Talking Balance Changes – Arthas

by JR Cook - 10 years ago     show comments

Arthas is an imposing and iconic character in the Warcraft universe. Unfortunately, prior to today’s changes, Arthas has been a bit … well, let’s just say he felt more like a creep than a hero, at times. That’s been changed, however, as the Lich King has received a rather substantial set of boosts to his core skills.

• Basic Attack damage increased from 55 (+5 per level) to 59 (+6 per level).
• Frost Strike damage increased from 60 (+11 per level) to 80 (+15 per level).
• Frostmourne Hungers
  • Basic Attack damage bonus from 20% to 40%.
  • Duration increased from 4 to 6 seconds.
• Rune Tap now requires 3 stacks for an 8% heal, rather than 5 stacks for a 10% heal.

Despite being a Warrior class hero, Arthas is getting pretty noticeable upgrades to his damage capabilities. His basic attack is going to be a bit more intimidating right from the start of the match and will scale better with each level. Frost Strike will be receiving a 33% starting damage buff initially, with an additional four damage per level. If you haven’t played Heroes of the Storm yet, these numbers might seem somewhat arbitrary, but they’re actually very solid. I had hoped that Arthas would get a move speed buff for Howling Blast, but these two specific buffs make for pretty sweet consolation prizes.

Arthas’ unique hero trait Frostmourne Hungers is also getting some love, but I’m still not huge on it. It’s an active trait in a sea of sweet passives. It requires Arthas to be in melee range, and he’s honestly not all that durable initially. Still, a buff’s a buff, and maybe the development team intends for him to be some sort of crazy damage cannon. I’m not optimistic, but we’ll see.

Speaking of durability, Rune Tap’s also seeing changes. Noted above, Rune Tap used to require five hits and then triggered a 10% heal. The new incarnation will heal for less (albeit not much less) and will only require three consecutive auto-attacks. As the Lich King isn’t very tough prior to level 10, this level seven talent alteration could be a godsend. Obliterate and Executioner will likely get grabbed up by players looking to capitalize on his new damage, and Rune Tap should become a clear and hopefully noticeable survivability boost. Again, it remains to be seen.

Where do these changes leave Arthas? At the risk of sounding like a broken record, it’s hard to say right now. A number of other heroes also saw some fairly meaningful changes, and only time will tell what the new pecking order looks like. We can confidently say one thing, however. Arthas is in a far better spot than he was yesterday. Frostmourne might actually get a chance to quench it’s eternal hunger thanks to these upgrades.