Icefrog has released the 6.77 changelog and it includes some big changes. There is the expected Drow Ranger, Centaur, and Magnus nerf, as well as a Treant buff like I predicted. Another one of the big changes is Bounty Hunter's track no longer reduces armor. Sven and TA were also nerfed, but mostly only minor changes. Other than that the rest of the changes are only minor buffs or tweaks. You can find the full changelog below:
http://www.playdota.com/changelogs/6.77
IceFrog has confirmed that 6.77 will likely come before Christmas, according to posts he made on the PlayDota forums. He also confirms there will be no heroes and instead it will just be a balance patch. Drow nerfs and treant buffs are probably expected.
Source: http://www.playdota.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1196343
1. Charge/Empowering Haste
2. Charge/Empowering Haste
3. Bash
4. Charge
5. Charge
6. Ult
7. Charge
8. Bash
9. Bash
10. Bash
11. Ult
12+ Haste
Recommended items include:
Power treads or Tranquil if you're having a tough time in lane
Mask of Madness
Drum of Endurance
Urn of Shadows
Black King Bar
Assault Cuirass
Crystalys/Daedalus
Monkey King Bar
Also try shadow blade as it's quite funny in pubs and effective. While charging you can use both shadow blade and mask of madness. You'll hit your enemy for large damage and he won't see if coming with any wards.
Centaur Warchief is a strength based tank/initiator and even semi-carry at times. His high STR gain makes him very tanky even without items. Coupled with his passive, return, and he is a force to be recokned with. He also farms at a decent rate and scales nicely into the late game. His skill build should be:
1. Stomp/Return (Get return if there's two ranged harassing you early, or stomp if you might get a kill)
2. Stomp/Return
3. Double Edge
4. Double Edge
5. Double Edge
6. Ult
7. Double Edge
8. Stomp
9. Stomp
10. Stomp
11. Ult
12+ Return
Double edge is maxed first since it's a 400 damage nuke at level 4. It's your main killing tool and farming tool. Also note that the skill has no mana cost, only a health cost, so be careful when casting it. It is also non-lethal, so you can't suicide with it. Stomp is maxed after since it's your primary disable.
Recommended items on Centaur include:
Tranquil/Phase boots
Hood/Pipe
Drum
Blink (I personally don't feel its necessary with your ult)
Heart
Blade Mail
Shiva's Guard
Armlet
Skeleton King is a STR carry that is ideal for beginner and novice players. His only active skill is a targeted stun that is impossible to miss/fail. The hero is very straightforward to play, you want to prioritize farm and take whatever kills come your way. Make sure you do not go ganking as SK is not a ganker and needs farm to be useful in the later stages of the game. Skill build:
1. Hellfire Blast
2. Stats
3. Hellfire Blast
4. Stats
5. Hellfire Blast
6. Ult
7. Hellfire Blast
Max Critical Strike next taking ult whenever necessary and maybe 1 level of Aura if you feel you need it before. Common item choices:
Hand of Midas
Power Treads
Armlet
Desolator
Assault Cuirass
Black King Bar
Shadow Fiend is an AGI carry best known as a glass-cannon powerhouse who farms incredibly fast. He is an intermediate-advanced level hero and should NOT be taken by beginners. If you want to practice with him feel free to fire up practice mode and thoroughly learn the placement of all his skills. With his recent buffs in 6.75 he should see a lot more playing time in competitive games. The only Shadow Fiend skill build you should use is:
1. Necromastery
2. Raze
3. Raze
4. Necromastery
5. Raze
6. Necromastery
7. Raze
8. Necromastery
9. Ult
Max your passive after and take ult whenever available. Use two shadowrazes in quick succession to farm creep waves quickly. Try and position your ultimate on top of as many heroes as possible for maximum damage output and effectiveness. You need to go mid as Shadow Fiend, take as many runes as possible and maximize your farm. Only gank if you get a good rune and think you can land a kill. For items there are a few options depending on your playstyle. Many people like Power Treads/BKB/Dagger, there are also others such as myself who prefer Phase/Drum/BKB. Shadow Blade is also a good choice if you are doing well and there isn't a counter such as Bounty or Slardar. Your core item will always be BKB. General item choices:
