After much testing and experimentation, Blackfeather is locked and ready to go. Check out his final ability kit below, and read the last installment of his tale with Phinn and Princess Malene. And to see Blackfeather in full-match action, be sure to watch the special Blackfeather Dev Livestream today at 2PM PST/22GMT!
MEET THE ASSASSIN BLACKFEATHER
Blackfeather is a striking duelist who pierces the hearts of his opponents. When building weapon items, he becomes a powerful assassin. Building crystal and utility items instead unlocks powerful effects for himself and his team. He performs well in the lane where he can focus on accumulating gold early in the match.
HEARTTHROB (HEROIC PERK)
Blackfeather’s attacks and abilities apply Heartthrob stacks to enemies. This stacks twice on minions and monsters and up to five times on heroes and objectives. Any time stacks are added or refreshed, Blackfeather also deals bonus crystal damage for each stack of Heartthrob already on the target.
Instead of energy, Blackfeather uses Focus for his abilities. Focus is capped at 100 and naturally regenerates 7.5 per second. Blackfeather also recovers an additional 10 focus for each basic attack he lands.
FEINT OF HEART
Blackfeather lunges to his target and basic attacks. For the next 4 seconds, the target leaves behind a rose trail that grants Blackfeather and his allies move speed when moving through it. When this ability is used against a target with full Heartthrob stacks (shown as broken hearts), it will execute the target for bonus true damage based on the target’s missing health (capped against non-heroes).
Overdrive: The rose trail also makes Blackfeather and allies unslowable. Additionally, the cooldown for Feint of Heart is reset if the target is killed within 0.5 seconds.
ON POINT
Blackfeather pierces all enemies in a line, damaging them and applying a decaying slow for 1 second. The duration of this slow is increased by 0.3 seconds for each stack of Heartthrob on the target. If this hits at least one enemy hero, Blackfeather also gains a barrier that scales with a percentage of his bonus health and recovers focus. The amount of focus recovered is further increased with a percentage of his max energy and a percentage of his energy recharge.
Overdrive: On Point gains increased range.
ROSE OFFENSIVE
Blackfeather cuts through his opponents, basic attacking all enemies along his path. During the dash, Blackfeather is immune to negative effects and takes greatly reduced damage. This ability has 2 charges.
NEW LORE: LOVE’S FAILED KISS
By SugarVenom
Phinn chewed on his pipe while a bobber floated on the still water of a pond. He sat on a rock, half snoozing, jerking awake whenever his fishing pole slipped out of his claws.
On the grass beside him, Blackfeather had surrounded the unconscious princess with plucked flowers. “Look at her,” whispered Blackfeather in awe. “Is she not the most captivating thing you have ever seen? Her hair. Her pale skin. Her delicate fingers, how they clutch her prized mirror! Her eyebrows, arched as if to say… as if to say…”
“…let me sleep,” said Phinn.
“No, that’s not it. There is a… a dare in her expression. ‘Do you dare to do what must be done?’ Yes, your highness, I…”
“I meant, let me sleep,” said Phinn with a sharp-toothed yawn. “You kept me up all night with your princess-stealing.”
“How can you think of slumber when such an adventure is about?” Blackfeather dropped with great drama to his knees beside the princess and tucked her hair behind her ears. “When such a beauty needs aid? Never fear, my lady. Blackfeather is here.” With that, he bent and brushed his lips against hers.
Phinn snored.
Susie, perched comfortably on Phinn’s nose, tweeted a morning song.
A red-whiskered carp poked its head out of the pond to peer with suspicion at the bobber.
Princess Malene did not stir.
“That’s bizarre,” said Blackfeather, startling Phinn awake. “Something went wrong with the kiss.”
“Like as not, it’s your technique,” said Phinn, making eye contact with the carp. “Kissing is an art. It’s all in the incisors.”
“I weep for troll women.”
“I haven’t yet had a complaint,” said Phinn as he casted again, landing the bait closer to the curious carp. “Come on, now. Heeeere my little breakfast. Take the juicy worm, now.”
“Your provinciality would drain the romance out of any but this exquisite moment,” said Blackfeather, and again he lowered himself to press his lips to Princess Malene’s, lingering longer this time.
Susie ate a fly out of Phinn’s ear.
The carp nibbled the bait.
Phinn snorted awake and yanked up his pole, piercing the carp through its coquelicot-mustachioed lip.
Princess Malene did not stir.
“Preposterous!” cried Blackfeather. He pouted with crossed arms while Phinn reeled in the carp. “Something is wrong with her, because I am the best kisser in this land.”
Phinn raised up his wriggling catch, but Blackfeather was too despondent to admire it. “Maybe she needs to be awake to enjoy it,” offered Phinn.
“That is the point of the kiss,” cried Blackfeather, startling Susie. “To wake her up.”
The carp died.
“Kisses don’t wake up princesses. Who told you that nonsense?” Phinn bit the head off his breakfast and chewed while shaking his head at his friend.
“They don’t?”
“Of course not. Only the tickle of a seraphim’s feather will wake a sleeping princess. Blue feathers work best.”
Susie nodded in agreement.
“That … that makes so much sense!” Blackfeather sighed with relief. “Why else would my kisses be ineffective? Now, where do we get this famed azure plume?”
“Beats me. Not as many seraphim about as there used to be. Why do you care anyway? I thought we were her kidnappers, not her heroes.”
“We can’t very well collect a bounty on a princess in a coma.”
“Seems you rather like her.”
“Like her? Dear, sweet Phinneas. The crevasse between heroism and villainy is not wide, but it is deep.”
“Take care not to fall in when you jump over, then.” Phinn swallowed the remainder of the carp and, as was his habit after eating anyway, fell again to napping. Once he was sure that Phinn wasn’t watching, Blackfeather took Princess Malene’s hand.
“I shall be the one to tickle you awake, your highness,” he whispered. “I care not where the adventure takes me.”
To be continued … someday.
READ MORE BLACKFEATHER LORE
As a kid, I was obsessed with which was the best fighter plane, interceptor, attack plane, all these different things. I expressed that in the Supersonic Skye skin system, giving her more variation to the theme. People who play Skye are protective of her, so I wanted to do honor to her and make her very aspirational. For me, that means mech upgrades. Supersonic Skye looks faster, more mobile and more lean. The “Black Eagles” Korean aerobatic team was a big inspiration.
This new Celeste skin is equal parts royalty and equal parts sci-fi. The look and feel of her clothing is like futuristic liquid gold, reflecting light as if she was a Celeste-sized, golden chrome trophy. Her regal fashion connects seamlessly into her high-tech shoulders and headdress.
KENSEI
MALENE
TONY
