The DotA Thread! [Basic Strats and Hero/Item talk]

[x42bn6]

Originally Posted by Malcom Sex

Dota, the way I play, is simple. I always but boots first for str and int chars. Most agility chars have higher movespeeds and thus don't need the bonus as badly. My favorite starting item is hands down the bracer. The bracer probides a mediocre mana and attack speed boost, but provides a solid hp boost which is imperative for early game. I disagree strongly that razor is a shitty hero killer. After level 6, he can farm like no other character in the game, enabling him to get godly items. Only a noob razor even gets chain lighting to level 17. Razor, at level 10, needs the HP provided by the attribute bonus. For the record, that is one of the worst strategys I have ever seen for clinks. A solid strat would be;

Items (In no particular order):
Buriza
Desolator or Maelstrom
Treads

The items generally come in order of need. My usual progression goes boots, gloves, treads. Then blades of attack, broadsword, crys recipe. Then mithril, mithril, deso. Then demon edge buriza. If need be, you can add in a few bracers when needed.

The skill build:
1. WW
2. Strafe
3. Strafe
4. WW
5. Strafe
6. Death pact (Reguardless of what x42bn6 says, it can and will save you.)
7. Strafe
8. WW
9. WW
10. Stats
11. Death pact
12-15. Stats.
16. Death pact
17-21. Stats
22-25 Searing Arrows.

If you go maelstrom, your emphasis is on farming. If you go deso, you are a more focused hero killer.

Always remember, despite the nature of your hero, every hero can be made into something else. For example, some use gondar as a nuker, with shuriken, and dagon, he nukes for 700 dmg after the initial backstab of 80 (in addition to regular damage). Also, nothing beats permastun, it is the trump card of dota. It can be acheived with any melee char, although chars with bash are highly preferred. Troll Warlord is known as the best permastunner in dota. CRAINUM BASHERS STACK, DON'T STOP AT ONE IF YOU'RE GOING FOR PERMASTUN.

Put it this way: Death Pact, with a high mana cost, against Wind Walk, which is only poor if the enemy has a Gem of True Seeing or Radiance (!), which costs less mana.

I only take Death Pact later, once I have the Energy Booster or items that will ensure that I don't screw myself over once I cast Death Pact.

You also have to remember, of course, that for a Level 1 Death Pact, you only get 55% of the health back. Considering that you have about 500 health creeps, you can expect to only get about 200 health back from Death Pact. Which is why I just prefer to get Level 1 Death Pact at, say, Level 9, then get the Level 2 Death Pact at Level 11, thus saving a couple of potential mana wasters.*

[Malcom Sex]

As I can see your point, I won't argue much, but, since it is instant cast, it can come in useful when trying to get a kill. It suprises enemies when you suddenly have +200 hp. It is enough to change who is doing the running. I play by an aggressive strategy with clinkz because he has to farm early to be fearsome late game.

[Dream_Walker]

Originally Posted by Malcom Sex

I disagree strongly that razor is a shitty hero killer. After level 6, he can farm like no other character in the game, enabling him to get godly items.

thats out-doing kotl? i think not.

@ jenny. skadi gives stats + searing the skill, so ya..

[Jenny]

Skadi is also an expensive tier 3 item that adds low damage. Getting early stats is best. It also allows free windwalking and deathpact without mana problems.

[x42bn6]

Originally Posted by iJenny

Skadi is also an expensive tier 3 item that adds low damage. Getting early stats is best. It also allows free windwalking and deathpact without mana problems.

True, I would put points into Attribute Bonus instead of Searing Arrows, because it's not the damage that kills heroes - it's the attack rate. Searing Arrows at Level 1 or 2 isn't really that good, because you can always add 20 damage by buying an item like Crystalys, and you'll even get a free Critical Strike bonus added in.

Eye of Skadi is also horrible to get unless you are playing solo, for the very reason that it's bloody expensive (2300 + 2300 + 1100 + 1250 = 6950 gold, if not more due to patch increments), and people know you are going to use it. With Eye of Skadi, you can't hurt anything in Avatar form either, I believe, and you cannot attack things like the Stealth Assassin's Death Ward. Even worse is that it's always possible to tell if you are going to get an Eye of Skadi, because of your Ultimate Orbs.

In other words, you'd better have a damn good reason to get Eye of Skadi over Attribute Bonus. This is because the a Soul Booster provides just about the same mana bonus to the Bone Fletcher as an Eye of Skadi (albeit without the regeneration speed, but considering the Bone Fletcher has only two spells that are important, that doesn't matter).

And if you want to slow someone down, it's better to stack Cranium Bashers, isn't it?*

[morbidgolem]

Originally Posted by x42bn6

Eye of Skadi is also horrible to get unless you are playing solo, for the very reason that it's bloody expensive (2300 + 2300 + 1100 + 1250 = 6950 gold, if not more due to patch increments), and people know you are going to use it. With Eye of Skadi, you can't hurt anything in Avatar form either, I believe, and you cannot attack things like the Stealth Assassin's Death Ward. Even worse is that it's always possible to tell if you are going to get an Eye of Skadi, because of your Ultimate Orbs.

Not if you wait till you have enough money to buy it all in one go ^^

[x42bn6]

Originally Posted by morbidgolem

Not if you wait till you have enough money to buy it all in one go ^^

Well that's stupid, especially considering you lose money when you die. And if you have that much money, you can assume your opponent has that much as well, and he/she would have a lot more items instead of saving up that much gold, which means that it makes your job a lot harder.

I have a general rule of thumb that I never carry more than 2000 gold at any one time unless I'm saving up for, say, Demon Edge.

[edit] Post 13,000*

[Dream_Walker]

x42, what version are you playing?

[x42bn6]

Originally Posted by Dream_Walker

x42, what version are you playing?

I played 6.12 recently, but I also play 6.00 and 5.84b/c.*

[Malcom Sex]

I would love, love to see someone outfarm a razor with keeper of the light.

[Dream_Walker]

exactly, because its just about impossible,

@x42 well that explains why your information isnt fully valid, because 5.84c is imbalanced. especially with fagdusa

[Chris]

And sadly, there are still people that host private games in 5.84c

[Dream_Walker]

its the koreans that go KEKEKEKEKEKEKEKEKEK when they pick fagdusa (no offense mikey) and the azns

[Chris]

Thank you, Mr Stereotype.

[Dream_Walker]

:rainfro .

[Chris]

To prevent that, pick allrandom. If they dont get zeus or fagdusa, leave! It just proves how much of a sore loser these people are. A real dota strategy comes from when you use the correct one against the correct opponent. If anyone of these is incorrect, then you are screwed.

[Malcom Sex]

There is a cool glitch that i came across today. Someone showed it to me, its fun to do, because a lot of noobs will just leave the game. What you do, is pause the game (must be ap) after the -ap command has been given. Then, type -random up to 5 times, and it will give you a ton of heros.

[Chris]

No going off topic, you can make that in another thread.

[Dream_Walker]

like using Naga Siren to kick Skeleton Kings ass. gogo mana costing reincarnation and manta naga!

[PenguinMaster_7]

necrolyte with maxed dagon can death pulse then dagon then use reapers scyth and if after that the enemy is still alive when u chase him heartstopper will finish him off.
also skeleton king with a blink dagger if you run low on mana and cant stun an enemy on the run anymore simply blink in front of him and it is great at teleportin into a battle with an ally in need surprising the enemy.