Gunslinger hero suggestion/Holliday Testing Pre-Feedback

Played around the hero in some custom 6v6 lobbies. Obviously she's unreleased, but I have some early feedback and suggestions. Aesthetically she's great, but I think her kit will leave a lot of people sorely disappointed. I think mechanically she's missing a lot of flair. In my opinion, she should be a flick aim heavy hero, which is something missing from the roster and very much fits the vibes of a wildwest gunslinger. My suggestions for her new skills or a different gunslinger type:

Design Idea
People really like gunslingers.
There's no hero that leans in quickshots/reflex type aim currently.
There's a lot of mobility creep, and not much to counter it.
We could do with some more 'pure aim' heroes.

1: Soulfire Lasso
Desciption:
Lasso an enemy with spectral energy, pulling them either up or down to her eye level. This skill interrupts movement and roots them in place for a duration based upon how far the enemy was moved vertically.
Mechanics: Medium range skill shot with a decent hitbox (Around the same as bebop hook) and small wind up. Mild amounts of damage over time. Arrests momentum and drops movement speed to zero briefly.
Visual: She begins twirling her left hand in a wind up, and the spectral whip materialises around her arm as she throws it. It coils snakelike around the enemy, arrests their movement, and after a slight 'looney tunes' impact delay, smashes them down or pulls them up.
Explanation: This is a versatile and unique way to counter mobility, which is a bit out of control in this game right now, IMO.

2: Trickshot
Description:
Flings an enchanted mark into the air infront of her, which hovers in the air briefly for a couple seconds. When Holliday shoots the mark, it ricochets to the nearest enemy, prioritising heroes and dealing bonus damage. The longer the mark is in the air, the less damage it does.
Mechanics: Charge based, she throws it a set distance/height in front of her, with some inertia from movement. The mark ricochets based on it's location, meaning it's possible to get trickshots to hit enemies around a corner. It deals Gun damage + bonus Spirit damage. If there's no enough vertical space (aka fighting in a corridor) it can stick to the wall but lasts for a shorter duration.
Visual: She flicks a silver-blue coin/emblem/skull thingy that glints with an aura, which slowly drifts down like a flare and winks out after a couple seconds.
Explanation: Yes, it's the coin shot from ULTRAKILL. It's one of the best 'gunslinging' mechanics ever made, and it would be super great to add. If you don't know what it is, watch the first few minutes of this video:

3: Unrelenting
Description:
Holliday is infamous for her unrelenting pursuit of her bounty. When rolling, Holliday recovers a percentage of health lost in the last 3 seconds. In addition, when she lands a headshot with her gun, she gains a stacking buff that lasts until she shoots a new enemy hero, upon which it will start to expire. Each stack of the buff grants increased gun damage, increased headshot multiplier, and stamina recovery speed.
Mechanics: As described. Stacks start to expire 5 seconds after shooting a new hero.
Visual: Her shots have silver-blue tracers that scale with her stacks, and she has slight silver-blue particles when she heals from rolling.
Explanation: A passive to help her be a tumbling, scrappy hero but not a direct tank. The headshot buff rewards good aim on the hero. The buff has some wider utility to help her move between lanes or jungle.

4: The Lawbringer
Description:
Unleash the spirit of justice that inhabits her gun, reloading her gun and empowering all her other abilities for a short time.
Mechanics: Soulfire Lasso chains to a second target; Trickshot deals headshot damage; Unrelenting stacks cannot expire. Not a full channel like Yamato, but an animation during which she can run around but not roll. Lasts for maybe 6 seconds?
Visual: A cool as hell reloading gun twirl animation with the spirit pouring out of her gun and infusing her. All her abilities gain extra particley stuff to let people know she's serious.
Explanation: A powerful cooldown that enhances her abilities without removing the importance of aim for her.

Visual Ideas
Make her gun inhabited by a spirit, similar to how Geist has Oathkeeper but it's a different type of spirit. Not quite justice, not quite vengeance. It's silver and blue.

Lore Ideas
Maybe she talks to the gun, maybe she has a frenemy rivalry with Oathkeeper and Geist - sharing a similar condition but being opposed otherwise.


This is pretty much a completely new hero, but I think it's one that people would be excited by, and would be of value to consider for the game. It's got moba depth while being a 'pure gun' character. Let me know your thoughts - is it trash? An interesting idea? Something you hate and would change up?
 
Last edited:
Cool concept. You are right, there is something cool and romantic about gunslingers.
Lasso I understand is a root not pull? Pursuit feels good and in flavor since it forces the prey to face her or disappear asap as running would do not much good either. I can imagine high end players landing more than enough subsquent headshots would complain about mass damage it could produce consistently. Maybe subsequent headshots would add consistent movement and attack bonus for 1 second after a hit? Or simply add decaying bonus (so either Holli catches the prey or it escapes).
Trickshot to me feels too much similar to that dark elven merc from Paladins (perhaps your inspiration?), I don't think this game would want to implement ability so similar. Maybe a change to "holy" grenade you can shoot for more damage? (That is too much OW Ashe for a change :D).
Lawbringer is awesome, it has that feeling of reckoning, right here, right now.
Maybe Abrams could be a reluctant ally? As a cop he'd probably loathe a vigilante but admire the spirit of justice at the same time.
 
That trick shot ability is a really cool idea. I think I almost bought Ultrakill once. That video really cleared things up for me. Yeah, that's gotta be in the game. I haven't checked out this character yet.

Having a lasso ability is a cool idea. Lots of ways you could incorporate that. I didn't understand the description from your skill. My mind goes to positioning control, yes, but more of disarm than immobilize, unless it was a tether effect.

I think you have to be careful with headshot skills that they don't just become "even better headshot" effects. Ideally there's something really unique that happens there.
 
Back
Top