This is about design, not balance which can be way off. It’s meant to refine his role, add more dynamic and rich talents, and improve diversity.
Goals
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Shift power from anti-mage to anti-melee. Dives, piercing stun, skillshot-blocking summons and a bursty shield are already anti-magey. But the extra spell armor, low health and reliance on dives, it’s too much. This takes from Anub being an armored, monstrous scarab who uses his army to whittle down opponents. In Warcraft III, Spiked Carapace was focused on melee attacks, not spells.
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Add aoe damage to carapace for more complexity and decisionmaking.
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Replace/remove the Generic Talents. With Burning Rage replaced, three remain. Anub is the last to have Regen Master, which doesn’t fit a hero with shield, armor and lifesteal mechanics.
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Buff Locust Swarm Heal, nerf PvE heal, so it isn’t balanced around crazy heals in lanes etc.
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Give Cocoon health, so it isn’t balanced around extreme counters like Tracer or Disintegrate.
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Make Anub more Beetle-centric. Go further into the strengths that come naturally from his kit. He may be a tank, but the likes of him, Zagara and Azmodan bring their own armies with them. Allow Beetles to dig to him occasionally.
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Diversify talent choices with dual talents and reduced synergy.
Vitals
- Health increased from 2100 to 2300.
Spiked Carapace
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Mana cost increased from 25 to 45.
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Cooldown increased from 7 to 8 seconds.
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Duration increased from 3 to 4 seconds.
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Now grants 25 Physical Armor.
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Added Functionality: Now deals 50 damage around Anub’Arak.
Scarab Host
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Beetle Health increased by 20%.
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Added Functionality: Every 15 seconds, your next Basic Attack spawns a Beetle.
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Added Functionality: Beetles heal you for 25% of their damage while nearby, 10% vs non-Heroes.
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Follow Scenario 1: Activate to cause active Beetles to burrow and reappear at your location over .5 seconds, refreshing their duration. 20 second cooldown
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Follow Scenario 2: Hitting a hero with Burrow Charge causes active Beetles to burrow to your location over .5 seconds.
Locust Swarm
- Deal 60 damage to units around Anub’Arak and heal for 50% of the damage dealt to heroes, 10% vs other units. Deals 30% bonus damage to slowed, stunned or rooted Heroes. Lasts 6 seconds.
Cocoon
- Wraps target enemy Hero in a Cocoon, rendering them unable to act or be targeted. The Cocoon has 25 Spell Armor and 1000 health, which decays over 7 seconds.
Talents
Tier 1 – Sustain, Mana and Beetles
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Nerubian Armor: Spiked Carapace also grants 25 Spell Armor while its shield is active. Beetles gain 25 Spell Armor and restore 2 mana when they attack Heroes.
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Legion of Beetles: Reduce the cooldown of Scarab Host by 5 seconds, and Beetles deal 50% bonus damage to non-Heroic units. Restore 1% maximum Health and 2 mana when a nearby Beetle or enemy minion dies.
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Shed Exoskeleton: Spiked Carapace grants Anub’Arak and his Beetles 20% increased move speed for 4 seconds. If the shield lasts its full duration, refund the mana cost and reduce the cooldown by 2 seconds.
Tier 2 – Aoe
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Bed of Barbs: Impale and Burrow Charge create a row of spikes along their path that lasts 3 seconds. Enemies who contact them receive 15 damage per second and are slowed by 25%. (Burrow Charge that slows in its wake will be very… interesting)
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Epicenter: Increase the range and damage of Burrow Charge by 25%. Enemies hit by the center of Burrow Charge receive 150% bonus damage and are stunned for .25 seconds longer. (they get knocked up higher! Reduced synergy with lvl16)
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Locust Needles: Basic Attacks deal 50 damage to enemies around the target. Casting Basic Abilities causes your next Basic Attack to deal 50 bonus damage to the target and those around it.
Tier 3 – Sustain and Beetle Support
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Subterranean Shield: Casting Burrow Charge grants a 340 point Shield for 4 seconds. If it hits a Hero, refresh this shield and fully heal your Beetles.
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Debilitation: Impale and Burrow Charge reduce Spell Power of Heroes hit by 25% for 2.5 seconds. Beetles heal you for twice as much when attacking disabled Heroes.
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Symbiotic Armor: Spiked Carapace shields nearby allied Heroes and Beetles for 80. Anub’Arak’s shield increases by 10% per affected target, up to 60%.
Tier 5 – Offensive PvP Utility
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Acid-Drenched Mandibles: Basic Attacks deal an additional 15 damage per second for 4 seconds, stacking up to 4 times. While at maximum stacks, Heroes are slowed by 25%. (poison damage is more fitting, also added a crucial dash in the name)
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Urticating Spines: Increase the radius of Spiked Carapace by 25%. Each Hero hit by Spiked Carapace increases its damage by 25% and reduces its coodown by 2 seconds, up to 6. (adding agency, fairness and skill to W spam)
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Spiked Carapace: Spiked Carapace grants an additional 15 Physical Armor. While its shield is active, enemy Heroes next to Anub’Arak receive 50% of the damage they deal to him with basic attacks.
Tier 6 – Offense
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Thornquake: Increase Impale’s range and damage by 25%. If it hits a Hero, increase its damage by an additional 125%. Burrow Charge reduces Impale’s cooldown by 4 seconds per Hero hit. (bit of Rewind here)
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Underking: Increase Burrow Charge’s impact area by 60%, and reduce its cooldown by 1 second per Hero hit. If it hits at least 3 enemy Heroes, reduce your Heroic Ability’s cooldown by 5 seconds.
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Fire Beetles: Anub’Arak deals 20 damage per second to nearby enemies, and Beetles deal 5. Basic attacks against disabled Heroes this damage by 50% for 3 seconds. (Fire Beetles are actual animals, while the damage bonus is more fitting than in Mandibles as it ‘ignites’ the gang further)
Tier 7 – Storm!
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Hive Master: Increase Locust Swarm’s damage bonus to disabled Heroes by 20%. Gain a permanent Vampire Locust that attacks a nearby unit every 5 seconds and whenever you stun a Hero, dealing 120 damage and restoring 60 health to Anub’Arak.
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Cryptweave: While Anub’Arak is near the Cocoon, both gain 25 Armor and slow the attack and move speed of enemy Heroes near them by 50% over 2 seconds.
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Submerged Terror: Whenever you stun a Hero, Basic Attacks and Beetles deal 25% bonus damage for 5 seconds. Activate to enter stasis for up to 3 seconds, spawn 3 Beetles, and reset the cooldown of Burrow Charge. 30 sec cooldown (bit of Rewind again)
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Beetle, Juiced: Basic Attacks reduce Scarab Host’s cooldown by 2 seconds, 5 vs Heroes. Activate to make Anub’Arak unkillable for 4 seconds, and cause Beetles to transform, gaining 100% health, damage and duration. 30 second cooldown (I kinda miss the old, enlarging Beetles)