Disclaimer
Don’t think to hard about numbers. Only balance would tell how strong some changes might be.
Openers
Here, I have the following goals:
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Make Enveloping Shadows more like a cool mechanic rather than a leash where you need to nearly always wait 3 seconds to use an opener.
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Make each opener be useful based on the situation rather than the Hero you are using it. Versatility should translate into a toolkit rather than “use this to that Hero”.
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Open room to make talents that really translate into cool upgrades for all openers, rather than making a single opener super strong.
Now, let’s get into my suggestions.
General
Target based openers always blinks to the other side of your target, similarly to how Illidan’s Dive work.
All openers energy cost should be changed to 20 Energy points. Energy cost should not be a characteristic to distinguish each opener.
Vanish (Trait)
Cooldown: 8s
Vanishes from sight, becoming Stealthed, gaining 20% Movement Speed and access to new Abilities. For the first second, Valeera is Unrevealable and can pass through other units. Remaining stationary for at least 1.50 seconds while Stealthed grants Invisible.
Ambush, Cheap Shot, and Garrote base range is progressively increased by 100% for the next 3 seconds after using Vanish.
Cheap Shot (Changed to Q button)
Deal 31 (+4% per level) damage to an enemy, Stun them for 0.75 seconds, and deal 50% less damage and 20% less healing for 4 seconds once Cheap Shot’s Stun expires.
Cheap Shot cannot affect the same Hero more than once every 10 seconds.
Awards 1 Combo Point.
- Comments: Cheap Shot is the hard CC Opener. Read below to understand why there is a restriction to chain this opener with itself.
Ambush (Changed to W button)
Teleport to the target location, instantly dealing 130 (+4% per level) damage in an area around Valeera and reducing their Armor by 10 for 5 seconds.
Awards 1 Combo Point per enemy Hero hit.
- Comments: Ambush was turned into an AoE attack and an escape tool for Valeera.
Garrote
Deal 10 (+4% per level) damage instantly, an additional _damage equal to 7% of their maximum Health over 7 seconds. All Basic Attacks and Abilities increase this damage by 20%, up to 100% increase and refresh its duration.
Awards 1 Combo Point.
- Comments: Garrote is the single target damage opener to all targets, being as effective to tanks as to everyone else. Keep in mind that Garrote did not had the silence part during Vanilla, it was added to compete with Cheap Shot.
Poisons
Frankly, they are weird on their foundation: Activate to get the benefit. 15 seconds nearly means “use poison every cooldown”. Plus, you have another button to press in the already overloaded Valeera’s kit. So, I set up the following goals:
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Poisons should not be an extra button, but should be show in the UI.
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Using poisons should be distinct to normal attacking.
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Poisons should have a cool mechanic to interact with all other abilities, attacks, and talents.
With all that in mind, let’s get into my suggestion.
Deadly Poison (Second Trait)
For the next 5 seconds after using a Basic Ability, each distinct Basic Ability and Basic Attack apply a Dose of Deadly Poison to enemies, dealing an additional 30 (+4% per level) damage over 4 seconds, and stacking up to 5 times. Damage ticks every 0.5 seconds.
Deadly Poison is rearmed every 15 seconds or after using Vanish.
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Comments: One Basic Attacks, an Opener, a Sinister Strike, a Blade Flurry and an Eviscerate complete 5 stacks of Deadly Poison. Obviously, each ability refresh the poison duration.
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For its UI, I suggest adding it after the combo points as a potion icon.
Energy
This is a complicated math problem. To modify it, I tried to follow some guidelines:
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You should be able to use a finishing move very often without getting out of energy
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Heroes of the Storm is way faster than WoW. 1 second here is totally different from 1 second there.
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Your main drains are Sinister Strike and Blade Flurry. You should feel starvation, but should not feel silenced.
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There shall be no distinction regarding Sinister Strike and Blade Flurry when we are talking about energy distinctions. This ability should be used based on the situation.
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No talent shall modify energy cost or energy regeneration directly, without any trade. Doing so would simply cause cookie cutter build.
With all these constraints in mind, here is my suggestions:
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Passive energy regeneration changed to 33 points per second.
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Sinister strike and Blade Flurry cost changed to 40.
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All openers cost changed to 20.
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Eviscerate cost changed to 30.
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Comments: Performing a full combo of basic abilities usually takes around 2 seconds. Meaning you get 166 points to use -(20+40*2+30) = 36 points left. Enough to use another sinister strike shortly after and get into starvation for a brief period.
Spamming abilities result in starvation, even only using sinister strike.
If you compare these changes to the current design, you will realize that I kind of made Relentless Strike baseline, but energy now floats around the mid of the bar instead of the bottom.
In addition, waiting for deep shadow to fully charge results in a full energy bar.
Basic Abilities
Besides what was already discussed, there is only one thing that needs to be addressed: Sinister Strike hitbox should have a similar size to Valeera’s size. It is quite frustrating and very non intuitive to just run through someone that you clearly thought would get hit.
