This guide is aimed at either new DotA players who haven't played Warlock OR relatively experienced players who have never played Warlock. It is not an advanced guide showing lots of tricky tips and special moves It designed to get you to understand the basics of how to play Warlock in more of a traditional way...with a few personal touches of course ^_^ With that in mind, let's begin!
Rain of Chaos
A Beginner's Guide to Warlock
Possible Early Game Items:
Possible Mid Game Items:
Possible Late Game and Luxury Items:
Skill Build:
Possible Mid Game Items:
Possible Late Game and Luxury Items:
Skill Build:
Hero Role
Ok, now that we know something about each of the skills, we must answer the question as to what role do they give this hero? Warlock is not a solo hero. He doesn't have enough lane presence to successfully solo a lane. At levels 1-6, he is a baby-sitter. Your job is to stay a little further back in the lane, deny your creeps, and if you are laning with your team's carry, let them get most of the last hits. If your lane partner looks like turning into dinner, your job is to try and keep them alive, firstly with healing them using Shadow Word, or, if the situation is dire (i.e. no Salves, Shadow Word on cooldown), use Upheaval to try and put distance between your ally and your enemies.
Most other Warlock guides (or at least the ones I have read), will tell you that your role is to be the team ward placer. As I am aiming this at beginners/inexperienced players, I will not recommend doing so, as it is likely you will have enough to think about without having to keep an eye on keeping your wards up, however you can find a good Warding guide here. It is also possible to build Warlock into a DPS/semi-carry, but again, as I am aiming this guide at new players, I won't be going into how to do that (but also because I have never done it myself )
Items
a. Upfront Items
There are several ways you can itemise Warlock at the beginning of the game. They depend on the number of players on your team (and by extension how much starting gold you have), what game mode your are playing (most commonly whether you are playing -ar or -ap. All Random means you don't lose 250 gold buying a hero. It also depends on who your enemies are. I will give example of different starting builds, depending on these factors.
1: All Random, focussed on survivability/lane-staying: 853 start gold
+2 all stats, 2 HP regeneration aura (600 AoE)
+1 all stats
Heals 400hp over 10 secondsHoR gives stats and a HP regen aura, which will save your lane partner money, since they won't have to buy regeneration. The bonus Ironwood branches further boost your hp and mana pools. The Salve acts like a second life if the lane situation turns into a shit storm. However, this build lacks the capability to repeatedly cast spells, since you will have no mana regeneration.
2: All Random, focussed on supporting/baby-sitting - staying alive is a happy bonus: 853 start gold
+2 HP regeneration
+50% mana regeneration AND OR This opening build provides both types of regeneration, allowing for greater lane-staying and spell casting. Depending on your personal preference, Ironwood Branches or Healing Salves chew up the remaining 128 gold. If you buy Ironwood Branches, it puts you halfway to buying both a HoR and Oblivion Staff, both of which are components in items which I consider core on this hero (Mekansm and Refresher Orb respectively).
Note: While it will be unlikely that a new DotA player would choose Warlock in All Pick, such a possibility shouldn't be overlooked in any good guides.
3: All Pick, focussed on surviving/lane-staying: 603 start gold
OR Headdress of Rejuvenation costs exactly 603 gold, making it a viable upfront item (this is thanks to the reduction in cost of the GG Branch from 56 to 53 gold, the Ring of Regeneration from 375 to 350 and the recipe cost from 225 to 200). However, if you prefer to have a safety buffer in your inventory (Salve), then the RoR, Salve and 2X GG branches is better.
4: All Pick, focussed on supporting/baby-sitting: 603 start gold
This start build means you can use your spells more often thanks to the mana regen from the Sobi Mask, and you get some useful stats from the 3 Branches. You also get the safety buffer of the Salve. The Sobi Mask has the added bonus of allowing you to use Shadow Word for healing more often, offsetting the need for item-based regeneration up front.
