Tidehunter
Hero
Tidehunter
    27 + 3.5
15 + 1.5
18 + 1.7
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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.
Contents
Bio[edit]
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:
Abilities[edit]
Summons a gush of water to damage an enemy unit, reducing their movement speed and armor. Lasts seconds.
Cast Animation: 0.3+0.6
Cast Range: 700 (
2200)
2200)Damage: 110/160/210/260 (
230/280/330/380)
230/280/330/380)Armor Reduction: 4/5/6/7 ( 8/9/10/11)
8/9/10/11)Move Speed Slow: 40%
Debuff Duration: 4
Wave Travel Distance: 2200 Wave Radius: 260
12 ( 9.6) ( 7, 5.6)
100/
Gush becomes a ground targeted wave ability that affects enemy units in a line. Decreases cooldown.
Slow and armor reduction persist if debuff was placed before spell immunity and when not dispelled.
Blocked upon impact. Not blocked when upgraded.Modifiers
modifier_tidehunter_gush: Dispellable with any dispel.During his championship of the Sunken Isles, Leviathan gained mastery over the open sea.
Notes:
- Gush's projectile travels at a speed of 2500.
- The projectile takes 0.28 seconds to travel at max cast range.
- Gush first applies the debuff, then the damage.
- With Aghanim's Scepter, Gush releases a big wave, instead of a single target projectile. The wave always travels its full distance.
- When targeting a unit, the wave is released towards its direction on cast. However, it does not home in on the target.
- The wave travels at a speed of 1500 instead of 2500 like the non-upgraded projectile, taking 1.47 seconds to travel the full distance.
- The wave can hit units up to 2460 range away (travel distance + radius).
- The wave fully affects invisible enemies and enemies inside the fog of war.
- Provides 200 radius ground vision around each hit enemy for 2 seconds.
- The wave does not provide any vision.
- The second sound is used by the wave.
Kraken Shell
Ability
Passive
Passive
Affects
Self
Self
Thickens Tidehunter's hide to passively block a portion of any incoming physical attack damage. The hide also removes negative status effects if the damage taken crosses a threshold. Does not stack with items that provide Damage Block.
Damage Block Proc Chance: 100%
Damage Block: 18/30/42/54 ( 48/60/72/84)
48/60/72/84)Damage Threshold: 600/550/500/450
Threshold Reset Timer: 6
Damage Block works for illusions. The dispel effect does not work.Modifiers
modifier_tidehunter_kraken_shell: Undispellable. Persists death.Claddish navymen tell tales of a mighty sea-faring beast that suffered spear and sword but continued to lay waste to the fleet.
Notes:
- The damage reduction is damage block and the debuff removal is a strong dispel.
- The damage reduction is always active and is not connected to the damage threshold for debuff removal.
- The damage block does not work against wards (e.g. Plague Ward, Mass Serpent Ward, Death Ward etc.).
- Does not reduce physical damage from abilities, except from Moon Glaives and The Swarm.
- Only damage from player owned sources (after reductions) is counted towards the debuff removal.
- Damage counter for the debuff removal resets when Tidehunter does not take player based damage for 6 seconds.
- When Kraken Shell is procced by an ability that deals damage before applying a debuff (e.g. Storm Hammer), Tidehunter is dispelled before the ability's debuff is applied.
- 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 attack and deal bonus damage to nearby enemies and reduce their attack damage.
Cast Animation: 0.4+0.3
Radius: 375
Attack Damage Bonus: 45/90/135/180 (
135/180/225/270)
135/180/225/270)Attack Damage Reduction: 30%/40%/50%/60% ( 50%/60%/70%/80%)
50%/60%/70%/80%)Duration: 6
7/ 5.6/4.8/4/3.2) ( 6/5/4/3, 4.8/4/3.2/2.4) 30/
Increases Anchor Smash damage by 90 and causes it to affect buildings. Reduces cooldown by 1 second.Modifiers
modifier_tidehunter_anchor_smash_caster: Undispellable. Persists death. modifier_tidehunter_anchor_smash: Dispellable with any dispel.Stolen from one of Admiral Kunkka's flagships, Leviathan's heavy anchor proves useful as a melee weapon.
Notes:
- Causes Tidehunter to perform instant attacks on enemies.
- These instant attacks can proc any attack modifiers and on-hit effects normally, with cleave being an exception. They have True Strike, but completely ignore disarms.
