Nyx Assassin
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Version Control
This article is mostly accurate for the latest version of the game (7.37b), in which this hero was changed.
It has no changes in the current game version — 7.37d.
Nyx Assassin
17 + 2.1
18 + 2.3
21 + 2.5
| Grants the following bonuses per attribute point: | |
|
+22HP and +0.1HP regeneration |
|
+0.17 armor and 1 attack speed |
|
+12MP and +0.05MP regeneration +0.1% base magic resistance |
|
+0.7 Main Attack Damage per attribute |
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Instant Projectile Speed
| ||
100 (118)
(1.7 BAT) | ||
0.46 + 0.54
| ||
0.6
| ||
1800 / 800
| ||
Goo
Gib Type | ||
2012-07-26
Released | ||
2004-02-03
(v0.60) | ||
Competitive Span
2012-07-26 — Present |
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This page is about the hero. For the goddess in Dota 2 lore, see Nyx.
| Reflects enemy damage and stuns. | |
|---|---|
| Within the colony of zealot scarabs, the queen goddess Nyx selected a single grub to answer her highest calling. And so, through designed metamorphosis, the Nyx Assassin came into being. The telepathic scarab Devours and burns his prey's minds, while sending out rows of subterranean spikes to Impale them from below. Armored with a Reflecting Carapace, he stuns attackers and reverses any counterattack. Sacrificing mobility by Burrowing into the ground, the Nyx Assassin deprives itself of unnecessary sensories, increasing its regenerative powers and resistance while greatly increasing the reach of its other powers. But the goddess' servant is deadliest when unseen. A distracted target has no chance to react as the Nyx Assassin pierces its body with massive mandibles, thereby fulfilling an unspoken Vendetta in the name of his queen. | |
       | |
| Roles: |  Disabler  Nuker  Initiator  Escape |
| Complexity |   |
| Adjectives | Legs ( 6 ) |
Facets[edit]
Mana Burn
Offensively removes the affected enemy unit's mana per Nyx's ability cast and item ability casts.
Scuttle
Vendetta grants unobstructed pathing and unlocks max movement speed upon cast
Upgrades[edit]
Aghanim's[edit]
Grants the Burrow ability.
The scarab buries himself beneath the battlefield over a short duration. Grants self cast range bonus, health and mana regeneration bonus, incoming damage reduction, and cooldown reduction bonus.
While burrowed, Nyx is stationary, unable to attack, and invisible.
The scarab buries himself beneath the battlefield over a short duration. Grants self cast range bonus, health and mana regeneration bonus, incoming damage reduction, and cooldown reduction bonus.
While burrowed, Nyx is stationary, unable to attack, and invisible.
While Nyx is Burrowed, Impale does not require facing the point-targeted location to cast.
While Nyx is Burrowed, Mind Flare does not require facing the point-targeted location to cast.
While Nyx is Burrowed, Spiked Carapace immediately stuns all enemy units within the radius.
Aghanim's Shard Upgrade:
A successful Vendetta attack now applies Break.
Grants Nyx additional movement speed bonus.
Grants Nyx additional movement speed bonus.
Talents[edit]
 | ||
|---|---|---|
| +80 Agility | 25 | +600 Mind Flare Radius |
| +100 Impale Damage | 20 | +0.5s Spiked Carapace Stun Duration |
| -3s Mind Flare Cooldown | 15 | +0.5s Spiked Carapace Buff Duration |
| +0.2s Impale Stun Duration | 10 | +40 Vendetta Damage |
| ▃ ▃ ▃ ▃ ▃ ▃ ▃ +2 All / / Attributes | ||
Bio[edit]
The blessing of Nyx gives me all the purpose I require.
Lore:
Deep in the Archive of Ultimyr, shelved between scholarly treatises on dragon cladistics and books of untranslatable spells, there is an ancient tome of entomological curiosities. Compiled by scholars, the book describes the telepathic talents of the zealot scarab, a strange species of social insect with abilities unique to all the seven planes.
Unlike most grubs of his colony, Nyx Assassin did not arise from metamorphosis with the plodding thoughts and blunted appendages common to the worker caste of his kind. For his was a special transformation, guided by the grace of Nyx. He was the chosen one, selected from the many and anointed with an extract of the queen goddess herself. Not all survive the dark blessing of the queen's chamber, but he emerged with a penetrating mind, and dagger-like claws–his razor sharp mandibles raking the air while his thoughts projected directly into the minds of those around him. Of all zealot scarabs, he alone was selected for the highest calling. After his metamorphosis, he was reborn, by grace of Nyx, with abilities which shaped him for one thing and one thing only: to kill in the name of his goddess.
