Content:
- Introduction
- About Nevermore
- Item Builds
- Skill Build
- Ingame Strategy
- Last Words
Introduction:
This is officially my first post on playdota.com despite the fact that I had this account since the site's creation AND it being my firefox home page. Since the "Issues" and the split that led to the creation of this site, I haven't been forum active at all. This is my guide originally posted on DotA-Allstars.com which hasn't been updated for a while. I thought I'd make a come-back here and update what I can. This is taking me some time due to the bbcode difference, I couldn't just copy it over
. On with the guide..
. On with the guide..About Nevermore:
A demon of the burning legion so abhorred that he makes the skin of even his fellow demons crawl, Nevermore is a creature of the shadows that consumes the souls of those around him. When the Shadow Fiend comes forth to battle, he augments his power with the souls he has consumed, bearing down on his enemies with spiritually enhanced attacks and powerful spiritual blasts. The Shadow Fiend is a terrifying opponent whom few have survived, and those who have perished under his tyranny have faced the most despicable fate of all.
- Starting HP : 435
- Starting MP : 234
- Stats :
- Str : 15+2 per level
- Agi : 20 +2.4 per level
- Int : 18 +2 per level
- Damage Point___: 0.50
- Projectile Speed_: 1200
As you can see, Nevermore is also one of the easiest heroes to be killed in DotA because of his microscopic starting HP. He also has (IMO) the best attack animation for a ranged hero which makes it very easy to farm, and a very fast moving burst of smoke. About the stat gains, I'd say they are well balanced; not bad Str gain for an agi hero and not a huge Agi gain either. Nevermore doesn't have something as strong as bash/rampage. He makes up for it with his insane DPS and -Armor aura. So he needs to have good stat gains.
Item Builds:
I tried not to give a strict item build to stick to. So I'm just giving you the Items I see possible to get on Nevermore in different situations. Any Item not mentioned here isn't approved/tested by me. I'm providing you with explanations and reasons to/not to buy these items and leaving it up to your judgement
Core:
Courier can be neglected if another teammate shares one with you. Nevermore is all about lane control early game, and you should be focusing on soul harvesting instead of running back every once in a while to shop or heal.
You get circlets to give you a couple extra stats for last-hitting and increasing your low HP/MP for lane survival.
If you are being frequently harassed, feel free to have the courier carry over a set of tangoes for you to heal up a bit.
You need to get bottle ASAP, the moment you have 600 gold, buy the bottle with courier and have the courier bring it over.
Remember to adapt. If you are facing a lane/team with nukers that you think can scrap you easily earlier on, get a few bracers (2-3 will do). Things not looking so dim? Feel like you're getting the upper hand? Use Wraiths to further more extend your dominance, and help for better last hitting along with Necromastery.
3400G
- Lothar's Edge :
Lothar's Edge is a 3400G quick way out, and a way to correctly position Requiem. Very costly for a first item, and also a big damage boost. You should still be farming for lothars before ganking midgame. It's preferrable to grab a kill or two before Lothars, but don't gank too much before you can afford it.
2150G
Dagger finally makes a comeback in the 6.5x Version of DotA. "Allows the bearer to blink up to 1200 distance away. Cannot be used if you have taken damage from a player-controlled unit in the last 3 seconds." Much better eh?
3900G
You need.. Strength, Damage, and Magic immunity. Guess what? BKB gives you just that!
Can skip this as a starting item and maybe get it as luxury. You need it most of the time, but depends on the situation.. adapt.
Items afterwards:
1 - Orb Items:
(You should only get one of these since they don't stack.) ORLY??
4400G
Hard item to build as it consists of two 1.6k items and not a very cheap scroll, making it kinda difficult to build early. Yet very useful for you as it gives a total of -10 Armor reduction with your aura, also quite a damage boost. Buy this if you think you can pass up some survivability.
6150G
In this case, you have to build HotD right after your core. However Reaver is not bought until you build a damage item, then you build satanic. It is great for survivability (+5 armor and +25 str) and great lifesteal to go with you extremely high DPS.
