Sunday, June 29, 2008

Hero Tips and Tricks: Balanar, the Night Stalker


also be used for the same purpose. The important thing though, is to always be alert. When using Balanar, we should not just focus on the enemy we are "hunting." Sometimes, we overkill him/her by casting Void and Fear at the hero, and thus disregarding any other threat in the battlefield.

Balanar is a Team Hero

Let us get rid of the stereotypical Night Stalker that hunts enemies once night falls. No, he should be a team player and should be active during team pushes and clashes, where his disabling spells become most useful. Think of it this way, you only subdue one enemy when you hunt then kill using these spells. But when involved with your team, disabling two heroes at the same time may lead to two or more kills, and more survival for your team.

So next time you get hold of this ugly vampire, analyse your enemies first. Plan ahead. Who do I void? Who do I cripple? And the most important thing--WHEN? Which brings us to...

Timing

This is an important consideration when playing Balanar. As he has a meager mana pool, it is vital to conserve his spells, using them only when they're most needed. How does timing comes to play?

Well, you cast Fear to silence, right? Then never cast Fear after a nuker has just dished out his/her spells. It's useless! After the Fear wears off, the cooldown has ended too so it's nuking spree for him/her again. Bottomline: Cast Fear only when you feel your enemy is about to fight back using spells or make an escape using the same (Blink Dagger, for example).

Void, on the other hand, is used to slow enemies down. Sometimes, it's really fun to watch your Balanar chase hopeless heroes, then Voiding them to oblivion. But this is just plain childish. When you know the enemy has absolutely no means of escape, and his allies are far away, don't waste 145 mana for a finishing Void. Instead, conserve it, in case you get counter-ambushed after awhile.

Also, never, ever cast Void if you are not going for the kill. You pay lots of mana for the slow. If you are not really going to utilize it, then don't cast it. Let your other nuker teammates do the harassing.


2. Darkness


As I've mentioned above, Balanar is a Team Player. He should be one. Therefore, in my opinion, the team should make organized assaults once night falls. Instead of Balanar chasing poor Rylai once the clock hits 18:00, he should join his team and take towers down, or ambush enemies altogether. Yes, not chase loners down. It's good, yes, that you get the kills but believe me, you're doing your team more good if you lead them in battle. Augment your team's power with your Hunter in the Night and Spells. Be a team player.

Conversely, Darkness should be cast during those critical moments for your team. Say, it's still broad daylight and you need to take a base tower down. Cast Darkness then gather your teammates and break into their base. This skill may also be used as a pre-emptive spell--something that will ward enemies away from the center point (the river crossing). There's a psychological effect that whenever you turn Darkness on (what a pun!), the feeders or the "weaklings" among the enemy ranks tremble in fear. Make sure your team benefits from this "effect."

Lastly, browse the section above (Void and Fear) and think of other ways to incorporate Timing into Darkness, then Darkness with Balanar's other skills. Just please, please remember--Balanar may be a hunter, but if he hunts with the team, he'll be more heroic or hero-like. Whatever.

P.S. In lieu of this, I do not recommend Sange and Yasha for Balanar because you pay for the MS bonus here. If your Balanar is a team player, he does more hitting, and less chasing. Remember that in team battles, enemies are compelled NOT to run because if they run, they would just let their team down. So I suggest, get damage dealing and life stealing items to make Balanar the team player he really should be.

Hero Tips and Tricks: King Leoric, the Skeleton King


After having played with or using Leoric, I already memorized how people react to him. If he approaches you then stops somewhere within 600 range, you'd instinctively move back to get out of Storm Bolt's range. But what if Leoric continues towards you without casting Storm Bolt? In that split-second wherein he advances, your brain would actually tell you that he's not going to stun. (He may just be going for a last hit or something).

Wrong. A good Leoric player would not cast Bolt from the maximum range as this would waste at least a second of the stun in getting to the stunned enemy. A good Leoric player would semi-flank the enemy, pretending to hit a creep whereas he's actually going for the hero himself. Before the enemy could retreat, that's when you cast Storm Bolt to maximize the stun length.

Seems basic and easy to pull off, but a lot do not do this. They're so used to the times when they chase enemies wherein they have to cast Storm Bolt whenever possible. No. During clashes, walk towards your enemy first before stunning him. GG.


2. Reincarnation
This is Leoric's signature skill, the ability to come back to life. Good players know how to counter this. A well-timed ambush versus Leoric would waste his ultimate. So any ways to counter these Leoric-counters?

Items

Personally, I am a fan of Kelen's Dagger of Escape, and I feel Leoric needs one, especially once team pushes and team ambushes begin to take place. This scenario often happens: your team clashes with the enemy, the enemy wins and most of your allies are dead or fleeing. You, too, die but with Reincarnation, you are resurrected in the battlefield. But all enemies are now around you--ready to finish you off the 2nd time. So what now? This is why I recommend Leoric to get Blink.

