500 Soul Weapon Activatable: Critical Hit

[Rosgath]

I know I just posted another T1 Weapon style activatable item yesterday, but another Idea for one came to me just now and I thought I'd put it out there.

Item Name: Critical Hit
Cost: 500 Souls (Tier 1)
Category: Weapon
Stats:
+10% Reload Speed
+50 Health

Active: 18s Cooldown
Your next bullet to hit a target is considered a Headshot, regardless of where it hit the target and has 10% additional lifesteal (5% vs. non-hero targets). The cooldown on this ability begins when the effect is triggered.

Some of us are genuinely awful at hitting headshots. Some characters have different headshot hitboxes which can throw us off. Some people just need to secure headshots for their abilities and want to be able to do so from really really far away (Like Holiday). This item helps them achieve all those goals. 18s Cooldown might be long considering that a Headshot is something that can be done manually, but it can also help with people trying to snipe with things like Headshoot Booster, Spellslinger Headshots, or Headhunter.

 

[Geneva]

Why would this be an active item if the cooldown starts when you shoot a target? If the effect is only desirable on heroes, then it can just be a passive that only triggers on heroes.

 

[Rosgath]

Why would this be an active item if the cooldown starts when you shoot a target? If the effect is only desirable on heroes, then it can just be a passive that only triggers on heroes.

Mostly so you don't accidentally activate on creeps, though it can provide a small amount of sustain/wave clear on creeps if you want to use it on that.

Alternatively, it can be used for extra damage on Guardians/Walkers if you have to attack them from a point that you can't hit their weak points.

 

[StaticSpark]

Understandable premise but when actually considering the execution, there's far too many headshot-reliant procs (headshot booster, headhunter, spellslinger headshots) that this item would become the Über-crutch of every build, and then useless if you can hit your shots. Not to mention this item could have some very unfortunately good synergy with Vindicta ult or Paradox carbine, which both factor in headshots.

 

[Rosgath]

Understandable premise but when actually considering the execution, there's far too many headshot-reliant procs (headshot booster, headhunter, spellslinger headshots) that this item would become the Über-crutch of every build, and then useless if you can hit your shots. Not to mention this item could have some very unfortunately good synergy with Vindicta ult or Paradox carbine, which both factor in headshots.

That's actually kind of the point. There's a HUGE disparity between someone who can consistently land headshots on abilities like that and those who struggle. The goal here is to give an item that can work as a crutch for lower skill players, but it can also be really useful for landing extremely long shots for those abilities (ones where even the best won't be able to consistently make headshots on) even at high level play. The CD is long enough that it can't be used back to back on things like Vindicta's Ult, but it could be handy to help secure a kill on it.

 

[omegatengu]

That's actually kind of the point. There's a HUGE disparity between someone who can consistently land headshots on abilities like that and those who struggle.

Unfortunately that's part and parcel of competitive games

The goal here is to give an item that can work as a crutch for lower skill players, but it can also be really useful for landing extremely long shots for those abilities (ones where even the best won't be able to consistently make headshots on) even at high level play.

Crutch items aren't healthy choices for games as they will make people who are good at the game even better, or they will be a trap item; you'd be better off figuring out how to be more accurate if you want to remain competitive

The CD is long enough that it can't be used back to back on things like Vindicta's Ult, but it could be handy to help secure a kill on it.

18s is not a long CD for something as potent as this btw; at 20m this is the difference between 34 and 106 damage on Holiday whilst using only headshot booster. to put in perspective; at game start a character has between 500 and 700 HP. if only one side grabs this, first item, they've won the lane.
A Paradox would be able to "head"shot for 125-ish at 20m whilst still locking the enemy in place to be riddled after the fact.

I do get the idea behind the item, but unfortunately this is just a case where the game might be asking for a level of skill and/or investment that you currently aren't able to give it and I don't think a new item will help that in a healthy way.