Nyx Assassin

Stats

These are the base values written in the game files. Totals derived from attributes (HP, mana, armor) depend on engine-side formulas, so no estimated values are shown.

Recommended items

Items the in-game shop recommends for this hero (curated by Valve). These are not win-rate statistics.

Arcane Boots1500Blink Dagger2250Magic Wand460Aghanim's Scepter4200Hand of Midas2200Aether Lens2275Force Staff2200Eul's Scepter of Divinity2600Boots of Speed500Stout Shield100Dagon7400Urn of Shadows825

Abilities

Impale

Cooldown 17 / 15 / 13 / 11sMana 90 / 100 / 110 / 120Range 750MAGICAL

ActiveCooldown 17 / 15 / 13 / 11sMana 90 / 100 / 110 / 120Range 750

Rock spikes burst from the earth along a straight path. Enemy units take damage, then are hurled into the air and stunned.

Raw values (from the game files)（5）

width	140
STUN DURATION	1.1 / 1.4 / 1.7 / 2.0
length	750
speed	1600
IMPALE DAMAGE	100 / 160 / 220 / 280

• The spikes move at 1600 units per second, over 750 range.
• Impale cannot be blocked by Linken's Sphere.

Mind Flare

Cooldown 11 / 9.5 / 8 / 6.5sMana 100 / 105 / 110 / 115Range 800MAGICAL

ActiveCooldown 11 / 9.5 / 8 / 6.5sMana 100 / 105 / 110 / 115Range 800

Deals damage equal to a percentage of the target's Max Mana and burns part of it away. Deals additional damage equal to a percentage of the damage the target has taken from Nyx Assassin in the last 15s. Resets accumulated damage before applying damage.

Raw values (from the game files)（4）

%MAX MANA AS DAMAGE	25 / 30 / 35 / 40
%MANA BURNT	9 / 12 / 15 / 18
damage_echo_duration	15
%BONUS DAMAGE	15

Patch history

7.412026-03-24

• Now burns 9/12/15/18% of the target's Max Mana

7.402025-12-15

• Bonus Damage decreased from 20% to 15%

Spiked Carapace

Cooldown 20 / 16 / 12 / 8sMana 40 / 40 / 40 / 40

ActiveCooldown 20 / 16 / 12 / 8sMana 40 / 40 / 40 / 40

When activated while above ground, Spiked Carapace reflects and negates damage dealt to Nyx Assassin (max once from each source), as well as stunning the source of the damage. Activating Spiked Carapace will not break Vendetta invisibility. While Burrowed, Spiked Carapace instantly stuns nearby enemies when cast.

Raw values (from the game files)（3）

REFLECT DURATION	2.0
STUN DURATION	0.7 / 1.0 / 1.3 / 1.6
%DAMAGE REFLECTED	140

• The damage is calculated after all reductions.
• Spiked Carapace will only trigger on damage from other player controlled sources.
• The damage reflected will have the same damage type as it had when it was dealt to Nyx Assassin.
• Damage done by this ability is considered reflected damage. Reflected damage does not provide any lifesteal and cannot be reflected.

Patch history

7.402025-12-15

• Stun Duration increased from 0.4/0.8/1.2/1.6s to 0.7/1.0/1.3/1.6s

Burrow

Active

Nyx Assassin buries himself beneath the battlefield over a short duration. Once burrowed, Spiked Carapace instantly stuns nearby enemies when cast, the range of Mind Flare and Impale is increased, and Impale's cooldown is decreased. While burrowed, Nyx Assassin is stationary, unable to attack, and invisible. Nyx Assassin gains damage reduction from all damage sources.

Raw values (from the game files)（6）

%MAX HP REGEN	1
%MAX MANA REGEN	1
%BURROW DAMAGE REDUCTION	40
BURROW BONUS CAST RANGE	500
%BURROW BONUS COOLDOWN REDUCTION	25
BURROW SPIKED CARAPACE RANGE	400

• Casting Vendetta will cancel burrow.

Mana BurnInnatePassive

Passive

Nyx Assassin's damage on enemies also burns mana as a percentage of the damage dealt.

Raw values (from the game files)（1）

%MANA BURN	12

Patch history

7.412026-03-24

• New innate ability. Passive
• When Nyx Assassin deals damage with attacks or his abilities, he burns affected unit's mana equal to 12% of damage dealt
• Damage reflected with Spiked Carapace also counts

Vendetta

Cooldown 80 / 70 / 60sMana 180 / 240 / 300PURE

ActiveCooldown 80 / 70 / 60sMana 180 / 240 / 300

Nyx Assassin becomes invisible and gains a speed bonus. If Nyx Assassin attacks to break the invisibility, massive bonus damage is dealt with the attack that applies a break to the target. Nyx Assassin has 75 additional attack range and a 70% faster attack animation for this attack.

Raw values (from the game files)（8）

DURATION	45 / 50 / 55
%MOVEMENT SPEED	16 / 18 / 20
BONUS DAMAGE	300 / 400 / 500
health_regen_rate_scepter	3
mana_regen_rate_scepter	3
BREAK DURATION	4
attack_animation_bonus	70
attack_range_bonus	75

• If a spell is used to break the invisibility, or the invisibility expires, the bonus damage is lost.
• With Aghanim's Shard, the Break is applied before the bonus damage.

Patch history

7.41b2026-04-07

• Duration decreased from 60s to 45/50/55s

7.412026-03-24

• Now also applies a 4s Break on hit
• Aghanim's Shard reworkedAghanim's Shard
• Decreases cooldown by 10s. For the first 15s, Nyx Assassin is hasted and has unobstructed pathing

Unburrow

Cooldown 0.0s

ActiveCooldown 0.0s

Emerge from the burrow.

Talents

One of the two per level is chosen. They appear in the order registered in the game files.

Patch history (hero and talents)

Background

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.

Details