Master of Arms and Rhapsody coming this Friday

The recently free-to-play Heroes of Newerth (HoN) explodes this Friday with not one, but two new heroes for players to explore.  Rhapsody is a ranged intelligence support hero that packs excellent teamfight and skirmish abilities and Master of Arms is a ranged agility hero that gets two abilities for each “standard” ability – it all depends on what weapon he’s wielding.

Let’s take a look at each of these new heroes, complete with tip guides and item builds straight from S2:

Rhapsody


Introduction: 

Rhapsody is a support hero who excels at dishing out and bolstering Magic Damage. Her Staccato and Disco Inferno abilities combo for great damage output if used correctly, and her Arcane Hymn enhances all nearby allies' Magic abilities. Rhapsody's ultimate, if used properly, can determine the outcome of a game by shielding all nearby allies from both Magic and Physical damage.



Hero Overview: 

Rhapsody is a ranged Intelligence support hero who packs healing, Magic Damage, a powerful stun, and a channeled ultimate which renders nearby allies impervious to Magic and Physical damage.
Abilities:

• Staccato: Deals 50/60/70/80 Magic Damage and a 1 second stun to target, then applies 1/2/3/4 charges to Staccato. Staccato can be used further, each time consuming a charge and dealing 50 Magic Damage and a .25 second stun.
• Disco Inferno: Lays down a dance floor of groovetacular moves. Allies standing still in the dance floor will heal 10/20/30/40 Health per second, while enemies standing still in the dance floor suffer 20/40/60/80 Magic Damage per second. The effect lingers for .5 seconds after the target begins to move.
• Arcane Hymn: Nearby allies' spells are enhanced by an aura and gain 6/12/18/24 Magic Damage Lifesteal and 1/2/3/4 Magic Armor Penetration.
• Protective Melody: Channels for up to 4/5/6 seconds. While channeling, grants nearby allies in a 500 radius 1000 Armor and Magic Armor.

Tips:

• Staccato and Disco Inferno combo perfectly together. Use the pulses on Staccato to cause enemies to stop for a bit, then do it again after .5 seconds (when the linger on Disco Inferno wears out) to re-apply.
• Staccato can be used to interrupt attack and cast animations if timed correctly. It can give you a huge advantage in early exchanges.
• To take advantage of Arcane Hymn, your allies must be in the aura while damage is being done. Make sure the Thunderbringer is standing near you when he ultimates!
• Protective Melody is best used in clutch reactionary situations. Don't use it pre-emptively unless you're absolutely sure they're going to initiate! It has a low duration, and is HUGE if used right as it will waste enemy attacks and spell casts, as well as divert attention to you.

Recommended Items:

1. Astrolabe
2. Void Talisman
3. Shrunken Head
4. Blood Chalice

Master of Arms

Introduction: 

Master of Arms is a carry hero that has one of the most versatile skill sets in the game. Helpful to have on any team, he brings a stun, knock-back, snare, armor debuff, defensive shield, and offensive speed boost to the fight; but as a hero of choices, he doesn’t get all of that at the same time! The mark of a good Master of Arms player is knowing the tools you have available and using the correct skill at the appropriate time. Do you stun or knock-back? Do you hit them with lightning or coat them in acid? Do you attack quickly for lower damage or slower for higher damage?

All of these choices and more define who Master of Arms is and we are excited to see what he can do in the hands of a great player.

Hero Overview: 

Master of Arms is a ranged Agility carry hero who has a reliable stun, good area damage, and can take advantage of certain item builds like no other hero. Each of his abilities are actually two abilities. Which one you have access to depends on which weapon you are wielding!
Abilities:

• Weapon Enhancement (E): The first and only 5-level ability in the game, you start with one point in this ability for free and using it switches between your two weapons: the Pulse Cannon and the Repeater. Adds 0/8/16/24/32% Base Damage and 0/25/50/75/100 Attack Range for the Pulse Cannon. For the Repeater, leveling this adds 100/200/300/400 Attack Speed, your Attack Damage is halved, and you can only shoot 12 shots before needing to reload.
• With Pulse Cannon
• Charged Shot (Q): Target a unit to deal 75/125/175/225 Magic damage and apply a 1.2/1.4/1.6/1.8 second Stun.
• Forked Lightning (W): Target a location to shoot Lightning that deals 70/140/210/280 Magic Damage and applies a 1.5 second 80% Tapering Slow. The first target hit causes it to split into two more. The Lightning splits three times total.
• Master's Call (R): Target an allied unit to give them 75/125/175 Movespeed, 50/75/100 Cast Speed, and 50/75/100 Attack Speed for 5 seconds
• With Repeater
• Blast Shot (Q): Deals 70/130/190/250 Magic damage and blasts the target up and 500 units away from the Master of Arms
• Acid Bomb (W): Target a location to lob an Acid Bomb there, rolling and spreading Acid an additional 800 units away from there. Acid lowers Armor by 2/3/4/5 and deals 20/40/60/80 Physical Damage per second. Acid lasts for 8 seconds.
• Master's Call (R): Target an allied unit to give them a shield that absorbs 250/350/450 post-mitigation Damage. Lasts 10 seconds.

Tips:

• There is no cooldown between switching weapons, so you can always swap to appropriate skill at the right time.
• The Pulse Cannon will be your main weapon early until you get good items later in the game.
• Using Charged Shot followed by Forked Lightning makes for great easy to use burst.
• Blast Shot can throw enemies over cliffs, so you can position yourself to kick someone out of a fight or down into allies.
• Nullfire Blade, Savage Mace, or Charged Hammer are examples of items that let the Repeater shine!
• Master’s Call functions like Homecoming Stones in the way that you can target the ground or the minimap and the ability will automatically find the nearest allied hero from where you clicked, casting either the shield or the boost on them. This lets you have quick reactions and save someone in another lane without having to move your camera all the way over there.

Recommended Items:

• Steamboots
• Nullfire Blade
• Shrunken Head
• Savage Mace
• Charged Hammer
• Geometer’s Bane

Read the Article Exclusive in Examiner.Com