Tidehunter
   22 + 3
15 + 1.5
16 + 1.7
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Leviathan the Tidehunter is a melee strength hero who is formidable due to his uncommonly tough hide and his ocean spells that sweep enemies upward. He can be played as a support or as an Offlane hero whose greatest strengths lie in being able to take heavy amounts of damage in the early game and the disabling powers of his spells.
Though he does not deal especially high damage at any point in the game, his spells can have a devastating effect on the enemy without expending much mana. He is able to send forth a spray of water to slow down the enemy retreat and his outrageous ultimate, Ravage, throttles enemies in a massive area around him. The durability of his Kraken Shell allows him to shrug off damage for absurd survivability against low damage attacks. Tidehunter's ability to shrug off damage and his enormous strength gain makes him very durable, and the power of his spells means he is a tank the enemy very much needs to target.
Bio
Leviathan, the Tidehunter▶️ "You can't hide from the tide."
Lore:
The Tidehunter known as Leviathan was once the champion of the Sunken Isles, but his motives are as mysterious as those of his people. We all know the importance of the Drylanders' shipping lanes, how empires may rise and fall according to who controls the open water. Far less is known of the submarine lanes, and how the warring tribes of the Meranthic Diaspora have carved out habitations through endless undersea skirmishes. In the fragile treaties between the Mer and Men, we can glimpse the extent of the drowned empires, but their politics appear complex and opaque. It would seem that Leviathan tired of such petty strife, and set off on his own, loyal only to his abyssal god, Maelrawn the Tentacular. He stalks the shallows now in search of men or meranths who stray into his path, and with a particular loathing for Admiral Kunkka, who has long been his nemesis for reasons lost in the deepest trenches of the sea.
Voice:
[[Voice actors#|]] (Responses)
Gameplay
Abilities
Summons a gush of water to damage an enemy unit, reducing their movement speed and armor.
Cast Range: 700
Damage: 110/160/210/260
Armor Reduction: 2/3/4/5
Move Speed Slow: 40%
Duration: 4
12
120
During his championship of the Sunken Isles, Leviathan gained mastery over the open sea.
- Gush projectile travels at a speed of 4000 and can be disjointed.
Kraken Shell
Ability
N/A
N/A
Affects
Self
Self
Creates a thick armor shell that reduces physical damage and removes negative buffs when damage received reaches a critical threshold.
Kraken Shell does not stack with items that provide Damage Block.
Kraken Shell does not stack with items that provide Damage Block.
Damage Block: 10/20/30/40
Damage Threshold: 600/550/500/450
Threshold Reset Timer: 6
Claddish navymen tell tales of a mighty sea-faring beast that suffered spear and sword but continued to lay waste to the fleet.
- The damage reduction is a Damage Block and the debuff removal is a Strong Dispel.
- The damage reduction is always on and is not connected to the damage threshold for debuff removal.
- For a list of physical damage from spells which isn't blocked, see here.
- The Damage Block does not work against wards ( Plague Ward, Mass Serpent Ward, Death Ward).
- Only damage from player owned sources (after reductions) is counted towards debuff removal.
- Damage counter for debuff removal resets when Tidehunter doesn't take player based damage for 6 seconds.
- A debuff removal proc is indicated by a sound effect and water particles on Tidehunter's skin.
Anchor Smash
Tidehunter swings his mighty anchor to damage nearby enemies and reduce their base attack damage.
Radius: 375
Damage: 75/125/175/225
Attack Damage Reduction: 45%/50%/55%/60%
Duration: 6
7/
30/
Stolen from one of Admiral Kunkka's flagships, Leviathan's heavy anchor proves useful as a melee weapon.
Ravage
Slams the ground, causing tentacles to erupt in all directions, damaging and stunning all nearby enemy units.
Max Effect Radius: 1025
Effect Width: 250
Damage: 200/290/380
Stun Duration: 2.02/2.32/2.77
150
150/
Calling to the abyssal god Maelrawn has resulted in entire armadas being lost at sea.
- Ravage spreads at a speed of 775.
- Stun duration consists of 0.52 seconds air time + 1.5/1.8/2.25 actual stun time.
- Ravage damages and stuns within a 250 width ring which spreads around Tidehunter upon cast. It does not affect the full 1025 radius when reaching the max distance.
- This means it is possible to evade the effects by blinking between Tidehunter and the expanding ring shortly after cast.
- So units within 250 radius upon cast are hit instantly and it takes exactly 1 second for the ring to travel the remaining 775 of the radius, since its speed is 775.
- Damage is applied after the 0.52 seconds air time.
- Does not affect ancient creeps, Roshan, Warlock's Golem, or Storm and Fire from Primal Split.