- Only reduces base damage and that given by the primary attribute of affected units. Raw bonus damage is not reduced.
- The smash first applies the debuff, then the instant attack.
- Affects ancient creeps, but not Roshan.
- With Aghanim's Shard, Anchor Smash fully affects buildings as well.
- Does not affect wards.
Cast Animation: 0.3+0.57
Max Effect Radius: 1250
Effect Width: 250
Damage: 200/300/400
Stun Duration: 2.4/2.6/2.8
150 ( 120) 150/ Attempts to damage if already hit enemies turn spell immune before landing.Modifiers
modifier_tidehunter_ravage: Dispellable with strong dispels.Calling to the abyssal god Maelrawn has resulted in entire armadas being lost at sea.
Notes:
- The tentacles travel at a speed of 725.
- Hit units are knocked up 350 range for the initial 0.5 seconds of the stun.
- While in the air, other units may pass below hit airborne units.
- The damage is applied upon landing, not upon getting hit.
- Ravage's effect is caused by a 250 units wide ring, which expands around the cast location at the given speed.
- This means units within 250 radius upon cast are hit instantly.
- The ring takes exactly 1.38 seconds to cover the remaining distance.
- It also means that it is possible to evade the effects by blinking inside the expanding ring shortly after cast.
Talents[edit]
| Hero Talents | ||
|---|---|---|
| +200 Damage | 25 | 20% Cooldown Reduction |
| -4 Gush Armor | 20 | +30 Kraken Shell Damage Block |
| -20% Anchor Smash Damage Reduction | 15 | +120 Gush Damage |
| +1.75 Mana Regen | 10 | +20 Movement Speed |
Notes:
- This attack damage talent is added as raw attack damage, so it does not benefit illusions, and is not affected by most percentage-based damage increasing or reducing effects.
- The cooldown reduction talent stacks multiplicatively with other sources cooldown reduction.
Recent Changes[edit]
Main Article: Tidehunter/Changelogs
Version
Description
- Improved turn rate from 0.5 to 0.6.
- Rescaled Gush mana cost from 90/100/110/120 to 100/105/110/115.
- Increased Kraken Shell damage block from 14/26/38/50 to 18/30/42/54.
- Added Aghanim's Shard upgrade for Tidehunter:
- Increases Anchor Smash attack damage by 90, reduces cooldown by 1, and makes it affect buildings.
- Talents:
- Level 10 left talent changed: +80 Gush damage ➜ +1.75 mana regen.
- Level 10 right talent: +15 movement speed increased to +20.
- Level 15 right talent changed: +3 mana regen ➜ +120 Gush damage.
- Increased base strength from 25 to 27.
- Increased Kraken Shell damage block from 12/24/36/48 to 14/26/38/50.
- Talents:
- Level 20 right talent: +24 Kraken Shell damage block increased to +30.
Recommended Items[edit]
Starting items:
- Tango gives health sustain to relieve enemy harassment.
- Healing Salve restores health to Tidehunter.
- Enchanted Mango regenerates health passively; the burst mana restore also help with spell cast.
- Iron Branch gives cheap attributes, increasing health and damage.
Early game:
- Magic Stick is useful for giving Tidehunter a measure of burst regen in emergency situations. A full-charge Magic Stick can give enough mana to cast one more spell in the early game.
- Boots of Speed are critical for purchasing on Tidehunter whether in the safe- or off-lane. In the off-lane, more movement speed may be required to evade gank attempts, and in the safe-lane it may be needed to quickly position yourself to cast Gush during a gank.
Mid game:
- Magic Wand gives Tidehunter more stats, as well as increased charge capacity. Given his small mana pool, a Magic Wand serves all the same purposes as a Magic Stick and can be useful to keep at all times.
- Arcane Boots increases the size of Tidehunter's small mana pool, allowing him to cast his spells much more easily, and gives him the ability to replenish teammates' mana as well, an important duty for a support hero.
- Blink Dagger is possibly Tidehunter's most important core item, as it allows him to easily position himself to cast Ravage in a teamfight. It also allows him to chase enemies and cast Gush more easily, and can be used as an escape tool as well.
- Drum of Endurance gives Tidehunter attributes, improving his mana pool, and movement speed for mobility. The active increases movement and attack speed of allies during engagements.
Late game:
- Refresher Orb can extend Ravage's duration by casting it twice, making it easier for allies to turn the tides of a teamfight. Make sure you have enough mana to pull it off, though.
