How to play Naix, the Lifestealer killing spree item combo

Base HP: 435

Base Mana: 195

Strength:15 + 1.4 per level

Agility: 26 + 4.05 per level

Intelligence: 15 + 1.5 per level



Base Stats: 56

Stat Gain: 6.95



Move Speed: 295

Base Damage: 39-49

Base Armor: 4.7



N'aix has some of the strangest stats in dota. He’s a strength hero, but has the lowest strength gain in the entire game. He has the highest agility growth of any hero and more intelligence than he needs. N'aix has the second highest final stats in the game - second only to the Troll Priest - and below average MS and base damage.



PROS AND CONS



Pros

• Built-in spell immunity


• Can use orbs without conflicting with his skills


• Very strong late game

Cons

• Abysmal early game


• Item dependant


• Somewhat hard to use well

SKILLS





FEAST [F]



N'aix restores some of his life force by eating flesh.



Level 1 - Regains 10% of attack damage

Level 2 - Regains 20% of attack damage

Level 3 - Regains 30% of attack damage

Level 4 - Regains 40% of attack damage



Feast is arguably your most useful passive skill. It will help you stay in a lane, let your creep neutrals, and enhance your fighting capabilities later on.



Feast Facts:

• Feast is not an orb effect so it can be used with additional life leech or other orbs.


• You cannot leech life from images.


• You cannot leech from buildings except for the fountains and the sentinel’s main tree.


• Feast stacks with Leoric’s Vampiric Aura and Vladmir’s.

POISON STING [T]



N'aix's attacks sting, adding a slight poison-based damage and significantly slowing movement speed.



Level 1 - Deals 2 damage per second and slows movement speed by 10%.

Level 2 - Deals 4 damage per second and slows movement speed by 20%.

Level 3 - Deals 7 damage per second and slows movement speed by 30%.

Level 4 - Deals 10 damage per second and slows movement speed by 40%



Great slowing skill which happens to be your only means of getting kills. The poison damage is barely noticeable, but it’s not an orb effect, so it’s nothing to complain about. On a side note, images benefit from Sting too.





ANABOLIC FRENZY [Z]



Increases the attack speed and movement of N'aix.



Level 1 - 3% movement and 10% attack.

Level 2 - 5% movement and 20% attack.

Level 3 - 7% movement and 30% attack.

Level 4 - 9% movement and 40% attack



Frenzy is the least useful skill N'aix has, but it’s still helpful. It boosts your MS to an acceptable level (321 without boots and 376 with), and helps a little with your DPS.





RAGE [R]



Shrugging off most magic spells as if they were insects, N'aix closes in on his prey, poison oozing from his jaws and a maddened rage in his eyes.



Level 1 - Adds 10 bonus damage and lasts for 10 seconds.

Level 2 - Adds 15 bonus damage and lasts for 15 seconds.

Level 3 - Adds 20 bonus damage and lasts for 20 seconds.



Mana Cost: 150/ 200/ 250

Cooldown: 90



Rage is the only active ability N'aix has. The damage added is negligible, but the spell immunity is absolutely priceless. Rage is a great ultimate both for offensive and defensive purposes. Most ultimates go through Rage, but only a few actually do something. A few normal spells go through, but they’re mostly limited to spells that deal physical damage or those that aren’t actually considered spells.



Spells that go through Rage:



1. Purge (Only Medusa’s, not Diffusal)

2. Ensnare

3. Entangle (Rage removes it though)

4. Overgrowth (Rage removes it)

5. Fiend’s Grip (Doesn’t damage)

6. Sprout (Can't actually target N'aix)

7. Omnislash

8. Landmines (Not Remote Mines)

9. Wild Axes

10. Toss

11. Counter Helix

12. Ravage (Doesn’t stun or damage but throws you in the air)

13. Chronosphere

14. Culling Blade

15. Earthbind

16. Charge of Darkness

17. Nether Strike

18. Viper Strike (Slow only)

19. Primal Roar (Stun only)

20. Reverse Polarity (Stun only)

21. Dismember (Stun only)

22. Rot (Slow only)

23. Passive skills such as Degen Aura, Maim, and Poison Sting (Venomancer’s and N'aix’s).



Other Rage Facts:

• Activating Rage will cancel out most debuffs that are currently on N'aix. This includes Entangle and Overgrowth.


• 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. If Rage runs out before Rupture’s duration is up, it will begin to deal damage.


• The returned damage from Blademail is considered magical damage so N'aix will not take damage while Rage is activated.


• There is about one second at the beginning and end of Rage where you can be targeted by spells but they won’t effect you. This can be nice since if a hero tries to disable you the second they can target you, the spell will hit you but won’t affect you.


• Mechanism’s heal works through Rage but the armor does not.

SKILL BUILD



1. Feast

2. Frenzy

3. Feast

4. Frenzy

5. Feast

6. Rage

7. Feast

8. Frenzy

9. Frenzy

10. Sting

11. Sting

12. Rage

13. Sting

14. Sting

15. Stats

16. Rage

17. Stats

18. Stats

19. Stats

20. Stats

21. Stats

22. Stats

23. Stats

24. Stats

25. Stats



Why Feast and Frenzy Early?



N'aix’s early game is all about getting to mid game. That’s it. No competent player is going to die to a low level N'aix, so your skill build should focus on survivability and farming. Feast is maxed first since it will help you stay in your lane and allows you to creep neutrals. Frenzy will help you creep neutrals more quickly and boost your below-average move speed enough that you can escape when you get ganked.



Why Take Rage at Level Six? Why Twelve?



Rage is taken at level 6 because it will help stay alive in your lane when your opponents try to kill you with a combo. It's especially helpful against spells like Rupture or Poison Nova since you can completely counter the damage with your spell immunity. If you have an easy lane, consider taking Rage at level 9 because more points in Frenzy will help you creep neutrals faster, although it really doesn't matter that much.



The second level is taken at level 12 because you need two levels of Sting to keep a hero slowed. You can kill a hero at level 11 with two levels of Sting and one level of Rage, but you probably won't with one level of Sting and two levels of Rage. However, if you haven't farmed Reaver yet, or if you decide to solo Roshan instead of ganking when you complete Reaver, take Rage at level 11 instead.



GENERAL PURPOSE N'AIX



START:





Two Gauntlets and three sets of Tangos.



This is about the strongest start possible with N'aix, which is important because of his horrific early game. Gauntlets are taken to boost your HP and damage, and because you have no need for intelligence and already have the highest agility of any hero. Tangos are taken over RoR because they will keep you in a hard lane longer and you have no need for regen after the first 8 or 9 levels since you can regain your HP with Feast. If you know your lane won't be too tough, start with three Gauntlets and one set of Tangos instead.



Grab your items and head off to your lane. Go top or mid for the scourge side and either bottom or mid on the sentinel side; you want to be near neutral camps. Middle lane is actually the best for you since it's very near two easy neutral camps and the hill will keep you from being harassed hard. Levels are extremely important for N'aix so take solo in pubs, and in TDAs too if you feel like you can handle it. If not, lane with someone who can help you stay in your lane, such as Warlock or Troll Priest. The worst thing for N'aix is being stuck in a double lane with another weak melee hero who just makes leveling slower.



EARLY GAME







1. Third Gauntlet (150)

2. Fourth Gauntlet (150)

3. Boots of Speed (500)

4. Helm of Iron Will (950)

5. Complete Helm of the Dominator (900)



Four Gauntlets will boost your HP to a decent level for only 600 gold. They are taken over Bracers because N'aix does not need agility or intelligence, making Gauntlets much more cost effective. Stout Shield in place of one of the Gauntlets is a good option too, since it will help you creep neutrals and can be bought without taking a fountain trip. Either way works, it’s just personal preference. Helm of the Dominator is completed next because it will boost your ability to creep neutrals safely, quickly and efficiently, and greatly aid you in killing once you've farmed enough to do so. HotD will let you solo Roshan very early and the dominate creeps will help you tear through neutral camps quickly. It's also part of Satanic, which you will eventually complete. Helm of Iron Will is taken before Mask of Death because it will actually help more for creeping neutrals and if you choose to stay in your lane, the regen is nice to have. It's also available at the secret shop, so you don't have to take a fountain trip to get it.



