Dota 2 - Shadow Fiend Build Guide
BIO
It is said that Nevermore the Shadow Fiend has the soul of a poet, and in fact he has thousands of them. Over the ages he has claimed the souls of poets, priests, emperors, beggars, slaves, philosophers, criminals and (naturally) heroes; no sort of soul escapes him. What he does with them is unknown. No one has ever peered into the Abysm whence Nevermore reaches out like an eel from among astral rocks. Does he devour them one after another? Does he mount them along the halls of an eldritch temple, or pickle the souls in necromantic brine? Is he merely a puppet, pushed through the dimensional rift by a demonic puppeteer? Such is his evil, so intense his aura of darkness, that no rational mind may penetrate it. Of course, if you really want to know where the stolen souls go, there's one sure way to find out: Add your soul to his collection. Or just wait for Nevermore.
INTRODUCTION
Nevermore is a hero that deal both high physical damage and high magical damage. The weakness of this hero is the small amount of HP on early game.
And because you are a squishy hero in early game, you need to deal damage without getting any damages.
Nevermore also don't have any defensive skills, if you need one, you should buy items like shadow blade or Bkb.
It is said that Nevermore the Shadow Fiend has the soul of a poet, and in fact he has thousands of them. Over the ages he has claimed the souls of poets, priests, emperors, beggars, slaves, philosophers, criminals and (naturally) heroes; no sort of soul escapes him. What he does with them is unknown. No one has ever peered into the Abysm whence Nevermore reaches out like an eel from among astral rocks. Does he devour them one after another? Does he mount them along the halls of an eldritch temple, or pickle the souls in necromantic brine? Is he merely a puppet, pushed through the dimensional rift by a demonic puppeteer? Such is his evil, so intense his aura of darkness, that no rational mind may penetrate it. Of course, if you really want to know where the stolen souls go, there's one sure way to find out: Add your soul to his collection. Or just wait for Nevermore.
INTRODUCTION
Nevermore is a hero that deal both high physical damage and high magical damage. The weakness of this hero is the small amount of HP on early game.
And because you are a squishy hero in early game, you need to deal damage without getting any damages.
Nevermore also don't have any defensive skills, if you need one, you should buy items like shadow blade or Bkb.
| PROS | CONS |
| Can achieve a decent damage on early mid-game by last hitting / denying | Squishy on early game |
| Have a decent nuke | Don't have an escape mechanism |
| Can reduce enemy's armor in AoE | Very low damage on level 1. Hard to get the several first last hits. |
| Have a very strong ultimate |
ROLE
Ranged - Carry - Nuker
STATS
| LEVEL | 1 | 15 | 25 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HIT POINTS | 435 | 967 | 1,727 | SIGHT RANGE | 1800 / 800 |
| MANA | 234 | 598 | 1,118 | ATTACK RANGE | 500 |
| DAMAGE | 35-41 | 76-82 | 125-131 | MISSILE SPEED | 1200 |
| ARMOR | 2 | 7 | 14 |
ABILITIES
1. Shadowraze
Shadow Fiend razes the area in front of him, dealing damage to enemy units in an area.
Nevermore's trademark for harvesting souls.
This is your main skill for nuking everything in your way. You increase 1 skill but you get 3 skill, same skill with various range actually (200, 450, and 700 range). With this skill you can farms, kill someone or doing anything cool. This skill will hits enemy's straight in front of you, not besides you. You must estimate where this skill will be landed and then click the skill.
200 Range: Will hit someone who attacks you in melee range
450 Range: The same as your attack range
700 Range: Will hit someone who has high attack range like Drow Ranger, Clinkz etc.
It will be cool if you can hits enemy in the fog, before do this you must predict your opponents movement and place yourself in the right range, and the use skill in your predicted area.
Example:
Shadow Fiend razed a creep and Dragon Knight at a time
2. Necromastery
Shadow Fiend steals the soul from units he kills, gaining bonus damage. If the killed unit is a hero, he gains 6 souls. On death, he releases half of them from bondage.
