Nyx Assassin
Deep in the Archive of Ultimyr, shelved between scholarly treatises on dragon cladistics and books of untranslatable spells, there is an ancient tome of entomological curiosities. Compiled by scholars, the book describes the telepathic talents of the zealot scarab, a strange species of social insect with abilities unique to all the seven planes. Unlike most grubs of his colony, Nyx Assassin did not arise from metamorphosis with the plodding thoughts and blunted appendages common to the worker caste of his kind. For his was a special transformation, guided by the grace of Nyx. He was the chosen one, selected from the many and anointed with an extract of the queen goddess herself. Not all survive the dark blessing of the queen's chamber, but he emerged with a penetrating mind, and dagger-like claws--his razor sharp mandibles raking the air while his thoughts projected directly into the mi…
Hero lore
Deep in the Archive of Ultimyr, shelved between scholarly treatises on dragon cladistics and books of untranslatable spells, there is an ancient tome of entomological curiosities. Compiled by scholars, the book describes the telepathic talents of the zealot scarab, a strange species of social insect with abilities unique to all the seven planes. Unlike most grubs of his colony, Nyx Assassin did not arise from metamorphosis with the plodding thoughts and blunted appendages common to the worker caste of his kind. For his was a special transformation, guided by the grace of Nyx. He was the chosen one, selected from the many and anointed with an extract of the queen goddess herself. Not all survive the dark blessing of the queen's chamber, but he emerged with a penetrating mind, and dagger-like claws--his razor sharp mandibles raking the air while his thoughts projected directly into the mi…
Compact stat and ability fields shown here were checked against patch 7.41e where this model represents the changed field. Talents and full mechanics remain in the official notes.
Nyx Assassin abilities
Rock spikes burst from the earth along a straight path. Enemy units take damage, then are hurled into the air and stunned.
Deals damage equal to a percentage of the target's Max Mana and burns part of it away. Deals additional damage equal to a percentage of the damage the target has taken from Nyx Assassin in the last 15s. Resets accumulated damage before applying damage.
When activated while above ground, Spiked Carapace reflects and negates damage dealt to Nyx Assassin (max once from each source), as well as stunning the source of the damage. Activating Spiked Carapace will not break Vendetta invisibility. While Burrowed, Sp…
Nyx Assassin buries himself beneath the battlefield over a short duration. Once burrowed, Spiked Carapace instantly stuns nearby enemies when cast, the range of Mind Flare and Impale is increased, and Impale's cooldown is decreased. While burrowed, Nyx Assass…
No Target, Hidden
Nyx Assassin's damage on enemies also burns mana as a percentage of the damage dealt.
Passive, Hidden
Nyx Assassin becomes invisible and gains a speed bonus. If Nyx Assassin attacks to break the invisibility, massive bonus damage is dealt with the attack that applies a break to the target. Nyx Assassin has 75 additional attack range and a 70% faster attack an…
Emerge from the burrow.
Hidden, No TargetPopular items by game phase
OpenDota professional-match aggregate as of Jul 21, 2026, 9:50 PM UTC. Popularity rows are independent phase totals, not a coherent build, sequence, or win-rate advice.
Starting
6 items- 1
Iron Branch80 selections · 16.8% - 2
Blood Grenade69 selections · 14.5% - 3
Tango65 selections · 13.7% - 4
Boots of Speed54 selections · 11.4% - 5
Observer and Sentry Wards49 selections · 10.3% - 6
Sentry Ward44 selections · 9.3%
Early
6 items- 1Boots of Speed44 selections · 36.1%
- 2
Arcane Boots13 selections · 10.7% - 3
Tranquil Boots11 selections · 9% - 4
Urn of Shadows10 selections · 8.2% - 5
Bottle9 selections · 7.4% - 6
Null Talisman8 selections · 6.6%
Mid
6 items- 1
Staff of Wizardry49 selections · 17.1% - 2
Eul's Scepter of Divinity30 selections · 10.5% - 3
Blink Dagger29 selections · 10.1% - 4Arcane Boots27 selections · 9.4%
- 5
Point Booster25 selections · 8.7% - 6
Dagon13 selections · 4.5%
Late
6 items- 1Blink Dagger24 selections · 16.4%
- 2Eul's Scepter of Divinity23 selections · 15.8%
- 3
Aghanim's Scepter15 selections · 10.3% - 4
Force Staff11 selections · 7.5% - 5
Octarine Core10 selections · 6.8% - 6
Soul Booster9 selections · 6.2%
More heroes to explore
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Nyx Assassin — frequently asked
What are Nyx Assassin's abilities in Dota 2?
Nyx Assassin's abilities are Impale, Mind Flare, Spiked Carapace, Burrow, Mana Burn, Vendetta, Unburrow. It is a Universal melee hero played as Disabler, Nuker, Initiator.
What is Nyx Assassin's primary attribute?
Nyx Assassin is a Universal hero, starting with 17 strength (+2.7/lvl), 18 agility (+2.9/lvl) and 21 intelligence (+2.6/lvl), and a base move speed of 310.
What do the popular Nyx Assassin item phases mean?
The saved OpenDota aggregate is dated 2026-07-22. The phase lists summarize professional-match item popularity; they are not one coherent build, a recommended sequence, or win-rate advice.