Simply staying in your lane is the most important thing at this point. Stay just within experience range and go for last hits when it’s safe, using Tangos when needed. When the creeps push close to your tower, auto-attack between last hits to regain HP. When laning, it is important to know exactly what your opponents are capable of. Against some heroes you should be able to farm pretty well, but others heroes can instantly kill you with a chain nuke/disable combo if you get too close. Know what the heroes you're laning against can do and remember that you're a melee hero with no escape mechanism and very low HP.



Laning 101



When laning against melee heroes you can generally farm pretty well. If they are aggresive, stay back at near your ranged creep and rush in and out to last hit. You cannot farm vs all melee heroes though. Heroes like Juggernaut and Tiny may kill you if you get too close. Know what each hero is capable of and pay attention to how much mana each hero has. It is also very helpful to know how much opposing heroes need for their spells and how much they need for their full combo. Juggernaut, for example, needs 310 mana for his Bladefury and Omnislash combo.



When laning against a ranged hero, or a ranged hero and a melee hero, it is very important to know how dangerous the hero is and to quickly figure out how aggressive the player is. Heroes like Troll that lack a nuke or arrow skill shouldn't be able to stop you from farming a little. Against heroes like Drow or Tinker you'll have to be much more careful. If the opposing ranged hero is not aggressive, you can generally hang back and rush in and out for last hits and denies. If they are, stay back at a safe range and go for last hits and denies when the creeps are pushed close to your tower.



When laning against two ranged heroes, or heroes heroes with a disable combo you'll have to be much more careful. For the first 2-4 levels you should be able to go in for last hits occassionally, but when level five or six roles around stay back. Only last hit and deny when you're right next to your tower since a hero combo like Rhasta/CM or Tinker/Zues can kill you almost instantly. When you're not near a tower, run back as soon as you see one of them move towards you, since if you get caught by a disable you'll probably die. If you're in a lane like this, especially if you're soloing, try to get out as soon as you can creep neutrals efficiently. Every second you're in a lane where you can't farm will slow you down, and dying is a huge set back.



Unless your lane is incredibly easy and you have no trouble farming, start creeping neutrals between level 5 and level 7. Pick up a Helm of Iron Will at the secret shop if you can, but you won't always be able to since it's pretty dangerous to shop there in a tough lane. Whether you have it or not, neutralling shouldn't be too hard. Alternate between camps and look for a Centaur camp since they’re the best creeps you can get. If you find one, save it until you finish HotD and dominate one. Get HotD before Boots if you run into a Centaur camp early on. If you don't find a Centaur camp early, get a Furbolg instead. They spawn pretty often. Although Kobolds are good too because of the speed bonus, you want your first few creeps to be stompers. Centaurs and Furbolgs are stronger than Kobolds so they'll help you creep a lot faster, and stomp is amazing for escaping ganks.



Once you’ve dominated a creep and you are level 10 or 11 you can gank a little if you see an opportunity, but don’t get carried away. You’re still a melee hero with around 900 HP. Your main focus should still be farming.



Guide to Neutral Creeping



Key:

Possible at: The level it's possible to creep each camp with four Gauntlets

Recommended at: The level you can creep a camp without losing much HP

Helm: Helm of Iron Will

HotD: Helm of the Dominator

• 3 Gnolls(scourge only) – Possible at: lvl 1 – Recommended at: lvl 3 - Gold: ~ 85


• 2 Troll and Kobolds (sent) – Possible at: lvl 1 – Recommended at: lvl 3 - Gold ~ 75 – Creep Kobold first.


• 3 Trolls – Possible at: lvl 1 – Recommended at: lvl 3 – Gold ~ 70


• 4 Satyrs – Possible at: lvl 1 – Recommended at: lvl 3 – Gold ~ 100 – Creep bigger Satyrs first.


• 2 Golems – Possible at: lvl 3 – Recommended at: lvl 5 – Gold ~ 110


• 3 Wolves – Possible at: lvl 3 – Recommended at: lvl 5 – Gold ~ 85


• 2 Centaurs – Possible at: lvl 4 – Recommended at: lvl 7 – Gold ~ 100


• 5 Kobolds – Possible at: lvl – Recommended at: lvl 4 – Gold ~ 75 – Creep bigger Kobolds first.

• 3 Satyrs – Possible at: lvl 4 – Recommended at: lvl 6 – Gold ~ 165 – Creep largest to smallest.


• 3 Ogres – Possible at: lvl 4 – Recommended at: lvl 6 – Gold ~ 125


• 2 Furbolgs – Possible at: lvl 7 (lvl 6 /w Helm) Recommended at: lvl 9 (lvl 8 /w Helm) – Gold ~ 145

• 3 Dragons – Possible at lvl 8 (lvl 6 /w Helm) – Recommended at: lvl 10 (lvl 8 /w Helm) – Gold ~ 300 – Creep small dragons first.


• 3 Golems – Possible at lvl 12 (lvl 9 /w Helm)(lvl 7 /w HotD) – Recommended at: 15 lvl (lvl 11 /w Helm)(lvl 9 /w HotD) – Gold ~ 230 – Small golems first.


• 3 Dragon Sorcerers – Possible at lvl 15 (lvl 11 /w Helm)(lvl 9 /w HotD) – Recommended at: lvl 18 (lvl 15 /w Helm)(lvl 12 HotD) – Gold ~ 260

As you can see, many camps can be crept very early, some of which yield quite a bit of gold. Your ideal camp, however, is the ancient camp with 3 Dragons since it gives more gold than any other camp and can be crept as soon as level 6 with 4 Gauntlets and Helm of Iron Will. Satyr camps are also worth mentioning since they are very easy and give a pretty good amount of gold. The 3 Troll camp and the 5 Gnoll camp don’t give much gold for the time it takes to creep them, but they’re not worth avoiding since you want to open up the camps for better creeps. The only camp you should try to avoid as N'aix is the 3 Ogre camps since the Frost Armor makes it an incredibly slow process. If you do creep this camp, hit one of the ogre warriors so the magi will cast armor on one of them, then kill the magi.



In the event that your opponents ward the neutrals camps, it's usually best just to farm a lane for a bit, or creep the acients camp near Roshan since it usually won't be warded. You can have an ally counter ward for you, but N'aix probably won't be in games where your allies are good enough to be willing to help you.



MID GAME - Reaver







6. Mitshersmits Reaver (3200)



Reaver will probably be the most difficult item for you to farm, since you’ll still be relatively weak before you complete it. As I said before, don’t try for kills before completing Reaver unless an easy one presents itself. If you die, Reaver comes a lot slower. Use the creeps you’ve dominated to help you go through neutral camps more quickly and protect you from ganks.



In the event that you absolutely cannot get enough gold for Reaver, massing smaller strength items is the best alternative. As strange as it may sound, three Sanges will actually give you around the same buffs as Heart for 650 more gold.



Avoiding Ganks



The most important and most obvious step in avoiding ganks is simply to be careful about where you farm. Pay attention to missing calls, don’t farm camps near where your opponents are farming, and don’t farm on the other side of the map unless you’re absolutely sure it’s safe. To ensure that you don’t repeatedly die, use your dominated creeps to stun, block, and absorb fire from gankers while you activate Rage and run. Try not to let your creeps die, but sometimes you’ll have to to avoid dying yourself. Also, remember to frequently and carefully examine the map while neutral creeping. Since creeping neutrals takes a lot less attention then last hitting, you should be able to get a better sense of what’s going on in the game than you normally would. Check items, check which heroes are doing well, and use the information to help you prepare for late game.



Roshan



The addition of the new Roshan gave N'aix a very nice indirect buff and is now an essential part of playing him. Although it is a slow process, N'aix can solo Roshan right after purchasing Reaver. Yes, even if you got it at level 10. Rage can help because it will keep him from stunning you for 10-15 seconds and he will waste a stun on you right when Rage expires (see "Rage Facts" section), but it is usually better to save Rage incase you get ganked. If you have a Centaur or a Furbolg, use it to help you kill Roshan more quickly. Roshan will switch his focus to your creep each time he stuns you, so make sure to move your creep back for a second so that he continues to attack N'aix. If you have more than one creep, do not have more than one assist you because three or more units at melee range will cause Roshan to use his stomp skill. The Aegis charge recieved will help you reach Heart quickly without dying to a gank and the gold will speed up the process too.





