All for Dota Allstars

Dota 6.66 Changelogs

2010-02-01T01:26:00.000-08:00

Dota 6.66 Changelogs - To download the dota 6.66 map click this link.
Heroes

Batrider
- Flaming Lasso cooldown decreased from 130/90/50 to 90/70/50

Beastmaster
- Wild Axes now properly hits invisible units

Bounty Hunter
- Jinada cooldown improved from 22/17/12/7 to 21/16/11/6

Clockwerk
- Rocket Flare cooldown decreased from 30/25/20/15 to 20/18/16/14

Dirge
- Added Aghanim's Scepter for Undying.

Regular Plague Aura
- Plague Aura amplifies up to 20% / 25% / 30% max and heals for 6% of heroes and 2% of creeps
Scepter Upgraded Plague Aura
- Plague Aura amplifies up to 25% / 30% / 35% and heals for 10% of heroes and 3% of creeps

Doom Bringer
- Reworked and rebalanced most of his abilities

Old Devour:
===========
Creeps: Up to level 1/2/4/6
Bonus Gold: 10/20/30/40
cd: 30/25/20/15
manacost: 50/45/40/35

New Devour:
===========
Creeps: Up to level 2/4/5/6
Bonus Gold: 40/60/80/100
cd: 60/55/50/45
manacost: 60

Gains the abilities of the target neutral creep has until you devour another creep with abilities to replace it

Old Scorched Earth:
====================
Large aoe castable.

MS Bonus: 10/15/20/30%
AS Bonus: 10/15/20/30%
Deals: 1/2/3/4 dps
Heals: 1/2/3/4 dps

Duration: 20
CD: 10
Manacost: 60
Cast Range: 800
AOE: 700

New Scorched Earth:
====================
Temporary effect around you. Earth is scorched wherever you are walking.

MS Bonus: 20%
Damage: 15/20/25/30
Heals: 15/20/25/30

Duration: 8/10/12/14
Cooldown: 60/50/40/30
Manacost: 60
AOE: 600

Old Doom:
==========
Regular
-Duration: 12/14/16
-DPS: 40/60/80
-Cooldown: 160/130/100

Scepter
-Duration: 14/16/18
-DPS: 50/70/90
-Cooldown: 90/80/70

New Doom:
==========
Regular
-Duration: 14
-DPS: 30/50/70
-Cooldown: 110

Scepter
-Duration: 14
-DPS: 50/80/110
-Cooldown: 90/80/70

Earthshaker
- Echo Slam no longer counts corpses for damage Echo damage (They used to count them for partial damage)
- Aftershock AoE from 280 to 300
- Enchant Totem damage increased from 50/100/150/200 to 75/150/225/300
- Added Aghanim's Scepter to Earthshaker's Echo Slam (echo bounces twice for each hero it hits)
- Echo Slam's Echo damage increased from 35/45/65 to 40/55/70
- Echo Slam's unit search aoe increased by 75 (this is not the damage aoe, just the initial unit search aoe)
- Note: The main idea with most of these changes is to emphasis the timing aspect of the echo slam more. Some other buffs are done to compensate for the reduced power from the corpse count loss.

Enchantress
- Movement speed increased from 295 to 305
- Enchant's slow effect increased from 10/20/30/40% to 20/30/40/50%
- Enchant's slow effect duration decreased from 7 to 5.5 seconds

Faceless Void
- Timewalk slow increased from 10/20/30/40% to 25/30/35/40%
- Timewalk cooldown rebalanced from 13 to 19/17/15/13

Invoker
- Invoke cd from 30/25/12/5 cd to 22/17/12/5
- Invoke manacost from 20/50/80/110 to 20/40/60/80
- Alacrity bonus damage increased from 20-80 to 30-90
- Alacrity duration increased from 8 to 9
- Chaos Meteor damage improved:
Main damage from 40-130 to 55-145 every 0.5 seconds
Burn damage from 8-26 to 11-29 per second
- Cold Snap now applies an initial ministun on cast
- Forged Spirits Armor is now based on Exort and Range is now based on Quas
- Ghost Walk manacost reduced from 300 to 200
- Ghost Walk slow rescaled from 10-40% to 20-40%
- Ice Wall manacost increased from 125 to 175
- Ice Wall cooldown increased from 20 to 25
- Sun Strike damage rescaled from 75-450 to 100-475
- Tornado range increased from 700-3100 -> 800-3200
- Tornado duration increased from 0.6-2.2 -> 0.8-2.5
- Tornado damage increased from max of 375 to 400
- Quas per instance regen from 0.75 to 1

Juggernat
- Blade Fury cooldown reduced from 30 to 30/28/26/24

Kaldr
- Cold Feet manacost increased from 90 to 90/100/110/120
- Ice Blast impact delay is a little slower now
- Ice Blast no longer pierces Shallow Grave
- Ice Blast debuff is now purgable

Ogre Magi
- Fireblast Multicast upgraded cooldown improved from 15/12/9/6 to 12/10/8/6

Obsidian Destroyer
- Essence Aura no longer has a lower chance to trigger when autocasting Arcane Orb

Priestess of the Moon
- Moonlight Shadow manacost from 200/250/300 to a constant 175

Pugna
- Decrepify cast range increased from 550 to 550/600/650/700

Queen of Pain
- Scream of Pain now effects Decrepified units

Spirit Breaker
- Nether Strike now makes Spirit Breaker magic immune for the second that he is fading out during its cast
- Charge of Darkness decreased manacost from 120 to 75
- Charge of Darkness cast mechanic reworked

Charge of Darknessnow charges up in place for up to 4 seconds and then you move out at a speed relative to how long you charged it for. (Total movement bonus is the same as before, it just depends on chargeup time now instead of increasing slowly over time)

Slark
- Pounce Leash now gets removed if the target blinks or teleports away
- Shadow Dance passive no longer works if Slark is Doomed

Ursa Warrior
- Undid previous cast animation change on Overpower
- Fixed a bug in the recent Overpower rewrite that prevented it from being removed by purge/euls

Visage
- Soul Assumption damage per charge decreased from 130 to 110
- Soul Assumption manacost from 100/120/140/160 to 100
- Soul Assumption cooldown from 7/6/5/4 to 4
- Familiars Bounty reduced from 150 to 100
- Familiars now magic reduction from 70/95/95% to 95% at all levels
- Familiars bonus damage attack count increased from 6 to 7
- Familiars now have a small (160) ranged attack instead of melee
- Gravekeeper's Cloak recharge time improved from 14/12/10/8 to 10/9/8/7

Warlock
- Fatal Bonds damage increased from 3.75/7.5/11.25/15% to 15%
- Fatal Bonds link count reduced from 5 to 2/3/4/5

Items

Aghanim's Scepter
- Added Undying and Earthshaker

Divine Rapier
- Can no longer be destroyed by attacking the item
- If a player other than the original owner of the Rapier picks it up, they cannot drop it

Force Staff
- Double clicking force staff now acts as if you clicked on yourself

Maelstrom & Mjollnir
- Increased max bounces from 3 to 4

Phase Boots
- Cooldown from 12 seconds to 10 seconds
- Duration from 6 seconds to 5 seconds
- Movement bonus from 10% to 12%

Scroll of Town Portal
- Double clicking on scrolls now automatically targets your fountain

Game Play and Cosmetics

* Switch now only works as long as the items of the leaver remain intact. Once someone leaves, the inventory of that hero becomes locked. Players can use an -unlock command, but once that is done switch cannot be used on that hero anymore. Once this feature is used enough to be considered stable, switch will be usable by default (-so mode won't be required) with the restrictions described above. The gold that the leaver is carrying is also frozen until the hero is either unlocked or swapped.

* Added a new command, "-controloff"/"-controlon", to disable control help in the game (to prevent stuff like adding summoned units to your current selection: Invoker, Techies, Lanaya, etc)
* Added a new test command to toggle creeps spawn off and on -spawnoff/-spawnon
* Restored -mc, but with more detailed statistics to match up with the recently changed Multicast chance system
* To prevent some abuses with -unstuck, it no longer works if your taking damage during the first few seconds after you enter the command

* Doubled Satyr Trickerster manapool and purge manacost (primarily affects just stolen ability via Devour)
* Fixed the teleport effects sometimes being visually on an angle
* Fixed Nightcrawler status buff text format
* Fixed Tango visual buff being slightly inaccurate (this is just a cosmetic improvement/fix)

* Added a visual effect for allied players to indicate which creep you infesting
* Added a new sound set for Furion (91160)
* Added a new sound set for Clockwerk
* Added a new visual effect for Spirit Lance
* Added new charge icon for Soul Assumption (137459)
* Disabled visual charge indication if the cooldown for Soul Assumption is not ready
* Added a new overhead indictor for Soul Assumption (137459)
* Added an visaul effect when Eclipse misses to help players keep track (109017)
* Phantom Assassin images now have the proper fade visual effect (114120)
* Improved Eyes In The Forest cast animation (95740)
* Added new visual effect for Flesh Golem (51874)

* Game mode status, rune messages and a few other misc strings are now externalized properly to allow for more flexible translation choices
* Added replay parsing data for assists (Format: "Assist"+I2S(KillerId),DyingId)

Bugs Fixes

* Fixed a few areas where you could get stuck in using TP scrolls
* Fixed Malefice not reliably working if the enemy is fogged
* Fixed Last Word from firing off on the precast for Ice Blast and Unstable Concoction
* Fixed Ice Blast indicator staying at edge of map until you release it
* Fixed Ice Blast debuff from overriding Time Lapse
* Fixed some Dark Pact bugs
* Fixed Essence Shift from piercing Shallow Grave
* Fixed Essence Shift sometimes not registering properly at high attack speeds
* Fixed Murloc sometimes not attacking the pounced target
* Fixed dispersion damage on creeps
* Fixed bugs with Charge of Darkness interaction with euls and ghost scepter
* Fixed some mac specific bugs

Dota 6.66 Map Download

2010-02-01T01:23:00.000-08:00

Dota 6.66 Map Download has just released. In this map Doom bringer get skill remake at devour. Now, devour can get the skill from neutral creeps depending on the levels of devour. And earth give lucifer 30 damage/second and give some bonus ; some attack speed, some damage , and good regen that heals lucifer 30 hp/second.

Download Dota 6.66 now below !!!

Dota 6.66 Map Download Link :

Dota 6.66 Download - GameWebz Mirror
Dota 6.66 Download - MegaUpload Mirror
Dota 6.66 Download - GetDota Mirror

Murloc Nightcrawler | Unfinished Dota Hero in Dota 6.65

2009-11-14T18:55:00.000-08:00

After the recent post from IceFrog about Nightcrawler video, i make some search and find some interesting facts. Looks like the Nightcrawler is already appear on Dota 6.55 Beta hidden on -SD mode. And some people manage to capture a screenshots and write some explanation about his skills. Of course, the upcoming Nightcrawler on Dota 6.65 can be a totally different from that version. But, who knows ^^?

Here is some screenshots and skill explanation from Dota 6.55 Beta (the first picture above is also from Dota 6.55 Beta version) :

Murloc Nightcrawler – Slark

Strength – 23 + 1.9
Agility – 26 + 2.1
Intelligence – 20 + 1.7
Base Movespeed is 310, and the attack range is 128 ( Melee )

Nightcrawler
The first skill is an enemy unit targeteable, about 1000 range, and you charge against the enemy unit with windwalk, a lot of movespeed and leave a dark trail behind. When you charge the unit and you go across any enemy unit, it gets some kind of "curse" and it deals 10/20/30/40 damage every second for 6 seconds. And there is more, you can cancel the charge and run away, so you can go windwalk for about 20 seconds and lots of ms (25 seconds cooldown) (he has a base ms of 310, with windwalk it gets 465 oO) but then you can't spread this "curse".

Well, seeing the description of Nightcrawler skills from back there, it looks similar to the video on IceFrog blog although not completely same. On the video, we know that the Nightcrawler attacking the victim without revealing himself. But, i think it's worth to mentioned because there are some similarities, become invisible and leave a dark trail. However, we'll never know the true form of the Nightcrawler until IceFrog release the Dota 6.65 (or there's a Dota 6.65 beta leak xD). If you have any other information, just comment on this post ;)

Nightcrawler - New Hero in Dota 6.65

2009-11-14T18:53:00.000-08:00

IceFrog has just post a Dota 6.65 teaser on his blog today. And inside, there's only a video without any comment. But the title is enough to explain everything, that the new hero inside this video is named Nightcrawler. The hero is somehow invisible and has a brown cloud above his head. Geez, i'm curious what kind of hero is that. If you wanna find out, watch below video! ;)

Curious? For your information, Nightcrawler is taken from X-Men character. His ability is able to turned himself into a cloud/smoke. Watch below Nightcrawler video, maybe IceFrog will take the original character into the model :)

Dota 6.65 Map - Official Dota-Allstars 6.65 Download News

2009-11-14T18:51:00.000-08:00

Dota 6.65 Map - Official Dota-Allstars 6.65 Download News and Update. IceFrog has just announced that he will make some balance changes on Dota 6.64. And he also stated that maybe some new hero or hero will be included on Dota 6.65. Which hero do you want for remake on Dota 6.65? Or do you have a hero that you wanted for Dota 6.65? Share all your thought about Dota 6.65 in this post :)

Update 2 - From IceFrog Blog: Nightcrawler
He didn't say anything on this post, but the video inside the post already answer it. Looks like the new hero will be named Nightcrawler. Check the video here.

Update 1 - From IceFrog Blog: 6.65 Development

Just a quick update to keep you guys in the loop. The 6.65 development cycle is underway and I'm hoping to make it an enjoyable update. It will have some fresh new content in addition to the usual improvements. I'll try to post more information about it later.

Nice! Looking forward for Dota 6.65 ^^

Dota 6.64 AI - DotA-Allstars 6.64 AI 0.213 Map Download

2009-11-14T18:48:00.000-08:00

Dota 6.64 AI - Dota-Allstars v6.64 AI 0.213 Map Download. Today BuffMePlz released his first Dota 6.64 AI map. He also made some improvement on AI skills like Blackhole, Fissure and Epicenter. Anyway, you must Warcraft 1.24b Patch to play this map. Here is the complete changelogs for DotA-Allstars 6.64 AI 0.213 Map:

Changelogs:

Dota 6.64 AI (v0.213)
==============
-First update to 6.64
-Changed the default AI behaviour of creeps and towers to be the same as in the official map
-Fixed the fade on Circles of Protection belonging to other players
-Fixed some numerical errors on Bristleback's abilities
-Added some additional AI ability functionality (Black Hole, Fissure, Epicenter)

DotA-Allstars 6.64 AI 0.213 Download Links
Dota 6.64 AI 0.213 via Warcraft Maps
Dota 6.64 AI 0.213 via MegaUpload
Dota 6.64 AI 0.213 via MediaFire
Dota 6.64 AI 0.213 via RapidShare

Enjoy the brand new Dota 6.64 AI ;)

Dota 6.64 Map Download - Dota-Allstars 6.64 Official Map

2009-10-14T07:05:00.000-07:00

Dota 6.64 Map Download - Dota-Allstars 6.64 Official Map has aloof released! The fresh map has abounding changes and balances. But the best important thing, it reworked the treads and change it aback about like afore :)! Don't forget, to try this map you charge use Warcraft 1.24b Patch. Check the Dota 6.64 download articulation in this column forth with the changelogs.

Dota 6.64 Download Link:
Dota 6.64 Download - MegaUpload Mirror
Dota 6.64 Download - Warcraft Map Mirror
Dota 6.64 Download - GetDota Mirror

Questions and Answer Session #3

2009-09-29T04:19:00.000-07:00

Today, Icefrog answer some questions from some people. Some people asked with emailed Icefrog. What the questions? Let's see the article below;

Q: How much longer do you realistically look at DotA as something that you want to put your time into and update?

A: I honestly can't see myself stopping anytime soon; It is the only game I really play so I get a lot of satisfaction out of working on it. I think there are a lot of areas to further improve and build upon. I hope for the game to reach new heights competitively and have a much bigger audience overall. I tend to go out of my way to make sure I don't put myself in situations where I can no longer develop with the freedom and quality needed to take it to that level.

Q: How do you decide what to change? Are you trying to make the game faster or more gank oriented?

A: I don't think of things that way exactly. While that is usually true, it is not accurate to consider it as the root philosophy that drives everything. DotA's primary strength is in its depth and the moment to moment decisions it places in front of the player to make. There are also many non-obvious pitfalls that could seem like good ideas, but actually hurt the game's true depth. My primary goal is focused on improving the quality and depth of the game and not other superficial metrics of success. I want players to always feel there is a lot to improve upon and to encourage situations where a player is rewarded when he is able to make better decisions than his opponent, which is something I think even non-competitive players value. That is the core of what a competitive game should be after all, creating more opportunity for good decision making. There are, of course, many other factors that are considered for all changes, but this is usually the first priority.

Q: What do you think of Starcraft 2 Editor?

A: It looks great, I'm sure there will be lots of interesting games developed for it. By allowing more direct control over the camera and cursor, as well as the other features described, it will spawn new genres, like Warcraft 3 did before it.

Q: Have you decided if you are moving DotA to Starcraft 2 yet?

A: I've been actively exploring several options for some time now. Starcraft 2 might not necessarily have what DotA needs to become a better game. Moving to any new engine presents various challenges that need to be considered:

- Will we be able to reproduce the subtle, but very important, unit spell, attack and movement mechanics properly?
- Will the art style fit DotA? Will there be enough unique and identifiable character models for heroes to use?
- Will it encourage team sponsors or help improve the DotA competitive scene?
- Will it provide features that improve DotA, such as: accessibility, networking capabilities, visual readability, spectator features, interface design, etc.

These are the general issues I've been considering when thinking about what the right thing is for DotA's future.

Q: Why did you remove the combat regeneration from Heart of Tarrasque?

A: It was a very specific choice to completely remove combat regeneration from it rather than just reduce it. While it was a nerf, that wasn't the primary goal. The problem with trying to measure the value of regeneration on Heart is that it makes your success in a fight depend at least partially on how long the fight lasts. The core issue is more about what it promotes rather than it allowing you to survive. It encourages the wrong things and doesn't reward players who make better moment to moment decisions as much as it could. It removes some depth from the game and makes it a little less interesting over all. If the item needs a certain amount of tanking power, it is much more direct to add more hit point bonus to the item instead of doing it via a method that obscures the ability to measure the balance of the item.

This is more about the design philosophy the item should have, rather than its actual numbers or power, since I consider those as solvable problems if you have the right design to start with. In general, I prefer to lean towards creating a situation of long term solvability to issues. Some things might be knowingly imperfect but done in a manner that increases measurability to allow it to settle in a better place in the long run.

Q: How can I help improve the game itself? Are you going to add my suggestion if I send it?

A: The best way is to give feedback; I always appreciate getting suggestions from players. While it isn't practical to expect a specific idea to be used (because of the large number of people with different perspectives), it doesn't mean that they don't get factored in. For me, it isn't always about the specific suggestions as much as what the player is thinking about and how they measure value. Most changes are usually a compilation of many different sets of data and requests over time. I tend to avoid listening to only one type of player. By "type of player" I do not mean competitive or casual at all, I mean the segment of player groups that use different mediums to express their views. There is a very large portion of users that would go unaccounted for if that was the case. Data comes from a variety of different sources, such as: emails, forums posts, replays, joining games with players from different cultures, direct dialog, etc. There are a lot of different types of players and they tend to value things very differently, so it is important for the concept of success or failure not be tunnel visioned to only one medium of opinions.

Q: What will happen with the -switch command?

A: To be honest, I'm not sure yet. It is a tricky issue. On one hand, I want to remove it because in many cases, it causes more problems than it solves, and it creates an uncomfortable situation for players. On the other hand, a lot players find it very useful, and people have just slowly started to get a better understanding of when to use it and not to. I might implement something that freezes the leaver items and gold until the team decides if they want utilize -switch or take the resources, but of course that is only one aspect of the command. While it is an optional game mode now, I do recognize that it will eventually need to be addressed somehow.

Q: Why you are making new heroes with hard and interesting skills when there are many old heroes with trivial stuns and auras?

A: There is a balance that needs to be maintained between adding new content and improving old. Some players (like me) prefer refreshing old heroes, but others grow attached to older heroes and prefer them to not be changed. The important thing to keep in mind when thinking about a remake is trying to make sure that the qualities players enjoyed in that character are maintained for the rehash. That isn't always possible, but it is something that needs to be considered. Furthermore, sometimes there is more value in simplicity, not everything basic always needs replacing. New skills might be interesting, but needless complexity should also be avoided whenever possible. I try to find a middle ground between remakes and new content so all players can be reasonably satisfied in the end.

Q: Which way to send ideas and bug reports is the most preferred and most likely to reach you?

A: I prefer email the most because I can sort and organize stuff better as well as being able to respond more easily.

Q: Have you considered the suggestion to make Invoker's orbs not interrupt movement?