Recommended items
Template:Recommendeditems
Equipment
Tidehunter/equipment
Tips
- Tidehunter can be played as an initiator or a tank, or some combination inbetween. While he possesses strong initiating power with Ravage, he can also engage enemies at the front lines and debilitate their ability to fight his team with Anchor Smash while shrugging off their damage and debuffs with Kraken Shell.
- Tidehunter's flexibility allows him to be played either as a safe-lane support or solo off-laner. His skill and item build will differ drastically depending on which path is taken.
- Played as a support, Tidehunter should focus on purchasing support items and harassing the enemy's off-laner. Generally he will get his Blink Dagger much later, if at all, due to not being given farm or experience priority. Anchor Smash can discourage the enemy from approaching lest they take damage and have their last-hitting power greatly reduced, and Gush can slow them for chain-disables and kills.
- Played as an off-laner, Tidehunter should focus on surviving while also harassing the enemy's carry and supports. Kraken Shell allows Tidehunter to ignore the enemy's harass damage, while he can use Anchor Smash to harass the enemy down and prevent their carry from getting easy last-hits. Off-lane Tidehunter benefits greatly if the enemy's carry (and optionally supports as well) is also melee, as they must approach the creep wave to last-hit, making casting Anchor Smash much easier.
- Gush is a powerful early-game disable, as it slows the target's movement speed by 40% for 4 seconds. During ganks, this can often be enough to slow an enemy enough to catch them with additional disables. As such, no matter what lane Tidehunter is placed in, at least one early point in Gush is highly recommended.
- Gush also reduces the target's armor, increasing their vulnerability to not only right-clicks but Anchor Smash as well, since it deals physical damage. Keep this in mind when casting Gush, as it can be used not only as a disable but as an armor debuff to help your carries deal more damage.
- Kraken Shell is a powerful form of damage block as it has a 100% proc chance. In the off-lane, it is recommended to get at least two early levels in the ability, as this equates to having a Poor Man's Shield that also works 100% of the time against tower and creep attacks.
- After taking enough player damage, Kraken Shell applies a Strong Dispel on Tidehunter. This includes not only many powerful debuffs, but stuns as well, drastically increasing Tidehunter's survivability. As such, even in the late game Kraken Shell is a very powerful ability as it prevents Tidehunter from being chain-disabled or permanently silenced, ensuring that he will always be ready to cast his spells when needed.
- Kraken Shell's damage threshold decreases as it is leveled up. For this reason, building HP items on Tidehunter will greatly increase its usefulness, as Tidehunter can reach the threshold multiple times the more HP he has.
- Anchor Smash is a great way to clear creeps and farm for Tidehunter. Due to its low Mana cost, it can be used to harass enemies, especially melee heroes.
- Anchor Smash's duration increases in tandem with its cooldown decreasing as the ability is leveled. This means that from level 2 onwards, you can keep one or more enemies' attack damage crippled indefinitely, as the cooldown matches the debuff duration.
- Do not underestimate the 60% damage reduction from Anchor Smash at level 4. If you use it on a hero with powerful basic attacks, such as Ursa, their damage output will be severely reduced.
- Ravage is your most powerful teamfight ability, as its wide effect radius and long stun duration can completely stop the entire enemy team in their tracks. Use it to initiate or counter-initiate teamfights, but beware its extremely long cooldown, and don't be afraid to hold onto it if you don't think it will drastically benefit your team, even if it means your death.
- Remember that while Ravage travels quickly, it does take a brief time to extend to its maximum range. Very alert opponents might be able to blink away or activate spell immunity before they are stunned, so be sure to blink in closer to those heroes to reduce their window of escape.
- Should the enemy team have a Rubick, it is critically important to cast another one of your spells (generally Anchor Smash) after casting Ravage, as an ability so devastating could easily be the deciding factor in a teamfight should Rubick steal it.
- With enough levels in Anchor Smash and Kraken Shell, Tidehunter can farm Ancient creeps fairly reliably, especially if they have been stacked by teammates a few times. Anchor Smash deals physical area-of-effect damage that hits all the creeps simultaneously while also reducing their attack damage, and the damage block from Kraken Shell further reduces any damage that they are able to do, often to zero. This can be useful for giving Tidehunter levels and farm for items at any point in the game, whether it's to help him recover from a bad laning phase or to supplement his gold and experience gain.
- Given Tidehunter's great tankiness and powerful disables, he benefits from the purchase of numerous items for his team.
- When played as a safe-lane support, it is important to purchase the Animal Courier and/or Observer Wards for your team. Your free inventory space should be filled with Iron Branches for cheap stats, and you should upgrade to the Flying Courier when possible.
- Force Staff is a useful mobility item to purchase that also serves as utility for your team. The extra Intelligence helps with giving Tidehunter a bigger mana pool, and the active ability can be used to position yourself for your spells as needed. While not as powerful as Blink Dagger, it is easier to build should you be having trouble farming.