Once you have Reaver, and hopefully one or two Creeps, you’ll finally be able to start killing regularly. Aim for heroes you can kill, which may vary depending on which creeps you have. Heroes with escape mechanisms like Blink and Windwalk should generally be avoided; almost anyone else can be killed if you’re smart about who you target and when. Still, focus on completely Heart.



MID GAME – Heart







7. Vitality Booster (1100)

8. Complete Heart of Torrasque (1200)



HotD -> Heart is taken over Satanic because it adds a lot more EHP and because dominated creeps are infinitely useful. Satanic is a very strong item after the buff, but requires N'aix to be attacking constantly to stay alive. You'll often be taking damage while disabled or while you're running so Heart is a more helpful source of survivability. If you didn't see the long list of disables that go through Rage at the beginning, I suggest you check it out. Satanic's new active ability is strong, but remember that Heart/HotD gives 20 more damage than Satanic when you're not in the frenzy state, so the only real benefit you're getting is survivability, and an extra 500 HP will do more for you than 25% leech. Satanic is a great item for N'aix, but it’s better to complete later on, when you have enough damage to really benefit from the extra leech and enough HP to survive when you're not attacking something.



Once you complete Heart, you can finally devote most of your attention to killing heroes and pushing with your allies. Creep in between using Rage, but carrying your team is first and foremost right now. In team battles, target fragile casters and agility heroes first in order of how much damage they can do to your team. Radiance-carrying carry heroes are usually good targets, as well strong AoE casters like THD and CM.



Killing with N’aix



First things first: find your target. Generally look for a lone hero either farming in a lane or moving between them. Most good players will stay near their tower, but that’s okay. Try to come in from the side, or even from behind if possible so you won’t have to cover as much distance to get them into a slow lock. Try to get in and out as quickly as you can since it may only be 10 or 15 seconds before other heroes come to help. Gank with one or two other heroes on your team if possible.



When you go for a kill, rush in with N’aix – activating Rage right before you get in spell range – and slow-lock the hero with Sting while simultaneously moving your Centaur(s)/Furbolg(s) into the heroes escape path, which will almost always be directly away from N’aix or directly towards their fountain. When the hero begins to run, time Stomp and stun it. If you have two or more creeps, use Stomp several times consecutively with about 2 seconds between each. Try to move your creeps directly infront of the enemy hero to keep your slow lock from being disrupted by fog of war. If you do this right, most heroes should have no chance to escape. Try your best not to lose creeps since you only get one every five minutes, or even longer if you can’t fight a good camp.



Advanced Rage Usage



Ever wondered if there's any way around Purge? Ever given up on trying to kill a Syllabear because Entangle goes through Rage? This section is for you.



The thing about Rage is that it dispels most negative buffs when you activate it. I'll give you a hint: Purge is a negative buff. Starting to get it? You see, if you wait to activate Rage until right as Medusa purges you, it will completely negate the effect. The same goes for Entangle, Overgrowth and other similar spells. Simply activate Rage right as the spell hits you and you're good to go. So how do you counter Medusa if there's another disabler with her? I thought you'd never ask.



The solution here is BKB. It seems like a big investment to counter something like Purge, but fortunately it's a good item on N'aix anyway, especially vs a lot of disablers. Simply activate the BKB, then use Rage right as you get Purged. Playing N'aix just got a lot easier.



LATE GAME







9. Sacred Relic (3800)

10. Complete Radiance (1525)

11. Complete Boots of Travel (2200)



Both Radiance and Buriza work well after completing Heart, although Radiance is better in most situations. See the description of Buriza below in the “Other Items” section for a comparison of these two times. Boots of Travel are taken next because creeps begin to become an unreliable source of movement speed this late in the game, and also because this is the first point in the game where you don’t desperately need HP or damage.



The game should be winding down now if it hasn’t ended already. Be wary of strong DPS heroes, illusion heroes, and permabashers, and feed off of everyone else. Don’t forget to continue farming between ganks and pushes, and work on items that will counter what you’re up against. Rely on your allies to disable permabashers and destroy illusions with AoE. Other than that, you should be able to handle just about anyone 1v1 and you should be stronger than most heroes in team battles since Rage will keep you from being disabled and you’ll be carrying Radiance.



You can solo Roshan once you complete Satanic, which becomes more useful than HotD this late in the game. Roshan returns a lot of damage, so extra leech is much more important than damage vs him. In other words, it's easier with Heart/Satanic/Radiance than with two Rapiers. Honestly though, you should probably focus on finishing the game instead. If you made it this far with N'aix the other team already missed out of their chance to kill you. Enjoy killing.

How to play Nevermore, The Shadow Fiend Killing Spree

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.

Starting HP: 435
Starting Mana: 234
Attack Range: 500
Base Movespeed: 300
Starting Base Damage: 35-41
Starting Armor: 1.8

Strength: 15 +2.0
Agility: 20 +2.4
Intelligence: 18 +2.0
Overall stat gain per level: +6.4


Advanced Data

Acquisition Range: 800
Cast Point: 0.67
Cast Backswing: 0.40
Damage Point: 0.50
Attack Backswing: 0.54
Projectile speed: 1200
Base Attack Time: 1.7 seconds

Pros and Cons

Pros

• Great harassing, killing and farming nukes.
• Pretty good damage early game with Necromastery.
• Low cooldown, big AoE ultimate.
• Can farm, push and clear creeps very quickly.
• Late game DPS machine.

Cons

• Susceptible to nukers.
• Low Starting HP and Mana.
• Item Dependant.
• Low base damage.

2. Skill Descriptions

Shadowraze



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

Level 1 - 75 damage
Level 2 - 150 damage
Level 3 - 225 damage
Level 4 - 300 damage

Cooldown: 10 seconds.
Mana cost: 75 - all levels.

Shadowraze was previously a pretty bad skill. Usually, people left it until levels 22-25 to skill it and most didn't even know how to use it properly. It was buffed recently with extra AoE and lowered mana cost, propelling this skill from a mediocre, hard to aim nuke, into Nevermore's staple killing, farming and harassing nuke.

The first raze "Z" blasts and area 200 units in front of Nevermore, while the second raze "X" 450 units in front of Nevermore and the third raze "C" blasts and area 700 units in front of Nevermore. Each raze has a 275 AoE.

Necromastery



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.

Level 1 - 16 damage limit.
Level 2 - 30 damage limit.
Level 3 - 46 damage limit.
Level 4 - 60 damage limit.

Passive

If Shadowraze is the staple of Nevermore's skills, then Necromastery is definitely the glue. It binds all of his skills together. Basically, every creep or hero you kill, Nevermore gets +2 damage, up to the cap for each level. If you die, you lose half your bonus damage/stored souls.

This skill is what makes Nevermore's early game last hitting among the best, despite his pitiful base damage. Once you get a roll on, the extra damage (and cash) keeps flowing in, giving him a free relic by level 8 in my build. The amount of souls stored is also related to how much damage your ultimate does.

Presence of the Dark Lord



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

Level 1 - 1 armor reduction.
Level 2 - 2 armor reduction.
Level 3 - 3 armor reduction.
Level 4 - 4 armor reduction.

Passive

This passive is a simple armour reduction aura. Boring yes, but is quite useful to have when combined with other armour debuffs, whether they be from items or other heroes. It has an AoE of 900.

Requiem of Souls



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.


Level 1: 80 damage, 150 mana, 120 sec cooldown.
Level 2: 120 damage, 175 mana, 110 sec cooldown.
Level 3: 160 damage, 200 mana, 100 sec cooldown.

Nevermore's Ultimate is somewhat of a mixed bag. On one hand it is has a big AoE and the potential to deal some impressive damage in at close range, while on the other hand it is very slow to cast, 100% dependant on Necromastery and deals quite unimpressive damage at the edges of the AoE.

The mechanics of the skill are quite easy to understand once you learn it. When Nevermore stores souls through Necromastery they serve to create "lines" in his ultimate. A line is the stored souls being released in one direction damaging all units in its path.

