Since the decline of the double-support meta, Diablo’s one-shot-punishment style of tanking has been a cornerstone of the meta for the first half of 2018. Though he has proven to be a well-defined hero, Diablo has enjoyed little in the way of talent diversity, even after his previous rework. Up to now, there has been little reason to branch away from the default Shadow Charge build, which is bolstered by the self-sustain of Devil’s Due and the incredible amount of CC and single-target burst provided by Devastating Charge, Domination, and Diabolical Momentum.

With the latest rework, Blizzard aimed to provide more compelling talent options while “preserving his most popular builds.” Based on initial impressions in the community, the former statement may be true, but the latter may not hold water.

Gains and losses

Ability Changes

The adjustment to Diablo’s trait is meant to compensate for the new self-healing from Fire Stomp (W). Previously Diablo’s self-sustain primarily came from regen globe and fountain usage with Devil’s Due.

The changes to Shadow Charge are where most players will feel the greatest impact in this rework. Much of the talent changes down the line place a greater value on Fire Stomp over the Shadow Charge + Overpower combo. As such, a significant amount of damage has been removed from Shadow Charge. The CDR from Diabolical Momentum at Level 7 was also changed from 1.5 seconds to 0.75 seconds, reducing the effective number of Shadow Charges in a team fight. With Shadow Charge now requiring the new Sacrificial Soul talents at Level 4 to gain armor, there is greater risk involved with committing to an engagement. The additional Movement Speed helps aid those moments where Diablo needs to Shadow Charge an enemy without a wall, allowing them to connect with Overpower more frequently.

The Fire Stomp changes seem to be the feature of the rework. While the damage on Fire Stomp was significantly reduced, the smaller angle of the fire arc helps ensure heroes are hit by more flames. Seasoned Diablo players may initially push their targets out of Fire Stomp when relying on old combos, so it will take a few attempts to get a feel for the new style. It is critical for players to maximize Fire Stomp targets, especially on the back swing, as this ties into Diablo’s sustain and CC. These changes, while jarring at first, do feel necessary and a step in the right direction. Fire Stomp feels much more useful and dynamic than before, opening up many new gameplay possibilities. One of the new talent builds focuses on resetting Fire Stomp with Shadow Charge and Overpower. The lower mana costs for Overpower and Fire Stomp help facilitate this new style. Notably, this new design focus shifts Diablo into a sustained damage tank with area control and strong self-healing, like a (significantly) more impactful Johanna.

Lightning Breath is now more viable than ever. The stacking slow provides excellent team fight utility and helps prevent escape from Lightning Breath’s considerable damage. With this change, Diablo now has access to two separate paths of CC, enabling the player to adjust to the enemy team. A full Apoc combo may not be optimal against a team running Uther with Guardian of Ancient Kings or a Stitches with Flea Bag. The Unstoppable provided by Lightning Breath also offers protection against other threats Diablo may face.

Talents

Level 1:

Feast on Fear Stunning an enemy Hero with Shadow Charge or Overpower heals Diablo for 15% of his maximum Health over 4 seconds.

Devil’s Due Black Soulstone increases the effects of Regen Globes and Healing Fountains by 2% per Soul.

Soul Shield Activate to gain 25 plus 50% of Diablo's current Souls as Spell Armor for 4 seconds. Every time Diablo damages an enemy Hero, reduce this cooldown by 1 second.

The new additions to the Level 1 tier certainly provide interesting options for adaptability. Feast on Fear will have significant value in the late game if opting into the 2 extra charges of Overpower from Overpowering Nightmare, however with the changes to Diabolic Momentum there will be fewer Shadow Charges per engagement. The new Soul Shield is an obvious tech choice against burst: with the shield lasting 4 seconds, popping Soul Shield with 100 Souls at the right moment could mitigate a significant portion of a full spell rotation. It has a fun interaction with Lightning Breath, as each tick will reduce Soul Shield’s cooldown. Devil’s Due still feels like the strongest default option, as a strategic pre-tap before an engagement will ensure both survivability and mana sustain.

