Abilities, roles and builds with an explanation for every purchase.
HERO GAME PLANI hold an area with Pit of Malice, reduce physical pressure and help my team travel across the map.
Conjure waves of abyssal flame to immolate enemies held paralyzed in your spiteful grip. Feast upon the carnage of battle, gaining strength as foes perish around you, their attacks diminished by your very presence. Tear a rift in reality to teleport yourself and your teammates across the map, delivering bloody retribution to any who would defy the will of Vrogros the Underlord.
My recommendation is a starting point. We choose another position together with the team and for its needs.
My resource is the team's space: I hold the lane and build for initiation or team protection.
This is an editorial starting plan based on hero mechanics. It is not presented as a match I have already tested or a popularity ranking.
Here is my initial plan: I do my role's job first, then choose the items the team needs. I adapt the order and expensive purchases to the opponent.
Provide mana for laning and regular ability use.
Provides team protection against substantial magical damage.
Combine mana and health sustain for the team; useful in prolonged fights together.
Protects the team against suitable sources of frequent physical damage, especially many small attacks.
Adds armor and pressure in an area, helping limit the enemy’s health restoration.
Lotus Orb ↗Lets me remove an eligible negative effect and complicates the opponent's targeted focus.
Aghanim's Scepter ↗Unlocks or upgrades Fiend's Gate. The exact effects are shown below in the abilities section.
Rod of Atos ↗Roots the target so it cannot move out of the team’s follow-up spells.
I do not assign one ‘correct’ minute to every purchase. I look at my gold, the next fight and the problem: am I missing mana, target access, control or protection? If an expensive slot will arrive too late, I get a useful answer earlier.
Original Valve icons and descriptions. Cooldowns and mana are shown by level from the data snapshot; talents and upgrades can change the values.
Calls down waves of fire that damage enemy units in the target area, burning for additional damage over time.
Calls down waves of fire that damage enemy units in the target area, burning for additional damage over time.
Firestorm can be allied targeted. When used that way, the Firestorm follows the hero around. The wave count is increased, and tick rate / duration time occur more quickly.
A deadly pit is conjured at the target location; any unit that enters will be damaged and rooted. Each enemy unit within the pit are affected by the root only every 3.6 seconds.
Nearby enemy units are weakened, losing a portion of their base damage. If an enemy dies while under this effect, Underlord gains temporary bonus damage.
Opens two portals: one near the caster and another at the chosen location. Heroes can use a portal to travel through it after channeling for 3.5 sec. The portals must be at least 1500 apart.
Opens two portals: one near the caster and another at the chosen location. Heroes can use a portal to travel through it after channeling for 3.5 sec. The portals must be at least 1500 apart.
Summons a Pit of Malice around each of the portals. Reduces cooldown.
These abilities are not necessarily available at the same time. I check the condition beside the name: innate ability, another form or an Aghanim purchase.
After teleporting, allied heroes temporarily take less damage and move faster. The effect is 2 times stronger if the hero exits a Fiend's Gate portal.
After teleporting, allied heroes temporarily take less damage and move faster. The effect is 2 times stronger if the hero exits a Fiend's Gate portal.
These are fields from the official source. The hero's final values in the client account for attributes and other active mechanics.
Items, slang and real episodes help connect abilities with what happens in a match.
