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This patch introduces Venator, a new marksman hero focused on traps, anti-heal, and single-target execution. Alongside the new hero, Silver receives a Boot Kick T3 buff, and several data cleanup changes ship (Mystic Reverb key rename, crit damage sign convention fix).
New Hero - Venator (hero_priest)
Venator is a Marksman specializing in anti-heal, area denial, and single-target execution. He has a rapid-fire weapon (8 damage, 7.94 RPS, 33 clip, 63.5 DPS) with medium range and 720 base HP.
Abilities:
Slot
Ability
Cooldown
Summary
1
Consecrating Grenade
25s
Bouncing grenade that burns enemies, -30% healing (-50% with T3)
2
Gutshot
26s
Shotgun blast with knockback, 0.65s stun if enemy hits a wall
3
Hex-Lined Snap Trap
30s
Kicked trap with 2 charges, 1.5s immobilize + 5s reveal
4
Ira Domini
140s
Loads crossbow with 3 stakes, final stake executes below 8% max HP
Early Assessment:
Anti-heal on Consecrating Grenade counters sustain-heavy heroes and Medic Trooper heals in lane
Snap Trap provides vision control and gank setup, strong in chokepoints
Gutshot wall stun is reliable CC in hallways but weak in open areas
Ira Domini's 140s cooldown is punishing — won't be available for consecutive team fights
Low HP (720), only 3 stamina, and long cooldowns make him vulnerable to dives
Weapon falloff starts at 20m, forcing mid-range positioning
See data/wiki/VENATOR.md for full stats and upgrade breakdowns.
Gameplay Changes
Silver (hero_werewolf) - Boot Kick T3 Buff
Upgrade
Before
After
Change
T3 Outgoing Damage Reduction
-25%
-35%
+10% more damage reduction
What this means: Silver's Boot Kick T3 upgrade now applies a stronger damage debuff to enemies hit. When an enemy is marked by Boot Kick with T3 unlocked, they deal 35% less damage (up from 25%).
Strategic Implications:
Silver's T3 Boot Kick becomes more attractive as a defensive option
Better value in teamfights when marking high-damage targets
Strengthens Silver's role as a disruptive duelist who can neutralize threats
May shift some Silver players toward prioritizing T3 Boot Kick earlier
Meta Impact: Minor. Silver already had strong T3 options, but this makes Boot Kick T3 more competitive. Expect to see this upgrade picked more often in games where Silver faces burst damage threats.
Data Cleanup (No Gameplay Impact)
Mystic Reverb - Internal Key Rename
The item "Mystic Reverb" was moved from the internal key upgrade_tech_bleed to upgrade_mystic_reverb. All stats remain identical:
Stat
Value
Cost
6,400
Tier
4
Tech Damage %
50%
Delay Duration
3s
Minimum Damage
100
Radius
16m
Ability Lifesteal (Hero)
10%
Imbue Ability Lifesteal
27%
Movement Speed Slow
40%
Max Health Damage
10%
Cooldown
6.25s
This is purely an internal naming convention change for code maintainability. The item functions identically.
Crit Damage Received - Sign Convention Fix
Three released heroes had their CritDamageReceivedPercent values changed from negative to positive:
Hero
Before
After
Rem (hero_familiar)
-10%
+10%
Seven (hero_gigawatt)
-35%
+35%
Mo & Krill (hero_krill)
-20%
+20%
Why this is NOT a nerf: This appears to be a sign convention fix in the data format. The negative values likely represented "10% MORE crit damage received" in the old system, which has been normalized to positive values representing the same thing. The actual gameplay behavior should be unchanged - these heroes still take increased crit damage as they always have.
If this were a genuine change making these heroes take MORE crit damage, it would be a massive nerf that would appear in official patch notes.
Unreleased Hero - Unicorn
Minor stat changes to another unreleased hero (hero_unicorn):
Stamina: 3 → 4
CritDamageBonusPercent: 0 → -25%
Again, this has no impact on live gameplay as hero_unicorn is not released.
Mystical Piano & Quantum Chimaera
Despite being flagged for review, no actual changes were detected for these items. The diff shows them adjacent to the Mystic Reverb entry movement, but their stats are unchanged.
Conclusion
Venator is the headline — a trap/debuff marksman with anti-heal, immobilize, and an execute ultimate. Expect early experimentation as players figure out his optimal builds and lane matchups. His long cooldowns and low HP suggest he'll pair well with protective or CC-heavy lane partners.
Silver players: Your Boot Kick T3 is 10% stronger at reducing enemy damage output. Consider this upgrade more strongly against high-burst enemies.
Analysis generated for patch comparing commits d3d409cd..359ceac7
Venator is a Marksman who specializes in sustained ranged pressure and anti-heal tactics. He excels at locking down enemies with traps and grenade-applied debuffs while finishing them off with his devastating crossbow ultimate. His playstyle revolves around controlling space, punishing grouped enemies with Consecrating Grenade, and executing low-health targets with Ira Domini's blessed stakes.