Unlike most grubs of his colony, Nyx Assassin did not arise from metamorphosis with the plodding thoughts and blunted appendages common to the worker caste of his kind. For his was a special transformation, guided by the grace of Nyx. He was the chosen one, selected from the many and anointed with an extract of the queen goddess herself. Not all survive the dark blessing of the queen's chamber, but he emerged with a penetrating mind, and dagger-like claws–his razor sharp mandibles raking the air while his thoughts projected directly into the minds of those around him. Of all zealot scarabs, he alone was selected for the highest calling. After his metamorphosis, he was reborn, by grace of Nyx, with abilities which shaped him for one thing and one thing only: to kill in the name of his goddess.
Voice:
Innate[edit]
Nyxth Sense[edit]
Nyxth Sense 
Passive
Affects
Self
The Nyx Assassin senses invisible enemy heroes within the radius, including enemy heroes within the Fog of War.
Radius: 
350
350 Aura Linger Duration: 0.5
- Grants Nyx a negative
aura that applies 
True Sight within the radius.
- Affects the following units:
Invulnerable units.
- Does not affect the following units:
Hidden units.
- Considers clones,
illusions, and 
creep-heroes as heroes.
nyx_assassin_nyxth_sense (1365)
Mana Burn[edit]
Mana Burn Passive
Affects
Self
Offensively removes the affected enemy unit's mana per Nyx's ability cast and item ability casts.
Current Mana as Mana Burn: 15%
- Selecting the
facet unlocks this ability.
- The following sources procs Mana Burn per damage instance (before reductions):
- Impale
- Mind Flare
- Spiked Carapace
- Vendetta
- Damage instances applied to ally units.
- The following sources do not proc Mana Burn:
- Self-damage sources.
- Damage to
ward-type units.
- Procs per following damage instance:
Spell damage-based 
instant attack sources.- Active
attack modifier sources.
nyx_assassin_innate_mana_burn (1365)
- The ability effects are applied as follows:
- The
mana removal. - The spell damage instance.
- The
Abilities[edit]
Impale[edit]
Rock spike burst from the earth along a straight path. Enemy units damaged and stunned while being hurled into the air.
Cast Animation: 0.3 + 0
Cast Range: 
750
750 Spikes Travel Distance: 750
750 Spikes Radius: 140
140 Damage: 100/160/220/280 (
200/260/320/380)
200/260/320/380) Stun Duration: 1.1/1.4/1.7/2 (
1.3/1.6/1.9/2.2)
1.3/1.6/1.9/2.2) 
Aghanim's Scepter Upgrade
While Nyx is Burrowed, Impale does not require facing the point-targeted location to cast.
While Nyx is Burrowed, Impale does not require facing the point-targeted location to cast.
Cast Animation: 0 + 0
Cast Range: (
1250)
( 1250)Spike Travel Distance: ( 1250)
( 1250)
18/16/14/12
100/110/120/130
All zealot scarabs possess intimate knowledge of underground pathways, using them to their advantage.
- Affects enemy units up to 890 (
1390) range with the travel distance and spike radius.
- Applies a 350-distance upward
knockback to all affected enemy units in the initial 0.5 seconds of the 
stun duration.
- The upward knockback duration is not affected by status resistance sources.
- The spike that hits the enemy units releases some dust particles that can be seen in the
Fog of War. - When Impale affected
invisible enemy units, the ability visual effects below the hit unit are still visible.
- Applies the
magical spell damage upon the 
debuff application rather than when the affected unit lands.
- When interrupted, Impale prematurely applies the all ability effects at the affected unit's current location.
- The forced movement applied no longer affects the
debuff immune enemy unit.
modifier_nyx_assassin_impale
Impale: Stunned.
nyx_assassin_impale (5642)
- Has a 1600-
projectile speed.
- The ability effects are applied as follows:
- The magical spell damage.
- The stun debuff.
- The
- math
Mind Flare[edit]
Deals a base damage correspondingly to a portion of the affected enemy unit's max mana, and additional damage equal to a percentage of the damage taken from Nyx previously.
