Welcome to the forum-built introduction to Lyra, part of our #guides series! If you’re new to Lyra and would like an overview, you’re in the right place! You’ll find builds, playstyle tips, and other resources by clicking the links below.
If you’d like to contribute, please do! These posts are wikis that forum members can edit. Post your builds and playstyle tips! But don’t make it too detailed. The goal is a quick, easy-to-browse overview for players who are new to this hero. You may want to check out our other hero #guides for examples!
This thread is also for discussion, so feel free to reply with comments and questions about Lyra and the builds and tips posted here.
As a captain Lyra, never use your Sigil as offensive ability. Use to heal your allies or place under your allies where they are about to attack or engage. Use your sigil offensive if you are confident enough to kill the fleeing enemies but also depends on team situation. Your Bulwark is not meant to be abused randomly but only at times when you feel like enemies are going to dash or you want to trap certain enemies from reaching to their team example Ardan, Grace etc…Timing your bulwark is important as it will change the outcome of the game. Proper timing of bulwark can stop abilities giving you time for your team to do damage to them. Lastly, her UTLIMATE aka Arcane Passage is only meant for you unless you team really understands your playstyle. Only use your ULT to escape certain traps like Ardan’s gauntlet. Or bypass enemies team and then bulwark them from reaching to their base, etc. NEVER EvER teleport in front of you team. Remember to teleport around the enemies or behind your team since you are a backline unless you want to bulwark. Feel free to engage wisely.
During the early game, only use her light AA and last hit the minions instead of using the heavy missile to avoid the loss of mana or energy. Pretty much her early game is farming so Lyra isn’t much of a early game carry but late game shes a monster. A good disengage is to Bright Bulwark right before teleport since its it prevents all enemy’s from using the portal. And late game you pretty much have to stack up on stacks since **her heavy missile (130% of Cp is the CP counterpart of Barons perk
When placing Lyra’s heal for teammates who are farming lane minions, make sure to put it in a spot where it heals your teammate, but doesn’t damage minions. Otherwise, you might throw off their rhythm and make it harder for them to CS.
If you and your team are chasing an enemy, make sure you don’t teleport in the path of your teammates. They might run into your portal and find themselves even further away.
I thought this fan art was made by Tartilooolo (@tartilooolo), but I can’t confirm it. Does anyone know?
Likewise, if an enemy is chasing your teammate, you can teleport into the enemy’s path, so that they have to move around the portal, giving your teammate more time to escape. Remember that the portal teleports your teammates instantly, but there’s a slight delay from when you cast to when it will transport enemies, so teleport to where the enemy will be, instead of where they are.
Atlas Pauldron () is already tough to block, but you can make it even harder for your enemies by activating it, then teleporting near an enemy before it goes off. They’ll have even less time to react.
Lyra is a problematic one… you either build or you go superscout and as superscout alone will not cut in if there is a long late game fight without time to regen/recall. Even with alone you can end up with problems in a long late game team fights if you go with . No other items gives regeneration for captains. SEMC really push those ones or going out of energy and what is worse? To have instead of another captain item or run out of energy mid fight?
@HipsterSkaarf btw, there is no superscout vgitem, I noticed it months ago. Another name, forgotten or you hate the item?
Edit: before someone say “conserve energy”, this is valid (and still worse for efficiency, as it’s easy to guess) out of fight, in the heat of the team fight I want to use all my abilities as frequently as I can and it has nothing to do with how good I land them - I can land all of them and still use them asap when up (and this is also not surprising).
The only time that I can see that you would need such an item for its energy and Eregen is when your randomly or carelessly spamming her B and Ult whenever its up.
If your frequently using your A, then it shouldn’t drastically drain your pool but I do know in teamfights Lyras energy pool can go from 100 to 0 in a spand of a decent 30 second team fight.
Also on the topic for Phinn, I think the nerf was well deserved for him since late game he could non stop spam his B with no problem. Now you have to be mindful of when to use it and when to hold off for the right moment.
I main her in t10 bronze/silver games + I am main captain, so I strongly disagree with your opinion as I actually played hundreds of games with her recently and thousands after her release. Know her energy needs in all modes/times. Lyra needs a lot of energy, without early and following around late early/early mid game - you will have problems (maybe rushing starting with can work too, but generally it’s bad for the team + the battery gives more energy pool and not only regeneration).
Late game what you will do without ? You can either build AND risk easy energy run out mid fight or you can go both + but they you lose the A healing (it scales with HP) and the utility of . Without any of those what will regenerate your energy? You will be useless and lyra is one of those captains that without energy is really kinda useless. Also “spamming” B in team fights is essential as it provides a lot for your team in a lot of ways.
You will do a lot more work with B alone vs some not core utility t3 item that is replaced with + while nowdays that item is not that strong on lyra (after the many changes) it still provides good cooldown and it’s effect let you use more A/B in fights as it’s easy to dmg there enemy with both.
