

I start at level one with Mega Rod and 2 Tektite Vials. I generally wait until I get 1150 credits to back, as it allows to upgrade the Rod  to level 2 and the vials to level 3. Upgrade the Rod to level 3 as soon as you can, then go straight to Deathstroke Claymore or Coda Blade, and upgrade it to the max a quick as possible to enhance your damages and attack penetration.

I generally follow with Velocity 9 Implants as it boost you in all the ways you need (move speed, attack speed, critic chances), then depending of the enemy team's composition, I either start Joe Chill's Revolver (to do massive crit damages, works well against squishy teams) or Huntress' Crossbow (to deal more damage to high health champions, works well against tanky team). Both the Revolver and the Crossbow are brilliant items for our bug suit.

In between all this, I always take a defensive item, again depending on the enemy team composition. Ra's Al Ghul's Robe does wonder against balanced teams, while a Suit of Sorrow will be my choice of predilection against a heavy attack damage team, Diana's Bracers can also do miracles in good hands. Against heavy Power damage teams, Kryptonian War Armor is a must. Strangely enough, if you are super feed, Soultaker Katana can act as your defensive item (I am still experimenting this, and it is a very dodgy choice) .

Sword of Beowulf and Claw of Horus are also very efficient if you are facing a team that is mainly Power Damage or Attack Damage (like 4 champions on 5 are PD or AD). The passive of Beowulf is also helping with BB squishyness, and the passive of the Claw is working as an extra Attack penetration item, also damn good on BB.

If you want to go full offense, then take Atomic Axe as your last item, it does wonders ! 


Conclusion:

I hope you enjoyed that guide and if so please give it a green thumb's up, and please feel free to comment and give constructive critics. I will continue to update it as far as the game evovles. If you feel like adding me to your in-game pals' list, my nick is bartvondoom on the EU server. See you on the streets of Gotham or Coast City.

Update 23/02/2015: Modified to the new guide format.
I have added sword of Beowulf and Claws of Horus as situationals as I find those items absolutely brilliant on BB if the enemy team has either an AD or PD dominance (like 4 champions are PD, take a Beowulf) 
I have also added Hawkgirl's Super Speed as a potential swap for Consume when you are more experienced with playing BB.