Cast Animation: 0.4 + 0
Cast Range: 800
800 Enemy Max Mana to Damage Factor: 0.2/0.25/0.3/0.35
Min Damage: 0
Accumulated Damage Factor: 0.25
Damage Timer: 15
Instantly kills the unit by blowing its mind if it is a non-ancient creep.
Current Health as Damage: 100%
Aghanim's Scepter Upgrade
While Nyx is Burrowed, Mind Flare does not require facing the point-targeted location to cast.
While Nyx is Burrowed, Mind Flare does not require facing the point-targeted location to cast.
Cast Animation: 0 + 0
Cast Range: ( 1300)
( 1300)
Mind Flare is now an area-targeted ability and applies all ability effects to all enemy units within the radius.
Radius: 600
13/11/9/7 (
10/8/6/4)
10/8/6/4)100/105/110/115
The tome in Ultimyr describes one scarab with the ability to eat away at the minds of lesser beings.
- Mind Flare does not have a projectile despite the ability visual effects.
- All ability effects are immediately applied to the affected enemy unit as a single magical spell damage instance in the combat log.
- All ability effects are immediately applied to the affected enemy unit as a single
- Mind Flare considers clones, illusions, and creep-heroes as heroes.
- Places a damage counter that accumulates all damage instances from all damage types on all heroes upon learning the ability, including Nyx himself.
- Does not accumulate damage from the following sources:
HP Removal sources.-
No-reflection flag damage sources.
- Does not accumulate damage from the following sources:
- The damage counter resets in the following conditions:
- Upon Mind Flare cast.
- Upon the unit's
death.
- Subsequent casts only count damage instances since the last time the ability was cast, including the bonus damage instance of Mind Flare.
- Deals only the accumulated damage to units without mana.
- The
talent upgrade changes the ability targeting functionality from unit-targeted to area-targeted.
- Mind Flare now deals damage correspondingly to each affected unit's mana and accumulated damage.
- Affects the following units:
- Fogged units.
- Invisible units.
Untargetable units.
- Does not affect the following units:
- Hidden units.
- Invulnerable units.
- Mind Flare now deals damage correspondingly to each affected unit's
- Procs
Spell Block sources upon cast.
- Spell Block sources proc on the primary target nullifies the
area-targeted ability effects upon cast.
- Spell Block sources proc on the primary target nullifies the
- Spell Block notes apply.
- The unit-targeted ability causes the area-targeted talent to apply all ability effects to enemy units within the radius around both targets.
modifier_nyx_assassin_jolt_damage_tracker
Hidden modifier
nyx_assassin_jolt (1104)
Spiked Carapace[edit]
While above ground, Spiked Carapace reflects and negates one damage instance per damage source, as well as stunnign the damage source.
Cast Animation: 
0 + 0
0 + 0Reflect Radius: 
Global
Global Reflect Damage Factor: 1.25
Reflect Instance per Source: 1
Carapace Duration: 2 (
2.5)
2.5) Stun Duration: 0.4/0.8/1.2/1.6 (
0.9/1.3/1.7/2.1)
0.9/1.3/1.7/2.1) 
Spiked Carapace under the scarab's hood is akin to wielding a Blade Mail. Damage reflected from the item's active ability deals 0-damage instances while Spiked Carapace is active.
Damage Instance: 0
Aghanim's Scepter Upgrade
While Nyx is Burrowed, Spiked Carapace immediately stuns all enemy units within the radius.
While Nyx is Burrowed, Spiked Carapace immediately stuns all enemy units within the radius.
Effect Radius: ( 300)
( 300)Can only affect the same enemy units once per buff.
Downtime: 2 ( 2.5)
2.5) 23/18/13/8
40
While their carapaces are relatively thin, they're guarded by a retractable field of razor-sharp spikes.
- Does not break Vendetta's invisibility upon cast, but not other invisibility sources.
- Interrupts Nyx's
channeling abilities upon cast.
- Recasting the ability refreshes the
buff duration.
- Only reflects player-based damage toward its damage source.
- For Nyx, Spiked Carapace
negates and reflects the incoming damage instance (after reductions), causing certain on-hit effects to not proc.
- Damage manipulation sources applied on the enemy still affects the damage applied per normal.
- Hence, it has precedence over
damage barrier sources. - However, it nether prevent death nor
instant kill sources on Nyx.
- The incoming damage reflected as source damage type toward the source is defined as:
- EXPR
SourceDamage × 1.25 - Both the damage negation and damage reflected is independent of each other.