Level 4:

Sacrificial Soul Stunning a Hero with Shadow Charge grants 5 Souls and 15 Armor for 4 seconds. While at 100 Souls, increase this Armor to 30.

Souls to the Flame Fire Stomp grants 1 Soul every 3 times it damages an enemy Hero, and heals for an additional 1.25% of its damage dealt per Soul.

Life Leech Diablo gains 1 Soul and heals for 1.5% of his maximum Health when Basic Attacking an enemy Hero. While at 100 Souls, increase this healing to 3% of his maximum Health.

Level 4 talents now provide Diablo with new ways to acquire Souls, which is a significant upgrade from relying on farming minions and hero kills. Sacrificial Soul provides the armor on Shadow Charge that was formerly baseline, offering more protection during high commitment engagements. Souls to the Flame feels like the most consistent and reliable talent of this tier, and doesn’t have its value gated behind the 100 Souls barrier. The new Life Leech underperforms compared to the other options in this tier.

Level 7:

Eternal Flames When Diablo stuns an enemy Hero with Shadow Charge or Overpower, reset the cooldown of Fire Stomp.

Malevolence Basic Abilities cause Diablo's next Basic Attack within 6 seconds to deal an additional 100 Spell Damage. Stores up to 2 charges.

Diabolical Momentum When Diablo's Basic Attacks damage enemies, reduce the cooldown of his Basic Abilities by 0.75 seconds.

Prior to the rework, Diabolical Momentum was the dominant choice at all levels. With the new focus on Fire Stomp however, Eternal Flames offers the most appealing benefits. Combined with the other Fire Stomp talents, Diablo gains access to significant self-healing, spell power, CC, and damage mitigation. More Fire Stomps means more tanking. Malevolence appears to be rather strong, adding a flat, single-target damage increase. Malevolence gets even stronger with either Cruelty or Hellfire at Level 13. Diabolical Momentum returns to its May 2016 version, reducing all Basic Abilities by 0.75 seconds per Basic Attack. The talent now provides half of its value towards Shadow Charge and Overpower, but now helps with wave clear -- which may be a much needed benefit given the nerfed damage on Fire Stomp.

Level 13

Devastating Charge Increase Shadow Charge's terrain collision damage by 100%. Quest: Each time an enemy Hero takes terrain collision damage, increase this bonus by 15%, to a maximum of 75%.

Cruelty Stunning an enemy with Shadow Charge or Overpower increases Diablo's Attack Speed by 50% for 5 seconds, up to 100%.

Hellfire Each enemy Hero hit by Fire Stomp grants 2% Spell Power for 10 seconds, up to 30%.

The changes to Devastating Charge are a tragic loss to fans of old Diablo. Gone are the days of chunking 30% of a target’s health with a full Q-E-Q wall-bang combo (with Domination). While the new version still provides a significant damage bonus (roughly 800 damage with the full combo at level 20), the value against tanks is somewhat lost compared to pre-rework. In return, the bonus damage now applies to all enemies, which helps with clearing mercenaries. Cruelty pairs well with Life Leech, Diabolical Momentum, and Malevolence, providing value against comps will low mobility and/or CC. The most appealing talent at this point seems to be Hellfire. The Spell Power is easy to proc, funneling more power into Lightning Breath and Fire Stomp (which also improves healing).

Level 16:

Domination Casting Overpower resets the cooldown of Shadow Charge.

Debilitating Flames Enemy Heroes hit by Fire Stomp are Slowed by 5% for 4 seconds, up to 50%. Heroes Slowed by 25% or more by Debilitating Flames deal 50% less damage.

Overpowering Nightmare Gain 2 additional charges of Overpower, with a 2 second cooldown between uses.

The main goal of any changes to the Level 16 tier was to provide anything that could compete with Domination. Debilitating Flames more than accomplishes this goal. By using Eternal Flames at Level 7 to dish out more Fire Stomps early in a team fight, the disruption and damage reduction can completely tip the scales in your favor. The slows do wonders for any assassin with access to Executioner. Overpowering Nightmare is a strong choice as well, with repeated usage of Overpower completely disrupting the enemy frontline. It also helps enable the benefits of Eternal Flames and Malevolence. The talent demands communication with teammates however, as displacing a target too much without warning can confuse your assassins. Domination is still a strong talent for executing the Q-E-Q combo, however the nerfs to Shadow Charge and Devastating Charge make it less appealing.

