Kel'Thuzad The Lich Guide

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Boots of Travel. I shouldn't need to argue between Travel and Treads, but I will for pubbers sake. Treads cost 1530. They give 65+MS and 30%attack speed. Travels cost 2700. They give 90+MS and a 60 second teleport. Although Treads are considerably cheaper, Boots of Travel are still the better choice. Why? Kel'Thuzad needs as much movement speed as he can get. With his below average movement speed, he won't be able to catch any hero with treads when they have treads and he won't be able to outrun any heroes when he has Treads and they have Travels. The 30% attack speed from treads is a waste on Kel'Thuzad. He doesn't need any attack speed and his base damage is nothging special as he is a spell casting hero. With proper animation cancelling, he can last hit fine. The extra 30+ movement speed from Boots of Travel gives Kel' Thuzad the opportunity to catch up to enemies and slow them with Frost Nova. BoT coupled with Blink Dagger makes it very hard for enemies to catch you. These 2 items +Frost Armour will make it near impossible for any melee hero to catch you. The free teleport ensures map control, especially with Kel'Thuzad. Since he will be your lane solo'er, his level advantage + Travel will make it very hard for any heroes to establish dominance in a lane.

With Mekansm in the build, it makes a lot of the items interchangeable. If you like to rush Mekansm like I do, then I rush everything ASAP. If you like to have more HP early, then get the Bracer after Headdress.

As I said I like to rush Mekansm, but I don't gank as frequently as others. If you are a constant ganker, then
Blink Dagger takes priority over Mekansm. This is all a matter of preference.

After Core Items

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If you are getting sick of the general core builds and feel like going on constant killing sprees then this is the build for you. This build is based mainly in pubs. If you manage to farm Dagon quickly (With Lich I would say about by 18min) then you go around and do some serious burst damage. Basically turn into a roaming hero and own lanes creating total map control, this can be done well since everytime you pass a lane, Dark Ritual a creep so you are constantly replenished. If you feel that you are lacking health in this build then throw in a Point Booster.

In Build Items

Hood of Defiance
Ever since this item was introduced to DotA, it has been a favourite for basically every hero. Tanks who have enough HP use it, Agility and Intelligence heroes use it so they don't die from nukes and for a very affordable price. Kel'Thuzad is no exception to this item. Like Mekansm if you're being outnuked, skip the Bracers, stack branches and delay stat points. Just remember, that nukes do become harmless in the later stages of the game, so if you think you can handle the nukes early then just leave Hood. But if the majority of your enemies team are nukers, then by all means, this is the item for you.

Items to Avoid

Attack speed items
Hyperstone, Midas, Treads etc. Kel'Thuzad is not a DPS hero. He is a spell caster and he supposed to be played as a spell caster. If you do prefer a more damageing her then i suggest you check out MadCat's guide here

Skill Build

Frost Nova:2,4,5,7
Frost Armour:10,17-19
Dark Ritual:1,3,8-9
Chain Frost:6,11,16
Attribute Bonuses:12-15,20-25

Skill Build Justification
Dark Ritual is taken at level one so you can deny experience from the enemy. Frost Nova is your sole nuke so it needs to be maxed out ASAP. Chain Frost is taken at 6,11,16 because it increases his killing abilities buy a huge amount. Dark Ritual is maxed out at level 9 so you can have an endless supply of mana. One point of Frost Armour is taken at level 10. The armour is low at that level but the -MS stays constant between levels. From level 12 up (excl. 16) you have the choice between stats and Frost Armour. Depending on your team facing melee, DPS monsters (Spectre with Radiance) or even range DPS monsters mid game (for the armour buff) you will want to take Frost Armour then. If you're still playing against the spell caster team (which the majority of the team will be) then get stats and level up Frost armour after.