Offensively, Kelen's Dagger of Escape has its uses too. It can chase down enemies with ease, distract enemies and support your allies who may be in danger.

Another item that owes perusal is Manta Style. With Leoric's High Hp Pool, 3 Leorics are actually something when teams clash. Not only would this provide you with extra bit of Mana (for Storm Bolt and Reincarnation), but this also discourages enemies to focus fire on you, making you more useful to the team.

Offensive Uses

Reincarnation has an uber long cooldown especially at Levels 1 and 2. But more often than not, even good players do not fully utilize this cooldown. Meaning, they play too safely that the Reincarnation is put to waste. Of course better safe than sorry, but sometimes, Leoric really has to push his weight around (and let himself die) for the good of the team. Besides, if you have your Skeleton King equipped with Kelen's Dagger of Escape, you need not worry much about dying the second time.

- Tower Pushing - Let Leoric tank to take down that tower once and for all! (Same applies to creep-producing buildings)
- Hero Chasing behind enemy lines (a red hero managed to escape your friends' wrath but you happen to be in the vicinity.) Go chase him, land your storm bolts and grab the kill. If enemies are around, think twice, but be practical. What's your ultimate for? For display, only?
- Roshan - in dire situations, you may have to give up your utlimate just to crush this ugly Golem.

Lots of other situations but the bottom line is this: that ultimate of Leoric is meant to be USED. Don't let it go stagnant. Think quickly but rationally. Use this skill wisely. And please, please, get Kelen's.

Dota Tips and Tricks: Rexxar, the Beastmaster


But good players know the importance of this skill.
- The Hawk is for surveillance.
- The Quillbeast is for slowing enemies down (has both offensive and defensive uses)

For those who hate micromanagement (maybe because they can't properly do it), I can only advice -- Practice Makes Perfect.

Anyway, with its cheap mana cost, Rexxar's summons are really something we could not pass up. When I use Rexxar, or when my team has a Rexxar, I often share units or ask the Rexxar to share units so others could avail of the Hawk's scouting powers. The Hawk can patrol the woods, rune areas and act as a very mobile observer ward. So maybe for those who can't micro well, just share units with a friend who knows how to micro, and let him use the Hawk for you.

Also, I have to stress this point. I know many players prefer Beast Rage over Summons (all players get Wild Axes, I suppose), but early game, is Rexxar really able to attack his enemy three to five times in a row to really benefit from the attack speed bonus? What then does this skill do if Rexxar doesn't get this opportunity...? NOTHING. So that's another reason why his beasts have to be learned early.


2. Wild Axes
This spell is so intuitive. A no-brainer. Many players, in fact, have already mastered how to aim this properly to hit the most creeps and enemies. But what I'd like to point out here is the spell's ability to cut through trees! Yes, you should cast Wild Axes on forested areas while awaiting an enemy push just to check if they're hiding out there, preparing an ambush. You may also use this skill to reroute creeps or awaken neutrals. The possibilities and their benefits are endless. Think outside the box!

Dota Tips and Tricks: Lucifer, the Doom Bringer


When you devour an enemy creep, the enemies see you wherever you go, while you're chewing on the beast. Unfair, huh? Well, you can actually play with your foes with this trick. When you're a little short of health, you're down to 600/1500 Hp, go eat a creep then proceed to the forest. Tell your allies to be around the area for backup. Now, pretend to go neutral creeping. If your enemies are greedy enough, they'll send two or three to ambush you, since they hate you so much. When they come, your allies should be ready. You Doom one, then fight on. If you planned it all well, the enemies would all end up dead.

P.S. If you think this idea is too risky or far-fetched, let me be the first one to tell you that it IS not. Greedy enemies often feel confident, as if they're all Supermen. They'll be off guard when your allies appear to counter ambush them. If you guys are not convinced, I'll put up a replay here soon illustrating this trick. But in the meantime, try it. If you pull it off, you'd surely ROFL.


2. Scorched Earth


I won't go remind everyone again that this is Doom's way of pushing. I won't remind everyone to spam this skill mid-to-late game.

Forest Fire
But I'm here to remind everyone that this spell wipes out trees. So what's the best way to prevent campers from loitering in the woods? This skill. You know they're waiting for you there. Cast this then use that element of surprise to launch a counter-ambush. With proper timing, you'll be able to send them all to hell.

Forest Fire Part 2
What happens when there's a forest fire? The beasties run! When you know there's going to be a clash in the woods soon, get ready to cast this spell on the havens of our furbolgs, satyrs, trolls and whatnot. With them joining the fray, your team might be able to secure victory. Just make sure you position this spell correctly so the creeps won't come for you! Anyway, the added creeps to the screen would also distract your enemies and make the cuss... WTF who let the creeps out?