3300G
Not so much, but still an option. Maybe if your team lacks disables? I myself need more input on Diffusal for Nevermore.
4500G
Mainly considered on Nevermore for the extra strength. Not bad ms/agi/dmg buffs either. I'm not a big fan of maim personally, cause Nevermore is more burst damage than chase oriented, but it's an option.
Pick one of these and move on to your damage item.
2 - Damage Items:
5800G
An incredible item. Crystalys comes with an easy 2200G, making it one of the easiest items to build in my opinion. Farming for Demon Edge isn't that hard either. Provides +75 damage and a 2.2x Critical strike in 1 out of each 5 attacks you make, combined with your aura and maybe desolator, can deal rediculous blow damage.
5400G
MkB is 400G cheaper than Buriza. Both of them are matched in effectiveness on Nevermore. MkB provides the same +75 damage, 15% Attack speed, which buriza doesn't give, and a 30% chance to stop channeling spells by mini-stunning. Definately get this if you are facing one or two butterfly carriers or any kind of disable that'll make you miss (Troll/Panda/KotL) for true strike.
6000G
Getting this doesnt provide as much damage increase as the other damage items, it grants +30 agi and +30 damage, which adds up to 60 damage as Nevermore is an agility based hero.. The agi gain also increases your armor, and +30% evasion proves that the butterfly, as expensive it is, is built to improve your tanking abilities by not giving you pure hp, only damage and evasion. Works well with satanic to make you really hard to bring down.
3 - Situational/Luxury Items:
4850G
I don't buy this often, but it is especially good when facing another carry (void, troll). Usually the ones that CAN beat you 1vs1. Manta solves this giving you a fair increase in your damage output, and buying you a couple of seconds into the fight. The MS boost is also nice ^^.
5500G
In most cases, if the game isn't ended fast, this item is a must for Nevermore. He has very low Str gain and hp. So HoT makes it a load easier to use Nevermore than it was. Grants +40 str +300 pure hp. Happy surviving.
2200G
Lane jumping is a must if the game goes on, BoT provides just that. I won't explain the uses of BoT in my guide..
6150G
The 3rd most expensive item in DotA (After Dagon5 & DR). Makes you a more formidable foe than you already are. Adds 25 to each stat, grants 200hp and 150mp, not to mention the infamous Frost attack.
5175G
Considered a mini-Eye of Skadi. Adds 15 to all stats, and gives a little regen.. Get this if you are facing a few annoying targeted spells.(Hex, Magic Missile, Shackles, etc.)
5550G
The super item. Gives you massive armor and attackspeed boosts, and gives a little of it to your surrounding allies. Also if combined with Desolator and your PotDL aura, adds up to -15 armor to your target. (the equivalent of lvl 3 Amplify Damage)
2150G
Rush hood right before/after Lothars if you are facing a team with a big arsenal of nukes. Gives good lanestaying ability due to getting the rings early.
950G
In competetive gaming, Strength treads are bought for the early hp boost. I don't do this often though. A good SF player must know his role and be able to avoid being focus fired.
Vs. There's no telling which is better. I shall just provide a list of facts.
Lothar's Edge :
Pros:Kelen's Dagger :Cons:
- Does not have a wait time, meaning you can use it at any time.
- Additional Damage bonus.
- Easier to position with.
- Overall better means of escape/positioning (In the absence of truesight).
- Fairly expensive (3610G).
- Counterable by truesight.
- Still makes you killable by blind hooks/AoE spells by lucky/brainwielding enemies.
Pros:Cons:
- Much cheaper (2150G).
- No natural counter like truesight.
- More versatile and fun to use.
- No damage bonus.
- Trickier to position with, and leaves no room for hesitation.
- The need to wait 3 seconds after taking player-inflicted damage before it can be used.
- Overall harder to use.
It's really up to you to choose, I've provided you a list with the items Nevermore can use.