General Walkthrough
Note:The strat is mainly based around buying Blink Dagger, so if you go the BoT route just disregard any tips about Dagger

Levels 1-7

Gameplay
The game has begun and you have picked/randomed Kel'Thuzad. Either go top or bottom for either Scourge and Sentinel. Lich is incredibly strong early game since his unlimited supply of mana and Frost Nova. So Lich's role early is to either a. Dominate a lane with another early-game ownage hero (Pugna) or to be the babysitter for the carry hero (spectre, faceless Lloyd[it's lloyd since void rhymes with my name]). Once you have bought all your starting items wait in-front of your 1st tower. When the timer hits 1.29 (assuming it's not RD) use Dark Ritual on the first melee creep. Since melee creeps give off the most exp and do less damage then the range creep, you won't be tower hugging all the time. Once you have denied the creep start to creep block the rest. This is done by standing in front of your creeps and constantly pressing 'H'. If done correctly you will have your tower hitting the first wave of Sentinel creeps and you would've denied experience from your enemy. Between levels 1-2, your objective is to last hit and deny as much as you can. Don't auto-attack your enemy’s creeps, hold ALT and wait until your enemies creeps are under the threshold Hp for a last hit. It may take a few games to learn Kel'Thuzad's projectile but once learnt it's quite a simple task. You can also animation-cancel Kel Thuzad's attack. When you see the projectile flying out, don't just wait around until it hits the creep, issue another command cancelling the rest of the animation. Remeber kids, Lich's attack damage is absolute shiza, so remeber when you attack creeps they have to have a tiny bit of HP, Lich is no-orb walker with nice damage. Try to gain lane-control so you can stand closer to the dieing creeps, effectively minimising the casting time.

Between 3-5, you can start harassing your enemies more with your Frost-Nova and keep your mana regenerated with Dark Ritual. Whenever Dark Ritual is on cooldown, use it on a ful HP melee creep (unless you need to wait to use for a kill), this will keep the creeps closer in your territory and keep the XP and the money lower for the enemy. Keep last hitting and denying but if an enemy hero gets to close, make sure they pay with a Frost Nova. Make sure that when your mana is full you cast your Frost Nova on your opponent then use Dark Ritual. There is no point keeping your mana full when you can harass your enemy.

Level 6 you gain a new weapon in your arsenal, Chain Frost. At level 6 you can kill an enemy hero, but it takes timing and precision. If you are versing 2 heroes, wait until there are no creeps around and use Chain Frost on the one with less HP. Hopefully, they will stay close and it will bounce until one of them dies. When the other one is trying to run, attack him until the slow from Chain Frost wheres off. At that stage you Frost Nova him, this is to ensure the maximum amount of slow possible. If done correctly you have a double kill and a lot more money to spend. If there is only one enemy hero in your lane, wait until they have one more creep left (if it is a range hero you are versing, then wait till their spell caster creep is the last one left. If it a Melee hero you are versing, wait until they only have one Treant left.) Cast Chain Frost on the enemy hero. Hopefully the enemy creep will be able to stay alive for 2 bounces so the enemy hero gets hit by 3 which should be enough to kill him. If it doesn't kill the enemy do like in the other situation, wait for the slow to where off and Frost Nova guaranteeing a kill. Anywhere Between Levels 1-7 you can put down Observer Wards. Put 2 wards at either side of the river for now. Also put one Observer Ward on the top of the hill so you can see where there is usually fog. Later game when heroes are moving around more Observer Wards will be put in more places.

Levels 8-12

Skill order

Level 08 | Dark Ritual
Level 09 | Dark Ritual
Level 10 | Frost Armour
Level 11 | Chain Frost
Level 12 | Attribute Bonuses

Item order
Bracer (500)
Chainmail (600)
Netherezims Buckler Recipe (200)
Mekansm Recipe (900)
Observer Wards (215)
Total Cost:2415

Gameplay
From levels 8-12 your main priority is to finish off Mekansm and to ward the map. Kel'Thuzad needs to constantly suppply wards so your team can assume total-map control. Mekansm is essential in team battles so you can keep you and the rest of your team fighting. At this stage you can go around ganking and try keep everyone on the map underleveled while warding the map or stay in your lane and try and keep your enemy/s underleveled until a team battle emerges or a gank is being initiated. Both of them are viable strats.

Your role in team battles is to do as much damage as possible to the whole collective group while focusing on one main target, This hero is usually a disabler/spell caster as they will have little HP and will be easy target for Kel'Thuzad. When a battle starts use Frost Nova on the hero you want to kill, then use Chain Frost on the same hero. Hopefully the bounces will continuously hit your main target and kill him and there will be more bounces left to damage the rest of the team. One thing that is taken for granted is the huge range on Chain Frost. When using it in a team battle use the range fully and/or over terain, so if/when you're focused fired, you have a nice head start when you go into a Juking position.

