4Game

This topic is highly debated and very polarizing, im interested in comments 🙂

Any better ideas out there to rework the BKB? Any reasons why we should keep the BKB in its current state?

We have a whole array of fantastic items: lotus orb, ghost scepter, glimmer, euls, manta, pipe, satanic, blade mail, blink, linkens.

We have a whole array of fantastic mechanics: magic resistance, magic immunity, status resistance, invisibility, damage return, basic dispel, hard dispel, invulnerability, hidden status, break, silence, disarm, root, stun, sleep, cyclone, hex, forced movement, taunt, fear, etheral, blind, true strike, slow.

There is one item that simply overrides (almost) all of it. BKB. Magic heroes use a range of items for protection and to complement their abilities. Physical damage carries use one item for all problems: BKB.

BKB's effect can be broken into 3 main utility features: magic damage immunity, and spell immunity (status change immunity + uninterruptable state).

Magic immunity simply provides 100% magic damage resistance.

Status change immunity, provides 100% status resistance.

Uninterruptable state prevents any disables from applying to a hero for even a single tick.

These are 3 separate utilities that provide different benefits and these are needed for different scenarios.

Enigma, WD, CM require the uninterruptable part, PA needs the status resistance, centaur, enchantress or pudge wants magic resistance.

All of these should be provided by separate items. For sake of simplicity, Ghost scepter gives 4.5 sec etheral form for 1500 gold and etheral comes with drawbacks, increased magic dmg.

Lets say, BKB could be split into Black King Staff, Black King Mace and Black King Horn

Each one of these items would provide a portion of the BKB utility. Say BKS giving 90% magic dmg resistance for 5 secodns, BKM with 90% status resistance for 5 seconds and BKH Uninterruptable channeling status.

Each one could cost 2000 gold and combined they would bring the late game luxury: BKB at 6000+ gold with recipe.

Think about the gameplay effects: imagine enigma, uninterruptable, casts the black hole, you can actually kill enigma with spells but it wont stop black hole. Same with PA or Void, while they jump you you can still fight back with magic damage even if they use the status resistance. With BKS you can reduce magic damage from Huskar but still accumulate burning spear stacks.

CM ults under the effect of BKH, you cant stop her but you can enable your BKS to avoid the damage.

Now magic becomes a viable late game pursuit since 6000+ gold BKB is a luxury. Sky, Lina, Leshrac magic builds are a viable path for late game core.

It also gives much more room for game balance: each sub item can be adjusted in effect and cost rather than rigid BKB one item for every hero.

Historically, there were times when one item got too powerful and it was simply omnipresent: 4 mek aoe heals, blink that could be used when receiving damage etc. These items became very popular, each game would see 6 – 8 of them until the rework that enabled more fun and depth to the game. I believe we are at this point with the BKB – there is much more fun to be had without 8 BKBs in one game.