A: I know a lot of people have requested this in the past. This feature was actually implemented in 6.63 before I had to remove it due unresolved technical issues. Warcraft 3 does not provide a straighforward way to do this, so I used a few tricks to achieve it, but it made command registrations unreliable so you would sometimes get incorrect orbs if you clicked too rapidly.

Q: Do you have a schedule for day/week/month, according to which you are working with DotA?

A: Well it has been different over the years, between studying, programming and college research taking up different amounts of time. I generally try to make a new beta map every day to experiment with, so it's usually just a chunk of time each day rather than spaced out. It changes from month to month, though.

Q: Do you have any plans to restore custom "-terrain" commands (snow, etc.) in the near future?

A: I could spend more time on it in the future if users want it that much, but I recommend trying out some tools that community members have written. They do more direct modding to Warcraft and can allow more changes than normally possible within a map to create a more coheesive theme.

Q: Will there be a new easter egg map soon?

A: What easter eggs?

To see more see IceFrog Blog here

Dota 6.64 Map Download | Dota 6.64 News

2009-09-29T04:09:00.000-07:00

5 days ago IceFrog write an article about boots in dota. He planed to tweak the boots. He said if he found some out that there is a technical issue with Phase Boots. They seem to prevent procs like crits, bashes, etc while phased. It was never as apparent before because it was not coupled with attack speed. This makes the Phase Boots a bit anti-synergetic.

Let's see what he said ;
While there may be workarounds for that bug, most would probably come at the cost of some functionality. So while still keeping with the primary no armor concept, I am exploring a new buildup for Phase Boots and Power Treads. Keep in mind that numbers are still at an early stage and this change is by no means final, but I'd like to share one version of what we are experimenting with.

Phase Boots:
=============
Boots of Speed (500)
2x Blades of Attack (1000)
Recipe (none)
Total: 1500

+70 Movement Speed
+26 Damage
Phase (Active)

Power Treads:
==============
Boots of Speed (500)
Boots of Elvenskin or Belt of Giant Strength or Robe of the Magi (450)
Gloves of Haste (500)
Recipe (none)
Total: 1450

+60 MS
+10 Any Attribute
+30 IAS

Again, we usually go through many different concept revisions before a final change is decided (if one even happens) so don't take this as a decided change for 6.64 yet.

If you want to get the latest map you can click here : Dota 6.63b Map Download
This map will not work if your warcraft version is not Patch 1.24b to get it click here : Patch 1.24b Download

Dota 6.63b AI - DotA-Allstars 6.63b AI 0.212 Map Download

2009-09-23T22:12:00.000-07:00

Dota 6.63b AI - Dota-Allstars v6.63b AI 0.212 Map Download. BuffMePlz has just update the ai map into Dota 6.63b AI map. Some crash bugs fixed and this ai map is the first AI map for Dota 6.63b. Before downloading, please note that you must use Warcraft 1.24b Patch :)

Here is what he said about the DotA-Allstars 6.63b AI 0.212 Map:

Changelog:

6.63b (v0.212)
==============
-First update to 6.63b
-Fixed an issue that was causing AI bots to learn their abilities out of order
-Fixed another issue that was still causing the game to crash when a player leaves the game early
-Added some additional AI ability functionality (Crystal Nova, Storm Bolt, Mana Burn)

IMPORTANT!!
Before download, please note that this map is only work with Warcraft 1.24b Patch. If you use Patch 1.23 below, this map won't work!

DotA-Allstars 6.63b AI 0.212 Download Links
Dota 6.63b AI 0.212 via MediaFire
Dota 6.63b AI 0.212 via MegaUpload
Dota 6.63b AI 0.212 via RapidShare

Dota 6.64 Map - Official Dota-Allstars 6.64 Download News

2009-09-23T22:09:00.000-07:00

Dota 6.64 Map - Official Dota-Allstars 6.64 Download News and Update. IceFrog has just release Dota 6.63 with many balances. Now, what do you expect for Dota 6.64? What kind of new hero you wanted for Dota-Allstars 6.64? Or maybe you wanna new items? Share all your thoughts about Dota 6.64 in this post! ;)

Update 1 from IceFrog's blog (23 September 2009):

I started working on 6.64 a couple days ago. At first we began experimenting with some number tweaks to the boots, and even some ideas for secondary bonuses that seemed interesting.

However, we found out that there is a technical issue with Phase Boots. They seem to prevent procs like crits, bashes, etc while phased. It was never as apparent before because it was not coupled with attack speed. This makes the Phase Boots a bit anti-synergetic.

While there may be workarounds for that bug, most would probably come at the cost of some functionality. So while still keeping with the primary no armor concept, I am exploring a new buildup for Phase Boots and Power Treads. Keep in mind that numbers are still at an early stage and this change is by no means final, but I'd like to share one version of what we are experimenting with.

Phase Boots:
=============
Boots of Speed (500)
2x Blades of Attack (1000)
Recipe (none)

+70 Movement Speed
+26 Damage
Phase (Active)

Power Treads:
==============
Boots of Speed (500)
Boots of Elvenskin or Belt of Giant Strength or Robe of the Magi (450)
Gloves of Haste (500)
Recipe (none)

+60 MS
+10 Any Attribute
+30 IAS

Again, we usually go through many different concept revisions before a final change is decided (if one even happens) so don't take this as a decided change for 6.64 yet.

So, that's mean we'll going back to the usual boots but with the armor removed from the Phase Boots. I think that's a good news for those who hate the latest changes on boots :)

Dota 6.63b Map Download | Dota Allstars 6.63b Official Map Released!

2009-09-20T21:15:00.000-07:00

Dota 6.63b Map Download - Dota-Allstars 6.63b Official Map has went live! The Dota 6.63b changes are about bug fixes. The most noticeable is the recipe changes for Armlet because it cause some trouble with Phase Boots recipe on Dota 6.63. note that you must have Warcraft 1.24b Patch to play Dota 6.63b. Ok, here is the changelogs and download links of Dota 6.63b map!

Dota 6.63b Changelogs:

* Armlet recipe now changed to include Quarterstaff instead of Blades of Attack (bonuses and total price unaffected)
* Fixed Wrath of Nature from targeting couriers
* Fixed a bug with Spirit Bear's entangle and overgrowth
* Fixed Heart icon on the endgame scoreboard
* Undid a couple of the fun names recently added
* Fixed a rare abuse that could cause other users performance to drop

Dota 6.63b Download Link:
Dota 6.63b Map Download - Warcraft Map Mirror
Dota 6.63b Download - GetDota Mirror

Traxex Hero Guide | Dota Hero Guide

2009-09-18T23:56:00.000-07:00

Traxex Hero Guide

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Introduction
It all started back when I was still playing seriously in the clan DTD (later iPlay). In clan wars I used to play faceless void, or support Warlock. Except for these two, I wasn't very good with anything else. Or should I say not good enough for leagues? My support Warlock's role was to babysit our carry hero. I was good in babysitting since I knew, what a carry would need for free farming. Later I tried to see, if any other hero could be better, then warlock to babysit a carry. I found that shadow priest, and Viper were good, but not better. They seriously lacked early game lane control. Than I tried Drow, and everything changed. In my opinion: Drow is the best babysitter in Dota today! Reasons? Orb walk on level one with low mana cost and slow, 600 attack range, 1800/1700 sight range (instead of 1800/800).

Babysitters in general are heroes who help their lane partners to gain gold which they normally couldn't due to their lack of early game presence. Babysitting is a subcategory of support. It has nothing to do with other subcategories like ward support. This kind of support lasts from level 1 to maximum level 7. Usually by then the lanes become less occupied.

There are two types of babysitting heroes/styles. First one is the defensive type, based on healing abilities. Whenever the carry gets a beating the supporter heals him back. This way the carry can stay in lane longer. The second type is based on offence. By harassing the opponents non-stop, the carry can farm without worries. Offensive support has better benefits for the carry, but it's more dangerous for the supporter. Some heroes can play both types, like warlock, but heroes like viper or drow can play only offensive support.

The level of support we give to the other hero, is very important. I say other hero, because it doesn't necessary have to be a carry. Heroes like Tauren or Sand King may also need babysitting. There are three levels of support. First level is the zero support. This is what people normally do in a lane. The second level is the balanced support. The third level is the full support. Balanced, and full support are very much alike. You harass massively the opponent, so that he gets out of XP range. The only difference between the two, is that when there's no one to harass, you start farming in balanced support, while in full support you don't. Heroes like Warlock, who aren't very item dependant are better suited for full support. It was very common for me in the old days, that I had more denies, or hero kills, than creeps kills in the first 6 levels of the game. Sometimes others need money more, than you do. Remember! With every creep you kill, your carry becomes weaker.

Gameplay Walkthrough

Normally I would start with the skill and item build, but this guide is special. I will explain everything step by step, since both the play style, and item build should be unorthodox for most players. Even though the drow I play focuses on babysitting, she is still a carry hero herself, so she needs a carry (item) build. However in the first 6 levels of the game, which is the time we babysit someone, the build will be a bit different.

The first two levels are the most important levels for support drow. We will bet everything on these two levels. Just think about it! We have 600 range, and a level one orb attack with no CD. What does the enemy have? Weak nukes, short disables and low move speed, mana, health and armor. Drow is probably the strongest hero on level one. She gets weak extremely fast, but on level one and two she's a beast. What we will do ,is try to harass the opponent(s) out of XP range (or even further) on level one. Normally people don't do that on level one. They try to last hit and farm, as much as possible, and they won't try to get you before level 3. We are not going for the kill. We just want to hurt him, as much as possible. The tactic is simple. If you see someone, harass, and don't stop as long as you don't reach the enemy tower! Get Boots of Seed and a pack of tangoos from the base. If someone starts with boots of speed in a game, he is either a newbie or a pro player. I'm sure that I don't have to mention the games where high level players started with boots, and were able to own their lane's. I remember a Yurnero and a pugna doing extremely well. Think about it, pugna, the hero with the second best move speed going for boots. This is the same concept. With the additional effect of your frost arrows, the difference in MS will most likely be close to 90. That's like having a Boots of Travel on level 1!

level 1: Frost Arrows
level 2: Stats

Level three and five are the key for nukers, so watch out! Drow won't get stronger without items. Our only help on these levels is our superior mobility, and range. The tactic is the same as before, but it may be less effective. Stay in lane, help your ally, if you have one, and beware of ganks coming for you. After you collect 300 gold get a stout shield from the goblin shop. Drow is destined to fight creeps or towers, and heroes can also deal damage with normal attacks if they want to. Of course Frost Arrows won't give any agro, but Drow doesn't have infinite mana, and you might attract creeps even without attacking. Note that there's probably nothing else this useful for the low price, that can be bought from a goblin shop. Three tangoos aren't too much, and if we wish to stay in lane we will need some extra HP regen. Ring of regen would be good, but Ring of Health can be used for better items later.

level 3: Frost Arrows
level 4: Stats
level 5: Frost Arrows

Level six and onwards. On level six our offensive powers will increase, thanks to our ultimate, regardless of the fact that it's the second worst ultimate in Dota. The worst was the old ultimate of Drow. Since we have a nifty slow, and silence it's time to help our team-mates out by participating in ganks. From this point on our main priority is to gather gold, so don't forget to farm whenever possible! With the items you alredy (hopefully) poses most neutrals won't be a problem. Pushing down towers can also be a good way to gain gold, since drow can't farm very fast. Complete your vanguard as fast as possible. I know that players especially good players are sceptical about vanguard on Drow, but there are a few reasons why it's good: parts can be obtained from the goblin shops, parts are very usefully early game, the hp boost is good against nukers, the damage block is good with high armor rate, the HP regen is necessary, Drow is a chaser that will always tower dive, it's cheap and needs one inventory slot. Sine we have decent hp from vanguard we can make a max AGI item build. Remember that Trueshot aura works only with your base plus AGI damage! So with 28AGI from treads and wraith bands you get 8 extra damage with the aura. It may seem low, but that's a total of 36 damage, and 28 (63 with treads ias) IAS above your normal damage (plus normal aura damage).

level 6: Marksmanship
level 7: Silence
level 8: Frost Arrows
level 9-10: Trueshot Aura
level 11: Marksmanship
level 12-13: Trueshot Aura
level 14-15: Silence
level 16: Marksmanship
level 17: Silence

Late Game In the end we should concentrate more on the enemies base, than before. Try to get as many towers, buildings and heroes as possible. If you wish to win I recommend 5v5 battles, or at least get as many heroes as you can from your side. With your high armor and vanguard towers and creeps shouldn't be a problem, so just 'deny' them, if you see something more appetizing. Never be late from a battle, and never go in first. Your silence and DPS can decide the outcome, but not if you die because of a mistake. Don't forget to abuse your range, and slow just as you did before. Our last item can be Butterfly Manta or Buriza. Butterfly gives damage, ias, armor and evasion, but hard to build. Buriza gives damage, but the components are cheaper, and more effective. Manta is the cheapest, and has the highest damage for the time it is activated. Of course it's easy to tell which drow is real, when only one of them are firing frost arrows. Illusions get the AGI from our ulti, wraith bands, treads and the HP from vanguard. They also benefit from the frost arrow of the hero (one frost effect on the target or two doesn't make a difference), and from evasion. They don't benefit from the aura and from the IAS of treads.

OR OR

Skill Build Justification. Why max frost arrows first? The slower the enemy gets, the longer you can chase, and deal more damage. Why early stats? Drow's agi gain is bad, and since we will be very offensive, every point of damage counts. Stats also gives a little more hp, and mana for two more arrows, that might be needed for a kill. Why no silence, and why only level one later? Truth be told silence is imba, but thanks to frost arrows we wouldn't have the mana for it. One silence can cost a lot of offensive power. Later we will have the mana pool to cast it thanks to wraith bands. In early mid game we will need the damage from the aura more, than another second of our silence.

Skill usage

Frost Arrows can be autocasted or manually casted. If we cast it manually we will be able to orb walk, that is better early to mid game. Later autocast will be better since our attack time decreases, thanks to AGI. For a Drow player orb walk is a must to know. After the spell is cast, we cancel the rest of the animation, and use that time to catch up with the fleeing opponent. Cancelling the animation can be done by double clicking on the ground near the opponent. If Frost Arrows is on autocast you can still cast it manually to do orbwalk. This can be useful when the opponent is standing or coming for you. Start orbwalking as soon as he starts running. Frost Arrows is great for harassing since it doesn't give you any agro, but don't forget that sometimes that can be bad. If an ally is on low hp and attacked by creeps or the tower, don't hesitate to use normal attacks on the enemy hero to get agro. Also note that the spell has a scary visual effect, that will make most players run, as soon as they see it. If you don't want to scare them away just use your normal attack.

Silence is a very good skill to have. If you think about carry heroes, not many gets an AOE disable, that's not an ultimate. Casting range is huge, it can be casted from 900 units away. Most spells have less range closer to 600. With this we can strike first from afar, which is important for a vulnerable hero like Drow. Casting Silence must become a reflex, if you wish to master this hero. Remember to disable the enemy, before they disable you! Only exceptions would be when the enemy has channelling spells, or magic immunity. It is not wise to use silence before Sand King cats his ultimate. Remember that drow can see 1700 units far even in the night, and that Silence's range is 900, while blink dagger's is 1000. So even if he does have a blink it is possible to break his channelling. Of course, if you can kill the hero before he starts channelling, that's even better. Never hesitate! Just do it! Timing is crucial. You must be faster, than the enemy. Hitting someone with a silence is not really hard, but hitting him before he can move an inch can prove to be difficult.

Movies

There are two movies I would like to share. The first one was made by me. It's a Music video with the best scenes I could get from my replay archive. I spent a lot of time making it, and I think it's the best video I made so far. The Drow Ranger on the second one is played by tottalnewbie. He's way of playing drow can be extremely mortifying for the enemy.

Low Resolution

A little something I made to influence people to:
"Think outside the box!"

Fanart

by Mark, by Sergon, by Sergon, by yonaz, by unknown, by unknown, By Blizzard, By Blizzard

Replays

Note: Replays need older Warcraft 3 version!

This is an inhouse game, played by me and my friends. We were in the same room when we played, and I can tell you, they didn't forget to bash me for my item build. Of course, nobody complained when I killed 4 heroes in the last minute of the game. My builds may be strange, but who cares as long as they work, right? Download!

This is a public game, where me and Avernus lane against Dragon Knight. Thanks to that he becomes really weak, and leaves later. One of my teamate also leaves, so the game ends with eight players. Me owning of course. Download!

Special thanks to totallnewbie for the mindgames moments...

Azwraith Hero Guide | Dota Hero Guide

2009-09-18T23:53:00.000-07:00

Juddernaught's Guide to Azwraith
v. 2.1

Azwraith is a straight forward hero to play, but many people don't understand how to truly make him shine. He is good all game, but strongest during the middle and end of the game due to the sheer strength of his images and his ability to confuse people. He is probably the best late-game hero bar none, yet he takes a little bit of nursing to get there. So how can you become so tricksy? Read on.

This guide will focus on his image generation and his amazing late-game powers. Some heroes have a hard time getting to these very powerful items because they can't farm or the ones that do don't have abilities that compliment the items as well as Azwraith's. Azwraith not only farms with the best of them, but his abilities are geared towards late-game crushing.

Table of Contents
A. Background
B. Stats
C. Role on the Team
D. Skills
E. Item Build
.....Core Items
.....Necessary Items
.....Optional Items
.....Misleading Items
F. Skill Build
G. Strategy
H. Mind Games
I. How To: Images
.....Scouting
.....Drawing Enemy Fire
.....Avoiding Spells
.....Confusing Your Enemy
.....Jungling
.....Slowing Your Enemy
J. Best Friends
.....Disablers
.....Slowers
.....Special Mentions
K. Worst Enemies
.....Cleaving Enemies
.....Area of Effect Enemies
.....True Sight
.....Silencers
.....Special Mention
L. Closing
M. Changelog
Background
Although his true name is unknown to his allies, Azwraith's assigned name tells you enough. Like the Angel of Death, Azrael, he fights to rid the world of those who choose to embrace undeath. He is able to appear and disappear at will like a wraith, often appearing in many places at once. Azwraith is more than capable of dispatching the undead using his lance, each blow sending them closer to the spirit-realm. This lance is the source of his astounding ability to duplicate himself, whenever it draws blood he can use their life to create weaker copies of himself.

Stats

Starting HP: 492 || Starting MP: 273 || Base Damage: 45-67
Base Armor: 3.2 || Strength: 18 + 2 || Agility: 23 + 2.8 || Intelligence: 21 + 2

Strengths:
Good attack animation
Good farming and hero-killing
Many heroes compliment his abilities
Mind Games!
Very strong end game
Weaknesses:
Fairly easy to counter with gems, dust, wards, etc.
Susceptible to battle-fury and cleaving attacks
Fairly weak early game abilities
Pretty item dependent

Role on the Team

Azwraith plays a unique role in DotA: image generation. Through his images he is able to crowd control, disrupt planned offensives, push lanes and confuse enemies, creating openings for both himself and allies. Though his images are powerful, they are primarily used late game because his associated skills, Dopplewalk and Spirit Lance, are very powerful early game for offense and survival. Azwraith is capable of a broad range of actions from initiating fights (with images) to dispatching enemies either fighting or fleeing. The key to his success is his images so this guide will focus on maximizing his image generation and image strength.

Skills

Spirit Lance
Throws a magical spirit from his lance at a target damaging it and slowing it down for 3 seconds. An illusion is created attacking the target.
Casting range: 750 || Cooldown: 7 seconds

Level 1 - Deals 100 damage and Cripples for 10%. Illusion lasts 2 seconds. (125 Mana)
Level 2 - Deals 150 damage and Cripples for 20%. Illusion lasts 4 seconds. (130 Mana)
Level 3 - Deals 200 damage and Cripples for 30%. Illusion lasts 6 seconds. (135 Mana)
Level 4 - Deals 250 damage and Cripples for 40%. Illusion lasts 8 seconds. (140 Mana)
The Good: This starts out as a decent nuke and remains good throughout the game due to image generation (more me!) and cripple (for chasing and escaping). Plus, it has a fast cooldown, so you usually can use it a few times within a battle. The image automatically attacks the target of the spell, making micro-managing unnecessary. The damage is not blocked by linken's. Plus, it's very spammable and great for hitting those weak intelligence heroes in the back line.

The Bad: It's not that good as a nuke since it only gets to 250. If you have images out and about when you cast this, they will also cast it too to "confuse" the enemy. Unfortunately, you cast faster than your phantom counterparts, showing the enemy where you are. See Mind Games section for using this to your advantage. The slow is blocked by linken's.

Dopple Walk
Allows the Phantom Lancer to become invisible for a period of time, leaving behind a duplicate of himself to confuse enemies. 10% movement bonus at all levels. Lasts 8 seconds.
This illusion lasts 20 seconds || Cooldown: Varies per level

Level 1 - 150 mana. 30 second cooldown.
Level 2 - 120 mana. 25 second cooldown.
Level 3 - 90 mana. 20 second cooldown.
Level 4 - 60 mana. 15 second cooldown.