Core Item Build
i. Core Build 1
This is a basic and easy-to-get core build which focusses more on survivability, primarily for you but also your allies.
 | Like with many other heroes, Power Treads is a good option because it offers survivability, movement speed and increased attack speed to assist with last hitting/denying. 190hp (if strength Treads), 60 movespeed and 25 attack speed, to be precise. |
 | One of the best support items you can buy, in many ways on par with Vladmir's Offering in terms of team-wide effects. Best known for the active ability to restore 250hp in an area around you, a well timed activation can save your team. The other bonuses it gives are also very useful. Other than Headdress of Rejuvenation, it offers the only 3hp regeneration aura you can get, as well as +5 to all stats and 5 armour. The +5 to all stats equates to 95hp, 65 mana, 5% IAS and 0.7 armour. The area heal also helps your Infernal to tank more effectively, especially when combined with Shadow Word. |
 | A simple, easy to use item that has effectiveness throughout the early and mid game, more so on Warlock since you won't have a particularly large health pool and so the max 225hp heal will be of use for most of the game. The stats are also good, being given cheaply and easily. |
 | Why? Why would this be a good core item? Well, Warlock is a support hero, his job is to prop up his team, to buff them and keep them alive. Ring of Basilius can help you do this. A 0.65 mana aura and +3 armour aura, especially early and mid game are of a lot of use. This item is also useful because it gives you the option of upgrading to a Vladmir's Offering (discussed below). Cheap and easy support. |
ii. Core Build 2
This build is more expensive and situational, but can be applied to almost any nuke-heavy lineup. However it costs more gold so you need to be able to stay alive to save up the gold. This kind of build is more appropriate against lineups of fragile nukers (Pipe protects from the damage, while Urn gathers charges once the fragile casters are taken down).
 | For this build consider basic boots core because it will save you money in building the rest of your items and you already get some health from Urn of Shadows. Later on you can upgrade to either Boots of Travel or Power Treads. |
 | Now, this may appear to be a rather unusual core item for Warlock. But truth be told, this item is fantastic. It gives the highest raw health regen in the game (10HP/sec), gives survivability against spells and then allows you to save your whole team from 400 magical damage, which can be a god send in team fights. You can initiate with Rain of Chaos, and as your allies pass you to move in you activate this item and you already have a decisive edge in the fight. And at only 2/3 the cost of Refresher, this is a much more affordable central core item. |
 | Introduced only recently, Urn of Shadows offers more team support capabilities. The regen it grants is cheap and easy but maintains it's use throughout the game. 3HP/sec and 50% mana regeneration are decent, cheap regeneration on tap. The active ability is also a second Shadow Word you can use to either save an ally or finish off an enemy. The +6 strength (114hp) is also very useful extra survivability. |
| Discussed above. |
Luxury and Other Items
 | This can be very difficult to use (I myself have never done so), but correct timing can make life for the enemy carry absolute hell, preventing them from attacking you. You should never use it in 1v1 situations (you should never be in a 1v1 situation anyway) against heroes who, while they rely on their physical attack, have potent spells (Luna being a good example). But if the enemy team is made of heroes like Troll, Leoric, BS, Bristleback, Bara, etc then this might be a better option than a BKB since it won't be spells you'll have to worry about but physical attacks. Use with caution. Classified: Other |
 | Late game you can swap Power Tread for Boots of Travel. They get to the ganks and back to base much faster, meaning less time wasted. Until you find yourself with enough spare gold to buy these, keep AT LEAST 2 Tp scrolls in your inventory whenever possible. Classified: Luxury |
 | At exactly 800 gold, you could buy Soul Ring upfront if you randomed Warlock. Relatively cheap regeneration, this item (appears) to have taken over from Arcane Ring as the burst mana restoration item. The 150 mana for 150 life isn't a huge problem since you have Shadow Word. And once you get a Mekansm, this trade off will be of no consequence. A worthy upfront choice, however it does mean you will be delayed in building your core. Classified: Optional |
 | While it's not exactly a luxury item, it should only be purchased only after you have your core items. By late game, the most noticeable bonuses from Eul's Scepter will be the 25 increased movespeed and the Cyclone disable. However the Cyclone disable is, for the most part, a defensive ability, so not a great ganking tool. Classified: Optional |
 | If you can afford it, Shiva's Guard is a very good item. With Upheaval reducing movement speed and this item reducing attack speed, enemy teams will not be able to rely as much on physical attacks in big fights due to the difficulty of performing any action save casting spells. The active ability is also a very good ganking option. Classified: Luxury |
 | Commonly called the Sheepstick, this is an expensive but effective and dangerous late game item. The 3.5 second hex is devastating late game and the 35int (455 mana) and 200% mana regen are simply fantastic. The +10str/agi (190hp, 0.1HP/sec and 1.2 armour, 10% IAS) don't hurt either. But the price tag of this item makes it sometimes difficult to make. Classified: Luxury |
 | This item has the potential to be a core item, but the prohibitive mana cost and huge mana pool required to support it mean it's only a luxury item to be bought if you have the money to get it. In it's favour is that none of the components cost more than 900 gold and it's easy to build up (Sobi Mask 325 + Robe of the Magi 450 + Quarter Staff 900 --> Oblivion Staff 0 + RoH 875 + Void Stone 875 --> Perseverance 0 --> Refresher Orb 5300). But unless either the game has gone for more than 65 minutes and doesn't look like ending anytime soon OR you have the gold to rush this and a few Nulls, it's best not to go for this item. Classifed: Luxury |
Do Not Buy
Note: The justifications in this section are made in accordance with this guide being aimed at inexperienced players, not because the tactics themselves are bad or not suitable. However other items are just plain bad.
