[Boss Idea] Aoe viability boss {The Swarm}

[GrandShinobi]

This boss is to open players to ideas of not only using hard right-click carries to end or play the game with. The boss also encourages the pick of high aoe damage heroes like lina, crystal maiden and earthshaker.

The boss starts using different abilities at different health threshold:

1st Ability(100% health): "spiderlings" with 1 health starts spawning from the boss. The "spiderlings" have zero collision box.

2nd Ability(90% health threshold): "spiderlings" start spawning from the side of the arena in small squads. They have 1 health. They crawl towards the players and attack them. The "spiderlings " have zero collision box. Stop spawing from boss location.

3rd ability (60% health threshold): A swarm is lauched from the side from the arena damaging players if it hit. Do refer to weavers swarm for reference. It is possible that can be warning before it launches. The swarm have four different health box and will be destroyed once all four box are destroyed. Do refer to gyrocopter homing missile as reference ( the missile can be destroyed as it is flying, thats the important part). The swarm is not magic immune unlike the gyrocopter missile. Can be destroyed by magic damage. Each health bar is 1 hp.

4th ability (30% health threshold): The boss summon flying bugs which are immune to all types of cleave including Kunnka's. The bugs are still not immune to magic damage. Have relatively reasonable amount of health.

That's all the abilities. Let me talk more why the boss have such abilities and why players will be able to notice the viability of aoe heroes for this situation. As "spiderlings" appear at the side of the arena, heroes have with cleave cannot just causally cleave the "spiderlings". The cleave will only fly towards the boss, as "spiderlings " will attack the back of the players. Thus players will have to make a decision to attack the boss or the "spiderlings". This is to make it harder for right-clickers like sven to deal with the situation. On the other hand, aoe heroes like lina will have a easier time because of the heavy aoe, additionally she also gain attack speed boost for doing so. It is possible that player might just ignore the "spiderlings" till it is too late, like undying tomestone zombies (till you realize is a problem). The "spiderlings" should be giving zero xp and gold or else its too op. Items like mithil hammer for range heroes may not hit the "spiderlings" because the it is on the boss ( the distance between the boss and the heroes should be high enough that the spiderlings around the hero cannot be hit, of course heroes like TA can benefit becuase of the low attack range). Thus mrithil hammer is useless too. Unless they make a desision to actually attack the "spiderlings".

The main purpose of the boss it to make players choose aoe carries or support to run for the game. Or else everyone is going to just pick pa and stuff and start one shoting everyone. The weakness of such hard carries is the fact that they cannot hit spiderlings" easily, thus I suggested this boss.

That being said, battlefury and such items can be picked up and I agree it is an option to deal with the boss but as I also mentioned earlier is not that easy as one thinks to use them effectively against the boss.

Suggestions: fourth ability can be done without. Should be a 20-30minute killable boss. Prevent radiance from being picked up and hard countering the spiderlings" therefore making the boss a small fly in an ointment ( fly... bugs...get it? No?.. Ok). The boss can be captured after death, like Hots mercenary. Cause a wave of spiderlings to travel to the enemy side to bug them a little (pun intended). Or run to when captured "spiderlings" run to the other side to attack neutral camp and deny themselves after that which slows down their farm. Need not be spiderlings graphics, get creative ;) .

Thats all i have for this boss ;)

[GrandShinobi]

It is interesting to note that how subtle things like spawn location can greatly affect the boss fight. I only noticed it when I thought about it.

[zelding]

@GrandShinobi there should be a small edit (pencil) icon in the top right of all of your comments; I suggest you just correct them instead of apologizing :wink:

[GrandShinobi]

Oh ok thanks! Used the mobile version, didn't know they had that option :D

[l34Um1]

I quite like this one.