The Good: This is your primary escape mechanism and it's better than wind-walk because there's no transition time and it creates an image to confuse your enemy (more me!) which is ordered to move 600 units from the direction you're facing at the time. See Mindgames Section for using these images as decoys.

The Bad: It only lasts 8 seconds, so get out quick. It costs a lot of mana at first. It's not that good for chasing because it's only a 10% movespeed increase. You can't stay invisible, wait for it to cooldown, then go invisible again (like you can with wind-walk).

Juxtapose
Whenever the Phantom Lancer attacks he will randomly create a duplicate of himself. Limit of 5 images. Duplicates last 15 seconds.
Passive Ability || Images deal 25% damage and receive 400%.

Level 1 - 3% chance.
Level 2 - 6% chance.
Level 3 - 9% chance.
Level 4 - 12% chance.

The Good: This is why Azwraith is so good (lots of me!). You can use attack-cancelling to create images very quickly. The 5-image limit doesn't affect images created by runes and Manta Style.

The Bad: The images don't do that much damage on their own and take a lot of damage.

Phantom Edge
Gives the Phantom Lancer an edge in combat by increasing Juxtapose's image generation and increasing magic resistance. Additionally, it enables his images to generate their own images.
Passive Ability

Level 1 - 10% magic resistance, 3% chance illusions will duplicate, 2% increase in Juxtapose.
Level 2 - 15% magic resistance, 5% chance illusions will duplicate, 4% increase in Juxtapose.
Level 3 - 20% magic resistance, 7% chance illusions will duplicate, 6% increase in Juxtapose.
The Good: This helps EVERYTHING: your magic resistance, your image generation, and your images' image generation (whole lotta me!).

The Bad: Not much: additional magic resistance stacks with diminishing returns and it's not that strong without at least 1 point in Juxtapose.

Item Build

If you disagree with this build, that's fine, but remember: Azwraith is very item dependent. Get items you can upward convert into what you need.

Core Items

Why? The Circlets are a great starting stat booster for Azwraith plus they upwards convert into either Wraith Bands (which is the build followed in this guide), Bracers (which can be helpful if you need a little HP boost), or Nulls (if you are a fan of spamming your lance). The Tangoes and Clarities are necessary because it allows Azwraith to take a few hits when scoring last hits on creeps and offers a little spammability on the lance. These should allow you to survive until you can get your skills up, especially if you're creep pulling and last hitting.

Then the Circlets are then converted into Wraith Bands (the IAS is cheap plus you get stat boosts for mana and strength). Then you get boots because his base movespeed of 290 is very slow. You then focus on getting Diffusal as this will carry you through mid game and into late game. Do not underestimate purge. It help images (see How To: Images section) but it's purge is perfect for chasing: lance, poke, purge, poke, lance, poke, dead. Get it? It provides Azwraith exactly what he needs and he was made for this item.
MATHCRAFT
Even level 1 of Diffusal is one of the best items for Azwraith because it increases his damage output a lot. Images burning for 22 damage is the same as increasing your damage by 88 (which comes only from Divine). I think that alone speaks for itself. But in case you weren't satisfied, you can upgrade it again to get even more damage and refills purges!
Then Yasha is purchased next. Why? Because Yasha is the cheapest way to increase agility (which translates into extra damage and attack speed for both you and images) and it's fairly quick to obtain. It also gives you and your images better movespeed for chasing (if you're following this build exactly, your MS will be 374). Besides, you can upgrade this later into Manta, which is solid also.

Necessary Items

I put the items in the order I usually get them, but there is no "best" order because they all provide excellent bonuses for Azwraith and should all be purchased as the game progresses. YOU must decide which item you need first and follow your gut.

Why? Boots of Travel are necessary for a few reasons: 1) it greatly increases your ability to chase (if you're following this build exactly, your MS will be 418), 2) you can farm multiple lanes at once, 3) it's great for pushing/defending, and 4) it's an escape mechanism. After much thought, I have decided to go with Travs over Power Treads because Travs just give you so much flexibility end game you don't have with Power Treads. Plus, images don't benefit from the IAS % from Power Treads but they get all the benefits from Travs (aside from the teleporting).
The Breakdown
Power Treads (in agility form) give you +65 MS, +40% IAS, and 10 damage while giving your images +65 MS, +10 IAS, and 2.5 damage.
Boots of Travel give you +90 MS and teleport and your images +90 MS.
They are both solid choices for Azwraith, but since this guide is focusing on late game item building strong images, having the teleportation is necessary. Treads should be considered if the game likely won't last long or you would rather put the 900 elsewhere instead of into Travs. You could also consider getting Power Treads first, then selling them for Travs later, but you would be wasting the 900 gold anyway.

Why? The Butterfly is good for any agility hero because of the strong bonuses to attack speed and agility plus the evasion boost. The downside, it's expensive at $6,000. This is absolutely necessary for end-game because it drastically increases your damage and image output.

OR OR
Why? These items make you almost unkillable. You have more HP than you know what to do with, plus if you get Bloodstone, you respawn faster and still gain experience if people die near your grave while you're dead. My choice is the Heart because it's only 450 more than Bloodstone and it gives a lot more surviveability. Skadi is VERY expensive, so I don't like it, but it can be helpful because it boosts all stats. Even though your images can't use the frost attack, you can, which benefits your images because it slows them. However, you run the risk of giving away your position.

Why? The new and "improved" Manta Style changes the build up a little bit. It's new bonuses are: +26 Agility, +10 Strength, +10 Intelligence, +15 Attack Speed, and +10% Movement Speed with the ability to make 2 illusions of yourself. For images, this translates into ~6 damage, 26% AS, +10% MS, and a negligible amount of HP/MP. While not nearly as good as it was before, Manta still provides very solid bonuses. Essentially, it's an upgrade of Yasha, which is a core item (see above), and it worth the money. In fact, I get this before I get the HP boosting item (see above). Also, the ability to Mirror Image is very handy (see below).

Optional Items

Why? Vladmir's Offering (Vlad's) is pretty good in helping Azwraith early game and keeping him from going back to heal/get mana for the remainder of the match. It's also fairly cheap for the benefits. Even though the lifesteal won't help the images (it will look it though) the extra bonuses to you can be helpful. Plus, you lifesteal from the damage dealt through feedback. This is optional because he really doesn't need the lifesteal but you can get it if your team has a bunch of melees but nobody wants to get it.

OR
Why? These 2 items give Azwraith a better damage output but both are very expensive.
Azwraith is a DPS hero and Divine is the best weapon to increase that. The downside, it drops when you die.
Radiance is Divine's younger, weaker kid brother. This is for those matches where you do a lot of damage, but are still afraid of dying. It's good because your images benefit from the burning aura, but it's bad because it's hard to sneak up on anyone when you're burning them.

Misleading Items

Why? Phase boots are usually good for chasing heroes, but not for Azwraith. First, Azwraith uses his spells while chasing, negating the buff from Phase Boots. Second, his images do not get the extra armor or damge granted by the boots. Third, Power Treads give only 5 less MS than Phase Boots but a lot more benefits. If you're considering Phase, just stuck with Treads for the extra bonuses even though it's more expensive.

Why? Buriza-do Kyanon (Buriza) is usually good for agility heroes, but it's not that great on Azwraith. First, although getting critical hits are nice, it's almost as expensive as The Butterfly ($5,800 vs. $6,000) which is MUCH better. Second, since your illusions do less damage than you, if they crit, their red numbers are much less than yours, giving away your position. Since you rely on your images to do a lot of the work, wouldn't you rather have your enemy confused by them than attacking you? Third, since your illusions are doing 25% of your attack damage, boosting damage has a much more diminished return on them than Feedback (see Mathcraft above).

Why? Sange and Yasha (SnY), while usually decent on agility heroes, is terrible on Azwraith. First, it's an orb effect. Second, images cannot maim! Third, you can already chase with Spirit Lance and Purge, so what do you need maim for anyway? Fourth, attack speed increases don't help out images. Fourth, for another $1,000, you can get The Butterfly. Which would you rather have?

Why? Hand of Midas doesn't help you, or your images out very much. This should only be considered when playing against Chen to get rid of his creep army. First, and really the precise reason, is that the increase in attack speed doesn't affect images. Since that's all this item does, what's the point? Well, you could argue it makes you create images faster, but spending $1,900 for this seems pointless when you could get a Hyperstone which upwards converts into an Assault Cuirass that has a few more benefits. But even an AC is NOT worth the money. Stick to this build.

Why? The Cranium Basher sounds appealing: You might think, "Sweet! My images can bash too!" WRONG! Images no longer bash due to the recent update on Cranium Basher so why waste your money on something that doesn't help your images? "But you can bash them, holding them in place while your images hit!" True, but you really don't need to bash because you can already chase effectively with Diffusal Blade's purge and your Spirit Lance. You really don't need to hold them in place at all.

Why? The Battle Fury doesn't make your images cleave (even though it looks like they do) and you're already a farming machine. So don't waste your time. The only thing to consider if maybe you need the regeneration, but why not get Vlad's instead? Remember, you're not a tank! Don't buy like one!

Why? Vanguard is not a very good item for increasing Azwraith's survivability. The block damage doesn't work on images and you're already getting at least one vitality booster for manta and other HP boosting items. You shouldn't be taking all the hits anyway, that's what your images are for.

Why? 1) Chain lightning cannot be triggered by your images, 2) Feedback is a much better orb effect, 3) getting The Butterfly is much better.

Quote:

Why is Yasha a core item? Yasha is very good for Azwraith because it provides good benefits for a small price. For you: 10% movespeed, 16% attack speed, 16 damage. For your images: 10% movespeed, 16% attack speed, 4 damage. The extra movespeed is very helpful for chasing and the attack speed generates more images. These 2 items are key, especially because while you're getting this item, you're chasing with Purge and starting to generate your image army.

Skill Build

Level 1 - Dopplewalk
Level 2 - Spirit Lance
Level 3 - Spirit Lance
Level 4 - Dopplewalk
Level 5 - Spirit Lance
Level 6 - Dopplewalk
Level 7 - Spirit Lance
Level 8 - Dopplewalk
Level 9 - Juxtapose
Level 10 - Phantom Edge
Level 11 - Phantom Edge
Level 12 - Juxtapose
Level 13 - Juxtapose
Level 14 - Juxtapose
Level 15 - Stats
Level 16 - Phantom Edge
Level 17 - Stats
Level 18 - Stats
Level 19 - Stats
Level 20 - Stats
Level 21 - Stats
Level 22 - Stats
Level 23 - Stats
Level 24 - Stats
Level 25 - Stats
Why? Dopplewalk is picked first because having an escape mechanism is very important at the beginning since some people like to triple-team a lane for first blood. Plus, it's very rare when you'll need a nuke at the beginning (unless maybe you're triple-teaming a lane for first blood). Then Spirit Lance should be maxed out over Dopplewalk since it will provide damage for nuking and chasing. Although Phantom Edge is a great ultimate, it's skipped early because it's better to have Dopplewalk and Spirit Lance maxed out first. Phantom Edge just doesn't provide enough benefits to make it worth while. Part of it benefits your images, so shouldn't you be spawning images before you get it? I thought so.

You should be well on your way to Diffusal (if not bought already) around the time you hit level 11. By that point you will have image generation from Juxtapose and 2 levels of Phantom Edge. From here on out Juxtapose is the way to go so you can really create images.

Then all the skills are maxed out before getting Phantom Edge at 16 then stats all the way. There isn't much point in getting stats sooner because you can escape with ease and if you're following my strategy, you shouldn't be focused on too much as the enemy won't know where you are.

Quote:

Why not only one point in Dopplewalk then go stats instead? I use Dopplewalk both offensively and defensively, so I enjoy the shorter cooldown. Plus, that leaves more mana for Spirit Lance. If you're using Dopplewalk only defensively or rarely using it, you could consider stats. Although stats are great, I think Doppelwalk is a fantastic skill. It allows you to be more flexible in your gameplay. You can invis-in and out of combat. Besides, your images aren't going to be that strong without Diffusal Blade anyway, so it's better to stay alive and confuse your enemies early game. Azwraith's strength lies in his late-game ability. Few heroes can match his strength. You want to focus on the end game: so stay alive.

Strategy

Early Game: Azwraith's primary goal early game is to stay alive because he's very squishy. Fortunately, Dopplewalk is there to save you if you get in trouble, but it costs a lot of mana, so just stay back and last hit creeps (if you can). The problem heroes here the ones that dink you to death: Viper, Veno, Clinkz, Bounty Hunter, Huskar, Warlock, etc because you'll have to spend time using tangoes or running home (not recommended). If you're really having a problem, switch lanes because you need to get some levels and items on you before you can become a threat. The good thing about Azwraith is that he really doesn't need a babysitter since he can run away easily (provided he has the mana) and this "early game" only lasts until roughly level 11, when you can really start farming and preparing for the end game.

I can't stress this enough: DENY YOUR DAMN CREEPS and PLAY DEFENSIVELY. For every hit you put on your creeps, the closer the enemy creeps and heroes come to your tower. For a more thorough explanation, see BLAOW's guide to Lane Control. You want to force your enemy to make mistakes while getting some meat on your otherwise puny base stats and abilities.

Middle Game: The middle of the game is the make or break point. You should be starting to get strong now and you can use him for hero-killing, ganking (Spirit lance for nuking and slowing and Dopplewalk for sneaking up and escaping) and pushing (lots of me!). Plus, if you're following my item/skill build, you should get Diffusal here really tilting the scales in your favor.

If you're worried about being ganked, use Dopplewalk to scout both runes and the jungles and pay attention to the global combat. Since that image lasts 20 secs, you can cover a decent amount of the map. Or, if the enemy doesn't have true sight (dust/gem/track/amp dmg, etc.) or can chain disable, you could save Dopplewalk for times when you get ganked. Don't worry too much if your teammates are getting hurt because you have to farm in order to get strong. Azwraith is very item dependent and needs the time and money to get very strong. You can also play around in the jungle for easy money using your images to tank and scout.

Your focus during the middle part of the game is to get as much gold as you can, either from heroes or creeps. Azwraith requires some pretty expensive items to be strong because his abilities are that powerful on their own. Just play smart and you should make it to the end game successfully.

End Game: The end game is where Azwraith truly shines. By now you should have at least Diffusal, Yasha, and another powerhouse item like Butterfly, Heart, or Manta. You can push lanes for farming while using images to scout runes, jungles, potential ganks, etc. You are truly a farming machine - not many heroes can keep up with you're farming ability. If you have boots of travel, you can farm a lane, teleport to another one, and let your images continue to work while you're not there. Also, your Spirit Lance still (and purge if you have it) provides the slow you need to effectively chase people. When the big team battles ensue (which they always will) you shouldn't just charge in there. You're not a tank. Dopplewalk and use that image as a distraction so they think it's you waiting there and run behind their front line (usually full of tanks and creeps). Once the two lines clash, begin decimating their casters. Usually, they wont have time to react before you're all over the place thanks to your images. If they start figuring out which one is the real you, activate Manta and continue the punishment. If you're in real trouble, Dopplewalk and get out safely. Fortunately, you'll be doing hefty damage so you might bring down one without getting too hurt and you can begin chasing.

Your images will be duplicating themselves at both the front line and the back line, confusing your enemy. Your job is to focus on one hero, kill him, and move onto another. Your images will act as fodder.

Mind Games

A more general place for mind games and how successful they are can be found at totallnewbie's The Art of Mindgames v3.0.

Images are your best friend: they do a lot of work for you and are expendable. They can be used for a variety of purposes:
Scouting
The image created by Dopplewalk lasts 20 seconds, that's more than enough time for you to get to a rune or to scout the jungle. You can scout with your Juxtapose images, but each only lasts about 7 seconds. They are best used when you're jungling and want to scout out an area since you can start them running in different directions, covering lots of ground. They are also helpful during pushes because once you have killed the creep wave and you have left over images, send them in different directions (into the jungles, Rosh, behind you, ahead of you, etc). They won't survive until the next wave anyway, so you may as well put their sight to good use.

Drawing Enemy Fire
Azwraith gets dominated by chain stuns and focus-fire due to his fairly low HP. The way to counter this is to go out of your enemies' sight (behind trees, up cliffs, around corners, out of range, etc.), Dopplewalk, and control that image like you would control yourself. If played right, enemies will fire away on that image. This is especially the case when you think they are coming to gank you as they are very eager to get a kill. I have successfully drawn Rooftrellen's mass entangle, Rexxar's roar, Lion's finger, Bane's grasp, and a bunch of stuns with my illusion. The trick is to make your enemy think it's you since they can't tell a difference. Although this may not seem like much since you're not killing anyone, you just made them waste their precious mana with (hopefully) their strongest spell. Now they are less of a threat to both you and your teammates. Plus, you can trash talk a little. Go on, you earned it.

Avoiding Spells
In a related concept, since Dopplewalk has no transition time into invisibility, you can use it to avoid spells. Although this isn't really "using your images," one is created in the process, so I stuck this here. For example, if you have a storm bolt coming at you, activate Dopplewalk or Manta. The spell will fail and you will be unharmed. Additionally, the enemy, anticipating the stun will hit, will likely come in after you. They will attack the illusion, leaving you an opportunity to hit back.

Confusing your Enemy
As mentioned earlier, when you cast Spirit Lance, your images mimic you but shortly afterward. Therefore, by casting the lance, you give away your position. This can be helpful however. First, make sure you can Dopplewalk. Second, cast your lance. Third, Dopplewalk. You know that "real" one your enemy was looking for? Well, he's a fake one now. You can run around searching for an opening to strike or bail if you have to.

Jungling
Images play an important role in jungling because they allow you to tackle creeping earlier and harder. It's like having a friendly hero with you but better because they don't leach your experience. The basics are: go in and attack, creating some images, then you back out a little while your images do most of the work. Some people recommend moving on to another creep camp once you've spawned a few images, but I prefer to stay at one until it's over. Why? Well, 1) that ensures you get the experience, 2) if enemies come to gank you, you already have duplicates to confuse them, 3) if only one enemy shows up, you already have a ganking squad, 4) you can use your 7 images to scout the area after the camp is dead. What camp you can kill depends on the creep strength and your items. Once you get diffusal most of the creeps will be easy pickings but with manta and a vitality booster, creeps should be trembling in fear (except Rosh, who eats your illusions like a fat kid eats cake).

Slowing your Enemy
WARNING: Uber-micro Required! Having a hard time catching that speedy Strygwyr or Barathrum? Spirit Lance and Diffusal Blade slow. Well, so can images. After casting Spirit Lance, your enemy is crippled for a decent slow. If you plan it right and can chase. After casting the spell, quickly tell your real hero to attack the enemy and take control of your image. Then, have your image, who runs at your speed, run in front of their hero. Use that image to block the enemy as you would your own creeps. You can catch up and initiate the beating. However, this is very difficult to do and I don't have the micro skills necessary so don't expect a replay (if you can and want to submit it, I'm all for that!).
As I said earlier, images are your best friend. They not only do damage, but they can be utilized for a variety of purposes apart from hacking away.

How To: Images

Images, although very helpful and strong, are picky about what they will and won't benefit from. Note: These two sources are where I got my information. I did not test these as it's taken me long enough to write this out!
See Gray the Grayte's Post
See DotA Wiki's Summary
Images will not benefit from:
Direct bonus to damage items (i.e. items that say +x to damage do not give that bonus damage to images)
Direct bonus to armour items (Chainmail, Platemail, etc)
Direct regeneration items (Ring of Regen, Ring of Health, etc)
Increased Attack Speed percent (Hyperstone, Treads, Hand of Midas, Monkey King Bar, Butterfly)
Frost Attack (Eye of Skadi)
Lifesteal (Satanic, Mask of Madness, Mask of Death, Helm of Dominator) Note: the graphic appears, but the images don't actually leach life
Chain Lightning (Maelstrom)
Cleave - Percentage Splash Damage applied to nearby targets (Battlefury)
Maim (Sange, Sange and Yasha)
% Chance for Microstun that disrupts concentration spells and gives bonus damage (Monkey King Bar)
Corruption effect - minus to armor upon hit (Stygnian Desolator). Images will benefit from the corruption given by your main hero
Damage block (Stout Shield, Vanguard)
Spell items - images can't cast spells (Dagon, Guinsoo, Mechanism, Mantastyle, etc)
Magic resistance items (Planeswalker Cloak)
Images will benefit from:
Stat bonus items (Wraith Bands, Bracers, Null Talisman, Ultimate Orb, etc)
Feedback (Diffusal Blade, Manta Style)
Critical Strike (Crysalys / Buriza ) Just the critical strike ability is transferred to images not the bonus damage from the item.
Evasion (Butterfly, Radiance)
Raw movement speed gain items (Boots, Treads, Boots of Travel)
% Movement Speed gain items (Sange and Yasha, Yasha).
True Sight (Gem of True Sight)
Radiance burning aura (Radiance) - Note that while images get the burning aura only one such aura will apply to an enemy at a given time (i.e. 4 images do not mean 4xdamage from the burn aura) The bonus damage from the Radiance item itself does not transfer
Direct Hit Point bonus items (Vitality Booster, Point Booster, Soul Booster, Heart of Tarresque, Manta Style)
Direct Mana Point bonus items (Energy Booster, Point Booster, Soul Booster, etc)

Best Friends

Disablers

These heroes hold them while you beat them. The longer the hold, the more hits you get in plus the more images are created.

