Post contents:
Hi Friends! Seeing that neat Resurgence of the Storm project reminded me that I promised to share the in-progress Arthas rework we were working on prior to the slowdown. Well, I dug deep and found some stuff, hopefully someone finds this interesting!
Stupid disclaimer stuff:
This is NOT a preview of something coming or hints of a grand revival, no matter what NotBelial tells you.
I am sharing this for fun and nostalgia, NOT as any form of official announcement from Blizzard.
This was NOT balanced, this was a 3rd-4th iteration that had barely been play tested. We were trying a variety of mechanics and angles to pursue.
This was written in an internal patch note style, I make no promises on its formatting/informational clarity.
Goals:
~Spice~
Play up “unstoppable juggernaut constantly gaining power from his enemies” Death Knight fantasy
Give new tools to counter the speed/mobility creep over the years
Base:
Attack Speed reduced from 1 to .91
Death Coil (Q):
Mana cost reduced from 50 to 40
Range increased from 6 to 7
Howling Blast (W):
Mana cost reduced from 60 to 50
Frozen Tempest (E):
Damage reduced from 20 to 18
Frostmourne Hungers (D):
Bonus damage reduced from 99 to 71
Mana restoration increased from 30 to 40
Cooldown increased from 10 to 12 seconds
Additional Functionality:
• Killing a Minion w/ Frostmourne Hungers or hitting a Hero permanently increases its bonus damage by 1 and Arthas’ Basic Attack damage by 1.
Talents:
Level 1:
• Frost Presence (W):
o New Functionality:
 Passive: Increase Howling Blasts’ area by 20%.
 Quest: Hit 15 Heroes to increase range by 20% and root enemies in path.
 Quest: Hit 30 Heroes to cause Death Coil to slow Heroes by 50% for .75 seconds.
• Eternal Hunger (D):
o Cut
• (New): Borean Winds (E):
o After Frozen Tempest has been active for 2 seconds, Arthas gains 10% increased movement speed.
o Passive: Frozen Tempest’s Slow effects last an additional .5 seconds and its Mana cost is reduced by 4 per second.
• Rime (Passive):
o Additional functionality:
 While Stunned, Rooted, or Slowed, Arthas heals for 24 Health a second.
Level 4:
• Shattered Armor (W):
o Moved from Level 13
• Icy Talons (E):
o Attack Speed buff duration increased from 1.5 to 2 seconds
• Frost Strike (D):
o Moved from level 13
o New Functionality:
 Frostmourne Hungers deals an additional 115 Ability damage to enemies in an area and slows Heroes hit by 20% for 2 seconds.
Level 7:
• Immortal Coil (Q):
o Additional Functionality:
 When used on self, Death Coil heals for 75% more and reduces its cooldown by 3 seconds.
• Rune Tap (Passive):
o Additional Functionality:
 Each stack of Frostmourne Hungers also increase Maximum Health by 10.
• Icebound Fortitude (Active):
o Additional Functionality:
 Rooting an enemy Hero with Howling Blast reduces the cooldown of this ability by 2 seconds.
Level 10:
o Army of the Dead (Heroic 1):
o New Functionality:
 Consume all charges to summon an equal number of Ghouls that last for 15 seconds and attack for 22 damage. Ghouls can be sacrificed to heal Arthas for 240 Health. Stores up to 6 charges. 18 second Charge Cooldown.
 Every time an enemy minion dies nearby, reduce the charge cooldown of this ability by 1 second. Takedowns reduce the charge cooldown of this ability by 6 seconds.
Level 13:
• Deathlord (Q):
o Moved from level 4
o New Functionality:
 When used on an enemy Hero, launch an additional Death Coil at a nearby enemy Hero.
 Passive: Death Coil deals up to 50% more damage the lower Arthas’ current Health is.
• (New) Deathchill (W):
o Enemy Heroes under 50% Health take 100% increased damage from Howling Blast and are Rooted for an additional .25 seconds.
o Howling Blasts’ damage is increased by 2 for each stack of Frostmourne Hungers
• Biting Cold (E):
o Maximum damage bonus increased from 50 to 75%
o Stacking damage bonus increased from 12.5 to 15%
Level 16:
• Embrace Death (Q):
o Cut
• Remorseless Winter (E):
o Root cooldown reduced from 10 to 8 seconds
o Duration requirement reduced from 3 to 2.5 seconds
o Additional Functionality:
 Rooting a Hero also heals Arthas for 3% of his maximum Health.
• Frostmourne Feeds (Trait/D):
o New Functionality:
 Reduce the cooldown of Frostmourne Hungers by 6 seconds. Arthas heals for 75% of the damage done by Frostmourne Hungers.
• Anti-Magic Shell (Active):
o Moved from level 20
Level 20:
• Legion of Northrend (Level 20 Heroic 1):
o New Functionality:
 Reduce the charge cooldown of Army of the Dead by 5 seconds. Each time a charge is consumed, summon an additional Ghoul that attacks nearby enemies. These Ghouls cannot be sacrificed.
• Death’s Advance (Level 20 E):
o Cut
• (New) Death Pact (Level 20 Trait D):
o Instantly double your Frostmourne Hungers stacks, but it no longer gains stacks from hitting Heroes or killing Minions.
o Passive: Takedowns grant 2 stacks of Frostmourne Hungers.
