heroes BlizzCon 2017 - Li Li, Nova, Samuro, Valeera, and Zeratul Reworks

[Oxygen 446]

Here's a detailed rundown of upcoming talent changes for stealth Heroes and Li Li!

Although many changes to Heroes of the Storm have been announced at this year's BlizzCon, unexpected changes to the Stealthing mechanic have been revealed, impacting a number of heroes, including Nova, Samuro, Valeera, and Zeratul. Li Li was also hit with a rework, although it probably has to do with her playstyle being overly simplistic. Note that unlike the new hero abilities talents, I'm not going to write out everything word for word. Enjoy!

Li Li

Abilities

Fast Feet (Trait): Now grants a new effect that causes Li Li's cooldown to refresh 50% faster (i.e. 10 seconds becomes 6.66 seconds) for the duration on top of the 10% movement speed increase.

Cloud Serpent (W): Now heals for half the damage it deals by default (basically, Mending Serpent was caked into the ability).

Jugs of a 1,000 Cups (R1): Still channeled over up to 6 seconds, but its cooldown is reduced to 20 seconds... increased to up to 70 seconds depending on how long you channeled the ability. In other words, if you channel for 6 seconds, you get a 70s cooldown. If you channel for 1 second, that goes down to 30s.

Talents

Level 1

• Healing Brew (Q)'s cooldown is reduced by 1 second.  If it heals target under 50% health, its mana cost is refunded.
• Blinding Wind (E) reduces Cloud Serpent's cooldown by 3 seconds for each hero hit.
• Fast Feet (Trait)'s duration is increased by 50%. While Fast Feet is active, Li Li mana regeneration is increased by 150% mana regeneration.

Level 4

• Cloud Serpent (W)'s own (not other active serpents) duration is increased by .5 seconds whenever it hits an enemy Hero
• Blinding Wind (E) slows heroes by 30%.
• Safety Sprint (D): 30s cooldown. Activate to gain Fast Feet for 3 seconds and increase the movement speed gained from Fast Feet to 30% for the duration.

Level 7

• Healing Brew (Q) heals for an additional X over 3 seconds. While Fast Feet is active, this amount is increased by 100%.
• Cloud Serpent's (W) attacks bounces to up to 2 enemy heroes, dealing 50% damage.
• To the Rescue: 40s cooldown. It's Cleanse that heals for a bit. Its cooldown is affected by Fast Feet.

Level 13

• Blinding Wind (E)'s blind duration is increased by 1 second. Li Li's basic attacks deal 50% more damage against blinded heroes.
• If Blinding Wind (E) hits 2 heroes, its cooldown is reduced by 3 seconds, and Li Li gains 10% spell power for 10 seconds.
• Blinding Wind (E) hits an additional target. If the 3 targets hit are heroes, its damage is increased by 100%.

Level 16

• Two for One: Unchanged.
• Healing Brew (Q)'s healing is increased by 33% more if its target is below 50% health.
• Cloud Serpent (W) heals the bearer for 1.5% max health for each attack it does.

Level 20

• 1,000 Jugs upgrade: Shoots out two jugs at once instead of one (heals two allies intead of just one), and the cooldown reduction effect is halved; in other words, channeling the ability longer adds 5s worth of cooldown instead of 10, which reduces the overall cooldown of the ability.
• For the horrible DPS Li Lis out there, you can still shoot out two dragons.
• Mist Weaver: 30s cooldown. Heal nearby allies for a really small amount (about 350 at 20). This cooldown is reduced by basic attacks and Cloud Serpent hits.
• Faster Feeter: Gain 8 armor per second as long as the effect is active, up to 30 armor total.

Nova

Abilities

Ghost Protocol (D): 60s cooldown Now baseline. This forces Nova to stealth, and become unrevealable for .5s.

Snipe (Q): Damage is slightly reduced (10%?) compared to live. Snipe Master is now baseline, stacking by 5% per hit up to 25%. After reaching 25%, this bonus is increased by another 25%, for a total of 50%.

Cloak (Trait): 15% movement speed increase caked in.

Talents

Level 1

• Advanced Cloaking: Still grants mana, but the movement speed increase is down to 10%.

Level 4

• Unchanged

Level 7

• Snipe master is gone. Perfect Shot is now a level 7 talent (down from 16), and reduces the cooldown of Snipe by 2s on hero hit, down from 3s.

Level 13

• When losing stealth, gain 25 armor for 3 seconds. Replaces Explosive Round, which is now level 16.

Level 16

• Explosive Round: Now level 16. Replaces Perfect Shot.

Level 20

• Ghost Protocol replaced by a new talent that reduce the activation time of Cloak (Trait) by 2 seconds, down to 1 second.

Samuro

Abilities 

Image Transmissions (D - Trait): 20s cooldown. Still increases Samuro's movement speed on attack (Advancing Strikes), but can be activated to swap position with a Mirror Image, the same way his old heroic ability would let you do.

