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Night Stalker
Strength attribute symbol
Agility attribute symbol
Intelligence attribute symbol
23 + 3
18 + 2.2
15 + 1.6
Level 0 1 15 25 30
Health 120 626 1550 2474 2848
+2 +4.3 +8.5 +12.7 +14.4
Mana 75 255 519 855 975
+0.25 +1 +2.12 +3.52 +4.02
Armor 2 5 10.13 15.8 17.97
Magic Resist 25% 26.5% 28.74% 31.54% 32.54%
Damage Block 16 (50%)
Damage

40
44

63
67

105
109

147
151

164
168

Attack Rate 0.59/s 0.69/s 0.88/s 1.08/s 1.15/s
Attack Range Melee 150 (600)
Attack Speed ▶️ 100 (1.7s BAT)
Attack Animation 0.55 + 0.55
Projectile Speed Instant
Move Speed ▶️ 295 (Nighttime 325)
Turn Rate Takes 0.175s to turn 180°. 0.6
Collision Size 27
Bound Radius 24
Vision Range (G) 800 (Nighttime 1800)
Gib Type Default
Internal npc_dota_hero_night_stalker
Empowered by the shadows of nightfall.
The beast of bedtime tales, Balanar is the primal terror that every child knows to fear. Once the sun goes down, Night Stalker's hunt begins. Charging through the shadowy forests, he snares prey in a debilitating Void, slowing and forcing his quarry to flee, arms withering and spells fizzling as their hearts are stricken with Crippling Fear. Should sunrise threaten to end his terror, the Hunter in the Night transforms through a Dark Ascension, spreading his wings under the blackened veil of night, and goes on the prowl for ever more victims.
Void
Void
Crippling Fear
Hunter in the Night
Hunter in the Night
Dark Ascension
Roles: Carry Carry Initiator Initiator Durable Durable Disabler Disabler Nuker Nuker
Complexity: Hero Complexity
Adjectives: Blue, Flying, NicePecs, Wings
Legs ( 2 )


Bio[]

Night Stalker minimap iconBalanar, the Night Stalker
▶️ "I feed the darkness and the darkness feeds me."
Of the Night Stalker, there is no history, only stories. There are ancient tales woven into the lore of every race and every culture, of an impossible time before sunlight and daytime, when night reigned alone and the world was covered with the creatures of darkness--creatures like Balanar the Night Stalker.

It is said that on the dawn of the First Day, all the night creatures perished. All, that is, save one. Evil's embodiment, Night Stalker delights in his malevolence. He created the primal role of the Night Terror, the Boogeyman, and as long as there have been younglings, his is the specter summoned to terrify them. This is a role he relishes; nor are these empty theatrics. He does indeed stalk the unwary, the defenseless, those who have strayed beyond the lighted paths or denied the warnings of their communities. Night Stalker serves as living proof that every child's worst nightmare....is true.
Alias:
NS
Voice:

Abilities[]

Void
Void icon
Affects
Enemies
(Upgradable by Aghanim's Scepter. Self)
Damage
Magical
Creates a damaging void that slows an enemy unit and deals damage. At night, Void also mini-stuns, interrupting channeling abilities, and the slowing effect lasts longer.
Cast Animation: 0.3+0.47
Cast Range: Affected by Cast Range bonuses. 525
Damage: 80/160/240/320 (Talent 130/210/290/370)
Move Speed Slow: 50%
Attack Speed Slow: 50
Day Slow Duration: 1.25
Night Slow Duration: 2.5/3/3.5/4
Day Stun Duration: 0
Night Stun Duration: 0.1 (With Aghanim's Scepter 1)
With Aghanim's Scepter Radius: Affected by AoE Radius bonuses. 450
With Aghanim's Scepter Void Zone Duration: 5
With Aghanim's Scepter Aura Linger Duration: 0
Cooldown symbol
 11/10/9/8
Mana symbol
 90/95/100/105
Upgradable by Aghanim's Scepter.
Aghanim's Scepter Upgrade:
Void becomes an area of effect ability. Increases the mini-stun duration and leaves behind a void zone. While in the zone, all of Night Stalker's abilities are empowered with their night time effect.
Buff/Debuff
Modifiers [?]
modifier_night_stalker_void_zone
Undispellable
modifier_night_stalker_void
modifier_stunned
Balanar creates a vortex of infinite night, tearing opponents violently into the eternal darkness that once was.