3. Level Death and Doom
These skills are very easy to use so I would not go into much detail with them. I just want to remind everyone that during team games, these skills can be more helpful if the one controlling Doombringer would prioritize certain heroes as targets. LVL Death is coupled with a mini-stun so it can be used to cancel channeling skills. Doom, of course, has silence. But with regards to Doom, I think it should be cast first on (with decreasing priority):

a) Heroes who entirely rely on spells to deal damage and disable (Rhasta, Enigma, Rylai, Necrolyte)
b) Damage dealers who rely on spells to be efficient and to survive (Gondar, Bone Clinkz, Mortred)

When you are Lucifer, weigh things beforehand. Know your enemies and analyse first. Who could be the biggest threat? Who among the enemies should I Doom to weaken their team most? Ask questions like these early in the game so when the need arises, you know what to do. Don't be like the other Doom players who merely Doom the feeders or the easy kills so as to get the kills themselves. This is a selfish attitude and bear in mind that by adopting this disposition, you are NOT at all being helpful to your team.

Dota-Allstars 6.52d is a Stable Map Now!

If you check getdota.com, you can say bye bye to 6.48b and welcome the Dota-Allstars 6.52d as the new stable map. this means a lot. The competitive game/ tournament of Dota-Allstars will use new map (even tough some of them already are). And a new stable map means RGB/LazyFiend will make us another AI map!

Friday, June 20, 2008

Hero Tips and Tricks: Razzil Darkbrew, the Alchemist


He is the most low-profile of all heroes. I have not seen anyone in weeks use him except in All Random matches, or when a hero got him from availing of a random hero. Why is he this unpopular? Was it because of the 6.43 “nerf” on him? A lot of people say he is really weak, but I beg to differ. I strongly disagree with this claim, because for me, the Alchemist is a strong team player—a pusher, a farmer, an offensive and defensive supporter, and a potential late-game killer.

Pusher – Razzil is a good pusher mainly with his Chemical Spray skill, which allows him to clear out an entire wave of creeps in seconds. Secondly, his ultimate, Chemical Rage, which regenerates HP in huge amounts, allows him to stay indefinitely in a lane, allowing him to dominate that lane.

Farmer – Chemical Spray and Goblin's Greed theoretically make Razzil DotA is best farmer because of the simple fact that he gets more gold per kill. Being the farmer he is, he can amass gold faster than the others, giving him access to good items—for himself, and maybe for his carry teammates. (It is really wise come late game for Razzil to farm Level 4 recipes for the carry heroes in his team.)

Support – Chemical Spray and Unstable Concoction are two very good skills, and even “imba” if really used in conjunction with the team. I will go into detail with these two skills later.

Late-game killer – When properly equipped, and in his Chemical Rage, Razzil Darkbrew can slice and dice enemies with ease. Combined with the help of his stun and the armor reduction from the chemical spray, he can match most agility and strength heroes in hand-to-hand combat.


1. Items
I am not making an Alchemist hero guide here but I feel I must include an item build for readers to have a better idea on how to use Alchemist.

Early game, I suggest an Arcane Ring and some Stat Items to boost make him last longer in a lane. Next he should aim for “all-around items”, items which raises many hero aspects, in contrast with items which focus on one aspect alone. (Compare Eye of Skadi and Heart of Tarrasque).

Some items I recommend are Sange and Yasha, Eye of Skadi, Battle Fury, and Linken's Sphere. These items buff him out, and also give him damage bonuses and some point regeneration. While building these items, it is advisable to get Kelen's Dagger of Escape. It helps him get into position. Note that when you cast spray, enemies often flee backward to avoid it. The dagger enables Razzil to blink right next to enemies and start hitting them before they can flee. Dagger also works well with his stun. After stunning, blink right next to enemy to avail of the free hits.

It is also good to get Assault Cuirass when the game drags on. The armor bonus helps Razzil a lot, while the attack speed aura makes the team more powerful as a whole.

How about his footwear? Treads or Travel? It depends on what role you are performing for the team.

If you have become a seasoned pusher already, pushing lanes to their limits, then farming, get Travel, to improve your game.

If you have decided to join your teammates in ambushes and in team pushes, get Treads, since you would be attacking more often.
However, in my opinion, Travel is usually the better choice because I am assuming Alchemist would have no money problems. Late game, Travel always makes a difference.


2. The Chemical Spray
This is your bread-and-butter skill, if you are that Ogre-Goblin team. By mid-game, you should have enough mana regen to be able to spam this. However, at this juncture, I would focus on its role in team clashes (to justify my claim that Razzil is a good supporting hero).

Never, ever cast this before your team engages the enemy. This will pre-empt the fight causing enemies to fall back, wasting your spell. Cast this when the first few spells have been cast—like stuns, disables, ultimates. Then jump into the fray and start slicing enemies. If you cast this a few seconds AFTER the fight has begun, enemies will be at a quandary. Will they turn back or will they fight it out? This is good. You have confused them. The cowards might pull back, enabling your teammates to focus fire on the remaining heroes, ensuring you victory for that clash.