Bootle
Power Treads/Phase/Travels (only good if you can farm it quickly or as a late game pickup)
Drum
Dagger
Shadow Blade
Black King Bar
Manta Style
Desolator
Butterfly
Monkey King Bar
Eye of Skadi
Ogre Magi is an INT melee hero with a huge STR gain. He has a very basic skillset; a stun, a slow, a buff, and a boost to his stun via his ultimate. He is hard to bring down with his big HP pool but suffers from being melee and for having a poor mana pool. He is a great hero for beginners as he is very straight-forward to play. The most common skillbuild is:
1. Fireball
2. Ignite (I actually like getting 1 point in stats here instead)
3. Fireball
4. Ignite
5. Fireball
6. Ult
7. Fireball
8. Ignite
9. Ignite
10. Bloodlust
11. Ult
12+ max bloodlust, ult at 16
You want to prioritize your fireball as it boosts the damage and stun duration. You can also use it to get last hits at lower levels if you need some farm. Common item choices include:
Chicken/Wards
Arcane Boots/Tranquil Boots
Bottle/Soul Ring
Force Staff
Orb of Venom
Eul's Scepter
Aghanims
Sheep Stick
Make sure you are constantly ganking and keeping wards up as much as possible. You don't need any items beside some basic mana regen like bottle or soul ring. Try out Tranquil Boots + Soul Ring as well, it is a very good combo.
Enigma is an INT support/initiator as well as the fastest jungler in the game. He is also often sent to solo the long lane in competitive games since he can last hit with his eidolons as well as deny experience. As an enigma there are two common builds, the first:
1. Demonic Conversion
2. Malefice
3. Demonic Conversion
4. Malefice
5. Demonic Conversion
6. Ult
7. Demonic Conversion
This build allows you to push and farm faster, but you will not be contributing much in ganks. The other build is the same except that you get Malefice maxed at lvl 7 and keep conversions at lvl 2. With this build you farm a little less but can help out lanes a lot more. Make sure to use your ult as much as possible, there is nothing wrong with using it on 1 person if it is an important kill. Using it on a solo Crystal Maiden however with 150hp is NOT a good use for it. It is also important to try and take towers quickly as he is also an excellent pusher. The most common items built on Enigma are:
Chicken/Wards
Soul Ring
Mekansm
Power Treads/Tranquil Boots
Blink Dagger
Black King Bar
Enigma has a very low hp pool so you need to be careful when initiating ganks. If no one else is buying a Mek then Soul Ring -> Mek -> Blink is a very good item transition.
Tons of huge changes, the game is going to change significantly. Definitely no more pushing meta. Head over to http://www.playdota.com/changelogs/6.75 for all the details.
Venomancer is an AGI support/ganker with a vicious early game. His primary slow, Venomous Gale, can land an easy first blood if coordinated properly. He is currently a top pick in the competitive scene due to his versatility and unrivaled lane control. He is pretty item independent but typically does better with a few items. As a Venomancer you want to play aggressively throughout the game as you will become less useful in the late game. The most common skill build is:
1. Venomous Gale
2. Poison Sting
3. Plague Ward
4. Plague Ward
5. Plague Ward
6. Ult
7. Plague Ward
8. Poison Sting
9. Poison Sting
10. Poison Sting
11. Ult
12+ Venomous Gale
Use your Poison Sting to harass enemies early on and Gale if you see an opportunity to grab a kill. It is basically the best skill at level 1 and should be abused. Plague Ward is your primary skill since it helps you push, defend, farm, and most importantly, gain vision. Drop as many of them as mana allows. Common item choices include:
Tranquil Boots/Phase/Treads
Ring of Aquila
Aghanims
Shadow Blade
Drum of Endurance
Urn
Mekansm
Pipe of Insight
Crystal Maiden is an INT support hero known for her global mana
aura. Like Lich, she is pretty straightforward in her play style and
skills, but many people still do not use her properly. Ideally you want to go
safe lane with a carry or aggressive ganker. Some examples include -
Juggernaut, Spectre, Slardar, Sven, Sand King. As a support you do NOT need any
farm, and you should NOT be fighting for creeps with whoever is in your lane.
