Night Stalker
Balanar, the Night Stalker, is a creature of darkness who thrives when the sun sets. He becomes utterly terrifying during nights, hunting his prey with unmatched ferocity and speed.
At a Glance
Core Principles
“Darkness is your domain. The night holds no secrets from the hunter, only victims waiting to be found.”
Embrace the Night
You are the king of darkness. When night falls, you transform into an unstoppable force. Use every second of darkness to create chaos and fear.
Patience is Power
Hunter knows when to strike. During day, farm and prepare. When night comes, unleash hell. Mistimed aggression wastes your limited effectiveness.
Vision is Victory
You see what others cannot. Use this advantage to scout, gank, and escape. Enemy vision slots are your playground during night.
Isolate and Eliminate
You hunt alone, but strike with purpose. Find isolated targets, apply lockdown, and ensure kills before help arrives. เป็นราชาแห่งการจับคู่ 1v1.
Terror Tactics
Your greatest weapon is fear. Even failed ganks create psychological pressure. Make enemies hesitate, and victory follows.
Unrestricted Movement
Dark Ascension makes you unstopclaimable. No terrain, no wards, no mines can contain you. Use this freedom to appear where least expected.
Hero Overview
Night Stalker is a unique strength hero whose power fluctuates dramatically between day and night. While formidable at all times, he becomes a terrifying force during darkness, with increased movement speed, vision, and ability effectiveness. His game revolves around creating fear and uncertainty through relentless ganks and vision control.
NS's gameplay is a game of timing and terror. During day, focus on farming and positioning. When night comes, transform into an unstoppable ganking machine. Use your enhanced speed and vision to hunt isolated heroes, then disappear before enemies can coordinate a response. Dark Ascension turns you into an unobstructed nightmare that can ignore terrain and wards, making you nearly impossible to pin down.
Pros
- Incredible mobility and vision at night
- Strong single-target lockdown with Void and Crippling Fear
- Unobstructed movement during Dark Ascension
- Excellent ganker with night-time speed boost
- Can eat ancient creeps with Agh's Shard
Cons
- Weak during daytime with low mobility
- Limited effectiveness in large teamfights
- Requires good night time management
- Vulnerable when unable to secure kills
- Dependent on enemy positioning for effectiveness
Ability Analysis
Void
Target UnitNight Stalker smites an enemy, dealing damage and applying a slow. At night, also applies a ministun.
Notes: Primary ganking tool. During night, the ministun can interrupt channeling spells and TP scrolls. Use it to catch fleeing enemies or prevent escapes. Max this first for effective ganking.
Crippling Fear
ActiveNight Stalker horrifies an enemy, performing a strike and causing them to become silenced. If cast at night, also applies a miss chance.
Notes: Devastating silence that bypasses common dispels. At night, the miss chance makes enemy carries ineffective. Use on spell-reliant heroes or carries who need to right-click accurately.
Hunter in the Night
PassiveNight Stalker is in his element at night, moving faster and seeing better.
Notes: This passive defines your gameplay. The speed bonus makes you one of the fastest heroes at night. Use it for fruitful ganks and escapes. Night vision advantage lets you spot enemies before they see you.
Dark Ascension
ActiveNight Stalker gains unobstructed movement and enables the night, granting his night bonuses to all heroes.
Notes: Game-changing ultimate. Use it during crucial ganks or teamfights. Unobstructed movement allows you to ignore terrain and avoid wards/mines. The forced night benefits your entire team while enhancing your abilities.
Dark Ascension (Aghanim's Scepter)
ActiveNIGHT STALKER PATHES CLOSE TO A TARGET ENEMY HERO, PUNCHING THEM AND APPLYING A Fear DEBUFF. CAN't BE DISPELLED.
Notes: The Aghanim's Scepter upgrade adds an initiation tool that can single out target enemies. The unremovable fear ensures enemies cannot fight back even with BKB. Use it to isolate key targets before teamfights.
Developer's Notes
Developer Insights
Night Stalker is the ultimate night predator, transforming from a mundane strength hero into an unstoppable force when darkness falls.
Key Insights:
- Hunter in the Night makes you incredibly fast at night - abuse this mobility
- Void is your primary ganking tool, but only ministuns at night
- Dark Ascension grants unobstructed movement - perfect for avoiding wards and mines
NS thrives on terror and momentum. Create chaos during nights and force enemies to play sloppily through constant pressure!
