Semi-daily hero tips. Day 106: Warlock
DISCLAIMER
A lot of you probably know about the weekly hero discussion, but that often ends up in a meta discussion (whether or not the hero needs buffs, etc) or a meme war than actual tips to play, itemize and build the hero.
This is what I'd like to do. Please discuss any notes I made and possible improvements while also giving tips of your own if you have them.
The roles, skill builds and item builds, as well as a lot of the notes are my opinion on matters and should not be seen as a must do or don't. Also remember that almost every single build or role is situationally possible.
A lot of the tips on heroes were also mentioned in tsunami's amazing hero tips series he did over the last couple of years.
Warlock
Notes:
- Warlock can solo decently thanks to his attack range and base damage
- cast order in team fights: fatal bonds --> ult --> upheaval
- The upheaval slow lasts for a few seconds after you stop chanelling, good for escapes
- When chasing heroes with the golem, don't auto attack, just let immolation do it's work
- Don't feed the golem if he's no use anymore
- Good friends: Veno (poison nova + fatal bonds makes it lethal), DS (Surge, Ion Shell, Vacuum), Enigma (wombo combo)
- Counters: Chen, Brood, Furion, Lycan, Clinkz, Enchantress, Beastmaster, Drow, Sniper, LD, Lesh (apart from ult, warlock has no AOE and has trouble stopping constant pushes), Weaver (doesn't depend on cooldowns, can get out of upheaval and timelapse warlock ult)
- Good versus: Spectre, Axe, CK (their skills force them to commit to fights, warlock has great counter initiation), Enigma, CM, Witch Doctor (BKB piercing AOE disable counter initation)
- Chances are you can get the full damage from a creep wave on the enemy if you bond them when they cross paths.
- Roshing? Just channel your slow on the choke point.
- Chaotic offering breaks trees on cast.
- Versus: You can't heal during fatal bonds as of 6.82.
- Fatal bonds works on Roshan. This means if the enemy is taking rosh and you cast fatal bonds on them, it will hit rosh and they will kill themselves. If they run, you take rosh and still kill them.
Role: support (, mid)
Item build:
- (RoB, Midas,) Arcanes, Tomes
- Support situationals: force staff, eul's, solar crest, halberd, Glimmer
- Luxury: agh's, refresher, sheep, shiva's, pipe, greaves
Skill build: Heal --> fatal bonds --> upheaval
PREVIOUS HEROES
- Abaddon
- Alchemist
- Ancient Apparition
- Anti-Mage
- Arc Warden
- Axe
- Bane
- Batrider
- Beastmaster
- Bloodseeker
- Bounty Hunter
- Brewmaster
- Bristleback
- Broodmother
- Centaur Warrunner
- Chaos Knight
- Chen
- Clinkz
- Clockwerk
- Crystal Maiden
- Dark Seer
- Dazzle
- Death Prophet
- Disruptor
- Doom
- Dragon Knight
- Drow Ranger
- Earth Spirit
- Earthshaker
- Elder Titan
- Ember Spirit
- Enchantress
- Enigma
- Faceless Void
- Gyrocopter
- Huskar
- Invoker
- IO
- Jakiro
- Juggernaut
- Keeper of the Light
- Kunkka
- Legion Commander
- Leshrac
- Lich
- Lifestealer
- Lina
- Lion
- Lone Druid
- Luna
- Lycan
- Magnus
- Medusa
- Meepo
- Monkey King
- Morphling
- Naga Siren
- Nature's Prophet
- Necrophos
- Night Stalker
- Nyx Assassin
- Ogre Magi
- Omniknight
- Oracle
- Outworld Devourer
- Phantom Assassin
- Phantom Lancer
- Phoenix
- Puck
- Pudge
- Pugna
- Queen of Pain
- Razor
- Riki
- Rubick
- Sand King
- Shadow Demon
- Shadow Fiend
- Shadow Shaman
- Silencer
- Skywrath Mage
- Slardar
- Slark
- Sniper
- Spectre
- Spirit Breaker
- Storm Spirit
- Sven
- Techies
- Templar Assassin
- Terrorblade
- Tidehunter
- Timbersaw
- Tinker
- Tiny
- Treant Protector
- Troll Warlord
- Tusk
- Underlord
- Undying
- Ursa
- Vengeful Spirit
- Venomancer
- Viper
- Visage
Posted Aug 16, 2017, 12:22 PM UTC