Level 20:

Dying Breath Apocalypse's cooldown is reduced by 20 seconds for every enemy Hero hit (to a minimum of 5 seconds) and is cast for free when Diablo dies.

Hellstorm Lightning Breath lasts 200% longer.

Lord of Terror Activate to steal 10% of the maximum Health of nearby enemy Heroes and gain 5 Souls per Hero hit.

Hellgate Teleport and place a demonic rune at target location. After 1.75 seconds, the rune explodes dealing 137 damage and stunning enemies for 1.75 seconds.

The benefits of Hellgate prior to the rework were to help enable the Devastating Charge/Domination Q-E-Q combo. While the teleport is still appealing, the previously mentioned nerfs make other options more interesting. Hellstorm, while hilarious and awesome, will rarely achieve maximum value unless long term zoning is needed or for burning the core. Players are likely to cancel the channel early after the needed value is gained. Lord of Terror fits into the new sustain playstyle well and helps against Garrosh, another popular meta pick right now. Dying Breath can enable some crazy late game plays, but hitting more than 1-2 targets with Apocalypse is a rarity without adequate setup.

Analysis

The changes to Diablo come down to a core philosophy discussion regarding the role of tanks, and may give insight into the new role system coming down the line. For players and game designers alike, the responsibilities of each role can be solved by asking the following questions:

Who is securing kills?
Who is enabling kills?
Who is preventing kills?

In the traditional sense, tanks are the ones enabling kills with their CC and protecting their team with their massive health pool, damage mitigation, and area control. The roles of protection and enabling is also shared by the support role, with some providing more CC than others. Of course, the role of executing a kill on the enemy is largely left in the hands of the damage dealers. Obviously these lines are blurred as more heroes are released, however the basic principles drive core design.

Ignoring the ambiguous Bruiser role for a moment, let us consider the capabilities of each true tank currently in the game.

Anub'arak - Provides control of the frontline with 2-3 forms of CC and enables kills with lockdown. Low to medium damage contribution.

Blaze - Provides control of the frontline with 2 forms of CC and enables kills with lockdown. Can protect allies with damage mitigation talents and Bunker. Medium damage contribution. (Blaze is somewhat half tank, half bruiser).

Diablo - Provides control of the frontline with 3 forms of CC and enables/secures kills with lockdown. Medium to high damage contribution.

ETC - Provides control of the frontline with 2-3 forms of CC and enables kills with displacement and lockdown. Low damage contribution.

Garrosh - Provides control of the frontline with 2-3 forms of CC and enables kills with isolation and lockdown. Low damage contribution. Soaks damage with strong self-sustain.

Johanna - Provides control of the frontline with 2-3 forms of CC and enables kills with lockdown. Provides Basic Attack damage mitigation. Low damage contribution. Soaks damage with strong self-sustain.

Muradin - Provides control of the frontline with 2 forms of CC and enables kills with lockdown. Provides Basic Attack damage mitigation. Low to medium damage contribution.

Stitches - Provides 1-3 forms of CC (Hook, Pulverize, Gorge) and enables kills with isolation. Soaks damage with strong self-sustain. Medium damage contribution.

When compared to his contemporaries, pre-rework Diablo stands out above the rest for his ability to almost single handedly delete an opponent. While the displacement effects of Stitches and Garrosh also have this potential (with aid from structures), Diablo can secure a kill through damage alone. It was not uncommon for high-skilled Diablo players to compete with assassins for top damage after completing Devastating Charge. Diablo could do it all: sustain, control, peel, and kill. The rework shifts Diablo more in line with other tanks, reducing his overall kill potential and repurposing him as a general control tank. His play-making potential through Shadow Charge and Overpower remains, though at a less consistent capacity with the nerf to Diabolic Momentum.

It will be interesting to see how these changes play out on the live servers. In terms of variety and flavor Diablo’s new direction is exciting, however, we’ll have to wait and see how he fits into his more standardised tank role.