3. The Unstable Concoction
As I have said above, Spray is not an initiator. Unstable Concoction IS the initiator. It is one of the most controversial spells in DotA. Many claim it is useless, but after it was improved in 6.43b, I will be the first one to tell you that this is a very underrated spell—its role in the team is very vital. True, it is hard to master, but again, practice makes perfect. It is one of those spells that really require skill on the part of the player. But I assure you, it IS a strong skill.

Show-Stopper

If you see someone channeling a spell, just cast this one and release immediately. Cancels teleport, Epicenter, Freezing Field, Black Hole and so on.


Early Game


Honestly, this is the first skill I get when I use Alchemist. Why? Because it is a nuke-stun. So go partner with another stunner/disabler/nuker, and go for First Blood.

Timing is the crucial thing to master with this spell. To get the maximum stun length, Razzil has to channel for five seconds, which is crazy, as some people would say. Actually, it is not. So here is what you do: After a creep wave defeats the opposing creep wave, stay behind your creeps and wait for the enemy hero to come in sight. Once he does, start channeling. Chances are, he will continue moving forward, thinking his creeps are there to back him up. Once the stun is released, your lane partner should start availing of the free hits, then following up with another disable/nuke/stun. Razzil, after channeling should jump right into the fray too.


Ambushes/Ganks
This spell is a very useful ambush tool. Just go to the woods then find a spot that overlooks the spot where the enemy is. Tell your ally to engage the enemy while you start channeling this spell. Chances are, by the time your ally has begun attacking your enemy, the latter is stunned for five seconds. Jump into the lane and aid your friend. An easy kill.

But what is not easy is timing the channel. I do not think I can enumerate concrete steps on how to get the timing right. It really is a matter of skill, so just practice. Your efforts will pay off.


Team Battles/Defending


When a team battle is about to start, pick someone for your team to focus fire on then aim this spell on him. While you are channeling, your teammates should engage the enemy to officially start the battle. Once the guy you are aiming at is stunned, focus fire on him, and do not forget to cast Spray! If your team play is perfect, you would cause disarray among your enemies, making them indecisive. Because you initiated the fight with this subtle stun, chances are they would not anticipate it.

When defending, the same principle should be applied. Use your higher ground advantage (in case you are defending the base towers already). Anticipate the moment when your enemies will storm the tower. Channel Concoction 5 seconds before that so the target would be stunned at a spot where he is really vulnerable. The 5-second stun makes a difference—that I assure you.

Alchemist can also choose to hide among trees outside base and channel from there. After the stun is released, he back stabs the enemy and pours his chemicals all over the place. That way the enemies are somewhat sandwiched, making some of them think they are going to lose the battle. This is good, because if they start retreating, that means you did a great job.

Hero Tips and Tricks: Mirana Nightshade, the Priestess of the Moon


Leap
The common mistake of some players is either to Leap too soon, or too Leap too late when Mirana is fleeing. Here's a quick tip. When facing enemies who have stuns, disables or has a Blink (including Dagger), try to Leap after you've seen them cast their spells. This would at least ensure you that after you leap, no one can catch up.


The Moonlight Shadow
Her ultimate is often underrated by many, because they think all it does is rescue her or her allies from immediate danger or sure death. True, this is a very important defensive use of her ultimate but what many players don't know is that it can be used offensively too.

Mirana's ultimate basically lends everybody in her team temporary invisibility. So just pretend your whole team has gotten the Invisibility rune. What do you guys do? You ambush the enemy.

In short, Moonlight Shadow can be used to set up an ambush. It can be against the whole team or just a couple of enemies.
But for this to be effective, your allies have to know what they have to do. Your team has to be coordinated. Once you get into your position, everything should go like clockwork. Your enemies would never know you were there.

Once you've used this tactic once or twice, you can now actually use another tactic against your enemies.

I call it the "missing ruse."

Tell your allies to go missing, meaning they leave their lane and so on. If your enemies are pushing down one lane, they might back off a bit, because they might think they will be ambushed. This actually wastes their time. Now they have to decide whether they should reorganize their push or fall back in to the woods. Once you see them take action, then just return to your lanes or get ready to defend.

If you didn't get the significance of this ruse, I'll explain it in simpler terms-- One aspect of DotA is fooling your enemies into doing things they really don't have to do. By making them think they'll be ambushed, you're actually undermining their push, giving your team a slight edge.

Hero Tips and Tricks: Mercurial, the Spectre


1. Spectral Dagger


Pushing Tool

This spell can double as an AoE Nuke against incoming creeps. Even if deals moderate damage, it still aids you in getting last hits on creeps, and pushing for your team.

Scouting / Recon Tool

You can cast this to give you vision of an area, as well. Or, if you know enemies are coming down the lane, you can cast this one to slow them down, and at least anticipate any incoming attack or engagement.