Illusion Master (R): Images can be controlled individually and their damage is increased by 100%. Also reduces the cooldown of Image Transmission by 14 seconds.

Talents

Level 1

• Way of the Wind: Changed to a 40% movement speed increase for 3 seconds after entering or exiting Wind Walk.

Level 4

• One with the Wind: Changed to a 50 armor increase for Samuro and his images upon entering stealth and for 2 seconds after.

Level 7

• Crushing Blow: Changed to an extra charge of Critical Strike. Basic attacks reduce Critical Strike's cooldown by 2s against heroes.

Everything else is unchanged.

Valeera

Abilities

Vanish (Trait - D): 8s cooldown. 20% movement speed increase for the duration. For the first second, she is unrevealable and can walk through units. After being stealthed for 3 seconds, her stealth abilities (Ambush, Cheap Shot, Garrote) have 100% increased range.

Cheap Shot (Stealth, W): Stun duration is .75s. Now blinds the target for 2s after the stun expires.

Talents

Level 1

• Sublety: Changed to whenever Valeera teleports to a target (so, after being stealthed for 3 seconds and hitting with Ambush, Cheap Shot, or Garrote), gain 10 energy per second for 5 seconds.

Level 4

• Unchanged

Level 7

• Assassinate nerfed to 75% bonus damage, from 100%.

Level 13

• Death from Above: Teleporting with Ambush reduces Vanish's cooldown by 3 seconds.
• Cheap Shot blind increased by 2s, to 4s total.

Level 16

• Unchanged

Level 20

Nightslayer removed. Replaced by Elusiveness, which increases Valeera's movement speed by an additional 20% while Vanished.

Zeratul

Abilities

Gets Vorpal Blade by default. You read that right.

Shadow Assault removed. Replaced by Might of the Nerazim (R1), which allows you to recast your last used ability (untalented version). It also as a passive effect akin to the old Combo Strike talent that increases basic attack damage by 40% after using an ability.

Talents

Level 1

• One new talent: 25% increased movement speed while stealthed. Rest is unchanged.

Level 4

• Shadow Assault: 30s cooldown.  Gain 40% attack speed for 5 second.
• Basic attacks grant 15% spell power for 4 seconds, stacking up to 3 times.
• Rending Cleave: Cleave (Q) deals 40% more damage over 3 seconds.

Level 7

• Unchanged.

Level 13

• Unchanged.

Level 16

• Mostly unchanged, but Void Slash was nerfed by 20% (down to 30, from 50%).

Level 20

• Rewind is gone. Nerazim's upgrade now causes it to refresh all basic abilities, on top of the double cast. This means you can triple cast something (!).
• Vorpal Blade gains a second charge.

[WhatDothLife 0]

"For rhe horrible DPS Lili out there" not sure if you're joking or not. The rest of this is article seems slapped together and poorly written and the stats on Mist Weaver are for lvl one not 20. 

[ReaperChief 2]

Now my niche/favorite Nova build with explosive round and lethal decoy is gone.. Gonna have to go for lethal decoy at 16 and the armor at 13.

[Valhalen 1,485]

Wow, the Li Li rework is absolutely fantastic! Finally she got the love she deserves. She'll be a sad panda no more.

[Oxygen 446]

1 hour ago, WhatDothLife said:

"For rhe horrible DPS Lili out there" not sure if you're joking or not. The rest of this is article seems slapped together and poorly written and the stats on Mist Weaver are for lvl one not 20. 

I was joking for Li Li. I'm surprised you're not into meme'ing. 

 

I defintely rushed writing it out because I literally had to record myself reading the new talents since we're not allowed to film anything, and then type it out. Not my best work, but time was against me. Better this than nothing, yes?

[gamerk2 20]

9 hours ago, Oxygen said:

Jugs of a 1,000 Cups (R1): Still channeled over up to 6 seconds, but its cooldown is reduced to 20 seconds... increased to up to 70 seconds depending on how long you channeled the ability. In other words, if you channel for 6 seconds, you get a 70s cooldown. If you channel for 1 second, that goes down to 30s.

Don't like.  Jugs is a massive heal if not interrupted, and you should be rewarded for interrupting it early, not punished.  I know they want to buff Lily, but this is too much.  There's a difference between buffing a weak hero and rewarding poor play (getting interrupted).

Quote

Valeera

Abilities

Vanish (Trait - D): 8s cooldown. 20% movement speed increase for the duration. For the first second, she is unrevealable and can walk through units. After being stealthed for 3 seconds, her stealth abilities (Ambush, Cheap Shot, Garrote) have 100% increased range.

Cheap Shot (Stealth, W): Stun duration is .75s. Now blinds the target for 2s after the stun expires.