  • Void first applies the movement speed slow debuff, the damage, the stun debuff, then creates the Void Zone.
  • Turns Void into an area-targeted ability affecting all enemy units within 450 radius.
    • Does not target invisible units or units inside the Fog of War within the radius.
    • With the cast range and effect radius, Void can hit units up to 975 range away.
  • 0.4 seconds after cast, the Void Zone created provides an aura that grants all of Night Stalker's abilities the Nighttime nighttime bonuses within the radius.
    • Unlike Nighttime nighttime, the Void Zone created neither lingers nor modifies the Time of Day in any way.
    • Each created Void Zone has its own independent duration.
  • Night Stalker minimap icon Night Stalker does not benefit from Rubick minimap icon Rubick's Upgradable by Aghanim's Scepter. Void Zone.


Crippling Fear
Crippling Fear icon
Ability
No Target
Affects
Enemies
Damage
Magical
Night Stalker horrifies all nearby enemies, causing them to become silenced and take damage over time while near him. The effect lasts longer at night.
Radius: Affected by AoE Radius bonuses. 375
Damage per Second: 25/30/35/40
Day Duration: 3
Night Duration: 4.5/5/5.5/6
Aura Linger Duration: 0.5
Cooldown symbol
 30/25/20/15 (Talent 25/20/15/10)
Mana symbol
 50
Buff/Debuff
Modifiers [?]
modifier_night_stalker_crippling_fear_aura
Death
modifier_night_stalker_crippling_fear
Death
A vision of the twisted maw of Balanar etches itself into the minds of the poor souls unlucky enough to cross his path.

  • Both the damage per second and silence are provided by an aura, its debuff lingers for 0.5 seconds.
    • Although the damage per second component does not affect invulnerable and hidden units, the silence debuff fully affects them.
    • Deals 2.5/3/3.5/4 damage in 0.1-second intervals, resulting in Daytime 35 and Nighttime 50/55/60/65 damage instances for daytime and nighttime respectively.
      • Can deal up to Daytime 87.5/105/122.5/140 or Nighttime 125/165/210/260 damage to a single unit (before reductions) when the affected unit stays in range for the entire duration.
  • Does not update the current instance when the time of day turns Daytime daytime or Nighttime nighttime while active.


Hunter in the Night
Hunter in the Night icon
Ability
Passive
(Upgradable by Aghanim's Shard. Target Unit)
Affects
Self
(Upgradable by Aghanim's Shard. Units)
Damage
Upgradable by Aghanim's Shard. Instant Kill
Night Stalker is in his element at night, attacking and moving with great swiftness.
Passive Component
Move Speed Bonus: 22%/28%/34%/40%
Attack Speed Bonus: 20/40/60/80 (Talent 120/140/160/180)
Talent Status Resistance Bonus: 25%
With Aghanim's Shard Cast Animation: 0+1.07
With Aghanim's Shard Cast Range: Affected by Cast Range bonuses. 125
With Aghanim's Shard Max Health as Heal: 30%
With Aghanim's Shard Max Mana as Mana Restore: 25%
Cooldown symbol
  With Aghanim's Shard 30
Mana symbol
 With Aghanim's Shard 50
Upgradable by Aghanim's Shard.
Aghanim's Shard Upgrade:
Hunter in the Night may be cast on a creep, instantly killing it and restoring some of Night Stalker's maximum health and mana. Cannot target ancients during the daytime.
Buff/Debuff
Modifiers [?]
modifier_night_stalker_hunter_in_the_night
Undispellable
The hunting prowess of Balanar improves as the night beckons.

  • Adds an active component to Hunter in the Night, with the passive effects still present.
  • The active has a minimum cast range of 150 despite having a different value in the game files.


Dark Ascension
Dark Ascension icon
Ability
No Target
Affects
Self
Night Stalker smothers the sun and summons instant darkness, so that he might use his powers at their fullest. Refreshes the cooldown of all non-ultimate abilities when cast. Night Stalker gains flight and bonus damage during this time. Has unobstructed vision.
Attack Damage Bonus: 50/100/150 (Talent 80/130/180)
Current Cooldown Skip: 100%
Duration: 30 (Talent 38)
Cooldown symbol
 140/135/130 (Talent 90/85/80)
Mana symbol
 125/175/225
Buff/Debuff
Modifiers [?]
modifier_night_stalker_darkness
Death
It is a humbling sight to see when the mightiest of warriors become afraid of the dark.
Night Stalker Clock

The appearance of the game clock changes when Dark Ascension is cast.