- Shiva's Guard gives Tidehunter a much larger mana pool, allowing him to cast spells much more frequently, and the armor and aura give him even more survivability against physical damage. Its active ability can be used after a successful Ravage, slowing the enemy's movement speed after the long stun duration.
- Aghanim's Scepter greatly improves the potency of Gush, allowing Tidehunter to inflict multiple enemies with the nuke and debuff at high frequency. It also increases his HP and mana, making him tankier and improving his ability to utilize Gush more frequently.
- Guardian Greaves is an expensive purchase, but greatly increases Tidehunter's survivability and gives him much more teamfight contribution. The active allows Tidehunter to dispel debuffs off of himself if the enemy simply place low-damage disables on him to avoid proccing Kraken Shell, and the HP and mana restore are tremendous boons for pushes and teamfights. As well, the aura can provide tremendous amounts of armor and HP regen to teammates who are low.
Situational items:
- 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 better position yourself or allies for casting spells. While not as powerful as Blink Dagger, it is easier to build should you be having trouble farming.
- Pipe of Insight is a powerful tank and aura item, as it greatly reduces the amount of damage Tidehunter takes from magic nukes, thus greatly increasing the power of Kraken Shell. Its active ability also shields teammates from magic damage.
- Glimmer Cape is a flexible initiation and utility item, as the invisibility and magic resistance can be used either to allow Tidehunter to initiate with Ravage without the need for Blink Dagger, or can save a teammate who is caught out of position and is being focused down by enemies.
- Mekansm is a useful utility item that can be purchased as a tank Tidehunter, and builds into Guardian Greaves. 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 further discourage the enemy from engaging you as you can simply heal yourself and your team at any point of the fight. However, mind its expensive mana cost, and be sure to increase the size of your mana pool first if you intend on building this.
- Octarine Core reduces cooldown of your abilities, putting enemies under more frequent threat of Ravage.
- Lotus Orb gives Tidehunter a myriad of useful bonuses and a strong active ability. The armor and HP regen makes Tidehunter even tankier, while the mana regen keeps his mana pool topped up so that he can more readily cast his spells when needed. The active can dispel debuffs, either from Tidehunter or an ally, and the Echo Shell punishes enemies to use targeted spells, especially frail casters with small HP pools.
- Vladmir's Offering provides useful auras to teammates, and the lifesteal lets Tidehunter heal using Anchor Smash.
- Desolator increases Anchor Smash's damage and allows it to shred multiple enemies' armor.
- Solar Crest makes Tidehunter more durable and help focus down priority targets. It can also be used on creeps to farm faster.
- Helm of the Dominator grants attack damage and health regeneration to allies. It also allows Tidehunter to control a neutral creep, having access to more useful abilities and auras.
- Heart of Tarrasque is an expensive luxury item to farm, but can allow Tidehunter to stand in the middle of teamfights and absorb large amounts of damage, particularly due to Kraken Shell.
- Radiance is a highly situational aura item that can be useful for tanking and chasing. Its burn damage and induced miss chance can force the enemy to engage you in teamfights, using their spells on you instead of teammates, and it can be a useful chasing tool as it allows Tidehunter to damage enemies without stopping to cast spells, as well as prevent any Blink Daggers from coming off cooldown.
Gameplay[edit]
| Roles: | Initiator Durable Disabler Nuker Carry |
|---|---|
| Complexity: | ★☆☆ |
| Playstyle: | Tired of undersea politics, Leviathan rises from the waves to stalk the shallows for victims. Travelers who cross him are blasted with a Gush of foamy brine, impairing their movement as the Tidehunter lumbers after them on land. Wielding a souvenir stolen from a hated rival, Leviathan pulverizes armor and flesh alike with a hefty Anchor Smash. Spears and arrows bend against his Kraken Shell, allowing no chance for interruption as the Tidehunter summons his abyssal god to Ravage enemies in a sea of flailing tentacles. |
Audio[edit]
History[edit]
Equipment[edit]
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Trivia[edit]
- 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.
- 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.
- Tidehunter's line ▶️ "I sleep with the fishes." is a reference to The Godfather, from the line "Luca Brasi sleeps with the fishes."
Gallery[edit]
Trading card art
Concept art
Concept art
Concept art
The Kunkka vs. Tidehunter feud
Ability icon progress
Hero icon progress
Tidehunter illustration
Tidehunter T-shirt design