- The reflected damage has the following properties:
- No-reflection flag.
- No-spell-lifesteal flag.
- No-spell-amplification flag.
- Utilizes Blade Mail's modifier and has precedence over it.
- Reflects one instance of the same damage type with the HP Removal flag to its source.
- Affects the following units:
-
- Neither works on nor affects the following units:
- Ally units.
Buildings- Creeps
- Ward-type units.
modifier_item_blade_mailHidden modifier
modifier_nyx_assassin_spiked_carapace
Spiked Carapace: The next player-owned damage instance will be reflected, damaging and stunning the hero that caused it.
modifier_stunnedStunned
Burrow[edit]
No
Affects
Self
The scarab buries himself beneath the battlefield over a short duration. Grants self cast range bonus, health and mana regeneration bonus, incoming damage reduction, and cooldown reduction bonus.
While burrowed, Nyx is stationary, unable to attack, and invisible.
While burrowed, Nyx is stationary, unable to attack, and invisible.
Cast Animation: 1.5 + 0
Cast Range Bonus: 500
Max Health as Health Regen Bonus: 1%
Max Mana as Mana Regen Bonus: 1%
Damage Reduction: 
40%
40% Cooldown Reduction: 25%
While Nyx is Burrowed, Impale does not require facing the point-targeted location to cast.
Cast Animation: 0 + 0
While Nyx is Burrowed, Mind Flare does not require facing the point-targeted location to cast.
Cast Animation: 0 + 0
While Nyx is Burrowed, Spiked Carapace immediately stuns all enemy units within the radius.
Stun Radius: 300
300 0
Some castes of Zealot scarab are known to create small burrows to lie in wait, ready to ambush their prey.
- Acquiring Aghanim's Scepter unlocks this ability in the fourth ability slot.
- Grants Nyx invisibility with
phase movement.
- Nyx can still be affected by forced movement sources while active, and does not self- Unburrows.
- Burrow neither changes Nyx's facing direction nor reduces its
turn rate.
- Other targeted abilities and item abilities still require facing the target and its cast range.
- Other targeted abilities and item abilities still require facing the target and its
- Applies a generic incoming damage reduction on Nyx.
- Stacks additively with other incoming damage manipulation sources.
- Does not affect HP Removal sources.
- Instantly self-unburrows upon losing ability.
- Acquiring Aghanim's Scepter while drafting Vendetta unlocks this ability.
modifier_nyx_assassin_burrowBurrowed: Stationary, invisible, and unable to attack. Gaining bonus health and mana regeneration and taking reduced damage.
nyx_assassin_burrow (5666)
- Losing the ability upgrade does not unburrows Nyx immediately.
- Nyx can still use the Unburrow
sub-ability, and Burrow will no longer be in fourth ability slot upon unburrow.
- Nyx can still use the Unburrow
Unburrow[edit]
- The Unburrow sub-ability has the following properties:
- Replaces Burrow until the sub-ability or Vendetta is used, or upon Nyx's death.
- Interrupts Nyx's channeling abilities upon cast.
- Instantly reverts all ability bonuses granted by Burrow.
- Replaces Burrow until the sub-ability or Vendetta is used, or upon Nyx's
nyx_assassin_unburrow (5673)
- The ability uses a different sound effects when the sub-ability is cast inside the river.
Vendetta[edit]
Nyx becomes invisible and gains a movement speed bonus. Grants the next attack a faster attack animation with attack range bonus.
Cast Animation: 0 + 0
0 + 0Fade Time: 0
Move Speed Bonus: 16%/18%/20% ( 41%/43%/45%)
41%/43%/45%) Attack Range Bonus: 75
Attack Animation Factor: 1.7
Duration: 60
The attack breaking invisibility deals pure spell damage bonus with the attack.
Damage: 300/400/500
Break Duration: ( 4)
4)
Aghanim's Shard Upgrade
A successful Vendetta attack now applies Break.
Grants Nyx additional movement speed bonus.
A successful Vendetta attack now applies Break.
Grants Nyx additional movement speed bonus.
80/70/60
180/240/300
The scarab kills for the glory of his queen.
Scuttle
Vendetta grants unobstructed pathing and unlocks max movement speed upon cast
Scuttle Duration: 15
- Does not interrupt Nyx's channeling abilities upon cast.
- Grants the following bonuses while active:
- Phase movement.
Attack range bonus based on the caster's attack range type.- Reduces the attack point of the next attack.