Game Strategy
Early Game
Timeframe: 0-15 minutes Objective: Survive daytime and prepare for night dominance Key: Play conservative during day due to low vision and speed; Build core items while farming efficiently; Prepare gank routes before nightfall; Coordinate night timing with team Tips: Use daylight to farm jungle camps between waves; Save mana for essential night-time ganks; Set up vision in key ganking areas; Communicate night timing to allies for coordination
Mid Game
Timeframe: 15-30 minutes Objective: Dominance successful ganks and control the map Key: Use night speed for unpredictable gank patterns; Target isolated heroes for easy kills; Contrast between lanes to keep enemy guessing; Push objectives after successful ganks Items: Armlet of Mordiggian (Damage output); Blink Dagger (Surprise initiations); Smoke of Deceit (Coordinated ganks) Tips: Show yourself in one lane, TP to another for unpredictability; Use unobstructed movement to avoid common ward spots; Place aggressive wards during night with your speed advantage; Coordinate with team to maximize night pressure
Late Game
Timeframe: 30+ minutes Objective: Transform into a teamfight disruptor and carry Key: Use Aghanim's Scepter to isolate key targets; Maintain vision control during extended nights; Peel for carries while providing lockdown; Save abilities for critical moments Items: Aghanim's Scepter (Isolation tool); Black King Bar (Spell immunity); Heart of Tarrasque (Durability) Tips: Focus on disabling enemy carries with Crippling Fear; Use Dark Ascension duration for maximum impact; Maintain vision advantage for team positioning; Target enemies without escape mechanisms first
Tips & Strategies
Vision Control Mastery
- Your night vision equals most heroes' day vision - use this to scout from unexpected angles.
- During day, you see as poorly as heroes see at night. Be extremely careful about positioning.
- Use your night speed to place aggressive wards safely, then escape before enemies can respond.
- Enemy heroes don't expect you to see them from long distances at night - use this psychological advantage.
Ganking Psychology
- Use TP scrolls during night to create unpredictable gank patterns across the map.
- Show yourself in one lane, then immediately TP to another once the wave dies - maximum confusion.
- Avoid traditional ganking routes; use your speed to take paths enemies don't consider warding.
- Create terror through constant pressure - even failed ganks make enemies play defensively.
Dark Ascension Tactics
- Unobstructed movement means you ignore Techies mines and can path through terrain freely.
- Use the forced night duration to maximize team advantage - communicate timing clearly.
- The flying unit status provides unique tactical opportunities - use cliffs and trees for ambushes.
- Save Dark Ascension for critical teamfights or when you need to escape impossible situations.
Item Guide
Starting Items
Basic survivability and mana sustain for early laning. Stout Shield mitigates harass, while clarity ensures you can use abilities to secure kills.
Stout Shield, Tangos, Clarity
Core Items
Power Treads provide stats and tread switching. Echo Sabre enhances your attack pattern and mana pool. Armlet gives massive damage potential - toggle during ganks for burst damage.
Power Treads, Echo Sabre, Armlet of Mordiggian
Situational Items
Blink for surprise initiations, BKB against magic damage, Silver Edge for break effect, Aghanim's for ultimate upgrade. Choose based on game needs.
Blink Dagger, Black King Bar, Silver Edge, Aghanim's Scepter
Counter Guide
Good With
Night Stalker excels with heroes who can capitalize on his night-time dominance and ganking pressure. Spectre benefits greatly from NS's ability to create chaos, allowing her to Haunt and pick off fleeing targets. Void Spirit provides additional burst damage that complements NS's lockdown - Void+Dissimilate combos are devastating at night. Pudge works wonderfully as both heroes excel at isolating and eliminating single targets - NS disables, Pudge hooks from safety. Earthshaker can follow up NS initiations with devastating Echo Slams on grouped enemies. Spirit Breaker creates a double-gank threat that overwhelms enemies trying to escape. The key synergy lies in heroes who can convert NS's isolation plays into guaranteed kills through high burst damage or additional lockdown.
Bad Against
Night Stalker struggles against heroes who neutralize his core strengths or exploit his weaknesses. Phoenix forces daytime during Supernova, completely negating NS's night-time bonuses and often used as a direct counter. Slark with 1800 night vision counters NS's vision advantage and can easily escape ganks with Dark Pact and Shadow Dance. Abaddon's Borrowed Time and Aphotic Shield make ganking nearly impossible, while his increased healing withstands NS's damage output. Oracle can dispel Crippling Fear with Fortune's End and heal through void damage with False Promise. Luna and Lycan both receive bonus night vision that counters NS's vision advantage. Silver Edge carriers apply break, removing Hunter in the Night bonuses. Heroes with high night vision, strong dispels, or abilities that force daytime completely undermine NS's entire gameplay premise.
Good Against
Night Stalker dominates heroes who rely on vision, positioning, or spell casting to be effective. Crystal Maiden and Witch Doctor become easy prey with their reliance on channeling spells - Crippling Fear lasts through BKB and Void's ministun interrupts channels. Invoker loses his spellcasting advantage when silenced and forced into melee range during night. Sniper and Drow Ranger suffer from their squishy nature and lack of escape mechanisms - NS's speed advantage makes them easy pickoffs. Shadow Shaman and Lion become useless when silenced, unable to use their crucial disables. Tinker cannot teleport away when silenced and has no natural escape. NS's combination of high mobility, extended vision, and strong single-target lockdown makes him a nightmare for these heroes who depend on staying safe at range or casting spells from distance.