Seems like solid QoL changes.

Quote

Gets Vorpal Blade by default. You read that right.

Shadow Assault removed. Replaced by Might of the Nathrezim (R1), which allows you to recast your last used ability (untalented version). It also as a passive effect akin to the old Combo Strike talent that increases basic attack damage by 40% after using an ability.

Fine with Vorpal baseline.  The second ult is bad except for the damage increase, but still pales in comparison to Void Prison.

Seriously, Void Prison is the type of Ult you'd never have if Zeratul was a new hero.

Edited November 5, 2017 by gamerk2

[Fliits 112]

Where the Raynor rework be at?

[Valhalen 1,485]

7 hours ago, gamerk2 said:

Seriously, Void Prison is the type of Ult you'd never have if Zeratul was a new hero.

Yeah. Much like ETC would NEVER have the kit he has if he was released recently. He has everything a tank needs.

[BrightwingMain 26]

7 hours ago, gamerk2 said:

Fine with Vorpal baseline.  The second ult is bad except for the damage increase, but still pales in comparison to Void Prison.

Nah, unless you have combo setup for void and intelligent teammates to abuse the void timeframe (if you play HL those conditions wont be filled) you have to take Might on 10. Without Might your solo damage potential is abysmal meaning you dont possess the threat you used to vs backliners and you cant really make plays on your own without depending on your teammates at every step. We shall see but this seems like just skill cap downgrade to Zeratul.

[50m8r4 11]

17 hours ago, Valhalen said:

Wow, the Li Li rework is absolutely fantastic! Finally she got the love she deserves. She'll be a sad panda no more.

I totally agree! I'm a li li main and thought she wasn't in desperate need of a rework but then....

[Notoriousthf 19]

On 11/5/2017 at 4:35 AM, Fliits said:

Where the Raynor rework be at?

I'd rather they add adrenaline rush to his trait and make scouting drones his E ability or have something like the command center's scan where you can scan anywhere on the map for like 2 seconds on a 45 sec cooldown with 2 charges on like a 10 sec cd per cast.

Right now almost everything Raynor can do, Zul'jin can do better and then some. The least we can do to help this old marine is to give him a different form of utility in the form of vision.

Edited November 6, 2017 by Notoriousthf

[MZLICH 43]

9 hours ago, Notoriousthf said:

I'd rather they add adrenaline rush to his trait and make scouting drones his E ability or have something like the command center's scan where you can scan anywhere on the map for like 2 seconds on a 45 sec cooldown with 2 charges on like a 10 sec cd per cast.

Right now almost everything Raynor can do, Zul'jin can do better and then some. The least we can do to help this old marine is to give him a different form of utility in the form of vision.

Well there should be a very easy hero for who is new to game..

For example my little sis doesn't know anything about moba but she could easily play gall before his balances because she just haD to know 3abilities Q W and pressing E whenever i told her and ult at last.. and then blizzard made him harder to use with adding activate level (1)and D level and also Z which was just pressing a key but now its a dash ability and my sis wasn't that pro and fast to know what time she has to use 1 or D or how to use Z efficiently ... so blizzard lost 1 player..

And if they just want to make *easy* heroes harder to use they ll lose new players who see they even can't play easy heroes...

well Raynor is easiest hero about using abilities since he doesn't use E and D key and W just needs to be pressed ultimate is easy to use and the hardest part is Q 

maybe some people are slow or new or hate of having much  abilities with keys then blizzard can make them leave with such things 

[Warper 12]

1 hour ago, MZLICH said:

Well there should be a very easy hero for who is new to game..

For example my little sis doesn't know anything about moba but she could easily play gall before his balances because she just haD to know 3abilities Q W and pressing E whenever i told her and ult at last.. and then blizzard made him harder to use with adding activate level (1)and D level and also Z which was just pressing a key but now its a dash ability and my sis wasn't that pro and fast to know what time she has to use 1 or D or how to use Z efficiently ... so blizzard lost 1 player..

And if they just want to make *easy* heroes harder to use they ll lose new players who see they even can't play easy heroes...

well Raynor is easiest hero about using abilities since he doesn't use E and D key and W just needs to be pressed ultimate is easy to use and the hardest part is Q 

maybe some people are slow or new or hate of having much  abilities with keys then blizzard can make them leave with such things 

I see what your saying, but Raynor needs something. Right now there really isn't ever a reason to play him over someone else like Zul'Jin. I agree that E being baked into his trait sounds like a good idea, it's just weird for one of his 3 basic abilities to. E completely passive when that is reserved for traits on every single other character.

[Valks 2,388]

On 11/6/2017 at 9:37 PM, Warper said:

I see what your saying, but Raynor needs something. Right now there really isn't ever a reason to play him over someone else like Zul'Jin.

So much flame for even trying to pick him, it sucks. It's fair, but it sucks.