Team Clashes

During team battles, do not cast your Dagger recklessly, meaning you just aim on your personal target, then cast. No. Position yourself wisely so that when you cast Dagger, you hit as many enemy heroes as possible. Why? So that all will trail shadow paths, which greatly reduces their move speeds, helping your team win that fight. In case they retreat, your allies could easily catch up with them.


2. Haunt
Push then Haunt

This is basic. While your team pushes Middle Lane or sets up an ambush, keep pushing a lane till the last moment, then Haunt in to confuse enemies defending tower or whatever. That way, you were able to push for your team and also participate in the team battle.

Map Hack

At level 3, Haunt has a fast cooldown and can be used sometimes by your team to locate enemies, so you can plan and act accordingly.

Battle Initiator

This is a good initiating spell for ambushes and team battles because of the confusion it could give. Once 5 Spectres pop up in the battlefield, the enemies would get a slight jolt, and would have some trouble getting in position amidst the chaos. However, I must caution you, also, that pre-emptive casting of Haunt might be disastrous. Enemies might just fall back, then strike again once your team loses its momentum. My tip: cast it, if and only if, you're already sure the battle is about to begin.


Some Timing Tips


During clashes where you didn't use Haunt immediately, save it in case there are enemies who have some escape mechanisms. For example, enemy Ezalor is down to 400 Hp. Chase him then wait for him to Blink away, then that's the time you use Haunt. Do not Haunt too early because this skill is usually your last resort to catch a fleeing enemy.

Now, imagine a team battle where an enemy down to 200 Hp starts to retreat, leaving his 4 friends behind. Do not chase after him yet! Instead, continue fighting the other foes then when your team gets a few more kills, then Haunt to chase the hero who had tried fleeing. Chances are, he/she is still a viable kill. Just use your head. If the fleeing enemy has a Scroll of Town Portal, then finish him/her off but if not, help your allies first, just Haunt later.

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.

Hero Tips and Tricks: Harbinger, the Obsidian Destroyer


1. Astral Imprisonment
In my opinion, all OD users should max this skill first. I'm very surprised to see some players not getting this until mid-game. These players max Arcane Orb and Essence Aura first. I'm very sure this is a wrong way to use OD.

First of all, Arcane Orb is a percentage skill which means it is more effective later in the game. At low hero levels, it's pathetic.

Now, let's focus on Astral Imprisonment. What kind of skill is this anyway? Aside from being a DISABLE, it is a skill that increases the effective damage of Harbinger's ultimate and also a skill that cuts enemy mana pools, preventing them to cast some spells or perform some combos.

Compare it with Harby's other skills-- isn't it obvious that this skill has the most use early game? Essence Aura is good, also, but since you usually get two skills before your ultimate, you get this one first. Arcane Orb is situational. Sometimes I put one point in it, sometimes I let my teammates do the damage dealing while I just support. For me, the latter option is better in organized games.

Early Game

This skill is not yet effective at Level 1 so I would suggest you start casting it at Level 2. At Level 2, it effectively reduces an enemy's mana pool by 52 (13x4), and slightly reduces its mana regeneration rate as well. This is very effective against those Agi and Str casters like Axe, Raigor and Nevermore. When Obsidian gets to Level 5, he has Level 3 Astral already-- so spam this continuously so that your enemy would have very little intelligence when you reach Level 6. Just watch out for your mana-- make sure you have enough mana to cast Sanity's Eclipse.

Offensive Uses

These are pretty intuitive.

- Cast to isolate an enemy. Useful in setting up an ambush, allows you and your allies to surround an enemy.
- Cast when chasing enemies for the most obvious reasons.
- Cast during team clashes to get rid of the damage dealer (Agi-type late gamers) or those pesky chain-nukers.
- Cast while pushing towers down to get rid of the defending hero who might want to deny.
- Cast to cancel channeling spells such as Dismember and Freezing Field and of course, Teleport.
- Cast on enemy to prevent him/her from denying or getting a money shot on creeps.
and so on.

Defensive Uses

- Cast to evade the enemy hero chasing you.
- Cast on your teammate who's been hit with Doom, Poison Nova and other Damage over Time spells.
- Cast on yourself to have a 4-second reprieve while waiting for allies to back you up.
- Cast on someone who is being double or triple teamed. Now, draw the enemy fire unto you and your other allies.
- Cast on someone who has just killed Roshan, then take the goodies. LOL.
and many more.

You can get really creative with this skill.


2. Arcane Orb
Image / Summon Blaster

Let us not forget that this skill enables OD to blast illusions and summons to oblivion. This works well against Chen, Warlock, Terrorblade, and also those who would want to get Manta Style.

When to Auto-cast

Early game, you don't auto-cast this because of its high mana cost but when you already have a huge mana pool, you may want to turn this spell on before battles. If you already have an insane mana pool, one that is hardly depleted, go perma-Arcane Orb so you can push swiftly, too.


