Strengths and weaknesses
Good at
- Long-range poke with Charged Shot
- Guided Owl snowballs with permanent spirit power and executes at T3
- Spirit Snare is a powerful curse trap that protects him from divers
- 4 stamina bars
Struggles with
- Low weapon DPS (39.2) between big shots
- Low health growth (+38 per boon)
- Vulnerable when divers reach him
- Guided Owl leaves him exposed while steering it
Abilities
Charged Shot
17s cooldownCharge a piercing arrow that deals 80 spirit damage. You can hold the charge indefinitely.
| Tier 1 1 point | +1 charge |
|---|---|
| Tier 2 2 points | +54 damage |
| Tier 3 5 points | Better scaling and 3s less charge time |
Rain of Arrows
25s cooldownLaunch into the air and glide for 4s, firing 5 arrows per shot with +3 weapon damage. Alt-cast for a lower jump.
| Tier 1 1 point | +3 damage; arrows slow by 24% for 1.5s |
|---|---|
| Tier 2 2 points | -12s cooldown |
| Tier 3 5 points | +30% bullet and spirit lifesteal and +30% evasion |
Spirit Snare
34s cooldownDeploy a trap (6.5m radius, lasts 22s, arms in 2s). When an enemy comes near, it curses them for 2.25s, silencing, disarming, slowing and interrupting them. Shoot it with Charged Shot to detonate it early with a bigger radius.
| Tier 1 1 point | -20s cooldown |
|---|---|
| Tier 2 2 points | -15% bullet resist for 10s |
| Tier 3 5 points | +1s duration and +1.5m radius |
Guided Owl
125s cooldownLaunch a spirit owl you steer for up to 20s. It explodes for 230 spirit damage in 12m and stuns for 0.75s. Each hero killed within 4s of being hit permanently gives you +8 spirit power.
| Tier 1 1 point | +85 damage |
|---|---|
| Tier 2 2 points | -40s cooldown |
| Tier 3 5 points | Executes enemies below 22% health (pure damage) |
Ability order
Spend points in this order. Each ability's tiers cost 1, 2 and 5 points.
- Unlock Charged Shot
- Unlock Spirit Snare
- Unlock Rain of Arrows
- Charged Shot T1
- Spirit Snare T1
- Unlock Guided Owl
- Charged Shot T2
- Guided Owl T1–T2
- Rain of Arrows T1
- Charged Shot T3
- Guided Owl T3
- Rain of Arrows T2
- Spirit Snare T2–T3
- Rain of Arrows T3
Item build
A starting build that works in most games. Swap pieces based on the enemy team; the notes explain what each stage is for.
Checked against 11,276 Grey Talon matches from October 6–7, 2026 (all ranks). It keeps the items most Grey Talon players buy and fills the other slots with the items that won most often. See the item tier list for how we measure that.
WeaponVitalitySpirit
| Stage | Items |
|---|---|
| Laning (800-soul items)The spirit opener nearly every Grey Talon uses: Mystic Burst and Extra Charge, with Extra Spirit and High-Velocity Rounds for long-range poke. | |
| Mid game core (1,600–3,200)Grey Talon is a spirit carry: Improved Spirit, Tankbuster, Rapid Recharge for more arrows and Superior Cooldown. Enchanter's Emblem is the Vitality item most players add. | |
| Late game (6,400)Boundless Spirit is the most common finisher but scores poorly in our data. Spirit Burn and Mystic Reverb do better, and Indomitable gives you the health a long-range carry needs when caught. | |
| SituationalSpiritual Overflow and Burst Fire for a hybrid build, Spirit Lifesteal for sustain, Grit as a cheap emergency shield. |
Mystic Burst
Extra Charge
Extra Spirit
High-Velocity Rounds
Improved Spirit
Rapid Recharge
Superior Cooldown
Boundless Spirit
Spirit Burn
Mystic Reverb
Spiritual Overflow
Burst Fire
Spirit LifestealRate this build in the build rater → See its grade, and the heroes it does well and badly against.
How to play
Grey Talon is a long-range spirit sniper. Charged Shot fires a piercing arrow you can hold charged indefinitely, Rain of Arrows launches him into the air with multishot, Spirit Snare traps an area with a curse, and Guided Owl is a steerable bomb that grows stronger with every kill.
Laning phase (0–10 min)
- Poke with Charged Shot. It pierces, so line up the enemy hero with troopers.
- Your bow hits hard per shot (23.5 damage). Aim for headshots.
- Snare where the enemy walks. Curse them, then poke freely.
Mid game (10–25 min)
- Guided Owl on fights. Hit enemies who are about to die to stack permanent spirit power.
- Protect yourself with Snares. Place them around your position so divers get cursed.
Late game and team fights (25+ min)
- Owl T3 executes below 22% health with pure damage. Fly it into low-health enemies.
- Rain of Arrows T3 gives 30% lifesteal and evasion, which makes it a strong fighting tool late.
Combos
- Poke: Charged Shot (held) → wait for a clean line → release → follow up with bow shots.
- Trap: Spirit Snare → enemy walks in (cursed) → Charged Shot to detonate with a bigger radius.
- Clean-up: team fight → Guided Owl into low-health enemies → stack spirit power.
Matchups
- Good against: slow and immobile heroes, and teams that stand still for objectives.
- Hard against: fast divers and assassins.
Pro tips
- Your move speed scales slightly with spirit power.
- Charged Shot can be held forever, so wait for the perfect shot.
Lore
Wesley spent forty years hunting monsters for the Baxter Society before retiring to reconnect with his family. When his son's house burned down with the family inside, and it turned out to be murder, he took up his bow again as Grey Talon, looking for vengeance.
Frequently asked questions
How does Guided Owl stack?
Every enemy hero who dies within 4 seconds of being hit by the owl gives Grey Talon a permanent +8 spirit power. Landing owls on fights where enemies die snowballs his damage.
How does Spirit Snare work?
Place a trap that arms after 2 seconds and lasts 22 seconds. Enemies who come close are cursed for 2.25 seconds, which silences, disarms and slows them. Shoot it with Charged Shot to set it off early with a bigger radius.
How do you counter Grey Talon?
Dive him, since he's weak up close. Watch for Spirit Snares around his position, and keep moving so Charged Shots are harder to land.
Ability numbers are checked against the game and the community-run Deadlock Wiki after every patch. Builds are our own recommendations, checked against public match data. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.