Apex by Maximus Ultima

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Apex

By: Maximus Ultima
Last Updated: Apr 26, 2022
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Apex

Hydralisk Hero Concept

As Kerrigan's elite personal escorts, the Hunter-Killer strain is one of the most fearsome breeds of Zerg in history.

Faster, stronger, smarter, and more vicious than their lesser evolved yet already powerful Hydralisk brethren, a squad of Hunter-Killers could lay waste to anything standing in their path. Needlespine launchers powerful enough to punch clean through even the heaviest armor from over 2 kilometers away; striated muscles powerful enough and arm blades sharp enough to cleave fully armored Marines in twain, jaws strong enough to crush through solid neo-steel; venomous spines carrying necrotizing and neurotoxic poisons; a battle-frenzied state that further amplifies their strength and speed; a keen, vicious intellect -- Hunter-Killers truly are apex predators and biological killing machines.

The only advantage a mere Hydralisk could hope to have against the Hunter-Killers is their evolutionary potential. Unlike Hydralisks, Hunter-Killers have always been too specialized to have the capacity to morph into Lurkers, powerful ambush and siege bioforms capable of shredding entire armies before they can react.

Until now.

A single Hunter-Killer has finally been evolved to have its own Lurker evolution, one even more powerful than its Hydralisk brethren. Unlike normal Lurkers, this Hunter-Killer retains its ability to fire needlespines and can use its Seismic Spines while not burrowed. Even more, elements of the Impaler, a cousin strain to the Lurker, have been included in this Hunter-Killer's genetic makeup to make it even more deadly.
This Hunter-Killer now stands at the xenith of predatory creatures and Zerg evolutionary progress, earning it the honor of its own name: Apex.


Apex is a powerful Ranged Assassin. He relies on his basic attacks for the majority of his damage output, amplified by his Trait, Frenzy.

Frenzy grants Apex increased attack speed for a short time when he makes basic attacks.

Poisoned Spine is a skillshot that pierces a few targets and poisons enemies hit. Basic attacks partially refresh the duration of the poison.

Spine Barrage launches spines that land and deal damage in a crescent shaped AoE.

Seismic Spines transforms Apex into a Lurker and grants access to a high-damage linear AoE. Seismic Spines can be cast while Unburrowed, but it costs less mana, has greater range, and its cooldown recharges much faster while Apex is Burrowed. This Heroic ability also has the passive effect of reducing Burrow's mana cost and cooldown and removing its maximum duration.
Impaling Tentacle adds an additional circular AoE along Seismic Spines' path that deals additional damage to enemies it hits.

Wild Mutation temporarily grants Apex increased maximum health, basic attack damage, and basic ability cooldown rate based on the number of stacks of Frenzy Apex has when Wild Mutation is cast. This Heroic also has the passive effect of increasing Frenzy's duration from 6 seconds to 8 seconds.
Primal Rage causes Apex to become Unkillable briefly if he takes fatal damage while Wild Mutation is active and greatly reduces Wild Mutation's cooldown if Apex kills an enemy hero during its duration.

Combat Trait

1
[Trait] Frenzy
Passive
Duration: 6 sec.
Attack Speed per Stack: 6%
Maximum Stacks: 10
Making a Basic Attack grants a stack of Frenzy, up to 10. Each stack increases Apex's Attack Speed by 6%.
Frenzy last for 6 seconds, and Basic Attacks refresh its duration.
Apex gains stacks of Frenzy from making Basic Attacks regardless of whether they hit or not.


Active
Cooldown: 10-100 sec.
Activate Frenzy to instantly gain all missing stacks of Frenzy. Each stack gained increases Frenzy's cooldown by 10 seconds.
Making Basic Attacks while at 10 stacks of Frenzy reduces its cooldown by 1 second, doubled against Heroes.

