The blaster of Jixia Academy, Meng Ya! Here's a guide on mastering Meng Ya on the Honor of Kings' global server.
Image courtesy of Honor of Kings
Honor of Kings released the blaster of Jixia Academy, Meng Ya, on the global server a few weeks ago in conjunction with the Honor of Kings Championship 2024. Meng Ya is a marksman with a strong area of effect damage and sustain.
With his spam-able skills, he's excellent in long-duration fights. His ultimate has a long range and can hit many enemies multiple times. Here's his skill breakdown, along with his equipment, arcana, and tips on how to play him effectively:
Skills breakdown
Passive: Fiery Temper
For every 5% increase in Attack Speed, cooldown is reduced by 1%. Gains 5 Anger upon Basic Attack and skill hits (10 upon Critical Hit). At max Anger, enters the Excited state (Maximum is 100 Anger).
Excited: Enhances all skills and reduces the cooldown of Awesome Barrage and Heavy Shot by 25%-50% (depending on Level) while restoring (0 to 3+1% Physical Attack) Health for every 1 surplus Anger. When not gaining any Anger for 3 seconds, Anger will begin to diminish over time.
Skill 1: Awesome Barrage
Uses the Apocalyptor to strafe continuously for 5 seconds. Each bullet deals (40 to 80+34% Physical Attack) physical damage. While strafing, Movement Speed is reduced by 50. Enters cooldown after casting.
Excited: Bullets have a piercing effect, dealing 50% damage to subsequent enemies. Firing speed is increased by 1% for every 1.5% ASPD, up to 100%.
Skill 2: Heavy Shot
Shoots a heavy round in the target direction, dealing (150 to 300+25% Physical Attack) physical damage to all enemies hit and slowing them for 25%-50% for 2 seconds. When the round hits an enemy or wall or reaches its maximum range, it explodes into 5 splinters that can ricochet off walls and deal (300 to 600+50% Physical Attack) physical damage to the first enemy they hit.
Excited: The number of splinters increases from 5 to 9.
Skill 3: Missile Mayhem
Meng Ya scans the vicinity and marks the locations of enemies within range when they take damage from him or his teammates (up to 5 locations can be marked simultaneously). When the scan is complete, he fires missiles that deal (250 to 500+100% Physical Attack) physical damage. Subsequent hits on the same target deal 75% less damage and grant 10 anger.
He fires up to 1 missile every second for 8 seconds after the scan. 50% of the skill's cooldown is refunded if the skill is cancelled or interrupted.
Excited: The minimum interval between subsequent missiles is reduced from 1 second to 0.5 seconds. The skill button can be held down for up to 3 seconds to expand the scan range. He gains 50% Movement Speed while scanning.
Arcana
This build uses three main arcana for Meng Ya: ten Hunt, ten Eagle Eye, and ten Calamity. These Arcana focus on giving him Critical Rate, Movement Speed, and Attack Speed as he relies on those three Stats to inflict maximum damage.
Equipment
1. Boots of Dexterity
Boots of Dexterity is one of the most substantial pieces of equipment in the early game for characters with high Attack Speed. Meng Ya benefits greatly from this item as it ensures his sustain in the lane as every Basic Attack that he lands also heals him from 2 sources at the same time: his passive and the Boots of Dexterity.
Stats:
+ 20% Attack Speed.
Passive - Swift
Movement Speed +60.
Passive - Lightning Recovery
Every Basic Attack Restores 30/40 Health for melee/ranged heroes, halved against non-hero units.
2. Eternity Blade
The most crucial piece of equipment for Meng Ya. Not only does it gives more Critical Rate, but it also provides him with Critical Damage. Eternity Blade timing is crucial for the success of Meng Ya, so get this item as soon as you can.
Stats:
+110 Physical Attack.
+ 20% Critical Rate.
Passive - Relentless
Gains 20% Critical Damage, and every 2% critical chance increases critical damage by 1% (up to 50%).
3. Shadow Ripper
Shadow Ripper further enhances Meng Ya's Critical Rate, Attack Speed, and Movement Speed. Besides the offensive perspective, Shadow Ripper is also a great defensive equipment. This equipment and Awesome Barrage provide Meng Ya with the Movement Speed necessary to kite his enemy.
Stats:
+30% Attack Speed.
+25% Critical Rate.
+5% Movement Speed.
Passive - Storm Strike
Increases Basic Attack damage by 40. After a Critical Hit, increase Attack Speed by 20% and Movement Speed by 5% for 3 seconds.
4. Daybreaker
The Anti-tank equipment for Meng Ya, Daybreaker, gives him a lot of Physical Pierce and Basic Attack damage, which is crucial for an Attack-Speed Marksman like Meng Ya. It also provides a sprinkle of Critical Rate, further enhancing his Anger accumulation rate.
Stats:
+50 Physical attack.
+35% Attack speed.
+10% Critical Rate.
Passive - Sunder
Physical Pierce +15% (doubled for ranged heroes).
Passive - Daybreaker
Basic Attack damage +50 (doubled for ranged heroes).
5. Cuirass of Savagery
Cuirass of Savagery is another item that boosts Meng Ya's survivability. It further improves his Movement Speed and Damage whenever he gets hit by any damage. It also gives Physical Defence and Health, making him a little bit tankier when trading with the enemy Farm Lane.
Stats:
+30 Physical Attack.
+220 Physical Defense.
+900 Max Health.
+5% Movement Speed.
Passive - Fearless
When taking damage, the user damage is increased by 2%, and Movement Speed is increased by 1% for 3 seconds, up to 5 stacks.
6. Sunchaser
Sunchaser bolsters Meng Ya's range and Movement Speed. This is his final piece of equipment, as 135% Attack Speed will make him one of the deadliest Basic Attack Marksman in the game. Don't forget to upgrade it to Sunpool when it's available.
Stats:
+25% Attack Speed.
+10% Critical Rate.
+5% Movement Speed.
Passive - Precision
Basic Attack Damage +50 (Effect is doubled for ranged heroes).
Active - Daybreak
Increases Basic Attack range by 150 and Movement Speed by 20% for 5 seconds (Melee heroes only get the Movement Speed bonus effect).
Situational: Sage's Sanctuary, Destiny
This is an essential situational item for the Late Game. Both offer a slight edge to deny death when duelling the enemy Farm Lane.
How to play Meng Ya
In the early game, just like other Marksman or Farm Lane, Meng Ya is one of the weakest heroes because his skills and passive skills require a lot of Stats to be useful. Focus on farming a lot while trading using Heavy Shot and Awesome Barrage to mitigate enemy damage. Be careful of ganks as he lacks the necessary mobility to escape one.
Meng Ya starts to shine when he gets the Eternity Blade, as he can deal considerable damage due to Awesome Barrage benefit from Critical Rate and Damage. He can also support his team using his Ultimate while farming due to its ridiculous range. Use this trick to further your lead against the enemy Farm Lane.
The late game is when Meng Ya falls to other hyper-carries like Lady Sun or Arli. However, if he could snowball early, the enemy Marksman's presence wouldn't be felt, as they would get pressured by his Ultimate damage.
Meng Ya is a great Midgame hero who can simultaneously farm while helping his team. Try to be wary of assassins and other diver-type heroes to secure his late game.
