Night Stalker

• Overview
• Equipment
• Responses

[e][h]Night Stalker

Dire Hero

Attributes

23 +3.1

18 +2.3

13 +1.6

38 - 42

2

285

Base Stats

Base HP Regen

1.75

Sight Range

800 / 1800

Attack Range

150

Missile Speed

Instant

Attack Duration

0.55 + 0.55

Cast Duration

0.3 + 0.3

Base Attack Time

1.7

Base Magic Resist

25%

Turn Rate

0.5

Level Changes

Level

1

15

25

Health

717

1685

2382

Mana

231

495

687

Armor

4.9

10

13.7

Damage

61-65

104-108

135-139

Spell Amp

0.9%

2.5%

3.6%

Magic Resist

26%

29%

32%

Movement Speed Amp

0.9%

2.5%

3.7%

Most Played As

LessMore

Role

1

2

3

4

5

Balanar, the Night Stalker

Recommended Roles

Carry Initiator Durable Disabler Nuker

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.

Abilities

Void

QV

Targeting
Unit Target

Affects
Enemy Units

Damage Type
Magical

Creates a damaging void that slows an enemy unit and deals damage.

---

Mini-stuns at night, interrupting abilities. The slow and damage also improve at night.

Damage	45 / 80 / 127.5 / 167.5 (Day) 90 / 160 / 255 / 335 (Night)

Movement Speed Slow	50%

Attack Speed Slow	50

Slow Duration	1.25 (Day) 2.5 / 3 / 3.5 / 4 (Night)

Mini-Stun Duration	0.1 (Night)

Cast Range	525

Cast Point	0.3

11 / 10 / 9 / 8

80 / 90 / 100 / 110

	Does not pierce Spell Immunity.
	Blocked by Linken's Sphere and echoed by Lotus Orb.
	Dispellable.

Balanar creates a vortex of infinite night, tearing opponents violently into the eternal darkness that once was.

Crippling Fear

WF

Targeting
No Target

Affects
Enemy Units

Night Stalker horrifies enemies near him, causing them to become silenced.

---

The duration is improved at night.

Duration	3 (Day) 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 (Night)

Radius	375

Cast Point	0.3

30 / 25 / 20 / 15

50

	Does not pierce Spell Immunity.

A vision of the twisted maw of Balanar etches itself into the minds of the poor souls unlucky enough to cross his path.

Notes

• Enemies that leave the area are no longer silenced.

Hunter in the Night

EG

Targeting
Passive

Affects
Self

Night Stalker is in his element at night, attacking and moving with great swiftness.

---

This ability only works at night.

Movement Speed	20% / 25% / 30% / 35%

Attack Speed	30 / 50 / 70 / 90 230 25

30 / 26 / 22 / 18

80

	Disabled by break.
	Illusions gain the passive of this ability.

The hunting prowess of Balanar improves as the night beckons.

Dark Ascension

RR

Targeting
No Target

Affects
Self

Night Stalker smothers the sun and summons instant darkness, so that he may use his powers at their fullest. Causes him to transform into a stronger flying creature that can fly over terrain.

Night Duration	30

Bonus Damage	50 / 100 / 150

Unobstructed Vision	900

Cast Point	0.3

140 / 130 / 120
     80

25

125 / 175 / 225

It is a humbling sight to see when the mightiest of warriors become afraid of the dark.

Notes

• Day changes to night for the duration.
• Does not pause the clock. This effectively shortens the day time if cast during the day.

Aghanim's Scepter Ability

Night Sight

Targeting
Passive

Affects
Self

Night Stalker's vision improves at night.

Unobstructed Vision	1800

	The scepter passively gives Night Stalker unobstructed vision at night. This passive is independent from Dark Ascension and will be active as long as it is night.
	Illusions gain this ability.

Talent Tree

Talent Tree
-40s Dark Ascension cooldown	25	+140 Hunter in the Night Attack Speed
+50 Damage	20	+45 Movement Speed
+150 Cast Range	15	+15 Strength
+200 Mana	10	+200 Health

Recommended Items

Starting Items			Early Game

Mid Game			Late Game

General Strategy

Once the sun goes down, Night Stalker's hunt begins. Charging through the shadowy forests, he snares prey in a slowing void as he tears them to shreds. Should sunrise threaten to end his terror, he can darken the skies to extend his onslaught.

Night Stalker (In-Game Description)

Overview

Night Stalker is a ganking hero that thrives during the mid game. As his name implies, he is especially dangerous during the night, as his skills become much more powerful while the sun is down. The first night of a match is when Night Stalker is at his strongest, so capitalizing on that advantage through ganks is essential. However, he becomes less intimidating as the match enters the late game, due to his inability to compete with the raw damage output of carries.

