1.3 (2021-08-07)
BASE
Rising Tide (D):
Can now also be used while at Low Tide.
Adjusted functionality: If used while at High Tide, Azshara also gains a Shield that absorbs
300 damage for
4 seconds.
Wrath of Azshara (R):
Cooldown reduced from
100 to
90 seconds.
New functionality: Create a pool of deep water that grows as Azshara channels for up to
4 seconds. When the channel ends or is interrupted after the first
1.5 seconds, enemies inside are Slowed by
30% for
4 seconds and take damage equal to
20% of their maximum Health. The pool remains on the ground for
4 seconds and triggers its effects an additional time when it ends.
Wrath of Azshara is channeled
60% faster while at High Tide.
Author's Note:
Wrath of Azshara used to be a tool for constant damage, burst damage, crowd control and area denial all at the same time. I changed it so it now has about the same damage and Slow as before, but all of it is now secondary to its main purpose: area denial. I have also added some nuance and counterplay opportunities to make it more complex than just a one-click huge area.
TALENTS
Sinking Feeling (lvl 20):
New functionality: Wrath of Azshara constantly Slows all enemies in the area, its instant damage is increased by
10% of the target's missing Health and it extends the duration of active Maelstroms within it.
1.2 (2021-07-12)
Added High/Low Tide mechanic to Rising Tide. Many talents and effects now take advantage of High/Low Tide.
BASE
Rising Tide (D):
Cooldown increased from
22 to
25 seconds.
Radius increased from
2.75 to
3.5.
New functionality: Azshara enters High Tide while at
15 stacks or more. Otherwise, she stays in Low Tide.
Adjusted functionality: While at High Tide, activate to consume all Rising Tide stacks, dealing
120 damage to nearby enemies and granting Azshara a Shield that absorbs
300 damage for
4 seconds. The radius of Rising tide is increased by
2% per stack.
Maelstrom (W):
Damage reduced from
60 to
36.
Damage interval reduced from
0.5 to
0.3 seconds.
Pull damage increased from
130 to
150.
Adjusted functionality: Now only pulls the first Hero hit, increased to
2 if cast while at High Tide.
Abyssal Breach (E):
Added explanation for the area of effect in the Notes section.
Wrath of Azshara (R):
Adjusted functionality: Now Slows by
25% for
4 seconds after the secondary effect instead of over its entire duration.
Call of Nazjatar (R):
Shield amount reduced from
130 to
105.
Shields granted by servants now scale with Spell Power.
TALENTS
Taken by Storm (lvl 1):
Additional functionality: While at Low Tide, Maelstrom deals damage
20% faster.
Into the Deeps (lvl 1):
Minimum activation delay increased from
0.75 to
1 second.
Pooling Tide (lvl 4):
Renamed from
High Tide to
Pooling Tide.
Additional functionality: While at High Tide, the duration is increased by
2 seconds instead, and Azshara gains
20% Attack Speed and Attack range.
Drowning Wake (lvl 4):
Additional functionality: Triggering the effect reduces the cooldown of Abyssal breach by
3 seconds.
Seismic Activity (lvl 4):
Damage increased from
75 to
95.
Endless Funnel (lvl 7):
Additional functionality: Maelstrom grows
25% larger over
1 additional second.
Eye of the Storm (lvl 7):
Cooldown reduction reduced from
0.3 to
0.2 seconds.
Gaze of N'zoth (lvl 7):
Additional functionality: While at High Tide, Rising Tide deals
150% more damage to enemies affected by Gaze of N'zoth.
Underwater Current (lvl 13):
Duration increased from
2.5 to
3 seconds.
Lost at Sea (lvl 13):
Additional functionality: While at High Tide, Azshara also gains Health whenever the cursed Hero takes damage from Crashing Wave.
Well of Eternity (lvl 16):
Additional functionality: Activating Rising Tide knocks nearby enemies back.
Relentless Vortex (lvl 16):
New functionality: If Crashing Wave hits an active Maelstrom, it collapses early, reducing its own cooldown by
1 second and resetting the vortex' pulling effect.
Abyssal Reach (lvl 16):
Additional functionality: Increase the range of Abyssal Breach by
30%.
Sinking Feeling (lvl 20):
New functionality: Reduce the cooldown of Wrath of Azshara by
30 seconds every time an affected Hero dies. Wrath of Azshara Slows all enemies in the area by
20%, and its instant damage is increased by
10% of the target's missing Health.
Agitated Waters (lvl 20):
Splash damage increased from
80% to
100%.
Adjusted functionality: Splash damage and scaling is active only at High Tide.
Additional functionality: Basic Attacks heal Azshara for
25% of the damage dealt.
1.1 (2021-07-08)
Added Ability and Talent properties to their tooltips.
BASE
Health:
Maximum Health reduced from
1480 to
1425.
Basic Attack:
Now has a range of
5.5.
Rising Tide (D):
Cooldown increased from
12 seconds to
22 seconds.
Duration reduced from
12 to
10 seconds.