For every 2 souls stored, one extra line is created in a different direction. The directions of the lines are spaced evenly in a circle around Nevermore and continue outwards. At the maximum souls stored, 15 lines are created by Requiem. Each line of souls deal 80/120/160 damage and all enemies get slowed for 15%/20%/25% movespeed and decreased attack damage by 15/20/25%.

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

Explanation for Skill Build.

Why max Shadowraze first?

Since Shadowraze was buffed, the skill is now extremely effective early game to harass, kill and farm. Maxing it first will net the most benefit from its good damage and cheap mana cost. Don't take it on level 1 though, as the mana cost is high for poor damage and Necromastery needs to be taken.

To further explain it, Shadowraze is your nuke. It's common practice to max your nukes asap, Even when you have skills like Necromastery. Shadowraze IS your lane control: your farming, your harassing and your killing, it only makes sense to max it asap. It also takes time to fill up your souls from Necromastery. There is no point skilling another level of it if you haven't/can't max it, while on the other hand, it wont hamper you much if you sit on the maximum of the previous level of Necromastery for 2 minutes while you get another levelup. From levels 1-3 Nevermore's base damage is pitiful, hence he needs level 2 Shadowraze to harass and actually fill up the level 1 souls. (Once you have bottle, spam away.)

Why max Necromastery so quickly?

Taken on level one as you shouldn't be using your level 1 nuke. The +16 damage maximum will help with your last hitting until you take the next level of it at 4. Maxing it by level 8 means you will have the damage equivalent of a FREE RELIC soon after. Leaving this skill to later would make absolutely no sense, as passing up on such great damage early game is ludicrous and your ultimate is dependant on this skill.

When should I take Presence of the Dark Lord?

Presence of the Dark Lord can be taken at two different stages. If you are surviving well and have team mates with other armour debuffs, or you are planning to buy Stygian Desolator, take this skill from levels 12-15. However if you find yourself being killed too easily, have no intentions of getting Desolator and have no allies with armour debuffs, take this skill from levels 17-20, as the stats will help you out immensely.

Why not take Requiem of Souls at 6?

As stated earlier, Requiem of Souls is 100% dependant on the souls stored by Necromastery. By this stage you will only have Necromastery at level 2 which is a maximum of 15 souls. The damage created by this skill at this stage would be minimal at best. Not using it this early will also save more mana for Shadowraze, which would do more damage anyway.

Could I take some early Stats instead?

Many older Nevermore builds suggest taking stats over Shadowraze. Since Shadowraze is actually good now, I don't recommend skipping it at all for stats. As stated above skipping Necromastery would be insane, so that leaves no room for early stats. My item build attempts to make up for this.

4. Item Build(s)

In this section I'm going to try something a little different. I've composed a suggested item build of my own containing a core build and the items following. This build is one of many, but it has been the build I've used the most and have found to be very effective. Following that, I've composed a "Choose your own Item Build" section, outlining the many other possible builds for Nevermore. Follow the step by step walkthrough of composing your own Item build, but make sure you read all of the explanations first so you know what items to get for which situations.

My Core Item Build

Item order

1. Full Bottle (700)
2. Two Circlets (370)
3. Boots of Speed (500)
4. Kelen's Dagger of Escape (2150)
5. Finish the two Bracers (650)

Total cost: 4370 gold.

Explanation

This core build focus' around Nevermore being a soloer and an early game nuker with Shadowraze.

Full Bottle is a very underrated item in my opinion. It is great on Nevermore for the sustained HP and Mana regen. There is much more to it than just refilling it at the fountain and using the three charges, it can carry useful runes for you for two minutes, which in turn refills if for you, it can also be used mid-battle to heal and restore mana and is often the difference between dying and killing. This is all explained in greater detail later in the "Effective use of Bottle" section.

The Circlets and Bracers are to make up the lack of stats you have early game. Most other Nevermore builds go for stats early, but in mine the Bracers make up for that. They are cheap and effective at what they aim to do and will help you survive, as well as adding small amounts of damage and mana. Boots are kind of obvious, so I wont need much explanation there, +50 MS is invaluable.

Kelen's Dagger of Escape is the major item in my core build. It's such an effective and flexible item, providing you with the early escape tool you need, while later on allowing you to position your Ultimate better as well as chasing down heroes. I choose Dagger over Lothar's mainly because Dagger can be used for much more than just positioning you're ultimate like Lothar's is. It can be used to Blink over terrain for better escaping, it can be used to chase and kill heroes that otherwise you wouldn't have been able to, it means you wont be able to be hooked or swapped effectively, as you can just blink out straight away. Also, it does not have an easy and cheap counter like Lothar's with true sight.

How to play Darkterror, The Faceless Void Unstoppable

Damage: 44 - 50 HP: 473 Mana: 195
HP Regen: 0.76 Mana Regen: 0.61
Attack Speed: 1.34 (+ 21% IAS) Armor: 4

As you can see, his Agility is not as outstanding as other heroes, but is still very decent. His strength build is also pretty high for an agility hero, making him an outstanding survivor/damage dealer.

III. Skill Information

Time Walk
Quickly moves to a target location and slows the movement and attack of all units at the end of its path for 3 seconds.

Level 1 - 700 cast range. 10% slow. 12 second cooldown.
Level 2 - 900 cast range. 20% slow. 12 second cooldown.
Level 3 - 1100 cast range. 30% slow. 10 second cooldown.
Level 4 - 1300 cast range. 40% slow. 10 second cooldown.
Your basic "blink" skill with some other effects. This is an extremely great skill to start a fight, to do during a fight, or to escape. At level 4, 40% slow is not something to laugh at. It also has sick range (1300).

Backtrack
Whenever damage is received, Faceless Void moves a moment back in time to try to dodge that damage. Can backtrack both physical and magical attacks.

Level 1 - 10% chance.
Level 2 - 15% chance.
Level 3 - 20% chance.
Level 4 - 25% chance.
Your basic Bash.

Time Lock
Gives a chance that an attack will do bonus damage and lock a unit in time for 1 second.

Level 1 - 10% chance per attack.
Level 2 - 15% chance per attack.
Level 3 - 20% chance per attack.
Level 4 - 25% chance per attack.
It's like evasion, but better. It stacks with Butterfly's Evasion, but not additively, but with diminishing results.  With Butterfly, you have around 40'ish physical attack evasion.

Chronosphere
Faceless Void creates a rip in spacetime causing all units in that area to become trapped for its duration. Faceless Void has a mysterious connection with spacetime that causes him to be unaffected by the sphere. Casting range increases per level. 120 second cooldown.

Level 1 - 3 Seconds.
Level 2 - 4.5 Seconds.
Level 3 - 6 Seconds.
One of the best ultimates in the game. 6 seconds of free attack, and with images, a very feared ultimate. Some people misuse Chronosphere, and use it to run or escape. However, that is NOT RIGHT. Time Walk only has a 10 second cooldown at level 4, meaning you just have to juke and evade until you have Time Walk. Every time you use Chronosphere, it's recommended to get at least one kill.

IV. Item Information
Hand of Midas - 2010 gold

+35% IAS
Activated (75 mana, 100 sec cooldown): Transmute (convert max level 5 creep into gold, 600 range)

Boots of Travel - 2700 gold (Optional to rush it, advised to get after Crystalys)

+90 IMS
Activated (75 mana, 60 sec cooldown): Teleport to a target friendly non-hero unit or building (4 sec casting time)

Manta Style - 5500 gold (Rush it after Hand of Midas)

+18 Agility
+6 Intelligence
+250 HP
Orb Effect: Feedback (36 mana to all units)
Activated (165 mana, 70 sec cooldown): Create 2 Mirror images for 20 seconds, deal 40% damage & take 300% damage

The Butterfly - 5950

+25 Agility
+25 Damage
+25% IAS
25% Evasion

Crystalys - 2350 (Get two of these if you're having trouble farming [I advise getting 2, because images dont benefit from Buriza's damage increase, much more cost efficient], or later on turn it into a Buriza)

+35 Damage
Effect: Critical Strike (10%, 1.75x)

Black King Bar - 3800

+10 Strength
+18 Damage
Activated (150 mana, 100 sec cooldown): 10 sec Avatar (magic-immune)
[22310 gold]

That's the item build. Rushing Hand of Midas guarantee's you a creep every 100 seconds, and helps your farming and up's your IAS by a bit. Boots of Travel doesn't need a explanation. Manta Style is the bread-and-butter item of this skill build, and nearly all the other items increase its effectiveness. The Butterfly is a GREAT item on Void, giving him everything, EVERYTHING he needs.
Why this build? Well, people usually go Mask of Madness and some Bashers, but that won't help you in team battles. All they have to do is focus on you. And why get Bashers when Chronosphere is already 6 seconds of free-attack? Although you may say "so that I can kill stuff without Chrono", that makes no sense. Chrono is awesome for team battles, and Manta combined with these items can help your team much better than a couple of silly Bashers.