Harvested souls swirl in and out of the Abysm, empowering the Shadow Fiend to increase the size of his collection.
This skill will boost your damage into very high with just killing creeps/heroes. The maximum additional damage is 72, this is considering high {Relic(3800 gold) only gives +60 Damage}. This skill helps you to lasthits with its additional damage. This skill also helps you harass the enemy. This skill helps you in your attack, you become more painful to the enemies.
Everytime you lasthit something, you will gain souls, 1 soul equals 2 damage, maximum is 36 souls or 72 damage. You can see the soul counter in the small icon above the health bar. If you death, half of the soul is released and doing some damage to the enemies, just like your ultimate.
3. Presence of the Dark Lord
Shadow Fiend's presence reduces the armor of nearby enemies.
Even being near Nevermore eats away at one's soul.
This skill will reduce all enemy's (heroes and creeps) armor in your screen. With the minus armor of the enemies, All of your teams attack and skills damage is amplified. This is good for the team, armor becomes more important in late game and reducing the opponents armor means dealing more damage for the enemies
4. Requiem of Souls
Captured souls are released to deal massive damage, as well as slowing and reducing the attack damage of nearby enemy units. Requiem of Souls creates one wave of damage for every 2 souls stored by Necromastery. The closest enemy units are hit the hardest. Requiem has a 1 second cast time before it is activated. Also, the half the souls you lose on death are released in as if the spell was cast.
y units in an area.
This skill will damaging all opponent in area around you. The damage calculation is based on the soul stored. The nearer the opponent, the more damage he will receive. The bigger the opponent, the more damage he will receive. So this skill will deal maximum damage if:
1. Your soul is maxed at 36
2. Your enemy is attached with you
3. Your enemy size is big
You need dagger to jump in the middle of the enemy's crowds, and then use this skill to nuke them all. The alternative of dagger is to use Shadow Blade to sneak into the middle of the enemy.
Don't use this skill if your range is far away from the enemys because it won't deal damage.
Example:
SKILLBUILD
Level 1: Necromastery
Level 2: Shadowraze
Level 3: Shadowraze
Level 4: Necromastery
Level 5: Shadowraze
Level 6: Necromastery
Level 7: Shadowraze
Level 8: Necromastery
Level 9 : Requiem of Souls
Level 10:Presence of the Dark Lord
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: Stats
Level 16: Requiem of Souls
Level 17-25: Stats
Why Necromastery first? To helps you lasthit creeps. And get the damages for harassing enemy.
Why Shadowraze maxed in early game? Because it will hit its maximum potential in early game
Presence of the dark lord in mid game will be useful in any teamfight with you in it because the enemy will have their armor reduced and your team will gain more damages
STRATEGY
Early Game
You must try at your best to lasthit every creeps in lane. You will get damages by lasthits the creeps, and also don;t forget to denying. Denying is not your priority but try to denying the more damage from Necromastery.
In the beginning your damage is kinda low (35-41), but if you success in last hitting and denying, your damage will keep increasing until maximum +72. The main words of this stage of the game is "last hitting", no matter how hard it is.
Your team needs ward here. This will gives your team the vision of the fog of war. Very good to anticipate enemy's gank. You may ask your Supprt partner to provide it,
Mid Game
Mid game is the stage where there will be many ganks happening. You need to participate into it. You have the damage, you have the nuke, you have the -armor aura. I recommend you to buy Blink Dagger to makes you can surprise gank your enemy.
Step by step on how to gank:
1. Use blink dagger (Shadow blade or Invisibility rune is optional). Jump until you are stick with your enemies.
2. Use your ultimate Requiem
3. Use Shadowraze, the 200 range first, and then use your right click damage, if they try to escape, use your 450 and 700 Raze to kill them.