Your job is composed of buying the chicken and wards, providing the team with
mana through your aura, supporting your carry, and ganking with your team.
Skill build:
1. Frost Bite or Nova
2. Crystal Nova or Frost Bite
3. Aura
4. Aura
5. Aura
6. Aura/Ult - You can choose to skip your ultimate if there isn't
a lot of fighting going on
7. Ult/Aura
8. Frost Bite
9. Frost Bite
10. Frost Bite
11. Ult
12+ Crystal Nova
The slow on Crystal Nova is consistent throughout the levels so
it's best to leave it at 1. Aura is the most important/useful skill you have so
that gets maxed first. Frost Bite is a very deadly skill, especially when
combined with something like Juggernaut spin. Also, with her high INT and aura
you should always be using your skills to harass in lane. General items
include:
Chicken/Wards
Tranquil Boots or Power Treads
Magic Wand
Urn
Bracer
Mekansm
Blink Dagger
As mentioned above, you want to avoid spending the game farming
and most of your extra gold should go towards wards. Generally,
having boots and an Urn is all you need.
Lich is an INT support hero, most commonly known for being the
most recommended for beginners. He is simple to play and never really a bad
pick, especially in public games where support heroes are usually lacking. In
order to play Lich well you need to: make sure you're not taking farm away from
your carry, harass the enemy with your nuke, buy the chicken/wards, and buy any
other support items necessary. The most common skill build is:
1. Dark Ritual (Deny a ranged creep as soon as it spawns)
2. Frost Nova
3. Frost Nova
4. Dark Ritual
5. Frost Nova
6. Ultimate
7. Frost Nova
8. Dark Ritual
9. Dark Ritual or Frost Armor (If you're not having any mana
problems then take Armor)
10. Frost Armor
11. Ultimate
12. Frost Armor
13. Frost Armor
14. Frost Armor
15. Stats
16. Ultimate
Common items for Lich include:
Chicken/Wards
Tranquil Boots/Power Treads
Mekansm
Pipe of Insight
Bracer/Wand
Urn
Lich does not really need any items other than boots and maybe
some cheap stat items like a bracer. He is very farm independent and should use
most of his gold on wards and a Mek if no one else on the team is making one.
Also, his ult breaks channeling on the first hit, so feel free to use it if you
need to stop an important enemy from TPing or an Enigma ultimate.
Bounty Hunter is an AGI Carry/Ganker who excels in racking up gold
for your team through his ultimate. In professional games he is often played in
the suicide lane (long lane) since he can use his invis to soak up experience
and cause the supports to buy sentry wards and dust. I believe that BH should
be played in the 2 or 3 role as he is not a great primary carry compared to
other heroes. Once you reach lvl 6 you should be spamming your ultimate on every
hero possible, especially invis heroes such as Riki. Skill build:
1. Invis or Jinada -If you're up against a tough lane grab invis
first, otherwise take Jinada for the improved last hits
2. Invis/Jinada - Whichever you didn't grab at lvl 1
3. Shuriken Toss
4. Shuriken Toss
5. Jinada
6. Ult
7. Jinada
8. Jinada
9. Invis
10. Invis
11. Ult
12. Invis
13. Shuriken Toss
14. Shuriken Toss
15. Stats
16. Ult
Toss is left at level two since the damage gained from leveling up
is mediocre and BH does not have the mana to support it early on. Jinada is
great for harassing and farming, and only 1 level of invis is needed early on.
Once you reach level 6 you want to stop farming and start ganking as this is
where most of your gold will come from. Your ultimate not only provides bonus
gold for you, but for your teammates as well. Keep in mind you can
use Toss to stop TP's and any other channeling spell. My preferred item build
is:
Bottle
Phase Boots
Drum of Endurance
Black King Bar or Desolator - Depending on your opponents, how the
game is going, etc.