3. Essence Aura
Be a team player. Try to be in the middle of everybody during team battles and team pushes so your allies could benefit from this aura of yours. Encourage your teammates to spam their cheap spells (those that cost few mana e.g Empower) so their mana could be replenished.


4. Sanity's Eclipse
Be Smart!

Invest on your Intelligence because this skill often decides the outcome of team battles. But provide some balance as well. Don't go buying Mystic Staffs when your health is around 1000 Hp only! I suggest a Blink Dagger for OD, too, because he's a favorite target during team battles.


Reminders in Casting
Yes, OD's ultimate has a relatively long casting delay, which makes him miss sometimes. Take this in consideration. Aim in front of the enemy, in case he's running away. If someone like Gondar goes invisible, cast this one anyway, as it can still hit him. Lastly, do not wait for an enemy to be in red before casting this. Do not go greedy. Be a teamplayer. Cast this immediately to drain mana away from the enemy Int heroes and deal as much damage as possible. If you have managed to cast a well-aimed Eclipse at the start of a clash, the battle's already won.

Hero Tips and Tricks: Demnok Lannik, the Warlock


1. Shadow Word and Upheaval
Shadow Word is the "no-brainer" spell of Warlock. A heal and nuke rolled into one. This is very helpful in controlling a lane. But why do we get Upheaval? Actually, the first question is when. Upheaval is a supporting spell useful only when you have allies to back you up. So get this if you're not taking Mid-lane. You may want to team up with a damaging hero like Razor or Traxes, or someone with a nuke/disble like Lion.

How to use Upheaval effectively? I understand this is one of the most avoided skills in DotA because... many people go WTF. A CHANNELING Slow? Who needs that? Your team DOES. So here's how. Go to the woods and back stab or flank your enemies. Then on queue, cast it while your ally engages one target. Don't worry. The spell will slow everything so you wouldn't be harmed much. But be sure your ally is reliable because if your ally is a threat, most likely the enemies you're facing on that lane will retreat, giving you and edge.

In team clashes, Upheaval is even more useful. When things get hot, cast it on the battlefield to slow everyone down. Your enemies would be dumbfounded -- First they couldn't reach your team (for the melee heroes), next they realized they're stunned/slowed/damaged heavily by your allies, then finally they realized they can't escape either. This spell rocks, everyone should know that. It is an AoE Slow making it very useful for the team. I advise the readers to try it one or two games, then practice it if they like the results.

Upheaval is also used to prevent enemies from catching up with your fleeing allies. For example, a maddened Sven is chasing your Lich. Stand in Sven's path then channel this one. It's a life saver. If Sven shifts to you, you can actually turn the tables. Lich turns back to cast a nova, while you Word Sven (or yourself). Everyone thinks Warlock is only good for his infernals--prove them wrong.


2. Shadow Word and Fatal Bonds
I've seen many advanced players adapt this style early game. Word, of course, is obvious, but Bonds is not. Many would reason out that it just wastes mana and does not deal much damage anyway. Actually, it does. Do you want mathematical computations for this one? Say so, and I'll put everything here. But to keep this guide simple, imagine a creep bonded with an enemy. Every time that creep takes damage, 1/5 goes to the enemy. Of course this creep is also damaged when other bonded creeps are damaged but if you put it this way: a 500+hp creep takes that much damage before it dies. Roughly less than 1/5 of this also goes to the hero. So say, 75 - 80 damage goes to that hero. How many other creeps? 3 or 4? You get 225-240 damage. Then factor in the damage you actually deal the hero. And even better if another hero is among the units bonded... which means more life, more damage, more damage distributed.

If you do not believe me, I suggest you try this yourself too. Harass an enemy and when you have sufficient mana, fatal bonds him/her with full-life creeps then watch his Hp bar after the creeps are cleared.


3. Shadow Word and Stats
Ususally, this skill build is taken when Warlock goes mid. It's the most commonly-used skill build for early game (before level 8) and is also the easiest to carry, also the safest coz stats give more hp and mana to sustain Shadow Word. This build is good when you are solo because the other skills of Warlock are only for support. (Fatal Bonds may be good for solo too but it's potential is maximized when there's an ally dishing out damage, too.)

Novel Item Builds

Let's forget the "race to Refresher Orb" build and try to explore other possibilities. I am not saying that R. Orb is bad for Warlock because it, in fact, is good. Double Infernals ensure the destruction of towers and buildings, which is good. But the downside of this build is Warlock's inflexibility. It's as if that's his only role in the team. Well, if the enemy sees this, all they need to do is ambush Warlock every now and then to prevent him from getting R. Orb or levelling up. Once Warlock is under-leveled, he becomes a liability already. His Shadow Word becomes obsolete and he easily dies in battle.

So in the Warlock Section of my guide, I list down some items to peruse upon.

Bloodstone - this item, improved in the latest version, enables Warlock to spam all his spells continuously, making him an adept support spell caster for the team. Also, this item raises his life and stayability in battle. Similar items include Linken's Sphere and Eye of Skadi but these two don't appear to be that useful.

