Pharaoh

[dune]

Pharaoh - Lord of the Great Waste

Table of Contents

1 - Introduction
1.1 - Stats

2 - Skills
2.1 - Skill Descriptions
2.2 - Skill Builds
2.2.1 - Solo
2.2.2 - Dual-lane
2.3 - Skill Justification and Explanation

3 - Items
3.1 - Item Build
3.1.1 - Early and Core Items
3.1.2 - Late and Luxury Items
3.1.3 - Situational Items

4 - Gameplay
4.1 - Laning
4.2 - Ganking
4.3 - Pushing


Introduction

Alright, so you've fired up your favourite game (i.e. Heroes of Newerth) and found yourself the lucky lucky owner of a brand new Pharaoh. But a problem arises, where do you start? What do you buy? How do you work this crazy thing? Fear not, for all shall be revealed below.

Pharaoh is easily one of my favourite heroes simply for his playing style. He is an incredibly versatile ganker, pusher and even can find himself as a decent semi-carry. His DotA counterpart, Clockwerk [sic] Goblin, has seen steadily increasing action in the high-level scene due to his raw power as a tank which still holds the threat level required to really put some hurt down on the enemy team. Thus, without further ado, I would like to introduce the Pharaoh.


* * * * *


http://heroes-newerth.com/wp-content/myimages/pharaoh-150x150.png

The Hellbourne unearthed this creature from the shifting sands of the Great Waste. He could originally speak but a single word, which
has become his name ? Pharaoh. It seems he must once have been a mighty king, wrapped as he is in golden finery, but now he is simply a monster, summoning forth his dead servants from the grave and conjuring fire and fear across the land.

Stats


Attack Type - Melee
Attack Damage - 53-57
Attack Range - 125


Movement Speed - 310
Armor - 2.9


Strength - 24 (Primary)
Agility - 13
Intelligence - 17


Strength per level - 2.4
Agility per level - 1.4
Intelligence per level - 1.3


Now, looking at these stats, what should be noted? Firstly, he is a strength hero with a decent strength gain (but by no means a Keeper of the Forest). This means that although he will have an easy time early with health, he will require a boost to get his health above the 2,000 mark in the transition between the mid- and late-game. Next, his intelligence is nothing fantastic and remains a rather poor progression as he levels. This is important to bear in mind particularly when in lane simply due to the fact that you will not always be able to cast any spell you want at any point. His agility is poor, though we can forgive him considering that this hero is nothing more than a corpse, but as it stands it is below-average. Nevertheless, this should not be a worry as attack speed is not something which should concern the Pharaoh.






Skills

Skill Descriptions


Hellfire - [Q]
http://heroes-newerth.com/wp-content/myimages/hellfire.png
Pharaoh conjures plumes of fire around him for a short duration, hitting random nearby enemy targets, damaging each and stunning them briefly.

Impacts random target in a 300 unit area around self every 0.75 seconds for 10 seconds. Dealing 10/30/50/70 magic damage an stunning for 0.1 seconds

Mana Cost: 75
Cooldown: 32/28/24/20 seconds

Hellfire is the skill which will keep your enemies not wanting to get near your creeps. It works similarly to Torturer's Impalement skill but will mini-stun with each hit, making it difficult for some heroes to cast their spells effectively. The damage potential of this spell is fantastic with fourteen mini-stuns launched per cast. Thus, at level four, this spell can do up to 980 magic damage (before magic reduction) if you happen to find someone on their own. Its mana cost is incredibly low and this will help with the Pharaoh's low intelligence gain. Definitely a must for this hero.

Wall of Mummies - [W]
http://heroes-newerth.com/wp-content/myimages/wall-of-mummies.png
Pharaoh summons a wall of Mummies around himself and anyone close enough to him. Enemies who come close will be pushed away, causing damage and draining some mana.

Spawns 8 mummies for 3/4/5/6 seconds. Deals 55/70/85/100 true damage, drains 55/70/85/100 mana and pushes back enemies who come near.

Mana Cost: 50/60/70/80
Cooldown: 15 seconds

This skill is a rare multi-purpose spell. Upon casting in a ring of mummies will appear around Pharaoh (and anyone who happens to be close to him). Anybody approaching from the outside of the ring will be pushed back if they make contact with a mummy. The mummies can be destroys by attacking them and will be destroyed in one hit if attacked by Pharaoh but will require three hits by anyone else. The two main purposes for casting this spell are to trap an unfortunate enemy in with you whilst your Hellfire mercilessly tears into them and also as an escape mechanism - if you are being chased, simply summon the mummies in a chokepoint and then attack one in order to make your escape. Anyone attempting to run into the mummies will be hit for a bit of damage and mana. Though this is a nice skill, it is unwise to take this before level four, particularly in favour of Pharaoh's other skills, and only at level four if you truly feel that your teammates can't get a good disable off. Nevertheless, when you start ganking more in the mid-game, this skill will become invaluable.

Tormented Soul - [E]
http://heroes-newerth.com/wp-content/myimages/tormented-soul.png
Pharaoh unleashes a tormented soul toward a target location anywhere on the map. The soul self-destructs when it reaches the designated location, releasing its dark energy to damage nearby enemies.

Launches a projectile dealing 80/120/160/200 magic damage and revealing a 600 unit area for 5/10/15/20 seconds.

Mana Cost: 50
Cooldown: 30/25/20/15 seconds

Easily the most entertaining skill available to the Pharaoh. With this spell you can keep any lane pushed, help yourself to last-hits without getting too close to the action, reveal an incoming gank and occasionally finish off that low-low-HP hero running back to the Well. Its low mana cost is perfect for Pharaoh's mana pool and the sheer usefulness of this spell is beyond description. If a lane is being pushed but everyone is busy or pushing themselves, you can launch a Soul at the area and suddenly all the creeps will be at almost half-health. If you are having trouble getting last-hits, you can throw one of these out from behind your ranged creep to grab some easy kills. Once you get used to the projectile speed, you can even use it to harass a retreating enemy hero on his way back from the lane.

Wrath of the Pharaoh (Ultimate) - [R]
http://heroes-newerth.com/wp-content/myimages/wrath-of-the-pharaoh.png
Pharaoh directs all of his focus in a target direction. His focus is so intense it takes a physical form as it travels in the desired direction. If it impacts with an enemy unit it will damage and stun them and Pharaoh will charge towards its direction.

Hooks enemy at 2000/2500/3000 range, dealing 100/200/300 magic damage and stunning for 1/1.5/2 seconds to all enemy units in a 200 unit area.

Mana Cost: 150
Cooldown 80/60/40 seconds

This spell will keep enemies worried about solo-farming a lane. Here is where the Pharaoh's ganking potential is realised in full. It works similarly to Devourer's hook, save that it will drag the Pharaoh to the target instead of the target to Pharaoh. Any units that come within 200 units of the Pharaoh will take the damage and stun from the ability. The synergy with this is easily apparent with relation to both the Wall of Mummies and Hellfire. The speed of the projectile of this spell is tremendous and it makes aiming it even more simple than expected. Use this frequently when initiating a gank or attempting to chase down a fleeing enemy. Be wary, though, it is wise to scout the area around the target first by using a Tormented Soul to make sure you aren't jumping into a trap!


Skill Builds

Solo Build
1 - Tormented Soul
2 - Hellfire
3 - Tormented Soul
4 - Hellfire [Wall of Mummies]
5 - Tormented Soul
6 - Wrath of the Pharaoh
7 - Tormented Soul/Hellfire [Wall of Mummies]
8 - Hellfire/Tormented Soul [Wall of Mummies]
9 - Hellfire [Wall of Mummies]
10 - Wall of Mummies
11 - Wrath of the Pharaoh
12 - Wall of Mummies
13 - Wall of Mummies
14 - Wall of Mummies
15 - Stats
16 - Wrath of the Pharaoh

Dual-Lane Build
1 - Tormented Soul
2 - Hellfire
3 - Hellfire
4 - Wall of Mummies
5 - Hellfire
6 - Wrath of the Pharaoh
7 - Hellfire
8 - Tormented Soul
9 - Tormented Soul
10 - Wall of Mummies/Tormented Soul
11 - Wrath of the Pharaoh
12 - Wall of Mummies
13 - Wall of Mummies
14 - Wall of Mummies
15 - Stats
16 - Wrath of the Pharaoh


Justification and Explanation
Tormented Soul at level one is useful immediately as it is possible to launch a Soul at the lanes to see who you will be laning against (and to annoy them with a little bit of damage!). Once you actually get into the lane, it can come in handy for getting the odd last hit that you would not normally get. Generally, you will be in a lane with a partner and as such you should try to get as much farm as you can. Don't be afraid to use this when you want to get the last hits, provided you always have enough mana for at least one Hellfire . Hellfire is maxed as soon as possible in the Dual-Lane as this will be your main damage spell. If you see the enemy too far away from their tower, be prepared to pop a Hellfire and start running them down. You'll be surprised at how fast they will drop to even a level two Hellfire. In the Solo Build, maxing Tormented Soul as soon as possible is a larger priority, as it allows you both to harass your opponent and get last hits much easier. Furthermore, it will push the lane into your opponents tower, allowing for you to get runes much more easily at Mid. Wrath of the Pharaoh is skilled at every level possible as the mana cost remains constant whilst the damage, range, stun and cooldown all improve. Even though the damage from Wrath early on will be minimal, the stun and drag that comes with it allow Pharaoh to literally throw himself into the fray. Wall of Mummies is skilled at level four in the Dual-Lane Build in order to accelerate his ganking potential as much as possible. When you're solo, you can afford to not take Wall of Mummies until as late as level nine, though the sooner you take it, the sooner you can start to focus almost entirely on ganking.

Alternatively, if you are trying to get a heavy farm going, you can interchange Hellfire and Tormented Soul as you see fit. This will allow you to get more last hits as well as harrassing the enemy. Be careful, though, that you do not burn through too much mana or push the lane too far.

Items

Item Build

Early and Core Items

http://www.heroesofnewerth.com/images/items/Item_RunesOfTheBlight.jpghttp://www.heroesofnewerth.com/images/items/Item_HealthPotion.jpghttp://www.heroesofnewerth.com/images/items/Item_MinorTotem.jpghttp://www.heroesofnewerth.com/images/items/Item_MinorTotem.jpghttp://heroes-newerth.com/wp-content/myimages/Loggers-Hatchet.png

Initial Build Cost:
Runes of Blight - 90
Health Potion - 100
Logger's Hatchet - 225
Minor Totem x 3 - 159 (53 x 3)
--- --- --- --- ---
Total - 574 gold
===========

Ideally this should be your starting gear. The Runes and Potion will keep you in good health - just remember that potions will dispell upon taking damage, but the runes will not. The Logger's Hatchet will increase your farming potential greatly, and is a key item for any high-farming melee hero. The Minor Totems are to give you some early stats and also to eventually make into a Power Supply. Note that if none of your teammates are willing to share/buy a Monkey Courier (200), it is highly recommended that you exchange the Logger's Hatchet for a Courier and pick a Hatchet up later if needed.

Once farming commences you should be aiming to get to this stage:

http://www.heroesofnewerth.com/images/items/Item_EnhancedMarchers.jpghttp://www.heroesofnewerth.com/images/items/Item_Bottle.jpghttp://www.heroesofnewerth.com/images/items/Item_HomecomingStone.jpghttp://heroes-newerth.com/wp-content/myimages/Power-Supply.png
http://honwiki.net/w/images/9/9b/Neophyte%27s_Bookitem.gifhttp://honwiki.net/w/images/5/53/Bolstering_Armbanditem.gifhttp://honwiki.net/wiki/File:Bolstering_Armbanditem.gifhttp://honwiki.net/wiki/File:Neophyte%27s_Bookitem.gif OR http://honwiki.net/w/images/6/6d/Glow_Stoneitem.gif

Core Build Cost:
Enhanced Marchers - 1550 (500 + 500 + 500)
Bottle - 600
Power Supply - 225 (200 + 125 + Totems listed above)
[Bolstering Armband + Neophyte's Book - 1450 (1000 + 450) OR Glowstone - 1200)
Homecoming Stones - 135
--- --- --- --- ---
Total - 3825 gold // 3575 gold + Homecoming Stones
============================

Mana Battery should be the first thing you buy from the Outpost as it will allow you to remain in lane for much longer without having to burn through your Runes and Potions too quickly. Not only this, but it will literally be a Mana Battery, giving you all the Mana you could need from it's charges. Remember though that this item does not give you an endless supply and as such prudent use of your Mana is still necessary. After this, Bottle and Power Supply should be the first things you get from your Courier. It is a fantastic way to keep your health up as well as topping up your Mana if you need one more Tormented Soul or Hellfire. It will keep you laning for longer and keep you alive as well. Don't hesitate to go off now and again to try to get one of the Runes which spawn in the river. From here it is wise to get either a Glowstone for a cost efficient HP and Mana boost or a Neophyte's Book/Bolstering Armband to start making into Staff of the Master or Puzzlebox respectively. From there it is prudent to start making Enhanced Marchers if you have not already, for they will not only give you a nice boost to damage, but most importantly allow you to phase through creep waves to get to your enemies or low-hp creeps in tricky places - an absolute must. SThe Power Supply will give you a nice +3 to all stats as well as increasing the charge-capacity, allowing for further Mana/HP regen throughout the mid-game, keeping you a bigger threat even if you are unable to get hold of enough runes.

**It should be noted that a Helm of the Black Legion or Shaman's Headdress are two very potent items which can be used here, depending on the lineup. If you are getting a poor farm and getting nuked heavily, you should be getting a Shaman's Headdress (2350) or if you find yourself tanking a large amount of damage, you can instead go for Helm of the Black Legion (2225).**



Late and Luxury Items

Ok, the first item you should be aiming for is generally...

http://www.heroesofnewerth.com/images/items/Item_Summon.jpg
Puzzlebox Cost:
Neophyte's Book - 1000
Bolstering Armband - 450
Recipe - 1300/2600/3900
--- --- --- --- ---
Total - 2750/4050/5350 gold
====================

This is a fantastic item to get after completing the Core Build if you find that you are having trouble with people like Night Hound or Scout. Simply Wrath into one of them, pop the Wall of Mummies, then Hellfire and then this little bad boy and they will be at your mercy. The damage from the Puzzlebox creeps will do wonders for your DPS as well as a nifty mana burn and true sight at level three. The boost to your Intelligence and Strength are a welcome addition to the inventory as well.

Another potent item one should consider is Staff of the Master. This item not only gives you a nice boost to you stats, health and mana pool, but it also gives your ulti a 20 second cooldown, meaning that it turns into a very nice nuke for 150 mana.

**It should be noted that Staff of the Master is a far better item to get first if you feel that the opposing team are lacking in heavy-nukers and as such are unable to prevent your combo or initiation.**
http://www.heroesofnewerth.com/images/items/Item_Intelligence7.jpg
Staff of the Master Cost:
Glowstone - 1200
Neophyte's Book - 1000
Mighty Blade - 1000
Recipe - 1100
--- --- --- --- ---
Total - 4300 gold
============


From here, the next big Luxury item is the wonder which is...

http://heroes-newerth.com/wp-content/myimages/Barrier-Idol.png
Barrier Idol Cost:
Shaman's Headdress - 2050 (950 + 350 + 350 + 400)
Refreshing Ornament - 603 (53 + 350 + 200)
Recipe - 1000
--- --- --- --- ---
Total - 3653 gold
============

Barrier Idol is an absolutely beautiful item not just for you but the whole team. In a team fight, you can almost be assured that it will give your whole team an extra 400 health (300 hero health given that the barrier itself has no magic armour) as it is unlikely that there will be a single hero that does not take 400 damage of nukes during a fight. This is therefore a massive boost to the team which can be applied every fifty seconds. Be aware, though, that the barrier will only last eight seconds and as such do not pop it too early or you will lose all the benefits of it. Furthermore, all of the components are relatively cheap, much like Staff of the Master, making it very easy to assemble.

