Thoughts on some Nocturne changes
To get it out of the way, no, I don't Noc is in a particularly bad place right now. He can take the new jungle in stride, and his post-6 ganks are as good as they can be. But right now, I feel like some improvements could be made, something to make him more interesting. Not necessarily more viable, though that may occur, but something to really give him a playstyle all of his own.
So Nocturne's most iconic ability is naturally his ultimate Paranoia. A move that shrouds the battlefield in darkness, throwing the enemy team off balance as Nocturne comes screaming in for the kill. But for a creature who supposedly makes his home in the dark, Noc's ult doesn't do much beyond "Blind enemy team, super dash to one target." I think we can do better than that.
My proposal is pretty simple: While Paranoia is active, Nocturne's abilities gain additional effects based on the level of Paranoia.
Duskbringer: Targets on a Dusk Trail are revealed to Nocturne, and Nocturne gains 10/15/20 armor penetration against these targets. Shroud of Darkness: If Shroud of Darkness blocks an enemy ability, it refreshes for an additional 1 second. This can occur 1/2/3 time(s) per cast. Unspeakable Horror: Tether duration is reduced by .5/1.0/1.5 seconds. Damage and fear duration is unchanged. Paranoia: Duration changed to 3/4/5 seconds.
Possible drawback nerfs: Less attack damage on Duskbringer, less damage on Unspeakable Horror
These changes are meant to push Nocturne towards a simple goal: To become the terror that flaps haunts in the night. I think the core concept is pretty solid, but I'm a bit iffy on some of the numbers. But these are just my thoughts. Any feedback would be appreciated. Question, comment, concern away!