Hands of Midas, Treads - this makes Warlock an able fighter. Without his skills, Warlock is food for enemies. Putting IAS items would at least make him useful in dealing out normal damage too.

Mjollnir - I personally love this item for Warlock because this makes him the all-around hero. He is strong, smart, and now, he attacks swiftly with occasional Chain Lightnings (which, along with the Lightning Shield, synergizes with Fatal Bonds). If you get this item for Warlock, he can participate more in late-game battles, and not rely too much on his infernal and spells.

Radiance - if you are able to farm well with your Infernals, you may want to get this if no one got this from your team. It also synergizes with Fatal Bonds --- more than you can imagine. Also, it improves his damage, making him a fighter hero late game. Although not as good as Strength heroes, at least Warlock can more or less stand on his own.

Other items may be useful too so think about it.

Infernal Pushing

When you feel you have to return to the fountain already (say after a bloody battle), make sure your Infernal pushes on. Micro your infernal to get all creeps in a creep wave. This way, you can farm while MIA. Warlock is an insane farmer because of Infernal--make sure you capitalize on this.

What is Orb Walking and how to Orb Walking

1) Only use manual casting of arrow effects (hence, the "orb.")

2) You'll note that after manual casting the attack, the projectile leaves the hero rather fast and he then stands around looking stupid (Harby jiggles sometimes, Viper flaps his wings, etc.)

3) The above is known as backswing; if you don't cancel it, a running hero stands a good chance at getting away. If you DO cancel the leftover animation, you can chase extremely effectively.

4) Orb walking does NOT increase DPS - it is only a way to chase and not draw creep aggro at the same time. Once you get a few IAS items, better to just autocast.

Orb walking is manually casting an arrow, then animation cancelling to negate the backswing time.

Thursday, June 19, 2008

Dota Tips: How To Survival and not getting killed?

A Game Of Clicking
As ridiculous as this might sound, DotA is basically just a game of selecting and clicking. So basically, to survive, just avoid being selected! Now when we talk about being targeted, we talk about focus fire.

I bet most of you probably asked yourself 'why me?' everytime you got killed. Well, there are numerous factors and they can range from you being an asshole, you're pwning hard, you being a major threat, you being the combo starter, you being the key person in your team, you being the most fragile hero in your team or just simply your enemy's skill work best on you.

So how do you avoid being focus fired? Easy, just determine the reason why they would target you and fix it. For example, for being an asshole, it's better that you just lay low and don't talk to your enemy the whole time you are playing the game. Or for being the most fragile hero in the game, fix your HP problem. Or being a combo starter, get a Blink Dagger and stay far behind the battle range.

On the contrast, being focus fired isn't necessary always a bad thing. For example, if the opposing team are too obsessed in wanting to kill you, you could always use that to your team advantage and irritate them. Make it hard for them to kill you so that they'll have to choose between killing you or killing the other 4 players on your team who are picking them off one by one.

But if you're totally run out of alternatives and distracting the enemy is hard for you, you could just hide behind your team and enter the battle last. Let's say that you're a Soulkeeper and there is a Necrolyte on the opposing team. Just lay low and wait until Necrolyte used his ultimate before you enter the battle, that way you could be safe. Make sure the stereotype threats for you are shut quiet before you enter the battle.

Juking
Like I said, DotA is just a game of selecting and clicking. One useful way of making you harder for the enemy to select is through something we called 'juking'. Juking is basically a way of hiding in the fog of war where your enemy can't see/select you.

To juke, just walk into places that could hide you from enemy's sight, for example the forest. When you are escaping, always walk close to the tree, that way, the trees would cover you. Or you could walk into some of the secret forest paths if you know them. Try to explore the map if you have the time because you won't know when this extra knowledge might save your ass.

Juking is best combined with the teleport scroll. If the situation gets really tight, you could always just hide in the juke spots and teleport out to to safety.

Appearing What You're Not: The Psychological Approach
This is a technique that is very effective against beginner or intermediate player. The idea is basically keeping your HP full at all time so that the enemy doesn't has the urge to nuke/kill you.

It's common human psychology that people tend to score an easy kill. Mostly in pubs where it's all about who's the best in kill stealing. If you're HP is always full, most people would let their teammates nuke you first until you have low HP enough then they'll take the one last shot at you. So if you are able to keep out of their range and avoid being nuked to red HP, they mostly won't have the urge to kill you.

Other than that, this could also train you not to rely much on your HP regeneration items. I once read a user criticizing the my guide not having any HP regeneration item early game and wondered how could I even managed to farm up a Radiance, well here's your answer.

Not getting nuked > HP regeneration. As simple as that.
Learn how the creep and tower AI work and keep yourself from being focused. Optimised your damaged taken to be as low as possible and you'll be out of trouble.

Just like any health/medical tips, 'preventing is better than fixing'.