Finally, if the game goes on long enough and you are able to farm up all of the above items, I would recommend getting...

http://www.heroesofnewerth.com/images/items/Item_FrostfieldPlate.jpg
Frostfield Plate Cost:
Platemail - 1400
Acolyte's Staff - 2700
Recipe - 600
--- --- --- --- ---
Total - 4700 gold
============

Frostfield Plate not only adds another nuke to your impressive arsenal, but it also gives a worryingly powerful slow which can be used after jumping into a fight with Wrath.

Situational Items

Now this is where things may get a bit weird, but bear with me, for these have had great potential in my experience.

The first of this sideshow is none other than...


http://www.heroesofnewerth.com/images/items/Item_BehemothsHeart.jpg
Behemoth's Heart Cost:
Axe of the Malphai - 3200
Beast Heart - 1100
Recipe - 1200
--- --- --- --- ---
Total - 5500 gold
============

Behemoth's Heart will make you nigh-on invincible - providing you with a 950 HP bonus and an incredible HP regen to boot. The icing on the embalmed and wrapped cake that is the Pharaoh.


Now if you find yourself with a particularly wonderful farm (~3-4 kills per minute with no more than three or four deaths) then your best friend will be...

http://www.heroesofnewerth.com/images/items/Item_Damage10.jpg
Mock of Brilliance Cost:
Sword of the High - 3800
Reciple - 1350
--- --- --- --- ---
Total - 5150 gold
============

Mock of Brilliance makes you even more of a threat to the enemy, as well as providing you with a fantastic farming implement. The AoE burn and bonus damage will see you netting kill after kill both from creeps and heroes. An absolute must if you are farming well.

Now, if you are struggling against an opposing carry hero, then I recommend...

http://www.heroesofnewerth.com/images/items/Item_Morph.jpg
Totem of Kuldra Cost:
Acolytes Staff - 2700
Blessed Orb - 2100
Manatube - 875
--- --- --- --- ---
Total - 5675 gold
============

The Totem of Kuldra allows for you to disable an enemy carry for three and a half seconds, allowing the rest of your team to focus him down. Not only that, but it will solve any mana problems you may have for the rest of the game. An extra 10 to strength helps bring you even higher up the HP scale as well.

The final item in this lineup comes as...

http://honwiki.net/w/images/b/bc/Barbed_Armoritem.gif
Barbed Armor Cost:
Broadsword - 1675
Ringmail - 550
Apprentice's Robe - 450
Recipe - 500
--- --- --- --- ---
Total - 2700 gold
============

After much deliberation and discussion, I will admit that Barbed Armor is indeed now a viable item. I will, however, note that it is equally viable on almost any hero. Nevertheless, I would heartily suggest not taking this too early and should only be taken if you are being focused down hard. Good lineups to take this against are ones which rely heavily on burst damage, such as Pyromancer, Soul Reaper, Witch Slayer or Thunderbringer.

[dune]

Gameplay

Laning

In most situations as Pharaoh, you will find yourself laning in one of the two sidelanes. In your lane you should be partnered with a ranged hero (preferably support) and should take up the role as the primary farmer, and as such last-hitting is vital. Generally you should be able to keep up a steady farm only by using your normal attack. If the case presents itself where there is a creep on low health which you don't think you will be able to get, it is entirely acceptable to use Tormented Soul to take it. In the early game, you should not concentrate on ganking outside of your lane, but if anyone wishes to come and gank your lane then you will be more than able to help get the kill. By activating Hellfire and running towards the enemy, their general reaction will be to fall back away from the creep wave. Unfortunately for them, this creates the ideal situation for Hellfire to approach its full damage potential. Effective attack-moving here is vital to ensure that you can hit the enemy and immediately continue chasing forward to keep them in range of the Hellfire. Be sure to use Tormented Soul here when possible to drop their health even more quickly. If you manage to do this effectively then you should be able to pick up one or two early kills without too much trouble (provided you have decent backup from teammates!). If you are Solo, your main goal is to harass the enemy and deny them farm whilst you level up to get Wrath of the Pharaoh. Generally, you should remain mid until you have one point in Wrath and one point in Mummies, then you should try to start ganking a fair bit more. It is important to let your teammates know when this stage is so that they can put another hero at mid in your place. By successfully ganking a lane, you will be able to free up at least one of your teammates to help gank mid after which you can then head to another lane to gank. This will allow you to patrol the rune-spawns much more as well as keeping your enemies in constant fear of your Ultimate.

At the early stage, your first goal should be to farm up for the Bottle followed by Power Supply. Once you have these two items, you will find that you rarely have to return to the fountain for health and can be less frugal with your mana. Remember that although your spells are cheap, they are not free! Use them wisely and do not spam them when unnecessary. As the game progresses towards the ten-minute mark and beyond, you should be at least well on your way to completing the Enhanced Marchers if not already finished with them. From here, getting the components for Puzzlebox or Staff of the Master will be of paramount importance to your build, as well as providing you with much-needed stats. If you find yourself against a physical-heavy team, then you could consider purchasing Helm of the Black Legion, whilst if you are against heavy-nukers, you can consider Shaman's Headdress instead of the Glowstone or Puzzlebox components. By the time you have reached the levels 9-11 you should be finished with your Core Build and should be prepared to start helping the team in a much more active manner.



Ganking

Here's where things get much more fun. With Wrath of the Pharaoh, you are able to initiate a gank from a tremendous distance. If you intend to use this Ulti to get stuck in, there a few things you should bear in mind: Firstly, ensure that you have a clear line of attack to your enemy. The 'hook' will travel through allied units and heroes until you get Staff of the Master, and will not drag you in at all if you miss. Secondly, you should remember that the spell travels at a very fast speed, meaning that you do not need to judge the movement of the enemy too greatly as one would for Valkyrie's Javelin or Devourer's Hook. Finally, bear in mind that there is a 200 area of effect on the stun and damage, thus, you do not always need to hit the target if he is standing amongst a creep-wave as hitting any of the creeps will generally affect him as well. Once you have charged in, immediately activate Enhanced Marchers and attempt to place the Wall of Mummies. This will keep your enemy trapped whilst you activate Hellfire and damages him. The ability to 'Phase' through the enemy will make it much easier to effectively get off your Wall of Mummies. Remember that you will have to be standing very close indeed to the enemy to effectively trap them in the Wall - patience is the key!

It is prudent to note that although you are a powerful ganker, you should not focus solely on this role. When possible, you should continue your farm in order to keep your late-game potential alive. If there are no enemies in vulnerable and easily accessible positions, then you should feel free to continue farming to get to your higher-tier items such as Frostfield Plate or ideally Level 3 Puzzlebox.

Pushing

Here is where the uniqueness of Pharaoh really shines through. Tormented Soul at level four does a considerable amount of AoE damage with a moderate cooldown. With teammates available to aid the push, lanes should be withering under your combined efforts. However, this is not where your role ends. It is a little-disputed fact that an enemy will have a much harder time defending on multiple fronts. With your Tormented Soul, it is advised that you should use it to hit other lanes than the one you are currently pushing. The 200 damage across the entire wave will put the odds strongly in your creeps's favour. With a 15 second cooldown, you will be able to throw out a Soul frequently enough to not only keep all lanes pushed, but you should also be able to pick up several creep kills at the same time.

But what if you do not wish to take the base-towers and instead simply want a single one? This is where the Tormented Soul can become a little more tricky. It is important to ensure that you do not push into a trap where your team will simply be wiped. Thus, when pushing a single lane you should generally use the Tormented Soul to scout out the surrounding area, rather than the creep wave. However, there is a method which can become very effective if used accurately. If you notice, the creep waves at top will mirror the opposing creep waves at bottom. Thus, for example, when you see your creeps at top reaching the first tower, you know that the opposing creeps at bottom will be at the first tower. Use this to your advantage! What you are trying to do here is to let off a Tormented Soul which will hit the creep-wave before it reaches the fight. This is doubly useful as not only does it damage and weaken the creep wave, but it will also reveal the area over which the Soul passes; pushing the lane and looking for defenders around the tower at the same time!


* * * * *


Hopefully, I have convinced you of the wonders which is the Pharaoh - a hero which seems rather under-used or misunderstood. In the high-level DotA scene, his counterpart is one of the strongest picks currently available in performing as a tank, initiator and semi-carry. Fortunately, the HoN developers saw it in their infinite wisdom to port over this powerhouse, and with such a blessing one cannot leave it go un-thanked. Please use Pharaoh his full potential (so long as I don't get to him first :P) and you will reap the rewards of one of the most satisfyingly versatile heroes in the game.

[Tasdingo1]

Good guide skillbuild is exactly like mine for Clockwerk and i havent tried pharoah. Although most of the times in pus i usually go cookiecutter style and go vlad,armlet, S and Y. Anyways gj

[dune]

Thanks for the feedback Tasdingo (heh, it's what the trolls in WC say, I just got that).

I must say that I've never heard of Vlads, Armlet and S&Y as a cookie-cutter build for Clockwerk :P

[Drasha]

going to link mine and mention that Tormented Soul is great for farming the forest if you time it right to get double spawns.

http://honwiki.net/wiki/Pharaoh:Bringing_in_the_Harvest

[Logravity]

Pharaoh tends to get weaker when you start going into late game(IMO) because people start getting better items in terms of damage, armor or health regen which means hellfire won't be as usefull anymore. Is there any items that would improve his late game farming and ganking?

[Drasha]

Late game you want to be a tank and use hellfire to disable and your ult to start team fights.

[Bali1]

You are nothing but a spec of sand!

[Tasdingo1]

Thanks for the feedback Tasdingo (heh, it's what the trolls in WC say, I just got that).

I must say that I've never heard of Vlads, Armlet and S&Y as a cookie-cutter build for Clockwerk :P

Haha first time someone noticed that in the forums. Anyways pharoah is pretty weak in competitive (at least in dota) so in pubs i might as well just build him up to dps. The items parts give regen early game ( ring of basiluss, Ring of rengen, Helm of iron will) for laning. Once you finish these items pharoah could probably solo kill the opponents carry with his combo( because the stun thingy will affect their attack animation)

[TaNnEnZaPfEn]

Anyways pharoah is pretty weak in competitive (at least in dota).

sry guy, but thats so plain wrong that im somehow forced to adress this: pharaoh (clockwerk) is currently one of the most frequently used heroes in competetive dota due to his amazing ganking skills. Also obtaining map control is rather easy with a clock on your team (rune whoring, rockets come to mind). when it comes to HoN pharaoh strenght in competetive games cant be determined yet as there havent occurred competetive games so far (afaik), but i guess he will be among the top picks as well.

[dune]

Yes, as Tannenzapfen said, Clockwerk is an incredibly strong pick currently in DotA.

[SpeedyMcFast]

Always get one point in Wall of mummies with your second or third skill point.
Just like how you always get one point in leap with Valkyrie, it's a lifesaver.

Things getting hairy? Pop mummies when enemies are close, but not too close, and immedietly destroy one of them so you can run away safely.

[CFab]

Im not too sure about the item build, can you explain the helm of iron will more? Why phase boots?

Im not disagreeing, i just want to know why.

[dune]

Phase Boots are an incredibly powerful item in the game at the moment. Not only do they give you a very handsome boost to your attack damage and moderate increase to armour, but they allow you to move at a tremendous speed. This is evidently useful when chasing down enemies once Hellfire is activated. Furthermore, they will help you farm even more by being able to phase through the creep-waves in order to get some of the more awkwardly-placed enemies. A case could be made for Post Haste, but in weighing up the options the Enhanced Marchers are just going to be the better option in many many situations.

The Helm of the Victim is a very nice item to pick up whilst in lane because it grants you five bonus armour and an extra three HP/sec regen. This will help you whilst laning because your EHP will increase from the armour and your lane-staying power will be that much better because of the regen. The Helm can then be used to complete Shaman's Headdress later - an almost essential item for Pharaoh's survivability.

[Lethe]

Nice guide. Imo you should mention an optional level of wall at level 4, where it essentially is a 3 sec disable, and guaranteed death when combined with hellfire. Imo it certainly has precedence over an additional level of tormented soul.

But besides that, yea great guide. Relatively short, concise, lack of unnecessary information, and decent template as well. Nominated for premium, GL.

[dune]

Nice guide. Imo you should mention an optional level of wall at level 4, where it essentially is a 3 sec disable, and guaranteed death when combined with hellfire. Imo it certainly has precedence over an additional level of tormented soul.

But besides that, yea great guide. Relatively short, concise, lack of unnecessary information, and decent template as well. Nominated for premium, GL.

Thanks, Trainingday! I did mention getting Wall at level four, but omitted it from the skill build simply for aesthetic purposes :o heh

[Lethe]

Thanks, Trainingday! I did mention getting Wall at level four, but omitted it from the skill build simply for aesthetic purposes :o heh

oh you are right. Fair enough then.

[Tasdingo1]

Its been a few versions back since i played 5on5 competitive dota 6.57b ?It wasnt THAT long ago but from where i come from (Malaysia) we mostly use beastmaster for the rune spy thing. Never saw a clockwerk in any of the inhouses or clan matches actually so maybe thats why i jumped to conclusions. Anyway thanks for pointing it out.

[Vadi]

It should also be pointed out that you can kitewalk someone at an early level with his hellfire.

Mean thing and it's somewhat effective :(

[ElementUser]

From imba Negi3 guide on the DA forums:


The usual time you would want to level this up is when you are 100% sure you can land it in lane, for example with a supporting lion. Take 1 level early game, max out other spells first, then take this at 12, 13, 14. Or you can just leave it till 10, 12, 13, 14 if such an opportunity does not present itself.

Power Cogs = Wall of Mummies by the way. You should specify the situation a little more as for when to take Mummies at level 4. Also note that you can get Hellfire at level 1 if you're going for a First-Blood.

For Shrunken Head, well as an initiator you've already fulfilled your role. Therefore, you want the enemies to focus on you after you initiated instead of your other poor support/carry allies.

I've been wondering if Tormented Soul temporarily stops neutrals from respawning like it does in DotA.

There's a lot of useful gameplay tips in this thread if you wish to use it/add some of the content into your guide (but I don't think it'll be necessary): http://forums.dota-allstars.com/index.php?showtopic=295684

Good guide IMO :)

[uhhhahhhohah]

Just wanted to jump in and say that as of right now Puzzlebox is NOT worth getting. The truesight on one of the minions at level 3 works but the passive mana burn does not work, the mana burn targeted spell doesn't work, and nor does the true damage dealt on death work, so it's only the true sight and the move speed aura that currently work. When it's fixed getting early Puzzlebox will be much better. Instead I go for Hellflower until it's fixed.

I also skip the bottle and get one of the +int items for Hellflower early because without 2 bracelets (I buy 1) or 1 talisman I don't think you have the mana for your entire combo.

Also would just like to add that getting 1 level in Wall of Mummies at level 4 is best. 2 days ago I tried to gank the enemy scout at level 6 and he began escaping with a tiny slither of hp left, he was just out of range to hit and my Hellfire had just run out, Soul off cooldown so i dropped Mummies and the one right behind him pushed him away and killed him. The Ultimate Humiliation.

Pharaoh is my favourite and as someone who never played DOTA I can go the whole game without getting killed, getting 5-10 kills early game and getting 10+ assists late game.

