Hook tank that drags one enemy out of position and suppresses them
TankRoamDeals physical
Franco is a pick-and-punish roam tank built around Iron Hook, a long-range skillshot that drags a single enemy back to him from anywhere it lands. He has almost no personal mobility, but Wasteland Force rewards patience with a huge damage bonus on his next skill, and Bloody Hunt suppresses the hooked target through most escapes.
Difficulty
Moderate
Specialities
InitiatorControl
Iron Hook is an unassisted skillshot, so landing it consistently and reading enemy positioning takes real practice.
Beaten by
63 hard
Strong into
6
Best duos
10
Builds
2
At a glance
Damage
4 of 10
Durability
8 of 10
Crowd Control
9 of 10
Mobility
3 of 10
Utility
7 of 10
Rated against the whole roster, not against their own class.
When Franco is strong
Attributes
Damage
4
Durability
8
Crowd Control
9
Mobility
3
Utility
7
Strengths
Iron Hook is a long-range skillshot that turns any isolated position into a kill
Bloody Hunt suppresses the target for 1.8s, a CC type that can't be cleansed like a normal stun
Wasteland Force passively boosts his next skill's damage by up to 150% for simply not taking damage
Fury Shock's 70% slow locks a kill in immediately after a landed hook
Weaknesses
Iron Hook has a 15s cooldown early and whiffing it leaves him with no other engage tool
Zero dash or blink in his kit — once spotted, he can't reposition to find a new angle
Bloody Hunt's 62s cooldown means one bad suppression is a long wait before he threatens again
Low personal damage outside a landed hook, so he contributes little to fights he doesn't start
Skills
Max Iron Hook first for its damage and lower cooldown, put one early point in Fury Shock for the slow, and take the ultimate at 4, 8 and 12.
Passive
Wasteland Force
Buff
If no damage is taken within 5 seconds, Franco gains 10% Movement Speed, recovers 1% Max HP per second, and begins accumulating Wasteland Force (up to 10 stacks). Franco will consume all Wasteland Force stacks on his next skill cast to increase the skill's damage by up to 150%.
Always active — no cooldown
What the terms mean(1)
Movement Speed
Movement Speed on the battlefield. Usually Calculated and Actual Movement Speed is equal. But when Movement Speed is below 230 or over 420 both Slowdown and Speedup Effect will
Skill 1
Iron Hook
CCDamage
Franco launches an iron hook in the target direction. The hook will snag the first enemy unit hit, dealing 400–650 (+100% Total Physical Attack) Physical Damage dragging them to Franco.
Cooldown
15s
Mana
135 → 160
What the terms mean(2)
Physical Damage Skill
Deal Physical DMG to enemies. Triggers Spell Vamp.
Displacement
Target Displacement; Can interrupt certain skills and Blink or Charge effects (interrupts the same skills as Knock Airborne effect). Including but not limited to Knockback, Drag and effects that pull
Skill 2
Fury Shock
Slow
Franco lashes out, dealing Physical Damage equal to 300–450 plus 4% of his Max HP to nearby enemies and slowing them by 70% for 1.5 seconds.
Cooldown
7s
Mana
40 → 65
What the terms mean(2)
Physical Damage Skill
Deal Physical DMG to enemies. Triggers Spell Vamp.
Movement Speed
Movement Speed on the battlefield. Usually Calculated and Actual Movement Speed is equal. But when Movement Speed is below 230 or over 420 both Slowdown and Speedup Effect will decay. Calculated Movement
Ultimate
Bloody Hunt
BurstCC
Franco suppresses the target enemy hero for 1.8 seconds and strikes them 6 times over the duration, each time dealing 50 (+70% Total Physical Attack) Physical Damage.
Cooldown
62s
Mana
110 → 140
What the terms mean(2)
Suppress
Ultimate level Crowd Control: Prevents a target from moving, and using Basic Attacks and skills. Can interrupt a large number of skills, and Blink or Charge effects. Cannot be removed.
Physical Damage Skill
Deal Physical DMG to enemies. Triggers Spell Vamp.
Signature combo
Iron Hook → Fury Shock → basic attacks, then Bloody Hunt to finish the target if they survive or try to flee.
Franco builds
Core items in buy order, with the emblem, talents and battle spell that go with them.
Standard Engage Tank
7,050g total
Default pick when Franco is the team's primary engage.
The 'Flicker combo' — blinking in right as a hook or stun lands, or blinking out the instant an enemy ultimate is cast — is the single most common high-elo outplay moment in the game.
Swap in when needed
Antique Cuirass — Against physical skill-combo fighters who punish him every time he initiates.
Immortality — Insurance when he's the one diving in alone to start the fight.
Cursed Helmet — Adds passive magic damage when he's stuck peeling instead of engaging.
Franco Standard Engage Tank build: Tough Boots, then Brute Force Breastplate, then Dominance Ice, then Queen's Wings.
Anti-Dive Peel
7,400g total
When the enemy has a burst diver threatening the backline more than Franco needs to initiate.
Because the shield is flat and doesn't scale with items, its relative value drops in the late game — it's strongest as a laning-phase and early-mid-game defensive tool.
Swap in when needed
Athena's Shield — Against a single burst magic diver like a jungle assassin.
Radiant Armor — Against sustained magic damage in longer fights.
Franco Anti-Dive Peel build: Tough Boots, then Dominance Ice, then Antique Cuirass, then Guardian Helmet.
Stand out of vision or away from damage for 5 seconds before engaging to bank Wasteland Force onto Iron Hook
2
Aim Iron Hook through brush or chokepoints where enemies can't sidestep the skillshot
3
Follow every landed hook with Fury Shock immediately — the 70% slow denies flicker and dash escapes
4
Save Bloody Hunt for isolated backline targets, not tanks who can just walk through the suppression window
Franco — common questions
Is Franco good for beginners?
Franco is moderately beginner-friendly — his kit is simple, but Iron Hook is an unassisted skillshot, so consistently landing hooks in solo queue takes real practice before he becomes reliable.
What is the best build for Franco?
Tough Boots into Brute Force Breastplate, Dominance Ice and Queen's Wings covers the standard engage-tank build, shifting into Antique Cuirass or Athena's Shield depending on whether the enemy carries deal physical or magic damage.
Which heroes counter Franco?
Hanzo, Sun, Atlas, Johnson, Tigreal and X.Borg all counter Franco by escaping or ignoring his suppression, out-ranging his hook, or out-trading him with faster and bigger crowd control.
What does Franco's ultimate do?
Bloody Hunt suppresses a single enemy hero for 1.8 seconds, striking them six times for physical damage — suppression cannot be cleansed like a normal stun, making it a reliable pick tool on an isolated target.