Slowers

These heroes help you when you're chasing the enemy. You can already slow enemies with your spirit lance and purge, but sometimes those skills aren't enough. With these heroes around, the slow effect is multiplied, giving you more of an opportunity to get hits in and nuke away.

Special Mentions

Morphling is a great partner for Azwraith because of his ability to copy Azwraith. What's better than having one mana-burning, image-creating hero? 2 mana-burning, image-creating heroes! The good thing about Morph is that his image copies don't affect your image count.

Crystal Maiden is another great because not only does she disable with Frostbite, but her Brilliance Aura makes your lance more spammable. Once her aura is leveled to 4, you can pretty much spam your skills.

Worst Enemies

Cleaving Heroes

These heroes have the innate ability to cleave. Images go down fast to these guys since they take 4x the amount of damage. Even if the cleaved damage is 50% of the original hit that you take, your images are taking double the normal hit. Not fun for you or your images.

Area of Effect (AOE) Heroes

These have abilities that do damage to multiple people simultaneously. Fortunately, most require a decent bit of mana to be effective and fortunately you're going to be burning through it. Unfortunately, if they take out your images (since they like to get pwned), you're a sitting duck unless you can trick them. Rooftrellen and Leviathan's ults are especially dangerous since they will not only kill your images, but leave you stuck.

True Sight

Yes, Zeus has true sight. Static Field? These heroes are a pain because if they spot you first and can track, amp damage, etc, your "sneakiness" isn't that helpful. They are best for spotting you so you get rocked by their friends. The way to counter some of these is to activate Manta, dispelling the magic on you, or create a few images and run them like a pack while you're not invisibile. They have nothing to distinguish you from your phantom counterparts so it's still hard to hit you. Necronomicon is a double-pain because not only does it show you, but it increases your enemies' move speed, making it harder for you to chase.

Silencers

If you're silenced, you can't cast Dopplewalk or Spirit Lance but most importantly, you can't generate images with Juxtapose. This makes you a sitting duck to whoever wants you. The only effective way of countering this is to not let them know which one is the real you (which you should be doing anyway!). You need to dispell this as quickly as possible by either purging yourself or activating Manta.

Special Mention

Strygwr gets his own category for 3 reasons: 1) He see invisible units if their HP is below 40% of their maximum. This is terrible for Azwraith as he will likely end up under this threshold a decent amount of the time, making him vulnerable to Strygwr's Thirst. 2) Strygwr heals himself whenever he kills another unit. Unfortunately for Azwraith, this works on images. Since your images are easy to kill, Strygwr can just hack away and heal himself. This is further amplified if he gets a battlefury. No matter how many images you make for him, he kills them and is healed. NOT GOOD. (removed in newest patch, thank god) 3) He has the ability to silence you. There goes your escape mechanism and image generation. All in all, Strygwr is bad news for Azwraith.

Closing

This is my first guide and post so please feel free to critique. In closing I hope this has inspired you to play Azwraith more. He's very fun because he's so tricksy. The important thing is understanding that his illusions are very strong with the right items. You should focus on the long-term as he's one of the strongest heroes in the game. Good luck and happy hunting!

Changelog

3/25/09 - Minor changes
8/25/09 – 6.61c update

Lion Hero Guide | Dota Hero Guide

2009-09-18T23:44:00.000-07:00

Lion Hero Guide

Written by DarkMedina
Co-written by 173.GoodoldKuya

~Guide's Index

I. Introduction and Foreword
II. The Hero
III. The Skills
IV. Skill Build
V. Courier and Wards
VI. Roles
VII. Early Game Strategy
VIII. Mid Game Strategy
IX. Late Game Strategy
X. Solo Lion Strategy
XI. Items
XII. Drafting
XIII. Replays
XIV. FAQ
XV. Conclusion

I. Introduction and Foreword

~Back to Guide's Index

Why a Demon Witch guide?

First and foremost, I was bored so I wrote this guide. But, Lion is an awesome hero. And talk about awesome, he is one of the best gankers in the game, very versatile and can still stick inlane and support godlikely. By the way, I have not seen a good Lion guide around these forums, so I decided to write my own guide. And I love this hero.

Useful info about the guide

Thing A / Thing B means Thing A or Thing B
Thing A + Thing B means Thing A and Thing B

This guide is fancy looking because 173.GoodOldKuya helped me out with the grafics, thereby co-writed the guide.
Also, Un1t3D_ ninja'd most of the typos in this guide, in the favor of good grammar.

Changelog

- September, 2009 -

15th - 15th - Anchor style ninja'd from Ramonar's guide.
15th - Reposted after almost deleting oO.
12th - Translated to portuguese, link.

- August, 2009 -

23th - Changed starting skill build.
23th - Added an index and some other stuff.
21th - Added Screenshots.
17th - Complete'd (grafics)
16th - Complete'd (text)
13th - Posted

II. The Hero

~Back to Guide's Index

Playstyle

Lion can be played as a Ganker, as a Supporter, as a Roamer and as a Soloer. Each of those roles will be explained later.

Stats


16 + 1.7	15 + 1.5	22 + 3.0

Advanced Statistics

Affiliation: Scourge
Attack Animation: 0.43 / 0.74
Damage: 42 - 48
Casting Animation: 0.3 / 0.51
Armor: 1.1
Base Attack Time: 1.7
Movespeed: 290
Missile Speed: 900
Attack Range: 600
Sight Range: 1800 / 800

Pro/Cons

Pros

High burst damage
Loads of disables
Can stay inlane like forever
Can gank from level 1
Can harass very well
May use MD to nullify mana intensive heroes in-lane

Cons

Bellow Average MS
Bellow Average damage
Very Fragile

Comments

Lion cannot withstand focus fire. Even though, he's the one who will be focus fire'ing an enemy hero. Watch your positioning and use the map in your advantage.

III. The Skills

~Back to Guide's Index

Ability Type: Active
Targeting Type: Point
Ability Hotkey: E

The Demon Witch releases his demonic magics into the ground in order to thrust solidified rock spikes along a straight path. This sends all his enemies into the air, only to take damage on their painful impact with the ground.

Mechanics

The wave of tendris travels at 1600 units per seconds. As the casting range for Impale is 400 on all levels, this means that it'll take 0.25s at most to hit the farthest targets. Take this into consideration when casting Impale or you may see the enemy windwalking/leaping/getting away from your deadly chain of disables. Sometimes, Voodoo can be proven more useful for disabling heroes that can get away/cast a skill before being disabled (e.g. Death Prophet's Exorcism, Enchantress's Nature's Attendants).
Also, the units hit by Impale fly for 0.52 seconds before being stunned for the 0.5s/1.0s/1.5s/2.0s actual disable time. Doesn't deal huge damage, Nerubian Assassin's Impale is proven to be way better, but you do have other disables.
Impale costs a loadshit of mana (100/120/145/170) and has 12 seconds cooldown.
Impale gasta muita mana (100/120/145/170) e tem 12 segundos de cooldown.

Usage

When there are several enemies coming, you may want to turn around and throw an impale. Done also for initiating minor battles. Try to align yourself with the foes and click the farther target. Chances are that you'll catch him and one or two other enemies in the Impale.
DON'T CANCEL ANIMATION ON IMPALE. It may make it run shorter than it should, thereby making you miss it. Be patient, it only takes a split second to cast it fully. Can be cast up/down cliffs and for that you must click ground in the general direction of the target.

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NA hit from down cliff at maximum range.

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And now I hit WL from upcliff at maximum range.
This kind of stuns are used to delay some hero to reach the lane/team battle. It's actually very effective, mainly if it's a key hero like Warlock.

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Ability Type: Active
Targeting Type: Unit
Ability Hotkey: D

Transforms an enemy unit into a random critter, disabling special abilities.

Mechanics

Instantly destroys illusions. This skill is very useful against Morphling because of this factor. Also, it won't take your time to destroy an hexed illusion, what would be weird.
The casting is instant, apart from Lion's own casting time. This prevents enemy heroes from fleeing/bracing themselves by casting an instant-cast skill (DP's Exorcism, Ench's Heal, Clock's Assault).
Casting range of 500, thereby a little larger than Impale's. Takes more mana though.
Hex also disables damage block and evasion. GG PA?

Usage

Be reasonable. Try to cancel any chanelling skills, to disable starters/blinkers/disablers and key heroes. Think outside the box and decide who and when you must Hex. Also, Hex has no casting delay, abuse it.

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Ability Type: Active
Targeting Type: Unit
Ability Hotkey: R

Absorbs the magical energies of a target enemy unit by taking mana from it every second.

Mechanics

Transfers mana just like the ladder skill. Has 600/650/700/750 Casting Range and breaks if it goes up to 800 range.

Usage

Do it whenever you're safe to do it and still capable of catching up with foes (unless you're laning, in this case you can just MD to harass) or escaping by yourself. E.g. Enemy Sven is chasing an ally with 350 mana and casted Storm Bolt like 10 seconds ago. As the cooldown is 14 seconds, he may stun your ally and kill him. But, if you Mana Drain lvl 4 Sven for 3 seconds, he'll be left with 50 mana, what's not enough to cast Storm Bolt, leaving your ally safe. At this moment, you may get away too, help your ally further more for him to get away or still turn around and kill Sven as he's out of mana, you can easily gank him.
Mana Drain can be casted right after Impale, also can be shift-issued, but not necessairly. Abuse it inlane because it takes a lot of mana out of your enemies and replenishes your own mana. Just remember to play it safe.
Also useful at teambattles for denying low mana pool heroes to cast key spells, like Treant's Entangling Roots and Leviathan's Ravage.

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Impale, then rapidly cast...

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Mana Drain. Notice that NA is still stunned when I cast MD. You'll get 2 seconds of MD that a single enemy can't help to stop. NA choses to flee for being out of mana, so...

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MD's link is about to break in this screenshot. The target is moving out of the 800 range limit and had most of his mana drained.

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Ability Type: Active
Targeting Type: Unit
Ability Hotkey: F

Instantly rips at a target, attempting to turn it inside-out. Deals massive damage.

Mechanics

Basic nuke. It works just like the good old Finger of Death from ladder. It simply nukes. Has a little casting time that can be cancelled, but I myself don't do it often. Again, abuse it as it can be cast around cliffs, just like Impale, but with more range.
As it's a ultimate skill, IT GOES THROUGH MAGIC IMMUNITY. But, as it has magic type magical, IT DEALS NO DAMAGE AT ALL to magic immune targets. So, choose your target wisely and pay attention to bkbs/rages/bladefurys.

Usage

You may use it on every situation that you are not sure if you can get the kill without it, but still totally sure that you can get the kill with it.
Can be rapidly cast after Impale, just like MD, has large range and can be used up/down cliffs. Try not to overkill with it as it's your precious weapon. Also, try to leave the frag to the carries.

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Maximum range of Finger of Death. Watch the replay in the replay section, I reach the casting time at 3.5s after Warlock started to TP, therefore he tp's before the damage hits him, but still he dies. That was the one and only way to kill him in that situation.

IV. Skill Build

~Back to Guide's Index

You must max Impale and Finger of Death asap, that means you'll get those skills at levels 1/3/5/7 and 6/11/16 respectively.
But, at levels 2/4/8/9/10/12/13/14, it depends. You can either max MD first then Hex, max Hex first then MD, max Hex but don't skill MD and so on. I'll list some situations you may face ingame.

List of Heroes that you shouldn't get MD against:

List of Heroes that you should MD very carefully:

List of Heroes that you can abuse MD against:

All the remaining heroes. Just be reasonable.

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Level 1 - Impale
Level 2 - Mana Drain / Voodoo
Level 3 - Impale
Level 4 - Mana Drain / Voodoo
Level 5 - Impale
Level 6 - Finger of Death
Level 7 - Impale
Level 8 - Voodoo
Level 9 - Voodoo
Level 10 - Voodoo / Mana Drain
Level 11 - Finger of Death
Level 12 - Voodoo / Mana Drain
Level 13 - Mana Drain / Stats
Level 14 - Mana Drain / Stats
Level 15 - Stats
Level 16 - Finger of Death
Level 17+ - Stats

Max MD ASAP when:

You're facing a highly mana dependant hero inlane
Draining his mana is more important than disabling him
There aren't many ganks around
You are using the turtle strategy / babysitting a carry

Also, useful info (wall of text):

One other situation where MD would be useful, is laneing against a low hp agility hero, or even a low hp int hero that is not as mana dependent as other int heroes . The spamming ability of tendrils becomes insane. On a low hp hero, this makes for an extreme annoyance/hindrance and may cause him to make stupid mistakes out of frustration. Spike, and then MD the hero while he's stunned. If the hero is out of mana, MD the ranged creep. Now you might think this is bad, because as soon as he comes out the stun he will have free hits on you while your MD is still going. Yeah well, he will be thinking this too. So more than likely he will start attacking you unless it's his mana you're draining. Either cut off MD early and attack him (you still have had enough time to score some free mana with spike's stun duration), or ignore his attacks, tank the few extra hits (which may get him over confident and/or stupidly greedy) and shift click to attack once MD is over. DW is not a tanking hero so why do that? Simple, you just gained an advantage over your opponent. You gained spike damage + the attack damage you managed to land on him. He gained the attack time on you which equals the difference between spikes' stun duration and MD's duration. You definantly got the better deal. Not only that, but you scored the mana to repeat the process. And seeing as you're ranged, you probably get a few extra hits on him when he decides to turn tail as well which may balance out the total physical attack amount on both sides, especially if he is mele, leaving you with the spike damage pure surplus advantage. If he decides to try kill you with either superior armor, hp, life stealing, AS or tanking power, your creeps attacking him from the agro he triggered ordering the attack against you will soon show him his mistake. Many a game i have weakened a hero from early on exp and gold wise with this spike/MD harassment method. And it's fun, especially when the opponent gets annoyed ^_^

I feel it's the stronger option and argument over Voodoo early game. Firstly, without high damage capabilities early game, a mere few second hex is not feasible to capitalize on. Secondly, with mana pools being at their lowest early game and without good mana pool boosting and mana regen items until later on, Voodoo just costs too much mana to use if you want to use spikes to their maximum effect. Thirdly, Voodoo is alright early game, and excellent mid-late game. MD is excellent early game, but mid-late game high mana pools and mana regen items just make it obsolete. Enemies are in the same position, so it's mana draining capabilities are also ineffective. Plus standing around draining mana mid-late game is suicidal 0.o. So rather have 1 excellent early game skill, and 1 excellent mid-late game skill, than 1 alright early game skill and 1 excellent late game skill (while having one skill that was useless by the time you learned it).

MD at levels 2 and 4, Voodoo at levels 8 and 9 when:

You're facing a highly mana dependant hero inlane
You're ganking a lot and need to disable dangerous heroes

Max Voodoo ASAP when:

You're facing a lot of dangerous heroes that can do well without much mana
Heroes that have magic stick or bottle / chanelling spells / you're ganking a lot

Note that you may change the skill build accordingly to the game. Just be reasonable. If you don't feel like getting MD because you barely have the chance to use it because the ganking action is really intense, so go for stats at levels 10/12 and so on. But I should advise that if you have 2 levels of MD skilled, you may stop by a lane to regen mana and later proceed with the ganking. Also, as stated earlier, mana dependant heroes really suffer if MD'ed.

V. Courier and Wards

~Back to Guide's Index

If you aren't soloing, then you must get one of those at start.
Constantly warding throughout the game will not only save you and your allies from ganks but also let you counter gank and landing some extra kills that may just turn the game in your favor.

VI. Roles

~Back to Guide's Index

First, the discussion of the behavior of the Demon Witch when assuming each of his roles.

Ganker

You simply gank. Well, not so simple as that, ganking may be hard if the map was warded by the enemies.
Take your disables and go kill some carries / aid your own carries. Try to notice where are the enemy wards and avoid them or, even better, counterward them. At level 1, you can attempt FB, then go for your lane. If your mate is capable of soloing on that lane, you can go out and gank. Try to notice if he's doing well without your presence full time. If so, buy tps/wards/stick/bottle and go gank some unaware/key heroes/carries.

Support

In this situation, your mate isn't capable of soloing on that lane because the lane is just too hard for him. If the oposing lane has a carry, it's likely that you're going to stick to that lane and try to harass him as much as possible. You aren't supposed to leave your lane for whatever reason (despite being too much low on life) because your partner may just be harassed to death while you're away and the carry will be just farming. Attempt hero kills if possible. Lion isn't a so defensive hero, you have loads of agressive spells, abuse them. You may need MD for this role. Also, leave the farm to your partner as you aren't going to need it eitherway.

Roamer

You roam. Skill your disables, go alongside a disabler (and possibly other heroes) and grab that FB. The diference between the Roamer and the Ganker is that playing the Roamer means that your lane partner would be a natural solo, thereby capable of soloing without any problems. You never ever really come back to your lane, but to gank. You keep on ganking the whole game, you have no lane really. Take charge of creep pulling / rune checking / warding / counterwarding.

Solo Lion

Further explained here

VII. Early Game Strategy

~Back to Guide's Index

Ganker

Magic Stick is very useful for a ganker because it provides regeneration throughout the game and can be upgraded. You'll benefit a lot out of it. Buy it whenever you're going out of your lane or at the beggining, if this is your preference.
You need to suply your team with wards and counter wards too. Use TPs for ganking and Tango/Flask/Clarity for regenerating.
Don't always focus the low hp heroes. They are easy to kill, yes, but most of them are supporters and won't do much later in the game. Go for the carries if they're unaware and if you can kill them. If you cannot, kill those supports.
If your enemies are all around the map, thereby also ganking, you may want to ward near towers (to notice TPs) and river areas so that you don't get yourself trapped too much. If they are just turtling in their lanes, ward them and make them always close to your towers, so that you can gank them without risking your own life for it. Remember: A carry's life is worth twice as much as yours.

Support

Ward defensively. Get loads of consumables so that your lane partner doesn't need to worry too much about you. Get Magic Stick + Upgrade it if necessary, but most likely you're going to need it.
Prioritize your lane partner's safety always and leave him the farm. Harass a lot. Deny. Don't let the enemies farm and have your partner to do it.

Roamer

Same strategy as Ganker, really. Gank with your double lane first, it's a bit easier. The just try to harass / hero kill the lanes that your allies have the most problems to deal with and get some time to SPARTAAA the lane that is easier for them, so that you capitalize out of the weak enemies there. Siege towers. Burst carries. Get your Magic Stick ASAP, that means, in base. Also, bring some tangoes/clarities because you're likely to need them. Bottle is your friend.
Remember to care about your carries and to dish out enemy carries.

VIII. Mid Game Strategy

~Back to Guide's Index

Try to ult a target that has enough life to tank your ult and +1 hit, so that your carry capitalizes with the hero kill. Focus fire carries / key heroes / unaware targets. Plan ganks beforehand. Ward and counterward. Time hex so that it interrupts chanelling skills / doesn't allow enemies to cast the final blow, thereby saving allies. Just don't rambo. Stay safe. You aren't supposed to tank anything.

Ganking etiquete

From now on, there is no role in the game for you, except ganker. Gank gank gank.

Impale or Hex first? Depends. Hex has 100 more range, but it's single target.
Should you be the first to disable? Depends. Generally, the hero with the largest range on the disable initiates. But, if the target is low on life and your carry can use his disable to get the frag, allow him to do it, thereby you can initiate with ease.

Saving your disables

Do the enemy team have chanelling spells? Is there any hero that is oddly disturbing on the battle field, e.g. ES, SF or Lich? Save your Hex a little and you may turn the tides of the battle in your favor. If it happens for you to spot ES before he blinks in, you may be able to Hex him before / when he blinks, thereby having half the teambattle on. Remember to focus fire him while he's still disabled. Trust me, this is actually very very important. And, remember, attempt to stay away from the core of the nukes.

IX. Late Game Strategy

~Back to Guide's Index

Communicate with your team. Figure out who must be taken down first in the battle. Gank. If it happens for you to kill / assist in killing a key hero before the teambattle even starts, you're doing great and may just win the game in the next push.
Gank -> Kill -> Push -> Win
Should you ult for a single kill before the battle? Depends. If it's a carry / key hero, hell yes. If it's a target that may get away unless you ult him, yes. If it's just going to be an overkill, save it, but remember: Your ult cooldown on level 3 is 55 seconds, thereby spammable. Abuse it. And remember to MD for being always full mana provided that you skilled it.