Manta/MKB - Again depending on the game
1. Dragon Tail
2. Breathe Fire
3. Breathe Fire
4. Dragon Blood
5. Breathe Fire
6. Ult
7. Breathe Fire
8-11. Dragon Blood
His stun at level 1 is 2.5 seconds, so there isn't much of a need to level this up early on. If you are in a difficult lane to farm in then consider maxing Dragon Blood first. Breathe Fire is maxed first as it's his nuke and farming skill. Try and kill 1-2 creeps along with harassing the enemy if possible with this skill. Also, it is interesting to note that his lvl 2 ultimate is often skipped, as the lvl 1 version provides better pushing power. Common items on DK include:
Drum of Endurance
Bottle (If mid)
Power Treads (Core)
Soul Ring/Urn
Helm of the Dominator
Black King Bar (Core)
Assault Cuirass
Maelstrom/Mjollnr
Overall, a good hero for beginners who want to learn how to play carries. Just make sure you're prioritizing farming and pushing and not ganking. Dragon Knight needs levels and a few core items before he can make a big impact.
Treant Protector is a STR support hero know for his devastating
ultimate and team fight potential. He also has the highest win rate of any hero
according to www.dotabuff.com. He has the perfect skill set for low-mid
tier matchmaking games: an aoe heal, an invis, a global +armor and +hp, and a
big aoe ultimate that is easy to land. He is not as common in professional and
high tier matches, but that does not mean he is not a strong and effective
hero. There are a few common skill builds, depending on what your team needs.
Here is a ganker-oriented skill build:
1. Leech Seed
2. Living Armor
3. Leech Seed
4. Nature's Guise
5. Leech Seed
6. Ultimate
7. Leech Seed
8. Living Armor
9. Living Armor
10. Living Armor
With this build you max leech seed early for the slow and aoe
heal. You can easily tower dive with this and turn the tide around if your team
is the one being ganked. Living armor is at it's best around the early-mid
game, so it's usually best to max it after leech seed. A more support-oriented
skill build:
1. Living Armor
2. Leech Seed
3. Living Armor
4. Nature's Guise
5. Leech Seed
6. Ultimate
7. Living Armor
8. Living Armor
9. Leech Seed
10. Leech Seed
11. Ultimate
Common items include:
Arcane Boots
Soul Ring
Mekansm
Urn
Blink Dagger
Pipe of Insight
Heart
Also, be sure to avoid going for a carry-oriented build. If you
choose to go solo mid and get good farm, please do your team a favor and grab a
Mek or other support item instead of a Radiance. Treant does not have the skill
set to be a carry and should not take away farm from a real carry.
Shadow Shaman (also known as Rhasta) is an INT support hero
notorious for his ability to lock down the opposing team with disables and
pushing power. He is most commonly played as a tri lane support, but can often
go solo mid as well. Regardless of the situation, you want to have Ether Shock
maxed by level 7. Your skill build should go something like this:
1. Hex/Shackle
2. Shock
3. Shock
4. Hex/Shackle (only take 1 point of shackle, hex should be maxed
first)
5. Shock
6. Ultimate
7. Shock
8. Hex
9. Hex
10. Hex
11. Ultimate
12-16. Shackle until maxed, Ult at lvl 16
Shadow Shaman's playstyle involves setting up ganks with his
disables. You want to lead the way by hexing the opponent, then shackling him
if you feel you won't get stunned or disabled instantly. You can also attempt a
ward trap if you feel your skill is good enough for it. At lvl 6-7 you want to
drop your ult on a tower and take it down, don't forget to use ether shock to
clear out the creep wave. Common items include:
Arcane boots
Wards
Magic Wand
Bottle
Eul's Scepter
Blink Dagger
Aghanims
Urn
Force Staff
Sheep Stick
Shadow Shaman can be tricky to play because his skills require you
to play agressively, but his HP and mana are quite low without a lot of items.
If you are going to die, try and use as many skills as possible before going
down.
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