- March of Giants Le Poilu is a melee werewolf fighter built for the late game.
- His rage meter transforms him into a werewolf form with major damage and tankiness.
- Early laning is his weakest phase: play safe, farm, and survive.
- Core items stack attack speed, life steal, and raw damage for scaling.
- His ultimate transforms on demand but has a very long cooldown.
Le Poilu Overview: The Rage-Fueled Werewolf
Le Poilu is a melee hero in March of Giants, Amazon's closed-alpha mobile MOBA that blends lane combat with giant units, bunkers, and siege warfare. Community players have quickly labeled him a late game hypercarry — a hero who feels underwhelming in the opening minutes but becomes nearly unstoppable once his items and rage mechanics come online.
His identity revolves around a unique rage system. As Le Poilu fights, he builds rage, and at maximum rage he transforms into a powerful werewolf form, gaining bonus damage and apparent damage reduction. His ultimate allows an on-demand transformation as well, though it carries a roughly 180-second cooldown, so timing it well matters.
Video Highlights:
- Full gameplay walkthrough of Le Poilu in a live closed-alpha match
- Demonstrates the rage/werewolf transformation mechanic in action
- Shows the difficult early laning phase and the powerful late game spike
- Covers item choices: attack speed, life steal, and damage stacking
Le Poilu suits players who enjoy scaling melee carries and don't mind a punishing early game. If you like Greymane-style transform heroes from other MOBAs, his kit will feel immediately familiar.
Ability Kit Breakdown
Le Poilu's kit is straightforward but rewards aggressive play once you understand each piece.
| Ability | Effect | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Q (Cone Strike) | Small cone dealing ~120-130 damage | 8 second cooldown, main poke and clear tool |
| W (Gap Closer) | Leap onto a target enemy | Clunky range indicator — practice the distance |
| E (Roar) | Knockback; stuns if target hits a wall | Prime setup tool for kills |
| Rage Passive | At max rage, transform into werewolf | Stronger attacks, feels noticeably tankier |
| Ultimate | On-demand werewolf transformation | ~180 second cooldown, huge mobility boost |
Trading Pattern
- Leap in with W
- Cone damage from Q
- Roar with E into a wall for the stun
- Disengage or commit based on rage
Werewolf Windows
- Save full-rage transforms for fights
- You appear to gain damage reduction in beast form
- Movement speed spikes while transformed
Wall Stuns
- Position near terrain before engaging
- A landed E wall stun often secures early kills
The W gap closer currently lacks a clear range indicator in the alpha. Test its distance in practice and avoid clicking it when out of range — the animation feels clunky otherwise.
Item Build: From Weak Lanes to Monster Damage
Le Poilu's itemization follows a clear scaling arc. Your first ~1,000 gold purchase acts like a stacking quest item, granting attack speed per last hit, which accelerates your farming snowball.
| Build Stage | Item Priority | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Opening (0-1k gold) | Attack speed quest item | Stack attack speed from last hits |
| Early-mid (1.5k) | Life steal | Sustain for camps and trades |
| Mid game | HP regen / boots | Survive poke, rotate for ganks |
| Late game | Weapon System Expert | Highest raw damage item |
| Finisher | Execution | Executes enemies at or below ~5% HP |
Situational pickups matter too: if three enemies build shields, grab the shield breaker item. Recovery speed (CC reduction) shortens stun durations and is worth considering against heavy-CC teams.
Without natural HP regen, Le Poilu struggles to stay on the map. Early life steal lets you jungle camps between waves instead of burning recalls, keeping your gold income flowing.
Laning Strategy: Surviving the Early Game
The consensus on Le Poilu is blunt: the early game is miserable, the late game is amazing. Your job in the first ten minutes is to farm efficiently, avoid dying, and let your scaling do the talking.
Play Conservative Early
Against ranged mages, concede ground and last-hit under safety. Melee matchups are actually favorable — trade with Q and back off.
Hit Your First Item Timing
Around 1,000 gold, recall for the attack speed quest item. This accelerates everything that follows.
Add Sustain
Pick up life steal near 1.5k gold so you can farm jungle camps without basing constantly.
Rotate With Boots
Buy boots to gank mid and other lanes when they're not pushed. Watch enemy wave states before committing.
Close Out Late Game
With Weapon System Expert and Execution, group with your team, pop werewolf form, and melt fights.
Even at full build, enemy towers in March of Giants deal heavy damage. Don't dive without your team or your werewolf transformation active — cleave autos can also accidentally pull tower aggro.
Map Systems: Bunkers, Supplies, and Field Shops
March of Giants layers RTS-style elements onto MOBA laning, and Le Poilu players should understand them.
| System | Cost/Use | Recommendation |
|---|---|---|
| Bunkers | Buildable defensive structures | Great for lane pressure; watch aggro placement |
| Aggro bunkers | Push lanes while you rotate | Works but can feed enemy towers creeps |
| Field shop | 70 supplies | Generally skip — basing is frequent anyway |
| Siege dozers / turtle tanks | Resource units | Tank tower fire but deal no damage themselves |
| Supply buildings | Depot upgrades | Fund bunker and tank production |
Siege vehicles currently only absorb tower fire — they deal no building damage. Save your supplies for more impactful purchases until the developers adjust this behavior.
Le Poilu Match Goals:
- Survive the laning phase without feeding
- Complete the attack speed quest item by ~1,000 gold
- Secure life steal for camp farming
- Land at least one E wall stun per engagement
- Reach full damage build and group for fights
FAQ
Q: Is Le Poilu in March of Giants a good pick for beginners?
He is challenging for new players because his early game is weak and his W gap closer has an unclear range indicator. Players comfortable with scaling melee carries will get the most out of him.
Q: How does Le Poilu's rage transformation work?
Fighting builds rage, and at maximum rage he transforms into a werewolf with stronger attacks, apparent damage reduction, and bonus movement speed. His ultimate also triggers the transformation on demand, but with a very long cooldown of roughly 180 seconds.
Q: What is the best first item for Le Poilu?
The ~1,000 gold attack speed quest item is the standard opening. Every last hit grants additional attack speed, which snowballs his farming and dueling throughout the match.
Q: Should I build the field shop for 70 supplies?
Generally no. In the current alpha you recall often enough that basing to shop is fine, and supplies are better spent on bunkers and siege units that directly pressure the map.