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“The blessing of Nyx gives me all the purpose I require.”
An old book of entomological oddities is hidden away in the Archive of Ultimyr, shelved between academic works on dragon cladistics and books of unintelligible spells. The book, compiled by academics, describes the telepathic skills of the zealot scarab, an odd species of social insect with abilities specific to each of the seven planes.
Nyx Assassin did not emerge from metamorphosis with the sluggish thoughts and blunted appendages typical of the worker caste of his kind, unlike the majority of grubs in his colony. He underwent a unique transformation, assisted by Nyx's grace. From among the many, he was chosen and anointed with a substance from the queen goddess herself. Not everyone makes it out of the dark blessing of the queen's chamber, but he did. He had a perceptive mind, claws like daggers, and razor-sharp mandibles that raked the air as his thoughts penetrated the minds of those around him. He was the only zealot scarab chosen for the highest calling among all of them. He underwent a metamorphosis and was reborn by the grace of Nyx with powers that were specifically designed to shape him for killing in the service of his goddess.
Ability Builds
Level: 0 1 15 25 30
Health: 200 540 1240 1980 2260
Health regen: +2 +3.7 +7.2 +10.9 +12.35
Mana: 75 327 675 1071 1215
Mana regen: +0 +1.05 +2.52 +4.17 +4.8
Armor: 1 4 9.83 16 18.42
Damage Block: 16 (50%)
Magic Resistance: 25%
Status Resistance: 0%
Damage: 27-31 45-49 80-84 117-121 131-135
Attack Rate: 0.59/s 0.69/s 0.9/s 1.12/s 1.2/s
Attack Range: 150 (600)
Attack Speed: 100 (1.7s BAT)
Attack Animation: 0.46+0.54
Projectile Speed: Instant.
Movement Speed: 310
Turn Rate: 0.6
Collision Size: 24
Vision Range: (G)1800 • 800
Legs: 6
Gib Type: Goo.
Ability Upgrades:
Upgradable by Aghanim's Scepter :
- Burrow.
- Unburrow.
Upgradable by Aghanim's Shard :
- Vendetta.
Talents
Tips & Tactics
General
The ultimate should always be maxed out because of the increased damage, decreased cooldown, and longer duration. Impale (Q) is a good skill to max out in order to set up a kill on an enemy hero because of the stun duration and damage it deals. Mana Burn (W) and Spiked Carapace (E) are lower priority skills to max early on because they scale as the game progresses and enemy heroes become more powerful. Spiked Carapace is preferable to Mana Burn when maxed out due to its shorter cooldown and longer stun duration. Get an early point in Mana Burn (W) only when you're up against heroes with high intelligence who like to spam abilities, like Skywrath Mage, because that's when the power of the ability will be greatest. By doing so, you can maximize the value of a single early point without having to wait until the match's later stages to invest more points.
Abilities
Impale
Mana cost: 100/110/120/130
Cooldown: 17/16/15/14
Cast range: 700
Radius: 140
Effect: Straight rock spikes erupted from the ground. As they fall, stunned and damaged, enemy units are launched into the air.
Mana Burn
Mana cost: 70/80/90/100
Cooldown: 20/15/10/5
Cast range: 600
Cast animation: 0.4+0
Effect: Burns mana from the target hero, destroying it, and dealing damage corresponding to the mana burned.
Note: Mana Burn inflicts damage first, then mana loss.
Spiked Carapace
Mana: 40
Cooldown: 25/20/15/10
Duration: 2
Damage: 100%
Effect: Spiked Carapace stuns the source of damage when it is activated while Nyx Assassin is above ground and reflects and negates damage (maximum once from each source). Spiked Carapace activation won't render Vendetta invisible.
Spiked Carapace, when cast while Burrowed, instantly stuns nearby enemies.
Burrow
Mana: 0
Cast animation: 1.5+0.1
Cast range increase: 450
Radius: 300
Effect: Over a brief period of time, Nyx Assassin bury himself beneath the battlefield. Once burrowed, Spiked Carapace stuns nearby enemies instantly, increases the range of Mana Burn and Impale, and shortens the duration of Impale's cooldown. Nyx Assassin is immobile, powerless to strike, and invisible while burrowed. Nyx receives protection from all types of damage.
Vendetta
Mana cost: 180/240/300
Cooldown: 90/75/60
Cast animation: 0+0
Speed bonus: 50%
Damage: 300/450/600
Effect: Gives the speed boost and the ability to become invisible to Nyx Assassin. Massive additional damage is dealt with the attack if Nyx Assassin makes an attempt to break the invisibility.