 | Providing up to 20 intelligence and an energy burst dealing up to 800 damage to a single target, Dagon may sound like a tempting item. However, to get 20 intelligence and 800 damage, it will set you back 7950 gold. And because for much of the duration of team fights you should be channeling Upheaval, you are unlikely to get a chance to use the Energy Burst. Your job, first and foremost, is to support your allies and assist in kills, not to kill steal with a nuke that can cost up to 8k gold. |
 | Black King Bar is often a core item on heroes whose ultimates require channeling (Enigma, CM, Witch Doctor most common). On Warlock, however, it's not so good. Sure it can protect you from stuns and the like while you are channeling Upheaval, but it's an expensive deviation from your core items and simply isn't worth it for that reason. You have very little farming credential without your ultimate and farming isn't your job. Classified: Optional |
 | The big boosts to all your attributes and bonus raw HP and MP help greatly with survivability. The Cold Attack, however, is less useful on Warlock purely because Warlock doesn't use his physical attack much in team fights. If you find yourself with 6150 spare gold, then by all means, buy an Eye of Skadi, but for Warlock it's not high on my priority list since it's primary drawcard is useless on this hero and stats can be achieved more cheaply elsewhere. |
| Warlock is not a DPS hero. While there are ways to turn him into one (mostly thanks to his incredibly efficient attack animation) this guide is not going to be covering that scenario. For the purposes of this guide, consider DPS items bad choices. |
Skill Builds
There are several ways to skill-up Warlock. I will discuss the two I think would be best for beginner Warlock players
a. Baby-sitter/Support build
| Hero Level | Ability | Ability Level |
1. | Attributes/Shadow Word | (1) |
2. | Shadow Word/Attributes | (2/1 or 1/2) |
3. | Shadow Word | (2) |
4. | Upheaval | (1) |
5. | Shadow Word | (3) |
6. | Rain of Chaos | (1) |
7. | Shadow Word | (4) |
8. | Fatal Bonds | (1) |
9. | Fatal Bonds | (2) |
10. | Upheaval | (2) |
11. | Rain of Chaos | (2) |
12. | Fatal Bonds | (3) |
13. | Upheaval | (3) |
14. | Upheaval | (4) |
15. | Fatal Bonds | (4) |
16. | Rain of Chaos | (3) |
17+ | Attributes | (2-10) |
Here, we take stats first up to improve hp and mp and max Shadow Word first, to try and avoid any preventable deaths from either you or your lane partner. Taking the first level of Upheaval provides a useful minimum of flexibility to allow you to cope with multiple situations. Of course we take Rain of Chaos whenever we can. Taking Fatal bonds to max before Upheaval means that your team doesn't need to directly apply as much damage to take down the other team. Finally, we max Upheaval just before level 16 and the final level of Rain of Chaos, preparing you for the spectacular fireworks show that is the DotA lategame.