X. Solo Lion Strategy

~Back to Guide's Index

So, now it comes. It's totally diferent when you solo. You want to have the hero kills so that you can build more items and be more and more disturbing in team battles. You want to farm. Lion is very good as a solo, underated imo.

Early Game

Last hitting is very important. Lion does have a good animation for it and is able to farm a lot with it and also deny the enemy his farm. Mana Drain may be useful, think if you're going to need it and if you do, skill it. Harass a lot, runewhore if necessary. Remember to ward the proximities of your lane so that you don't get ganked too much. You're still a bit fragile. At level 6, you may want to leave your lane to kill someone or call a gank mid. By the way, yes you're supposed to be soloing mid.
Is it right to gank before level 6? Yes, provided that there's no carry against you in the lane or he's back while you're ganking.

Mid Game

Gank. Gank. Gank. Don't stop and farm unless there is no heroes in their lanes anymore and be cautious because they may just come after you. Abuse your items, you must have some by now. Capitalize on hero kills. Be the highest level hero on the game by farming / killing a lot. Tear down key heroes before they even have the time to cast their spells.

Late Game

Be careful, the game is going too far. Keep on bursting heroes and gank even more. Gank then push. Abuse your ult. Wreak havoc among the battlefield with your disables.

XI. Items

~Back to Guide's Index

Useful Items

Capitalize out of the spells the enemies cast. It's a must.

Useful to deny the enemy from runewhoring and you can also capitalize out of the runes. Not a must.

High mobility for ganking. If you're soloing, BoT could be a good choice provided that other heroes have it too.

The best item for Lion. You throw in a disable, activate the item, issue the necros to attack the foe, go back to yourself and throw another disable, issue mana burn with the necros and more attacks, go back to yourself and finish with ult if necessary. Remember to attack the foe yourself too.
It's one of the best ganking items on the game, deals way more damage than Dagon, has mana burn/feedback, endurance aura and last will. Upgrade it ASAP.
Also, Necronomicom boosts your stats nicely.

Works if you can get it at 20 mins tops. After that, it won't do well. Also, you don't upgrade it. It's a good item actually, you get a lot of burst damage and you become able to 1 hit people.
Dagon has no casting time, unlike your ult. Use it to right after a disable.

More disable'ing time. Very useful if you have heroes that can deal loads of damage on your team, not only initiators/supports. Has 800 casting range.

Get after Guinsoo, NOT BEFORE. Has 600 casting range. The extra disable time can do wonders and also you can just dish someone out of battle OR help an ally to escape by providing him with 2.5 seconds of safety. Also, if you use it on DP right before she dies, the tides of battle can be changed...
Euls actually gives you the option to cast your primary disables twice. You cast Impale, Hex, Guinsoo/Euls, Euls/Guinsoo, Impale, Hex. Loads of disables.

Now that it's cheap, it's an item to be considered. You may get it even if you aren't soloing. Gives you more burst damage, hp and mana.

Good for insta-gibs, ganks and surprise buttsecks. Gives you mobility if you need it. And it's not too expensive.

If you got BoT, Shiva's will do wonders for you because it'll boost your Armor and also give you burst+slow.
Also, Shiva's stands for one of the most expensive builds, that is Aghanims or Bloodstone, BoT and Shivas, in this order. It can be expensive, but it does work nicely also.

Situational Items

Bracers are very useful. But not always. Most of the times, you'll find yourself out of slots because you'll already be carrying Observer Wards + Sentry Wards + TP Scroll. There are 3 slots gone. Moreover, you need Boots and Magic Wand. There are 5 slots. Going to fill your precious last slot with a Bracer? Not really recomended, a Point Booster is yes more expensive, but can be upgraded and gives you a mana boost that is necessary for you to get level 3 ult. It's really mana intensive (650 mana each 55 seconds).

Yes, they are useful. You may want to buy one of those when you're supporting/ganking/roaming and even if you're soloing and you're already beefy provided that your team needs them.

You are not supposed to get it on Lion, but it works nicely on any hero, so I'm listing it here. It's cheap and can help you and your team to gank. You can speed up heroes to catch up and also take the enemies to you fast.

Tanking items.

Rejected items

No no no no no. If it happens for you to get Guinsoo / Euls / Aghanims / Dagon, then it's useful. But, instead of buying the Refresher Orb, leave the game because you're wasting your time. You aren't supposed to have this many items on Lion. If you don't have all those items, then it's not useful because you won't have the mana to use it to it's full potential and your ult doesn't have long cooldown, so it's lame.

They don't really protect you. Really. Don't buy those items.

DPS items are rejected.

Item Builds

General Build

Build for ganking/supporting/roaming with aproximated timing ingame.

- At base -

- 5 min mark -

- 10 min mark -

- 15 min mark -

- Afterwards -

Solo build

Example: Necronomicom + Aghanim's build.

Guinsoo + Euls and Dagon + Bloodstone follow the same concept.

- At base -

- 7 minutes mark -

- 12 minutes mark -

- 17 minutes mark -

- 25 minutes mark -

- Afterwards -

XII. Drafting

~Back to Guide's Index

Lion is a pretty much versatile hero. Worth a second pick. You usually pick him if you go for a ganker strategy or if you want to have a special hero to carry/gank and be inlane with Lion such as Kunkka/Clockwerk Goblin and so on.
Teams like Ks.int and EG have used Lion even as a first pick.
Lion doesn't have something like a counter, so you can abuse him as a pick. Also, he's good to carry out insta-gibs, godlike if coupled with Necrolyte.

Allies

May go inlane with you

Basically any hero that needs to close in with the target to be effective, also stunners and heroes that can deal large damage within a short period of time (like Dirge, Juggernaut and PotM).

May be able to solo if you leave the lane

Generally, the heroes that can solo by themselves.

May go ganking and leave you solo early on

Gankers!

May combo with your skills

May 1-hit people all around.

Keep an eye for those heroes/items

They can dodge your stuff.

SilencezomgI'mUselessPieceOfSh1t.

Fag. Can kill you instantly if you haven't soloed.

You can, with your team, take her down before she evens starts to heal herself.

XIII. Replays

~Back to Guide's Index

WarDotA BR IHL - Amazing game - DM as Lion

This game was simply wonderful. High skill scrim. I go for Magic Wand early, wards, boots, phase and Pipe. Khadgar's Pipe of Insight, as listed previously, is a situational item and it helped my team to tank the nukes flying towards our direction. I had the money to spare, so I got an item to help my team.
I get MD on this game, also.

XIV. FAQ

~Back to Guide's Index

Quote:

What about Bracers?

Bracers are useful for any hero. They are useful for Lion too. If you do have someone to hold observer wards for you (you'll be still buying them), this will provide you with one extra slot. Then, you can go for Bracer. Don't mass bracers or you'll be forced to sell them for buying wards.
Remember: You must always have Observer Wards (Scouting), Sentry Wards (CounterWard), TP Scroll (Ganking, Retreating), Boots of Speed, Magic Wand and +1 item. Don't waste your last slot with Bracer, you may need that slot later. If the game is very hard, go for it. Also, if someone can carry the wards for you, it would be just great.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Eumellein

Just swap the bracer with your wards if you are planing to set them up in your flying courier. Not really micro depending but still effective, just make sure there are no crucial other items stored.

Good point. That can be done also, provided that you aren't facing any invis heroes. In this case, you must carry sentry wards AND buy Dusts for your allies and yourself, if you can carry one set.

Quote:

Originally Posted by gwho

question. why do u need 2 clarities when u have mana drain?

In case you leave your lane without much mana (you're forced to tp for defending a gank) and if you can't use MD inlane because it's too aggressive for you, clarities are very useful. And they are only 50 gold each.

Dota 6.62b AI Map Download | DotA-Allstars 6.62b AI 0.211 Map Download

2009-09-18T05:43:00.000-07:00

Here is what we said about the DotA-Allstars 6.62b AI 0.211 Map:

Dota 6.62b AI - Dota-Allstars v6.62b AI 0.211 Map Download. BuffMePlz has made some fix on his Dota 6.62 AI map. Some bugs fixed plus moreover this AI map is also inherits the Dota 6.62b fix on the everlasting bottle bug. Before downloading, note that you must use Warcraft 1.24b Patch :)

Here is what he said about the DotA-Allstars 6.62b AI 0.211 Map:

Mostly just addressing bugs, will try to address some AI issues for next release.

Changelog:

Dota 6.62b AI (v0.211)
==============
-Temporarily removed managed group system to remove critical error bugs until I get a chance to clean up group usage in the AI script
-Rewrote Liquid Fire to prevent conflict with the AI script
-Fixed a bug with Weave
-Fixed a bug with Spirit Bear losing items when the ability is levelled
-Fixed a bug with the game crashing when a human player leaves the game early
-Fixed a bug with Cold Snap not working after the first hit
-Fixed a bug with -ma

IMPORTANT!!
Before download, note that this map is only work with Warcraft 1.24b Patch. If you use Patch 1.23 below, this map won't work!

DotA-Allstars 6.62b AI 0.211 Download Links
Dota 6.62b AI 0.211 via Warcraft Maps
Dota 6.62b AI 0.211 via MediaFire
Dota 6.62b AI 0.211 via MegaUpload
Dota 6.62b AI 0.211 via RapidShare

Dota 6.63 Changelogs | Dota-Allstars 6.63 Changelogs | Dota 6.63 Map Download

2009-09-17T16:48:00.000-07:00

Dota 6.63 Changelogs - Dota-Allstars 6.63 Complete Changelogs. To download the map, check the Dota-Allstars 6.63 post. If you still need Patch your Warcraft to TFT Patch 1.24b click here.

Heroes

Anti-Mage
- Mana Void AoE increased from 275 to 325
- Strength changed from 16 +1.5 to 20 +1.2

Axe
- Battle Hunger duration reduced from 10/15/20/25 to 10/13/16/19 and increased damage to keep the same total damage output

Bane Elemental
- Fiend's Grip manacost increased from 100/175/250 to 200/300/400

Batrider
- Reduced base damage from 64-70 to 48-52
- Sticky Napalm fixed from doing a higher constant slow instead of stacking and starting lower
- Sticky Napalm manacost increased from 15 to 20

Blood Seeker
- Base armor reduced by 2 points

Bone Fletcher
- Strafe changed from 50/60/70/80 AS for 10 seconds to 90 AS for 4/6/8/10 seconds

Bounty Hunter
- Imported a custom model for him that has his selection box fixed

Bristleback
- Warpath's attack speed increase changed to bonus damage (10/20/30 base with 4/8/12 bonus per stack)

Broodmother
- Insatiable Hunger lifesteal increased from 40/55/70% to 40/60/80%
- Insatiable Hunger duration increased from 12 to 14 seconds

Centaur Warchief
-Double Edge manacost removed
-Double Edge can no longer cause a suicide

Chaos Knight
- Phantasm cooldown decreased from 180 to 180/160/140

Clockwerk
- Rocket Flare vision reduced from 5/10/15/20 to 10 seconds
- Battery Assault damage reduced from 20/40/60/80 to 10/30/50/70

Dark Seer
- Ion Shell manacost increased from 60/80/100/120 to 70/90/110/130
- Wall of Replica no longer replicates allies
- Wall of Replica now deals 125 damage each time it affects an enemy hero
- Wall of Replica illusions damage improved from 35% to 60%

Drow Ranger
- Attack range increased from 600 to 625

Earthshaker
- Echo Slam now deals half bonus damage from corpses instead of full

Enchantress
- Strength growth decreased from 2.0 to 1.0

Furion
- Teleportation cooldown from 60/50/40/30 to 50/40/30/20
- Wrath of Nature now has a global cast range

Huskar
- Berserker's Blood stacking cap of attack speed and damage removed

Juggernaut
- Healing Ward cooldown reduced from 75 to 60

Keeper of the Light
- Illuminate max range is now constant at all levels

Lanaya
- Strength growth increased from 1.7 to 2.1

Lich
- Movement speed increased by 10

Lina Inverse
- Base intelligence increased by 5 points and reduced base damage by 5 (total attack damage unchanged)

Lone Druid
- Spirit Bear's entangle no longer prevents the target from attacking
- Spirit Bear's entangle damage increased from 40/sec to 60/sec

Lord of Avernus
- Death Coil cast range reduced from 600 to 300

Luna
- Lucent Beam now has a constant 0.6 ministun instead of 0.01/0.1/0.3/0.6

Magnataur
- Empower cooldown reduced from 12 to 7 seconds
- Reverse Polarity duration increased from 2/3/4 to 2.5/3.25/4

Morphling
- Morph's passive Agility and Strength bonus removed

Naga Siren
- Mirror Image illusion count changed from 1/2/3/3 images to a constant 3
- Mirror Image illusion damage taken changed from 300% to 600/500/400/300%
- Mirror Image illusion damaged dealt changed from 15/30/30/45% to 30/35/40/45%

Nerubian Assassin
- Mana Burn reworked

Old Mana Burn:
Burns: 70/120/185/260
Manacost: 65/85/100/115
Cooldown: 7
Cast Range: 500/575/650/725

New Mana Burn:
Burns: Mana equal to 4x Int
Manacost: 90/110/130/150
Cooldown: 35/25/15/5
Cast Range: 600

Examples:
Sven Level 2: 15 Int [Burns 60 mana]
Lina Level 2: 27 Int [Burns 108 mana]
Sven Level 7: 21 Int [Burns 84 mana]
Lina Level 7: 43 Int [Burns 173 mana]
Heroes levels without int bonuses

Nerubian Weaver
- Base damage increased by 5 points
- Geminate attack now works against towers
- Increased attack range buffer to prevent misfires on Geminate Attack

Nightstalker
- Void now slows for 2 seconds during daytime

Pandarean Brewmaster
- Fire Panda now has maximum movement speed

Phantom Assassin
- Stifling Dagger cooldown reduced from 10 to 8 seconds

Phantom Lancer
- Juxtapose image lifetime increased from 15 to 20 seconds

Priestess of the Moon
- Starfall random chance to hit in 600-900 range removed

Puck
- Illusory Orb manacost increased by 25, Ethereal Jaunt manacost (25) removed

Pugna
- Nether Ward's Mana Flare cooldown removed (was 0.75)

Queen of Pain
- Shadow Strike cooldown decreased to 20/17/14/11
- Scream of Pain cooldown decreased from 10 to 7 seconds

Razor
- Base strength increased from 17 to 21

Rexxar
- Greater Hawk's invisbility increased from 4 to 6 seconds duration

Rhasta
- Mass Serpent Wards cooldown increased from 100/80/60 to 110

Rooftrellen
- Attack range changed from 100 to 128

Sand King
- Sand Storm cooldown from 40/35/30/25 to 40/30/20/10

Silencer
- Curse of the Silent duration changed from 2/4/6/8 to 5/6/7/8
- Curse of the Silent damage/burn reduced from 50/25 hp/mp to 20/10, 30/15, 40/20 and 50/25.
- Curse of the Silent cooldown reduced from 20 to 14
- Curse of the Silent manacost decreased from 105/115/125/135 to 75/95/115/135

Sniper
- Shrapnel cast range increased by 300

Sven
- Base agility increased from 16 to 21

Tauren Chieftain
- Ancestral Spirit cast range decreased from 1500 to 1000
- Earth Splitter AoE decreased
- Earth Splitter cooldown increased from 90/75/60 to a constant 100

Tiny
- Toss cooldown decreased from 15 to 10 seconds
- Craggy Exterior armor decreased by 1

Troll Warlord
- Battle Trance attack speed bonus increased from 60/80/100 to 60/100/140

Undying
- Dying plagued units heal reduced from 12%/3% on heroes/creeps to 6%/2%
- Tombstone armor reduced from 10 to 4

Ursa Warrior
- Fury Swipes damage increased from 6/12/18/24 -> 10/15/20/25

Viper
- Movement speed decreased by 10

Witch Doctor
- Voodoo Restoration initial activation manacost reduced from 50/75/100/125 to 25/50/75/100
- Paralyzing Casks manacost rescaled from 140 to 110/120/130/140

Zeus
- Agility decreased from 15 + 1.7 to 11 + 1.2

Items

Blood Stone
- Charge bonus and acquisition reworked

Old Bloodstone:
-450 HP
-400 MP
-6 HP Regeneration
-150% Mana Regeneration

-- Gains 1 charge per hero kill, gains 2 charges when killing a hero if the charges are empty
-- 1.5 HP and MP per charge
-- On Death: Heals 450 HP and 400 MP of alied units in 1700 aoe
-- Loses 1 charge per death
-- Gold lost on death is reduced by 20% (40% if Bloodstone has charges)
-- Respawn time is reduced by 10% (20% if Bloodstone has charges)

New Bloodstone:
-450 HP
-400 MP
-6 HP Regeneration
-150% Mana Regeneration

-- Gains 1 charge per nearby (1000) enemy hero death
-- 1 MP/sec per charge
-- Loses half charges per death (rounded down)
-- On Death: Heals 400+25xCharges HP of alied units in 1700 aoe
-- Gold lost on death is reduced by 25 per charge
-- Respawn time is reduced by 3 seconds per charge

Boots of Travel
- Movement speed increased from 90 to 95

Dagon
- Manacost reduced from 245/225/205/185/165 -> 180/160/140/120/100

Eul's Scepter
- Movement bonus increased from 20 to 25
- Now requires a sobi mask instead of a Robe of the Magi (100% Mana regen -> 125%, 16 Int->10 Int, 125 cheaper recipe).

Energy Booster
- Now available for purchase in the side shops

Force Staff
- Manacost decreased from 100 to 25
- Cooldown decreased from 30 to 25

Heart of Tarrasque
- Regenerates only while you are out of combat (haven't taken damage from player units for 10 seconds)
- Regeneration increased from 1% to 2%

Kelen's Dagger
- Cooldown decreased from 18 to 14

Khadgar's Pipe of Insight
- Recipe uses Headdress of Rejuvenation instead of Buckler. Loses armor bonus.
- Can no longer affect the same unit more than once every 50 seconds

Old Khadagar's Pipe:
Requires:
-Hood of Defiance (2050)
-Nathrezim Bucker (803)
-Recipe (800)
-Total: 3653

Gives:
-8 HP Regeneration
-5 armor
-30% magic resistance
-Barrier (active)

New Khadagar's Pipe:
Requires:
-Hood of Defiance (2050)
-Headress of Rejuvenation (603)
-Recipe (1000)
Total: 3653

Gives:
-10 HP/sec regeneration
-30% magic resistance
-Barrier (active) Can no longer affect the same unit more than once every 50 seconds

Mask of Madness
- Increased attack speed from 75 to 100
- Increased move speed from 15% to 20%
- Increased damage taken from 20% to 30%,
- Amplified damage happens as you take the damage once again

Magic Wand
- Recipe cost increased from 125 to 150

Mjollnir
- Recipe changed from Eaglehorn to Hyperstone, bonuses adjusted

Old Mjollnir:
Requires:
-Eaglehorn (3300)
-Maelstrom (3000)
-Total: 6300

Gives:
-35 Agility
-35 Damage
-Static Charge (Active)
-Chain Lightning (Passive)

New Mjollnir:
Requires:
-Hyperstone (2100)
-Maelstrom (3000)
-Recipe (400)
-Total: 5500

Gives:
-70 AS
-24 Damage
-Static Charge (Active)
-Chain Lightning (Passive)

Orchid Malevolence
- Reduced manacost from 200 to 100

Phase Boots
- Recipe and bonuses reworked

Old Phase Boots:
Requires:
-Boots of Speed (500)
-Chain Mail (550)
-Blades of Attack (500)
-Total: 1550

Gives:
-70 movement speed
-16 damage
-5 armor
-Phase (Active)

New Phase Boots:
Requires:
-Boots of Speed (500)
-Blades of Attack (500)
-Gloves of Haste (500)
-Total: 1500

Gives:
-60 movement speed
-12 damage
-30 attack speed
-Phase (Active)

Power Treads
- Recipe and bonuses reworked

Old Power Treads:
Requires:
-Boots of Speed (500)
-Gloves of Haste (500)
-Boots of Elvenskin/Belt of Giant Strength/Robe of the Magi (450)
-Recipe (400)
-Total: 1850

Gives:
-65 movement speed
-30 attack speed
-10 selected attribute
-Switch Attribute (active)

New Power Treads:
Requires:
-Boots of Speed (500)
-Boots of Elvenskin/Belt of Giant Strength/Robe of the Magi (450)
-Recipe (450)
-Total: 1400

Gives:
-70 movement speed
-10 Str, 13 Agi, or 16 Int
-Switch Attribute (active)

GamePlay and Cosmetics

* New Loadscreen by Kunkka
* Implemented HCL protocol for game hosting bots to control game modes
* Spanish and German (re-released) languages now available

* A message is now displayed when a hero buys back
* Added -int command to see how much Intelligence you have stolen with Silencer
* Clarity Potion now uses a unit targeting system
* Cooldown added to disassemble to prevent some abuses
* Day and Night cycle is synchronized across all game modes now
* Glyph cooldown is now reset on initial creep spawn
* Lag when picking Huskar decreased
* Weaver's attack range buffer increased to prevent misfires on Geminate Attack
* Window for killstreak sounds increased (double, triple, ultra and rampage) from 13.5 to 18 seconds

* Improved Aghanim's Scepter tooltip
* Changed granite golem's color (12095)
* Corrected various typos and misc inconsistencies
* Corrected PotM leap tooltip
* Corrected Circle selection height on Bat Rider
* Removed the visual effect zombies received when targeting low hp targets
* Removed Plague visual effect on non-hero units to help reduce visual clutter
* Added visual animation on Raxes 7 seconds before new creeps spawn (16268)
* Added a lot more fun names (5464)
* Added a visual effect to reveal the aoe for Dark Rift (21115)
* Added visual indicator when you gain a strength point with Flesh Heap (18010)
* Added a new visual effect for Land Mine explosions (9043)
* Added a new visual effect for Mystic Snake (PGRUnexpected)
* Added a sound effect to Mystic Snake
* Added a new icon for Mystic Snake (9868)
* Added a new icon for Natural Order (5462)
* Added a new aura for Natural Order (5467)
* Added Natural Order aura on TC's spirit
* Added a new icon for Power Shot
* Added a new icon for Repel (8875)
* Added a new animation for Storm Bolt (13541)
* Added a new icon for Split Shot (9868)
* Added a new icon for Stone Gaze (9868)
* Added a new icon for Tidebringer

Bug Fixes

* Fixed more bugs with sticky napalm
* Fixed Tangos, Bottle and Magic Stick/Wand from triggering last word
* Fixed Vladmir's damage aura having smaller AoE than the lifesteal aura
* Fixed Euls movement bonus not getting set correctly if you buy any boot items after euls
* Added an optimized version of the Dark Rift effect to improve performance (PGRu-Unexpect3D)
* Fixed Eyes in the Forest no longer scaling as it used to before the recent change
* Fixed Cranium Basher shop hotkey conflicting with Manta Style
* Fixed a bug with triggering illuminate while in spirit form very near the end of its duration

* Fixed Fissure to be properly interrupted if the user cancels the action or gets disabled before cast point is reached

Enjoy the Dota 6.63 Map!

