HONicle : 2.0.38 Patch Analysis

Today we see three major item reworks and a new item, the first since Spellshards.  It was said by S2Nome a while ago that new items are much more difficult to balance than new heroes, since they have to be tested on every single hero before they can be released, so it’s good to see that S2 is still hard at work.  Without further waiting, let’s look at the changes.

Astrolabe

Old:

• 803gp Shield of the Five (Ringmail + Minor Totem + 200gp Recipe)
• 603gp Refreshing Ornament (Minor Totem + Trinket of Restoration + 200gp Recipe)
• 900gp Astrolabe Recipe
• Passive Benefits:  +5 Strength, Agility, Intelligence and Armor, 900 radius aura granting +3 health regeneration
• Activation Costs:  150 mana, 45 second cooldown
• Benefits:  Self and nearby allies healed for 250 HP and +2 armor for 25 seconds.  Allies cannot be healed by Astrolabe while buff is active

New:

• 510gp Fortified Bracer (Crushing Claws + Pretender’s Crown + 175gp Recipe)
• 603gp Refreshing Ornament (Minor Totem + Trinket of Restoration + 200gp Recipe)
• 600gp Astrolabe Recipe
• Passive Benefits:  +8 Strength, +5 Agility and Intelligence, 900 radius aura granting +3 health regeneration
• Activation Costs:  100 mana, 45 second cooldown
• Activation Benefits:  Self and nearby allies healed for 200 HP.  Allies cannot be healed by Astrolabe for 25 seconds

Wait Wut:

As will be seen with some of the other items, S2 has listened to the community and included the 6/3/3 core stat items in advanced recipes.  For the Astrolabe this means the loss of the Armor bonus, both for you and for your allies, but the addition of three points of Strength.  The lowered overall cost, especially the 300gp reduction on the recipe, also lowers the healing significantly, especially early game when static healing values count for much more.  The flip-side is that Astrolabe costs significantly less and has a better buildup, with the most expensive single non-recipe item costing only 350gp and the recipe cost lowered by 33%.  Heroes like Nymphora, support Plague Rider, and Accursed that would normally build a Fortified Bracer and then later build an Astrolabe anyway now have a much smoother item progression and, in a long game, aren’t going to be getting rid of some still-useful stats to clear up an item slot.

Ring of Sorcery

Old:

• 175gp Guardian Ring, 900gp Pickled Brain, 200gp Recipe
• Passive Benefits:  300 max mana, +3 armor
• Activation Costs:  25 mana, 33 second cooldown
• Activation Benefits:  Self and nearby allies gain 135 mana

New:

• 485gp Amulet of Exile (Mark of the Novice, Pretender’s Crown, 150gp Recipe), 900gp Pickled Brain
• Passive Benefits:  300 max mana, +3 Strength and Agility, +6 Intelligence
• Activation Costs:  25 mana, 33 second cooldown
• Activation Benefits:  Self and nearby allies gain 135 mana

Wait Wut:

This is the second of three items that incorporate the core stat items as base components.  While it is Intelligence based, it’s likely that we will see this item on quite a few strength heroes; much like the new strength-based Astrolabe will likely be seen primarily on intelligence heroes.  Unlike Astrolabe, the price for Ring of Sorcery increased 110 gold with the rework, but so did the overall benefits.  With an Amulet of Exile included in the buildup, the component items are much more useful.  No more Behemoths going in to lane with a Guardian Ring and a recipe.  Since Blood Chalice was added, Ring of Sorcery has been almost unused in professional games and more of a hindrance than anything in pub games.  It’s likely that mana-hungry early game nukers and nuker/supporters like Pebbles, Behemoth and Magmus will be getting this item quite frequently now.

Energizer

• 460gp Soulscream Ring (150gp Duck Boots, 185gp Pretenders Crown, 125gp Recipe), 540gp Major Totem, 700gp Recipe
• Passive Benefits:  +7 Strength and Intelligence, +10 Agility
• Activation Costs:  100 mana, 45 second cooldown
• Activation Benefits:  Self and nearby units gain 50 movement speed and unitwalking for 5 seconds

Wait Wut:

The Energizer is the new item in the patch and the most powerful and expensive of the core stat based items.  This powerful mid-game item is very agility based and will likely be core on many agility heroes, especially melee carries like Chronos and The Dark Lady that have fallen out of fashion lately.  At the same time, it’s refreshing to see Major Totem getting some more love and we may be seeing this as a powerful item on agility gankers like Fayde, Tremble and Dampeer.  Being able to have Unitwalking while still gaining the stats and attack speed of Steamboots will definitely be a boon to the most underutilized archetype in Heroes of Newerth.  Combine all of this with the powerful new Shieldbreaker and this item shows that S2 is definitely making an effort to get more melee agility carries included in the professional metagame.  The Energizer will likely also see play on ranged agility carries, especially those that require quick movement due to their short attack range and lack of an escape mechanism.  Moon Queen, and Corrupted Disciple come to mind here.  Engineer also comes to mind, as this item could be a great item to pair with the already powerful Tablet of Command.

Shieldbreaker

Old:

• Two 1600gp Warhammers and 1200gp recipe
• Passive Benefits:  +60 damage and applies -6 armor for 5 seconds on attack.  Counts as an Attack Modifier.

New:

• One 1600gp Warhammer and up to three 900gp recipes
• Passive Benefits:  +30 / 45 / 60 damage and applies -2 / 4 / 6 armor on attack.  Counts as an Attack Modifier.

Wait Wut:

Ultimately the only change to the finished Shieldbreaker is that it costs 100gp less overall, but the changes to the player’s options while building the item up are astounding.  It’s now only 2500gp for a level one Shieldbreaker, which includes enough static damage and negative armor to be viable at the early point that it can be purchased.  Once again, S2 is definitely increasing the ability for carry heroes to participate in the midgame, as well as in the midgame mindgames.  Now the purchase of an early Warhammer does not immediately denote a buildup into a Shrunken Head, although in many cases it likely will.  Additionally, a hero isn’t going to be dedicated to the purchase of a max level Shieldbreaker and, if the full shieldbreaker becomes unnecessary or another item is a better purchase, they don’t have to use the remaining 1800 gold on finishing an item that’s not going to be very helpful in the long run.  The buildup also allows staggering late game items through the midgame.  In between recipe upgrades for your Shieldbreaker you can finish a Shrunken Head, Frostbrand or Flamebrand, Whispering Helm, or any number of other powerful late-to-mid game items, while still retaining the potential of a powerful late game damage boost.  Overall, the new Shieldbreaker provides more midgame options to carries, which is always a benefit, especially with the recent push for more active, teamfight oriented games.

The Other Bits

In addition to the big changes above, S2 included a much needed minor nerf to Alchemist’s Bones.  Honestly, it was a little out of hand seeing them on Myrmidon every other pub game.  The bugs with Emerald Warden and Nullstone are nice to see fixed.  Hopefully they got all of them.  That’s pretty much the only thing listed in the bug reports forum for the last week.  Finally, the S/H crash is great to finally see fixed, as that has been a problem since 2.0 and the introduction of MatchMaking.

Final Thoughts

Version 2.0.38 is a very powerful example of S2 straying from the old DotA standard in positive ways.  Seeing new items and strong, well thought out balance interspersed with the aggressive Hero development schedule that has been implemented is a welcome and reassuring example that HoN is a thriving game in a highly competitive genre.

Thomas writes about more than just Heroes of Newerth on his home blog Escapism.  Check it out.