Make sure you always have a TP scroll on you, so if you push to far and see a free lane you can teleport there immediately. Since everyone is moving more freely around the map, more Observer Wards will need to be purchased so you can see around the map.

The last place I would recommend putting a ward down is at Roshan. With the new changes to how Roshan works, teams will try to take him out when they have the chance, so a ward there would seem mandatory. Also in a team battle near Roshan would be one of the best places for Lich to fight, as there are no creeps for the Chain Frost to bounce to.

Between the later levels here and going into the level 13 it is your duty to farm up Blink Dagger/BoT.

Levels 13-16

Skill order

Level 13 | Attribute Bonus
Level 14 | Attribute Bonus
Level 15 | Attribute Bonus
Level 16 | Chain Frost

Item order
Observer Wards (215)
Blink Dagger (2150)
Point Booster (1200)
TOTAL COST: 3565

Gameplay
Level 13 to 16 are very important to Kel'Thuzad. Team battles and pushes are as rampant as ever. Like levels 8-12 your main objective is to put down wards and help out in team battles. Since there will be a lot of team pushes, make sure you walk around with a TP scroll. It is imperative that you have one, so you can lane jump and assume map control. If there are a lot of towers down and you need to lane jump constantly due to the enemy.

In the early stages of 13-16, you should have Blink Dagger. You finally have a full-proof escape mechanism. Now you don't have to rely on Juking spots to sneak up on your enemy, you can use a blink dagger to blink in or out of battles to keep yourself safe. Make sure you Blink effectively by:

Blinking into the correct positions for battles

Blinking 1000 yards and not over, so you use the full distance of the Blink

Blinking over Terrain to outrun your enemy

Blinking directly ontop of the enemy, stopping him from moving so you can get extra shots in

Level 16 is a great time for you. The damage from Chain Frost has increased while the cooldown has reduced massively. Make sure you use this effectively, you don't even need to wait for team battles, just use Chain Frost whenever you think it is appropriate.

Levels 17-25

Gameplay

UUUH...any intelligence heroes worst nightmare, late game. Kel'Thuzad is no exception to the rule. To be honest, at this point of the game you are quite a liability. You fight, you Chain and you die...that's why it is impreitive that you keep buying wards and pop them down all around the map.

This is where Frost Armour finally becomes effective, when the DPS'ers start to run the game. Cast it on as many of your allies as you can, focusing on your tank or your main DPS'er unless someone is specifically being focused fired. When heroes are pushing and push to far either TP into the lane and counter the push or assist in ganking the enemy. If the game is going long then decide between the late-game items (explanations of which ones later). This is where you become more of a support hero, as your spells are becoming less and less effective. Still keep using your Chain Frost in team battles, even though it doesn't seem to do much damage, it actually does a net damage of 2300. Also remember to use your Mekansm late game, as that has a net heal of 1250. While your chances of getting late game kills are slim, supporting your allies should be satisfying enough. Try and get your team to do mass-pushes so the game doesn't end with everyone being level 25, thus making you ineffective.

Important Strategies

Mini-guide to Chain Frost

I've decided to dedicate a mini-guide to Chain Frost as I've seen countless players using Chain Frost to recklessly or they are to cautious to cast it, in fear of it being wasted. So I hope to show how Chain Frost is meant to be used different situations.

2 Running heroes

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Chain Frost on a lone hero
A technique that I use rarely to ensure kills, but it is effective. I suggest this technique only early game. This technique only works with harassing the enemy (which you should always be doing). If you establish lane control it makes this technique tons easier. Constantly nuke an opponent, keeping at 2/3rds health. At level 6-7 Frost Nova your target and hit him a few times, at this stage he will already be running backwards. When the slow from Frost Nova has warn off and the enemy is under 280 hp (before spell resistance) launch Chain Frost. While some may think this is an unneccesary technique, the fact of the matter is it does bag kills. What is the difference between using a creep to bounce off or one direct enemy if they both grab the kill.

Chain Frost from Fog of War positions/Juking positions
A technique that needs practice to make perfect, like all moves. Basically using the range of Chain Frost (750) and the Fog of War to your advantage. Get into a position where you can see the enemy but where they can't see you and Chain Frost. obviously this technique is better used on 2 enemy heroes but if there is a creeps there, then use him as a reflector. I only suggest using this technique when you have your blink dagger. In the case where your Chain Frost doesn't go as you planned, you will need to blink out ASAP and it's better to be safe then sorry. For the people who don't think that the 750 range on Chain Frost is enough, then I strongly suggest you play Dwarven Sniper and use his range to his full potential. Chain Frost is only 20 yards less then level 4 Take Aim.