Spell Power bonus per stack reduced from
2.5% to
2%.
Maximum amount of stacks increased from
20 to
25.
Crashing Wave (Q):
Mana cost reduced from
30 to
25.
Collapse damage reduced from
100 to
90.
Now pierces all enemies hit.
Now collapse only when hitting a Hero at its end instead of anywhere along its path.
Maelstrom (W):
Mana cost reduced from
60 to
50.
Cooldown increased from
8 to
9 seconds.
Delay increased from
0.5 to
1 second.
No longer refunds Mana.
Now grows over
2 seconds.
Abyssal Breach (E):
Stun duration increased from
0.5 to
0.75 seconds.
Cooldown increased from
12 to
13 seconds.
Wrath of Azshara (R):
Mana cost increased from
90 to
100.
Cooldown increased from
90 to
100 seconds.
New functionality: After
1 second, cover a large area with deep water for
8 seconds. Enemies in the area start to drown, Slowing them by
15% and dealing
20 damage per second, increased by
50% every second until they leave. Enemies that receive
5 successive instances of damage from Wrath of Azshara take damage equal to
15% of their maximum Health instantly.
TALENTS
Ripple Effect (lvl 1):
New functionality: Crashing Wave's collapse deals
20% more damage for every enemy Hero hit by the wave, but the wave's damage is reduced by
15%.
Taken by Storm (lvl 1):
Now increases starting radius only.
Radius bonus increased from
30% to
35%.
Into the Deeps (lvl 1):
Adjusted functionality: After hitting
25 Heroes, Abyssal Breach no longer activates automatically after
2 seconds and can be triggered manually within
0.75 to
3 seconds of being cast.
High Tide (lvl 4):
Duration reduction reduced from
3 to
2 seconds.
Drowning Wake (lvl 4):
Adjusted functionality: Hitting an enemy Hero with Crashing Wave's collapse while they are Stunned by Abyssal Breach Slows them by
40% for
2.5 seconds.
Seismic Activity (lvl 4):
Damage reduced from
100 to
75.
Duration bonus changed from
100% to
0.5 seconds.
Endless Funnel (lvl 7):
Adjusted functionality: Maelstrom's duration is increased by
2 seconds, but it can only pull Heroes while growing.
Eye of the Storm (lvl 7):
Renamed from
Soul Syphon to
Eye of the Storm.
Cooldown reduction reduced from
0.35 to
0.3 seconds.
Additional functionality: Maelstrom refunds
10 Mana the first time it pulls a Hero.
Underwater Current (lvl 13):
New functionality: Crashing Wave's collapse grants
25 Armor and
30% Movement Speed for
2.5 seconds, but the wave's range is reduced by
10%.
Soul Erosion (lvl 13):
Renamed from
Eye of the Storm to
Soul Erosion.
Additional functionality: Crashing Wave heals for
20% of the damage it deals. If it hits no Heroes, the range of its next cast is increased by
25%.
Lost at Sea (lvl 13):
Additional functionality: Azshara's maximum Health is increased by
4 every time she gains Rising tide from Lost at Sea.
Abyssal Reach (lvl 16):
Renamed from
Second Sundering to
Abyssal Reach (Pun and reference very much intended)
Duration increased from
1.5 to
2 seconds.
Additional functionality: Increase the width of Abyssal Breach by
30%.
Sinking Feeling (lvl 20):
Damage increased from
5% of target's missing Health to
10% of target's missing Health.
Old Gods' Bounty (lvl 20):
Takedown cap reduced from
20 to
10.
Additional functionality: Includes Takedowns made so far.
Heroes of the Storm Build Guides
I really like the displacement and stun mechanics Azshara brings to the table, as it fits the fantasy of summoning big masses of moving water. However I do feel like she might have a bit too much of it, making her potentially annoying to play against.
As for the the abilities themselves, I see her trait as a survival mechanic (or even a skillful way of moving people into danger) that resets her spell power stacks as a drawback, and her W and E as tools that can set each other up.
I'd love to hear your suggestions, a second opinion is always welcome.
I haven't actually given too many of the talents a close read. I normally only read the first two tiers to see if any of the 'holes' in a characters kit get filled in through obligate talents (ie. if you have a tank with no sustain, then you can still grant sustain at 1 or 4). But here I think the core ideas are strong enough that you'd be fine dropping a move. I do think, though, with the loss of the big GET OFF ME trait, you'd want to grant her some healing or shielding before 10, just to let her be more self-reliant.
10/10 though for the Q. It's simple and elegant and I can visualise it really well and it is without fault.
Like I said before, I agree that she probably has a bit too much disruption, and I could definitely change her active trait to be more of a self-buffing move instead of also a CC option, the latter of which she already has plenty of.
Where you really got me interested was when you mentioned talents rewarding her for high trait stacks. I can't believe I didn't think of that sooner, as it can be a very clever way of adding powerful effects to both herself and her abilities that have to be earned through stacking fast and keeping high stacks. That also gave me an idea: why not also think about mechanics that can work specifically while at low stacks? That said, I'm currently working on adding a Low/High tide mechanic to some talents to add a cool nuance to her trait. I'll see how that goes.