Plan B For Backup
Anyone with half a brain would know about this but yet, we always fail to keep it. I think most people have a backup plan, the only problem is sticking to it.

Anyway it is always important to have a backup plan so that when things go wrong, it won't get worst or uglier. For example, it's always funny for me to see a Magina who blinks towards me just so that he thinks he could kill me. I just let him hit me until my HP is red enough and run. He blinks towards me thinking that a few more hits then I would be dead, but what he doesn't know is that I have a full pack of combo that could kill him under my sleeve. What happened next is that the Magina died with frustration.

The lesson that I'm trying to teach from the story above is that the Magina should have saved his Blink incase things have gone bad. He should have used his movement speed to harass and if he had calculated well enough, he could have killed me instead of having the idea of chasing.

Obsession And Greed
Believe me when I say this that 80% of the deaths in DotA was caused the by player himself. It is part of human nature, be it in life or in DotA, it is hard for people to let go, even the smallest stuffs.

From what I observed during the time that I am play this game is that I died not because I was careless or I wanted to, but it's because I allow the enemy to be able to do so. It really sucks to see a red HP enemy hero running away from you but what sucks even more is chasing him and dying along the way.

We are our own worst enemy and greed is something we have to overcome at the end of the day, not the enemy that got away.

Always remember that your death isn't worth a kill, especially if you had already outleveled everyone. If your enemy got away, let it be because he has to waste his time going back to base and regen. Make that a consolation.

But still, it's better if you could kill that guy but do it the safe way. To do so, always remember to have an attack plan and set how far you would go before you execute it. Always follow your attack plan and don't force yourself to do anything other than it because that is when things starts to go wrong. Always stick to the rules of engagement.

Learn how to let go because if you don't, obsession is what comes right after. And if you're not able to shake out of it, that can really screw up your entire match.

Summary
DotA is just a game of selecting and clicking.
Find out the reason why you're being targeted and overcome it.
Disturb/taunt your enemy if they likes to focus you and use that to your team advantage.
Know when it is safe for you to enter the battle.
Juke whenever you're in danger.
Explore the map if you have the time.
Always carry a teleport scroll with you.
Preventing is always better than fixing.
Try to keep your HP as green as possible to avoid the urge of being nuked.
Always have a backup plan and stick with it.
We are our own worst enemy.
Learn how to let things go.
A death is not worth a kill.
Always plan your attacks, set your limits and have rules of engagement.
Never ever disobey your own rules of engagement.

Dota:Dwarven Sniper tips and Guide

Do you feel like being Rambo? Then you should choose Sniper be your hero. He is all about killing from a great distance with deadly accuracy. Headshots, criticals, you name it Sniper has it all. You just have to adopt the right play style and buy the adeqvate items and your suited for the massacre.



Kardel Sharpeye - The Dwarven Sniper

This hero is suited for damage dealing and killing many and fast. No chit chat they wont even see you coming or shooting but they will feel you in the game for sure when they start falling (apart :P).

He is all about agility, so more agility means more damage, more critical hits, and faster attack rate. This is just awesome.

Headshot "The shot deals bonus damage and stuns for a short period of time", well i must this will be your primary spell that you will have to lvl up early in game at lvl 4 it will deal 50 bonus damage, "in 40% of time", and 0.2 second stun. So this way you can easily disarm any opponent you may encounter. And if you have a Sange/Yasha and a Crystalis to aid you in critical and speed ... then you wont have any problem at all. Don't forget this is a passive skill.

Take Aim This is another passive spell which will enhance the range of Kardel`s rifle by 220 range at lvl 4, this way you can keep on shooting them from far back, but they wont be able to touch you lol, the noobs.

Scatter Shot (C) "Fires a ball full of shrapnel into the air, which promptly explodes, showering the target area in explosive pellets, each doing 10-25 physical damage in a 200 area of effect. Deals damage to buildings. Cast range of around 750. 1 second cast time." Well this spell is very useful to if they are many heroes in one place because this deals damage in a huge area. This spell is most useful for farming, i must say. But you can experiment and see which spell works best for you. At lvl 4 there will be 20 Pellets and don't forget these deal piercing damage. The cooldown is ok 12 seconds but mana cost is 120.

Now .....3.....2....1..... tadadada...!

Your Ultimate Assassinate (T) "Take time to aim, and then deal a large amount of damage to the target at a huge range. " at level 3 this deals 655 damage at an astonishing 2500 range, it has 1.5 seconds casting time. Take care because this will need mana, 375 it is, but only 12 seconds cooldown, so you can hunt them down fast.

Try to get items that will give you critical and damage so you only need 1 shot to kill 'em. You should constantly watch the battlefield and buy boots of travel, this way you can teleport fast near any low hp enemy hero and TAKE HIM DOWN. p.s. check back soon.

credit by maxQ

Tuesday, June 17, 2008

Dotamap download New !!!!!

go to download

for free


credit.engamers.com

 
108Dir Submit