Juking has the same principle as the fog of war. When the enemy is chasing (preferably 2), use the trees or hills so you enter a position can't see you and you can see them. When they start running around frantically looking for you, Chain Frost. Once again like Fog of War, only do this with a dagger in your inventory for precautions.

Ganking with allies

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In this GIF, you see Magnus and Darchrow get ready to gank. They blink in with Magnus stunning both heroes. Lich blinks in and gets a double kill since the bounce is recurring between them.

Lich is a great ganker, that's obvious. He manages to get a bunch of nice kills in 2v1 situations. But 2 or 3 heroes is always better then one. Lich's Chain Frost when it comes to ganking is best used with an AOE stunner to clear everyone up. AOE stunners most of the time have blink dagger and in that case so should you.

Chain Frost in team battles
If you have realised, all the situations that I have used are meant for killing, In team battles though, Chain Frost can kill enemies but in most cases it is used to do as much damage to a team as possible. Chain Frost is a quick move that can affect a whole team in seconds.
When using Chain Frost think about who you should aim at, this obviously depends on what section of the game it is. AOE disablers are always a primary target, the main DPS'ers are main targets are mid to late game. If there are neither (99.9999999999% not going to happen) pick the hero in the middle, so the maximum amount of bounces can be used.

Nova, Chain, Nova vs. Chain, Nova, Nova
2 separate ways fro Kel'Thuzad to use his attack. While they both do the same amount of damage (assuming Chain Frost bounces the same amount of times) they are 2 separate tacticts that are implemented for 2 separate situations.

So when to use which?
Nova, Chain, Nova (N/C/N) is the more commonly used technique. It allows to do some nice burst damage, Chain Frost and wait for the cool down on Frost Nova to cooldown, finishing them off. A very commonly used tactic for obvious reasons. This startegy is commonly used in team battles and taking out single heroes.

Chain, Nova, Nova (C/N/N) is a less commonly known tactic. Why would anyone use this tactic? N/C/N lets you do something while Frost Nova is on CD. The problem is, if you are ganking 2 enemies, you are only going to damage one significatly enough while the other one will escape with a scratch. If you use the C/N/N it has an element of surprise, giving little to no time for your enemy/s to react. This technique is used more for ganking enemies. If you are having problems with catching fleeing enemies while your 2nd Frost Nova is on CD, you are either:

Using the first Frost Nova to early, not letting the Slow from CF take full effect.

Waiting for the full animation when you can animation-cancel

Letting your enemies go out of range

The best way to counter these problems is to learn Kel'Thuzad's animation and looking at your enemies status bar, to see if the cold attack is still in effect. Also, a lot of people tend to forget they have a Blink Dagger in their inventory. Dagger is a very critical part of chasing, always use it to your advantage.

Knowing the creeps
Admittedly, this part was taking Fat404's guide to Juggernaut but the same principles apply to Kel'Thuzad's Chain Frost. Creeps spawn every thirty seconds at either 1.29(AP,AR etc) or at 3(RD,LM etc) it is imperitive that you learn the motions of the creeps. Have you ever seen heroes go into the jungle and pull the creeps with them? this is due to the fact that have memorised the movements of the creeps and found a way to manipulate it. If you want to learn about manipulating the creeps then go to my Rexxar guide. But more importantly, creeps can fuck up a perfect Chain Frost. If they manage to walk and creeps are there, then you've just wasted you ultimate.

Until there are pushes and manipulations of creeps (this could include just creep killing) the DotA map when it comes to Sent/Scourge creeps is symetrical diagonally. For Eg. When the creeps hit the 3rd tower for Sent another spawn will occur, this principle will work for the top scourge. Try to remember the times of when creeps spawn and make sure you don't interfere with it.

Wards and Blink around the map
Dota is a game where you must be aware of the terrain. Like most games you need to be aware of the map, who your are friendly with, enemies with etc. In DotA it is imperitive to have sight around the map so you can control it. It is also important to understand the terrain to take advantage of it. So here is a blown-up map of DotA with some handy ward places and blink areas.

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