  • Time of Day modifying abilities has the following priorities: Supernova icon SupernovaEclipse icon Eclipse ➤ Dark Ascension.
    • The ability's bonuses are not disabled during Supernova's Daytime daytime. However, the vision is limited to Night Stalker's default daytime vision.
    • Eclipse does not interfere with the Nighttime nighttime caused by Dark Ascension in any way — they do not cancel or pause each other's nighttime.
  • Upon cast, the hero model and hitbox of Night Stalker ascends 150 units above the z-axis.
    • However, its collision size is still on the ground. This does not change the current absolute coordinates of the model as well.
  • Grants flying vision based on the caster's current vision range for its duration.
    • For Night Stalker, Dark Ascension grants Nighttime 1800 flying vision.
  • Grants regular flat bonus attack damage.
    • TALENT
      The damage increasing Talent talent immediately updates the currently active instance.
  • Resets the current cooldowns of all the caster's basic abilities upon cast.
  • Destroys trees within a 150 radius at the end of the duration.
  • Always replaces the game clock's Daytime daytime or Nighttime status with Night Stalker minimap icon Night Stalker's minimap icon regardless of the caster.
  • Rubick minimap icon Rubick neither ascends above the z-axis nor turns into a flying unit.


Talents[]

Hero Talents
-50s Dark Ascension icon Dark Ascension Cooldown25+100 Hunter in the Night icon Hunter In The Night Attack Speed
+20 Strength attribute symbol Strength20-5s Crippling Fear icon Crippling Fear Cooldown
+25% Hunter in the Night icon Hunter In The Night Status Resistance15+30 Dark Ascension icon Dark Ascension Damage
+8s Dark Ascension icon Dark Ascension Duration10+50 Void icon Void Damage

Recent Changes[]

Main Articles: Changelogs, Old Abilities and Hero Lore
Version
Description


Recommended Items[]

Starting items:

  • Tango icon Tango gives health regeneration to stay alive.
  • Healing Salve icon Healing Salve restores health in the early game.
  • Enchanted Mango icon Enchanted Mango restores mana so Night Stalker may use one more Void in the early game to secure kill.


Early game:

  • Magic Stick icon Magic Stick stores charges that restore HP and mana for Night Stalker to stay alive and use abilities during ganks.
  • Boots of Speed icon Boots of Speed, combined with Hunter in the Night, increase Night Stalker base movement speed, granting him unparalleled mobility at night.
  • Urn of Shadows icon Urn of Shadows fits the active Night Stalker, giving him charges that heal or hurt heroes. It also increases mana regeneration and armor so Night Stalker can stay alive to contribute to ganks.
  • Observer Ward icon Observer Ward grants vision so Night Stalker can set up ganks; his high mobility at night makes placing wards deep inside enemy territory easy.


Mid game:

  • Magic Wand icon Magic Wand is very situational depending on how fast you need other items, and whether you need it in general.
  • Solar Crest icon Solar Crest gives Night Stalker solid stats all around and a powerful debuff for ganking.
  • Phase Boots icon Phase Boots grant Night Stalker extra movement speed and attack damage, synergizing well with Hunter in the Night's movement and attack speed boost.
  • Spirit Vessel icon Spirit Vessel gives great health and movement speed while giving the ability to deal with heroes with heavy healing capabilities.
  • Aghanim's Shard icon Aghanim's Shard grants Night Stalker the ability to farm for only 1400 gold.


Late game:

  • Assault Cuirass icon Assault Cuirass gives Night Stalker both offensive and defensive power. The extra armor makes him much tankier, synergizing well with his high strength growth, and the attack speed bonus combines with the enemy armor reduction to greatly improve Night Stalker's and teammates' physical damage output.
  • Don't underestimate how strong Butterfly icon Butterfly with Satanic icon Satanic can be on a hero who has a very strong ultimate with very strong talents for right clicking.
  • Abyssal Blade icon Abyssal Blade helps Night Stalker lock down targets with stun and bash; its damage block and bonus health also add to his tankiness.
  • Black King Bar icon Black King Bar makes Night Stalker immune to most disables in team fights so he can focus on using abilities and attacking the enemies without interruption; it also gives him more health and attack damage.