[dune]

Power Cogs = Wall of Mummies by the way. You should specify the situation a little more as for when to take Mummies at level 4. Also note that you can get Hellfire at level 1 if you're going for a First-Blood.

I generally found that Mummies at level four prevented the farming potential of the hero too greatly to justify its use, particularly when Hellfire is good enough to chase any hero down. Given that you will most likely be in a dual-lane, Pharaoh doesn't need too much more movement prevention, particularly with his rather poor mana pool. Meanwhile, the extra damage and Cooldown improvement from an extra level of Tormented Soul is just too good to pass up for me.


For Shrunken Head, well as an initiator you've already fulfilled your role. Therefore, you want the enemies to focus on you after you initiated instead of your other poor support/carry allies.

But the role of Pharaoh does not simply stop at initiation. His Hellfire has a damage potential of 1120 if he manages to stay alive for 10 seconds - now I'd say that's worth sticking around for! A mid-level Pharaoh with just the Core Build can pump out a hell of a lot of damage and unfortunately will still go down rather swiftly to concentrated nukes. Bear in mind as well that the initiator is intended to commence the engagement before the opposing team is prepared or is willing to accept battle on that particular area. Thus it becomes even more difficult for them to simply ignore the initiator and focus on one of the follow-up heroes. In theory I understand where you're coming from, but in practice I don't think I agree.


There's a lot of useful gameplay tips in this thread if you wish to use it/add some of the content into your guide (but I don't think it'll be necessary): http://forums.dota-allstars.com/index.php?showtopic=295684

Good guide IMO :)

Thanks very much for this link and the feedback! All of it goes to help me develop a more comprehensive and complete guide. :)

I don't know if this is a bug or not but with Phase Boots you can still walk through your wall of mummies after the patch where they "fixed" it.

[kingcomrade]

You need to mention how the tormented soul gives you vision of an area for a significant amount of time, and combined with the long range of Wrath allows him to surprise sex people from long distance.

[THE_SPOOKY]

I don't know if this is a bug or not but with Phase Boots you can still walk through your wall of mummies after the patch where they "fixed" it.

A moderator has told me that they ARE going to fix this, it is a bug.

Also, very good guide, but I think it's worth mentioning a "pubstar" item build of Ring of the Teacher->Steamboots->2x Fortified Bracers->Insanitarius->Abyssal Skull->Luxury Damage Item(Mock/Brutalizer/Shieldbreaker/Savage Mace/Doombringer if you had two scoops of confidence in your cereal this morning). While this is definitely not the optimal item build for a Pro Team Pharaoh, it works absolute wonders on squishy/poorly constructed teams with multiple agility heroes or int heroes which aren't deadly 1v1. Arachna, in particular, will cry every time you Wrath her if you're holding some damage items, and she is easily one of the most popular/most feared Pub box Heroes. Just stay far away from this build if you're up against Defiler, Pyromancer, etc.

Also also, note that nowhere in that post did I use the word "Runed Axe"...oops...er, yeah, horribad item for Pharaoh. He's never going to be hitting more than one hero, so it's never going to be a good item for him. If you buy one on Pharaoh, you deserve the severe beating you will get from just about every hero you capture. I see so many people pick this item because ZOMG IT HAS DAMAGE AND MANA REGEN! PERFECT ITEM! Wrong. +125% mana regeneration on a Pharaoh is less than 1, which is why I use Abyssal Skull for HurtPharaoh, as it adds a flat +.8.

[Tasdingo1]

A moderator has told me that they ARE going to fix this, it is a bug.

Also, very good guide, but I think it's worth mentioning a "pubstar" item build of Ring of the Teacher->Steamboots->2x Fortified Bracers->Insanitarius->Abyssal Skull->Luxury Damage Item(Mock/Brutalizer/Shieldbreaker/Savage Mace/Doombringer if you had two scoops of confidence in your cereal this morning). While this is definitely not the optimal item build for a Pro Team Pharaoh, it works absolute wonders on squishy/poorly constructed teams with multiple agility heroes or int heroes which aren't deadly 1v1. Arachna, in particular, will cry every time you Wrath her if you're holding some damage items, and she is easily one of the most popular/most feared Pub box Heroes. Just stay far away from this build if you're up against Defiler, Pyromancer, etc.

Also also, note that nowhere in that post did I use the word "Runed Axe"...oops...er, yeah, horribad item for Pharaoh. He's never going to be hitting more than one hero, so it's never going to be a good item for him. If you buy one on Pharaoh, you deserve the severe beating you will get from just about every hero you capture. I see so many people pick this item because ZOMG IT HAS DAMAGE AND MANA REGEN! PERFECT ITEM! Wrong. +125% mana regeneration on a Pharaoh is less than 1, which is why I use Abyssal Skull for HurtPharaoh, as it adds a flat +.8.

Exactly what i meant in the earlier posts oh well.

[dune]

Also, very good guide, but I think it's worth mentioning a "pubstar" item build of Ring of the Teacher->Steamboots->2x Fortified Bracers->Insanitarius->Abyssal Skull->Luxury Damage Item(Mock/Brutalizer/Shieldbreaker/Savage Mace/Doombringer if you had two scoops of confidence in your cereal this morning).

Let me start by first thanking you very much for you feedback, all is welcome and I will try to address all of it.

I, personally, do not like making 'pubstar' builds simply because I feel it encourages such a style of play even further - a style which irritates me greatly and causes many of the games that people play to go badly because of inefficient builds. Steamboots, for example, is a poor item on Pharaoh because his damage does not come from his attack speed, far from it, it comes largely from Hellfire and effective move-attacking. If you were to chase someone from the creeps to their tower, you'd be lucky to get two or three hits in, and quite rightly so. Steamboots does not provide you with the movespeed you need to keep up with an opponent who takes either other pair of boots. Thus, I rejected items which are designed to increase DPS through attack speed. Mock of Brilliance is a perfect item for Pharaoh given its burn damage and incredible farming potential. Unfortunately, the other items are simply inefficient. I have achieved a 14-2-16 score with the Core Build -> Mock -> (eventually) Heart.


While this is definitely not the optimal item build for a Pro Team Pharaoh, it works absolute wonders on squishy/poorly constructed teams with multiple agility heroes or int heroes which aren't deadly 1v1. Arachna, in particular, will cry every time you Wrath her if you're holding some damage items, and she is easily one of the most popular/most feared Pub box Heroes. Just stay far away from this build if you're up against Defiler, Pyromancer, etc.

See, now this is where I would disagree. You could get this build with almost any hero and become good against such squishy heroes. However, the price of these items make it a completely unsuitable build particularly when your survivability will become reduced by inefficient spending. I appreciate that not all Pub-gamers have this in mind when playing a game, but I create a guide with the hopes of showing people the higher-level mindset (not that I claim to be a high-level player, far from it) and helping them to get away from making Hack and Slash on any Strength/Agility hero; I know that I used to do that back in DotA!


Also also, note that nowhere in that post did I use the word "Runed Axe"...oops...er, yeah, horribad item for Pharaoh. He's never going to be hitting more than one hero, so it's never going to be a good item for him. If you buy one on Pharaoh, you deserve the severe beating you will get from just about every hero you capture. I see so many people pick this item because ZOMG IT HAS DAMAGE AND MANA REGEN! PERFECT ITEM! Wrong. +125% mana regeneration on a Pharaoh is less than 1, which is why I use Abyssal Skull for HurtPharaoh, as it adds a flat +.8.

I don't like Abyssal Skull at all on this hero. He doesn't need mass mana regen; thus, Bottle is all the burst mana you need. His whole spellset costs 355 when all are maxed and as such an item like Abyssal Skull is rather useless - especially when you aren't really going to be benefitting at all from the Life Steal. It therefore seems like a bit of a waste of 2100 gold when 600 gold will get you the Bottle.

I do agree wholeheartedly about Runed Axe, though! ^.^

[ElementUser]

Just wait/bug S2 to implement Magic Stick + Magic Wand so that Magic Wand+Bottle is the perfect item set for Pharaoh to have mana at practically all times for only 1084 gold ^.^

Oh by the way you spelt "Pharaoh" as "Pharoah" (I know I make that typo a lot too :() in your thread title

[dune]

Just wait/bug S2 to implement Magic Stick + Magic Wand so that Magic Wand+Bottle is the perfect item set for Pharaoh to have mana at practically all times for only 1084 gold ^.^

Oh by the way you spelt "Pharaoh" as "Pharoah" (I know I make that typo a lot too :() in your thread title

Too true, Magic Stick/Wand ftw!

I realised that after I made the post, even though every other instance of 'Pharaoh' is spelled correctly -.-

And fortunately just figured out how to change it! :D

[ElementUser]

Um uh congrats on Premium :O

[Corruptor1]

Pretty decent guide imo. One thing tho, why is wall of mummies not taken at lvl 3/4? It could save you sometimes.

[ElementUser]

Pretty decent guide imo. One thing tho, why is wall of mummies not taken at lvl 3/4? It could save you sometimes.

He explained the situations on when to get it and when not to get it. Read my post earlier if you want a detailed explanation on when/when not to get it

[dune]

Pretty decent guide imo. One thing tho, why is wall of mummies not taken at lvl 3/4? It could save you sometimes.

Indeed, it can save you sometimes. I weighed up the benefits and disadvantages given from a level of mummies at level four - namely that you can get an early escape mechanism/movement prevention which then puts extra strain on your already weak mana pool - and the benefits and disadvantages of taking a second level of Tormented Soul - namely that you get a better CD and damage from the spell which is an incredible aid to your farm but having to rely solely on Hellfire for your chasing - and decided that the Tormented Soul is simply the better option for this build, particularly if you are in a dual-lane. It's all a matter of your opinion on the lineups - if you feel you are going to get ganked much more than you can handle, then mummies would be advisable, but in general I've found that I do not need them in comparison to the potential farm lost by not taking Soul.

[Kzanu]

@dune: a great guide. Followed it and never ever went with Pharaoh to a KD<1 even in losing games. Worth mentioning also mana pot if someone else has the bot.

Ps. PLEASE change the name of the guide to Pharaoh, as it bugs the hell out of me, especially because it is a quality premium guide, thus it should NOT have the name of the hero misspelled in the title !!!!

[dune]

@dune: a great guide. Followed it and never ever went with Pharaoh to a KD<1 even in losing games. Worth mentioning also mana pot if someone else has the bot.

Great to hear, glad you enjoyed the guide and the hero! I generally found that just having the Bottle and not using it for runes still utilises the cost-efficiency of the item very well.


Ps. PLEASE change the name of the guide to Pharaoh, as it bugs the hell out of me, especially because it is a quality premium guide, thus it should NOT have the name of the hero misspelled in the title !!!!

Indeed, it bugs me too. I can't seem to be able to change the title which is shown on the main forum, only the title shown in the thread itself -.-

[Griddler]

I was in a game with a pharaoh using a portal key but I see this item isn't mentioned anywhere. Having not played him myself yet (since like my 2nd ever HoN game where i sucked atrociously anyways), is this a bad item for him?

The pharaoh I played with was mopping up by portal keying and then wall of mummies to capture people. Good or unnecessary?

[dune]

I was in a game with a pharaoh using a portal key but I see this item isn't mentioned anywhere. Having not played him myself yet (since like my 2nd ever HoN game where i sucked atrociously anyways), is this a bad item for him?

The pharaoh I played with was mopping up by portal keying and then wall of mummies to capture people. Good or unnecessary?

A portal key can be a good item, though it is amazingly situational. The only problem with such an item is that you have your Wrath of the Pharaoh which acts as a portal key with 3000 range (instead of 1200) and stuns and damages. The only advantage a portal key holds is that it has a lower cooldown. However, given the price, particularly in comparison to other items you could be buying or working towards, it is simply inefficient. If you like the Portal Key then continue to use it, but bear in mind that it shouldn't, by any means, be part of your core build.

[A`nub`is]

I think Ring of the Teacher is quite a decent item. Sure it would be better if your lanemate got it... but oh well, rarely happens in 'normal' games.

I also like to buy the +2 all items BEFORE the +3 str claws and actually finish my braclets, because the larger manapool (and slightly better regen) helps me a lot.

And if no one gets Abyssal I do build it later in the game - the regen is nice, the rest is not really needed for you, but most likely for your team.

Glacius is an awesome ally - well... lets say 50% of the time at least (in normal games), because the other 50% will start to skill aura not before lvl 10, even if you plea them to skill it immediately to lvl 4 (after missing it at lvl1/2).

[akitoes]

Grats on premium !

I find the item part a bit misleading tho, situational and luxury just should be swapped.

[Vodka]

Um, in your justification section, you said to level his ult whenver possible because damage/cooldown/stun all DECREASE. Only cooldown decreases....it would be a bad idea to level the ult if damage decreased :p

[ViciousJawa]

started playing pharaoh for the first time now, you're right.
it's incredibly fun to kill someone on the other side of the map, or to hook yourself up to them from over 2000 meters away...

anyway, I went enhanced marchers/shaman's aside from starting items and then quickly farmed up my mock, was pretty decent. I'll try some other items next time.

[dune]

Um, in your justification section, you said to level his ult whenver possible because damage/cooldown/stun all DECREASE. Only cooldown decreases....it would be a bad idea to level the ult if damage decreased :p

Whoops!!!

Thanks for the catch! :D


started playing pharaoh for the first time now, you're right.
it's incredibly fun to kill someone on the other side of the map, or to hook yourself up to them from over 2000 meters away...

anyway, I went enhanced marchers/shaman's aside from starting items and then quickly farmed up my mock, was pretty decent. I'll try some other items next time.

Yeah, once you have Mock you become such a high threat that you can start just pumping HP and turning yourself into a real tank. Really is a fantastic feeling.

[Drasha]

Just played a game with him that was interesting i went with your build since we had glacius on our team and i never had to worry about mana it was interesting. The other team had a night hound who insisted on chasing me down when we were both at low health and i had an amazing amount of fun turning a corner turning hellfire on then using wall of mumies to kill him then phasing out of the mumies who were blocking there ally from killing me or helping the night hound.

Also had a great escape from their forest by juking until there creep line was at the river then ulting to get out of the forest best escape moment ever.

I still don't feel like i am playing this hero to his full potential but i feel like i would need to cordinated well with a support lane mate to feel like i was crazy strong.

[Tigerprawn]

I've found myself liking the play style of Pharaoh. I'm sure I'm not playing him anywhere near his full potential, but I really like;

Early harassment in lanes. I take Tormented soul as my first skill and hit the opposing heroes every time it's up for use. The mana cost makes it so you can cast it every chance you get. Great for last hits and annoying your enemies. At the same time if they stick around and don't heal you got an ideal situation for first-blood. It's great to get someone low, they end up using a rune of blight, and you hit them immediately cancelling the healing effect.

I just gotta work on my item selection.

[ShujinkoDS]

Very nice guide dude.

[Utred]

I've found myself liking the play style of Pharaoh. I'm sure I'm not playing him anywhere near his full potential, but I really like;

Early harassment in lanes. I take Tormented soul as my first skill and hit the opposing heroes every time it's up for use. The mana cost makes it so you can cast it every chance you get. Great for last hits and annoying your enemies. At the same time if they stick around and don't heal you got an ideal situation for first-blood. It's great to get someone low, they end up using a rune of blight, and you hit them immediately cancelling the healing effect.

I just gotta work on my item selection.
Damage doesn't stop the rune of the blight healing.

[Tigerprawn]

Damage doesn't stop the rune of the blight healing.

Doh, I guess you're right. It stops potions though right?

