The buff Reaper should have got! Shadow Rush!

General Discussion
1

So…listen. I know Reaper needed a little love. I even posted a long time ago to let Reaper do more damage to armor.

(now armor has been nerfed and pretty much everyone is good against armor so lets forget that idea I guess)

But this 50% thing is pretty intense. I feel like this is going to be 50% damage reduction on Bastion all over again.

I can see you wanting to increase his lifesteal from 30%, but isn’t 50% like a MASSIVE change. Whatever happened to small steps? Wouldn’t 35% or 40% be a good place to start? But 50%? Im shook.

What’s done is done I guess because they dont listen to feedback at all. HOWEVER. Even with the lifesteal, I kinda dont think thats his problem. Isn’t more of Reapers problem taking poke damage before he can even get close?

Here is what I would have done:

Passive - The Reaping

  • Lifesteal increased to 40% (from 30%)

Ability - Shadow Step

  • Reaper is now invulnerable during the 1st half of Shadow Step
  • Fixed aiming with Shadow Step so you can teleport more accurately

New Secondary Fire - Shadow Rush

  • Description: Reaper dissolves into pure shadow form and slithers his way to a target and reappearing directly behind them. Shadow Rush can travel over obstacles and up/down walls. Reaper is invulnerable during this animation.
  • Cooldown: 12 seconds
  • Max Range: 35 meters
  • Min Range 15 meters
  • Movement speed: 6.5 meters per second
  • Reappearing range: 2 meters behind selected target
  • UI: When this ability is available to use, when you point your crosshair at a target, a tiny Reaper mask will appear over the targets health bar letting you know that is who you will Shadow Rush to.

I mean. Fun and super cool. If you guys remember, this ability is featured in most of the shorts where Reaper makes an appearance. It makes sense for him and fixes the problem of gettting in close to start a fight without taking poke damage.

Examples:

End of Recall: https://youtu.be/sB5zlHMsM7k?t=458
Start of Infiltration: https://youtu.be/Og5-Pm4HNlI?t=38
Fighting Winston: https://youtu.be/FqnKB22pOC0?t=146

(I can’t post videos anymore. Ive been a bad boy apparently? Thats what happens when you remove downvotes. People just flag things they dont agree with)

So basically, the combo here would be:

  • Shadow Rush in without taking damage and start your fight
  • Stay in as long as you can with improved lifesteal
  • Use Wraith Form to stay in fight/contest
  • When ready to retreat, Shadow Step out because your invulnerable during 1st half of animation

ANYWAY. This turned out longer than I expected BUT I think those changes would have put Reaper in a better spot without breaking him too hard.

Honestly. I dont know what the balance team is thinking half the time. But what do I know, Im just a filthy casual.

1 Like
2

OMAE WA MOU SHINDERYU

3 Likes
3

LOL

4

This would be incredibly overpowered.

The problem you don’t consider is IN fight. Sure, starting the fight may help, but the fact that he could do it MID fight, basically changing targets with ease would be a nightmare for pretty much ANY body. Even with travel speed, people would have to deengage from battle to know what was going on, and the fact is at close quarters it’d be almost instanteous. It’s like giving Reaper a blink, but instead he’s got 100 more health and does better at the close range.

In addition, it basically acts as a second wraith form of sorts, which means that timing wise, he could combo them both to really screw up any sort of attack on him distraction wise.

Reapers strength is when he gets the advantage in the first strike, and when people don’t know where he is specifcially. While this would help, the problem becomes counterplay. Even if I know that Reaper’s shadow stepping to me in close range (which I’m most likely not because you’re going to choose a target that’s not obvious) , the fact is that he’s faster then me in most cases at 6.5 meters a second, and that’s not taking into account that he can travel underneath , not having to work around people to get to them.

It’d be worse then the Reaper then we have right now, because even with the new reaper, those really diligient to finding him out on the first go still have the advantage. Not so here.

5

1st of all, if this was too much, simply increase the cooldown to 15 seconds.

On top of that, just increase the min range required to 15 meters.

Problem solved.

7

I mean, you could turn Shadow Rush into a skillshot if you wanted to