Base Stats
Vitality
Health: 720 (+38/boon)
Stamina: 3
Move Speed: 6.4 m/s
Sprint Speed: 7.9 m/s
Weapon
DPS: 63.5
Bullet Damage: 8 (+0.27/boon)
Ammo: 33 rounds
Fire Rate: 7.94/s
Reload Time: 2.8s
Bullet Velocity: 1588 m/s
Falloff: 20m-51m
Melee
Light Melee: 50 (+1.7/boon)
Heavy Melee: 125 (+4.25/boon)
Heavy/Light Ratio: 2.5x (efficient - heavy melee is valuable for trading)
Abilities
[1] Consecrating Grenade
Fire a grenade that bounces before exploding, dealing weapon damage and setting enemies on fire. Burning targets deal pure damage to enemies in the area and suffer from -30% reduced healing. The anti-heal debuff is critical for countering sustain-heavy heroes and disrupting Medic Trooper heals in lane.
Fire a blast with your shotgun, dealing weapon damage and pushing enemies back. Enemies near a wall receive a 0.65s stun and take bonus weapon damage. The knockback creates space against divers and can reposition enemies into environmental hazards or trap setups.
T3: On Wall Stun: Your next heavy melee is blessed for 5s
[3] Hex-Lined Snap Trap
Kick a trap that arms after 0.5s. The trap springs on the first enemy it touches, dealing spirit damage, applying 1.5s immobilize, and revealing enemies for 5s afterwards. Traps last 30s and provide excellent area denial and gank setup when placed in chokepoints.
Load your crossbow with 3 stakes, dealing massively increased weapon damage. The final stake is blessed, dealing bonus pure damage and executing enemies below 8% max health. The ultimate has a long cooldown but provides tremendous single-target burst for securing kills on priority targets.
Build Name: Holy Hunter
Playstyle: Weapon Damage Marksman with Anti-Heal Utility
Last Updated: 2026-02-05
Hero Overview
Venator is a Marksman specializing in sustained ranged pressure and anti-heal tactics. His kit rewards players who can land consistent shots while controlling space with traps and applying healing reduction to shut down sustain-heavy enemies.
Core Stats
Stat
Value
Health
720 (+38/boon)
Base DPS
63.5
Bullet Damage
8 (+0.27/boon)
Fire Rate
7.94/s
Ammo
33 rounds
Reload Time
2.8s
Bullet Velocity
1588 m/s
Falloff Range
20m-51m
Stamina
3
Move Speed
6.4 m/s
Key Strengths
Built-in Anti-Heal: Consecrating Grenade provides -30% healing baseline (-50% with T3 upgrade)
Trap Control: Two trap charges with reveal for vision and gank setup
Execute Ultimate: Ira Domini's blessed stakes deal pure damage with 8% HP execute threshold
High Bullet Velocity: 1588 m/s makes landing shots and headshots reliable
Weapon-Scaling Ult: Ira Domini scales at 1.7x weapon damage per stake
Key Weaknesses
Low Base Health: 720 HP is fragile; requires vitality investment
Long Cooldowns: 25s grenade, 26s shotgun, 30s trap, 140s ultimate
Only 3 Stamina: Limited escape options without Extra Stamina
20m Falloff Start: Forces mid-range positioning where you're vulnerable
Provides: -16% resist (Crippling) + -30% heal (Toxic) + 2% max HP bleed
Survivability Variant
For games where you're getting focused:
Extra Health → Bullet Lifesteal → Fortitude → Colossus → Diviner's Kevlar
Situational Itemization Decision Tree
ENEMY COMP ASSESSMENT
|
+------------------+------------------+
| | |
SPIRIT-HEAVY GUN-HEAVY CC-HEAVY
| | |
Fury Trance Metal Skin Unstoppable
(3,200) (3,200) (6,400)
| | |
OR Colossus Warp Stone OR Reactive
(6,400) (3,200) Barrier (1,600)
|
Vampiric Burst
already has
+10% Bullet Resist
HIGH HEALING ENEMY?
|
+-------- YES --------+
| |
Stack Anti-Heal: Already covered:
Grenade T3 (-50%) Grenade + Toxic = -80%
+ Toxic Bullets (-30%) Add Healbane only if
= -80% vs extreme heal
(Abrams + Ivy + Geist)
Situational Items by Category
vs Spirit-Heavy Comps
Item
Cost
Effect
Fury Trance
3,200
+40% Spirit Resist (active, 6s)
Colossus
6,400
+35% Spirit Resist (active, 7s)
vs Gun-Heavy Comps
Item
Cost
Effect
Metal Skin
3,200
Bullet immunity (5s)
Warp Stone
3,200
+30% Bullet Resist (6s after teleport)
Vampiric Burst
6,400
+10% Bullet Resist (passive)
vs Heavy CC
Item
Cost
Effect
Reactive Barrier
1,600
Auto barrier on stun/immobilize
Unstoppable
6,400
CC immunity (5.5s active)
vs High Healing
Your kit already provides significant anti-heal:
Consecrating Grenade: -30% (T3: -50%)
Toxic Bullets: -30%
Combined: -80% healing reduction
Add Healbane (1,600) only vs triple healing comps (e.g., Abrams + Ivy + Lady Geist).