Late Game
In this stage of the game, your presence become much more important. You have the damage, and you also have the -armor aura. You are the main damage dealer here, you have highest right click damage. Usually, Nevermore players buy BKB for defense,
1. use BKB and the jump into the middle of the enemies.
2. And then use all you have: Ultimate, Right click, Shadowraze, Manta Style, or anything.
In this late game, you skill Presence of the Dark Lord will become much more useful because in late game armor become much more important than on Early-Mid game.
And if your team won the teamfight, you have two options:
1. You can get the Aegis for your team's main hero or
2. Your team can push enemy base and destrouy their buildings. Choose wisely!
ITEM BUILD
1. Starting
2. Bottle
Cost: 600
3. Magoc Wand
Cost:500
4. Power Threads
Total cost: 1400
Recipe: Gloves of Haste, Boots of Speed, Belt og Giant Strength/ Robe of Magi/ Band of Elvenskin
Why Power Threads? It will gives you attack speed, thats what you need, attack speed and damages. Power threads is also a flexible shoes, you can change it to STR, AGI, or INT for what you need.
5. Blink Dagger
Cost: 2150
Why Blink Dagger?
1. Perfect for initiating a teamfight
2. To kill a player who are alone and stupid.
Alternative
5. Shadow Blade
Total cost: 3000
Recipe: Shadow Amulet + Claymore
Why Shadow Blade? You don't have an escaping skills, so this item provide one. This item will give you invisibility when activated. Very Good to keep you alive in certain situation like when you are ganked, or when you on low hp after a teamfight. Also good for initiating a teamfight.
6. Black King Bar
Total cost:: 3900
Recipe: Ogre Axe, Mithril Hammer, Recipe
Why Black King Bar? It gives you survivability in a teamfight because you will get magic immunity during teamfight.
7. Manta Style
Total cost: 5050
Recipe: Yasha, Ultimate Orb, Recipe
Why Manta Style? Creates 2 illusion of yourself to attack the enemy. Because your damage is high, this item will reach its maximum potential beecause your illusion will also deal some high damage. This items also provide a defense mechanism for you because your opponent will be confused and don't know whose to attack, they should guess where is the real you.
8. Butterfly
Total cost: 6000
Recipe: Talisman of Evasion, Eaglesong, Quarterstaff
Why Butterfly?
It gives you more damage and more attack speed that makes you become much more powerful. It also gives evasion to helps you survive in teamfight.
9. Daedlus
Total cost: 5750
Recipe: Crystalis + Demon Edge + Recipe
Why Daedlus?
With this, you become a true moster. This is because you have a very high damage and this item will multiply your damage so everyone can't match you anymore.
You also can buy MKB, its up to you, both MKB and Daedlus is good.
| MANA COST: 75 / 75 / 75 / 75 | COOLDOWN: 10.0 |
| ABILITY: NO TARGET | DAMAGE: MAGICAL |
| DAMAGE: 75 / 150 / 225 / 300 | AOE: 250 |
| RANGE: 200/ 450/ 700 |
This is your main skill for nuking everything in your way. You increase 1 skill but you get 3 skill, same skill with various range actually (200, 450, and 700 range). With this skill you can farms, kill someone or doing anything cool. This skill will hits enemy's straight in front of you, not besides you. You must estimate where this skill will be landed and then click the skill.
200 Range: Will hit someone who attacks you in melee range
450 Range: The same as your attack range
700 Range: Will hit someone who has high attack range like Drow Ranger, Clinkz etc.
It will be cool if you can hits enemy in the fog, before do this you must predict your opponents movement and place yourself in the right range, and the use skill in your predicted area.
Example:
Shadow Fiend razed a creep and Dragon Knight at a time
2. Necromastery
| ABILITY: PASSIVE | DAMAGE PER SOUL: 2 |
| MAX SOULS: 12 / 20 / 28 / 36 |
This skill will boost your damage into very high with just killing creeps/heroes. The maximum additional damage is 72, this is considering high {Relic(3800 gold) only gives +60 Damage}. This skill helps you to lasthits with its additional damage. This skill also helps you harass the enemy. This skill helps you in your attack, you become more painful to the enemies.