And thats unique to Valeera: Blaze’s Jet Propulsion, Lucio’s Push Off, and ETC’s Powerslide have hitboxes similar to their sizes.
Other Heroes abilities can even get hitboxes bigger than their own sizes!
Talents
General
You will need to keep in mind that a lot of modifications were made to some core elements from Valeera’s kit. Comparing my suggestions to Valeera’s current state would result in a lot of confusion. Consider all that was modified up until now.
Tier 1
Crippling Poison (Modified)
Targets affected by Deadly Poison are also slowed by 25% over its duration.
When an enemy Hero gets 5 doses of Deadly Poison, they are slowed by an additional 25% for 1 second. This effect cannot occur more than once for each poison enchantment.
Combat Readiness (Modified Version 1)
Hitting a Hero with Blade Flurry grants 75 Physical Armor against the next 2 enemy Hero Basic Attacks. Stores up to 6 Charges.
Combat Readiness (Modified Version 2)
Hitting a Hero with Blade Flurry grants 50 Armor against the next 2 enemy Hero Basic Attacks or Abilities. Stores up to 6 Charges.
- Comments: This means that if you hit 3 Enemy Heroes with Blade Flurry, you get 6 stacks of block.
Master Poisoner (New)
Increases Valeera’s Movement Speed by 5% for each stack of Deadly Poison applied to an enemy Hero, up to a 25% increase.
Tier 2
Wound Poison (Modified)
Targets affected by Deadly Poison also have their healing received reduced by 40% over its duration.
When an enemy Hero gets 5 doses of Deadly Poison, their healing received is reduced by an additional 40% for 1 second. This effect cannot occur more than once for each poison enchantment.
Vendetta (Modified Hemorrhage)
After using Ambush, Cheap Shot, or Garrote, Valeera’s Basic Attacks deal 30% additional damage for 5 seconds.
Fatal Finesse (Moved form Tier 3, Modified)
Each enemy Hero hit with Blade Flurry reduces its cooldown by 1 second, up to a maximum of 3 seconds reduction.
Basic Attacks on Enemy Heroes also reduce Blade Flurry cooldown by 1 second.
Tier 3
Slice and Dice (Modified)
After using Ambush, Cheap Shot, or Garrote, Valeera’s Attack Speed is increased by 50% for 1,5 seconds.
Eviscerating an enemy with 3 Combo Points grants 150% Attack Speed. Lasts 3 seconds or 3 Basic Attacks.
Mutilate (Unchanged)
Sinister Strike now hits with both blades, dealing 125% additional damage, but its range is reduced by 1.
Initiative (Moved from Tier 2, Modified)
Ambush, Cheap Shot, and Garrote deals 10% of their target current Health in damage and awards 1 additional Combo Point.
Tier 4
Smoke Bomb (Modified)
Cooldown: 40s
Heroic Ability
Create a cloud of smoke. While in the smoke, Valeera is Unrevealable, and can pass through other units. Valeera can continue to attack and use abilities without being revealed. Lasts 5 seconds.
Using Smoke Bomb instantly resets Vanish.
- Comments: The armor part was removed to prevent Valeera being too hard to get killed. With that, its cooldown can be reduced dramatically. Plus, with such low cooldown, one can give her utility to make escapes or to increase her engage potential.
Cloak of Shadows (Modified)
Cooldown: 20s
Heroic Ability
Valeera is enveloped in a Cloak of Shadows, which immediately removes all damage over time effects from her. For 1.50 seconds, she becomes Unstoppable, Unrevealable, and gains 75 Spell Armor, reducing Ability Damage taken by 75%.
Using this Ability does not break Vanish.
In addition, whenever Valeera uses Vanish, she also gains Cloak of Shadows.
- Comments: Current level 20 talents are quite weak after the nerf to the Garrote Build. So much that the Cloak of Shadow improvement is picked, and most often for a particular reason: damage over time. There is a lot of dots in this game and is really hard to know when some have finished their duration. Sometimes, your invisibility is cancelled by one tick of Ana’s Shrike. Do not consider this a huge buff. In addition, making you unrevealable during Cloak of Shadow is quite intuitive.
Tier 5
This tier is Overhauled, it simply forced you to always use the same opener.
Thistle Tea (Moved from Tier 6, Overhauled)
Cooldown: 60s
Activate to cause all your basic abilities to cost no Energy for 5 seconds.
Activating Thistle Tea does not break Vanish.
Saronite Bomb (New)
Cooldown: 60s
Throws a Saronite Bomb in the target location that puts all enemy Heroes hit Unconscious, rendering them unable to act for 3 seconds. Unconscious’s effects end instantly if the target takes damage after the first 0.25 seconds.
Throwing Saronite Bomb does not break Vanish.