- Does not reduce the attack backswing.
- Scuttle grants
unobstructed movement.
-
- Recasting the ability refreshes the buff duration and updates the ability to the current level.
- The buff
dispels in the following conditions:
- Upon reaching the cast point of abilities, including item abilities.
- Upon a successful attack.
-
- Does not break invisibility in the following conditions:
Missed attacks.- Items being picked up, dropped, or attacked.
- Runes being
denied. - Upon Spiked Carapace cast.
- Does not break invisibility in the following conditions:
- Does not interrupt Nyx's
- The attack breaking Vendetta's invisibility has the following properties:
True strike.- The total attack range for the attack is defined as:
- EXPR
AtkRange = 225 + EnemyBoundRadius
- Applies the spell damage bonus.
- Does not affect the following units:
- The attack breaking Vendetta's
- Acquiring the ability upgrade immediately update the current instance.
modifier_nyx_assassin_vendettaVendetta: Moving x% faster and is phased. Next attack will deal bonus damage and apply Break to the enemy.
modifier_nyx_assassin_vendetta_armor_reductionVendetta: Has magic resistance reduced by x%
nyx_assassin_vendetta (5465)
- For
ranged heroes, the invisibility is lost upon projectile hit.
- Therefore, the spell damage bonus will not be applied if another action was queued before the
projectile hits.
- Therefore, the
-
- The ability effects are applied as follows:
- The
Break debuff. - The
pure spell damage. - Nyx's attack instance.
- The ability effects are applied as follows:
Recent Matches[edit]
Main Article: Nyx Assassin/Matches
| Date | Tier | Tournament | Picks | Score | vs. Picks | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 09, 2024 - 13:00 EEST | Tier 2 |  | PGL Wallachia S2 GS |      |   | 0 : 1 |  |      |
| Oct 09, 2024 - 13:00 EEST | Tier 2 | | PGL Wallachia S2 GS |    | | 0 : 1 | |    |
| Oct 09, 2024 - 10:00 EEST | Tier 2 | | PGL Wallachia S2 GS |     |  | 0 : 1 |  |    |
| Oct 06, 2024 - 13:30 EEST | Tier 2 | | PGL Wallachia S2 GS |  | | 1 : 0 |   |   |
| Oct 06, 2024 - 13:55 SGT | Qualifier |  | MGA Southeast Asia |   |  | 0 : 1 |  |      |
Recent Changes[edit]
Description
- Nyxth Sense
- Now reveals enemy heroes within the
Fog of War . - Reduced radius from 400 to 350.
- Now reveals enemy heroes within the
- Mana Burn
- Now only procs on damage instances sourced to Nyx Assassin 's abilities.
- Reduced min damage threshold from 100 to 0.
- Rescaled current mana as mana burn from 15%/20%/25%/30% to 15% on each level.
- Aghanim's Shard upgrade:
Dota Plus Progress[edit]
Main Article: Hero Challenges
Relics track a hero's actions and statistics, and display in-game notifications when a milestone is reached. They are only available to Dota Plus subscribers.
| Nyx Assassin's Relics | Voice Lines | |
|---|---|---|
 Bronze |
||
 Silver |
||
 Gold |
||
 Platinum |
| |
 Master |
| |
 Grandmaster |
| |
Equipment[edit]
| Sets | |
|---|---|
| Weapon | |
| Back | |
| Misc | |
Trivia[edit]
- Nyx Assassin's original name was Anub'arak, and he was titled "Nerubian Assassin". Both were changed in the transition to Dota 2 due to copyright reasons.
- Anub'arak is a character of Blizzard's franchise "Warcraft", who first appeared in the campaign "Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne". He was the king of the Nerubians, a race of malevolent arachnids who were slain and raised as undead.
- Nyx Assassin's fun name in DotA was Anoob'arak.
- In Disruptor's splash art you can see the silhouette of Nyx Assassin in the background.
Gallery[edit]
Splash artwork
Concept art
Concept art
![Ability icon progress [?]](/commons/images/thumb/c/c3/Nyx_Assassin_ability_icon_progress.png/120px-Nyx_Assassin_ability_icon_progress.png)
Ability icon progress [?]
Hero icon progress
Bone Harvest sprite - alive
Bone Harvest sprite - dead
![Ability icon progress [?]](/dota2/File:Nyx_Assassin_ability_icon_progress.png){kind=icon}
