DotA 2 - Valve's up and coming hat simulator

[Suedars]

Apparently Invoker is bugged. His orbs don't always increase his stats, and he ends up -14 across the board at level 25.

Just had a game where nobody could get skills or items.

Valve #^$&ed up hard.

... It's beta. What else do you expect?

[Elagune]

Fanart! It's really hard to get Dota 2 characters right since I don't have access to any full-body drawings...

Two of a Kind!

[tribble]

I like it!

[Penguinizer]

Is it just me or are the options regarding voip completely and utterly broken beyond belief? Not only can I not turn it off, turning the volume to 0 in dota 2 sets the microphone volume to 0 in windows. There's also a bind on my mouse side button set to push to talk I can't unbind. There's no way for me to even disable the mic since I still want to use to mumble and any options changes I make aren't saved.

[Neftren]

Is it just me or are the options regarding voip completely and utterly broken beyond belief? Not only can I not turn it off, turning the volume to 0 in dota 2 sets the microphone volume to 0 in windows. There's also a bind on my mouse side button set to push to talk I can't unbind. There's no way for me to even disable the mic since I still want to use to mumble and any options changes I make aren't saved.

I've had a hard time getting the in-game settings manager to save any of my settings. Hence, why I went through all that trouble to manually write my own config file.

[LudiDrizzt]

... It's beta. What else do you expect?

...basic attention to detail? Bugs are one thing. The game entering phases where it's unplayable is a bit hard to swallow.

[Volatar]

Fanart! It's really hard to get Dota 2 characters right since I don't have access to any full-body drawings...

Two of a Kind!

You have introduced me to the first DotA2 character that I actually have enjoyed playing with that picture.

[tribble]

You have introduced me to the first DotA2 character that I actually have enjoyed playing with that picture.

If you like Annie's stunbear, you might also try your hand at warlock. His ult is basically tibbers, except you never have to prime the stun, dropping it on someone always stuns them (and nukes em pretty good too.)

Hey, just had a thought. Refresher orb+scepter on warlock, could you potentially have four golems?

EDIT: Wiki says yes. Cool.

[Elagune]

You have introduced me to the first DotA2 character that I actually have enjoyed playing with that picture.

I've never actually played her myself.

[Volatar]

Looks like another wave of invites went out today. We should see a bunch more players.

[Neftren]

I think I'm going to try Morphling next. Any tips?

[Tono]

I think I'm going to try Morphling next. Any tips?

Hes personally one of those heroes I know no matter how much I play him, chances are I(Personally) will not do as well as if I had chosen almost anyone else. For the most part though, its mostly because I just can't seem to use him.
When I was playing him though, I found getting Waveform+Adaptive strike over his stat change gave me a lot more presence. Item wise I always went some form of Linken's and deso(Or Skadi/Life steal). The skadi/life steal is way more expensive, but it gives you a lot more survivablity and stats to play with.

But like I said, he's on my personal 'No-list'.

[tribble]

I try to only mess around with changing my stats when I'm just getting more, a la slark.

[Cynan Machae]

Get Waveform/Morph, adaptive strike is much better later because it's reliant on your stats, and you don't really have the mana anyway to spam double nukes and morph is so helpful for survivability that you can't skip it. Get ulti as well, sometimes I get it at 9 and don't bother level it to level 2-3 early (only at like 15-16) if I don't find I need it, but one point in it is needed.

Items build is usualy Linkens into manta, and either threads or Travel as boots. Sometimes Linken isn't needed and you can go jsut for BkB if needed. Threads give you more stats and AS but Travel allow you to be constantly farming/ganking with a free Regen a-la-tinker rearm. You ult someone, Travel back to base, regen, then return to your replicate. Other items include Ethreal blade for gimicky one-shotting people (ethereal blade, adaptive strike + waveform do a hell lot of damage when you have a lot of agi morphed), Skadi, Butterfly, Heart and even sometimes Satanic. Basically pretty much any item that give a ton of stats can be helpful on morphling.

Morphling is a carry with not that good of a laning phase, but he has so many escape mecanism that he is really hard to gank. Waveform as a pseudo-blink, STR morph to gain more HP when you get ganked (you can even activate it while stunned, so do so asap when you are ganked), Replicate someone, move it and your hero in separate direcitons then teleport to your replicate, hell even adaptive strike can help when you are in str mode by virtue of being a stun as well.

Morph is probably the hardest skill to use for beginners, you need good map awareness and a good analysis of team composition to know how much agi/str you need to farm in a lane and during teamfights. If you are freefarming, put as much str into agi as you think you need to get every last hit, but don't over do it. For teamfights you'll need a bit more str, you can always morph more if needed. I usually use around 100hp x level of the highest hero on the ennemy team until level 15-16 where I find 1500 is enough. But it is very situational.

