This is my first build. Nova was my first hero I ever played in this game and it really bugs me that no one knows how to use her correctly. Here is how you should use her correctly.

Reasons to play Nova:

+ She is a high damage nuker.
+ She is a fantastic ganker.
+ She has a great body.
+ Her voice is really sexy.

Reasons not to play Nova:

- She is very squishy.
- She has no mobility. (unless you take Bolt of the Storm)
- Enemies don't like you, thus you are a high priority target, especially if you are spanking them.

Things you must do to play Nova correctly

1. Have decent positioning.
2. Roam the map for ganks early and mid game.
3. Avoid fights if your tank or frontline hero is mia.
4. Be there when your team initiates a team fight. Especially around objectives.

permanent cloak, sniper is far better than Zeratul's Permanent Cloak. It gives you 10% higher vision than all heroes (except Raynor), 20% higher range than all ranged heroes, and of course allows you to be invisible. If you cast, auto attack, or are hit by any sort of damage, the invisibility will go on cooldown and come back in 3 seconds.


Your Q ability!
Snipe is a medium distance nuke. It only affects the first unit hit and is somewhat of a skillshot considering it is a tad slow since it is a projectile. Aim a little bit ahead of where a hero is running. Also, Snipe actually goes a little further than it actually shows, so use that to your advantage.


Your W ability!
Pinning Shot is a pretty good slow. Insanely good at level 16.


Your E ability!
Holo Decoy is one of the most interesting abilities in the game. It creates a second, clearly npc in the way it acts, decoy of yourself. This is quite good to take hits from towers if you need to dive for a kill. Also good to generally confuse enemies.


Your R ability!
Triple Tap is not an amazing ability. It has very high damage, but it is too easy to counter. You really have to know when to cast this to get it's full potential.


Your R ability!
Precision Strike is a great ability with high damage and global range. I'd say 60% of my games with Nova are Precision Strike, 40% are Triple Tap.

There really isn't a "combo" to Nova. You can really cast Snipe and Pinning Shot at the exact same time, so thus there isn't a combo. Late game it's best to cast Holo Decoy, Snipe, Pinning Shot, Precision Strike (or Triple Tap). Though, the order doesn't REALLY matter because you can really cast all your abilities within .5 seconds of each other. Happy hunting Sniper.

Level 1:

Always go Ambush Snipe.
Another option would be Tazer Rounds but I've never used Tazer Rounds before. I wouldn't suggest it.

Level 4:

Envenom is my preference. It significantly helps ganking early game and can really help in medium game and in team fights late game. Gathering Power can be helpful but if you aren't constantly at max 15%, you will not be getting your best bang (or should I say snipe?) for your buck.

Level 7:

Almost always go Anti-Armor Shells. It helps you gank and nuke. One in the Chamber can be ok, but it isn't as strong and useful.

Level 10:

Precision Strike is the best for team fights.
Triple Tap can help for ganks early game and mid game but falls off during the important fights late game.

Level 13:

Lethal Decoy is normally the best pick. I personally do not like Headshot very much because it is very situational and I have never picked it myself. Though, it is nice against heroes like Murky and The Lost Vikings. Sometimes I go Advanced Cloaking because it helps you stay in xp range in lane with the hp regen. It also makes it very hard for enemies to catch you and makes it easier to sneak up on enemies without them realizing you are there. Advanced Cloaking can be quite helpful depending on the circumstances in my opinion. Another reason I really like Advanced Cloaking is because it almost totally removes the need to mount because the move speed boost is so high, thus making it a lot easier for you to truly be a global Nova, helping with every gank and teamfight.

Level 16:

Normally always go Crippling Shot. Double Fake can be helpful in some cases, but isn't as powerful as Crippling Shot.

Level 20:

Always go Bolt of the Storm with Nova. It is one of the best abilities in the game and Nova has no mobility, so it actually gives her mobility.