[Utred]

Doh, I guess you're right. It stops potions though right?
Yes. Mana and health potions both stop healing on damage. Attacking someone right at the start of a mana or health potion can really cripple them. Just make sure you don't walk into a trap.
That won't happen with tormented soul of course ^^

[KarNaj]

Quick question about the hellfire and chase though;
Are you more towards simply chasing after the hero, following their movements while phased, or still trying to get a few melee hits in as well?
-cheers

[ain]

Is Ring of Sorcery a viable alternative to the Bottle?

I feel like runes don't really benefit me more than they would other heroes.
Because of Pharaoh's huge range I don't really need the health regeneration either.

My item build after the starting items is:

Trinkets/Helm of the Victim depending on how well I'm farming
Marchers
Mystic Vestments
Helm of the Victim/Trinkets
Ring of Sorcery
Enhanced Marchers

I get Enhanced Marchers roughly when I'm leveling my Wall of Mummies.
I don't want to rely on them too much since they're going to get fixed. That's why I don't consider them that important.

[wtfiku]

Personally, Ring of Socery on Pharaoh is a bad choice. It is a wonderful items for Behemoth and Jereziah, but Pharaoh spells needs very little mana. So it is nice item but it is waste on Pharoah.

Usually,

1. Tormented Soul
2. Hellfire
3. Tormented Soul
4. Hellfire
5. Tormented Soul
6. Wrath of Pharoah
7. Wall of Mummies // Tormented Soul
8. Tormented Soul // Wall of Mummies
9. Hellfire
10. Wall of Mummies
11. Wrath of Pharoah

The reason i max out tormented soul asap because it is probably the best spell for Pharoah. Most people doesnt notice that it gave a vision of the area where it lands for 5 sec. Hellfire is already a good escape mechanic already. Mummies has great synergies with his ultimate but your ultimate cd is fairly high at early level so mummies can wait.

I think Pharoah is a very strong pick. Heroes with ultimate that require channeling like Tempest, Succubus, Swiftblade will really hate Pharoah due to his Hellfire.

Btw, he probably gonna be one of the fun hero to play with.

[dune]

Quick question about the hellfire and chase though;
Are you more towards simply chasing after the hero, following their movements while phased, or still trying to get a few melee hits in as well?
-cheers

I'd definitely try to get a few hits in, but the damage from Hellfire has a far greater potential damage than your normal attack. Nevertheless, if you can get a couple attacks in, then it adds up to be an extra 80-100 damage. Just bear in mind that level four Hellfire can potentially deal 1120 damage and you will be much more inclined to maximise its damage.


Is Ring of Sorcery a viable alternative to the Bottle?

I feel like runes don't really benefit me more than they would other heroes.
Because of Pharaoh's huge range I don't really need the health regeneration either.

My item build after the starting items is:

Trinkets/Helm of the Victim depending on how well I'm farming
Marchers
Mystic Vestments
Helm of the Victim/Trinkets
Ring of Sorcery
Enhanced Marchers


I wouldn't really say that it's an alternative. Ring costs three times the amount of Bottle and both will serve roughly the same purpose in Mana terms. Furthermore, Pharaoh does fantastically as a ganker and as such it is strongly advised that you try to get whatever runes you can.

Generally I will get Helm of the Victim before Mystic Vestments, but it's entirely up to your playstyle or what the opponents' team is made of.



I get Enhanced Marchers roughly when I'm leveling my Wall of Mummies.
I don't want to rely on them too much since they're going to get fixed. That's why I don't consider them that important.

Rely on what, the mummies or the marchers? Both are wonderfully beneficial skills to the Pharaoh.

[dune]

Updated for the 0.1.44 Patch modifications.

[br0wnie]

WELL.. I know I will probably get flamed big time for this... but I get that assassins cloak thing or whatever.. followed by rift shards then the phase boots THEN the item built from rift shards..

= 1337.. not even kiddingg.

I can't remember any names or anything right now.. but yeah I owned. Haha.

[dune]

o.O

Erm... Yeah it'd probably work alright in a pub stomp. The second you run into a Thunderbringer/Defiler/Pyro who happens to have dust you will quite literally melt. You simply don't have the survivability with just the Shroud. Rift Shards just isn't a nice item on Pharaoh because most of your damage won't be coming from your main attack, plus your attack speed isn't nearly good enough to justify getting it.

Fair enough given that it was in a random pub, but against most competent teams you will just get taken to pieces.

[Varska]

Played 2 games this morning, first went 10 / 3 / 15, second went 14 / 2 / 21 with a bloodbath <3

Absolutely love this hero's initiation abilities, really puts the panic into the enemy.

I have one question, would you EVER consider getting a helm of the black legion?

Last game I was in, i rushed the helm as the enemy team had arachna / legionairre / MQ and another melee i can't remember, but I got shaman's headdress as well. Seemed to work as i was pretty unkillable.

But I noticed you didn't even put helm of the black legion even as a "situational" item, why is that? Do you believe it's not nescesary? Just curious for future item builds :>

[dune]

As far as Helm of the Black Legion goes, I simply do not like it on this hero. Helm of the Black Legion does well on heroes which have low EHP, whilst Headdress is far more effective for heroes with a greater EHP. Having said that, given the stat-gain and item-build of this hero, it should be rather clear that he benefits from the latter.

Now, if you were to be up against a team which is stacked with heavy-hitters, then Helm of the Black Legion is acceptable. However, the chance of running into such a team is so low that it's hardly worth mentioning. Furthermore, given that almost every hero will have at least one nuke/DoT which approaches 300 damage, the extra survivability for the team fight is fantastic when considering that, as an initiator, you will be taking most of the flak and as such the extra magic resistance will aid you greatly from any initial burst of damage.

[Varska]

Thank you for the reply, i'll keep all that in mind :P

I can say for sure your guide has created another pharoah follower though, absolutely love this hero.

[akitoes]

Hey, just noticed the guide title is mispelled :(
it's pharaoh

[dune]

Thank you for the reply, i'll keep all that in mind :P

I can say for sure your guide has created another pharoah follower though, absolutely love this hero.

No problem at all. Good to hear another Pharaoh-lover out there ;P


Hey, just noticed the guide title is mispelled :(
it's pharaoh

Yeah... It's somewhat annoying but it's only a typo.

[Mephs]

Should really put something in here about how much of a huge counter he is to Tempest so people stop crying about void.

[Joony1]

Thank you much, i never took Pharaoh, now I read your guide and my Public games were always about 10+/4-.

I didn't knes this hero can be this strong, I never played DotA ^^

[dune]

**Updated for patch 0.1.46**

[Elman1]

Why do you get a second level of Tormented Soul at lvl4? It's only 40 more damage and 5 second cooldown: not even extra sight now that it's been nerfed to a constant 10 seconds.

I find getting one level of Wall of Mummies much more useful than that extra damage and lower cooldown: you get to trap an enemy for 3 seconds, and of course it sinergizes with your Q and your R very nicely. Chances are you won't get a kill with the Soul anyway, but the Mummies can prove very handy.

Unless you're rushing Tormented Soul as fast as you can for harassing/finishing off enemies, that is. If that's not the case (It's not in this guide), I see no reason to get a 2nd level so soon: save it for 8-9-10. And that kind of rush is probably only good if you're solo and/or your enemies are good against your combo (Say Pestilence, Legionnaire, ... anybody who wants to be in close range with you). In any other case, focusing in leveling Q is usually better.

[dune]

Why do you get a second level of Tormented Soul at lvl4? It's only 40 more damage and 5 second cooldown: not even extra sight now that it's been nerfed to a constant 10 seconds.

I find getting one level of Wall of Mummies much more useful than that extra damage and lower cooldown: you get to trap an enemy for 3 seconds, and of course it sinergizes with your Q and your R very nicely. Chances are you won't get a kill with the Soul anyway, but the Mummies can prove very handy.

Unless you're rushing Tormented Soul as fast as you can for harassing/finishing off enemies, that is. If that's not the case (It's not in this guide), I see no reason to get a 2nd level so soon: save it for 8-9-10. And that kind of rush is probably only good if you're solo and/or your enemies are good against your combo (Say Pestilence, Legionnaire, ... anybody who wants to be in close range with you). In any other case, focusing in leveling Q is usually better.

--->


I generally found that Mummies at level four prevented the farming potential of the hero too greatly to justify its use, particularly when Hellfire is good enough to chase any hero down. Given that you will most likely be in a dual-lane, Pharaoh doesn't need too much more movement prevention, particularly with his rather poor mana pool. Meanwhile, the extra damage and Cooldown improvement from an extra level of Tormented Soul is just too good to pass up for me.

[Elman1]

Uhm... I'll try it sometime to see if it really makes such a difference in farming.

Still, don't you think it would be ok to get Mummies if you're in your offensive lane and the enemy doesn't push (Ie, close to their tower)? Although that depends on your lane partner, I guess.

[dune]

Uhm... I'll try it sometime to see if it really makes such a difference in farming.

Still, don't you think it would be ok to get Mummies if you're in your offensive lane and the enemy doesn't push (Ie, close to their tower)? Although that depends on your lane partner, I guess.

(emphasis added)

This is the point exactly. I wrote this guide assuming (perhaps foolishly :P) that your lanemate knows when to throw down his/her stun/slow/disable. If such is the case, then at level four the Mummies will not perform as well as the extra tormented soul, for its extra farming, pushing and nuking potential, particularly with the increased CD. Hellfire combined with a semi-competent ally is more than enough to net a kill in the very early game.

[Lim_Dul]

Are you still 100% positive about going Enhanced Marchers over Steam Boots on Pharaoh after the patch?
Now Steam Boots are actually the faster option and provide armor plus stats... Steam Boots have become much cheaper to get as well.
As you said yourself Pharao's damage doesn't come from his auto-attacks but from Hellfire and Steam Boots now make it easier for you to keep up as well as enhance your survivability.

[HatTrick]

Just to bump Lim Dul's question, I too am curious about enhanced marchers over steam boots. The attack speed and damage bonus really useful for Pharaoh early/mid game? As the haste you receive is useful for escaping and chasing but you won't do a lot of that after level 6.. I feel that the armor will help out Pharaoh since he feels semi-squishy in comparison to other Str Heroes, and being able to manipulate more more mana or health is also a nice bonus.

Also, is it really wise to carry both Bottle and Mana Battery? It seems I would rather just have a Ring of Sorcery to replace either or instead. Its basically 1100 more than Bottle, but being able to regenerate team member's mana and your own on a constant basis for 90+ more mana than what you would get from bottle.


I love Pharaoh, hes my favorite favorite hero. I have too be honest, never attempted this guide yet. My own way of playing Pharaoh is to go 2xRunes(6)/Mana Potion/Totem/Totem/Courier. I always upgrade to flying courier right away, then get Logger's Hatchet if I'm not laning against an aggressive lane, and hurry to get my Marchers. Once I get marchers, I farm for a Sustainer (starting with manatube), and work towards Runed Axe. I try to have this by Level 9 to 13. Once I achieve that and my Steamboots, I will go for situational items. Puzzlebox, Shaman's Headdress, or Ring of Sorcery.

Just to note, I typically play in Easy Mode, I have not tried Standard Mode with Pharaoh yet. I'm trying to sponge all the tips I can as I do not get to play this hero often, yet he is my very favorite hero.

[Fantajim]

Beautifully written guide thats good to read and just awesome.

Thanks for the guide !

Greetz
Fantajim

[LightRain]

In EM use whatever strength-carry build you want. People push earlier due to weaker towers, you give up more laning money when you go ganking, etc. So Pharaoh's early game doesn't shine as well as in normal games. Plus, the extra cost and slower buildup of RoS compared to Bottle and/or Battery don't matter as much in EM where the money flows faster. For RoS in particular, I prefer to have that on mana-dependent tanks (like Pebbles), support characters who are going to be in the thick of things and likely survive team fights (Jereziah, Accursed), and people who don't even get into melee (Thunderbringer). Pharoah (in non-em games) prefers the much easier buildup to bottle (just buy bottle), can scout runes for free so he's dependent on wards/courier/keeper/scout like some characters might be, and in teamfights he's either hiding off to the side, waiting to hook, or is pinning someone down and is too busy wacking him to worry about refilling the nukers' mana. As an initiator, he's more likely to die (hopefully trading for 3-4 of the other team :P ) and when you're dead, what use is RoS? Spend that money on Headress (then barrier totem) to live longer.

[dune]

Are you still 100% positive about going Enhanced Marchers over Steam Boots on Pharaoh after the patch?
Now Steam Boots are actually the faster option and provide armor plus stats... Steam Boots have become much cheaper to get as well.
As you said yourself Pharao's damage doesn't come from his auto-attacks but from Hellfire and Steam Boots now make it easier for you to keep up as well as enhance your survivability.


Just to bump Lim Dul's question, I too am curious about enhanced marchers over steam boots. The attack speed and damage bonus really useful for Pharaoh early/mid game? As the haste you receive is useful for escaping and chasing but you won't do a lot of that after level 6.. I feel that the armor will help out Pharaoh since he feels semi-squishy in comparison to other Str Heroes, and being able to manipulate more more mana or health is also a nice bonus.

The main reason I still keep taking Enhanced Marchers over Steamboots is because it will give you six seconds of faster MS than Steamboots. The difference in average movespeed overall is so negligible that I cannot justify taking the extra +10 to str (or +16 to int), particularly given the best ability in the Enhanced Marchers is the ability to walk right through the creep wave. Not only does this aid with last-hits, but it also cuts out a large portion of the chasing distance between you and the target.

This is not to say that Steamboots are not viable, but rather that based on the advantages of each, paired with my gameplay style, I find Enhanced Marchers to be far more beneficial.


Also, is it really wise to carry both Bottle and Mana Battery? It seems I would rather just have a Ring of Sorcery to replace either or instead. Its basically 1100 more than Bottle, but being able to regenerate team member's mana and your own on a constant basis for 90+ more mana than what you would get from bottle.

Yes it is wise. If you ever have a time in your inventory where you've built a Bracelet, Soulscream or Talisman of Exile, you should have bought a Power Supply instead; the advantages of the latter over the former three are incredible.

Ring of Sorcery - No, No, No, No a thousand times, NO!

It provides you with good mana regen, yes, but your entire spellset costs 355 mana. All you need is burst mana regen. Ring of Sorcery is almost three times as expensive as Bottle. The 1100 is far better spent on something else like (most of a) Glowstone.


I love Pharaoh, hes my favorite favorite hero. I have too be honest, never attempted this guide yet. My own way of playing Pharaoh is to go 2xRunes(6)/Mana Potion/Totem/Totem/Courier. I always upgrade to flying courier right away, then get Logger's Hatchet if I'm not laning against an aggressive lane, and hurry to get my Marchers. Once I get marchers, I farm for a Sustainer (starting with manatube), and work towards Runed Axe. I try to have this by Level 9 to 13. Once I achieve that and my Steamboots, I will go for situational items. Puzzlebox, Shaman's Headdress, or Ring of Sorcery.

Runed Axe is a horrible item to get on Pharaoh given how the money could be better-spent. --> http://forums.heroesofnewerth.com/showpost.php?p=155692&postcount=27

Puzzlebox can be nice, but only really useful if you have a vendetta against NH/Scout/Valkyrie who likes to use Ulti a lot. It's far better to go towards Shaman's Headdress then going to Barrier Idol or Mock of Brilliance.


Just to note, I typically play in Easy Mode, I have not tried Standard Mode with Pharaoh yet. I'm trying to sponge all the tips I can as I do not get to play this hero often, yet he is my very favorite hero.

This guide is not, and never was, meant for Easy-Mode. ;)

Thanks for your post!

[EnragedCamel]

In my experience, Pharaoh synergizes best with ranged heroes because most of the time they are the only ones who can attack people you trap with your mummies.

