Boards›Champions & Skins

Let's Discuss: Viktor Augments

SquirtsMacintosh·7/14/2014, 1:10:03 AM·5 votes·1,764 views

Viktor

I know there have been some threads about this topic, but most seem to have died out and I feel it is a very important current design flaw. My hope is that this thread re-ignites this discussion. I would love to hear others' ideas on how to make a meaningful adjustment to my favorite champion.

I have been playing Viktor for the entirety of Season 4. He is my favorite champion because it really does take skill to get good with him but it feels like his power cap is pretty high. Along with most of the people here, I maintain the opinion that his augment is really the only change he needs. The Death Augment blows away the other two, and Power Augment is by far the worst. The passive change to his abilities just don't do what I believe they intended them for. Or, are even counteractive to what the skill is for.

For example, W is meant to be a counter engagement tool, so why the increased range with Gravity Augment? To me that promotes using it offensively, even though that is clearly not what W is for and a poorly placed offensive W can have terrible consequences as now the enemy team can freely engage.

For Power Augment, the stats don't really help him all that much even though it is designed (I feel like) to be the option for a tanky build. The movespeed increase is fun but relatively useless in my experience, as it is still hard to peel most champions. Additionally, he doesn't really have low cooldowns so running around enemies doesn't do a whole lot of good. If his ult is not up, he doesn't have very good sustained damage, so I feel like the Power Augment should focus on sustained tanky dps. Instead it makes him a tanky mage with inferior burst (because you don't have Death Augment).

Here are my ideas for changes to his augment. The actual numbers are that important, its the idea behind it that I'm trying to get across.

item 3198 **Death Augment Intended Role: ** *Long Range Hyper Carry Mage *

Change: Shift some of the flat Ability Power you receive into Ability Power per Level. Ultimately give it more power by the end of the game. Currently, you get 3 AP per level and then 45 AP when you buy it and 30% damage on Death Ray for only 1,000 gold. Instead, the core now has 5 AP per level and 25 flat AP. This will reach the same AP as the current Augment by level 10 (75 AP). By level 18 it has an additional 16 AP than the current augment. The 30% damage DoT remains unchanged.

Reasoning: In my opinion, currently there is no reason to not immediately rush Death Augment over all other items, which feels rather limiting. I do this even before getting any mana regen (other than doran ring) because I can full clear back minions with E. My power jump feels too strong once I get my augment, usually around level 5 or 6, sometimes 4 if I'm playing really good. This change helps keep his locked item slot viable into late game. At level 18, it would have 115 AP and a 30% increase on E. That is comparable to end game items like Deathcap.

item 3196 Power Augment Intended Role: Close Range Tanky DPS Mage

Change: This is a complete rework. First lets talk about the stats. Remove both the flat health and the health regen. Add flat armor and magic resist. How much would need to be tested. Let's say 15 each. Add 1 health regen/5sec per level (18 and level 18). Add % total health bonus (again, not sure on amount). Lets say 10%. Moving on to the affected ability. Remove the movespeed active buff. Slightly increase the shield time on Q (from 3 to 4?). While the shield is active, basic attack decrease the cooldown of Q by a small amount (.5 seconds per hit?).

Reasoning: Okay, so that was a lot of change. As I mentioned earlier in this post, the movespeed was fun but not very useful - and definitely does not help Viktor fill the Power Augment's intended role. And again we have moved stats to scale over time. Remember the reason is that the core currently feels too weak as part of a full build. It also fits Viktor's motif of glorious evolution and growing stronger as the match progresses. The % health gives players real motivation for building tanky, as it helps far more the more health you get. The active on Q is the really important change, however. It helps him fill the role of Close Range Tanky DPS. Q is short range, and now gives Viktor an incentive to be in the fray (AA range). It allows for aggressive play to be rewarded with shorter Q cooldowns. Lastly, these changes represent "Power," where the current one really doesn't read "Power."

item 3197 Gravity Augment Intended Role: Medium Damage Utility Mage

Change: As far as stats, I think its pretty close. However, since this augment is supposed to make him a viable support, and he only has 1 utility (W), his support viability relies mainly on poking with his Q and E. This requires a good amount of mana. So I suggest we remove the flat 5 mana regen and add 1 mana regen per level. This is a small buff and maintains our evolution motif. Remove the 30% cast range on W. Instead, the Gravity Augment increases % slow on the Gravity Field. The number on this could be tweaked, but let's say a flat 25%.