How to play Raigor, the Earthshaker Killer Combo

Do you want to go beyond godlike every game? Do you want to hear your opponents cry about imbalance as your kill count skyrockets? Great, go back a few pages and find another hero.

The first thing you have to accept when playing Earthshaker is that he is not a carry hero. He will not go 20-0 every game and he will not become ridiculously powerful late into the game. Earthshaker is a support hero. He is a pusher, a disabler and an initiator. His role is to stop enemy pushes, win team battles and help his team win the game. If this isn’t what you’re looking for in a hero, I strongly suggest that you hit the back button and go find another guide.

Still here? Great. Welcome to my Earthshaker guide.

STATS



Strength: 22 + 2.5 per level
Agility: 12 + 1.4 per level
Intelligence: 16 + 1.8 per level
Base HP: 568
Base Mana: 208

Base stats: 50
Stat gain: 5.7

Move speed: 290
Base damage: 46-56
Base armor: 2.7

PROS AND CONS

Pros

Three potential disables
Great pusher
Not overly item dependant

Cons

Below-average stats
Very reliant on teamwork
Fissure is difficult to use well

SKILLS


FISSURE [F]

Slams the ground with Raigor’s mighty totem, causing the ground to crack open in front of him, damaging opponents and leaving an impassable crevasse for a period of time.

Level 1 - 125 damage, 1 second stun
Level 2 – 175 damage, 1.25 second stun
Level 3 – 225 damage, 1.5 second stun
Level 4 – 275 damage, 1.75 second stun

Cooldown: 15 seconds
Mana: 125/140/155/170

Fissure seems pretty straightforward at first, but it is a deceptively powerful spell and rivals Pudge’s Hook in difficulty of proper usage. Used as a nuke and a stun, it is just an average spell with some extra range, but if used properly Fissure is a ridiculously versatile and powerful spell. See the “Guide to Fissure” section later in the guide for detailed explanations of how to use Fissure and how it works.

ENCHANT TOTEM [E]

Empowers the totem on Raigor’s back, causing it to deal extra damage on the next attack.

Level 1 – 50% increased damage
Level 2 – 100% increased damage
Level 3 – 150% increased damage
Level 4 – 200% increased damage

Cooldown: 7 seconds
Mana: 50

Although this skill is capable of adding quite a bit of damage to a single attack, its primary use is as an AoE stun with Aftershock. It has a short cooldown and very low mana cost, so it is easily spamable. Also good for getting the last hit on towers.

Enchant Totem Mechanics:

• Enchant Totem stuns in a 250 AoE radius with Aftershock.
• The percent damage that Enchant Totem adds is based on Raigor’s stats, so items that add pure damage like Broadsword or Sacred Relic will not amplify the damage done by Enchant Totem. However, items that add damage through increasing Raigor’s stats, like Bracers, do amplify the damage done.
• The damage increase from Enchant Totem is rounded up, so with your 51 average damage at level one, Enchant Totem will add 26 damage instead of 25.

AFTERSHOCK [A]

The power of Raigor casting a spell causes the earth to shake below him, dealing additional damage and stunning.

Level 1 - 25 damage, .3 second stun
Level 2 - 45 damage, .7 second stun
Level 3 - 75 damage, 1.2 second stun
Level 4 - 115 damage, 1.5 second stun

Cooldown: –
Mana: –

Aftershock is a very useful passive skill that stuns in a 250 AoE radius whenever Raigor casts a spell. This is mostly useful with Enchant Totem and Echo Slam, but it does boost Fissure’s damage if you’re within 250 range of your target. Aftershock does not trigger when using items, not even Dagon.

ECHO SLAM [C]

Raigor sends shockwaves shooting through the ground, dealing damage ricocheting to nearby targets for additional damage.

Level 1 - 200 initial damage, 35 echo damage
Level 2 - 275 initial damage, 45 echo damage
Level 3 - 350 initial damage, 65 echo damage

Cooldown: 150/130/110 seconds
Mana: 145/205/265

Echo Slam is a difficult spell to understand at first, but it’s pretty straightforward once you know how it works. Basically, it deals 200/275/350 damage – depending on level – and then 35/45/65 more damage for each additional target in the area. So if you use it at level one with only one unit nearby, it will deal 200 damage. If there are two units, it will deal 235 damage to each of them. If there are three, it will deal 270 to each, and so on.

Echo Slam is what makes Earthshaker what he is – a pusher, anti-pusher and an initiator. It is one of the strongest AoE spells in the game and continues to become stronger as the game progresses and pushes get bigger. With the addition of extra creeps in recent patches, Echo Slam is now even more dangerous late game. To give you an idea of how much damage this skill can do, if Earthshaker blinks into a group of 20 creeps and five heroes and casts a level three Echo Slam, he will deal 1910 damage to everything near him and another 115 to everything in Aftershock’s range. Can you say triple kill?

Echo Slam Mechanics:

• The initial wave of Echo Slam damages everything within 500 range of Raigor. The area of effect is calculated right when Echo Slam is cast so if a hero runs out of the AoE after Raigor casts it, the waves will follow the hero out of the area.
• The echoing waves affect everything within 500 range of each unit that the initial wave ricocheted off of, so the echo waves can potentially hit a unit that is nearly 1000 range away from Raigor but units have to be within 250 range of Raigor to get hit by both the initial wave and all of the echo waves.
• Although it does not affect them, Echo Slam bounces off of invisible units, magic-immune units, corpses, and units that are in the process of dying. The fact that it works with corpses is extremely helpful for using Echo Slam with Refresher Orb because you can effectively get the full damage twice even if almost everything died during the first cast.
• The initial wave actually deals 165/235/285 but each unit is hit by its own echo wave, so it evens out to 200/275/350 damage to a single unit like the spell says.
• The initial wave (165/235/285) damages magic-immune units but the echo waves do not.
• Echo Slam works by creating a dummy unit in place of each unit in the AoE. This is why it bounces off of units that it can’t actually target.

SKILL BUILD

1. Fissure
2. Stats
3. Fissure
4. Stats
5. Fissure
6. Echo Slam
7. Fissure
8. Stats
9. Stats
10. Aftershock
11. Echo Slam
12. Aftershock
13. Aftershock
14. Enchant Totem
15. Aftershock
16. Echo Slam
17. Stats
18. Stats
19. Stats
20. Stats
21. Stats
22. Stats
23. Enchant Totem
24. Enchant Totem
25. Enchant Totem

Why take stats early?

Stats provide Earthshaker with extra mana to use Fissure early on, enough HP to handle a difficult lane or survive a gank, and give a slight boost to base damage for last hitting. They are taken over Aftershock early on because you shouldn't be getting close to your opponents until you have Dagger of Escape. Early game for Earthshaker is about Fissure traps, farming and surviving. Stats let you do this as effectively as possible.

It isn't essential, however, that you take stats early. You can play without getting stats if you feel the need to have Aftershock and Enchant Totem early on, and you don’t mind having less mana and HP. Try both ways and see what works for you.

Why take Enchant Totem after three levels of Aftershock

Enchant Totem levels in such a way that the stun jumps 0.5 seconds between level two and level three, and only 0.3 seconds from level three to level four. The skill build takes advantage of this jump. You can take Enchant Totem after two levels of Aftershock, but 0.7 seconds is a pretty short stun. It's better to level it up to level three first because Aftershock benefits Echo Slam and Fissure as well.

Why not max Enchant Totem?