Try them out, see what fits, make your own flexible build.
Remember to adapt to situations.
Try them out, see what fits, make your own flexible build.
Remember to adapt to situations.
Skill Build:
With the not so recent shadowraze buff, it turned from an underrated, usually skipped spell into your main nuke early and mid game. In my guide, I will give shadowraze the attention it should have without forgetting your necromastery, which is key to your lane control earlygame.
Level 01 - Necromastery
Level 02 - Shadowraze
Level 03 - Shadowraze
Level 04 - Necromastery
Level 05 - Shadowraze
Level 06 - Necromastery
Level 07 - Shadowraze
Level 08 - Necromastery
Level 09 - Stats
Level 10 - Requiem of Souls
Level 11 - Requiem of Souls
Level 12 - Presence of the Dark Lord
Level 13 - Presence of the Dark Lord
Level 14 - Presence of the Dark Lord
Level 15 - Presence of the Dark Lord
Level 16 - Requiem of Souls
Level 17 - Stats
Level 18 - Stats
Level 19 - Stats
Level 20 - Stats
Level 21 - Stats
Level 22 - Stats
Level 23 - Stats
Level 24 - Stats
Level 25 - Stats
This is a build that gives you what makes people call Nevermore a carry with Excellent lane control. It makes you an unstoppable laner against most lanes you will face (remember to Adapt). At lvl 5 you start madly spamming shadowraze and abusing your bottle, while making sure you score some creep kills in the process. PotDL is learned after lvl 16 for being enbeefed by stats, and to avoid enemies sensing your presence while ganking.
Items that work well for this build :
Adapting :
This is too important just to add it in misc strategy. What I mean by adapting is.. You don't just pick Nevermore and say : "This game, I'll try Desolator, then ill get Cuirass, then umm.. Buriza." That's just stupid. Every game, you must decide which items to build depending on the matchup you are facing, the strategy of the opposing team (If it is known), and finally your teammates. Also don't hesitate to change your item plans depending on the gameflow itself. Experience will also teach you that you don't have to follow the skill build I offer exactly. I can't give experience, maybe you will learn to Adapt after winning a game then severely getting owned in the next one with the exact same build. Hopefully just by reading this section.
InGame Strategy:
Early Game (1 - 9) :
- Some heros might have a shorter earlygame (that endts at lvl 5-6), but in order to be effective, Nevermore should preferrably get more gold and level up requiem (which we get at level 10-11) before starting to gank or assist in team fights. So.. the game started, you picked/randomed Nevermore.. Start by buying 2 circlets, then chicken if no teammate provided one. There is also something else which I use in pubs: Just buy a chicken and go to the lane empty handed, couple of last-hits and you can afford bottle.
Nevermore is definately a solo mid hero which allows you to use the terrain to your advantage, and gather as much souls and gold as possible. A perfect earlygame requires perfect last hitting, denying and lane domination with shadowraze and your insane Necromastery damage. Practice makes perfect, You need to lvl up necromastery as a second priority after Shadowraze to maximize on your damage. I will try to post a replay of one of my better earlygames.
- During earlygame, as soon as you can afford your bottle, let your chicken bring it over. If you have died once and find yourself respawning with 300-500G, make the circlets into a bracer or wraith. Bottle can be also used to capture runes. So this function must be used to its fullest. Stopping by the runes when they spawn is a huge boost to your earlygame preformance, and allows you to spam more as it fills up the bottle. So don't forget that. If everything goes well, and you do NOT die, keep the circlets as they are and rush your first item right after boots. (Ill-advised outside pubs) Usually you'll be getting your dagger/lothars after your first or second gank (provided they are succesful). By getting your initiation item, you have announced the end of your earlygame.
- This is the part of the game when you get your most kills. Always try to have the full 60 bonus damage from Necromastery. Make every Requiem count, don't overestimate yourself though, this happens alot. You are not that much of a tank, ever. By the end of mid game you should have completed your BKB, and possibly have parts of your orb/damage/situational item.