Other than that, he's a very strong hero. Excellent laner because of his tormented soul - can basically harass the hell out of the opponents in the lane and prevent them from farming. If they try to be brave or greedy, you can finish case with your ministuns and finish off. Also a great ganker thanks to his ult, which has a massive 3000 range.

[dropdead]

nice guide

[HatTrick]

Thank you for all the feedback Dune. I attempted to stay true to you guide and I (honestly and truly) went 7/0/12. Pharaoh is very item independent, more than I ever realized. And this time I did use Puzzlebox again for a counter to Night Hound and boy was it awesome. The Staff of Masters also made constant ganking easy.

It was hella fun and hope to play more frequently soon

[ElementUser]

Clockwerk still uses Phase Boots in scrims (from the replays I've seen in DotA) in 6.63b

[dune]

Thank you for all the feedback Dune. I attempted to stay true to you guide and I (honestly and truly) went 7/0/12. Pharaoh is very item independent, more than I ever realized. And this time I did use Puzzlebox again for a counter to Night Hound and boy was it awesome. The Staff of Masters also made constant ganking easy.

It was hella fun and hope to play more frequently soon

He's good fun. I wouldn't call him item independent, though, particularly when you look at heroes like Andromeda or Magmus.

Staff of the Master, as you say, is just awesome ^.^ So glad they finally added it for Pharaoh.


Clockwerk still uses Phase Boots in scrims (from the replays I've seen in DotA) in 6.63b

Indeed, the ability to walk through a creep wave is vital for a melee hero, particularly given the six second burst of speed.

[Daaadom]

All in all a very good guide, i will try the bottle/mana battery combo, makes 100% sense to me ... !!!

But i miss one item which is very good on pharao and he is one of the
heroes which can benefit very good from it ... !!!

Barbed Armor !!!

Damage Armor and INT and the very good Damage return.

This is a nice item for him, and allows you to gank almost anybody and
gives you a nice boost in all important aspects of your gameplay !!!

What you think !?

[sHoWTiMe]

Nice guide, you should change the thing you said about enhanced marchers going through walls of mummies though.

[dune]

All in all a very good guide, i will try the bottle/mana battery combo, makes 100% sense to me ... !!!

But i miss one item which is very good on pharao and he is one of the
heroes which can benefit very good from it ... !!!

Barbed Armor !!!

Damage Armor and INT and the very good Damage return.

This is a nice item for him, and allows you to gank almost anybody and
gives you a nice boost in all important aspects of your gameplay !!!

What you think !?

Eugh... I never take Barbed Armour. It always looks quite nice on paper but never delivers. Feel free to use it if you like, but there are far better items to fill up your rapidly-depleting six-slots.



Nice guide, you should change the thing you said about enhanced marchers going through walls of mummies though.

Thank you for the reminder!

[`M`ao]

Your core items don't do much for his survivability.
As much as i hate Helm of the Black Legion, i do think it is viable on Phar.
Initiating ganks means diving into enemies, no point doing that if you die straight off the bat. You can't survive it with garbage hp.
Shaman's headress does help but what if it's not magic damage you're facing?
Again rather situational.
More hp is needed before starting on the luxury items.
@Cfab
You get phase boots because threads is garbage, and travel is unnecessary.
Because you need to whack when you're inside your mummies with the poor chap.
And i'm not sure if you can phase past your mummies anymore, you used to be able to.

[Daaadom]

@ Dune

Actually ... Barbed armor is a very good on him, you get armor and INT and you can handle nearly every hero in 1v1 because the time you are in your mumies you switch on your BA and the victim can stay and take your Damage or fight back AND die in seconds.

And most of the players dont hit immediatley the "hold" button, if you ever
combo in a torturer with active AOE skills you see what i mean, also you can face a hard DPS carry with low hp but a lot of damage/life steal.

So you can be sure that you got 5 seconds of doing what ever you want ... :D

Think about it

[`M`ao]

@ Dune

Actually ... Barbed armor is a very good on him, you get armor and INT and you can handle nearly every hero in 1v1 because the time you are in your mumies you switch on your BA and the victim can stay and take your Damage or fight back AND die in seconds.

And most of the players dont hit immediatley the "hold" button, if you ever
combo in a torturer with active AOE skills you see what i mean, also you can face a hard DPS carry with low hp but a lot of damage/life steal.

So you can be sure that you got 5 seconds of doing what ever you want ... :D

Think about it

Seconded.
Again situational, you gotta be sure it's dps you're trapping inside your dark room of mummies before you do wateva you want.

[Daaadom]

Nope sir,

reason is if you trap someone other inside who is not able to kick your ass
in 5 sec you can also do whatever you want.

Only thing i said is you dont have to fear any hero to trap in !!!

AND it works the whole game early - late !!!

When you dont have BA you are not able to go in a 1v1 with a DPSler in late game, with BA you got the chose, sure you need a bit support but
you can take a DPSler for about 7 seconds out of the game and dont be
afraid that he will kill you !!!

[dune]

Your core items don't do much for his survivability.
As much as i hate Helm of the Black Legion, i do think it is viable on Phar.
Initiating ganks means diving into enemies, no point doing that if you die straight off the bat. You can't survive it with garbage hp.
Shaman's headress does help but what if it's not magic damage you're facing?
Again rather situational.
More hp is needed before starting on the luxury items.
@Cfab
You get phase boots because threads is garbage, and travel is unnecessary.
Because you need to whack when you're inside your mummies with the poor chap.
And i'm not sure if you can phase past your mummies anymore, you used to be able to.

Hmm... Helm of the Victim gives armour. Shaman's Headdress gives a decent amount of EHP and is ideal given your STR gain. All of Staff of the Master's components can go towards HP/EHP. If you're not fighting a heavy-nuking team (somehow), then you can forgo Headdress for Staff of the Master no problem. Occasionally I will buy a Iron Buckler, but never anything more. Helm of the Black Legion can go well, particularly given your particular playing style, but I would never say that it is better than Shaman's for survivability, ever. :D

I think there's plenty of survivability in the core.


@ Dune

Actually ... Barbed armor is a very good on him, you get armor and INT and you can handle nearly every hero in 1v1 because the time you are in your mumies you switch on your BA and the victim can stay and take your Damage or fight back AND die in seconds.

And most of the players dont hit immediatley the "hold" button, if you ever
combo in a torturer with active AOE skills you see what i mean, also you can face a hard DPS carry with low hp but a lot of damage/life steal.

So you can be sure that you got 5 seconds of doing what ever you want ... :D

Think about it

I don't like barbed armour at all. It looks good on paper but rarely, if ever, delivers. I'd prefer to put 2200 into something else, particularly when there are already precious few item slots available.

-Its damage increase is poor given you should be getting phase boots.
-Its stat gain is poor given the items you should be buying in its 'stead.
-Its active ability is poor for damage and really doesn't do much do deter attacks let alone giving you "5 seconds of doing what ever you want" (emphasis added).
-Its armour is worth a mention, but given the above points, it's just not worth it.

Such are my reasons for rejecting it.

EDIT: Far too situational as well.

[Snow_blinded]

From imba Negi3 guide on the DA forums:



Power Cogs = Wall of Mummies by the way. You should specify the situation a little more as for when to take Mummies at level 4. Also note that you can get Hellfire at level 1 if you're going for a First-Blood.

For Shrunken Head, well as an initiator you've already fulfilled your role. Therefore, you want the enemies to focus on you after you initiated instead of your other poor support/carry allies.

I've been wondering if Tormented Soul temporarily stops neutrals from respawning like it does in DotA.

There's a lot of useful gameplay tips in this thread if you wish to use it/add some of the content into your guide (but I don't think it'll be necessary): http://forums.dota-allstars.com/index.php?showtopic=295684

Good guide IMO :)


It does stop neutrals from spawning, if your soul lands so the previous creeps leave around 56-57 and the creepspawn is empty, it wont spawn any more creeps.

[Llama]

I'm curious as to why you say he needs a good farm. He is pretty item dependant from what I can tell, I played my first game with him last night, and went 1-0-14 by the time they conceded, I was level 16 and everyone else on my team was around level 19-20, didn't have any great items apart from a ulti stick, but was still feared as I could catch people out in the open and initiate properly, and thus be a useful asset to my team. While if the game had gone on any longer, I probably would've become a mere disabler with no hitting power, most str heroes do that anyway

[ShredderIV]

The only thing i would add to this guide is map awareness. Pharoah early game is one of the best chasers because of his soul. Keep map awareness, and if you see an enemy getting away from your allies early, even though it might be hard to time, shoot off a soul. If you get the timing down right, you can scare your opponents away from their fountain. This has gotten me 3-4 kills easy early game on a couple occasions.

How viable is this hero in high level play? I love him to bits, but everytime i play i get the impression that he has zero team-presence and he doesn't bring much to the table. Or am i just playing him ineffectively?

[dune]

In DotA he is still a decent pick (Clockwerk Goblin). Unfortunately his recent nerf has seen him get less gameplay than earlier, but he is still nevertheless not a bad hero at all. It would appear that he requires a good farm, however, in order to truly realise his potential. He is still a potent ganker and initiator.

[Padawanabee]

Pharaoh used to be one of my fave's, but after the Hellfire nerf I just can't play him anymore. A well played pharaoh absolutely wrecks teams even in higher levels of play.

And Pharaoh is fairly item dependent. He's not madman, in that even if all you have is SotM 40 minutes in you can still initiate, but at the same time if that's all you have your going to be initiating and that's it. Cuz you'll be dead.

[A`nub`is]

Whenever I buy SotM I screw up my ultimate 100% of the time -.-

[sterls]

i dont feel like writing up an entire guide but thought i'de post this and see what people thought..

if i EVER random pharoah, buy a mana tube at lvl 1, and welcome to unlimited mana, max rocket and hellfire asap, and farm that radiance much faster then this build. Did the same thing with Clock and it always owns.

If there is another initiator on the team then your laughing...

after mock, turn the perseverence into a nullstone, and finish up with staff of the master/behe heart.

[dune]

If you buy Mana Tube at level one, be prepared to die very quickly. You will have no bonus stats and no health regen. Any semi-competent player will harass you into submission.

Apart from that the items you listed are very good.

[Be1sebub]

Fine guide indeed

[Maocc]

Good guide. a couple disagreements.


It would appear that he requires a good farm, however, in order to truly realise his potential. He is still a potent ganker and initiator.

You insist on him farming. why. Pharaoh has extremely slow attack speed, and his only source of nuke is tormented soul, which works for last hitting. But you don't need to farm in order to realize his potential, all you need to do is gank. At level 7, you should have a level in wall of mummies, sacrificing tormented soul levels because lets face it, the damage from leveling TS leaves a lot to be desired. its great because you can harass a lane from afar when running in, but also scares them off sometimes. Where it really shines is controlling the map and giving vision to key points in the game.

Behind the tower, incoming ganks, river runes, its all awesome. The damage leaves a lot to be desired. By taking mummies you ensure more gank time and guranteed hellfire hits.

He doesn't need to farm if he properly shuts down the opponents early/mid game, like he's supposed to.

Oh, he's also one of the best solo mids in the game. While there are some hero's who are just absolutely amazing, pharaoh can devastate the mid lane with good tormented soul/hellfire usage. Since his skills require relatively little mana to use, controlling the runes allows you to spam your skills whenever without fear that you'll ever run out of mana. You can harass both lanes due to the fact that TS speed is good, and its a shorter distance than cross country.

this is just out of my experience though. Pharaoh is probably one of the best solo mids. With a mana battery for facing nukers, he's pretty much unstoppable.

[NytriK]

Decent guide, but i also think a dps build should be implemented, because as said before, clockwerk could easily carry, and so can pharoah.

[NytriK]

Good guide. a couple disagreements.



You insist on him farming. why. Pharaoh has extremely slow attack speed, and his only source of nuke is tormented soul, which works for last hitting. But you don't need to farm in order to realize his potential, all you need to do is gank. At level 7, you should have a level in wall of mummies, sacrificing tormented soul levels because lets face it, the damage from leveling TS leaves a lot to be desired. its great because you can harass a lane from afar when running in, but also scares them off sometimes. Where it really shines is controlling the map and giving vision to key points in the game.

Behind the tower, incoming ganks, river runes, its all awesome. The damage leaves a lot to be desired. By taking mummies you ensure more gank time and guranteed hellfire hits.

He doesn't need to farm if he properly shuts down the opponents early/mid game, like he's supposed to.

Oh, he's also one of the best solo mids in the game. While there are some hero's who are just absolutely amazing, pharaoh can devastate the mid lane with good tormented soul/hellfire usage. Since his skills require relatively little mana to use, controlling the runes allows you to spam your skills whenever without fear that you'll ever run out of mana. You can harass both lanes due to the fact that TS speed is good, and its a shorter distance than cross country.

this is just out of my experience though. Pharaoh is probably one of the best solo mids. With a mana battery for facing nukers, he's pretty much unstoppable.

I definately agree that he is an amazing solo mid, but that does not deny the need for farm, every char in the game, even ophelia, requires farm to be effective. If you are not focusing on last hit/denying, then you will not have the hp/regen to be able to tower dive mid game, and you will get wrecked when you initiate.

[dune]

Good guide. a couple disagreements.



You insist on him farming. why. Pharaoh has extremely slow attack speed, and his only source of nuke is tormented soul, which works for last hitting. But you don't need to farm in order to realize his potential, all you need to do is gank. At level 7, you should have a level in wall of mummies, sacrificing tormented soul levels because lets face it, the damage from leveling TS leaves a lot to be desired. its great because you can harass a lane from afar when running in, but also scares them off sometimes. Where it really shines is controlling the map and giving vision to key points in the game.

Behind the tower, incoming ganks, river runes, its all awesome. The damage leaves a lot to be desired. By taking mummies you ensure more gank time and guranteed hellfire hits.

He doesn't need to farm if he properly shuts down the opponents early/mid game, like he's supposed to.

This is true, which is why I don't believe that I stated he should be farming all game. He should be farming the early game because it is almost a necessity to get Shaman's Headdress and Staff of the Master. It is a good idea to gank when you can, yes, but it is vital that you farm as well otherwise all you will be able to do is Wrath of the Pharaoh in, pop Hellfire, Mummies and die swiftly due to focused nuking. Thus, I stand by my point that to fully realise the potential of Pharaoh, you need to get a decent farm going. This, by no means, states that I advocate farming up five CS/min for 40 minutes so you can get Mock + Behe Heart + Frostfield all at once, but it does mean that you can't sit there all early-game with a thumb up your arse getting no more than one or two CS/min.

The reason I prefer leveling soul is not solely for the Damage increase, but for the Cooldown decrease. Just look at the DPS from the spell:

Level 1: 80 / 30 = 2.67
Level 2: 120 / 25 = 4.8
Level 3: 160 / 20 = 8
Level 4: 200 / 15 = 13.33

As you can see, it increases exponentially. Now consider that at level one, you will only be able to get the Soul off once in a gank, realistically, without having to snipe a second soul. This evidently gives off a paltry 60 damage after magic armour. Now at level two, you will still only really be able to get one off in a single gank giving only 90 damage after magic armour. However, once level three comes about, you can easily see getting off two decent souls in one gank, which comes to a rather handsome 240 damage after magic armour - the same as getting off a standard level four nuke from many other heroes.

Although I do admit that a good Wall of Mummies will help early on, I do not like it in comparison to increasing Soul that one extra level. You'd be amazed at how potent being able to throw two souls in can be, particularly in comparison to the three seconds you can trap someone in for (assuming that it goes off well and they do not escape).


