All concepts discussed in this Rework are free to use by Blizzard without credit.
So now we’re on the part where I make suggestions on how to fix all of these problems that I’ve pointed out. My goals are thus:
- Do not introduce concepts that would require new assets
- Do not introduce any new major gameplay mechanics
- Remain faithful to the core fantasy of the character
- Reduce opportunities for awkward gameplay
- Reduce opportunities for overpowering gameplay
- Revitalize Talent Tree with viable choices at every Tier
Notable changes (such as tooltip updates, cost/cooldown adjustments, ect) will be listed in italics.
Normally I dive into the stats first but since Tychus’s trait is so integral to how he plays, I figured I’d break tradition and do this part before any of the others.
The inspiration for this change comes from the original rework aiming to make Tychus into a Tank-buster Assassin. As noted in the Review, any form of Health Shred added to Tychus’s substantial damage output is going to make him more effective at killing Assassins as well (because all characters have Health). However, a significantly smaller portion of the Heroes roster has access to Armor, and the majority that do are either Tanks or Bruisers.
Armor Piercing Rounds would bypass whatever Armor and Physical Armor the target has, causing Tychus’s Basic Attacks to deal full damage to them. Block effects in particular (Arthas’s Rime, Sonya’s Tough as Nails, ect) would be consumed as normal.
Without Minigun’s massive anti-everything DPS boost skewing Tychus’s balance to one side, the opportunity to reduce his clunkiness presents itself. The primary source of his clunkiness is how the reduced Basic Attack Range couples with his high Attack Speed: not only is it more difficult for Tychus to effectively engage targets, but to stay engaged as well.
The changes to his Attack Range and Attack Speed are intended to adjust his Basic Attacking experience to be less awkward while paying a greater homage to his fantasy of a heavy gunner: he’s got amazing DPS at a slightly increased range to make up for the fact that Stutter Stepping is now effectively impossible instead of merely difficult. To keep his current damage profile, his Attack Damage has been reduced by half.
As I said in the Review portion:
The Cooldown Refund is there for a little extra spice to make up for cutting out Minigun’s massive power float.
The only change I feel Frag Grenade needs is a Quality of Life one - with Tychus’s Attack Speed going ever higher, Frag Grenade’s cast time would cut more of his DPS than ever before. Making it transient would make Tychus’s high Attack Speed feel less constricting.
Cost reduced by 50% because it drives me insane that such a tiny scoot costs so much Mana.
Commandeer Odin has had its Armor replaced by a Shield for several reasons:
- To better illustrate how much durability it adds to Tychus
- To allow it to act as a panic button
- To pay homage to the original implementation’s extra health bar
- To pay homage to the current Commandeer Odin/That’s The Stuff interaction
- To better interact with Armor effects
Additionally, Commandeer Odin can now be canceled early as a QoL tweak.
I should also mention that the “increased range” still sets the Odin’s range to 9, I just cut out the “100%” statement 'cause 9 is not 200% of 6.
Drakken Laser Drill has been replaced by Heartbreaker, a retooled Minigun that comes with an adjusted In The Rhythm. I chose to do this for a handful of reasons:
- Minigun’s health shred is what Tychus has come to be known for, so keeping it around feels appropriate and moving it to later in the game makes Tychus’ early game less overwhelming
- In The Rhythm was extremely popular before the anti-synergy, and baking it in resulted in the opportunity to make a unique and effective Level 20 upgrade that rewards extended durations
- Heartbreaker is focused on single-target damage, contrasting Odin’s multiple AOE attacks
- Heartbreaker’s Health Shred effectively bullies tanky frontliners, contrasting Odin’s burst and range effectively bullying squishy backliners
Now, I don’t think that the Drakken Laser Drill is a bad Heroic, I just feel that Tychus snarling “Don’t MESS with the DEVIL” and ripping someone apart with gunfire is a better portrayal of his character. This is also not to say that the Drakken Laser Drill ability should be removed from HOTS entirely, either - after all, someone else from the Starcraft universe is pretty well-known for making use of 174 gigawatts.
Compared to Minigun, Heartbreaker lasts longer and comes with a retooled In The Rhythm, but also has a longer cooldown and a Mana cost. Additionally, the Heartbreaker rework would also be an excellent time to update Percentage Damage with its own unique coloration instead of keeping the generic purple of Ability Damage.
Talents have been almost completely overhauled, featuring many new talents and a new organizational structure:
- Level 1 Talents: Mobility Tier
- Level 4 Talents: Grenades Tier
- Level 7 Talents: Defense Tier
- Level 10 Talents: Heroic
- Level 13 Talents: Overkill Tier
- Level 16 Talents: Power Spike Tier
- Level 20 Talents: Storm Tier
Allows Tychus to more easily pursue a target during Overkill, or possibly aid in escaping a pursuing enemy.