- Don't get too caught up in ganks and team fights and forget to farm. At this point, 2x shadowraze can kill creeps instantly. Gank as much as possible without passing up too much farming. Raze makes nevermore among the best farmers in DotA due to its overlapping blast range. Happy farming.
(Shadowraze's range)
Late Game (16 - 25) :
- After finishing up your damage items, you should focus on being unstoppable at this point. Ask yourself what is in your way and find the means to counter it. Manta > permabashers, BKB > Disablers, HoT/HoD > Nukers, BoT > Pushers. It is preferrable to wrap up games fast with Nevermore before losing effectiveness of your nukes.
- Push lanes with shadowraze and BoT if you have it, or have a team push to finish it if possible. Don't forget to stop by neutrals/Roshan if you aren't in a hurry. Later into the game, even requiem loses its effectiveness in terms of damage, but it still means 25%slow and debuffs for a whole team. Nothing more to say about lategame except... Don't die. PLEASE don't die. It hurts Nevermore more than anyone. Sometimes you won't have the time to regain your souls incase you have to defend fast for example. Your role late game is to farm alot, and aid your team whenever necessary. Requiem is now a huge debuff for the enemy team, so you have to use it everytime you need to. Killing Roshan everytime he spawns is another thing. Also useful, but Never abandon your team for farming. It will also cause your defeat.
(Look at titles, skip if familiar.)
- Early lane control :
Lane control with Nevermore is about getting your way. Being able to farm freely, deny frequently and keeping your enemy terrified by razing his ass off whenever you can. The correct way of establishing domination over your enemy is to harass and avoid being harassed. Harassing with Nevermore is easy, it varies between manually attacking and razing the opposing hero if they are melee or lanaya
- Mini Lothar's guide :
In this section I will demonstrate how to really have fun with Lothars. Erm.. Lothar's Edge is an item that gives a fair amount of extra damage which proves very useful the moment you build it. Also allows you to Wind Walk for 9 seconds with 20% Increased ms, which has a cooldown of 18 seconds. Lothars is the #1 positioning and escape mechanism. It is easily countered in more serious games with wards, which will be a problem. Here are some uses of Lothar's:
- Positioning :
This is what makes Lothar's Edge a main item for Nevermore, not just for escaping purpouses. It is to position yourself to unleash the full poetential of your Requiem. I'll explain this in detail in my Mini-Requiem Guide.
- Chasing :
A very common use of Lothars. Takes advantage of the ms boost, or going past the other teammates who are here to save the one you want to kill. Just try to use the 9 second invis to its fullest, meaning don't come out of invis as soon as you see the target, keep running some more so you are closer to him when you re-appear again.
- Escaping :
Don't laugh. Im not just going to say: "Click Lothars and run away"
- Fake escapes and turn-arounds :
Not much to say about this, It's about using Lothar's to feint an escape and quickly position yourself further away from/closer to an enemy you're already engaged with. For example you're exchanging hits with a melee hero, which isn't a good idea most of the time, and you've already cast Z-Raze. You can just enter windwalk for a few seconds and wait for him to move/ relocate yourself further away to land a X/C-Raze. I know this is hard to explain. I'll point it out if it's in one of my replays.
- Avoiding Death :
This is not a section about miraculously escaping tough situations. It's a section about Not getting into these situations in the first place. In most of your early/mid game, you are very likely to be ganked. At that point, since you can only take on other agi heroes that come alone (provided the situation was a fair 1v1), you will end up dying most of the time. So I'm forced to write this as Nevermore is a fiend that can't afford to die (most of the time).Summary :
- Without wards, you have to always be on your guard. It's better if your team calls missing heroes, but always keep an eye on the minimap, check it once every creepwave when you aren't busy lasthitting. Remember you are one of the most easily ganked heroes out there (Before Lothar's ofc). If you made it safely through earlygame, then comes midgame. Everyone is pushing, ganking frequently.. try to find a quiet lane to farm in, don't push too far though. Take extreme caution when drawing near an enemy tower. If you see there are a few heroes out of sight on the minimap, they are probably coming for you, so just back off, don't be greedy and go for the tower bounty.
