At long last, here’s a post about the newest item, Hexdrinker. I can definitely see the need for such an item, and it seems like this could be an early step toward addressing the power of Banshee’s Veil against mages. Hexdrinker works as follows:
+35 Attack Damage
+30 Magic Resistance
UNIQUE Passive: If you would take Magic Damage which would leave you at less than 30% of your Maximum Health, you first gain a shield which absorbs 300 Magic Damage for 4 seconds. 45 second cooldown.
For a total cost of 1800 gold, it’s really not a bad item. I often have a hard time deciding on my early-game magic resist item for my DPS toons and this readily fills that spot. The shield actually works quite well for the mid-game (levels 9-15 in my mind). The 300 damage shield is just enough to keep you alive in most instances without feeling heavily unbalanced to play against.
The big problem I see with Hexdrinker is that it doesn’t combine into anything. That will probably come at some point (as leaked in the picture above), as we’ve seen with the Gunblade, but for now it can feel like a wasted slot, especially if an opponent gets ahead. A fed Anivia will blow through 300 damage without thinking about it, but if you’re playing some controlled and consistent games, this could be a good choice for you.
Speaking of Gunblade, there’s an item that got a huge buff. Both spell vamp and lifesteal got serious boosts, which is good. I never believed in Gunblade, but it certainly looks a little more attractive for a few toons. The other spell vamp item, Will of the Ancients, got a nice cost reduction and a vamp boost. Again, it’s an item I never think to use. I might have to find space in my Vlad build.
Sword of the Divine got a small buff, but who uses that item anyway. Oracle’s now has a little truesight eye over the wearer, which is really nice. I do wish it was a little more pronounced. If you put a ping mark on a target it can be hard to see, but then again, you’re probably marking them for a reason.
