Declan wears beige cargo clothing with the shirt sleeves rolled up and the top loosely buttoned, exposing his thick forearms and hairy chest. Around his neck he wears a kerchief, and on his left hand a falconry glove. His shirt is stained with sweat. He wears a worn and beaten hat with a drooping brim. When he crouches he throws his rifle over his shoulder. Although some aspects of his character lean into cliches (he's somewhat influenced by the Jumanji hunter and Theodore Roosevelt), the best comparison in terms of looks is actor Bob Hoskins. Declan is stout and sturdy (slightly shorter than Soldier 76), with a barrel chest and short, thick arms covered with dark hair.
Declan has two goals in life: kill dangerous game and get paid to do it. Brash and brave, he'd happily share a pint with you one day before hunting you down the next; if someone put a sufficient price on your head that is. Declan speaks with an Afrikaans accent. When he's on your team he's dependable and resourceful. When the tables turn and he's hunting you down, he's vicious and unrelenting.
Kifaa, Declan's falcon, wears a hood over her head before the match starts. Five seconds before the game begins, an animation plays where Declan removes her hood. She remains perched on his left hand until he first deploys her. If Declan uses his gun while she is on his glove, she will jump off his hand and fly around above him until he stops using his gun, at which point she will return to his glove. When Kifaa is deployed on the battlefield she has idle animations that involve her head twitching around, scanning the area. Occassionally she will extend a wing and pick at her feathers with her beak, cleaning herself. If someone gets close to her she will turn her head to look at them. These animations are cosmetic and do not have any effect on Declan's ability to use Kifaa.
Declan has no special affinity for Kifaa; at best he respects her effectiveness as a hunter. Her name simply means "useful" in Swahili. He views her as merely a tool of his trade.
Combat Trait
1
Big Game Hunter
Declan's shots deal additional damage equal to 10% of the target's maximum health if they are under the effect of his Hunter's Mark.
Primary Abilities
1
Left Click - Elephant Gun
Declan's Left-Click is an incredibly powerful rifle that holds four shots. Declan must reload often. He needs to pick his shots.
Unreliable at long range due to high damage fall off, Declan prefers medium ranged engagements.
When reloading, Declan pops the spent cartridges out of his gun and drapes the barrel over his left arm as he slides the new ammo in.
2
Right Click - Perch
Command Kifaa to fly to the target ledge. Kifaa will remain in this position until Declan is killed or she is commanded to move to another location.
When moving locations Kifaa must fly there in real time. Declan can still use his E ability "Eagle Eye" while Kifaa is flying.
Kifaa is invulnerable.
3
SHIFT - Track
Hold to increase your movement speed by 20%.
If you have a target marked with Hunter's Mark they become visible to you through walls. In addition a path will appear along the ground that leads to your marked target's position. While moving along this path the movement speed provided by Track is doubled.
Track depletes and recharges in the same manner as D.Va's Defense Matrix.
4
E - Eagle Eye
Declan crouches in place and, after a brief delay, becomes invisible. While he remains motionless, he is able to see through Kifaa's eyes.
While looking through Kifaa's eyes Declan is able to:
- Look around by moving the mouse and zoom in/out with the mouse wheel
- Use Left-Click on an enemy to apply a Hunter's Mark. This mark last for 45 seconds or until Declan or his target are killed.
Only one target can be marked at a time.
Moving using W,A,S,D immediately returns your vision to normal and removes your invisibility.
5
Q - Survival Of The Fittest
Increase all damage you deal and the speed at which you can fire/reload your weapon by a percentage equal to your current level of health for 4 seconds.
Each time you kill an enemy during Survival Of The Fittest you are healed to full health, your gun is reloaded, and the duration of the buff is extended by 2 seconds.
Playstyle
Declan is a hunter, and playing against him should feel like you're being hunted.
Although his Elephant Gun is powerful enough to be effective against all targets, players that find themselves under the effect of his Hunter's Mark are especially vulnerable. Declan's kit is intended to have him hunting down specific enemies.
Proper use of Kifaa is key to playing Declan. Using right-click, she can be commanded to land on any ledge (think of the way you target Reaper's teleport when trying to get on top of a structure). There is no cooldown for this ability, so Kifaa can be moved freely. When moving from one location to the next, Kifaa must fly there in real time. If you have moved a long way since last using Perch it will take a moment for Kifaa to arrive.
Kifaa is used for Declan's E ability "Eagle Eye" as well. At any time (even while Kifaa is flying) Declan can use his E ability to kneel down and become invisible after a brief delay. This kneeling animation makes you a prime target for snipers, so it's best to use it from behind cover. Once you have become cloaked your vision immediately shifts to Kifaa's position. From here you can can look around and observe the battlefield, even zooming in and out with your mouse wheel if necessary. From this view point your Left-Click becomes Hunter's Mark. Click on any visible enemy to mark them for 45 seconds. To return to Declan's point of view, simply start moving again with W,A,S,D.
Hunter's Mark enables your percentage based damage on that target, making it especially useful on tanks. Additionally, having a target marked empowers your Shift ability, "Track". By default Track is merely a short duration sprint. It gains charge and depletes on use in the same manner as D.Va's Defense Matrix. However when a target is under the effect of Hunter's Mark they are visible to Declan through walls while he is using Track. Additionally, a path appears along the ground that leads to your target's location (similar to the paths that lead you to objectives). While moving along this path the movement speed granted to you by Track is doubled.
Finally, Declan's ultimate "Survival Of The Fittest" allows him to go on a killing spree. When activated, his damage is increased by a percentage equal to his current level of health (i.e. if he is at 100% health his damage is increased by 100%, at 50% health it is increased by 50%, etc.). In addition his relatively slow rate of fire and reload animations are sped up by the same amount. Although this effect only lasts for four seconds, if Declan manages to kill an enemy its duration is increased by 2 more seconds and he is healed to full.
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