Oh, he's also one of the best solo mids in the game. While there are some hero's who are just absolutely amazing, pharaoh can devastate the mid lane with good tormented soul/hellfire usage. Since his skills require relatively little mana to use, controlling the runes allows you to spam your skills whenever without fear that you'll ever run out of mana. You can harass both lanes due to the fact that TS speed is good, and its a shorter distance than cross country.

this is just out of my experience though. Pharaoh is probably one of the best solo mids. With a mana battery for facing nukers, he's pretty much unstoppable.

Indeed, he can be powerful at mid, but as you said earlier, he has a slow attack speed and only has only one decent nuke. As far as solo-heroes go he is good, but there are many better. I'm not ruling out the possibility of a solo-mid Pharaoh, but I cannot say that it would be entirely beneficial to have him mid instead of, say, Soulstealer or equivalent.

Thank you very much for your criticisms. I do hope that others looking at this guide will read them and take them into account ^.^

[dune]

I first apologise for the double-post.


Decent guide, but i also think a dps build should be implemented, because as said before, clockwerk could easily carry, and so can pharoah.

In order to build him as a DPS, one only need complete the Mock of Brilliance and Frostfield Plate. That, along with the Enhanced Marchers now giving a bonus 30% swing-speed, will ensure that you can keep fairly well in comparison to many heroes. I should note that such a build is entirely dependent on your farm. A poor farm will ensure that you will struggle to get much more beyond the core build.

[HatTrick]

Dune, you should add that little tidbit about the comparison in adding that extra level to soul. I always add mummies at four, but not to trap.. I would walk behind the heroes in my lane for them to bump into my mummies, I then exit the back and hellfire, hopefully they bump into mummies again. However, you've convinced me otherwise. Great post!

[Grist]

Excellent guide on Pharaoh. You seem to know your stuff and have a viable retort for every situation people have thrown at you. Great job!

P.S. Pharaoh is one of the only STR characters I like to play.

[Lolololage]

How do you deal with heroes effectivly if they have an escape mechanism? Like valk or mage bane.

I just played a game with a valk who was next to unkillable because of his jump, we won eventually but were really struggling to take him and i didnt feel like i was helping much.

[dune]

How do you deal with heroes effectivly if they have an escape mechanism? Like valk or mage bane.

I just played a game with a valk who was next to unkillable because of his jump, we won eventually but were really struggling to take him and i didnt feel like i was helping much.

There are three suggestions to this.

The least potent is to get an item like Hellflower or Totem - though this depends on an incredibly good farm.

The next (and probably first of the most advisable) option is to wait for him to Leap first, then use your Ulti to grab onto her and pop the Wall of Mummies.

The final, and easiest way, is to simply co-ordinate an attack with your teammates. Anyone with a Hex or good stun would be ideal.

[Lolololage]

Thanks, another couple of questions.

When would you advise, if ever, getting mummies early? The 3 second hold has numerous uses, especially if you can instantly use the combo at lvl 6, however i can see great use in all of his spells, so it's a difficult one to decide for me.

Also, when would you advise AGAINST using your ult/mummies/hellfire, aside from the obvious times like "your ulting into their entire team"

[dune]

I would advise getting Mummies early if it looks like you are going to have trouble farming and leveling and you'll have problems with keeping a gank-target from moving (i.e. if your team does have enough stun/disable). You can also consider taking Mummies at level eight or nine if you feel like you aren't putting out enough damage and have a good ranged hero like Soulstealer or Arachna who will be with you on the gank.

I don't quite understand what you're asking in the second part. It is your job to Ulti into the entire team! You are the team's initiator and thus you should be jumping in first to catch them off-guard. Apart from that, I'm not too sure. Don't use Hellfire on creeps generally, it doesn't do good AoE damage. Don't rely on Mummies for the damage or if it will block off a teammate. Don't use your ulti if there are too many creeps which can block it.

[Lolololage]

Does it not go through creeps? im sure ive been putting it through them. The reason i say this is because last game i was surprised when it missed, because i put it through the path of user controlled creeps (tempest elementals) and they blocked it.

So either ive been getting really lucky with the normal creeps or im missing them on subconciously...

[HatTrick]

The ultimate does go through allied creeps UNTIL you build a Staff of Masters (which is the #1 complaint most players have with it) --- however, strike an enemy creep will cause you to warp to him. If the Tempest was on the other team, you should of hooked his elementals. Or you got stupidly unlucky and fell just barely short of the proper range.

I don't get the staff as much as Dune_ endorses it, as late game my initiating ability is strengthened by building a Frostfield Plate instead of StoM in the core build. But don't listen to me! Dune's the pro :P

[Lolololage]

The ultimate does go through allied creeps UNTIL you build a Staff of Masters (which is the #1 complaint most players have with it) --- however, strike an enemy creep will cause you to warp to him. If the Tempest was on the other team, you should of hooked his elementals. Or you got stupidly unlucky and fell just barely short of the proper range.

I don't get the staff as much as Dune_ endorses it, as late game my initiating ability is strengthened by building a Frostfield Plate instead of StoM in the core build. But don't listen to me! Dune's the pro :P

Hmm, see that idea is liked by me, but every time i get the staff crap just dies. However hitting allied creeps is a downside to be honest, especially as the tooltip says in bright green "Enemy units or allied heroes"

20 second cool down really is worth its weight in gold. And mummies seem to do the job of frostfield anyway.

EDIT: And yes, allied creeps makes sense now.

[Murie]

Just wondering what your opinion was on building a couple bracers,boots, and rushing mock? between hellfire,wall of mummies and your ult it does some pretty devastating damage mid-game.

Worked well in a pub-stomp, just curious if you would see any other situations it could be done in.

[Lolololage]

Just wondering what your opinion was on building a couple bracers,boots, and rushing mock? between hellfire,wall of mummies and your ult it does some pretty devastating damage mid-game.

Worked well in a pub-stomp, just curious if you would see any other situations it could be done in.

I would think that mock would make him a bit too squishy mid game. He really needs at least a helm of the victim and bottle to work effectivly early game, and getting mock after these items might be a bit late.



For my own question, i think im improoving with pharaoh, but i still have real difficulty late game surviving.

I go with phase/shammans/staff of master/barrier idol but later on i just dont seem to do the damage. I keep seeing referance to pharaoh being really good late game if farmed, but even with farm i seem to be mediocre at this stage.

What should my aims as pharoah be within the team late game?

Note that it is just late game (especially when the team seems to be almost constantly together for teamfights) i seem to be having problems now, early and mid game are just domination, so i EXPECT to be told that he just isnt as good late game, but i just keep seeing otherwise on the forumss, so its making me question how i use him.

[HatTrick]

Just wondering what your opinion was on building a couple bracers,boots, and rushing mock? between hellfire,wall of mummies and your ult it does some pretty devastating damage mid-game.

Worked well in a pub-stomp, just curious if you would see any other situations it could be done in.


You will die very easily anytime you mummy someone due to having almost 0 magic defense. The only rewarding thing is the farming potential. I say this from experience. Mock of Brilliance is most definitely a luxery item, and even then I would recommend Frostfield Plate before it for all the extra mana, the great initiating feature, and the extra armor to compliment the Shaman's Headdress YOU SHOULD already have. Just my opinion, I'm an absolutely addicted Pharaoh fan haha

[DImported]

I just played a few games as Pharaoh and followed this guide. I was wondering, is it really necessary to get the power supply? I've felt that it was just a waste of space in my inventory. In the games I played, I had to build shaman's headdress in the stash because I had no inventory room. Is it possible to just use bottle?

[turdle]

bad guide

[PsychoClown]

bad guide

bad troll

[Whiteblade]

I just played a few games as Pharaoh and followed this guide. I was wondering, is it really necessary to get the power supply? I've felt that it was just a waste of space in my inventory. In the games I played, I had to build shaman's headdress in the stash because I had no inventory room. Is it possible to just use bottle?

I'm no expert on Pharaoh but I use this general rule for any hero: if the team is heavy on spell-casters or melees that can spam abilities then get power supply. Otherwise it is a waste of space compared to the bottle which works every time.

[Mizaru1]

One thing being overlooked is the fact that barbed armor returns nuke dmg as well, which can churn out some pretty interesting situations.

Hmm watched a recent high lvl replay of MYM vs MCity in dota. Particular interesting was the weird items in the game.

Mcity had Ursa and to counter him, 3 guys from MYM all bought barbed armor, including clock. Clock went the standard battery bracer bottle build then rushed headress. After that he went barbed armor.

Was a pretty funny and interesting sight indeed. But just some tidbits to add, barbed armor might change the flow of team clashes in some situations as once u init and start to get hit abit, turn on ur barb. But that does not only apply to dps cases.

U will be surprise at how the enemy team will hesitate and are not sure whether to turn nuke u or dps u. Keep in mind that barb will return magic damage as well...and return nukes hurt int hero so much that they will drop in a few hits from ur clean ups in the teams. If a pyro was stupid enuf to ulti u, he is so dead.

With all the spells n nukes flying in, ur gaining charges for battery and heal, then heal from bottle, and denting the enemy at the same time. Also blows their cooldown. Its a pretty huge swap for squishies imo.

This situation gives u the much added time to run amok around their lines with hellfire active, and irritate the hell out of them. Its not that situational as the range dps that can hit u are mostly squishies (arachna and esp puppet if his whiplash ulti crit, he is so dead)

Its just my opinion though, as although barb armor may not seem that gd, it gives u good mind games, esp with some such as pharaoh.

[marbas]

barbed armor hmm interesting i have to try this

i like this heroe very much but sometimes enemy survive till late game and there i have problem with pharaoh... he is so weak. Now i try to rush mock after i have enough hp becouse there is no other dmg item for him.

[HatTrick]

Its a pub item because its just like Accursed's ultimate. Most people are smart enough not to attack/nuke him.

[Mizaru1]

Its a pub item because its just like Accursed's ultimate. Most people are smart enough not to attack/nuke him.


i wont call ppl in MYM pubs....its the Farm4fame competition if im not wrong. Well on general its abit pubby, but for pharaoh it works, cos them not nuking u means u have the free reign to go in and ministun, interrupting their moves. U can try it, works great. as u dnt really need very expensive cores.

[the_hoff]

RE: Mana Battery

I prefer to get it on him unless the other team really doesn't have any proactive skill casters. A couple of charges can give you an extra cast of a skill of your choice, provided that they aren't on cooldown. Pharaoh is pretty spell-based so I prefer it over the extra 3 STR a bracer would give me instead.

[DImported]

Thanks for the feedback. Considering it has easier buildup and more utility than a bracer, I'll probably continue to get mana battery on him.

[Twine]

Great guide, and grats on premium!

[Boduar]

Insanitarius is made for pharaoh. Disagree a lot with item choices though so I guess its just personal preference.

[dune]

Re: Power Supply

You are quite correct that it is not necessarily ideal, particularly against a team which does not cast spells. However, I hope you can give me leniency for expecting that the readers of this guide are intelligent and capable of realising that although I list items and skill builds, they are not necessarily concrete in their application.

Re: Barbed Armour

I have found Barbed Armour to be much more effective than previous versions, however it is not particularly suited for Pharaoh, in my opinion. It is one of those items which could be situational, but is still far too situational to warrant consideration over, say, going towards a Behemoth Heart. I'm not saying never get this item, but I would most definitely discourage over-use of it.

@Boduar

I couldn't disagree more. Insanitarius, although a nice item, is not as good for Pharaoh as a fair deal of other items. As I've said many times, Pharaoh's damage is not necessarily from his attack. The largest advantage gained from Insanitarius would be the bonus HP which can be elsewhere gained (along with an incredibly potent ultimate boost) from SotM.

[Saucery]

I'm not sure if this item has been mentioned before but Storm Spirit is by far one of my favorite items as Pharoah. Every stat on it is useful and it is a nice and cheap way to build for mana regen. The movement speed and the cyclone effect combined with phase boots makes you virtually impossible to escape from and lets you place hellfire/wall much easier and on opponents who would normally get away. The cyclone can also be used on yourself after you initiate with ulti/wall if you foresee incoming aoe damage ontop of where you are.

Ontop of that the ordinary uses of cyclone, as a cheap disable and second initiation spell, are also extremely useful.

[sHoWTiMe]

I have a question about pharao's ultimate.

'The drag' they mention is not the initial charge right? It's after he's reached the location, he slides a little bit forth and stuns units and damages them.

Is this correct?

And why do people keep saying that sotm is a bad item on pharaoh because it makes his ultimate 'harder to place' they say.

[manicpyro]

And why do people keep saying that sotm is a bad item on pharaoh because it makes his ultimate 'harder to place' they say.

Because they're bad. Who doesn't want a 20sec cooldown on a 3000 range blink. Its not like his ult was slow and hard to hit with or something...

[Davidion]

Because they're bad. Who doesn't want a 20sec cooldown on a 3000 range blink. Its not like his ult was slow and hard to hit with or something...

My guess is that because the initial projectile now latches onto ally heroes, you now no longer have a 360 degrees of approach. It'll no longer be possible, for instance, to come from behind your team and ult an enemy hero from behind their cover. You also run the risk having an ally hero stop your ult short.

[budbaron]

ever tried barbed armor on pharaoh? had some epic lols today using it after initiating with my ult...

[IPlayForKeep]

I know you put this into the end of your skill build explanation as an if you think you need it, so I just wanted to give some input on the guide.

For one I did not see a solo mid skill build on there, actually your build is the solo mid build for Pharaoh, in a duel lane pharaoh should get mummies at level 4 then hellfire at 5 ulti then max hellfire, then go on with maxing tormented, you only really need one level of tormented.

I may be wrong because I only play Pharaoh in scrims really, when I play him in pubs I do my scrimming strats with him....

other than that great guide though.

[i_am_da_pwn]

Why is this guide Premium when there's a typo right in its title?

[PsychoClown]

Why is this guide Premium when there's a typo right in its title?

Seriously, thats the first time I noticed that. o.O

[dune]

I know you put this into the end of your skill build explanation as an if you think you need it, so I just wanted to give some input on the guide.

For one I did not see a solo mid skill build on there, actually your build is the solo mid build for Pharaoh, in a duel lane pharaoh should get mummies at level 4 then hellfire at 5 ulti then max hellfire, then go on with maxing tormented, you only really need one level of tormented.

I may be wrong because I only play Pharaoh in scrims really, when I play him in pubs I do my scrimming strats with him....

other than that great guide though.

This was one of the problems I had whilst writing the guide - simply the versatility of Pharaoh's skill picks. If I was going to cover every option that I have played or have seen being played (well) then the suggested skill build would be outrageously complicated, essentially suggesting any of his skills during his levels. I've seen Hellfire first or TS first; Mummies as early as levels two, three, four, five; Ulti not taken until 10/11. The sheer amount of possibilities for the skill build is so vast as to be impracticable to document without quite literally adding a list which looks like:

"1) TS/Hellfire
2) TS/Hellfire/Mummies
3) TS/Hellfire/Mummies
4) TS/Hellfire/Mummies
5) TS/Hellfire/Mummies
6) TS/Hellfire/Mummies/Ulti"
Etc ad nauseam.

The best I can do with the guide is give out my most used skill build which focusses on TS and Hellfire and mention that Mummies are an option, particularly at level four.

And yes, there is still a type in the title. Not a lot I can do about it without Moderator assisstance.