~~Back to top~~
b. Ganker/Disable build
| Hero Level | Ability | Ability Level |
1. | Upheaval | (1) |
2. | Shadow Word | (1) |
3. | Attributes | (1) |
4. | Upheaval/Shadow Word | (2) |
5. | Upheaval/Shadow Word | (3) |
6. | Rain of Chaos | (1) |
7. | Shadow Word/Upheaval | (2) |
8. | Shadow Word | (3) |
9. | Fatal Bonds | (1) |
10. | Fatal Bonds | (2) |
11. | Rain of Chaos | (2) |
12. | Shadow Word | (4) |
13. | Fatal Bonds | (3) |
14. | Upheaval | (4) |
15. | Fatal Bonds | (4) |
16. | Rain of Chaos | (3) |
17+ | Attributes | (2-10) |
With this skill build, we take Upheaval at level 1, and the first level of attributes and Shadow Word at 2 & 3, before getting level 3 of Upheaval, to prepare for early ganks, since level 3 Upheaval is still very powerful (21% slow per second), which allows the taking of max level Fatal Bonds and Shadow Word over the final level of Upheaval. And, of course, we take Rain of Chaos whenever possible. This skill build allows you to be ready for ganking from level 4 onwards (14% slow per second from Upheaval is not something that can be ignored, especially at early levels).
Game Breakdown
a. Early Game
Because in the early levels Warlock is almost exclusively a baby-sitter (unless you try your hand at soloing), it's best if you share a lane with either your team's carry or tank, which ever one isn't soloing (most good 5-player teams should only have 1 solo lane). Because of the nature of the roles that are played by the tank and carry, they should be given almost exclusive rights to last hitting, while you focus on denying. That said, if there is a last hit you know your lane partner cannot get, then take it by all means. Continue like this until about level 6-7, when the ganking phase of the game normally begins. Depending on your chosen skill-build, you will either be able to dramatically magnify damage from your allies or dramatically reduce enemy movement speed during ganks. Try to make the components for your Mekansm or a Hood en-route to a Pipe. At the same time build either a Wand and Basilius or Urn and Basilius to support your team in fights.
b. Mid Game
During the mid game (levels 7-16) you should try to be a part of every team fight you can. Try to organise ganks around the cooldown of your ultimate, because you are so much more effective if you can use your ultimate. If a team fight breaks out and you don't have your ultimate, Upheaval is an adequate substitute, provided you can stay away from the focus firing. Shadow Word any fleeing enemy heroes. By the time the mid game is in full swing, you should be close to finishing your Pipe or Mekansm if you haven't already. When ganking, it is preferable for you to initiate, so that if your team has a dedicated initiator, they can save their initiation skill for later in the team fight. Try to use Fatal Bonds on the enemy heroes before you use your ultimate and Upheaval, so as to give your team the best chance of coming out on top.
c. Late Game
During the late game, the effectiveness of the damage from your Infernals is somewhat diminished, because their damage stats are not %-based. However that is not to say launching an Infernal into a team fight and channeling Upheaval isn't effective. Using Fatal Bonds on the enemy heroes helps to negate the reduced effectiveness of your Infernals. On the offensive, use Rain of Chaos as often as you can to try and help your team win, preferably in combination with Upheaval if the situation permits. On the defensive, use your ultimate more conservatively. Try to get as many creeps killed with Fatal Bond's shared damage as you can because that can save you mana and time because you can save your ultimate for more dire situations. When counter-pushing, don't hesitate to use your infernal to push the lane as fast as you can. With Flaming Fists and Permanent Immolation, you can clear creeps waves quite rapidly.
Be warned: Warlock is of no use to his team if he is in another lane farming creeps. Warlock is one of the few heroes who can maintain a high level of effectiveness in team fights when under-leveled (3 levels of Upheaval and 2 levels of Rain of Chaos can suffice for much of the game). Do not end up as just another pubber and farm the whole game, oblivious to the occurrences of the rest of the game (bit of a generalisation, but you get what I mean).
Allies and Enemies
a. AoE Nukers
The area of effect damage these heroes can produce synergises well with Fatal Bonds, sending the damage amplification through the roof. The massive slow from Upheaval also ensures maximum effect from AoE nukes/slam-like abilities.
b. Positioning Specialists
All these heroes are very capable of forcing enemy heroes into the place you want them: smackbang in the middle of your Upheaval where they have little chance of escaping until the effects wear off. Other heroes that could be included here are Magnataur, Storm and Enigma.
c. Special Mentions
Omniknight is a very good ally for Warlock. If enemies get too close while you are channeling Upheaval, Omni can cast Purification on you to deal fairly heavy damage to discourage getting closer. He can cast Repel on you, to prevent you from being interrupted while channeling. And if need be, Guardian Angel makes you almost invulnerable to physical damage which, combined with Repel, makes you nearly untouchable. So all in all a very useful ally.