Rather than being focused on moving Tychus, Concussion Grenade focuses on moving enemies.
From the distant lands of Level 20, Bob and Weave finds a new home among the Level 1 Talents. The Reworked Bob and Weave is, in my opinion, a fairer version of Dash that makes you pay in Mana rather than Regen Globes for doubling the effective distance of Run and Gun.
Quarterback comes a tier earlier since it’s not as easy as it used to be to burst folks down with Minigun.
Like Quarterback, Titan Grenade has moved to an earlier tier because it’s not as easy to burst down targets without Minigun. Unlike Quarterback, Titan Grenade fell three tiers, primarily because it’s not so powerful when it doesn’t have the opportunity to be paired with Quarterback. However, it’s still pretty strong, so the bonus damage has been reduced from 5% to 4%.
A utility option featuring the spirit of the dearly departed Melting Point. If you need extra waveclear, objective strength, or mercenary-clearing prowess, then this talent is for you!
Shake It Off is a re-imagining of Relentless Soldier that (in my opinion) does something a little more useful. Two important notes:
- Shake It Off is not a Cleanse effect, it just allows Run and Gun to be cast while Tychus would otherwise not be able to (similarly to how Gall can use Shove to move Cho while Cho is stunned).
- Bob and Weave still provides an additional cast of Run and Gun, but if Tychus is still Stunned, Rooted, or Silenced after using Shake It Off, it cannot be used.
Another familiar face from a later Tier, Neosteel Coating has reverted to its original 50 Spell Armor with the move.
A nice little sustain option that gets much more effective when you shoot people with Armor. It should be mentioned that the extra healing is multiplicative, not additive - shooting an ETC with 25 Armor will increase the healing amount to 22.5%, not 40%.
It is still Commandeer Odin, my dudes.
It is still Heartbreaker, my dudes.
Spray and Pray is in a better place now that 13 is dedicated to Overkill talents and Tychus’s talents in general have been cleaned up, but it a little extra sauce on its AOE because I felt like it.
Crafted in the loving memory of Combat Tactician’s intended use.
Overkill hits three times per second for for 4 seconds. Assuming full value against a single target, Mean Machine would reduce any active Basic Ability cooldowns by 3 seconds.
The single-target benefit isn’t great, but Overkill isn’t a single-target ability.
Focused Fire is a rebranded (original) Armor Piercing Rounds, now featuring an additional fancy effect that aligns with Tychus’s reworked design and a drawback to make up for being moved to an earlier tier.
Finish 'Em Off builds upon the natural combo of Overkill + Frag Grenade and directly synergizes with many talents.
Master Assassin with a new home and a new coat of paint.
Look at all of this shiny newness that Press the Advantage has. Expanded to include all of Tychus’s abilities (including Heroics and any of Commandeer Odin’s sub-abilities), it’s a pretty handy tool for keeping enemies as far away as possible.
Once upon a time, the Nuclear Missile upgrade to Ragnarok Missiles was its own skill and it’s always bothered me that it was condensed into Ragnarok Missiles. Separating the two is a QoL change that gives the Odin slightly more zoning power and overall tactical flexibility.
Also I rewrote the tooltip to be more in-line with more modern Talents.
Get enough bonus duration on Heartbreaker and you’ll have the opportunity to have it permanently active. Also it hurts more, which is neat.
If the offensive boost of your chosen Heroic doesn’t suit your fancy, there’s a defensive option at 20 that can help you survive on the mean streets of the Nexus. Also, just to make sure there’s no ambiguity, Comin’ Through! would not apply to Bob and Weave’s extra cast of Run and Gun.
Do you like shooting things? Are you tired of your enemies blinding you and making it so you can’t shoot things? If you answered yes to both of those questions, I have a talent for you!
Once upon a time in an AMA, BlizzCooper stated that the HOTS team had decided to move away from the design trend of pushing heroes into very hard counter style “sharp roles”. However, Tychus’s updates over time have doubled down on the original rework that added Minigun, making him feel more and more like a relic of that era.
The ultimate goal of this rework is to push Tychus away from the hard counter Anti-Tank role and more towards a Generalist Ranged Assassin who has a trait with an Anti-Tank slant to make up for his inability to stutter-step. I feel that the design accomplishes that goal handily, while also accomplishing other things (like cutting the insanely overpowered The Bigger They Are… and revitalizing Tychus’s Talent Tree in general).
And with that, I’m finally out of things to say. I hope you liked it and, if you didn’t, I hope you’ll tell me why.
Thank you for reading. 
also yo blizzard i need a job i don’t hate, hustle me out to california and let’s make a deal