- Don't also push too far into their territory alone, if you sense you've pushed too far now, jungle a few. You'll see someone come to end your push/ gank you in a minute, and you'll be glad you retreated to the jungle. When they head off to do whatever, you can return to the lane and farm some more. It's necessary not to feed if you have any sort of effectiveness later.
- Hope this simple, yet very useful strategy has helped some people have more fun with Nevermore by having good starts, thus good items/games. Better safe than sorry.
- Your greed will be your downfall.
- Turn back if you feel you've pushed too far.
Using Shadowraze
A butcher guide must have a hook guide.. So my guide shall have a Shadowraze/Requiem guide. Shadowraze is one of the sexiest nukes in DotA: It's AoE, Low mana cost, Low CD & it's usable 3 times. Which means you have 900 damage nuking power at your disposal. This helps greatly with your lane control, and mid/late game farming.
Let's look at the uses of Shadowraze:
- Lane Domination :
 | This image has been resized. Click this bar to view the full image. The original image is sized 630x430. |
Use the wide AOE to harass starting from level 3, don't forget your bottle/runes.
| This image has been resized. Click this bar to view the full image. The original image is sized 630x430. |
You can X-Raze ranged heroes foolish enough to exchange hits with you, then walk up to them quickly and Z-Raze.
- Farming :
| This image has been resized. Click this bar to view the full image. The original image is sized 700x700. |
It gets annoying starting from minute 45. as the creeps gain enough hp to have a sliver left after you double nuke them.
Try to hit the ranged creep with one of the 2 nukes to land a lasthit right after.
- Hero Killing :
The same goes for hero killing, I don't have a screenshot for this, but here are some tips:
- Always try Lothars > Z-Raze to save C-Raze for fleeing enemies.
- Runners will often go in a zig-zag to avoid your shadowraze. Either back off or don't hesitate too much, as someone is probably coming for their aid.
- Always make sure you are facing the right direction..
- Doesn't hurt if you kill a few creeps while damaging heroes.
Using Requiem
- First, I'll explain how requiem works. For every 2 souls Nevermore has stored, a line shaped carrion swarm is created, since you can store up to 30 souls, then the maximum lines are 15.
- Each line deals the indicated damage in the tooltip (80/120/160), which means you can poetentially deal x15 the stated damage if you stand right on top of your target (only executable with invisibility). Pretty cool huh?
- So the main thing you should think about when trying to pull off a good requiem is positioning yourself in a position where you can deal outrageous damage to most of the opposing team, trying to deal the most damage to the most important/fragile member of their team.
| This image has been resized. Click this bar to view the full image. The original image is sized 900x600. |
- Tips :
- Try to combine your requiem with a big AOE nuker/disabler.
- Watch for truesight, it can totally ruin you. Check the inventories of your enemies for necro/gems.
- make good use of the slow.
- Try to pull it off when they are grouped, like attacking one of your structures.
Replay :
Here's a replay of a garena pub. Me and my friends were on skype (except pink who was a random pubber), so.. It's an ok game. About the only replay i bothered to save. My earlygame was a mess thanks to NA. I do not praise myself for this earlygame, infact it sucked, but it's the only pub ive played in a few where I actually had fun. Features the use of Ethereal blade, couple of fail Requiems. Overall a good game, hope you enjoy. (Visit the forum version if you can't see it. Find in attachment).
Last Words :
I hope you have found my Shadow Fiend guide useful, which is the only reason I wrote it. Please do leave a comment about what this guide lacks. I know it isn't perfect. Get out there and own 'em after you do. I am in progress of making a guide only for the effective use of Nevermore's spells in the strategy section. Thanks for reading.
| This image has been resized. Click this bar to view the full image. The original image is sized 617x840. |