While Leshrac fits in with the first category, the fact that ALL 4 of his abilities deal AoE damage means he gets a special mention. The stun from Rain of Chaos and the massive slow from Upheaval make it very easy for him to land Split Earth with ease, a spell which is notoriously difficult to land well. On a good day, there should be little left after you put Fatal Bonds and Leshrac together, especially with your ultimate + slow.
When you put Tombstone, Flesh Golem and Upheaval together, you get the mother of all slows. Put Fatal Bonds and 2 Infernals into the mix, and you will make most tanks cry.
~~Back to top~~
d. Heroes to Watch Out For
i. Stunners/disablers
The above heroes are by no means the only stunners, you need to be aware of which, if any, of your enemies can throw stuns, even if it's just a mini-stun. If the enemy team has any kind of co-ordination about it, interrupting heroes will try to cancel Upheaval. If the enemy team has a few stunners, a Linken's Sphere or Black King Bar could be an option, albeit rather expensive options. If possible, by far the best counter to these heroes is to have Omniknight on your team to provide you with a free BKB in the form of Repel.
ii. Mana Burners
Heroes who either burn mana directly or have Diffusal Blade as core must be either avoided or eliminated because without mana, Warlock is about as useful as a Cranium Basher on Rhasta. All of Warlock's strength in combat comes from his spells and so without them he is of no value to his team. Also, for those heroes who buy Diffusal, be wary of the Purge it can cast as it instabigs your Infernal. Very very frustrating. Liquidate these heroes as a first priority if you want to be of any use in team fights.
iii. Silencing Heroes
These heroes can render you just as useless as the mana burning heroes can, albeit in a not-so-painful way. With the silences ranging from 3 to 10 seconds, you should be very wary of these heroes.
iv. Special Mention
This hero could fit into the above category but due to the nature of his silencing, he deserves a special mention. This hero completely messes up your 1-2-3-4-5 combo of Fatal Bonds, Rain of Chaos, refresh, Rain of Chaos, Upheaval. By silencing you for 3 seconds after every spell means you have to prioritise your combo. Casting Rain of Chaos out of range of Last Word, refreshing and casting again before moving in to Upheaval is your best option, but it means you can't use Fatal Bonds in the combo without losing valuable disabling time. A real pest.
Extra Tips/Suggestions
a. Microing Your Summons
After you have completed your chain combo, be it with or without refreshing, once you have started channeling Upheaval, it can be a good idea to select your Infernal and order it about to attack certain heroes. This is a good idea because unless your give commands to the Infernal, it will act of it's own accord and may not be of as much use, especially if a hero gets away with 10hp who could have been killed had you used your Infernal. Please remember though, microing isn't for everyone, so if you don't think you can properly micro your summoned units, don't panic. This guide can help you with Necronomicon. If anyone can find a guide about microing, please let me know so I can include it here.
b. Be creative
If the situation permits, try using your skills in slightly different ways from usual. i.e. usage Upheaval as an escape mechanism for either yourself or your allies. If you get enough channeling done, the time between when you stop channeling and when the effects wear off could be sufficient to put enough distance between your ally (or yourself) and the attacking hero. Another clever trick is to try and Fatal Bond a fleeing hero to as many creeps as you can, then attack the creeps hard and fast. Because of the shared damage, you can kill that fleeing hero by killing the creeps it shares Fatal Bonds with. You can look very pro if you manage this
c. Pushing/Defending
Your ultimate can be useful for things other than ganking. If you rush a Refresher Orb fast enough, you could solo an entire lane with two Infernals. And at levels 9-12, not many heroes are going to try and take you on in that situation. When in defence, if the enemy team is mostly melee, channeling Upheaval over one of your towers can be a huge disincentive for the enemy to try and attack it because of the incredibly debilitating slow.
No comments:
Post a Comment