Frenzy cannot be activated while Apex already has 10 stacks.
2
[Basic Attack] Needlespines
Damage: 90
Attack Speed: 1.25/sec.
Range: 6.6

Primary Abilities

1
[Q] Poisoned Spine
Cooldown: 6 sec.
Mana Cost: 40
Damage: 120
Poison Damage: 40/sec.
Poison Duration: 3 sec.
Range: 8
Fire a spine in a straight line, piercing through up to 2 enemies and dealing 120 damage to and poisoning any enemies hit, dealing an additional 40 damage per second for 3 seconds.
Basic Attacks against enemies poisoned by Poisoned Spine refresh the poison's duration by 1 second. Reapplying the poison with Poisoned Spine fully refreshes its duration.
2
[W] Spine Barrage
Cooldown: 10 sec.
Mana Cost: 40
Damage: 160
Range: 6
Charges: 2
Charge Cooldown: 0.75 sec.
Width: 5
Length: 3
Arc: 135°
Launch a cluster of spines to a target area, dealing 160 damage to all enemies within a crescent-shaped AoE.

Spine Barrage stores up to 2 charges with a 1.25 second cooldown between uses.
3
[E] Burrow
Cooldown: 10 sec.
Mana Cost: 40
Cast Time: 1 sec.
Duration: 6 sec.
Channel for 1 second as Apex burrows into the ground. While Burrowed, Apex cannot move, make Basic Attacks, or cast other Basic Abilities, but gains Stealth and 25 Armor and has no unit Collision Radius. Taking damage Reveals Apex for 3 seconds.
Apex is immune to Displacement effects while Burrowed.
Apex can remain Burrowed for up to 6 seconds. Reactivating this ability Unburrows Apex instantly.
If Apex is interrupted while Burrowing, Burrow's cooldown is set to 3 seconds.

Reactivate this ability to cancel it.
Burrow's cooldown begins counting after it ends.

Secondary Abilities

1
[Active] Landshark
Cooldown: 45 sec.
Charges: 2
Charge Cooldown: 4 sec.
Damage: 200
Range: 5
Radius: 2
Activate while Burrowed to tunnel rapidly through the ground to a target location, dealing 200 damage to enemies within a radius of 2 around Apex's path.
Apex can Landshark through terrain.
Landshark has 2 charges with a 4 second cooldown between uses.

This ability requires the level 16 talent Landshark.

Heroic Abilities

1
[R1] Seismic Spines
Morphs Apex into a Lurker. This is an aesthetic change only.
Active
Cooldown: 8 sec.
Mana Cost: 40
Burrowed Mana Cost: 20
Damage: 280
Range: 6
Burrowed Range: 12
Width: 1.5
Projectile Speed: 15/sec.
Cause a series of spikes to erupt from the ground in a straight line from Apex's position, dealing 280 damage to all enemies in their path.
While Burrowed, Seismic Spines' cooldown recharges 300% faster, its Mana cost is reduced to 20, and its range is increased from 6 to 12.
Seismic Spines deals only 33% damage to Structures.

Casting Seismic Spines while Burrowed Reveals Apex for 3 seconds.


Passive
Burrow no longer has a maximum duration, its cooldown is reduced to 2 seconds, and its Mana cost is reduced to 20.
2
[R2] Wild Mutation
Active
Cooldown: 70 sec.
Mana Cost: 80
Activate to refresh the duration of Frenzy and gain 5% increased Attack Damage, maximum Health, and Basic Ability cooldown rate for each stack of Frenzy Apex has when Wild Mutation is cast for 8 seconds.


Passive
The duration of Frenzy is increased by 2 seconds.

Talents

Level 1


[Trait] Fever Pitch
Increases Frenzy's Attack Speed bonus to 10%.

[Q/W] Grooved Spines
Increases the range of Poisoned Spine and Spine Barrage by 2.

[E] Nutrient Absorption
While Burrowed, Apex regenerates 2% of his maximum Health every second.
? Quest: Collect Regeneration Globes to increase Apex's Health Regeneration while burrowed by 0.15% of his maximum Health per second, up to 3%.
? Reward: After collecting 20 Regeneration Globes, Apex always regenerates 2% of his maximum Health every second.