Items NOT to Buy (Trap Items)
Healbane (1,600)
Why it's a trap: Venator's Consecrating Grenade already provides -30% healing (-50% with T3). Combined with Toxic Bullets (-30%), you hit -80% reduction without Healbane. The item becomes redundant unless facing extreme healing comps.
Exception: Only buy vs 3+ sustain heroes (Abrams, Ivy, Lady Geist together).
Sharpshooter (3,200)
Why it's a trap: Requires 15m minimum distance for +70% damage. Venator's falloff starts at 20m, meaning his optimal range is 15-20m. The -1 m/s move speed penalty reduces survivability, and you'll often fight inside 15m where Sharpshooter gives nothing.
Better alternative: Burst Fire provides +35% conditional fire rate without range restrictions.
Spirit Burn (6,200)
Why it's a trap: Spirit Burn procs on repeated spirit damage ticks. Venator's Trap is a single burst (80 damage), and Grenade's burn DPS is only 10 (x1.6 spirit). His primary damage is gun-based, which doesn't proc Spirit Burn.
Better alternative: Toxic Bullets for anti-heal that works with your gun damage.
Siphon Bullets (6,400)
Why it's a trap: Requires 7+ stacks to match Vampiric Burst's passive lifesteal. Takes 14+ kills to fully stack. Stacks are lost on death. For the same 6,400 souls, Vampiric Burst gives +40% fire rate, +80% burst lifesteal active, and +100 HP with zero stack risk.
Always buy: Vampiric Burst instead.
Game Phase Strategy
Lane Phase (0-10 min)
Goal: Survive, farm, hit 3.6k for ultimate unlock.
Trading: Use Consecrating Grenade to apply anti-heal before extended trades. Enemies heal 30% less from medic troopers.
Trap Placement: Place traps at common gank paths. Immobilize + reveal provides 5s warning against rotations.
Wall Stun Setup: Position Gutshot knockback to push enemies into walls for the 0.65s stun. Follow with headshots.
Power Spike: At 3.6k souls, you unlock Ira Domini. The blessed stake deals pure damage and executes below 8% HP. Look for kills on enemies around 30-40% HP.
Item Priority: Extra Regen first for sustain. Monster Rounds second for farming. Headshot Booster third for trading.
Mid Game (10-20 min)
Goal: Hit item power spikes, control objectives with traps, secure kills with ultimate.
Toxic Bullets Timing: Complete by ~12-13 minutes. Combined with Grenade T3, you have -80% healing reduction. Prioritize targets with sustain (Abrams, Shiv, Lady Geist).
Trap Vision: Place traps at objective approaches (Urn, Mid-Boss pit entrance). Reveal lets your team see incoming enemies.
Ira Domini Usage: 140s CD is long. Use immediately when you have advantage, don't hold for "perfect" moment. T3 upgrade (all stakes blessed) is your biggest power spike.
Combo Pattern: Trap immobilize (1.5-2.25s) → Grenade for anti-heal → Full magazine + Toxic stacks → Ira Domini to execute.
Late Game (20+ min)
Goal: Team fight from mid-range, apply anti-heal to multiple targets, execute priority targets.
Ricochet Value: Your bullets now bounce to 2 additional targets. Toxic Bullets' bleed and healing reduction apply to all bounced targets. Position to hit grouped enemies.
Positioning: Stay at 15-20m range. Close enough to avoid falloff, far enough to use traps for self-peel.
Ultimate Priority: T3 makes all 3 stakes blessed. Each deals bonus pure damage and can execute. Use on enemy carry or tanky frontline to bypass their healing.
Anti-Heal Stacking: In extended fights, keep Grenade on cooldown to maintain -50% healing. With Toxic Bullets, priority targets effectively can't heal.
Flex Item Timing:
Ahead: Glass Cannon for snowball
Even: Lucky Shot for consistent DPS
Behind: Colossus or Unstoppable for survival
Summary
Venator is a weapon-damage marksman whose ultimate scales with gun damage (1.7x multiplier). Build fire rate and weapon damage to maximize Ira Domini's stake damage. His built-in anti-heal (-30% to -50%) stacks with Toxic Bullets for devastating healing reduction against sustain heroes.
Core Identity: Gun carry with anti-heal utility and trap-based lockdown.
Win Condition: Land Trap immobilize → apply Grenade anti-heal → stack Toxic bleed → execute with blessed stakes.