Everytime you lasthit something, you will gain souls, 1 soul equals 2 damage, maximum is 36 souls or 72 damage. You can see the soul counter in the small icon above the health bar. If you death, half of the soul is released and doing some damage to the enemies, just like your ultimate.
3. Presence of the Dark Lord
| ABILITY: PASSIVE, AURA | AFFECTS: ENEMIES |
| REDUCTION: 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 | RADIUS: 900 |
This skill will reduce all enemy's (heroes and creeps) armor in your screen. With the minus armor of the enemies, All of your teams attack and skills damage is amplified. This is good for the team, armor becomes more important in late game and reducing the opponents armor means dealing more damage for the enemies
4. Requiem of Souls
y units in an area.
| MANA COST: 150 / 175 / 200 | COOLDOWN: 120.0 / 110.0 / 100.0 |
| ABILITY: NO TARGET | DAMAGE: MAGICAL |
| DAMAGE: 80 / 120 / 160 | SLOW: 15% / 20% / 25% |
| DAMAGE REDUCTION: 15% / 20% / 25% |
1. Your soul is maxed at 36
2. Your enemy is attached with you
3. Your enemy size is big
You need dagger to jump in the middle of the enemy's crowds, and then use this skill to nuke them all. The alternative of dagger is to use Shadow Blade to sneak into the middle of the enemy.
Don't use this skill if your range is far away from the enemys because it won't deal damage.
Example:
SKILLBUILD
Level 2: Shadowraze
Level 3: Shadowraze
Level 4: Necromastery
Level 5: Shadowraze
Level 6: Necromastery
Level 7: Shadowraze
Level 8: Necromastery
Level 9 : Requiem of Souls
Level 10:Presence of the Dark Lord
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: Stats
Level 16: Requiem of Souls
Level 17-25: Stats
Why Necromastery first? To helps you lasthit creeps. And get the damages for harassing enemy.
Why Shadowraze maxed in early game? Because it will hit its maximum potential in early game
Presence of the dark lord in mid game will be useful in any teamfight with you in it because the enemy will have their armor reduced and your team will gain more damages
STRATEGY
Early Game
You must try at your best to lasthit every creeps in lane. You will get damages by lasthits the creeps, and also don;t forget to denying. Denying is not your priority but try to denying the more damage from Necromastery.
In the beginning your damage is kinda low (35-41), but if you success in last hitting and denying, your damage will keep increasing until maximum +72. The main words of this stage of the game is "last hitting", no matter how hard it is.
Your team needs ward here. This will gives your team the vision of the fog of war. Very good to anticipate enemy's gank. You may ask your Supprt partner to provide it,
Mid Game
Mid game is the stage where there will be many ganks happening. You need to participate into it. You have the damage, you have the nuke, you have the -armor aura. I recommend you to buy Blink Dagger to makes you can surprise gank your enemy.
Step by step on how to gank:
1. Use blink dagger (Shadow blade or Invisibility rune is optional). Jump until you are stick with your enemies.
2. Use your ultimate Requiem
3. Use Shadowraze, the 200 range first, and then use your right click damage, if they try to escape, use your 450 and 700 Raze to kill them.
Late Game
In this stage of the game, your presence become much more important. You have the damage, and you also have the -armor aura. You are the main damage dealer here, you have highest right click damage. Usually, Nevermore players buy BKB for defense,
1. use BKB and the jump into the middle of the enemies.
2. And then use all you have: Ultimate, Right click, Shadowraze, Manta Style, or anything.
In this late game, you skill Presence of the Dark Lord will become much more useful because in late game armor become much more important than on Early-Mid game.
