Hi guys! My name is Ca7chi and before you read this I must warn you that I don't play ranked, I am not a pro player and I don't aim to be one. But if you are still reading this I am willing to share the knowledge I got from playing Nova since the beta launch (I almost only play Nova and she is my favorite Hero).
First of all, I think that there are lots of ways to play Nova and build the talents but in this guide I will show you how to quick delete an enemy damage dealer and escape without injuries contributing to reduce the enemy team damage output and improving the chances of succeeding on a teamfight.
ATTENTION PLEASE!!! YOU ARE ADVISED TO TURN SMART CAST ON (in case you don't have already)
nova requires a really quick combo and you will not be able to do it without smartcast
Nova is a ranged assassin, with an astonishing op passive... She becomes invisible after 3 seconds out of battle!!! Plus, she has 20% more aa range and she can see 10% further way! This passive dictates how you should play with her. You must try to shut the enemy damage output down while your team takes care of the rest, in case you fail, you shall immediately retreat and seek another shot. Prolonged fights are not good for Nova since she has no sustain and few ways to escape. Use your clone wisely, you can tank powerful skill shots with him as well as exhaust enemy skills, all depending on how you use it.
VERY IMPORTANT - Nova gets countered by supporters! pretty much everything that can heal and protect the enemy source of damage will counter Nova. She has tons of damage and she can insta delete any assassin, but if you used your combo and the enemy is not dead, there is nothing you can do until you have your skills back.
Level 1
Ambush Snipe - This pick is one of the most obvious, there is really not much to say because it is the only pick that gives you more damage. If you are thinking of picking any other Talent instead of this one just think that you are trading damage for mana regen (in case of Conjurer's Pursuit
) damage for range and cooldown (in case of Psi-Op Rangefinder
) and damage for extra CC (in case of Tazer Rounds
)
(You could say that cooldown in case of Psi-Op Rangefinder
could be seen as damage since it allows you to deal more damage in less time, well you are correct but we need burst damage over cooldown, if you feel more comfortable with Psi-Op Rangefinder
just go for it, but i must warn you that it won't go so well with the rest of this build)
Level 4
Envenom - Ok, the reason why I don't pick gathering power
is because envenom is safer, but if you are sure that you will not die and it is going to be an easy game for you, I totally advise you to pick gathering power
instead. The thing is, at level 4 is really hard to see if the game will allow you to pick gathering power
. My advice - try both and see which one suits you, both envenom and gathering power work fine with this build.
Level 7
One in the chamber - It gives you more aa damage each time you use an ability and that means that you must aa every time after using an ability. One in the chamber is superior to Anti armor shells
because it doesn't take attack speed, you just need to use an ability to trigger it (it works with the clone too or if you miss a skill shot, it really doesn't matter as long as you use one skill it will trigger). If you do the math you will see that you can deal more damage in less time if you pick One in the chamber and that is exactly what we want - burst
Level 10
Personally I would pick triple tap, but this pick is very situational. For example, if you have 4 tanks and 1 assassin on the enemy team, and the assassin is dealing all the damage while hiding on the tanks back, I would recommend Precision Strike instead. In the other hand, if you can easily kill the assassin but you are struggling with the tanks (and this is what usually happens), triple tap is the perfect pick.
You have to be careful while ulting because both ultis have channel time and you become visible during the channel. You must use them in a safe location. Make full use of the range.
Level 13
Remember when I said that she has no sustain, well, now she has! And also, you run faster. I tried every single one and I can assure you that lethal decoy
is just useless. You can't control it and it doesn't deal that much damage. My experience with Headshot
tells me that you don't need the extra cooldown reduction because you can kill pretty much every carry with your combo and your mana runs low very quickly. I won't even say anything about spell shield
You are not a tank
Level 16
What most people don't know about crippling shot is that your allies also deal more damage to the crippled enemy. This said, no matter how good the other talents are, they will never let your team deal 25% more damage to an enemy during 2.25 seconds.
Level 20
My experience with any talent other than bolt of the storm can be resumed to one word MANA!
You don't have enough mana to use your skills as much as you expect when you choose any other talent. In the other hand, by the time you hit level 20 you will have enough damage already and the real problem now is staying alive. Well, Bolt of the storm is the ideal talent for this, and after a few times of picking it you won't want any other talent. After level 16 I usually start looking at the collective experience bar obsessively because it is without a doubt the talent you will need for late game.
once again
YOU WILL NEED SMART CAST IN ORDER TO USE BOLT OF THE STORM
Level 1
(AA+)Q+AA+W+AA
Remember that you have 1 second after breaking the invisibility to use your Q and make full use of your talent. You can auto-attack before you Q but that needs to be quick.
Level 4
(AA+)Q+AA+W+AA+envenom
Level 7
(AA+)Q+AA+W+AA+envenom (E+AA)
(note that you can use your decoy to trigger one in the chamber and deal 80% more damage with 1 auto like you do with any other skill)
Level 10-13
(Not much to add, its the same combo but now you have a powerful finisher that you should use always in a safe location.)
(AA+)Q+AA+W+AA+envenom [E+AA(whenever needed)] [ulti(whenever needed and in a safe location)]
Level 16
(On level 16 nova discovers the atomic bomb and she slightly changes his combo)
W+Q+AA+envenom [E+AA(whenever needed)] [ulti(whenever needed and in a safe location)]
Your W+Q must be within 1 second after breaking the cloak and the AA must hit the target within 2.25 seconds after you land your W (that is where your smart cast enters)
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