Note: After some consideration, I came to the conclusion that this suggestion should be limited to main campaign for the most part. Let’s leave crucible/SR as they are, OR compensate for the stronger heroes being a larger speed bump/extra threat.
We all know it. Beyond a certain point, which is level 5 for most of my meme leveling setups, 20 for those builds that insist on using autoattack replacers, heroes become mere minor speed bumps.
Aside from Arcane heroes, they are all just extra loot, and very crappy extra loot at that, taking into consideration how weak epics were in the past 3 years of the game, and how their droprate of monster infrequents, or even ugdenblooms, are nothing to write home about.
Only exception from this are the healers and timewarped heroes, who can negate damage dealt to a tougher target, or slow, or petrify.
Since a lot of people tend to like Arcane heroes (subdued screaming in the background), or timewarped / healers (even more screaming), I propose that ALL heroes be buffed to the level of arcanes, timewarpeds, and healers. To accomplish this:
Modify their Total Speed by -20%
Modify their Total Damage by 25%
Modify their base health by +100% (2x) at lower levels, scaling up to +200% (3x) by ultimate levels.
Halve %life heal from healers.
Triple the hero orb drop rates (for rares, rare materials, and uniques)
Double or more the MI drop rates.
This will make heroes a better challenge, as their attacks will have better telegraphing, and pose a greater threat. Similarly, the extra time they can spend alive will make them better suited to stop you from steamrolling over them in 2-3 seconds. All this is rewarded by appropriate drop rates, which will help close the gap between campaign farming and other farming modes.
Additionally, the existing hero types could be revisited to be more distinct in both behavior and providing a challenge.
- Voidtouched: Give them the 3-Wave spread (projectile, piercing, returning) ability from Ekket’Zul, and doom bolt.
- they are the hero equivalent of being the bane of ranged/kiting playstyles, but with sufficient cooldowns to be a threat, rather than a pure invalidation of the playstyle (unlike wendigos, colossi, flesh hulks, etc.)
- Corrupted: Devastation ability doing a non-stacking DA shred.
- Corrupted heroes are fine as they are, spawning pools under players like Noxxan Shade, and they should continue this tradition at a higher level, shredding (corrupting) the targets’ DA.
- Defender: inquisitor seals of damage shred (15% reduced damage, non-stacking, 1s duration) and damage absorb buff to allies. (%)
- Defenders are a cool concept, and inquisitor seals are also a fan favorite. Give seals to heroes.
- Electrified: Arcing Zantarim-like exploding multi-projectile (2-4) (think Stun Jacks without stun, a’la korvaak’s servants) skill. Also Lightning Doom Bolt(like the granted skill on items)
- Electrified heroes could grant ranged characters a bit of extra challenge.
- Burning: Arcing multi-projectile fireball spell (think Zantarim but tame), Fire and Burn damage AND Fire+burn Retaliation AoE buff to allies (Think Blood of Dreeg’s template), chance to spawn pools under target (chance to cast on attack)
- Burning heroes have a vindictive flame-like aura, but that isn’t enough. They should be MORE burning.
- Frozen: Cold One-like fost explosion on getting hit, without the freezing part, and a reverse-projectile-nova a’la terrnox (but without the freeze part)
- clearly not frozen enough, but (as people in this thread pointed it out) we have a CC abundance at this point, so a focus on their retal playstyle is a better choice.
