The first level 25 hero in the game? Here is a guide on The Sanctifier, Ziya, in Honor of Kings.
Honor of Kings’ potential unlocker has arrived on the official global server. The Sanctifier, Ziya, has arrived to absolve his team's sin. He is the only hero in the game who can access level 25 and gives one of his teammates the ability to do so.
He gains level quickly with his passive to absorb EXP orbs after defeating enemies. This enables him to reach level 15 significantly faster than the other heroes. He is also a capable lane pusher and harasser. All of his abilities have an area of effect and a long range.
With all of his capabilities, here are his skill breakdown, equipment, arcana, and how to play him effectively:
Skills breakdown
Passive - Sanctification
Ziya opens his level limit to level 25. Depending on who he defeats or assists in defeating, he can collect one to three EXP orbs (1 for minions, 1 for jungle monsters, 2 for towers, 3 for Tyrants/Overlords, and 3 for heroes).
When reaching level 15, Ziya gained a one-time ability to unlock one teammate’s potential, giving them 1,200 EXP, the capability to reach level 25, and collecting EXP orbs. Starting from 15, each level will grant heroes a unique stats bonus depending on their role.
Here is the breakdown for every role:
- Tank: +75 Health Points
- Marksman: +3% Attack Speed
- Mage: +10 Magical Attack
- Assassin: +3% Movement Speed
- Fighter: +50 Health Points and 1% Movement Speed
Skill 1: Divine Seal
Ziya places a divine seal in an area. The seal will have three effects on the enemy over its duration:
- Damages the enemy and gives them Damage over Time every 0.4 seconds
- Slows the enemy by 30 to 70% over the duration
- Gradually Reduces the enemy's Physical and Magical by 10 to 20%
If Ziya hits an enemy with this skill, he will gain 30% Movement Speed for 1 second. This skill is Ziya’s bread and butter. He uses this skill to harass, debuff, and make spaces against his enemy.
Skill 2: Divine Punishment
Ziya marked an area. The area deals damage to the enemy twice and launches them with the third hit. This skill is an excellent follow-up to his Divine Seal or ally’s CC to set his ultimate.
Ultimate: Universal Law
Ziya charges his Sanctification power and launches three waves in a straight line. The first two waves deal minor magical damage, while the third deals massive damage to everyone hit. This skill also damages enemy structures by ten per cent of its damage.
Arcana
Total Stats:
- Magical Attack +77
- Magical Lifesteal +5%
- Movement Speed +2%
- Max Health +412.5
- Health/5s +26
- Cooldown Reduction +6.5%
*These stats are based on Level 5 Arcana.
This build uses five main arcana for Ziya: five Harmony, five Reincarnation, five Tribute, five Void, and five Saint. These arcana focused on giving Ziya the necessary damage while providing enough survivability in the crucial early game.
Equipment
1. Boots of Deftness (Switch after 5 minutes or two items to Boots of the Arcane)
One of Ziya's weaknesses in the early game is his mobility and low HP. Boots of Deftness will fix two of his weaknesses so he can transition well to mid-game. In the middle stage of the game, when Ziya has already built one or two items, you can change his boots to Boots of the Arcane to give him magical pierce so his damage ramps up against an unaware enemy.
Stats (Boots of Deftness):
+300 Max Health
Passive - Extreme Speed
Movement Speed +70
Passive - Divine Wind
Increases Movement Speed by 50 when outside of combat.
Stats (Boots of the Arcane):
+25 Mana/5s
Passive - Swift
Movement Speed +60.
Passive - Magical Mastery
Grants 100 Magical Pierce.
2. Mask of Agony
Ziya's signature damage-dealing equipment. Mask of Agony will provide Ziya even more Damage over Time besides his first and second skill. It also gives him the crucial 800 maximum Health to his stats while providing a little cooldown reduction. You can swap this equipment timing with Frozen Breath if you need more CC than damage.
Stats:
+120 Magical Attack
+5% Cooldown Reduction
+800 Max Health
Passive - Torment
When a skill hits a target, it deals magical damage equal to 3% of the target's current health four times over 3 seconds. (up to 200 damage to monsters) (Cooldown: 3 seconds)
3. Frozen Breath
Frozen Breath is Ziya's go-to equipment for making his skill combo more accessible. This equipment will slow Ziya's target by 20% and give him bonus damage against any slowed enemy. It also provides a little survivability to his kit.
Stats:
+160 Magical Attack
+5% Cooldown Reduction
+600 Max Health
Passive - Deep Freeze
When a skill hits, it reduces the enemy's movement speed by 20% for 2 seconds.
Passive - Frostbite
Skills deal 120-400 extra magical damage to targets with reduced Movement Speed. (Cooldown: 5 seconds)
4. Void Staff/Twilight Stream
Void Staff is Ziya's signature magical pierce equipment for teams with a lot of magical defence. This equipment provides him with a whopping 45% magical pierce and a vast 240 magical attack to deal with tanks. If his enemy lacks magical defence, Twilight Stream can be an alternative as it reduces it by a flat amount
Stats (Void Staff):
+240 Magical Attack
+500 Max Health
Passive - Devastation
Magical Pierce +45% (reduces enemy magical defence by 45%)
Stats (Twilight Stream):
+140 Magical Attack
+10% Cooldown Reduction
+300 Max Health
Passive - Purge
Dealing damage to a hero increases Magical Pierce by 16-30 (scaled with levels) for 4 seconds, up to 10 stacks (reduces enemy magical defence by 160-300 at max stacks).
5. Savant's Wrath
The ultimate equipment for Mages in Honor of Kings. Savant's Wrath provides Ziya with tons of magical attack stats to further his damage-dealing potential even more. You only make this equipment in the late game and never get it too soon, as it also boosts other magical equipment you have
Stats:
+240 Magical Attack
Passive - Doom
Magical Attack +30%
6. Tome of Wisdom
The last piece of equipment for Ziya is the Tome of Wisdom. This book has the same purpose as Savant's Wrath, but it relies on other pieces of equipment to fully maximize its passive
Stats:
+400 Magical Attack
+10% Cooldown Reduction
Passive - Enlightenment
Increases damage dealt by 0.8% for every 100 Magical Attack, up to a maximum of 12%.
Situational: Ardent Dominator, Splendor
Both Ardent Dominator and Splendor filled the role of improving Ziya's survivability. Get one of these items if the enemy can easily dive into Ziya. Ardent Dominator provides Ziya with pseudo Purify while giving him a shield when his HP is below 30%. Splendor is a more reactive item as it's only useful if you can react on time against an enemy diver, but it doesn't need Ziya's HP to be below 30%.
How to play Ziya
First and foremost, Ziya needs to get to level 15 as fast as possible and absorb every EXP orb he can. He is a great hero for teaching the players how to lane properly, as it can maximize his experience intake.
While in the early stages, try to stay in his lane as much as possible while still providing necessary support to another lane. However, if it was too risky to get to another lane, Ziya should stay in his lane, as staying alive is his main priority.
When he reaches level 15, he can be more active in helping the other lane. Sanctify your main carry because they will lead your team to victory. However, it is preferable to give your Sanctify to a Marksman or Assassin type of hero as they are the ones who benefit the most from the stat bonuses.
In the late game, you can use your ult as area denial and land your combo to unsuspecting enemies. Ziya has a strong debuff that shreds the enemy defense by 20 percent while also considerably controlling them. However, be wary of enemy assassins as they can one-shot Ziya because he lacks the survivability and mobility to escape them.
As a mage, he can be instrumental if played safe and be a nuisance to the opponents. Be mindful of assassins or any backline diver as he lacks the means to fight them head-on.