Enchant Totem is useful becaues of Aftershock's stun, not because of the added damage. Each point will add less than 50 damage to a single hit during mid game, which is almost nothing considering how much damage your other spells do. The likelyhood that you actually hit the intended target is somewhat low as well because your view will often be blocked by Echo Slam's animation and all of the other AoE spells flying around in team battles. Extra HP, mana and other small bonuses from stats are much more beneficial.

PRIMARY BUILD

This is the build that you will generally see in league games. I use a different build in many of the replays, but in most cases, the Arcane Ring build is the single best build for Earthshaker. It’s very simple and easily attainable even if you’re doing poorly, and fills out your basic needs pretty well. I recommend using this build if there isn't another hero on your team getting Arcane Ring, especially if you have several other mana-dependant heroes on your team. If you complete it while most of the players are still laning, Arcane Ring is very effective because constant Fissures make it extremely difficult for enemy heroes to stay in the lane. It’s also very nice to have if you’re not quite up to speed with your Fissure traps, since you’ll have plenty of mana to make mistakes.

START


Ring of Protection, three Branches and two sets of Tangos

Ring of Protection is taken at the start so that you can complete Arcane Ring more quickly, and because it's cheaper than a Circlet so you can still afford it now that Tangos cost 90 gold. Branches give you the most cost-efficient stat boost early so three are taken at the start. Tangos are taken for regeneration.

Try to take bottom lane on the sentinel side or top lane for the scourge. These lanes are the best for Fissure traps because of some of the angles, and because the creeps will meet close to your allied tower. Top on the sentinel side and bottom on the scouge side can work too, but avoid the middle lane if possible. The terrain and various escape routes makes Fissure trapping very difficult in the middle lane. The only time you may want to go to the middle lane with ES is if you have a powerful ally like Kotl or Tinker and you want to make things difficult for their solo hero.

Don’t solo with Earthshaker. Ever.

Once you have your starting items, head off to your lane and wait a little ways outside of your base. When the creeps spawn, walk in their path and tap "S" (Stop) every few seconds to slow them down. This is called creep blocking. It is difficult to do at first, but it is a very helpful tactic and is essential for high level games. This tactic will cause the creeps to meet at a more favorable position between your last tower and the enemy tower which will make farming safe and ganking a bit easier.

EARLY GAME




1. Energy Booster (1000)
2. Complete Arcane Ring (525)
3. Boots of Speed (500)
4. Complete Bracer (510)
5. Complete Bracer (510)

Arcane Ring is rushed as quickly as possible because the near-infinite mana it provides will allow you to completely dominate your lane. Bracers will boost your HP to an acceptable level so they are taken right after Boots. Bracers are taken over Nulls because you'll have almost no need for mana once you complete Arcane Ring, so boosting your intelligence is just beating a dead horse.

When the creeps meet they should be unusually close to your tower because of your block. If you’re playing with competent players try to organize a level one gank with a Fissure trap and two stunners or nukers. Check out the replays for an examples of this. If this isn’t possible in the game you’re playing, save your mana until level three unless you see a good opportunity to trap an enemy hero near your tower. Last hit and deny as usual, being careful not to get harassed too much or get hit by a dangerous disable combo. Be especially careful if you’re against a triple lane with disablers because you can be killed extremely quickly if you get too close. Triple lanes are somewhat common in scourge lineups these days and are tough to deal with, but as long as you don’t get too close you should be okay. If one of your allies gets caught in a perma-disable combo from players in a triple lane or a gank, make sure to save him with Fissure. If you’re playing a pub or TDA then you don’t have to worry about triple lanes. How fortunate.

Creep Pulling

If your lane is exceptionally tough to farm in, or even if it’s not, you can get some extra experience and gold by luring the neutral creep camp that is close to the bottom sentinel lane out into the lane where your own creeps will attack them. To do this, aggravate the neutral creeps at approximately 16 seconds after each minute, or 46 seconds after each minute and run out to your lane. The creeps will follow you and run into your allied creep wave right as it walks by. Stand by as your allied creeps fight the neutral creeps and last hit the neutrals when their HP gets low enough. Deny your allied creeps too if you can. This takes some practice, but it’s a helpful tactic nevertheless. One indirect benefit of this tactic is that you will often be called missing by the other team, so when you actually do go missing for a gank, the other team will be less likely to take notice.

The creeps in the top lane can be pulled as well, but it’s a little harder. Since they’re not behind your tower like the others, pulling these creeps is mostly useful for occupying your own creeps to that the lane pushes further towards you tower. This is very useful when you’re trying to kill a hero who is hugging the top tower. The creeps in near the top lane must be aggravated at 18 seconds or 48 seconds after each minute, but unlike the creeps in the bottom lane, you’ll have to follow them closes as soon as they turn around. If you don’t, your creeps will lose sight of the neutral creeps and revert back to the lane.

Some creeps that spawn in each of the spots you’ll be pulling have Purge, which will slow you down, so you’ll have to aggravate those creeps several seconds earlier.

At level three you can start harassing a little with Fissure. It’s usually best not to use all your mana now because you may need it to save yourself from a gank or to pull of a Fissure trap kill if an opportunity presents itself. If you’re laning against two or more heroes, try to hit all of them with Fissure when you harass with it. Simply move back and forth like a Pudge player would when trying to get a Hook off and wait for them to line up, then cast Fissure. Better yet, just wait for them to move next to each other and hit them. Even though it may make hitting both heroes a little harder, click on one of the heroes directly when you use Fissure instead of on the ground. That way you won’t completely waste Fissure if you miss. If you can last hit a few creeps with Fissure when you harass with it, all the better.

If you’re laning with a disabler you may be able to get some early-game kills with good use of Fissure. Trapping with Fissure is often a spur-of-the-moment thing, but try to tell your allies before you trap if possible. You won't always be able to warn them since most opportunties for a trap will only be there for a second or two, but at least make sure they know you're looking for an opportunity. There's nothing worse than pulling off a perfect trap and then noticing your ally just went back to get something from a chicken or creep a neutral camp. See “Wall Trap” and “Basic Block” in the “Guide to Fissure” section for detailed explanations of how to trap early on. Also check out the two scrim replays to see some good examples.

If you don’t get a good trap off early, which is pretty common, you can try for a kill without a block at level six or seven if you’re laned with a disabler. Make sure you have 300-315 mana (depending on Fissure’s level) and initiate with one of your ally’s disables when there are at least several creeps near the enemy hero. Move towards your opponent and stun him with Fissure when your ally’s disable wears off. When you get close enough, cast Echo Slam while your ally runs alongside the fleeing enemy hero and hits him with another disable when the cooldown is up. If you have a third hero gank your lane, this becomes a lot easier.

When you complete Arcane, you’ll have enough mana for Echo Slam and two Fissures. Many heroes will underestimate how much damage you can actually do to them with full mana, so this is a good time to get kills. To kill with this combo, wait until a new enemy creep wave comes and walk up as close as possible to the enemy hero you’re trying to kill. Cast Fissure as soon as you get relatively close, then move a little closer and cast Echo Slam. Chase the hero while Fissure cools down and finish him off. If done correctly, this combo will deal about 700 damage after hero reduction. Just make sure you get Echo Slam off with four or more creeps next to the enemy hero to amplify the damage. If you have an ally with a disable, this is obviously a lot easier.

You can do a little ganking yourself at this point if you want to, but it’s not necessary unless another lane is being dominated by your opponents. You will level faster and gain more gold by staying in your lane, so don't feel obligated to go around ganking, but if your team needs you it is important that you help them out. Again, refer to the “Guide to Fissure” section for details on using Fissure effectively in ganks. Whether you gank or not, try to be near your allies as often as possible when you use Arcane Ring. Half the reason it's so effective is because it helps other mana-dependant heroes on your team. If you stay in your lane, you should always be next to your ally when you use it.

Pick up Boots of Speed and some Bracers, and make sure to buy TP scrolls too. These can save you from ganks, help you gank, and stop pushes; not bad for 135 gold. If your opponents aren’t careful, you can deal a huge amount of damage in a push if you teleport to the tower they are focusing and unleash all of your spells. Make sure your allies are with you though, or you’ll just deal some damage and get killed. Once you have Dagger of Escape TP scrolls are less important because you can escape and gank without them, but always carry one around if you have room.