Reasoning: The main problem with this augment is in its active. W is meant to be a counter engagement tool, and it is extremely effective in that. But the range increase only promotes using it offensively when it isn't all that effective to use it offensively. The slow increase makes it more reliable CC, which means now you can try to use it offensively more effectively. And it makes it better at what it already does. At max level W with Gravity Augment, the cage would now slow 69% (up from 44%). With more reliable CC, Viktor turns into a more viable support.

In summation, I feel these changes bring the augments up to date and allow for viable build paths into multiple roles, in addition to making Viktor feel like he is growing stronger as the game progresses (glorious evolution). Remember that the numbers could be tweaked, they are just guess by me. My point is that the fundamental mechanic of each augment needs to reflect the role that you have chosen to build towards.

14 Comments

Nickolas Phage7/14/2014, 2:53:14 AM4 votes

If only people cared about Viktor. Here's a bump, if that does anything in the beta o3o.

Thelmon7/14/2014, 3:29:01 AM2 votes

I never liked how you were only able to upgrade one skill. It would almost be nice if you could upgrade your staff one more time to get another bonus to one of your skills/maybe stats too.

That being said, whenever I played Viktor, it seemed ... meh. It's not that he's not powerful, he's quite strong in laning. I just found that late game, his cooldowns really hurt him in team fights.

The Dravening7/14/2014, 3:34:56 AM2 votes

Excellent post.

Flying Buntcake7/14/2014, 5:03:57 AM2 votes

I wish that they either made it a trinket like Rengar item 3166

OR

Boost them like above

Valdr7/14/2014, 6:09:52 AM2 votes

Awesome changes. This is what Viktor needs IMO, as changing the augment to a trinket and keeping their stats, would be too OP for a trinket slot. I like these changes, as they rely on Viktor's core of "evolution" while actually probably being viable in game. The AP Ratio on the death augment might need minor tweaking but other than that, great job. :)

AMiCuBS7/16/2014, 6:27:19 AM2 votes

I think I would be ok with the trinket slotting of it (ala Rengar Bonetooth necklace), and making up the power loss with a 6th item like everyone else, but the utility nerfing would suck, I LIKE the idea of the augment taking up an item slot, and giving unique power boosts.

I think i remember one thread (turn of the year i think) where someone said to make the item a trinket and bake the utility upgrades into like individual spell evolutions (ala Kha'Zix). that would be an ok way to go as well mechanicaly, but would ruin the unique feel of Viktor that i remember from maining him in S2 and playing him quite a bit in S3.

ANother idea i saw before was having upgrades from the augments, since they really do feel balanced as a midgame item (death is closest to an endgame item like deathcap the other 2 are low end midgame items though). So a T3 version of the augments could work as well maybe giving them the extra stats and utility.

Out of the 3 suggestions i just reprinted here though, i like the second one the least. As everyone would have the augment in the trinket slot and all 3 utility upgrades, I like something like the 3rd one (close to te OP's idea) where you use it to differentiate/define your build.

ZattatoThePotato7/15/2014, 2:32:30 PM2 votes

"Remove the 30% cast range on W." This would kill him in the support role. the extar range gives him the safety to get slows and hopefully the stuns.

SquirtsMacintosh7/15/2014, 1:34:13 AM1 votes

A would really love a Rioter to weigh in and open up the discussion a little bit. I really think this is something that should be addressed soon and I'm interested to know what Riot is thinking about it

papaloka7/14/2014, 12:06:08 PM1 votes

why victor Viktor

xNomadx7/14/2014, 2:07:14 PM1 votes

I don't agree with your reworks. I especially don't agree with the people saying make the augment take up the trinket spot. No. If we end up with the augment as a trinket then we're looking at a less powerful Viktor.

Here is what I think:

item 3197 ---Although Gravity field is THE utility spell on Viktor, however I feel he would benefit more if this augment affected his power transfer. Maybe it's too much of a boost, but I feel the added ability should change his Q to act more like Nami's Ebb & Flow (but only one bounce). Be able to cast it on allies with the same effect of transferring to the enemies. This coupled with the mana/cdr would make this a great option for support.

item 3196 ---This is where gravity field should be. Have the added ability to boost resistance or give a damage reduction while the field is active and maybe make it last 1 second longer.

item 3198 ---Because this is what we already choose I feel it is fine as it is. It adds that HUGE early game AP spike that allows us to really take control of the game.

It still makes Viktor have only one predetermined path for whatever role he chooses to play but it at least opens up those other roles as viable options.