- Comments: The size of the explosion should be small. Landing it on multiple targets is possible, but not easy. Regarding its range, it should be big enough to be used on a healer if you open on a Tank.
Nightslayer (New)
Hero takedowns reset the cooldown of Vanish.
Being damaged while in stealth reduce Vanish cooldown by 4 seconds.
Tier 6
Seal Fate (Modified)
Sinister Strike deals 50% additional damage and generates an additional Combo Point when used against slowed, silenced, rooted, or stunned enemy Heroes.
- Comments: This is necessary to make it a little more reliable since Valeera no longer have a silence.
Assassinate (Modified)
Your Ambush, Cheap Shot, and Garrote increases the damage of your next Blade Flurry by 100% if no other enemy Heroes are within 4 range of the victim.
- Comments: If you look at the damage numbers, this is a buff, and a significant one. So this damage increment might be reduced.
Slaughter from the Shadows (New)
Your Ambush and Garrote silence their targets by 1 second.
Your Cheap Shot silences its targets by 1 second once Cheap Shot’s Stun expires.
Tier 7
Shadow Dance (New)
Cooldown: 60s
Activate to allow Valeera to use Ambush, Cheap Shot, or Garrote at full Deep Shadows.
Deadly Brew (New)
Valeera benefits from Crippling Poison and Wound Poison Talents.
If you have Wound Poison talent, Deadly Poison damage is increased by an additional 50%.
If you have Crippling Poison talent, Deadly Poison damage is increased by an additional 50%.
Elusiveness (Modified)
Deep Shadows charges for 1 additional second, increasing the range of Ambush, Cheap Shot, and Garrote by an additional 33%.
Passive: Increases Valeera’s Movement Speed while Vanished by an additional 20%.
Epilogue
If you pay attention to the talent tree, you will realize that the current builds are there: Bleed, Mutilate and Ambush. The only thing that was changed about them was their single opener centered condition. Previously, you would always open with Garrote to get the silence, use Crippling Poison to keep your target close to you and try to abuse the immense 2,5 seconds silence to kill it.
That had little room for an opponent counter play and for that reason everything about Valeera was kept controlled so that her enemies could reveal her and avoid being deleted.
The new version does more damage, but also do way less CC early. That means more room for your enemies to counter Valeera. If they ignore her, Garrote + Deadly Poison will be enough to kill them.
Revealing still is effective to counter her, but more in a moderate way. Some of her power was moved away from the “wait 3 seconds” opener and more to “open after ~1 second” side of opener. Skilled players will realize that and play accordingly to what they are planning, which is something rogue usually do in WoW.
Again, each opener now serves a distinct purpose:
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Ambush now provides an AoE opener to be used on gathered targets. Bruisers and Tanks get close very often and reducing their armor is very effective. Differently from the other two openers, you will not jump on their backs. Instead, you can choose your position. Besides that, Ambush can be used as a short escape or even to jump a wall.
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Garrote is the single target damage dealer. Its damage is increased the longer you keep close to your target. And since is percentage based, it is effective versus tanks. In addition, this opener always blink “behind the target”, removing the awkward situation all openers current have to open in front at the first 3 seconds, and behind the target facing direction after 3 seconds.
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Cheap Shot is an effective shut down. With the modifications to Energy regeneration, you won’t get “silenced” by using all your abilities. The Hero caught by this opener should run, and they will regret if they don’t. In team fights, this is an effective Leoric’s Ominous Wraith, but with an additional effect to healers.
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Slaughter from the Shadows talent with improve the effectiveness of all openers and will not make any of them stronger than the other. This idea was kept through all talents.
References
I am really thankful for your patience if you read up until now. This is a really big wall of text and for a reason: there are many articles asking for a Valeera Rework.
https://www.heroesfire.com/hots/concept/valeera-talent-rework-10659
https://www.heroesfire.com/hots/concept/valeera-8367
https://www.heroesfire.com/hots/concept/valeera-10283
https://www.heroesfire.com/hots/concept/valeera-5209
https://www.heroesfire.com/hots/concept/valeera-rework-9466
https://heroeshearth.com/concepts/heroes/critickitten/valeera/
https://heroeshearth.com/concepts/heroes/l33tk1ng/valeera/
https://heroeshearth.com/concepts/heroes/Malkav/valeera/
https://heroeshearth.com/concepts/heroes/jcoto/valeera/
https://us.forums.blizzard.com/en/heroes/t/valeera-talent-rework-concept-mark-ii/14230
https://us.forums.blizzard.com/en/heroes/t/valeera-talent-tweaks/16238
https://us.forums.blizzard.com/en/heroes/t/redesign-valeera-to-fit-the-wow-rogue-fantasy-more/11488
https://us.forums.blizzard.com/en/heroes/t/valeera-poison-ideas/2494
https://us.forums.blizzard.com/en/heroes/t/quality-of-life-change-for-valeera-pls-concerning-her-poisons/11489