MID GAME



6. Dagger of Escape (2150)

Dagger of Escape is the most important item for ES during mid game because it allows him to use his ultimate more effectively and escape sticky situations. Dagger is an essential item on Earthshaker regardless of the item build you're using. Don’t forget to carry a TP whenever you have room too. These can make or break the game.

If you’re doing poorly, Dagger of Escape can be pretty difficult to farm, but it is absolutely essential that you get it. Play as safe as you can and try to find a safe lane to farm in. Remember to kill your own creeps even if there are no enemy heroes around so the lane won’t push into enemy territory as quickly. You can creep neutrals too. If the other team ganks a lot, and they will in higher level games, you should find yourself creeping neutral camps pretty often to avoid dying. Unless the creeps in a lane are pretty close to your base, leave them to your allies. If you die a lot, Dagger comes a lot slower.

A weird little fact about Dagger of Escape is blink will not go as far as it is capable of going if you click too far ahead of Raigor. Blink potentially has about 800 range if you click in just the right spot, but if you click outside of blink’s range, you will only blink about 650 units away. It may seem like a small difference, but the extra 150 units can help you escape a situation where you would have otherwise died, or get a kill that you would have missed. Do your best to judge the distance and blink between 750 and 800 range away.

Using Dagger of Escape

There are three main things you’ll be using this item for: killing, escaping and initiating team battles. When using Dagger of Escape to get kills, the most important thing is that you blink into a good position. If the hero you’re trying to kill is low on HP, just blink as close to him as you can and hit him with Fissure. Fissure alone does 300-400 damage at close range with Aftershock, so don't waste Echo Slam if the hero you're targeting will die from Fissure. If you have room to chase safely, you can kill heroes with slightly higher HP by waiting for Fissure to cooldown and hit them again, using the “Fissure Sniping” and “Blind Fissure” tactics mentioned in the “Guide to Fissure” if necessary. If the enemy hero has too much HP to be killed by Fissure alone, you’ll need to blink into a position where you can cut off hit escape route with a Fissure block so your allies can help you, or blink in front of him and stun him with Enchant Totem if you have it. Using the full 800 range will help you do this, but positioning is the most important thing. Echo Slam should be your last resort when killing lone heroes, but it's certainly worth using if you need it to get a kill. Don't listen to people who whine about wasting ultimates to kill. They're dead, you got gold and experience, they lost gold and the other team won't push without them. By the time the hero you killed respwans and a push is organized, you'll have Echo Slam again.

When using Dagger as an escape mechanism, it is important to try to juke enemy heroes by blinking in odd directions. For example, you can run to the top of a hill, and then immediately blink directly backwards or to the side while you’re hidden by fog of war. If you’re carrying a TP scroll like you should be, you can escape almost any hero by simply blinking into a cluster of trees and teleporting out. As with chasing with Dagger, using the full range is important. You can escape even fast heroes relatively easily by blinking up or down cliffs or across other barriers. You can even blink all the way across the river in some places.

Initiating team battles is much easier. Just wait until you see a tight cluster of enemy heroes and creeps, blink into the middle, and use your spells. And don't be surprised if "Triple Kill!!" pops up on your screen.

Pushes should be starting now which means that you now play a key role in your team’s success. The most important thing is that you blink in at a good time and deal damage with Echo Slam, but it is also important that you use anti-pushing tactics with Fissure. See the “Push Stall”, “Funnel”, and “Push Cut” methods in the “Guide to Fissure” section. When using Echo Slam, do your best to wait until your opponents and enemy creeps are relatively tightly bunched before you blink in and use your ultimate. If you go at the wrong time you won’t do that much damage and you’ll probably be disabled and killed. Always use Echo Slam first when blinking in since it is essential that you get it off before being silenced or disabled. Do not save it to try to get kills or because it has a relatively long cooldown. If you are trying to kill a single hero though, only use it when you’re sure you can get a kill.

Also, make sure to spam Fissure on enemy heroes as often as possible during pushes. A few Fissures on the same hero will weaken him enough that you'll be able to kill him pretty easily in battle. If the opposing team doesn't have Mekasm yet, you may even be able to stop the push completely without having to fight at all.

When facing Sand King and his Blink/Epicenter combo, remember that Fissure has 1000 range, so hit him while he’s channeling if you can see him. Interrupting Epicenter can completely turn the tides of a battle. The same goes for any other channeling spells that you can stop. Fissure's range is also extremely useful for sniping enemy heroes that barely get out of battle alive. If you're good at the "Blind Fissure" and "Fissure Sniping" tactics, you can get also any hero that tries to escape.

Remember that you have a huge amount of mana with Arcane Ring, so you can use your spells to farm quickly. Once you get Enchant Totem you can farm a creep wave very quickly by walking up next to the creeps (so Aftershock hits) and using Fissure, then Enchant Totem and then finishing each creep off with one hit. If you’re not in a hurry to get gold though, just last hit normally since it will keep the creeps from pushing into enemy territory.

Continue supporting your team and initiating in pushes, and do your best to work towards completing. Boots of Travel. If you successfully take down Roshan with your team you should usually take the Aegis charge unless you have a carry hero who needs it. One free death goes a long way.

LATE GAME



7. Boots of Travel (2200)

Total Cost: 7,570

Boots of Travel are the best choice for Earthshaker after Dagger and Arcane. They provide you with map control, which is essential for pushing and defending, and allow you to escape and chase more effectively. Pretty much a no-brainer item for Earthshaker.

Late game is a lot like mid game for Raigor. Pushes get a lot bigger because of the increased number of creeps in recent patches, which helps Echo Slam deal more damage. You will, however, have to deal with late-game carry heroes that can drop you a lot more quickly than spell casters can. If you land a good Echo Slam though, you may be able to kill these heroes along with your allies before they do much damage to you. You have three stuns for a reason.

Push with your team and do your best to take down barracks’, even if you have to die to do so. . Just like mid game, always initiate with Echo Slam in case you get silenced or get hit with chain disables. Enchant Totem should come next because you want to save Fissure for any low-HP heroes that are getting away. If there are none, just try to hit as many different targets as you can with Fissure, or hit the most dangerous enemy hero. Although it really is your role to dish out damage and then take damage for your allies, it’s still important that you stay alive whenever you can. If you're dead when the opposing team pushes your barracks, it will be very difficult for your team to defend.

When the opposing team pushes, make sure to use the anti-pushing tactics in the “Guide to Fissure” section to keep from losing your own barracks’. Using these tactics is especially important if Echo Slam is cooling down and your team isn’t properly prepared to defend a push. If the opposing team tries to trade barracks’ with you, let your team push and use the “Push Stall” tactic at two different choke points to slow the enemy push. Good spots to use it are right behind your second tower in the top and bottom lanes, and right in front of your base tower.

If the game keeps going, farm up some of the luxury items listed in the “Other Items” section so you can compete with late-game heroes. Fortunately Raigor will not become useless during late game like some other casters.

ALTERNATIVE BUILDS

BLOODSTONE BUILD

This build is a strong alternative to the primary build and should be used when one of your allies is better suited to carry Arcane Ring (Potm, Zues). Bloodstone seems to have been created with Earthshaker in mind, since he is one of the few heroes that needs all of the benefits given by it. It gives great survivability, plenty of mana, good regeneration and good team support. Since Earthshaker needs all these things, and is likely to die relatively often, Bloodstone is a perfect fit on ES. This buid is mostly suited for high level play and is not recommended in lower level games because it is so dependant on teamwork.

Start: One Circlet, one Gauntlet and two sets of Tangos

1. OPTIONAL: Bottle (700)
2. Boots of Speed (500)
3. Complete Bracer (510)
4. Complete Bracer (510)
5. Dagger of Escape (2150)
6. Void Stone (900)
7. Point Booster (1200)
8. Vitality Booster (1100)
9. Complete Sould Booster (1000)
10. Complete Bloodstone (875)

Total Cost: 8, 745

Bottle is optional at the start. It's a great item on Earthshaker, but may not be needed since you'll be getting a Void Stone, especially if another hero on your team is getting an Arcane Ring. If you do get a Bottle early, complete Sould Booster before getting a Void Stone.Bracers are taken to boost your survivability a bit, but can be taken after Dagger if you're farming well. Nulls are more viable with this build than with the Arcane Ring build, but I still recommend Bracers because you won't need the extra mana later on. Bloodstone is the main focus of this build. It's a strong item on ES because he needs all it's bonuses and he is somewhat likely to die.

