Hero Tips and Tricks: Vol'jin, the Witch Doctor

1. Maledict
This is Vol'jin's signature and most useful spell when it comes to team battles. We all know how short its casting range is, and it's small AoE, making it a very hard spell to aim. Usually, opponents would be able to dodge this one because they can see you coming towards them. Here are a few tips in aiming this one.

- The most common way to pull Maledict off is to cast Paralyzing Casks first to keep enemies in place. Although the easiest, it sometimes wastes Casks as it's often needed in the middle of the battle, not at the start.

- Flank the enemy. This is slow and risky but works well if your teammates would distract the enemies.

- Backstab the enemy. Come from behind--that's the easiest way but the hardest to pull off, and also time-consuming. But this works well in team clashes so your enemies would not see Death Wards coming up.

- Get a Kelen's Dagger of Escape. Wait for the battle to start then jump in. Cast Maledict, follow up with Casks then drop your Death Wards. The key here is to blink in AFTER the battle has begun so you'd take everyone by surprise.


Maledict Team Strategy


To be efficient, your team has to focus fire on the person Maledicted UNTIL you are sure the curse will kill him/her. Whack him till you know he'll be dead for sure, then focus fire on other enemies. How to know this? There are no tips on this one, sadly. You have to be an experienced DotA player to be able to estimate if Maledict can kill a hero. It's harder than estimating Doom, but it can be done.

Another team strategy would be WHO TO MALEDICT? I suggest you the damage dealers -- Agility Heroes and Nukers, those that deal the most damage during a team battle. When someone is Maledicted, he/she will usually back off a bit, and that would spell the difference for your team.


2. Bouncing Casks
This is a very good stunning spell because it can stun many heroes at a time for a relatively cheap mana cost. The hard part about this is the fact that it's bouncing is random, pretty much like Lich's Chain Frost. However, here are some tips on how to utilize them during team battles.

- I do not recommend this to be the first spell you cast in team battles. Why? Because from experience, it pre-empts enemies, and intimidates them so much that they back out immediately. True, you might be able to land a few hits on them but what really happened is that you made them more cautious. Next time, they would be careful and might even target you first.

Bear in mind that Vol'Jin should not be the "star disabler" of the team. He should just be a supporting disabler, therefore somebody else should initiate the battle. Someone with AoE Nukes/Stuns and so on.

- Casks is more useful after the battle has begun. Let your opponents fight you first then dish your stunning casks out to gain the upper hand. Try to cast this when there are few creeps too, so the precious second-stuns would not be wasted. Use this spell to follow up your team's primary disables - Impale, Hex/Voodoo, Stuns and so on. By the time the stunning casks have stopped bouncing, your enemies are terrified and might try to retreat (especially if you have planted Death Wards already). Chase them a bit, but prioritize the Maledicted hero. Even if you do not wipe out their entire team, at least you can now safely push one tower or even two.

- Pushing Skill - Do not forget to spam this skill while pushing. You can also try this if you need to push fast. Kill one or two creeps from the incoming creep wave then skip to the next wave then cast this one. This should bring them to orange health, giving your creeps an advantage. Rinse and repeat. Just be wary, you might be ambushed.


3. The Wards of Death


This skill seems easy to pull off but what you really need to master with this spell is timing. Here are some tips:

- Do not initiate a battle with this one. You'll be stunned, no doubt. Therefore, wait for enemies to cast their stunning spells before planting this one. Even if you have Black King Bar or Lothar's, try not to initiate battles with this one because enemies will just move out of danger. The end result - you wasted our ultimate, you wasted your avatar, the enemies will retaliate after ten seconds. GG for your team.

- Cast this when the battle is already in full swing. That way, no one will notice you as each enemy has their own target already. Try not to be targeted too... because your skills are vital. So before a team clash, stay behind your teammates or hide among trees. Show up or blink in when the fight's begun.

- Watch out for enemies with VANGUARD! Vanguard blocks chaos damage so try to cast this one far from those with Vanguard. Every hit counts.

- Cast whenever you can. Why? Because for such a powerful ultimate, it has a fast cooldown. So don't hesitate. Even if it's just a mini encounter in the forest, cast it for the kill.