[Passive] Muscular Augments
Gain 10% increased Movement Speed.
Each stack of Frenzy grants 1% additional Movement Speed.



Level 4


[Trait/Basic Attack] Pressurized Ducts
While at 10 stacks of Frenzy, Apex's Attack Range is increased to 7.7.
? Quest: Make 80 Basic Attacks against enemy Heroes while at 10 stacks of Frenzy.
? Reward: Apex's Basic Attack range is permanently increased to 7.7.

[Q] Paralytic Barbs
Poisoned Spine Slows the target by 60%, decaying over 3 seconds.

[W] Serrated Spines
Spine Barrage deals 100% additional damage to non-Heroes.

[Passive] Blood Craze
Basic Attacks against enemy Heroes reduce Apex's Basic Ability cooldowns by 0.5 seconds.



Level 7


[Trait] Frenzied Endurance
Basic Attacks heal Apex for 2% of the damage they deal for each stack of Frenzy he has, increased to 4% per stack against Heroes.

[W] Spine Storm
Spine Barrage gains an additional charge and its charge cooldown is reduced to 0.5 seconds.

[Q] Parasitic Venom
Poisoned Spine's poison heals Apex for 25% of the damage it deals to enemies, increased to 75% against Heroes.



Level 13


[Trait] Hunter's Instinct
Every consecutive Basic Attack against the same enemy Hero within 4 seconds grants 1 additional stack of Frenzy per attack, up to 4 per attack.

[Q] Immune Suppressant
Increases Poisoned Spine's poison duration by 1 second.
Poisoned Spine and Basic Attacks against enemies poisoned by Poisoned Spine reduce the healing they receive by 30% for 2 seconds.

[W] Tangler Spores
Tentacles sprout from the ground where Spine Barrage lands after 1 second, dealing 60 damage per second and Slowing enemies by 40% for 3 seconds.

[E] Adaptive Talons
Reduces Burrow's channel period to 0.25 seconds.
Apex can now move at 60% Movement Speed while Burrowed, but disturbs the ground as he moves and makes his location visible.



Level 16


[Q] Aggressive Neurotoxin
Poisoned Spine's poison deals additional damage to Heroes equal to 0.5% of their maximum Health per second.
Poisoned Spine's poison deals additional damage to Heroes equal to 1% of their maximum Health each time it is refreshed or reapplied.

[W] Spinestorm
Casting Spine Barrage empowers Apex's next 2 Basic Attacks within 6 seconds. These attacks can stack across consecutive casts of Spine Barrage.
Apex's empowered attacks launches a mini-Spine Barrage at the target's location, dealing 50% of Spine Barrage's damage in a radius of 2 around the target.

[Passive] Razorspines
All of Apex's abilities and Basic Attacks ignore Armor.
Poisoned Spine and Basic Attacks now damage and pierce all enemies in their path out to their maximum range.

[Active] Landshark
Activate while Burrowed to tunnel quickly through the ground in a targeted direction, dealing 200 damage to enemies within 2 range of Apex's path.



Level 20


[Trait] Mass Frenzy
Half of Frenzy's Attack Speed bonus is shared with all allied Minions and non-Elite Monsters and Mercenaries within 8 range.

[Trait] Hunter-Killer
? Quest: Killing an enemy Hero grants 1 permanent stack of Frenzy, up to 10.
? Reward: After killing 10 enemy Heroes, Frenzy's cooldown is set to 60 seconds and it now reveals the location of all enemy Heroes on the map for 4 seconds.

[R1] Impaling Tentacle
At a targeted point along Seismic Spines' length a single tentacle erupts from the ground, dealing an additional 280 damage to enemies in a radius of 2.

[R2] Primal Rage
Taking fatal damage while Wild Mutation is active grants Unkillable for 3 seconds. This can only happen once per cast of Wild Mutation.
Killing an enemy Hero during Wild Mutation reduces its cooldown to 5 seconds.

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