Situational items:

  • Lotus Orb icon Lotus Orb gives Night Stalker a blend of self-sustain and survivability through the health and mana regeneration. The active applies dispel which can be very useful against several heroes or just to help sustain your team.
  • Smoke of Deceit icon Smoke of Deceit helps Night Stalker get crucial kills by masking his and allies' presence from enemy wards.
  • Gem of True Sight icon Gem of True Sight reveals invisible enemies and wards. Combined with Dark Ascension unobstructed vision during nighttime, Night Stalker commands great vision over the map.
  • Blink Dagger icon Blink Dagger allows Night Stalker to initiate easily as it enables him to pounce on unsuspecting enemies and making him a force to be reckoned with due to the swift movement speed granted from Hunter in the Night icon Hunter in the Night and the silence from Crippling Fear icon Crippling Fear. This can be upgraded to Overwhelming Blink icon Overwhelming Blink, applying a magical burst whilst slowing any enemies in his catch, bolstering his presence especially in the late game.
  • Blade Mail icon Blade Mail's Damage Return can keep Night Stalker alive as enemies may choose not to deal any damage to him, lest losing HP themselves.
  • Heaven's Halberd icon Heaven's Halberd's disarm works well with Crippling Fear's silence to completely prevent an enemy from fighting back. It also increases survivability with bonuses to strength, evasion, and status resistance.
  • Nullifier icon Nullifier this item can be considered in anticipation of the enemies building BKB, which would allow them to cast spells under Night Stalker's 2nd ability. It's also good against enemies who depend on items like Manta Style icon Manta Style + Skull Basher icon Skull Basher like Anti Mage, Spectre, etc. and since the projectile is slow Nullifier would be good to pair with Blink Dagger icon Blink Dagger or Shadow Blade icon Shadow Blade (If the enemy depends on his passive ability better upgrade to Silver Edge icon Silver Edge).
  • Silver Edge icon Silver Edge gives Night Stalker bonuses to attributes, attack speed, and attack damage. Shadow Walk, combined with Hunter in the Night, allows him to gank while moving at maximum speed, inflicting bonus damage and break to ruin enemy powerful passive abilities.
  • Bloodthorn icon Bloodthorn for a Night Stalker can be considered thanks to its high bonus attack speed whilst allowing Night Stalker to cast another silence onto a fleeing enemy and refining his hitting power thanks to its active providing 130% critical strike on every attack that cannot be missed.
  • Heart of Tarrasque icon Heart of Tarrasque greatly increases the size of Night Stalker's health pool, making him much harder to bring down in fights. The extra strength gives him more base damage as well, and the passive health regeneration makes staying active on the map easy.

Dota Plus Progress[]

Main Article: Hero Challenges

Relics track a hero's actions and statistics, and display in-game notifications when a milestone is reached. They are only available to Dota Plus subscribers.

Relics Voice Lines
Relic Rare icon
Channels Cancelled With Void icon Void
Relic Rare icon
Night Time Kills
Relic Rare icon
Slow Duration From Void icon Void
Relic Rare icon
Damage During Dark Ascension icon Dark Ascension
Relic strength icon
Crippling Fear icon Crippling Fear Silence Duration
Relic strength icon
Teleports Leading To Kills
Relic strength icon
Urn Charges Used
Relic strength icon
Silences Leading To Kills
Relic strength icon
Slows Leading To Kills
Relic strength icon
Solar Crest icon Solar Crest Casts Leading To Kills
Relic strength icon
Triple Kills
Relic strength icon
Mega Kill Streaks
Relic strength icon
Kill Assists
Relic strength icon
Kills
Plus Hero Badge 1
Bronze
Plus Hero Badge 2
Silver
Plus Hero Badge 3
Gold
Plus Hero Badge 4
Platinum
Plus Hero Badge 5
Master
Plus Hero Badge 6
Grandmaster

Equipment[]

Trivia[]

  • Many of Night Stalker's responses that refer to his vampiric qualities make reference to Bram Stoker's Dracula, a film adaptation of the classic novel starring Oldman.
  • ▶️ "If I ever get my claws on that bird." is likely a reference to the rooster that crows when the game transitions from nighttime to daytime.
    • Additionally it is a reference to a line used by "Looney Tunes" character Sylvester the cat when describing "Tweety Bird."
  • Night Stalker's deep and raspy voice is a possible reference to Batman.
  • In an earlier version DotA, there existed a hero similar to Night Stalker called Night Stalker minimap icon Void Demon. His first ability "Time Void" had similar effects to the present Void icon Void ability, except it also stunned the target for 5 seconds. Void Demon also had an ability similar to Omniknight's Degen Aura icon Degen Aura, though it had a larger radius of 600 units. His third ability was a pushing spell called "Quake" which was useful for destroying towers. Finally, his ultimate was called "Mass Haste". This aura gave Void Demon and nearby allies benefits similar to Night Stalker's Hunter in the Night icon Hunter in the Night, except that it had no conditions and enabled Void Demon and his team to hunt Heroes relentlessly both day and night. Ultimately, Void Demon was replaced with Night Stalker as his skill set was deemed too powerful.
  • "In the forest of the night" is a reference to the poem The Tyger by William Blake.

Gallery[]

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