Dota 6.63 Map Download - Dota-Allstars 6.63 Official Map Released!

2009-09-16T23:46:00.001-07:00

Dota 6.63 Map Download - Dota-Allstars 6.63 Official Map has just released! The new map contain many balances and bug fixes. But more over, it has New Loadscreen!!! Don't forget, to play this map you must use Warcraft 1.24b Patch. Check the Dota 6.63 download link in this post along with the changelogs. Wohooo!! At last, let's see the Dota 6.63 map!

Dota 6.63 Changelogs:
Since the changelogs is huge, i will place it on Dota 6.63 Changelogs post.

Here is some explanation from the IceFrog Blog:

The map has just been released.

We have a new changelog system that should make it easier to see the changes made. It is available here. I hope you guys enjoy the patch. There are some things that might take some time to get used to, but hopefully it improves your gameplay experience in the long run. As always, feel free to give your feedback.

The surprise I mentioned previously on my blog was a new loading screen by Kunkka. He will make a new thread here with a desktop version of the image as soon as he can.

Dota 6.63 Download Link:
Dota 6.63 Download - Warcraft Map Mirror
Dota 6.63 Download - MegaUpload Mirror
Dota 6.63 Download - GetDota Mirror

Once more, you must use Patch 1.24b to play the Dota 6.63! If you not yet upgraded, connect to Battle.net server now. Cannot connect into Battle.Net? Check the Update 1.24b Patch Offline post to download the patch manually or use Warcraft Version Switcher for 1.24b .

Dota Bug - Giant Dirge and Giant Courier

2009-09-16T23:43:00.000-07:00

Dirge + BKB+ Flesh Golem + Blade Mail + Shiva's Guard = Epic HUGE!

How to do it:

1. Use the BKB
2. Immediately press "F" for the Flesh Heap. You must do this immediately after BKB pressed otherwise you will fail turn into the giant Dirge.
3. Add blade mail effect to scary your opponent.
4. Enjoy! ^^

Courier with BKB is also Epic ^^

Have another epic pictures? Share it here! :)

Credits:
Photos from PlayDota Forums

Garena Hack v3.3 Download | Garena Hack | Dota Map 6.62b Map Download

2009-09-15T01:28:00.000-07:00

The New Garena Hack 3.3 is released by GarenaHack-er, this version has built in Custom Kick, Diabolic Warcraft 3 Toolkit and Warcraft 1.24b maphack. You can use this Garena Hack with any Garena update. There are no MEGA Exp in this Garena Hack, even the original one doesn't have it. Read the guide and download the Garena Hack v3.3 with Warcraft 1.24b maphack.

Garena Hack v3.3 Download Links:
Download GarenaHack3.3R_CK_124b.exe

Step by Step Guide (for noobs):

• Download GarenaHack_4.04_v3.exe from the link above.

• Install it in your Garena Folder.

• After installing run "GarenaHack" from Desktop. (see icon imge on right)

• A pop-up will appear, just click "YES"

• Now click, "Start Garena Hack v3.3"

• Garena Hack window will pop-up.

• Now click "Start Garena Client - MapHack 1.24b - Custom Kick"

• A pop-up window will appear, click start..

• Another pop-up will appear, but this time you know what to do ^^.

NOTES:
• Run Garena hack 3.3 by following the steps above, stricly
• GarenaHack.exe and Garena.exe must not be in same directory (it must be in a sub-directory), if you see this, delete the folder, and reinstall Garena & Garenahack.
• There is no MegaEXP in this hack.
• There is no virus in this hack, if your antivirus say anything, just disable it.
• If any Garena update comes, * Update it normally but after the update, when the Garena client is started automatically again, close it, and the click "Start Garena" again from the GarenaHack. If you don't do this probably nothing will happen. But it's best if you do this.
• If you still have any problem you can post a comment.

Dota 6.62 AI Download | Dota Allstars 6.62 AI plus Map Download

2009-09-11T21:07:00.000-07:00

The Dota 6.62 AI Map. The creator of AI Map BuffMePlz has released Dota-Allstars 6.62 AI v0.21 after a very long time. This Dota 6.62 AI map is in beta stage and some bugs might occur. Download Dota-Allstars v6.62 AI v0.21 AI & read what he said about this AI Map.

DotA 6.62 AI - Dota Allstars 6.62 AI 0.21 Map Download:-
Download DotA_Allstars_v6.62_AI_0.21.w3x (Mirror 1)
Download DotA_Allstars_v6.62_AI_0.21.w3x (Mirror 2)

BuffMePlz about this AI Map:

First release, updated to 6.62 and 1.24 compliant. Note that this is v0.21, and there will be bugs.

Some abilities are not working for bots yet (they learn them but don't use them), and this is expected and will be addressed in future versions.

The following game modes have been disabled for now:
-vr, -rv, -rd, -cd, -cm, -lm, -xl

The following game commands have been disabled for now:
-afk, -kickafk, -ah, -switch, -fun

Please report bugs to me.

Things that are bugs:
-Crashes with reproducible reasons
-Abilities/items not working as expected (for players or bots)

Things that are not bugs:
-Bots not using certain abilities
-Bots being too strong/weak/cheating. They do that.

Thanks to Overflow_GR for his help on this version.

Enjoy!

Dota Comics

2009-09-11T16:51:00.000-07:00

Here very cool and fun dota comics. Before it if you want you can download the latest dota map here : dota 6.62b download. If you like these comics please sumbit it to social bookmarking. If you want to see the comics please click read more...

Click to zoom it

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Mine
Posted by: Drugnut
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What imba heroes fear
Posted by: Zejety

Open in new window">
Harassment
Author: Shr!mpuS
Rating: 9.41
Open in new window">
Silence
Author: nekdolan
Rating: 9.18
Open in new window">
Mine
Author: Drugnut
Rating: 9.16
Open in new window">
Sadist
Author: nekdolan
Rating: 8.93
Open in new window">
Righteous Fury
Author: tinfoiltank
Rating: 8.65
Open in new window">
careful when u use mirror image :)
Author: secondm
Rating: 8.64
Open in new window">
aah love...
Author: Drugnut
Rating: 8.55
Open in new window">
Fire In The Hole
Author: crash
Rating: 8.53
Open in new window">
What imba heroes fear
Author: Zejety
Rating: 8.52
Open in new window">
Ent
Author: nekdolan
Rating: 8.43
Open in new window">
Tiny's best friend
Author: Drugnut
Rating: 8.43
Open in new window">
Manga
Author: nekdolan
Rating: 8.42

Warcraft 1.24c Patch | Warcraft Patch 1.24c

2009-09-11T16:43:00.000-07:00

Warcraft 1.24c Patch probably will come out if there's still some problem with the Warcraft 1.24b Patch. Well, maybe it's too early to tell now if there will be Warcraft Patch 1.24c. But one thing for sure, this post will be updated with the latest Warcraft 1.24c Patch news ;)

Dota Map Download | Dota-Allstars Official Map Download

2009-09-11T03:48:00.000-07:00

Download Dota Map, Dota Download, Official Dota-Allstars Map Download. This post will provide you with the complete list of the Dota-Allstars map download links from the oldest to the latest Dota-Allstars map. If you have dota map that not added in here or found broken links, please send me an email. New map will be added shortly after it has been released. You can also download Dota AI Map and Dota AIPlus Map. Please note that Dota Beta Map is only provided when there's a leak.

DotA - Luck is no Excuse

2009-09-11T03:43:00.000-07:00

Do you ever lose a fight when your enemies only left with 10 hp? Well, you can call him lucky.. But if you see this movies, you will call that a PRO! Luck is no Excuse! This is a really great movies by Hex0r that show you many example of PRO prediction, map awareness and teamwork. Including denying each other at the same time! I give this video 5/5! ;)

One of my favourite scene is when Axe with 100 hp surviving from Zeus, Enchantress and Centaur(Dominated Neutral Creep) by juggling in the forest. And what makes it more fantastic is that he manage to turn the table and caused Zeus to death (alone) and also kill Enchantress with the help of Lion. Enjoy!

PS: I already watch this 5 times ^^

Dota 6.63 - Dota-Allstars 6.63 Official Map Download, Changelogs News & Update

2009-09-06T23:37:00.000-07:00

Dota 6.63 - Dota-Allstars 6.63 Map Download, Changelog News and Update. Dota 6.62 is finally released together with Patch 1.24b. Now, what will happen to Dota 6.63? IceFrog already give a hint on the PlayDota forums that it Dota 6.63 will likely consist of several balance.

Update 7 September 2009 (IceFrog's Blog)

I am still actively working on the next balance patch. The first thing I started on a couple of weeks ago (after we were finally done with 6.62/1.24) was experimenting with a bunch of different item changes (heart, bloodstone, treads, phase boots, pipe and many more). No changes are set in stone yet though, since they all revolve around each other in many ways, so naturally some items will get changes and some won't. There are also lots of different balance tweaks for heroes. I think it is shaping up to be a nice gameplay update overall though.

I may end up releasing 6.63 with a bunch of balance improvements sooner and then follow up with another patch for some more adjustments, depending on how things go during the next week or two.

There will also be a nice surprise for everyone in 6.63

Wow! What kind of surprise await us on Dota 6.63 ^^? I'm curious..

Update 1 September 2009 (IceFrog's Blog)

I've added HLC support to 6.63. This functionality allows leagues that use hosting bots to handle the game mode functions directly.

While the feature will still be tested to ensure that there are no unexpected side effects, I wanted to give leagues an early notice about this frequently requested feature.

Great, this will great help to the bots on hosting Dota 6.63 above ;)

Update 26 August 2009 (IceFrog's Blog)

The 6.62 release seems to be a smooth one so far, no major bugs reported yet.

I am starting 6.63 development now. This patch will be primarily focused on balance improvements.

If there are any changes you'd like to suggest, please feel free. When making recommendations though, try to explain why you think a change would be good and what level of play you refer to.

Yeah, at last, the Dota 6.63 development has started! :D

Update 26 August 2009 (PlayDota Forums)

I don't know the release date. If we don't need a 6.62b, then 6.63 will immediately start development. It will be mostly balance changes, so it won't be a long time like the previous ones.

Well, at least after several months we've been busy with the new patch, now we can hope for new content/changes :)

This post will be the place for updating information regarding Dota 6.63. If you have any information about Dota-Allstars 6.63 or even Dota 6.63 Beta, feel free to drop it here ;) Any IceFrog updates about Dota 6.63 also will be placed here. Until then, share your wish about Dota 6.63 ;)

Dota 6.62b 6v6 Ver.1 Map Download - Dota-Allstars 6v6

2009-09-04T17:05:00.000-07:00

Dota-Allstars 6.62b 6v6 Ver.1 map has just released today, following the release of Dota 6.62b map. Not many changes there, only fixed the major Dota 6.62 bug. Here is what God-Tony said on his blog:

A quick update by IceFrog to fix a major exploit found in the official version of DotA.

Dota 6.62b 6v6 Ver.1 Download Link
DotA_Allstars_v6.62b_6v6_Ver.1.w3x via RapidShare

Dota 6.62 AI - DotA-Allstars 6.62 AI 0.21 Map Download

2009-09-03T02:23:00.000-07:00

Dota-Allstars v6.62 AI 0.21 Map Download. BuffMePlz has just released his first Dota 6.62 AI map. This map is still on development though, but it still a good news for people who already install Warcraft 1.24b Patch ;)

Here is what he said about the DotA-Allstars 6.62 AI 0.21 Map:

First release, updated to 6.62 and 1.24 compliant. Note that this is v0.21, and there will be bugs.

Some abilities are not working for bots yet (they learn them but don't use them), and this is expected and will be addressed in future versions.

The following game modes have been disabled for now:
-vr, -rv, -rd, -cd, -cm, -lm, -xl

The following game commands have been disabled for now:
-afk, -kickafk, -ah, -switch, -fun

Please report bugs to me.

Things that are bugs:
-Crashes with reproducible reasons
-Abilities/items not working as expected (for players or bots)

Things that are not bugs:
-Bots not using certain abilities
-Bots being too strong/weak/cheating. They do that.

Thanks to Overflow_GR for his help on this version.

Enjoy!

DotA-Allstars 6.62 AI 0.21 Download Links
Dota 6.62 AI 0.21 via MediaFire
Dota 6.62 AI 0.21 via MegaUpload
Dota 6.62 AI 0.21 via RapidShare

Dota 6.62b Map Download - Dota-Allstars 6.62b Official Map Released!

2009-09-03T02:21:00.000-07:00

Dota 6.62b Map Download - Dota-Allstars 6.62b Official Map has just released! This is the second map that come for Warcraft 1.24b Patch. This map sole purpose is to fix the major Dota 6.62 Bug that just published in this blog yesterday. Well, let's check the Dota 6.62b map!

Changelogs:

* Fixed a major exploit that was recently discovered

Dota 6.62b Download Link:
Dota 6.62b Download - Warcraft Map Mirror
Dota 6.62b Download - GetDota Mirror

If you're using Patch 1.24b, i recommend you to update into Dota 6.62b, because the bug is really annoying. Well, enjoy this map! ;)

PS : For AI map update, check out the Dota 6.62 AI post.

Dota Wallpaper | Fan Art

2009-09-02T02:23:00.000-07:00

Click to Zoom In

Nevermore Guide | Hero Guide

2009-09-02T02:17:00.000-07:00

1. Introduction

2. Story
3. Strengths and Weaknesses
4. The Stats
5. Epic Skills
6. Skill Build
7. Items
8. Play Style
9. The Friends and the Foes
10. Replay
11. Final Words
12. Updates

Alright, lets get started. If you want to go to any section in the Table of Contents, just search for "-[section]-".

-Introduction-

Shadow Fiend is one of the more powerful heroes in DotA. A good SF can take a solo easily, outfarm all the rest of the players and cause some real havoc in team fights. Although all heroes can be considered good in the right hands, the power of the Shadow Fiend in a good player is simply, devastating.

He's the sort of hero that is high risk, high reward. If you like these kind of heroes, pick him.

-Story-

A demon of the burning legion so abhorred that he makes the skin of even his fellow demons crawl, Nevermore is a creature of the shadows that consumes the souls of those around him. When the Shadow Fiend comes forth to battle, he augments his power with the souls he has consumed, bearing down on his enemies with spiritually enhanced attacks and powerful spiritual blasts. The Shadow Fiend is a terrifying opponent whom few have survived, and those who have perished under his tyranny have faced the most despicable fate of all.

Pretty cool story?

-Strengths and Weaknesses-

Strengths

-Very good lane control
-Superb farming capability
-Requiem of Souls is one of the most damaging ultimates in the game
-Once Necromastery is filled up your damage is great

Weaknesses

-Dying is more of a problem for SF than others
-Weak base damage early on
-Very fragile
-Does not have a disable that can be used effectively when ganking
-Low base armour

-The Stats-

The Normal Stats

Strength: 15 + 2
Agility: 20 + 2.4
Intelligence: 18 + 2

The Advanced Stats

Affiliation: Scourge
Damage: 35-41
Armour: 1.9
Movespeed: 300
Attack range: 500
Attack animation: 0.5 / 0.54
Casting animation: 0.67 / 0.4
Base attack time: 1.7
Missile speed: 1200
Sight range: 1800 / 800

-Epic Skills-

Ability type: Active
Targeting type: Instant
Ability hotkey: Z / X / C
AOE of spell: 275

Gives the Shadow Fiend the power to desecrate regions in front of him at varying distances.

Shadowraze is going to be your farming tool throughout the whole game. At level 4, 2 Shadowrazes take out an entire melee wave of creeps during the earlier parts of the game. It has also great killing potential. A couple of razes at a target hero means 450 damage dealt, which is obviously very high during early game.

There are 3 locations that this spell can be cast at. The first Shadowraze hits at a distance 200 range facing away from SF. The second one hits 400 range away, and the third one hits 700 range away. The great thing about Shadowraze is that, when one of the razes is used, the other 2 do not go into cooldown. Therefore, you can use 2 Shadowrazes at once to nuke an enemy hero for 450 damage, and destroy creep waves with a couple of razes (good for Necromastery).

Another reason why this skill is so great is because of the mana cost. 75 mana for a 300 damage nuke? That is so win! Even Magnus's shockwave takes 90 mana to do the same damage.

This skill can be canceled before the raze animation takes place. Before SF fully raises his hands, you can press S to stop the raze from taking place. This is very useful because it helps you save mana if you accidentally miss a raze.

While this spell may not be useful to new players because of its noob-unfriendly not point targeting type, it is a great spell because it gives SF great lane control early game.

Ability type: Passive
Hotkey: N

Whenever the Shadow Fiend kills a target, he stores the unfortunate soul inside of him. For each stored soul he gains 2 bonus damage until his own death releases half of them from bondage.

The reason why when you play SF you need to have good last hitting and denying skills. Every kill (heroes or creeps) gives you a soul, or the equivalent of 2 extra damage. This skill also determines the strength of Requiem of Souls.

When you max Necromastery and souls, you get the damage of a free relic. I suppose this counters your weak base damage to some extent, so when you got 30 souls, damage no longer becomes a problem. During early game, every last hit or deny you make is going to make your job for future last hits or denies easier. Therefore, try to last hit and deny efficiently.

When you die, you lose half your souls. This is the reason why dying is so irritating for SF. You lose gold, and your damage. Try not to die too much. Once you get going, its hard to stop.

Ability type: Passive
Hotkey: P

The presence of such a horrible creature terrifies nearby enemies, reducing their armour.

-5 armour on a target with extra 60 damage is, painful, especially when SF increases his damage output later on.

Ability type: Active
Targeting type: Instant
Hotkey: R
Damage AOE: 1300/1325/1350
Slow/Damage reduction AOE: 700

Summons evil spirits around you dealing damage to units in the area. Number of spirits is related to the number of souls stored and the movement/damage reduction is related to the distance from the Shadow Fiend. Lowers movement speed and damage of nearby units. The closer the units are the greater the effect.

A truly exceptional ultimate. If positioned correctly, this spell can potentially dish out more than 1k damage on a single hero, and probably a bit less on the rest. Not only does it do so much damage, it also slows and reduces the damage of the targets it hits. Epic indeed!

However, the downside of this skill is that, it is totally reliant on Necromastery. If your souls aren't filled up and you cast this skill, its likely to do as much damage as a Bristleback's Quill Spray without being stacked.

Every 2 souls you collect will generate one line that radiates away from SF, so that means there will be a total of 15 lines when your souls are maxed, each one spaced out by an angle of 24 degrees.

Since this spell has a channeling time of 1 second, you wouldn't want to run in front of your opponent and cast it. Instead, you would want to get either a blink or Wind Walk to get close to your opponent and then use it.