Now let's talk about Maelstrom. The main reason I came up with it in the first place was that I felt like Azshara needed a quick stack generator in her base kit. Her high AA speed and her Q (which hits twice at the end, thanks for pointing out the ambiguity, I'll fix that too) are her primary way of generating stacks throughout the fight, and Maelstrom serves as a very satisfying way to get a quick boost in stacks if used at opportune moments like CC, clumped up targets, or tight spaces. The pulling effect is for setting up other abilities and helps guarantee at least few stacks if it hits. In my opinion, the pull itself is quite a bit weaker than it might seem, as it has a long delay, does not stun or slow before or after the pull, and is actually a lot smaller than tassadar's Black Hole. Heroes that are already inside it when it goes off are pulled a smaller distance (as it starts out rather small) while others are pulled only if they actively move or are knocked into it. (interesting combo potential here :D) That said, while I stand relatively firm about Maelstrom's design and spot as a basic ability, I am going to try fiddling with it a bit to make sure it is not too frustrating.
Abyssal Breach is the basic ability that I find the most tricky to balance out of the three. I like the idea of having a big payoff after a long delay that also allows Azshara to aim it as it arms by moving, while her foes are trying to dodge it. I think it creates a very interesting interaction between heroes. Reducing its cooldown might make it a bit annoying, as it would shift players' focus to it for a lot of time during fights. However, you make a good point about reducing its range and making it more preemptive by default, forcing Azshara to get closer to the action if she wants to use it offensively. The range could then be increased through talents, making it safer overall.
Her heroic abilities are the most shaky part of her kit, as I still don't have a clear vision of what they should do. One thing I really like, however, is that they fit extremely well with her character fantasy as the queen of the Naga. All in all, while I would like to keep the core concept of her heroics, I am open to suggestions that could make them work even better. Also, as a side note: Call of Nazjatar definitely has quite a bit of potential, as, at worst, even if all 4 servants were to die at the same time, the shield would still absorb a huge amount of damage, which is equivalent to a bit over a third of Azshara's health pool. The cooldown recharge bonus also serves as a good reason to kill the servants. This acts as a soft "taunt" that shifts focus away from Azshara, even if only by a little.
I have to say, I really appreciate you taking the time to comment in such a thorough way. Even though I might be quite stubborn about some parts of the concept, most of your feedback has really got me thinking about some mechanics that I can flesh out and balance better, especially the trait.
Again, thanks for the feedback. I'll be updating this concept very soon; feel free to give your 2 cents about it if you like, your input is always welcome.
Update: Here's a list of the changes in 1.2:
- Her trait now has a High/Low Tide mechanic that gives some of her abilities and talents additional effects based on the number of Rising Tide stacks.
- The knockback from her trait has been removed and replaced by a self-shield that scales with spell power - and, by extension, her trait that makes it a lot less annoying while also giving her a more direct means of keeping herself alive. The knockback can still be gained as a part of a lvl 16 talent, as I think it adds a cool dimension to her stack-sacrificing active.
- Her Q is basically unchanged, apart from a single line in its notes section that specifies that it does indeed hit twice (wave AND collapse).
- Maelstrom (W) is where things get interesting. At first, I didn't really intend on changing it for the reasons I stated earlier, but then I thought "I've just made a Tide mechanic, why not use it on Maelstrom?". I ended up reducing the maximum number of pulls to 1, which strongly reduce its power and "annoyingness" by still allowing it to act as a set up for her E or even other Heroes' abilities. I then gave it an additional pull if it is cast during High Tide, giving it some complexity and an incentive to wait for a little bit when she is at the verge of High Tide, while keeping its power lower that that of its last version in all cases. To finish, I made Maelstrom tick faster than before, making it better at generating Rising Tide stacks, as that's what it was first designed to do. Overall I think Maelstrom is now in a better spot as a basic ability than it was before.
- Her E, not unlike her Q, is largely unchanged. The main change I made to it is a range reduction that makes it more premptive and less safe to use offensively. Still, I didn't want to make it too low in order to allow Azshara to stay at a comfortable range for what could be quite challenging to pull off anyway.
- Wrath of Azshara (R1) has been changed slightly. I've moved the slowing effect to after the percentage damage on targets that stay too long, as I think the whole ability should serve more as an area denial tool rather that a trap, giving enemies more of a chance to escape its already punishing short term effects.
- Call of Nazjatar (R2), in my opinion, didn't need any big changes, as I feel like it is in a pretty good place, at least based on the version I can imagine. The shield has been reduced slighlty, but the notes section now specifies that it scales with spell power (which completely flew over me at first) so I am satisfied with its power right now.
- At least one talent from each tier now incorporates the Tides mechanic. To balance around such additions, I have made a few other additions and balance tweaks across all of Azshara's talents, which also makes most talents more complex and interesting.