[crayze]

Mm.. I would max TS before Hellfire, TBH. Here's why:

1) better sight b/c shorter cooldown
2) good nuking ability, can help a fight from anywhere on the map
3) hellfire and mummies scale down (the first level of both gives far far greater benefits than the last levels) whereas TS scales up (the last level gives more of a benefit than each of the previous levels outside of the first) because of the less cd + more damage - thus it makes sense to take 1 hellfire (chain stun stops many attack animations), 1 mummies (3 sec disable for small mana cost is a huge thing in ganking), and then 3 TS + 1 wrath by level 6. if you can farm phase boot, bottle, and mana battery by 6-8 with this build, you will pretty much dominate, but even a weaker farm such as bottle/batt/boots

[Tunen]

Enhanced Marchers - 1550 (500 + 500 + 500) ^^

Great guide, with loads of details! thx again

[LightRain]

crayze: currently the second level of hellfire does triple the damage of the first level. the third is 1.6 times the second, the fourth is 1.4 times the third. I prefer having at least level 2 Hellfire because without I feel I'm not a threat on my own. I go hf/ts-ts/hf-hf-mummies-hf-ult-ts-ts-ts-hf-ult then mummies and stats.
(and I don't get mummies when I solo mid, pick them up between 7-9 instead)
So I guess I do max Soul before Fire, but I get to level 3 fire before level 2 Soul - usually. As dune said, Pharaoh is flexible. Some games I will max TS asap to harass in lane, but if I'm against a battery/supply this is usually a bad idea. It depends on how squishy your targets are, who you're laning with, whether you have a long stun/hold (to set up mummies better) etc.

[JoeMartin]

My guess is that because the initial projectile now latches onto ally heroes, you now no longer have a 360 degrees of approach. It'll no longer be possible, for instance, to come from behind your team and ult an enemy hero from behind their cover. You also run the risk having an ally hero stop your ult short.

Basically this. I'll usually get a sotm, but after I do there's times when I'm furiously yelling at my team mates to get the **** out of the way so I can ult someone running. It's less of a serious issue than some people make it sound (especially when playing with a cooperative team), and being able to hook out of fights has definitely saved me on several occasions, but it can also be incredibly frustrating in pubs sometimes.

[LADYDIVINE]

You should add ancient stacking into the guide.

[Tigerprawn]

What do you guys think about Harkon's as a luxury item?

Activate it prior to a gank, hook+fire+mummy combo and then you're auto attacking for magic dmg + -5 MA which is advantageous to your Hellfire. Thoughts?

[Kylowinit]

blademails own on this dude.

[bEwiE]

Great Guide !

[Hex1k]

Haha first time someone noticed that in the forums. Anyways pharoah is pretty weak in competitive (at least in dota) so in pubs i might as well just build him up to dps. The items parts give regen early game ( ring of basiluss, Ring of rengen, Helm of iron will) for laning. Once you finish these items pharoah could probably solo kill the opponents carry with his combo( because the stun thingy will affect their attack animation)


his attack animation is somewhat slow and mocks my poor farming ability. lol im getting better though.

and pharoah is an often-used hero in competetive and honleague matches.

Bkid is the person who made me start wanting to play pharoah, he is simply amazing. go WHP

[caveviS]

His attack animation is actually pretty good in my experience, he just has a large attack cooldown due to his mediocre to low agi & agi gain - which isn't very important for last hitting. Pharaoh is also a viable candidate for Logger's Hatchet which make him a virtually unmatched in last hitting.

[JoeMartin]

his attack animation is somewhat slow and mocks my poor farming ability. lol im getting better though.

He has the second best melee attack animation in the game.

[Shiri]

How do you play pharaoh solo mid? I keep reading about him doing it, and the last time I tried it I did ok, but that was against a hellbringer (1700ish) who couldn't really harrass me out of the lane fast enough. What items do you start with? I think I had hatchet heal potx2 mana potx1 (no idea why) 3x minor totem. How do you deal with harrassment from other strong solos? Do you level up spirit for better harrassment(do you even harrass your own lane or one of the side lanes?) Hellfire seems pretty tough against most solo mids like tb, ss, etc. given that the tower distance is so short...and you have no one to set it up for you. Are there any vids somewhere of someone doing this well? Relatedly, I keep hearing about pebbles doing the same thing...is this just a micro issue?

[PsychoClown]

How do you play pharaoh solo mid? I keep reading about him doing it, and the last time I tried it I did ok, but that was against a hellbringer (1700ish) who couldn't really harrass me out of the lane fast enough. What items do you start with? I think I had hatchet heal potx2 mana potx1 (no idea why) 3x minor totem. How do you deal with harrassment from other strong solos? Do you level up spirit for better harrassment(do you even harrass your own lane or one of the side lanes?) Hellfire seems pretty tough against most solo mids like tb, ss, etc. given that the tower distance is so short...and you have no one to set it up for you. Are there any vids somewhere of someone doing this well? Relatedly, I keep hearing about pebbles doing the same thing...is this just a micro issue?

Watch some WHP games. They send bkid mid as pharaoh twice I recall.

[Shiri]

Ok, where do I get hold of those?

EDIT: Nevermind, I found it. It didn't focus too much on mid though, shame. I see I was doing it wrong picking steamboots for tanking instead of enhanced for hellfire chasing though, so at least I learnt something.

[elongated]

@ dune guide creator.
Bit upset to not even see a mention for force staff (tablet of command) it is an item that works so well with mummies/hellfire. also as an escape mechanism (takes some practice. i.e. jumping off cliffs etc)
I mean 900 quarter staff. 1000 int 10+ item, 300 recipe is a really easy farm. I admit it does stray from your 'core build' but there is room for it there after your bottle, power supply phase boots glow stone or helm (all a MUST with pharaoh) yes there are some games where power supply is absolutely useless. Although these games are usually stupid pub stacks with 3+agil carry?s who use no spells, (games u shouldn?t be playing in the first place imo)
Back on topic the synergy is too good to go past imo such a versatile item that works well with the hero. 25mana is nothing 25second cd, 800range (WAY under appreciated)

Although I don?t fully agree with your guide I can see how it 'takes best advantage' of the hero still a good guide for people new to the game/hero.
imo for this guide to deserve premium should include a list of good allied hero?s as well as bad/good enemies to vs as well as screen shots of where to use rocket (TS) to maximize effectiveness. More so with this hero coz it does require allot of explaining to 'get right' yes this is a LOT of effort but after all it is a ?premium guide? right?
Keep in mind this is all positive feed back in no way am I trying to put down this good guide. J

__________________________________________________ _________________
When to use tablet of command? (With pharaoh) too name a few but not limited to

Offensive
Vsing a solo enemy hero in lane? Let your self be 800 units away from the hero wait for them to face you tablet, mummies, hellfire, bash skull in. they wont expect this unless really decent player.

Chasing a hero with phase from enhanced marchers hellfire but still not fast enough? Tablet yourself to the target, mummies, bash in skull reep gold from kill.


Defensive
run to a bottle necked area in woods / juke spot tablet your self follow IMMEDIATELY with mummies attack front mummy run to freedom or teleport out. (This insures you don?t mummy pursuers with u. also helps with fog of war enemies loosing sight

Being chased by multiple heroes in the forest/ river?
Click close to the edge of the nearest cliff (so that you?re facing the right direction)
Activate tablet of command (hotkey vital) click off cliff and u r forced by this magical tablet down the cliff away from enemy Allies being chased/ targeted and running away?

Tablet them to help them escape (communication vital /not recommended with pub nooblets) u don?t want them to be forced back into the enemy. Since tablet works only in the direction that the target is facing.

By using tablet of command you give your self another option to ultimate making you a more versatile ganker early/mid game. The item does loose value VERY late game however its merit from before then is defiantly worth the 2200 gold

Tablet of command also has many other nifty tricks like canceling channeling spells

I have been playing dota for three years prior to hon though this is irrelevant since clockwork/force staff are relatively new additions to the game any way :P

This is my first post on hon forum and am very interested in a response on the relevance of tablet of command.

Thank you and sorry for really long post ::p

[caveviS]

How do you play pharaoh solo mid? I keep reading about him doing it, and the last time I tried it I did ok, but that was against a hellbringer (1700ish) who couldn't really harrass me out of the lane fast enough. What items do you start with? I think I had hatchet heal potx2 mana potx1 (no idea why) 3x minor totem. How do you deal with harrassment from other strong solos? Do you level up spirit for better harrassment(do you even harrass your own lane or one of the side lanes?) Hellfire seems pretty tough against most solo mids like tb, ss, etc. given that the tower distance is so short...and you have no one to set it up for you. Are there any vids somewhere of someone doing this well? Relatedly, I keep hearing about pebbles doing the same thing...is this just a micro issue?

Just use Tormented Soul in your lane on cooldown. Play it by ear but against most decent solo mids you'll need to play defensively at the start - you have a great attack animation so pop in to get a last hit and get back out of range. Also creep pull so that his creeps are on your side of the wave. If he comes in range to attack you he'll get heavy aggro from your creeps + it makes last hitting easier.

You can play it aggressively and position yourself basically up the hill / on his side of the creep wave. Hellfire chasing is a huge threat to squishy early game heroes, and some people would be forced back by this kind of play. I wouldn't do this though unless I'm against another melee mid, they're just not very good players, or they're a low threat hero. i.e. Moon Queen has terrible attack range, mediocre damage, is squishy, and her nukes aren't threatening until level 3. Against her I would just play very offensively.

You absolutely need to rush bottle (should have it by 2-3m max). Once you've got it, use rocket to scout for runes on the even minutes. It has 10 seconds of vision, so fire it around x:51 seconds to get vision of the rune and anybody else possibly trying to grab it. If you control runes you'll easily outlane your solo. Once you grab a rune you can gank a side lane with it if it's a good rune, or you can just go back mid. They'll probably push the lane a bit with you not being there, so you can run up from behind their ramp and get in range for hellfire that way.

You can also get in hellfire against overly cocky mids. When you're positioned offensively, you'll be able to see them come up to nuke/attack you, in which case you can activate hellfire. Standard reaction from mid-skill players is to run away from their creep waves to their tower, which works out in your advantage since all of your hellfire ticks are going to be hitting them, and you can tower dive pretty effectively if you're laning against somebody without a disable.

[tyze]

You should add ancient stacking into the guide.

I know this is just a start but:
When I'm playing Hellborn here is about where i shoot (green line, red line will work but the green also gives you vision of the rune) and the times associated with the shot. It takes about 7 seconds to make it half way down (vertical) across the whole map.

http://imgur.com/PbP1z.jpg

I have had some issues with creeps not restacking because the the vision is still over the area so it's best to try and just hit the edge of the area so that the "vision" doesn't prevent creep stacking. (See how the circle above only slightly overlaps the neutral area).

A note that after about 4-7 successful stacks you may start killing some of the ancients (depending on how fast your leveling Tormented Soul), so it may be best to recommend your carries go pick them off in between your stacking for easy gold/xp. This is a good time as well because carries in the bottom or middle lane shouldn't have pushed too far into their lane just yet (because they are usually focusing on farming). The carry could also creep stack this group while picking off these ancients, freeing you to creep stack another group.

[Shiri]

Just use Tormented Soul in your lane on cooldown. Play it by ear but against most decent solo mids you'll need to play defensively at the start - you have a great attack animation so pop in to get a last hit and get back out of range. Also creep pull so that his creeps are on your side of the wave. If he comes in range to attack you he'll get heavy aggro from your creeps + it makes last hitting easier.

You can play it aggressively and position yourself basically up the hill / on his side of the creep wave. Hellfire chasing is a huge threat to squishy early game heroes, and some people would be forced back by this kind of play. I wouldn't do this though unless I'm against another melee mid, they're just not very good players, or they're a low threat hero. i.e. Moon Queen has terrible attack range, mediocre damage, is squishy, and her nukes aren't threatening until level 3. Against her I would just play very offensively.

You absolutely need to rush bottle (should have it by 2-3m max). Once you've got it, use rocket to scout for runes on the even minutes. It has 10 seconds of vision, so fire it around x:51 seconds to get vision of the rune and anybody else possibly trying to grab it. If you control runes you'll easily outlane your solo. Once you grab a rune you can gank a side lane with it if it's a good rune, or you can just go back mid. They'll probably push the lane a bit with you not being there, so you can run up from behind their ramp and get in range for hellfire that way.

You can also get in hellfire against overly cocky mids. When you're positioned offensively, you'll be able to see them come up to nuke/attack you, in which case you can activate hellfire. Standard reaction from mid-skill players is to run away from their creep waves to their tower, which works out in your advantage since all of your hellfire ticks are going to be hitting them, and you can tower dive pretty effectively if you're laning against somebody without a disable.
Thanks, I'll try and incorporate that. What items do you start with?

[caveviS]

Thanks, I'll try and incorporate that. What items do you start with?

If I'm solo middle: logger's hatchet, courier, minor totem, runes of blight. It sucks having so little stats, but you need the hatchet from the start to compete with a competent middle, and courier is one the two most important items for every game (the second being wards). If somebody else is getting courier (which ideally they should, but you can't control it if you're pubbing and/or have no support) then just get another minor totem and a mana battery or some stats.

If I'm in a dual lane I'll usually not bother with a hatchet (still get courier if nobody else is) and just get mana batter/stats again.

[Audio]

Sweet.

[heberborj]

versatile, cool and annoying hero. he's skill makes enemies loose their confidence roaming around the map.. i also love the scene where i successfully hooked an enemy and make them say "WTF!"

[Shiri]

If I'm solo middle: logger's hatchet, courier, minor totem, runes of blight. It sucks having so little stats, but you need the hatchet from the start to compete with a competent middle, and courier is one the two most important items for every game (the second being wards). If somebody else is getting courier (which ideally they should, but you can't control it if you're pubbing and/or have no support) then just get another minor totem and a mana battery or some stats.

If I'm in a dual lane I'll usually not bother with a hatchet (still get courier if nobody else is) and just get mana batter/stats again.
I guess the hatchet is kind of equivalent to the stats at least as lasthitting goes, depending on the lane, noted. Now to figure out how to creep pull. Whenever I try it, my guy runs towards the enemy hero, but the creeps don't break off from their infighting until I'm ridiculously close and they're all smacking me for little chunks of damage and then I get tagged on the way back out anyway. V. annoying.

[Magaa]

guide pretty much fail

1.barbed armor is by far the best item for him,in ANY situation,youll be in front,youll be getting hell of alot dmg,and you will die most of the time....why not use it ?

2. pharao needs farm ? ok i stoped reading there

3.pharao is a very good mid hero as well try him out with bottle mid..

[Ameefmu]

Magaa, it got accepted as a premium guide. You won't gain anything by saying "this guide is fail." It's better to keep that opinion to yourself, and provide some quality, logical feedback.
But I guess, if you stopped reading at "needs farm" then you didn't finish the rest of the thread, and realise that everything you said was already covered.

[Oblivion291]

guide pretty much fail

1.barbed armor is by far the best item for him,in ANY situation,youll be in front,youll be getting hell of alot dmg,and you will die most of the time....why not use it ?

2. pharao needs farm ? ok i stoped reading there

3.pharao is a very good mid hero as well try him out with bottle mid..

Barbed Armor is generally a bad item. If you wanted survivability, then get items that'll help you tank. If you wanted to damage the opposing team, then get dps items or stick with surviving. Being alive can cause a lot more damage than being dead. Barbed armor is not a hybrid for it.

[Magaa]

Barbed Armor is generally a bad item. If you wanted survivability, then get items that'll help you tank. If you wanted to damage the opposing team, then get dps items or stick with surviving. Being alive can cause a lot more damage than being dead. Barbed armor is not a hybrid for it.


yea generaly a bad item,thats why its used in EVERY MATCH in HIGH tier play in DOTA/HON....watched some replays of fnatic/asians lately? i think not

[WSLaFleur]

I'd never thought to consider the mirror effect of our opposing top/bottom lanes, very innovative. I'd like to see some of your opinions on matchups for Pharaoh.