Build-Specific Strategy – Bloodstone Mechanics

Many players avoid this item on all heroes simply because they don’t understand how huge Bloodstone’s AoE actually is. When you die, everything that would be in your daytime sight range is healed. The same goes for the vision that is granted while you are dead, regardless of whether it is day or night. In other words, you give 450 HP and 400 mana to all allied units in about 1500 AoE around Raigor and gain vision of that area until you respawn. Experience gain still occurs in the same radius that it would if you were alive though. The other bonuses are pretty straightforward. If you would have lost 500 gold on death, you lose 300 if you have a charge and 400 if you don’t. If you would normally respawn in 50 seconds, you respawn in 40 with a charge and 45 without one. You will gain experience at the normal rate while you are dead, regardless of whether Bloodstone has a charge or not. Bloodstone gets one charge each time the carrier gets a kill, and loses one each time the carrier dies. If Bloodstone has no charges on it, a kill will net you two charges instead of one.[/quote]

NECRONOMICON BUILD

I recommend using this build in public and TDA games because it will allow you to be successful with Earthshaker, even with minimal teamwork. It is still viable in higher level games, but focuses more on killing invididual heroes than supporting a competent team. Necronomicon in used with the intention of countering the hunter-type heroes that are so prevelant in lower level games.

Start: One Circlet, one Gauntlet and two sets of Tangos

1. Bottle (700)
2. Boots of Speed (500)
3. Complete Bracer (510)
4. Belt of Giant Strength (450)
5. Dagger of Escape (2150)
6. Staff of Wizardry (1000)
7. Complete Necronomicon 1 (1300)
8. Complete Necronomicon 2 (1300)
9. Complete Necronomicon 3 (1300)

Total Cost: 9,210

Bottle is taken over Arcane Ring with this build because its low cost allows you to finish Necronomicon quickly. Bottle will give you a very strong early game and allow you to gank well by using runes. Only one Bracer is taken with this build because of space issues, and because a Belt of Giant Strength can be used as a substitute since it’s part of Necronomicon. Dagger of Escape is completed next, as usual, because of its synergy with Echo Slam and Aftershock. The next focus is Necronomicon, which is the core of this build. Necronomicon works extremely well when coupled with Raigor's arsenal of stuns and will make short of work individual heroes. Also, its True Sight ability at level three will allow you to counter the various invisible heroes that plague lower level games.

Build-Specific Strategy – Using Bottle and Necronomicon

Bottle is actually a pretty complex item to use effectively. It is obviously helpful to regenerate your HP and mana, but requires constant use of runes to be truly effective. To store a rune, drain your Bottle and then left click the Bottle, then left click the rune. This will refill your Bottle and store the rune for two minutes. You can activate the rune at any time by clicking on your Bottle; it will activate on its own after two minutes. Haste and Invisibility runes are extremely useful early on because they allow for good Echo Slam positioning before you complete Dagger. Other runes are mostly just helpful for refilling your Bottle.

Using Bottle during mid game and lategame is important as well. The best use is to fire off your spells and tank damage in a team battle, then move out of battle for nine seconds and regenerate yourself with Bottle, and then run right back in. It's also important to use Bottle when being chased; use it when you don't be hit for several seconds. You can also use Bottle at the foutain to heal faster. Just drain the Bottle while you're healing and refill it again.

Using Necronomicon along with three active skills will be tough at first, but works extremely well once you get onto it. Before you get Dagger of Escape, try to pull off some sort of block with Fissure so your demons can pound on the hero. If you can’t, just try to keep the hero disabled as long as possible while attacking him with your demons. Don’t forget to use mana burn too. You can cycle through Raigor and your demons by pressing tab when you have them all selected. The one with burn with be the first in the control group at with a level one book, and the second for a level two and three book. Using hotkeys will greatly increase your killing efficiency with Necronomicon since you have four different spells to use.

Once you have Dagger, you can blink in, stun, and then use Necronomicon right next to the hero. Start by stunning with Enchant Totem, followed by Fissure, then Echo Slam last. In a team battle, Echo Slam should still be used first incase you get silenced or disabled. Necronomicon gives you a nice speed boost too, allowing you to chase heroes that survive your combo and finish with a Fissure snipe. True Sight will help you and your team kill heroes like SA, Clinkz and BH too. Remember that the blue demon deals a lot of damage when killed as well. This can make for some hilarious kills in games where players are inexperienced.

OTHER ITEMS

Refresher Orb

Generally a good pick after Dagger of Escape and your first core item. Being able to use Echo Slam twice is helpful for obvious reasons, and two Fissures is a nice perk too. Remember that this refreshes Dagger too, so after letting your combo loose twice, you have a pretty good chance of getting out alive. Echo Slam reflects off of corpses and currently dying units so Refresher really can allow you to do full damage twice.

The total amount of mana needed to use your combo twice, and use Dagger of Escape and Refresher is 1435. You end up actually needing around 1350 because of mana regeneration. It’s 90 more to blink out too, but unless you blink out immediately after casting your spells, your regeneration should handle it. Keep in mind that you can always leave out a second Fissure if you have less mana though. Here are the levels needed to use Refresher with each build:

Bloodstone: Level 20 (1336 mana)
Arcane Ring: Level 19 (1184 mana) must use Arcane Ring twice
Necronomicon: Level 25 (1378 mana) Bottle helps a little if you don’t get hit



Heart of Tarrasque

Heart is the best way to boost your survivability after Bracers and your first core item. Now that Aegis can no longer be purchased, blinking in, dealing damage and dying is far less appealing than it used to be. Bloodstone helps you out a bit if you’re using the primary build, but you’ll need Heart eventually.



Guinsoo’s Scythe of the Vyse

Good item for just about any caster; Raigor is no exception. Hex is extremely helpful and more mana to spam your spells never hurts.



Linken’s Sphere

Linken’s is a good alternative or supplement to Heart. By the time you complete Bloodstone, Arcane Ring, Necronomicon or Guinsoo’s, Heart is generally more useful because you won’t need the agility, intelligence, or regeneration that Linken’s provides. Plus Linken’s only gives you 285 HP as opposed to Heart’s 965. However, if constant disables are making it difficult to use your spells, Linken’s is usually a good choice.


Ring of Basillius

The regeneration it provides is pretty insignificant, but it's a great team item. If no one else is getting it, it's a good item to pick up.

ITEMS TO AVOID

Lothar’s Edge

Lothar’s costs nearly twice what Dagger and is less useful overall. Dagger works instantly, while Lothar’s has a short fade time before you become invisible and requires Raigor to walk in to position for Echo Slam. The agility and damage that Lothar’s provides doesn’t help Raigor since he relies almost solely on his spells to deal damage. Invisibility can be easily countered by Sentry Wards or a Gem of True Sight, while blink is virtually impossible to counter.

Black King Bar

None of Raigor’s spells are channeling so being disabled is not a huge concern. Your role as an initiator is to blink in, deal damage, take damage and possibly die. After using your combo, you have 15 seconds before you can cast another Fissure during which time your allies will be dishing out a lot more damage than you will. It is okay if you eat disables, eat damage and eat **** – that’s your role as an initiator. Spell immunity will keep you alive, but it will not help you win the game.

Mekansm

Extra survivability and team support seems like exactly what Raigor needs, but he simply doesn’t have the mana to support it. Mekanism still seems feasible on ES along with Arcane Ring, but getting it delays your core items too much.

Radiance

While this is a good item for almost all tanks and it seems to have good synergy with Raigor’s AoE spells, it doesn’t work well on Earthshaker. Raigor will often die quickly in battles because it is his role to blink into the fray and initiate fights. Have another high-HP hero on your team get this instead, like Syllabear or Beastmaster. Earthshaker doesn’t have the farming capabilities to get Radiance before super-late game anyway.

Battlefury

It bothers me that I actually have to give an explanation of why this item is bad on Raigor, but some players are still convinced that it’s good. Raigor is not a DPS hero in any way, shape, or form. He is a pure caster. Try Refresher instead; it adds about five times more damage.