I’ll add that as someone who likes CP carry Lyra, I try to have more damage so I go and instead of (plus I like extra bit of sustain). I still can get quite low on energy, and I feel with pretty much ant other hero, those two items take good care of you. While I don’t “spam” B, I use it with good timing but with as much frequency as possible. Decent dmg dealer, but the utility of preventing opponents from diving in is great.
Heads up - I moved some posts from the 4.2 discussion thread over here, and cleaned up the wiki so it’s easier to add to. For you Lyra mains, take a look at the builds above and feel free to add some new ones (and tips) for 4.2!
For instance, is anyone rocking a WP Lyra in Blitz with her rare talent? (Not all builds have to be meta! As long as it’s not troll and an instant loss, feel free to add it)
Well it would be better as an energy discussion instead of splitting phinn from Lyra , like I guess heroes who can be played another paths should be punished on using abilities I can understand that , but this poor river troll who has one viable path why you making him suffer , like I need more defense and health items , he shouldn’t build energy items like halcyon charges or the clockwork , it wasn’t about the energy when we used to build clockwork on him it was about spamming his B and tank his teammates , like I need to save myself as phinn with my B , you punishing him and making him useless now .
and one situational (can be more utility or defence). Early and late-early/early-mid can provide enough energy before late game to let you finish other t3 items before the . Building is really tempting, but I find it not optimal in most cases in long run (won’t be enough by itself and you will need to build either or ) .
I also tend to not build direct defence on Lyra as she is backliner anyway + will have quite a lot of HP and the B/C to run if catch alone out of position. Exception could be , but again - for melee heroes and this is not meta currently as if you dive with her to their ranged WP carry to apply the effect, you are playing her wrong.
Potential last item could be: (for more slow, not optimal imho) or another defence item.
Alternative build could be:
and situational last item. This build needs energy management and team that acknowledge you will need time to recall/regen energy between fights. Some teams does not do that and even while you ping they reengage while you don’t have any energy/too low energy left and can’t provide support besides “be there”.
This can be avoided with combined with , but you lose the HP and utility of
Ofc all kind of variations are possible and needed in high tier games as builds there are selected towards the enemy and your team composition vs some general all around good builds.
Cant relate. Havent played much for the couple of patches but with my games with lyra, I havent ran into that problem since most of my teams weren’t than dependent on me being a roam and they could pretty much take care of themselves.
Of course, as I stated previously, its necessary to spam that in team fights.
After a teamfight, Im usually left with pretty much 0 energy left which is why I port back to base everytime (Which aleveates my problem of being “useless.” Unless I have to help out a one v one at the end of a teamfight.
Then why you comment like that at all, given that lyra energy needs changed in the period of those last patches? Also to have a teammate that can do without your A or B, doesn’t mean you should not provide it and that it will not lead to better teamfight/confrontation for your team. Giving as much support as you can is essential, otherwise why you are there? If I can throw 3 A and use two B, I will do more work than you throwing one A and one B as your team is doing ok (given that their individual effectiveness is the same, removing the skill component in this discussion and talking about decent abilities uses).
If you ended the fights with 0 energy, then I am sure atleast few times you had 0 around the end of them preventing you to use A/B or chase with C if needed (followed by B to slow the enemy player + he can’t use the teleport and your team will catch up to frag).
Also if you ran out of energy few patches ago, now you will run out of energy mid fight or earlier as Lyra energy nerf was big enough.
I didnt say I didnt play, I just said that I dont play as much as I used to. Dont see why you’re trying to make that a problem.
Also I see that your talking about being useful after team fights. I said multiple times that I dont run into the energy problem as you making it sound to be. Yes she has a limited energy pool but Ive been playing her also compareable to a thousands since release as my main and it doesnt affect me. Idk maybe Ill upload my gameplay if the ingame recorder is fixed.
Well yes.
But Im not ready, Im NOT ready. If you can manage to get the kill then well done. If I can help in any way, Ill help to my best with what im dealing with at that time.
Anyways Im not going ro discuss this any further since its starting to sound like its getting off topic and more to me as a lyra player but we can continue this in the PMs if u want
)
and any defense
or you go superscout and 
as superscout alone will not cut in if there is a long late game fight without time to regen/recall. Even with 
. No other items gives regeneration for captains. SEMC really push those ones or going out of energy and what is worse? To have 
my bad and 
10x 
and following around late early/early mid game 
- you will have problems (maybe rushing 
can work too, but generally it’s bad for the team + the battery gives more energy pool and not only regeneration).
and 
, but again - for melee heroes and this is not meta currently as if you dive with her to their ranged WP carry to apply the effect, you are playing her wrong.
(for more slow, not optimal imho) 
or another defence item.