[Keld Denar]

Clinz is in! My favorite hero! I played 2 with him last night. The first I had some killer ganks, but we ended up getting outplayed in the team fights by SA using clouds, even after I got a gem for invisible reveals. The second game went much better. I got a nice early game kill on a flame arrow that seemed to path for miles before hitting the for. From there on, it was gank city all day, me and SA farming their team's support heroes like they owed us money.

My builds in both were similar. Start with Sobi, tangos, and a couple branches, try to build treads in the lane, then build first Oblivion Staff. This is clutch for regen and with that and sacrifice, basically allows you to lane indefinitely. From there, finish Orchid, then either get Linken if there is a lot of single stuns like VS, or go straight for MKB. Late game, maybe build a helm of the dominator which greatly ups survivability when you have tons of damage, but get revealed a lot. Swap treads to Str after Orchid is done also helps a ton. My skill order is FA, WW, FA, WW, FA, Sac, FA, WW, WW, stats, sac, Strafe x4, sac, stats till done.

Any comments?

[Bayar]

Have you felt like his attack animation was kinda clunky or slower than in DotA ? Because that would explain why almost nobody plays him now that a couple of days have passed since he was introduced.

[Keld Denar]

I noticed a tiny bit while orb walking Fire Arrow, its not the instant crazyness it was in DotA 1, but its by no means unplayable. I still love this hero, you just have to be a little less twitchy with the disengage.

[tribble]

Clinkz has a special response for purchasing agahnim's scepter. I can only wonder why, because his ult doesn't benefit from it and there have to be better recipies if you want the strength and intelligence.

[Suedars]

Have you felt like his attack animation was kinda clunky or slower than in DotA ? Because that would explain why almost nobody plays him now that a couple of days have passed since he was introduced.

Nobody really played him in the original either. He was pretty bad overall, since he absolutely melted to any burst damage. Plus his attack animation has always been bad.

[Meta]

Damn that was a sick comeback.

[Bayar]

Clinkz has a special response for purchasing agahnim's scepter. I can only wonder why, because his ult doesn't benefit from it and there have to be better recipies if you want the strength and intelligence.

In case they add one in the future.

[Keld Denar]

Damn that was a sick comeback.

Yea...Tidehunter can really "turn the tide" on big team fights. POW! *shank* *shank* *shank*

[tribble]

In case they add one in the future.

Now I'm trying to think of possible staff effects for Clinkz ult. Improved ratio, maybe? lower cooldowns? no mana cost? hmm.

Also, when is slark coming out already I want to see how awesome they can make him look.

[Keld Denar]

I want Bane Elemental. I love that character. Trolling a lane with early game Soul Ring + Brain Munch means sending enemy heroes back to base to heal every 40 seconds or so with no consequences, his ultimate is pretty much autowin with any other hero, sleep is rediculous in team fights with a little coordination, and Enfeeble absolutely neuters most carrys, especially burst killers like Faceless Void. So fun...

[Ziren]

Clinkz has a special response for purchasing agahnim's scepter. I can only wonder why, because his ult doesn't benefit from it and there have to be better recipies if you want the strength and intelligence.

I know there are some special responses for buying bad items for the hero (Blink Dagger on Antimage for example) but they're usually mocking the player for getting one.

[Tono]

Don't all heroes have a scepter quote? I think everyone has a scepter/dagger/Crummy wizard/****ty wizard quote.

[tribble]

I know there are some special responses for buying bad items for the hero (Blink Dagger on Antimage for example) but they're usually mocking the player for getting one.

Yeah, but clinkz is just " ah, scepter."

How do you trigger the crummy/sh*tty wizard quotes, anyway?

[Bayar]

Yeah, but clinkz is just " ah, scepter."

How do you trigger the crummy/sh*tty wizard quotes, anyway?

Those are just there for fun, probably will never be used in-game.

[tribble]

Those are just there for fun, probably will never be used in-game.

sad day, man. I wonder if valve is just trying to get a SANDVICH/GENTLEMEN/CAKE IS A LIE type of meme going just for the viral marketing.

[Grif]

I want Bane Elemental. I love that character. Trolling a lane with early game Soul Ring + Brain Munch means sending enemy heroes back to base to heal every 40 seconds or so with no consequences, his ultimate is pretty much autowin with any other hero, sleep is rediculous in team fights with a little coordination, and Enfeeble absolutely neuters most carrys, especially burst killers like Faceless Void. So fun...

This is why we gank Bane Elementals.