First Look: Alexei Stukov

Regularly scheduled HGC programming was interrupted earlier today to bring you this important first look at Alexei Stukov.

Nathan Lamuska, the person responsible for designing Stukov, joined Trikslyr to talk about the next Hero to enter the Nexus.

Here is what we learned:

Stukov is designed to be a solo Support.
They wanted to make a viral Support who spread his healing naturally.
The key to playing Stukov is to find Patient Zero, the perfect target that will allow his healing to spread most effectively.
Stukov by himself is just a guy with a super cool arm. They wanted to embrace and expand on that fantasy.
It sometimes isn’t clear: is Stukov controlling the arm or is the arm controlling Stukov?
He fits best in a death ball style comp because it allows his AOE healing to be more effective.
He can control space well.
He has very low mobility and escape.
Level 16 is his defining Talent tier.
He originally had a Level 20 Talent called Knock Knock that augmented Massive Shove by allowing it to pull back and slam the targeted Hero two additional times.
He has some of the highest auto-attack damage in the game but has a very slow attack speed.

Here is a quick look at Stukov’s Abilities:

Healing Pathogen (Q) – infect allies with a heal over time virus that spreads automatically to nearby allies.
Weighted Pustule (W) – fires a ranged pustule that pierces enemies and infects them with a damage over time virus that also slows.
Lurking Arm (E) – channel at a target location, creating an area that deals damage and silences enemies inside.
Bio-Kill Switch (D) – detonates all active viruses, trigger all heal over time or damage over time abilities
Massive Shove (R1) – Stukov gains armor and extends his zerg arm. If it hits an enemy Hero, they are rapidly shoved until they collide with terrain.
Flailing Swipe (R2) – Stukov wildly swings his infest arm three times, dealing damage and knocking enemies away.

Here is a sneak peak at Stukov’s Talents:

Spine Launcher: Basic Attacks become ranged and Slow enemies by 20% for 1 second, but deal 50% less damage.
Fetid Touch (W): Quest: Hit Heroes with Weighted Pustule. Reward: After hitting 20 Heroes, reduce the cooldown of Weighted Pustule by 2.5 seconds. Reward: After hitting 40 Heroes, reduce the cooldown of Weighted Pustule by an additional 2.5 seconds and remove its Mana cost.
Growing Infestation (E): Lurking Arm’s area expands by 50% over 2.5 seconds.
Poppin’ Pustules (D): Quest: Detonate 10 Weighted Pustules without dying. Reward: Detonating a Weighted Pustule now applies its damage and Slow in an area.

One Good Spread… (Q): After a Healing Pathogen infests 4 targets, restore 30 Mana and reduce the cooldown of Healing Pathogen by 2 seconds.
Top Off (Q): Healing Pathogen’s healing-over-time on its initial target is increased by 50% while they are above 60% Health.
Biotic Armor (Q): Healing Pathogen grants 50 Physical Armor to its initial target while active on them.
Vigorous Reuptake (D): Quest: Detonate 50 Healing Pathogens with Bio-Kill Switch. Reward: Increase Bio-Kill Switch’s healing by 50%.

The Long Pitch (W): Increase the range of Weighted Pustule by 100%.
Within My Reach (E): Increase the range of Lurking Arm by 50%.
It Hungers (E): Each time an enemy Hero is hit by Lurking Arm, reduce its cooldown by 0.5 seconds, up to 6.5 seconds, and restore 5 Mana.
Targeted Excision (D): Detonating exactly 1 Weighted Pustule (but any number of Healing Pathogens) with Bio-Kill Switch reduces the cooldown of Bio-Kill Switch to 5 seconds.

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Massive Shove (R1): Extend Stukov’s arm. If it hits an enemy Hero, they are rapidly shoved until they collide with terrain, taking 200 damage. Stukov gains 50 Armor while shoving an enemy.
Flailing Swipe (R2): Swipe 3 times in front of Stukov over 1.75 seconds, dealing 50 damage to enemies hit and knocking them away. Each swipe is larger than the previous.

Reactive Ballistospores (W): When taking damage below 50% Health, instantly spread a Weighted Pustule to all nearby enemy Heroes and reset the cooldown of Bio-Kill Switch. This effect has a 10 second cooldown.
Low Blow (E): Lurking Arm deals 150% more damage to enemy Heroes below 25% Health.
Lingering Spines (E): Lurking Arm persists for 1.5 seconds after it is canceled.
Virulent Reaction (E): Detonating a Weighted Pustule on an enemy who is inside of Lurking Arm Roots them for 2 seconds.

Pox Populi (D): Bio-Kill Switch no longer removes Healing Pathogen and instead refreshes its duration.
Universal Carrier (Q): Healing Pathogen can continually spread through Stukov, but its healing is reduced by 60%.
Eye Infection (D): Increase the final damage of Weighted Pustule by 50%. Additionally, detonating a Weighted Pustule with Bio-Kill Switch Blinds the target for 3 seconds.
Superstrain (Q): Whenever an ally with Healing Pathogen is Stunned, they are instantly healed for 250 Health.

Controlled Chaos (R1): Flailing Swipe’s Mana cost is reduced from 100 to 50 and it gains 2 additional charges, but each use only swings 1 time, at maximum range.
Push Comes to Shove (R2): Massive Shove travels 25% faster. If Massive Shove pushes a target for more than 1.5 seconds, its cooldown is reduced by 15 seconds.
Bio-Explosion Switch (D): Bio-Kill Switch now also detonates Lurking Arm, applying a Weighted Pustule to enemy Heroes inside and Silencing them for 2 seconds.

Check out the official Heroes site to learn more about this infested Terran Support.

posted in Heroes of the Storm Tags: first look, new hero, Stukov