Skill Build

Level	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
Spell
Level	11	12	13	14	15	16	18	20	25
Spell

Early Game

Night Stalker can be played in the middle lane with a Bottle, allowing for excellent ganking opportunities thanks to Rune control and decent mana regeneration, or in the safe lane going straight into an Armlet.

When ganking it is often important to remember that Night Stalker has no hard disables, but void will cancel channeling spells with its ministun. This is quite useful when trying to gank a hero that is attempting to use a teleport scroll to escape.

Mid Game

Late Game

Version History

Version	Balance Changes
7.20e
	Dark Ascension cooldown reduced from 160/140/120 to 140/130/120
7.20
	Reworked Crippling Fear It is now an activated 375 range aura that silences all enemies while they are nearby Aura lasts 5/6/7/8 seconds (3 during day) No longer has a miss chance Cooldown: 30/25/20/15 Mana Cost: 50 Since this is an aura, it can't be dispelled with Manta Hunter in the Night no longer has an active Replaced Darkness with Dark Ascension Causes you to transform into a stronger flying creature Has +50/100/150 bonus damage and 900 unobstructed vision Lasts 30 seconds Daytime is turned to night during this Cooldown: 160/140/120 Mana Cost: 125/175/225 Level 25 changed from -8s Crippling Fear Cooldown to -40s Dark Ascension cooldown
7.18
	Void now deals half damage during day Base movement speed reduced from 290 to 285
7.17
	Crippling Fear cooldown increased from 12 to 24/20/16/12 Void cooldown increased from 8 to 11/10/9/8
7.16
	Level 20 Talent Movement Speed reduced from +50 to +45 Void no longer applies a ministun during the day Darkness no longer sets enemy vision to a fixed amount Darkness now reduces enemy unit and ward vision by 25% (doesn't affect buildings)
7.13b
	Base movement speed reduced from 295 to 290 Base armor reduced from 3 to 2
7.07d
	Hunter in the Night attack speed rescaled from 45/60/75/90 to 30/50/70/90
7.07c
	Darkness vision limit against buildings and wards changed from 675 to 800 Hunter in the Night Flight Vision reduced from 1200 to 1000
7.07
	Base HP regen increased from 1.75 to 3.25 Daytime vision reduced from 1200 to 800 Reworked Talent Tree
7.06f
	Darkness duration reduced from 50 to 40
7.06e
	Base Intelligence reduced from 16 to 13 Hunter In The Night cooldown increased from 26/22/18/14 to 30/26/22/18
7.06d
	Hunter in the Night mana cost increased from 50 to 80 Void day slow duration reduced from 2 to 1.25 seconds
7.06
	Hunter in the Night can now be activated at night to grant Night Stalker flying movement Duration: 2 seconds Cooldown: 26/22/18/14 Mana Cost: 50 Vision: 1200
7.02
	Level 25 Talent from -6s Crippling Fear Cooldown to -8s
7.00
	Added Talent Tree
6.86
	Void slow at night reduced from 4 to 2.5/3/3.5/4 seconds
6.85
	Base health regen increased from 0.25 to 2
6.84
	Void attack speed slow increased from -35 to -50 (now matches movement speed slow)
6.83
	Base attack damage increased by 4 Crippling Fear mana cost reduced from 90 to 50 Darkness now sets all enemy vision to a maximum of 675, instead of reducing it by 25% Darkness no longer pauses the day/night timer Darkness duration from 40/60/80 to 50 Darkness cooldown reduced from 180/150/120 to 160/120/80
6.82
	Hunter in the Night attack speed increased from 45/55/65/75 to 45/60/75/90 Darkness duration increased from 25/50/80 to 40/60/80
6.81
	Darkness now also affects the vision of buildings
6.80
	Crippling Fear's night miss chance increased from 40 to 50%
6.79
	Darkness causes enemy vision to be reduced by 25% (affects heroes, creeps, and wards)
6.78
	Hunter in the Night attack speed rescaled from 30/45/60/75 to 45/55/65/75 (Movement speed remains 20/25/30/35)
6.72
	Hunter in the Night attack speed bonus rescaled from 20/35/55/75 to 30/45/60/75 Hunter in the Night movement bonus rescaled from 15/20/30/35% to 20/25/30/35%
6.68
	Base damage increased by 10 Crippling Fear's miss chance from 10/20/30/40% to 40%
6.65
	Void mana cost decreased from 90/112/130/145 to 80/90/100/110
6.64
	Darkness cooldown reduced from 240/180/125 to 180/150/120
6.63
	Void now slows for 2 seconds during daytime
6.61
	Improved Intelligence growth from 1.25 to 1.6
6.60
	Added Scepter to Night Stalker
6.55
	Improved how the mana cost scales on Crippling Fear

Notable Players

@dogf1ghts

yoky-

HesteJoe-Rotten

Rong

JessieVash

See also

• Slow
• Silence

External links

Guides

• Standard Night Stalker (Middle) Build
• DotaFire's Builds & Guides for Night Stalker