Hydroid... Reprise

[ChangelingRain]

This isn't exactly a Hydroid rework. I mean, it is, but it's not really aimed at changing his gameplay, just modernizing it. I hope you have fun reading it, because Hydroid isn't getting reworked this year I'm pretty sure.

Passive:

• One change - while tentacles spawned by Hydroid's passive work the same way they currently do, they will now dunk captured enemies into Undertow or the Kraken's clutches, if either are in range.

Tempest Barrage:

• Casting readies barrages of cannonfire for [duration] and grants a target indicator on your aim reticle. You do not have to charge to increase damage or area.
• When there are enemies within range of the area around your reticle, a barrage of cannonfire is fired at that area after a brief delay.
• Additional barrages fire with increasing speed while enemies remain in range of the reticle, resetting, and ceasing fire, once there are no enemies within a larger area.
   
• Each enemy in range will be hit by at least one cannon shot, but can't be hit by more than three cannon shots per barrage of cannonfire.
   
• While in Tidal Surge or Undertow, the area is centered on you instead of your reticle.

Corroding Barrage:

• In addition to the status proc, now adds some actual Corrosive damage to the barrage,

So, the first big change is to Tempest Barrage, and it's technically a pretty simple one - instead of targeting the area around your reticle, it targets the area around your reticle, which just serves to make Hydroid more mobile while preserving the 'cannon barrage' aspect of his kit. This does technically make him a little worse at area control, but as you will see later this isn't a nerf in that sense.


Tidal Surge:

• Hydroid becomes a wave and surges forwards, with slight turning power - roughly 50-75% of what Lavos has with Vial Rush.
• The wave itself rapidly accelerates up to its maximum speed, but whenever it picks up an enemy, it briefly slows down and gets wider up to a maximum width that scales with range.
• Enemies caught by the wave suffer Impact damage, while enemies in the wave take constant Magnetic and Cold damage.
   
• When you strike a wall with Tidal Surge, the wave breaks for a burst of additional damage to all enemies that struck the wall with you. Enemies that strike a wall before you do take the bonus damage, but get dropped from the wave.
• Otherwise, if Tidal Surge ended without striking a wall(or was canceled), enemies go sprawling - this also happens if they got carried into an area the wave couldn't actually reach, or the wave broke with them too far from a wall.
   
• Tidal Surge's range is now based on a maximum number of meters traveled per cast - both Ability Range and Ability Duration can affect this.
   
• When moving past Tentacle Swarm's Kraken with Tidal Surge, the Kraken will be picked up and move with you, and will be put down wherever the wave ends.
  • Additionally, the Kraken draws enemies caught in the wave to the center, applying its damage to them and ensuring they can take damage from the wave breaking.

Tidal Impunity:

• In addition to preventing status effects, if any status effects are removed from you or allies their shields will be fully restored.

This is another big change, but it's not really that different to what Tidal Surge currently does - just more useful at what it's intended for. You're probably wondering what the Kraken is at this point, and I'll give you a hint - it's the best part of Tentacle Swarm currently.


Undertow:

• Hydroid becomes a pool of water that drags enemies to their doom.
• There are several small changes to this ability, but it largely acts and interacts the same as it currently does;
  • The pool now moves at about 90% of Hydroid's sprinting speed, and doesn't cost energy to move.
  • You can still grab enemies into the pool with a tentacle for 5 energy per tentacle, but this tentacle grab is free when within Tentacle Swarm's area.
  • Any enemy that touches the pool is instantly dragged in by tentacles, taking escalating True damage rather than Impact.
  • As a cosmetic bonus, enemies will occasionally flail their way up from the pool before being dragged back in, to make it more obvious that allies can shoot the pool.
     
• You can still cast your other abilities while in Undertow, with changes for Tidal Surge and Tentacle Swarm;
  • Tidal Surge's maximum range and base width are reduced when cast, but all enemies carried by it will be dragged into the pool when it ends.
  • Tentacle Swarm will be centered on the pool rather than on the reticle.

Curative Undertow:

• In addition to healing allies on the pool, the tentacle grab also applies that healing when it hits allies outside of the pool's range.

Undertow's only real change is to increase movement speed and do True damage rather than Impact, to increase its lethality.


Tentacle Swarm:

• Hydroid summons the mighty Kraken, which uses its tentacles to drag enemies to it and drain their life force. You do not have to charge to increase area or damage.
• Enemies within the area, centered on the Kraken, will be grabbed by tentacles, which do low damage over time and intelligently drag enemies to the Kraken, which suspends them midair for increased damage over time, without holding them with a tentacle.
• The Kraken can only manifest so many tentacles at once - where possible, it will use multiple tentacles to drag an enemy to it faster, but if all of its tentacles are manifested it will remove excess tentacles from enemies so that it only uses one per enemy.
   
• If Undertow is active and within Tentacle Swarm's area, the Kraken will instead drag enemies to the pool and dunk them in, rather than dragging them to it.

Pilfering Swarm:

• In addition to enemies held by tentacles, Pilfering Swarm now counts enemies held in Tidal Surge while the Kraken is also held in Tidal Surge, enemies held in Undertow, and enemies held directly by the Kraken.

This is a much bigger change - rather than spawning tentacles that are deeply unhelpful, limited in their ability to group enemies, and significantly lose coverage with range, the tentacles will actively 'group' enemies up by making the Kraken, or Undertow, hold them for you. This makes it easier to aim(big ball of floating enemies right where you cast it!) and easier for other tenno to deal with(big ball of easy to target floating enemies right there!) while providing much of the same benefit and actually scaling usefully with range.


This may be a vision of a Hydroid you'll never get to play, but it's one with actual synergy - use Tidal Surge to reposition your Kraken rather than recasting it, be rewarded for casting Undertow by having enemies pretty much thrown at you to drown, and uhhhhhh, Tempest Barrage is cool now? That last one isn't synergy but it is a bonus.

[Hypernaut1]

One small change I would like it for his passive tentacle spawn be 100% with a 50% chance of 2 and a 25% of 3. 

And a steerable tidal surge.