-Skill Build-

1. Necromastery
2. Shadowraze
3. Shadowraze
4. Necromastery
5. Shadowraze
6. Necromastery
7. Shadowraze
8. Necromastery
9. Requiem of Souls
10. Presence of the Dark Lord
11. Requiem of Souls
12-14. Presence of the Dark Lord
15. Stats
16. Requiem of Souls
17-25. Stats

Necromastery is taken first because you immediately need to start collecting souls once you are at your lane. Shadowraze is then maxed ASAP because maxing nukes first is wise. After all, nukes lose potential over time, so maxing it first to get its maximum potential is good. Presence of the Dark Lord is then maxed because -5 armour on enemy heroes is cool and scary. Requiem is maxed at every possible opportunity because it increases the damage it does, except when at level 6, because since Requiem damage relies on Necromastery, getting Requiem without Necromastery is like getting Eclipse without Lucent Beam. It sucks.

Alternatively, if you have just started playing DotA, and you pick SF because he looks real cool and has cool animation as well (that's how I started out), you can always go for this alternate skill build which requires less skill to play.

1. Necromastery
2. Presence of the Dark Lord
3. Necromastery
4. Presence of the Dark Lord
5. Necromastery
6. Presence of the Dark Lord
7. Necromastery
8. Presence of the Dark Lord
9. Requiem of Souls
10. Stats
11. Requiem of Souls
12-15. Stats
16. Requiem of Souls
17-21. Stats
22-25. Shadowraze

This build completely takes Shadowraze out, because Shadowraze needs some practice to be used well. New players who can't figure out the range required for each raze to hit will usually miss them.

-Items-

Items to Go For

Increases your lane control early game by a very considerable amount. With the addition of runewhoring, you can stay in your lane for a long time.

The boots

Although more expensive than treads, BoT gives much more mobility, allowing you to teleport around and farm extremely fast. Also saves a slot on TP scrolls, allowing you to hold more items.

The cheaper boots, and also my preferred one. Treads increases SF's DPS more than BoT does, although the loss of teleport means spam more TP scrolls.

The positioning item

After you decided which boots to get, you should think of what to get for your positioning item. After all, SF really wants to land that really cool ultimate of his without getting hurt too badly. So, how do we fix this?

Wind Walk is the safer choice of the 2, though more expensive. It also gives some damage and attack speed which is good for SF. Also, it allows SF players to position their ultimates with safety, because instead of blink, you can decide whether it is safe to start channeling your ultimate, instead of blinking into 5 heroes and getting faceraped. The downside would be a shiny 700 gold emerald. I prefer Wind Walk over blink.

The more risky and cheaper of the 2. Although damage and attack speed is compromised, blink is harder to counter than Wind Walk. It is also unsafe if you are going to blink into a team and get focused.

I nearly forgot this strategy out. Hexing your opponents or cyclone them and then walk up to them is a good strategy. However, this strategy has many weaknesses. Firstly, this strategy only works when you have one opponent that you are targeting. When there is more than one hero, the other hero you did not hex or cyclone could easily stun you. Secondly, hex only lasts for 3.5 seconds, and your Requiem already takes a second to channel, leaving you 2.5 seconds to move up to your opponent. Furthermore, your opponent still can move while hexed, so your opponent will not suffer the full effects of Requiem. Cyclone is a bit more guaranteed to pull off, but your timing will have to be perfect in order to make your opponent suffer the full damage.

The orbs

Now that you got a positioning item and a nice boots, it is time to get your orb effect.

My preferred choice of orb effect, because the high damage from Necromastery and -5 armour from PODL combined with even more damage and armour reduction is simply overkill.

Is viable, because your huge damage regains you plenty of health per hit. Gives your survivability, and an easier time at Roshan.

Still a good item on SF, since SF lacks a slow and purge solves that problem.

Other items

Very important for SF, especially when your opponents have decided to go disabling. Since SF is so fragile, buying magic immunity so that you can unleash your fearsome damage is usually a good idea.

Decreases armour of opponents while increasing your attack speed. Combine that with insane DPS, PODL, and Desolator, we have a winner.

Late game, an extra 2 illusions to help dish out the damage is really great. Increases your movespeed as well, so you can run faster.

Evasion to increase your EHP further and some more DPS. Perfect for DPS heroes like SF.

A good item if you don't get lifesteal, because it you don't get lifesteal your regen will be below 5 per second through the whole game.

After feedback from the community, I guess that getting EoS on SF isn't as bad as it will turn out to be. It gives survivability, a slow and some damage. Don't stack this with anything other orb except lifesteal.

Rejected items

You will be aiming to kill heroes quickly, not take 1875934875144 years to kill them while under the effect of maim.

You aren't good carrying Rad around. You don't have the HP to stay around and tank while it damages your opponents.

While 2 ultimates may seem promising, especially since each hits 1k and above, after the first round of Requiem your opponents are going to know you are there, and if they are smart they will dodge it.

I also don't know why I put this here. It's just that so many pubs get Bfury, that I decide to put Bfury here to tell all pubs, think before getting Bfury on every melee hero you see.

-Play Style-

Choosing your lane

Always solo with SF. You don't want some irritating lane partner to be taking all your last hits and denies, leaving you with no souls. And leveling fast is good as well, especially when SF's lane control is so epic.

If you are playing on the Sentinel side, congratulations! You can exploit the nearby jungle which offers you even more experience and gold. Pull at every minute the tier 1 camp just close to the Sentinel tower. When you feel like wiping all of them out, simply go to the camp and cast a couple of razes to murder all the creeps. While leaving the lane may lose you some experience and gold, the rewards from these pulled neutrals more than compensate for your losses.

Early Game (1-11)

Like every hero should, you should aim to last hit and deny as well as possible. The more you last hit and deny, the easier it will be later on. Often, this snowballs and in the end you can out-last hit your opponents. If you are having some difficulty in last hitting because SF's base damage is so weak, use your raze when you hit level 3 to last hit. Remember to try to hit the opposing hero when using your raze as well, so you get last hits and harass your opponent. Try to stay in your lane as long as possible. Do not leave your lane ever, unless you go and get a rune or go and pull neutrals.

Bottle is an incredibly good item early game. It boosts the lane control of any hero by a considerable amount, especially heroes with nukes. However, using Bottle like tangoes often result in the charges dissipating quickly. Always try to have your health and mana not hit your max health and mana after a sip of Bottle. This way, you know that you have gained the full effects of that sip. Never ever heal while you are being attacked, because Bottle effect dispels upon damage.

If you want to do some really cool runewhoring, ask your team to plant a ward at the runes. However, if you are playing with not so pro pubs and you know they won't exploit the runes, you should exploit the runes like this.

1. Scout for the rune at the beginning of the game. Scout top for Sentinel, bottom for Scourge.
2. If the rune is at that place, do not take the rune. Go back to mid.
3. Do your usual farming and stuff.
4. Use your Bottle till there are no more charges left.
5. If the rune is at top, you would want to go take the rune at around X:45, where X is an odd number. If the rune is at bot, you would want to take the rune at around X:43, where X is also an odd number.
6. Take the rune and wait for the next rune to spawn.
7. Repeat from step 2.

This way, you will always know the location of the rune without using Observer Wards! If your runewhoring gets interrupted by another player taking up a rune, that's too bad.

In addition to the Bottle charges, the runes come in great use as well.

Illusion: Now creating 2 images, you can send both to scout the next rune spawn location. Also can be used to fake your opponents.

Invisibility: Very useful, although unlike Lothar's Edge Wind Walk, your invis gets broken immediately if you cast your ultimate. Use it to position Shadowrazing instead.

Haste: A much more riskier version of invis. Rush towards your opponent and raze him.

Double Damage: Not really useful early game since raze damages more. Useful for last hitting and downing towers though.

Regeneration: Effectively 2 Bottles in one when captured. Sadly the remake made it that it expires once at full mana and health.

Mid Game (11-16)

So now, you have your positioning item (hopefully), your chosen boots and a couple of Wraith Bands. Your life has been pretty dull so far, with last hitting and denying, probably a few kills mixed between with Shadowraze. Now is the part that gets exciting, by using Requiem of Souls and your superb DPS.

To kill with Requiem of Souls (with blink):

1. Find a relatively low HP hero. Below 900 health would be preferable.
2. If he tries to be a hero and continues doing whatever he's doing, go towards him.
3. Blink towards your target.
4. Immediately cast Requiem of Souls.
5. If your target isn't fast enough, he is most likely to get owned by your Requiem.
6. Finish him off with your normal attacks.
7. If he gets too far, kill him with the 700 range Shadowraze.
8. If he still doesn't die, ask your friendly Zeus to Wrath him.

To kill with Requiem of Souls (with Wind Walk):

1. Find a relatively low HP hero. Below 900 health would be preferable.
2. If he tries to be a hero and continues doing whatever he's doing, go towards him.
3. Wind Walk towards your target.
4. Since WW overrides collision, move until you are standing 'in' him and cast Requiem of Souls.
5. Watch your target's health get drained from green to red, or maybe even killed outright.
6. Finish him off with your normal attacks.
7. If he gets too far, kill him with the 700 range Shadowraze.
8. If he still doesn't die, ask your friendly Zeus to Wrath him.

Besides killing, farming should be a breeze now. Every wave just requires 2 Shadowrazes to clear. The worst thing you can be doing is to be walking around doing nothing. Never ever be doing nothing. If you aren't whacking a creep, whack a neutral. This way, you will never be underleveled and this will help your late game immensely, since SF really isn't a hard carry.

Late Game (16-25)

So you managed to outfarm all opposition, go Beyond Godlike, and probably forced a few enemy players into quitting. Now, your main job, besides ending the game, is to take advantage of your item superiority to destroy any remaining fools who have not left the game. Your damage output should be the highest, and if you haven't claimed Roshan yet, go kill him. His Aegis will come in great use for you, since dying is a big problem for SF.

Killing turns from careful positioning of your ultimate into one click killing. Your ultimate is still very powerful to initiate team fights though, and should not be overlooked even if you have a damage increase of 1000. Shadowraze still helps a lot late game to clear creeps, especially upgraded ones, although this time you will need 3 razes instead of 2.

-The Friends and the Foes-

Friends

Anyone who can help you position your ultimate well is a good friend.

Just ask them to time their skills properly so that instead of whiffing the whole combo you actually manage to do something.

All disablers are good teammates, as they can help you target your raze easily.

Foes

Chain nukers like:

SF's health is low, and their nukes just make short work of SF.

The bane of any solo lane. Mana Burn totally screws any plans for razing.

There may be other worse heroes that SF could potentially face off, but these guys are going to be your worst for now.

Naix The LifeStealer Guide | Hero Guide

2009-09-02T02:13:00.000-07:00

Naix The LifeStealer

N'aix in his current state is a great carry/semi-carry in all levels of play. He is capable of different roles and is a good laner, an anti-tank and a tank-DPS hero. For further information on him such as his hero stats and story, check this link

He has seen a drastic change since his old reincarnation. Then he had 3 passives with a 20 second Avatar and an abysmal strength growth. Now having undergone this remake from IceFrog (in 6.49 if i'm not mistaken), N'aix has since been a powerhouse in competitive play. Despite the fall of AGI heroes and the rise of spell carries in 6.59d, N'aix remained one of the only physical damage based heroes to remain in the top tier.

In the current metagame, N'aix is still as powerful as ever. Items such as Quelling Blade have been added that aided the farming prowess of N'aix. The future of this scourge creep looking thing looks brighter than ever.

2: Skills Descriptions, Builds & Usage

2.1 Skill Descriptions
[click on the icons to see further info on the skills]

Rage

Mechanics:
75 mana cost, 15 seconds cooldown, duration of 2.50/3.25/4.00/4.75 seconds, gives 30%/45%/60%/80% increased attack speed and grants magic immunity. Dispels many buffs on activation and stacks with Frenzy-based spells.
Usage: This is your mini-BKB and is a potent attack speed increaser. Definitely one of your key skills. Use it in conjunction with Open Wounds offensively to deal the maximum amount of damage during the slow period. Defensively, this skill is incredibly useful. Use it to evade AoE spells such as Epicenter, Tauren's Ultimate, etc. Use it to dispel buffs such as Venomancer's Poison Nova. Another common use is to activate it before tp-ing

Additional Information:

Activating Rage will cancel out most debuffs that are currently on N'aix.
Bash from a melee hero goes through Rage; ranged bash does not.
Rupture can be cast on N'aix while Rage is activated but it will not do damage as long as Rage is active.
The returned damage from Blademail is considered magical damage so N'aix will not take damage.
Mekansm's heal works through Rage but the armor does not.

Here are some notable spells that go through Rage:

Doom
Ensnare
Purge (Only Medusa's Stony Gaze)
Entangle (Rage removes it)
Overgrowth (Rage removes it)
Fiend's Grip (No damage)
Sanity's Eclipse (No damage)
Echo Slam (Echo damage)
Nether Swap
Lightning Grapple
Omnislash
Death Ward
Landmines (Not Remote Mines)
Wild Axes
Toss
Counter Helix
Exorcism
Ravage (No stun or damage, but throws you in the air)
Chronosphere
Haunt
Global Silence
Culling Blade
Mass Serpent Wards
Earthbind
Charge of Darkness
Track
Nether Strike
Viper Strike (Slow only)
Primal Roar (Stun only)
Reaper's Scythe (Stun only)
Reverse Polarity (Stun only)
Dismember (Stun only)
Rot (Slow only)
Pit of Malice
Passive skills such as Degen Aura, Maim, Poison Sting, even Feast!

Feast

Mechanics:
A passive which lifesteals 4%/5%/6%/7% based off the targets HP, the heal is independent of the damage. It deals physical damage. It works on magic-immune units but not on Roshan.
Usage: attack, lol. This is the skill that makes you the bane of tanks as it deals percentage based damage and is the reason why N'aix is called the Lifestealer.

Open Wounds

Mechanics:
110 mana cost, 30/25/20/15 seconds cooldown, 600 casting rage, duration of 8 seconds, marks target for Open Wounds effect of 10%/15%/20%/25% heal-on-attack and slows by 80%/70%/60%/50%/30%/10%/10%/10%, the slow decreasing one step per second. All damage dealt will steal life, including damage from spells. Linken's Sphere does not block the slow.
Usage: Great laning spell as it is a potent slow even at its first level. Also an amazing ganking tool for focusing on a target opponent. Another addition to his arsenal of lifesteal.

Infest

Mechanics:
50 mana cost, 100/60/30 seconds cooldown, 150 casting range and can be used on allied, neutral and enemy creeps. Replenishes hitpoints based on targets. N'aix gains experience from kills made nearby the Infested target while he is traveling with it. If the Infested unit is killed before N'aix uses Consume, he will not be healed.
Usage: An incredibly useful, versatile spell. Use it to hide in allied creeps to surprise an opponent (technique explained in detail later on). Also great to hide in any of Chen/Enchantress creeps. Defensively can be used to hide in opponent creeps (which is better as will not be killed by allies) and in jungling to kill a high level creep faster.

Detailed Lifestealer Mechanics

2.2 Skill Build

1. Open Wounds
2. Feast/Rage
3. Feast/Rage
4. Rage/Feast
5. Feast/Rage
6. Infest
7. Feast/Rage
8. Rage/Feast
9. Rage/Feast
10. Rage/Feast
11. Infest
12. Open Wounds
13. Open Wounds
14. Open Wounds
15. Attribute Bonuses
16. Infest

This skill build is generally one that is followed universally. One level of Open Wounds is taken first as the slow is consistent and taken after his other spells because only the lifesteal percentage increases. Feast is then maxed out as it not only gives you a way to harass but also an easier method of last hitting. Rage is maxed next because it is one of the most useful spells in his arsenal and attack speed and duration increase per level. The alternative skill build is getting Rage instead of Feast at the stated levels in case of harder lanes, this is akin to Omniknight getting more levels of Repel. Infest is taken whenever giving N'aix lane stayability and general utility.

3: Item Builds, Alternatives and How to Use Them

3.1 Core Item Build

[STR Treads][Armlet][TP Scroll]

3.2 Items Choices Afterwards

[Desolator]
(common luxury fitting any level of play)

[Heart][Cuirass][BKB]
(tank-DPS build)

[Buriza][MKB]
(pure DPS build)

[S&Y][Phase]
(alternative build based on speed)

[HotD]
(The Houdini Build)

3.3 Details & Justifications

N'aix is one of the least item dependent carry heroes. Quelling Blade to start helps in farming Strength Treads and Armlet as a cheap source of damage that boosts your killing potential massively. Armlet is by far the best item for Strength DPSers and the degen is countered by the constant lifesteal. At least one Scroll should be on your person at all times due to its utility.

Desolator is a common luxury for N'aix in leagues as it helps you kill much faster and kills soft casters amazingly fast. The orb is useful for the team as well. The Corruption just helps the Feast damage so much since it is physical. Great for shutting down certain heroes quickly

Heart is amazing as it not only provides you with damage but also gives great bonuses such as HP and regen. Get this when spells are present on the other team. Cuirass is more DPS oriented due to its armor reduction and is balances your naturally high HP with armor. Get this when constant physical damage is a nuisance.

Buriza is even better now with the decrease in cost of Demon Edge and buffed Crit. A great item for simply boosting DPS. MKB is also great and the mini stun helps in cancelling channeling spells (something Open Wounds did till a recent nerf)

3.4 Alternative/Situational Items

S&Y and Phase - an alternative build focusing on chasing. S&Y has an even cheaper buildup and gives stats in both Strength and Agility while Phase grants great mobility and a bit of armor. Overall a balanced alternative build.

BKB - You already have a mini-BKB, get this to increase your tankishness. At the very least, it grants you 5 seconds extra of immunity to spells.

Blink Dagger - Not a bad idea as demonstrated in the replay below. Great for catching up and initiating on lone heroes. Grants N'aix more mobility that he lacks after Open Wounds wears off. This however is not quite as useful as other items in certain situations where a tank/more damage/etc. is needed and so is a late game luxury

Orchid Malevolence - The attack speed it provides is great and the silence is great against those Houdini-type heroes or casters. This is the primary reason this is taken. The int is a bit wasted so it is a bit situational.

Gauntlets/Bracers - Gauntlets are often taken as starting items so these are a good choice. They provide health along with more damage which is always good. However, the choice to upgrade it into Bracers is situational. You may not need it most of the time since you are a strength hero with numerous escape options. I myself like to focus on getting my Treads/Armlet first. Not to say that it isn't totally uneeded

Helm of the Dominator - Now, I digress to add anymore forms of lifesteal to N'aix's build, with the lifestealer namesake, he has 2 skills that provide this. Among all 3 items that provide lifesteal (HotD, MoM, Vlad's) this is the best option for N'aix. It provides N'aix with a creep to hide in to increase his escape options along with providing a disable of sorts or any skill that the creeps possess. This would be a fun, more pub-oriented item.

4: Hero Specific Strategies and Techniques

Techniques

Surprise Buttsex - If you see an opponent in the lane, Infest in an allied creep on its way to the lane so the opponent doesn't see. When you arrive, Consume and proceed to rape the opponent. Best used in the laning phase with an allied hero or onwards with a soft hero foolish enough to be out in the lane.

Infest Out - Infest in a creep to get a significant boost in health. Best used in high/full HP creeps. Can also be used in full health opponent creeps since they cannot kill it or deny it unless its below a certain level and is a perfect way to stall until allies come. The same principle applies to dominated creeps be it allied or enemy

Infest Jungle - This skill is what allows you to take on the higher level creep camps at low health and basically makes you able to stay in the jungle for longer without neutral suicide or going back to the fountain.

Animation Cancelling - A basic technique used in DotA for nearly every hero. Basically, Open Wounds has a short casting time so N'aix might end up switching targets if you don't animation cancel to catch up. Its all about making the most of your APM.

Rage Defense - This is extremely useful in cases where being hit by continuous damage or AoE spells. A great counter to Epicenter/Freezing Field and basically works like Euls in this situation. Also dispels nasty buffs. Another note, this makes you a GREAT counter to Tauren Chieftain since all his spells have casting time allowing you to prepare.

Rage TP - Basic use of Rage is to use it in conjunction with a teleport so it will probably not get cancelled.

Dagger Initiate - When getting Dagger, use it to initiate on an opponent with Rage and Armlet activated so there is no delay, this should allow you to get in a few hits. Use the slow afterwards to finish off. Alternatively, you can start with the slow than catch up with Blink. With proper warding too, you can manage to blink towards an initiating opponent to prevent him from doing so (Raigor as shown in the replay).

Strategies

Soloing - Not really the best of ideas since you are melee and your slow is really only benefited by ally assist. You aren't half bad as other melee heroes though. Against a harder lane, play defensively and save Rage for defensive purposes. Against a weaker lane, try to harass with your attack since it deals a good amount of damage with Feast (ranged heroes are hell, though).

Laning - One of the better ways to play N'aix. Most of the time taking the long, safe lane (top for Scourge, bottom for Sentinel) is a good rule of thumb. Leave creep pulling to your lane partner though, you need the farm being the carry. Slow is incredibly useful and helps you lane well in conjunction with an ally. Babysitters are great as you still need to farm a certain amount, however little that is. Dazzle is amazing actually as his heal and slow is great offensively as well as defensively. You are the carry hero, try to take all the last hits if possible and let your ally focus on denying.