• (New) Path of Frost (Level 20 Heroic 1):
o Activate to instantly mount with 10% additional Movement Speed for 5 seconds. Damage does not dismount Arthas during this time. When Arthas dismounts, nearby enemies are slowed by 30% for 2 seconds and take 66 damage. 60 second cooldown.
Cheers friends!
Here is an edit made of the internal changelog, to improve readability per the markdown capabilities of the forums:
Base:
- Attack Speed reduced from 1 to .91
Death Coil (Q):
- Mana cost reduced from 50 to 40
- Range increased from 6 to 7
Howling Blast (W):
- Mana cost reduced from 60 to 50
Frozen Tempest (E):
- Damage reduced from 20 to 18
Frostmourne Hungers (D):
- Bonus damage reduced from 99 to 71
- Mana restoration increased from 30 to 40
- Cooldown increased from 10 to 12 seconds
- Additional Functionality:
- Killing a Minion w/ Frostmourne Hungers or hitting a Hero permanently increases its bonus damage by 1 and Arthas’ Basic Attack damage by 1.
Talents:
Level 1:
- Frost Presence (W):
- New Functionality:
- Passive: Increase Howling Blasts’ area by 20%.
- Quest: Hit 15 Heroes to increase range by 20% and root enemies in path.
- Quest: Hit 30 Heroes to cause Death Coil to slow Heroes by 50% for .75 seconds.
- New Functionality:
- Eternal Hunger (D):
- Removed
- (New): Borean Winds (E):
- After Frozen Tempest has been active for 2 seconds, Arthas gains 10% increased movement speed.
- Passive: Frozen Tempest’s Slow effects last an additional .5 seconds and its Mana cost is reduced by 4 per second.
- Rime (Passive):
- Additional functionality:
- While Stunned, Rooted, or Slowed, Arthas heals for 24 Health a second.
- Additional functionality:
Level 4:
- Shattered Armor (W):
- Moved from Level 13
- Icy Talons (E):
- Attack Speed buff duration increased from 1.5 to 2 seconds
- Frost Strike (D):
- Moved from level 13
- New Functionality:
- Frostmourne Hungers deals an additional 115 Ability damage to enemies in an area and slows Heroes hit by 20% for 2 seconds.
Level 7:
- Immortal Coil (Q):
- Additional Functionality:
- When used on self, Death Coil heals for 75% more and reduces its cooldown by 3 seconds.
- Additional Functionality:
- Rune Tap (Passive):
- Additional Functionality:
- Each stack of Frostmourne Hungers also increase Maximum Health by 10.
- Additional Functionality:
- Icebound Fortitude (Active):
- Additional Functionality:
- Rooting an enemy Hero with Howling Blast reduces the cooldown of this ability by 2 seconds.
- Additional Functionality:
Level 10:
- Army of the Dead (Heroic 1):
- New Functionality:
- Consume all charges to summon an equal number of Ghouls that last for 15 seconds and attack for 22 damage. Ghouls can be sacrificed to heal Arthas for 240 Health. Stores up to 6 charges. 18 second Charge Cooldown.
- Every time an enemy minion dies nearby, reduce the charge cooldown of this ability by 1 second. Takedowns reduce the charge cooldown of this ability by 6 seconds.
- New Functionality:
Level 13:
- Deathlord (Q):
- Moved from level 4
- New Functionality:
- When used on an enemy Hero, launch an additional Death Coil at a nearby enemy Hero.
- Passive: Death Coil deals up to 50% more damage the lower Arthas’ current Health is.
- (New) Deathchill (W):
- Enemy Heroes under 50% Health take 100% increased damage from Howling Blast and are Rooted for an additional .25 seconds.
- Howling Blasts’ damage is increased by 2 for each stack of Frostmourne Hungers
- Biting Cold (E):
- Maximum damage bonus increased from 50 to 75%
- Stacking damage bonus increased from 12.5 to 15%
Level 16:
- Embrace Death (Q):
- Removed
- Remorseless Winter (E):
- Root cooldown reduced from 10 to 8 seconds
- Duration requirement reduced from 3 to 2.5 seconds
- Additional Functionality:
- Rooting a Hero also heals Arthas for 3% of his maximum Health.
- Frostmourne Feeds (Trait/D):
- New Functionality:
- Reduce the cooldown of Frostmourne Hungers by 6 seconds. Arthas heals for 75% of the damage done by Frostmourne Hungers.
- New Functionality:
- Anti-Magic Shell (Active):
- Moved from level 20
Level 20:
- Legion of Northrend (Level 20 Heroic 1):
- New Functionality:
- Reduce the charge cooldown of Army of the Dead by 5 seconds. Each time a charge is consumed, summon an additional Ghoul that attacks nearby enemies. These Ghouls cannot be sacrificed.
- New Functionality:
- Death’s Advance (Level 20 E):
- Removed
- (New) Death Pact (Level 20 Trait D):
- Instantly double your Frostmourne Hungers stacks, but it no longer gains stacks from hitting Heroes or killing Minions.
- Passive: Takedowns grant 2 stacks of Frostmourne Hungers.
- (New) Path of Frost (Level 20 Heroic 1):
- Activate to instantly mount with 10% additional Movement Speed for 5 seconds. Damage does not dismount Arthas during this time. When Arthas dismounts, nearby enemies are slowed by 30% for 2 seconds and take 66 damage. 60 second cooldown.