And if your team won the teamfight, you have two options:
1. You can get the Aegis for your team's main hero or
2. Your team can push enemy base and destrouy their buildings. Choose wisely!
ITEM BUILD
1. Starting
| 3 Bramches will gives you enough additional damage and HP for level 1. The tangoes will recover your HP in the laning phase |
2. Bottle
Cost: 600
| Use: Regenerate - Restores HP and Mana over time. Effect is lost if unit is attacked. Empty Bottle refills near town fountain. You can also store runes in the bottle, to save for later use. After 2 minutes, stored Runes will be activated. HEALTH RESTORED: 135 MANA RESTORED: 70 DURATION: 3 |
Why Bottle? You need bottle to get runes for a better ganking chance. And bottle will makes your time regenerating HP and mana in fountain becomes less.
3. Magoc Wand
Cost:500
| Saves lifes when in danger |
Total cost: 1400
Recipe: Gloves of Haste, Boots of Speed, Belt og Giant Strength/ Robe of Magi/ Band of Elvenskin
| Active: Switch Attribute - Changes selected attribute between Strength, Agility and Intelligence. Flat movement speed bonuses from multiple pairs of boots do not stack. + 55 Movement Speed + 8 Selected Attribute + 30 Attack Speed |
5. Blink Dagger
Cost: 2150
Active: Blink - Teleport to a target point up to 1200 units away. If damage is taken from an enemy hero, Blink Dagger cannot be used for 3 seconds. Manacost: 75 Cooldown: 14 |
1. Perfect for initiating a teamfight
2. To kill a player who are alone and stupid.
Alternative
5. Shadow Blade
Total cost: 3000
Recipe: Shadow Amulet + Claymore
| Active: Shadow Walk - Makes you invisible until the duration ends, or until you attack or cast a spell. While Shadow Walk is active, you move 20% faster and can move through units. If attacking to break the invisibility, you gain 150 bonus damage on that attack. Lasts 12 seconds. + 30 Damage + 30 Attack Speed Manacost: 75 Cooldown: 18 |
6. Black King Bar
Total cost:: 3900
Recipe: Ogre Axe, Mithril Hammer, Recipe
| Active: Avatar - Grants magic immunity. Duration and cooldown decrease with each use. Some Ultimate abilities are able to disable through Black King Bar. + 10 Strength + 24 Damage DURATION: 10/9/8/7/6/5 Cooldown: 80 |
7. Manta Style
Total cost: 5050
Recipe: Yasha, Ultimate Orb, Recipe
| Active: Mirror Image - Creates 2 illusions of your hero that last 20 seconds. Melee illusions deal 33% damage and take 250% bonus damage. Ranged illusions deal 28% damage and take 300% bonus damage. Percentage based movement speed bonuses from multiple items do not stack. + 10 Strength + 26 Agility + 10 Intelligence + 15 Attack Speed + 10% Movement Speed Manacost:165 Cooldown:50 |
8. Butterfly
Total cost: 6000
Recipe: Talisman of Evasion, Eaglesong, Quarterstaff
| + 30 Agility + 30 Damage + 35% Evasion + 30 Attack Speed |
It gives you more damage and more attack speed that makes you become much more powerful. It also gives evasion to helps you survive in teamfight.
9. Daedlus
Total cost: 5750
Recipe: Crystalis + Demon Edge + Recipe
| APassive: Critical Strike - Grants a chance to deal critical damage on an attack. + 81 Damage CRITICAL CHANCE: 25% CRITICAL DAMAGE: 270% |
With this, you become a true moster. This is because you have a very high damage and this item will multiply your damage so everyone can't match you anymore.
You also can buy MKB, its up to you, both MKB and Daedlus is good.
Best Partner
Support
Support
1. Shadow Shaman
Shadow shaman is a very good supportive hero. he have 2 disables, 3 with wards trap (lock someone inside his wards). A perfect partner for you.
2. Crystal Maiden
He have 1 disable and 1 slower, also gives you Brilliance aura to makes you can always use Shadowraze.
3. Enigma
Have a Blackhole to setup for you to destroy all enemies.
2. Crystal Maiden
3. Enigma