Jungling - Not a bad choice here due to your innate lifesteal. Get a Quelling Blade, Stout Shield and a tango. If the team has a chicken (as is the case in league caliber games), have it ferry you consumables as needed. This should be an option if you plan on farming fast and quickly since N'aix will otherwise be in a double lane hindering his xp gain. Also, he can help gank the lane and provide an extra solo lane with Jungling which has become a common sight in league games. Pulling and stacking creep camps becomes a great option, usually the pullable camp is the lowest level one. At level 6, don't be afraid to take on the high level camps at low health since you have Infest to give you a huge chunk of HP back. Alternatively, you can lane till level 6 where afterwards you go to jungle because of Infest.

Getting Ganked - This is where things get good. You have a variety of options at your fingertips here. Rage+TP away, Infest in a creep or Open Wounds the nearest hero and run. Alternatively, you can turn a solo gank around by hitting him with everything you've got. Chances are it will take more than one hero to take you down.

Ganking - N'aix makes a great ganker, a benefit for a carry hero. This is second nature to N'aix. Basically use Open Wounds to initiate or to catch up later on and Rage to kill faster. With a Blink Dagger, ganking becomes easier since Open Wounds slow decreases with time making it harder to catch up. Allied help makes everything better. Don't forget to make use of the Surprise Buttsex tip. N'aix can go out of his way to gank if needed unlike other carry heroes that can only do so if in their own lane due to a lack of ganking power or the need to hardcore ricefarm. However, he shouldn't go roaming or basically devote his whole mid game to ganking. A good balance should be achieved.

Team Battles - This is a situation where you are pushing near a tower. You don't want to be in the fray always especially since they have the tower advantage but make sure to cast your spells to help opponents. Infest in a creep so your presence won't be noted. Play conservatively until you have an opening and exploit it. Rage in and focus an opponent along with your allies. If facing heroes with crazy channeling ultimates such as Rylai or Crixalis, Rage+Blink makes a great way of preventing their AoE while killing them.

5: Replays and Videos

F4F Grand Final - Ks.int vs. TeG
Patch: 1.23
Map: 6.59d

Sentinel:

Ks^Swy
Ks.LevenT.tr
Ks^JOKER.de
Ks^Miracle.se
Ks^KuroKy.ir

Scourge:

TeG-ppasarel
TeG-RMP
TeG-Hyperion
TeG-Coco
TeG-Ly0n

Download here!

Despite being a 6.59 replay, it is still applicable to this guide. Great N'aix by Ly0n who farms a Treads/Armlet/Deso at a great pace. Makes great use of Rage+TP at crucial moments. He also gets a Blink dagger to initiate on the squishies in Ks.int and manages to prevent Raigor from initiating by blinking to him and killing him within Rage duration at one point.

Keep track too of the great play of Kuroky and his Kunkka with very precise aiming of skills along with some tricky mindgames. The solo Alchemist too is a great supporter for TeG. Overall a great replay not only for the N'aix.

Atropos, The Bane Elemental Guide | Hero Guide

2009-09-02T02:06:00.000-07:00

Atropos, The Bane Elemental
Guide version | Forum Version

Atropos is an elemental force personifying the nightmares and fear of this world. He manifests where there is promise of inflicting horror and feeding off dread. Sapping his foes' psyche heals him. Manifesting his enemies' fears, he greatly enfeebles their ability to fight. He revels in disabling foes by sending them into dread slumber. When need be he can rip his soul and force it into his foes, effectively immobilizing them with despair and pain. Atropos is, in one word, Fear.

Introduction
Hi, this is my guide to Atropos. The first DotA guide I ever attempted to write, though I had some experience with writing Diablo II guides. I'm writing this guide because I'm extremly bored at the moment, there was no guide for Atropos yet and he's one of my favorite heroes.

Table of contents

You can click on any of the underlined titles in order to jump to that specific section.

I - Atropos

1 - Stats
2 - Skills

II - Build

1 - Skill Build
2 - Skill Build Variations
3 - Starting Items
4 - Core Items
5 - Items afterwards
6 - Situational Items
7 - Items to avoid

III - Strategy

1 - Laning
2 - Ganking
3 - Team Fights
4 - Pushing
5 - Good Allies
6 - Bad Enemies

IV - Replays

V - Changelog

I - Atropos

Atropos can disable up to three enemies for 4+ seconds with an empty inventory. The fact that Atropos is ranged and has Brain Sap to create a 600hp gap in life allows for relativly easy laning. His ultimate is the best single target disable in the game but has a drawback; Fiend's Grip is a channeling spell. Atropos is item independant and can easily adapt to whatever the team needs. All in all Atropos is a strong pick no matter where you play.

1 - Stats

(Click on the icon to view Atropos' statistics)

Atropos has average starting stats and average stat gain, however the stats and stats gain are distrubed rather odd; they are all the same. This means Atropos has pretty good strength and agility gain for an intelligence hero, but his intelligence gain is the second lowest among all intelligence heroes. Atropos has decent and consistent starting damage, though he has rather short range.

2 - Skills

Enfeeble (Click on the icon to view the skills details)

Use this to drastically reduce enemy DPS. As soon as you spot the biggest DPS threat enfeeble them. The casting range is pretty long so don't worry about putting yourself in danger.

Brain Sap (Click on the icon to view the skills details)

Don't use this to harass, instead use it as a finisher or to heal yourself. If you plan to use this as a finisher after Fiend's Grip, shift-que it so there minimal time for them to escape. You'll have to account for the small difference in casting range between Fiend's Grip and Brain Sap though.

Nightmare (Click on the icon to view the skills details)

You can use this to finish off really low hp heroes (including yourself and allies), to give yourself and your allies time to (re)position yourself in a gank, to escape from a gank, or to take an enemy hero out of a team fight. Creeps won't hit a Nightmared unit.

Fiend's Grip (Click on the icon to view the skills details)

Your ultimate can be used in lane/ganks to get you kills or in team fights to take someone down quick. The cooldown isn't ridiculously long so don't be afraid to use it. Make sure you cast Enfeeble, Nightmare and use any items you have (if necessary) before you use Fiend's Grip since you can't do that while you channel.

II - Build

1 - Skill Build

01. Nightmare
02. Brain Sap
03. Brain Sap
04. Attribute Bonus
05. Brain Sap
06. Fiend's Grip
07. Brain Sap
08. Attribute Bonus
09. Attribute Bonus
10. Attribute Bonus
11. Fiend's Grip
12. Enfeeble
13. Enfeeble
14. Enfeeble
15. Enfeeble
16. Fiend's Grip
17. Nightmare
18. Nightmare
19. Nightmare
20. Attribute Bonus
21. Attribute Bonus
22. Attribute Bonus
23. Attribute Bonus
24. Attribute Bonus
25. Attribute Bonus

Nightmare is taken at level 1 to save you or your allies from a first blood attempt (either by sleeping an enemy and running or denying yourself/an ally) or set up a first blood attempt. Brain Sap is then leveled as soon as possible because it allows you to heal yourself, kill, and generally control your lane. Fiend's Grip is taken whenever possible since it allows you to gank and contribute in team fight's effectively.

At level 8 to 10 you should take Attribute Bonusses over Nightmare and Enfeeble. This is because a 4 second Nightmare is enough for ganks and smaller skirmishes that happen around this time, and the extra 3 seconds will not only buy you and your allies more time, but also give the enemy team longer to react. Enfeeble isn't taken because enemy DPS isn't that dangerous at this point.

Enfeeble is taken levels 12 to 15 because this is when enemy DPS starts to become dangerous. After you get the last level of Fiend's Grip, finish levelling Nightmare as now is the time to make real use of the extra duration. All that's left after that is Attribute Bonusses.

2 - Skill Build Variations

Nightmare can be taken at levels 8 to 10 instead of the recommended Attribute Bonusses if you expect a really short game, or if you feel the extra casting range and duration are necessary.

Enfeeble can be taken after the 3rd level of your ultimate if enemy DPS isn't a threat yet. This leaves room for more Attribute Bonusses or Nightmare on levels 12 to 15(follow the same reasoning as above before taking Nightmare over Attribute Bonusses though).

3 - Starting Items

Start out with a combination of Mantles, Gauntlets, Circlets, Branches, Tangoes, Clarities and Salves.

I usually get Mantles to help last hitting/denying and to increase your physical DPS. With Atropos' strength gain I don't really feel a need for Gauntlets. If you randomed Atropos, Circlets are your best bet.

Salves are taken over tangoes if you know you are going to face a nuker, since the burst regen is more usefull than the regen over time.

Get some clarities to be sure you aren't caught without mana. These can be skipped if you plan on getting a bottle.

Fill up with branches to ensure a Good Game.

You can get an optional Magic Stick right away, but in my opinion it's better to wait with getting one once you know who you will be laning against.

Unless someone else on your team gets a chicken, you should get it since you're not that item dependant.

If you happen to be the teams designated ward bitch or plan on getting a bottle and using the runes, get a set of wards.

I don't recommend getting bottle as first item, but you can choose to get this as early as possible to use the runes if you are on the middle lane. This will allow you to use Brain Sap a lot more frequently.

4 - Core Items

Null Talisman's to get you a bit more damage, mana and health. This would be bracers if you got Gauntlets earlier. You may choose to leave the Mantles, Gauntlets or Circlets as they are and get a Point Booster instead. If you need room for wards or dust, get only one Null Talisman or go for the Point Booster.

A Void Stone is gotten to keep your mana up throughout the game.

You get boots because everyone is getting them and you want to keep up with them.

A Scroll of Town Portal can get you where you need or want to be, fast. Make sure you always have one.

Your last item slot will be filled with either Magic Stick, Magic Wand or Empty Bottle if you decided to get one earlier.

A Point Booster can be gotten to replace one or two Nulls or Bracers. Point Booster is more cost and space effective than Nulls or Bracers but it doesn't come in small pieces. Get one if you're doing good.

Your core build will cost you between 2500 and 3500 gold depending on which items you got (excluding optional wards, chicken and extra TP Scrolls) so you should be able to get this every game.

5 - Items Afterwards

Necronomicon (2750/4050/5350 Gold)

Necronomicon synergizes perfectly with Atropos and should be the first item you consider after you get your core items. This is the only item that actually let's you do something while you're using Fiend's Grip and it gives you extra strength and intelligence. The minions get 5 seconds of free hits on the gripped target, doing a lot of extra damage and burning the targets mana. On top of that they provide a movement and attackspeed aura in a small area, and True Sight to take out wards and catch invisible heroes. A last but not to be overlooked plus on Necronomicon is the easy build up and the fact that it's usefull at level 1.

Boots of Travel | Phase Boots (2700 | 1550 Gold)

You will want to upgrade your boots at some point in time, probably right after Necronomicon. I highly recommend getting Boots of Travel as the ability to teleport to creeps is invaluable. However, Boots of Travel are expensive and come in one big chunk instead of smaller pieces like Phase Boots. Phase Boots give you some armor to take a few more hits and the phase ability which helps you chase and escape. Both are great no matter how you're doing, if you prefer Phase Boots, by all means, get them.

Guinsoo's Scythe of Vyse (5675 Gold)

Guinsoo's Scythe of Vyse will you give another strong disable with a bit longer cast range than Nightmare/Fiend's Grip. It also gives you a ton of mana regeneration to make sure you never run out of mana again and extra strenght and intelligence. The best item to go for after Necronomicon and your boots upgrade, though you probably won't finish it.

Eye of Skadi (6150 Gold)

If your team doesn't need another disable, you can go for Eye of Skadi instead. While still offering a semi-disable by slowing the movement and attackspeed of the enemy, it is mainly gotten to make you more durable and to increase your DPS a bit as it gives huge attribute bonusses.

6 - Situational Items

Shiva's Guard (4700 Gold)

When the enemy team has a lot of DPS, you might want to go for Shiva's Guard. The -attackspeed aura helps to reduce their effectiveness, the extra armor helps you survive longer and the Arctic Blast gives you some AoE to help in pushes or to catch up with running heroes. Shiva's Guard can be activated during Fiend's Grip without interrupting it.

Eul's Scepter of Divinity (2925 Gold)

If you aren't doing to good, or simply don't see yourself finishing Guinsoo's before the end of the game, but your team still needs another disable, get Eul's Scepter of Divinity. The extra movement speed works well with the Phase Boots you probably picked up if you weren't doing to well.

Black King Bar (3900 Gold)

If you keep getting interrupted while channeling your ultimate, a Black King Bar can help you channel the full duration. If you feel like you need it, you should pick it up right after you finish your core so you can use your ultimate to it's full potential as soon as possible. This should be the only item you ever get before Necronomicon.

Linken's Sphere (5175 Gold)

You might want to opt for Linken's Sphere instead of a Black King Bar if you think that would work better versus the enemy team. Overall this item is more usefull to you than Black King Bar since it also offers some extra intelligence and mana regeneration.

Heart of Tarrasque (5500 Gold)

Heart is a great luxury on every hero because of the massive health and regeneration increase. Get this if you have serious trouble staying alive. Don't blindly get this over Eye of Skadi or Linken's Sphere though. If you just need some extra health to keep up with the rest go for Skadi or Linken's instead.

7 - Items to avoid

Aghanim's Scepter (4300 Gold)

For 4300 Gold you could already have Necronomicon level 2, which adds more damage during Fiend's Grip and provides additional benefits. This item simply isn't worth it's price on Atropos.

Refresher Orb (5300 Gold)

Again, this item simply isn't worth it's price on Atropos. It's doubtful that you will pull off Fiend's Grip twice in a team fight and in ganks your ultimate should be more then enough to finish off the hero within the duration. The cooldown on Fiend's Grip is short enough to have it up every team fight anyway.

Dagon (2850/4200/5550/6900/8250 Gold)

Dagon pales in comparision to Necronomicon as it can't be used during Fiend's Grip and you can only use it once in a fight while the minions from Necronomicon can attack another enemy after you've finished the first, not to mention it does less damage. Getting it after Necronomicon would be an option if the nuke still had a real impact at this point. Upgrading it would solve this problem but the total cost of the upgrades would get you another item which is more usefull to the team than a single target nuke at this point.

Bloodstone (5050 Gold)

Bloodstone would be a good item on Atropos if his skills had shorter cooldowns. You will only use them once, maybe twice in a fight and your mana pool should be large enough to handle this. Though you can get a lot of charges and the heal on death is nice, your gold would be better spend working towards a Guinsoo's, Skadi or a Heart if you feel you need the survivability.

Orchid Malevolence (5025 Gold)

Both Guinsoo's Scythe of Vyse and Eye of Skadi, although more expensive, outshine this item. The damage amplification might seem nice to use on a gripped target, but the disable itself is pretty weak and the damage amplification alone isn't worth the gold. If you want to increase your physical DPS, Skadi is a better option even if it offers only half the damage. The slow will help your team catch up as well as offering you extra health.

Mekansm | Arcane Ring (2306 | 1700 Gold)

Both of these items shine early game and Atropos might seem like a good candidate to get them, but they will delay your Necronomicon. Necronomicon will increase your mana pool and support your team, although in a different way than Arcane Ring. Mekansms heal will put another drain on your mana pool early in the game which you can't handle. If you get them later in the game the effects are pretty much wasted, as is your gold.

III - Strategy

1 - Laning

Get your starting items and walk towards any lane. I recommend going top for sentinel, bottom for scourge or head for the middle lane, since these lanes are not as safe as the last lane and you have no trouble keeping your health up with Brain Sap. Atropos can hold a solo lane without any real trouble as well. If you do get in trouble on your lane, ask your team to come for a gank, switch lanes with someone or get a lane partner.

Block the creeps as much as possible if you got the top or bottom lane so the creep waves collide a bit closer to your tower. If you went mid, block the creeps, but not to much. You want to keep the high ground advantage to compensate for your low range but you don't want to let the tower get the creeps and push your lane.

If you are with a lane partner who is more item dependant than you are, focus on denying your creeps and let your partner get the last hits. If you have a solo lane or your lane partner doesn't really need the gold either, get as many last hits as you can.

If the enemy is using the runes to fill his bottle, try to beat them to it, even if you don't have a bottle yourself. Nightmare them to be sure you get the rune, denying him health and mana replenishment and forcing him to go back to the fountain or use a chicken/crow to refill his bottle.

Harass the enemy with your normal attack as it does decent damage, and keep Brain Sap for healing yourself or finishing the enemy. If you are laning against low hp heroes and you are level 6, Fiend's Grip will take A LOT if not all of their hp, allowing you to finish them off with Brain Sap. If you know you can't get the kill with Fiend's Grip, save it untill you are sure you can get the kill. You should get out of your lane with a fair amount of gold and a couple of kills.

2 - Ganking

You should wait untill level 6 or 7 before you start ganking. However, if you are on the middle lane and happen to get a rune, go gank the side lanes.

Double Damage
Not the best rune for you, but it might still give you a kill. You might want to leave this for one of your team mates.

Illusion
The same things as with the Double Damage rune apply here. If you pick it up, send one illusion back to your lane so you don't appear to be MIA and try to get a kill with the other one.

Haste
Allows you to get into position quickly and chase the enemy, a good rune for Atropos.

Invisibility
The best rune for Atropos as it allows you to sneak up on the enemy and set up for an easy kill.

Regeneration
If you have a bottle spam Brain Sap and when you're out of mana use the rune. If you don't have a bottle only pick it up if you really need the regen or to prevent your enemy from getting it. Otherwise leave it for someone else on your team.

When you hit level 6 you can really start ganking. Fiend's Grip pretty much ensures a kill. Open with Nightmare. If it's a solo target this ensures everyone can get in position. If he has a team mate with him, Nightmare the one that might screw up your gank. In an ideal situation someone will wake up the lone target with another disable, allowing you and your allies to quickly finish him off. If he had a partner, disable him right after you've Nightmared the first enemy and try to kill him before his partner wakes up. If he manages to get to safety before you and your allies can disable him, simply focus on the Nightmared target instead.

3 - Team Fights

Start off by enfeebling their biggest DPS threat you are not going to use Fiend's Grip on. Enfeeble has the longest range of all your spells, so this should be the first thing you do. After that Nightmare/Hex someone you don't want to deal with. This could be a disabler, healer or something with a scary ultimate.

After that's done, summon the minions from your Necronomicon and use your Black King Bar if you have those, and grip the target that you and your team will take down first. Order the minions from your Necronomicon to attack the gripped target and don't forget to mana burn someone.

When the gripped target is dead, order the minions to attack something else and try to stay alive. If you used Brain Sap already all off your skills are cooling down and you don't have anything to contribute other than your physical attack. If you didn't use Brain Sap already use it to stay alive. As soon as your skills/items cooldown use them again if the fight isn't over yet, following the same strategy on whoever is left.

4 - Pushing

Pushing really isn't Atropos' thing. You have nothing to contribute other than your physical attack and maybe Shiva's Guard if you picked that up. Simply attack as much as possible and hopefully your team will take care of the rest.

5 - Good Allies

Viper, the Netherdrake

Viper deserves a special mention in my opinion for his awesome synergy with Fiend's Grip. Fiend's Grip lowers the enemy's health fast, making Nethertoxin extremly effective. Between Atropos' disables and Vipers slows, nothing can escape.

Mirana Nightshade, the Priestess of the Moon

Nothing makes an arrow easier to land than the 4 to 7 seconds Nightmare provides. After the arrow has landed you got 5 seconds of free hits and after the stun is over, Fiend's Grip is still available, giving a 10 second beatdown on the unlucky target.

Disablers

With a few extra disables on your team you can disable the entire enemy team, giving your allies time to destroy them. In lane and ganks they can wake up a unit from Nightmare while still keeping it disabled, making them good allies in all stages of the game.

Nukers

Both you and nukers are a pain in lane so the enemy will be forced to stay defensive unless they want to lose big chunks of health. Laning with a nuker will get you a lot of kills early in the game.

DPSers

These heroes can make full use of the 5 seconds of free hits Fiend's Grip give them, making sure nothing gets out of Fiend's Grip alive.

6 - Bad Enemies

Anub'Arak, the Nerubian Assassin

Anub'Arak will shut you down in lane with mana burn, making you unable to escape with Nightmare or heal with Brain Sap, so killing you will be an easy task. His burst damage combo will take a lot, if not all, of your health.

Lucifer, the Doom Bringer

Doom shuts you down for a long period of time, making you useless. On top of that, LVL?Death ministuns, interrupting your ultimate. Without your skills you are little more than an weird looking high health creep.

Silencers

Silence interrupts Fiend's Grip and stops you from casting spells, making you useless for the duration, and easily picked off. Though not much of a problem while laning, they can screw up your ganks and shut you down in team fights. A Black King Bar or Linken's Sphere won't save you from AoE silence either.

Disablers

Nobody likes playing against disablers, and you're no exception. They can interrupt your ultimate and render you unable to use your skills, again making you an easy target for other members of their team.

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