Hi, I just played deckard for the first time and find out he’s melee range (after 1500+ games, yea i’m really blind). I just don’t get the logic on it, there are only 3 melee healers except him but they each have skills, talent or mechanic that makes it logical:
-Reghar has bonus damage and leap as wolf
-Kharazim is a bit of a hybrid healer with lots of mobility and his E can also increase his range a bit.
-Stukov deals BIG damage (but quite slow) with his basic attack and has level 1talent to become ranged (less damage but with a slow).
Whereas Deckard has a really weak AA damage (one of the weakest in the game) and his kit has mostly medium range skills, so I really don’t get the point to give him a melee range.
Can someone explain me what I am missing here?
He make up with that with range cc spells. Dont know why you want to go melee as Decard when his auto attack speed and dmg is one of the worst.
No, i won’t go melee ofc. I just mean it’s odd to have an hero whith a mostly useless basic attack. At least if he was ranged, he could use it a bit in teamfight even if it deals really few damage, i find it frustating to play a hero (almost) without basic attack. (I just play it this week to xp him a bit, but I really don’t understand the logic he has a weak and melee autoattack). As his autoattack is really weak, I would find it more fitting if he was a 5.5 ranged hero rather than a 1.5 one.
The logic is simply thematic, same reason why Probius has an equally “useless” auto attack.
And it’s not as if Deckard is missing out on damage simply because you can’t weave in as many autos as you might be able to on other healers.
some of the hero design is a ‘fantasy’ appeasement. Since deckard is an old man and isn’t shown blasting through thousand of skeletons with his cane, or tossing bolts of energy from it, then his autos don’t do much untalented.
some people do have fun running talents and winning duels with cane whacks, but some aspects of the game have a ‘sense’ to some of the design/balance elements. Deckard’s kit (potions and scrolls) could have been on a pre-diablo 3 Adria, and as a witch, that version might be a ranged caster instead – that’s all speculative since post-diablo 3, adria wouldn’t have been a healer/witch anymore anyway.
You forgot Uther that has a giant hammer but hits like a wet noodle.
Can only properly win duels with a Q build.
But yeah, Deckard slaps. Just not with his walking stick. In tight spots and with the right talents he can really rack up the damage numbers.
I read somewhere once that the devs originally planned for Deckard to do 1 damage with his Basic Attack, but it didn’t truly work and hindered him more than they wanted it do. He was designed to have a poor Basic Attack because of his other strengths. It’s just the cost of choosing Deckard.
Like Brightwing, Probius and Abathur his auto attack is pretty much novelty. He is one of the lowest auto attack damage heroes. ~57 DPS at level 0 and must be in melee range.
For comparison ranged auto attack heroes like Tychus deal 200 DPS.
He has a melee AA, because he’s a non-fighter fragile old man who actually unable to cast spells on their own (hence why he uses potions, scrolls and artifacts).
It is part of his immersion and balance that he has a low dmging and risky AA.
Some similar Heroes are Probius.
You should still use it when you can.
He also has AA talents, like Horadric Staff (Stun on AA) on lvl 16 and Ancient Blessing(?) on lvl 13 (that power ups AAs to heal on hit), plus his Trait gives him Armor when an ally is nearby, so he can go in.
I personally killed many Heroes with that low AA, going face, it’s really funny.
can you say what you would prefer? Do you want him to hit like stukov? Or shoot little magic missiles and throw orange/green potions?
He’s an old man with a stick, and i don’t think he was ever a fighter. He’s a scholar.
Thanks for your answers. Didn’t know a lot about Deckard so I though he could use a bit of magic with his staff :/.
Before Deckard got ruby nerfs (and fell out of being #1 and meta) his level 20 sleep upgrade was GG.
Jesus they’d gut him in that case. He isn’t strong now and making him even weaker than now would mean he’d actually be in the bottom 3 of healers… Maybe 4th place
I don’t remember Deckard ever using his staff for magic. I think it is just a walking stick.
D1 - Has no stick
D2 - Has stick
D3 - Has Caregiver (Leah)
D3 - Has Deathbed
D4 - Has Ghost of Cain hanging out with the Cow King. Listen, he’s gunna stay a while.
A natural progression of an elderly person, I would think.
Deck has a really useful lvl 16 talent where he can stun enemies for 0.75s, this is useful if you’re getting flanked by melee or you’re a in-your-face deckard.
But yes, deck’s AA is useless
I understand what the OP is saying, usually with melee heroes there’s some sort of insurance to the attack and the OP have listed it.
Usually, with melee heroes, there’s an ability to get out of it quickly or heals
- Illidan: Healing
- Quira: Healing
- Khaz: Ability to escape to allies or minions
- Stukov: Well… high damage but also his ult is a nice escape
- Imp: Armour ability
- Butcher: Healing and charge
- Alarak: Ability to swoop out
So it’s understadable why Deckard doesn’t have a quick escape. He does however can heal himself with pots while running away, alot of people who chase deck and deck heals himself while running away usually escapes.
Just like lili can run away while healing. It’s annoying but effective.
As far as I’m aware, Deckard can’t do magic. All of his HotS abilities come from artifacts that he’s carrying.
He can stunt even Diablo, clobbering its head with his staff!!!