I love this build, but I prefer One in the Chamber the most of time. It deals more damage and with it I still can take creeps (in Sculls, for example). Only minus is that you should be able to play faster (2nd-auto-1st-auto-3rd-auto-ulti-auto, for example, in 1-2 sec) than with 2-1-auto build, but here we have 100+3*80=340% dmg instead of 250%, and faster firerate. It's sad when 1hp enemy kills you because of 3sec recharge :) In this case you just can't fire-and-forget, but overall dmg is increased.

Unkownown
well, your alternative?:) Please, show us ur "press-nova-to-win" strat, if it isn't a secret, of course :)

Those useless nova "Burst and die" guides make me cry. On the other hand, free wins for me. Everyone plays like this and everyone sucks. No matter if I´m winning or losing the game, I have better score, more dmg (both) and more exp than Nova who uses this or similar build. No dps, no escape because of pressure to assasinate single target from short distance, no anything useful at all... But hey, if ehemy team has no single idea wtf is positioning, I can possibly IK someone (and die, who cares), so it must be good!

This is one of the best guides! I use it till this very day! :)

I use this build almost exclusively.
However, i made one change and it's the CD reduction+Range extension of Snipe. I'd rather be able to throw out more snipes and take out more enemies than 1 buffed snipe.

Just wanted to say thanks for this guide. Since I started I saved up for Nova and used your guide as a basis for her. Since then I'm just really comfortable with her and develop her in my own way.
Also another thing to note in the latest patch (3 Vikings) they brought rewind back but as one of the last trait options.
However, Bolt of the storm has saved me uncountable times that I don't think I can give it up haha

Anyway, keep up the good work and love your guide! :)

I have been playing around using one in the chamber instead of anti tank shells

You actually do practically the same damage as you did with the old anti-tank shells.

Instead of pining-auto-snipe-precision and run you now do pining-auto-snipe-auto-precision. Same amount of time spent but 300% auto damage instead of 250%.

It is every stronger if you stay and fight because it procs off every ability.

The amount of damage you get out of 6 stacks of gathering power is a raw net of 20%, which is nuts. That means every single ability will be hitting 20% harder, except your autos. A problem with envenom is that it requires you to get pretty close to enemies to be able to apply it, although I have seen some Novas use it pretty effectively to rush early game advantages through ganks.

Updated to Thrall's patch. Nova is currently in a really bad spot thanks to the unnecesary Anti-armor shell nerfs. Rewind had to go, but the rest was not needed.

How do you feel about envenom instead of gathering power? I find that I spend at least 20-30s between fights after level 15 or so and it is harder for nova to survive during higher level fights, since she is super squishy. Envenom has the added advantage of preventing stealth and enhancing your burst.

Updated to newest patch which completely removed Rewind from Nova's talents. Changed the name to fit the new playstyle better.

Too bad they completely removed the rewind talent from Nova with the patch today. :(

Agree on these. Of the few heroes who can make Nova's day miserable, Chen, Zeratul, and Stitches with any stealth awareness are these heroes. You can't run from any of them and they will certainly out-duel you if you have any abilities on CD (Chen/Stitches will out-duel anyways).

That's my experience in the few Nova games I've played. Her burst is broken, yea, but the beefier heroes who can chase her down forever or that have superb mobility (Or have huge AoE stuns that reveal you and poison that keeps you revealed in Stitches' case), make you feel pretty useless if your positioning is poor.

Course...still rarely lose with her but it's worth mentioning.