Predecessor Update 1.17: Bloodtide Adds Baron Valmont and Crucible 3v3

What changed#

New Hero: Baron Valmont Baron Valmont enters the roster as a battle-mage transformed by his pact with the blood goddess Lilith. Bound to her soul within an ancient blade, he wields dark blood magic and tragic fury. His kit revolves around Lilith, a persistent weapon entity that acts independently during combat.

Core Statistics

• Health: 685 (+133 per Level)
• Mana: 400 (+60 per Level)
• Movement Speed: 665
• BAT: 1.4
• Physical Power: 49 (+4 per Level)
• Physical Armor: 28 (+5.7 per Level)
• Magical Armor: 29 (+1.15 per Level)
• Attack Speed: 125 (+1.7 per Level)

Abilities

• Hemophagia (Passive): Upon damaging a target with a Basic Attack or Bloodbound, Lilith locks onto that enemy for 4 seconds, attacking them automatically. Her attack speed matches Valmont’s. If she is not attacking or Valmont moves too far, she teleports back. Valmont restores 3-41 Mana based on level whenever an enemy dies within 1500u of Lilith. Hero kills grant an additional 35% of Maximum Mana.
• Crimson Sigil: A ranged basic attack dealing 49 (+60% Bonus Physical Power) damage.
• Rupture: Manifests five blood-forged blades above his head. Over 0.75 seconds, these blades launch sequentially toward the reticle up to 1600u away, detonating on impact for 20/29/38/47/56 (+15% Magical Power) damage in a 300u radius. Cooldown: 8/7.5/7/6.5/6s. Mana Cost: 60/65/70/75/80.
• Bloodbound:
  • Passive: Increases Lilith’s damage by 0/8/16/24/32.
  • Active: Launches Lilith up to 1800u to a targeted location. Deals 70/90/110/130/150 (+60% Magical Power) damage in a 325u radius and slows targets by 30% for 1.5 seconds. Lilith then attacks the nearest enemy. Cooldown: 12/11/10/9/8s. Mana Cost: 40/50/60/70/80.
• Arterial Grip: Fires a Blood Tether up to 1600u that attaches to the first enemy hit. Deals 80/120/160/200/240 (+60% Magical Power) damage over 3 seconds. While tethered, Valmont steals 20/25/30/35/40% Attack Speed, slows the target by 25%, and grounds them. The tether breaks if the target moves 1800u away, breaks Line of Sight, or if Valmont is hit by an immobilizing effect. Cooldown: 16/15/14/13/12s. Mana Cost: 80/90/100/110/120.
• Exsanguinate (Ultimate): Valmont transforms, firing up to three swarms of bats per second to enemies within a 1200u radius. Bats deal 40/70/100 (+22% Magical Power) damage and return to heal Valmont for 25/45/65 (+20% Magical Power). Healing is reduced to 10% effectiveness against non-hero units. Cooldown: 25/15/5s. Cost: 15 Mana per second, increasing by 5 Mana for each subsequent second active.

Augments

• Vein Splitter: Arterial Grip no longer grounds targets. Instead, the tether branches to nearby enemies within 800u of the primary target, dealing 80% damage and applying 100% of the slow.
• Rupturing Fangs: Rupture blades deal 20% less base damage, but total damage increases by up to 100% based on the target’s missing health.
• Sanguine Banquet: Grants 2% (+0.5% Bonus Mana) Omnivamp. Deaths of minions near Lilith permanently increase Valmont’s Maximum Mana by 2, capping at 30 from hero deaths.

Crucible 3v3 Mode A new 3v3 game mode features a single-lane map with a jungle area. Teams compete to destroy the enemy Core.

• Buffs: Gold Buff and Cyan Buff are removed. Orb Prime has been removed from the jungle, but its buff effect is now granted upon killing the Shaper.
• Shaper: Spawns at 10<00> with 4800 HP (+1000 per level), 90 Physical Armor, and 75 Magical Armor. On death, spawns a seedling down the enemy lane and grants the Orb Prime buff.
• Jungle Objectives: The Fangtooth has been replaced by a pack of three Raptor Fangteeth. These spawn every 3 minutes with 3000 HP (+1500 per level), 30 (+8 per level) Physical Armor, and 25 (+1 per level) Magical Armor. Killing Raptors grants “Trouble” stacks, providing a permanent +2% increase to all stats for the entire team per stack, with no limit.

Why it matters#

Baron Valmont introduces a high-skill ceiling hero defined by dynamic positioning and resource management. Players must manage Lilith’s range and recall to maximize mana restoration and damage output. The hero offers significant sustain through Exsanguinate’s self-healing and Hemophagia’s mana recovery, encouraging aggressive engagements around enemy deaths.

The Augment system allows for distinct playstyle customization. Vein Splitter enables area-of-effect crowd control and damage, while Rupturing Fangs transforms Rupture into a execute tool against low-health targets. Sanguine Banquet supports sustained fights through omnivamp and scaling mana pools.

Crucible fundamentally alters the competitive landscape by removing traditional gold and cyan buffs, forcing teams to prioritize the new jungle economy. The Trouble stacking mechanic rewards objective control and coordination, as continuous Raptor kills provide exponential stat growth for the entire team, creating snowball potential that demands precise timing and map awareness.

What to do next#

Update to version 1.17 immediately to access Baron Valmont and the Crucible mode. In custom games or quick play, test Valmont’s ability combos, paying close attention to Lilith’s behavior during Bloodbound casts and Hemophagia triggers. Experiment with Augments to determine which synergizes best with your preferred playstyle. For Crucible, focus on learning the spawn timers for the Raptor Fangteeth and Shaper, as securing these objectives is critical for gaining Trouble stacks and winning lane phases.