- Blade Mail is a good mid-game item that gives Tidehunter many great benefits. The increased Intelligence and armor give Tidehunter more mana and survivability, especially if he is playing as a tank rather than initiator, and the active allows Tidehunter to take advantage of his massive health pool to discourage enemies from attacking him further.
- Rod of Atos is a useful chasing item that gives Tidehunter many benefits. The additional HP makes Tidehunter much beefier, while the Intelligence gives him a much bigger mana pool. The active ability can be cast over long distances, allowing you to chase down fleeing enemies far more easily and apply Gush to them, slowing them even further.
- Mekansm is a useful utility item that can be purchased as a tank Tidehunter. On top of giving him armor and more stats, the heal can greatly benefit your team as you are not likely to die before using it. On top of your general durability and ability to interrupt the enemy team's initiation with Ravage, you can greatly discourage the enemy from engaging you by standing on the front lines. However, mind its expensive mana cost, and be sure to increase the size of your mana pool first if you intend on building this.
- Veil of Discord is a helpful item to help you initiate and contribute more to teamfights. Along with the all-around stats and armor increasing your mana pool and tankiness, the item's active ability allows you to reduce the enemy's magic resistance prior to a Blink-Ravage combo, giving your team's casters an additional edge in teamfights.
Trivia
- The name Leviathan is derived from a sea monster in the Bible. It is also used to refer to any large sea monster or creature. [1]
- Previous designs of Tidehunter had him use a large hook as a weapon. This was later replaced by an anchor based on community feedback for several reasons:
- To match the theme of Anchor Smash
- To add a reference to the model Tidehunter uses in Warcraft 3 DotA (which also uses a giant anchor as weapon)
- To add another connection between Tidehunter and Kunkka (the anchor is supposedly stolen from one of Kunkka's flagship, as written in the lore of Anchor Smash).
- Tidehunter's line ▶️ "Ha ha ha! Women and children and Kunkka first." is a reference to the Birkenhead Drill, a historical protocol where women and children's lives would be saved first in the case of a life threatening situation, typically the sinking of a ship.
Update history
Template:Update History
Balance changelog
Template:Update History
Replaced abilities
Anchor Smash (Pre 6.72)
Leviathan swings his mighty anchor with a vengeance. Gives a 25% chance on attack to deal bonus damage to nearby enemies. Farther enemies take only half the damage.
Proc Chance: 25%
Full Damage Radius: 200
Half Damage Radius: 325
Damage: 75/115/155/200
Stolen from one of Admiral Kunkka's flagships, Leviathan's heavy anchor proves useful as a melee weapon.
- This ability was reworked into the current Anchor Smash on the 6.72 gameplay patch.
- Occurs when Tidehunter attacks an enemy.
- The radius is centered around Tidehunter.
- The damage hits the attack target aswell, not only nearby units.
Kraken Shell (Pre 6.64)
Ability
N/A
N/A
Affects
Self
Self
Creates a thick armor shell around Leviathan that that protects him against attacks. Additionally, this ability occasionally removes negative buffs.
Damage Block: 7/14/21/28
Debuff removal timer: 11/10/9/8
Claddish navymen tell tales of a mighty sea-faring beast that suffered spear and sword but continued to lay waste to the fleet.
- This ability was reworked into the current Kraken Shell on the 6.64 gameplay patch.
- The damage reduction is a Damage Block and the debuff removal is a Strong Dispel.
- The damage reduction is always on and is not connected to the damage threshold for debuff removal.
- For a list of physical damage from spells which isn't blocked, see here.
- The Damage Block does not work against wards ( Plague Ward, Mass Serpent Ward, Death Ward).
- Every 11/10/9/8 seconds after having leveled this ability, a Strong Dispel is applied on Tidehunter.
Rain of Tears
RT
RT
Causes a monsoon summoned straight from the deepest ocean. Creates rain that damages all enemy units and heals all friendly units. Lasts 30 seconds.
Radius: 2500
Max Channel Time: 30
Damage per Second: 5/10/15
Heal per Second: 10/20/30
120
125/
- This ability was replaced by Ravage in the 5.76 gameplay patch.
- Causes rain within the whole radius.
- Deals damage in 1 second intervals, starting 1 second after cast, resulting in up to 30 instances.
- Can deal a total of 150/300/450 damage to a single unit (before reductions) when it stays in range for the full duration.
- Heals 1/2/3 health in 0.1, starting 0.1 second after cast, resulting in 300 instances. The heal does affect Tidehunter as well.
- Can heal a total of 300/600/900 health to an ally when it stays in range for the full duration.
- Upon release, this spell had a global radius.
Gallery
Trading card art
Concept Art
The Kunkka vs. Tidehunter feud
See also
- Tidehunter responses
- Tidehunter sounds
- Bottom Watcher
References
| ||||||||
Template:HeroNav