[Saucery]

The new nomes has amazing stats for pharoah

[Gredenko]

Barbed Armor is generally a bad item. If you wanted survivability, then get items that'll help you tank. If you wanted to damage the opposing team, then get dps items or stick with surviving. Being alive can cause a lot more damage than being dead. Barbed armor is not a hybrid for it.Use it to delay your death so that you can somehow make a second wave of spells.

Would HotBL be a good item on this hero if early you know you're gonna be really offensive and you know you're gonna get focused?

[XReaperX]

I've been playing with pharaoh a lot lately and am finding SotM a bit over kill. I rarely need his ult every 20 seconds. By the time you get SotM, it is at a point in the game where all fights are 5v5... usually you ult once to either initiate or pick someone off, and by the time 20 seconds are up, I am dead or they are dead. SOMETIMES I can use it again to chase a straggler, but more often than not I find that I am not using it.

I think you should skip the Staff and go for more support/survivability... tome, tablet, heart, bkb, whatever helps.

[whodeyis]

I think you should lane mid if you are going to play pharoah.

[Deadrin]

When I played pharaoh I had a problem of killing the enemy once inside my wall of mummies. I would have my stun on but would do very little damage. This was long ago maybe I sucked then.

But I remember thinking that I want to hit faster and do more dmg. Is there a viable build toward that end?

[Comfortabull]

I liked the guide very much since pharaoh is by far one of my favorite heroes but there is one thing that i didn't see on there! :(

The guide says that you shouldn't really put more than 1 point into Mummies early on, but i find myself maxing this skill first solely for the potential to harass the mana out of my enemies, this is especially usefull when I find myself laning against a swiftblade type hero and can just keep him below XX mana by harassing mummies.

Not only for the harass potential but if you place your mummies right you can allow your lane mate to gank them by cutting off their escape route.

[DImported]

I liked the guide very much since pharaoh is by far one of my favorite heroes but there is one thing that i didn't see on there! :(

The guide says that you shouldn't really put more than 1 point into Mummies early on, but i find myself maxing this skill first solely for the potential to harass the mana out of my enemies, this is especially usefull when I find myself laning against a swiftblade type hero and can just keep him below XX mana by harassing mummies.

Not only for the harass potential but if you place your mummies right you can allow your lane mate to gank them by cutting off their escape route.
But if you do that, you'll be lacking mana for Hellfire and rune scouting with Tormented Soul.

[sidsavierre]

I've been playing with pharaoh a lot lately and am finding SotM a bit over kill. I rarely need his ult every 20 seconds. By the time you get SotM, it is at a point in the game where all fights are 5v5... usually you ult once to either initiate or pick someone off, and by the time 20 seconds are up, I am dead or they are dead. SOMETIMES I can use it again to chase a straggler, but more often than not I find that I am not using it.

I think you should skip the Staff and go for more support/survivability... tome, tablet, heart, bkb, whatever helps.

thats why i rarely buy SoTM on him.

[Rommi]

Nice pictures, i see you have Blurred minor totems or sth =D?

[Hi]

uppp!

My pharaoh build i go for most of the times.

hatchet / buckler / runes

875g asap -> lifetube.

power supply/bottle

hotbl

-sometimes puzzlebox depending if i'm in the mood or if there's invis heroes

If no puzzlebox, then straight to sotm. I find the short CD and more importantly the ability to use it on your teamates very useful. If there's an ally 3000 range from you, you can cling to them to get away from danger or whatever. It's saved me countless times

[Strills]

Pharaoh is probably my favorite hero. I'm pretty new to the game so I mostly play pubs. I think, as already stated, that some more offensive items work better in pubs. Although what you recommend I'm sure is better for more serious matches.

Anyways I usually start with Ring of the Teacher for the Mana Regeneration which allows me to spam the spells pretty much all the time. Also gives some Damage and Armor, as a bonus. Then I'll also buy a mana battery from the secret shop and later upgrade it. I'll also buy and Iron Shield, later to swap it with HotBL. I'll also pick up Shamans Headdress.

I also build a pair of Bracers for the stats. Then when I've completed my Ghost Marchers I'm pretty much done with my core.
I usually go for BOTH damage and survivability, works in pubs atleast.

I'll buy Abyssal Skull, and Barbed Armor. The game might already be finished now, but if it isn't I'll start farming for a Mock.

In the end my items would look like this;
Power Supply, Bracers, Ghost Marchers, HotBL, Shaman's Headdress, Abyssal Skull, (Barbed Armor, Mock of Brilliance).

If I manage to get Barbed Armor and Mock I'll swap them for my supply and Bracers.

I don't find Staff of the Master such a good item because I won't use it every 20 seconds. In a team fight it might already be over, and I don't initiate every 20th second.
I've found these item's most of the time will keep me alive for the whole teamfight, if I go in at the right moment. I have more then enough damage to take out my target with Hellfire. If I need to regenerate I have my Power Supply, which will fill up very fast. Also I can just kill som creeps to get my health back.

Might be worth adding I mostly play EM, because I'm new to the game and never played Dota. I don't think this build might be as successfull in normal mode at all.

Can I get some critique on what I left out of my build etc?

[Microchaton]

I'm definitely not convinced by wall of mummies at lvl 10. I usually take a level of it at lvl 2, because it can really make a big difference if you're ganked / someone is going to help you gank, while a level of hellfire doesnt do that much, then my build is pretty much the same as yours.

[Ernie888]

@ Strills

SOTM allows you to ulti onto a friend. To save his life or your own. Also 20 sec cooldown means if you face palm an initiation you can do it again in 20 seconds. ^_^

[Strills]

With SOTM the fact that it makes you able to target a friend is in my eyes not that good. If you miss the initiation it's probably too late 20 seconds later. Also it's a lot easier to miss as it will go to allies as well, without it you don't have to care about them.

I just don't think SOTM is worth it. The stats it gives can be cheaper gotten with something else.

[MetaBrain]

So far I found the SotM while good at first, is bad... If at least we could turn off the hook on allies :\

[MetaBrain]

My pharaoh build i go for most of the times.

hatchet / buckler / runes

875g asap -> lifetube.

power supply/bottle

hotbl

-sometimes puzzlebox depending if i'm in the mood or if there's invis heroes

If no puzzlebox, then straight to sotm. I find the short CD and more importantly the ability to use it on your teamates very useful. If there's an ally 3000 range from you, you can cling to them to get away from danger or whatever. It's saved me countless times

Almost same as me ! 6xrunes, hatchet, pot, mana pot to spam Souls :D

[Damage]

You might add a section on Pharaoh solo mid, it's become quite the popular strategy in tourney games. He can use his nuke to last hit/harrass/check runes; and best of all, at level 6 he can almost guarantee a kill.

My build:
Start-
Hatchet
Pot
Runes
2-3 Mana(or totems)

Shop-
Mana Battery (depending on lane/enemy team)

Early game-
Power supply
Boots
Bottle
(Magic Armor)
Enhanced Marchers

Mid Game
Finish Shamans

Late Game
SotM
Barrier Idol

Optional
HotBL
Nome's

Skill
1 - Tormented Soul
2 - Hellfire
3 - Tormented Soul
4 - Wall of Mummies
5 - Tormented Soul
6 - Wrath of the Pharaoh
7 - Tormented Souls

8 - Wall of Mummies/Hellfire
9 - Wall of Mummies/Hellfire
10 - Wall of Mummies/Hellfire
11 - Wrath of the Pharaoh
12 - Hellfire/Wall of Mummies
13 - Hellfire/Wall of Mummies
14 - Hellfire/Wall of Mummies
15 - Stats
16 - Wrath of the Pharaoh

Wall of Mummies first if team fights start up early or you're ganking effectively. An extra level in hellfire does 20 more damage a second, but normally your team can do more damage than that with an extra second of mummies.

If you're mid, gank at level 6. Check runes and try to utilize them. Gank the enemy carry if possible.

If you're side lanes, you ganking mid is probably the easiest kill you'll get. Just let your team mate know, pop on hellfire, ult, mummies. If that will 95% of the time kill them as long as your team mate is there.


Once you get SOTM you should be able to ult twice in a team fight. It can also be useful when retreating. Let your squishies retreat first, then ult them to catch up.

[armanii]

SOTM=?

[Ernie888]

SOTM=?


? are you serious ?

Staff Of The Master :StaffOfTheMaster:

[Hi]

gg guide, bump

[Pharotek]

I was playing a Pharaoh the other day for the 1st time and 1 of my Allies said to me @ Mid Game . . . "Hey Pharotek! Get a Runed Axe on Pharaoh!" I asked why and they said "Cause his weapon already looks like the Runed Axe so you might as well go for it!" Surely enough I was able to farm some of those items you mentioned AND Spam those famous LOLRockets of his!!

I love Pharaoh now!! AWESOME GUIDE MY FRIEND!!! = ]

[Mateui]

Has anyone else experimented with building Nome's Wisdom on Pharaoh? It's so awesome never having to worry about mana again and being able to spam everything all the time. Plus, since you'll be at the center of team fights that makes you a nice holder for the aura. I find it gives a nice strength boost as well so you don't have to waste a slot or two on bracers.

[DImported]

Has anyone else experimented with building Nome's Wisdom on Pharaoh? It's so awesome never having to worry about mana again and being able to spam everything all the time. Plus, since you'll be at the center of team fights that makes you a nice holder for the aura. I find it gives a nice strength boost as well so you don't have to waste a slot or two on bracers.
power supply and bottle is really all the mana you need for mid-game domination. once you get glowstone you'll pretty much never have mana problems again. let a proper support buy nomes instead

[LoveFoolf]

Pharoah is such a fun hero, defiantely one of the most enjoyable to play in my rack.

KT

[Skyve]

So, I just played my first game as a Pharaoh ever, and I'm wondering: Wouldn't an item that gives increased manaregen be better than a combination of bottle and mana battery?
Yes, Pharaoh has sucky int, but items like Nome's Wisdom also give hard manaregen. Also it is a great support item. Though I'm not so sure if it's good on him.

[Jazzz]

usually a scarab or ring of the teacher is enough regen for the whole game if you dont get a bottle

[LoveFoolf]

I tend to find Bottle and Battery keeps him in the fight a bit longer. After I ulti>mummies I'm usually focused to hell, I attack out of the mummies after Battterying and once it gets low, I run out, bottle up, and join the fight again. Burst regen is superior.

KT

[AnimeSteez69]

Bottle and Mana Battery, optionally SOTM, is all you will ever need for mana on Pharaoh. Even if you launch a soul every time it's up, you will be VERY hard pressed to run dry.

It should also be noted in the guide that hellfire is great against kongor, rendering him useless for the duration of the spell

Bottle and power supply give a lot more faster regen than nome's or sustainer does. As Pharaoh you're often forced to initiate a fight and thus are often enough running away with no hp and no mana while the fight is still going. That's where bottle and supply come in as they will bring pharaoh back to at least half health which allows him to get back in the fight and execute his support role.

[Skyve]

Okay, I tried a single game with Nome's and yes, it really is too much regen. It's almost impossible to spend mana once you have it (and I really tried to do that).

[Armsved]

Bottle -> marchers -> powersupply -> phase -> hotbl -> headdress/Idol -> mock/behe. Nomes is not needed at all.

[Clovis]

this guide is perfect

[Saturo]

I love it when deadwoods trys to hit with his ulti while hellfire is up ^^ he just cant get it off

I love it when deadwoods trys to hit with his ulti while hellfire is up ^^ he just cant get it off
Till deadwood gets puzzlebox minions:p

[dune]

So, I just played my first game as a Pharaoh ever, and I'm wondering: Wouldn't an item that gives increased manaregen be better than a combination of bottle and mana battery?

That sentence rather contradicts itself ;P

Bottle and Mana Battery do increase your mana regen, though not in the manner that a Scarab or such would. Bad int-gain means that percentage-based mana regen is a poor choice (in terms of utility-per-gold). These are only really to help you through the early-mid game anyway, once you get to late game your mana pool is sustainable.

[Blazinghand]

Bottle and power supply give a lot more faster regen than nome's or sustainer does. As Pharaoh you're often forced to initiate a fight and thus are often enough running away with no hp and no mana while the fight is still going. That's where bottle and supply come in as they will bring pharaoh back to at least half health which allows him to get back in the fight and execute his support role.

Agreed. Here's the major distinction:

+% Mana Regen items are good if you spend your mana over the course of the game. For example, Slither is ALWAYS throwing out wards, so it's important that he have lots of passive regen, since he's never at full mana. Pharaoh, on the other hand, usually runs into a fight with full mana, after walking around for a bit with full mana, then blows it all at once, and suddenly needs it ALL BACK again all at once to blow his spells again before the fight is over.

Which means, most of the time he's not regening mana because he's full, and when he IS regening mana, he needs it faster. Bottle and Power Supply are burst regen, meaning that although less efficient than a ring of the teacher and a manatube for total mana regen, they are a better choice on a hero that flips between "full mana" and "no mana and needs it all back ASAP"

[Shuri]

imo pb should be a core item no matter vs wich setup.
its 100dps + manaburn and the 600 dmg taken if killed.
its not hard to obtain a lvl 3 pb around the 20-25mark. but even with a pb lvl 1 or 2 its just awesome.
u can kill anyone with ulti > mummies > hf >pb > ts combo.
mummies lvl 1 should be skilled b4 lvl 10. lvl4 is fine i even get it at lvl 2.
it allows u to avoid ganks/chases wich hellfire wouldnt. also it can help to get some early kills.

imo pb should be a core item no matter vs wich setup.
its 100dps + manaburn and the 600 dmg taken if killed.
its not hard to obtain a lvl 3 pb around the 20-25mark. but even with a pb lvl 1 or 2 its just awesome.
u can kill anyone with ulti > mummies > hf >pb > ts combo.
mummies lvl 1 should be skilled b4 lvl 10. lvl4 is fine i even get it at lvl 2.
it allows u to avoid ganks/chases wich hellfire wouldnt. also it can help to get some early kills.
Except that when there's a War Beast in the team, War Beast should be getting the puzzlebox. Then there's the case where your Pharaoh is being focussed down by all 5 opposing heroes, he shouldn't get puzzlebox, he should get behemoth's heart at that point so he survives that and can reflect most of the damage with barbed armor. Then there's the shitload of int heroes that get much better stats gain out of that puzzlebox than pharaoh does. As a matter of fact, if there's any sort of teamplay, Pharaoh is one of the last heroes to get puzzlebox on hence it's not core for him. In the case however that your int heroes don't get a puzzlebox(for whatever reason) then you're free to get one.

[ploppa]

nice guide. love good old rocket snipes

[AdolfSlither]

Nice guide sir, thanks!

[thugwaffle]

puzzlebox is the bomb, i agreee that it should probably be given more love in this guide.

[MajuiF]

Good guide.
Tired of all the kids going for Runed Axe or Symbol of Rage on Pharaoh.. They just don't understand that he's not a god damn carry.

Wish more people would see this guide.

[Dabesmayne]

Great guide but quick question, with staff of the master do you hook on to allied heros or just units?

[Alistair]

staff makes the cooldown 20s and able to hook onto ally heroes. can only hook enemy units and heores otherwise.

Allied heroes and allied units. If your allied hero is in a melee fight however, you can target that ally and his enemy will be stunned.

[mega_dmitri]

Before I used to suck with pharaoh, but after reading this guide i went 19/3. My item build was HotBL -> disassembled for shamans -> SotM -> Bheart (used beastheart from HotBL) -> Barbed armor -> Puzzlebox lvl3. Our enemies team was full of nukers, Shamans helped me alot, Soulstealer's ult didn't do much dmg even i stood right next to him. Great guide indeed.

[Nuegod]

Before I used to suck with pharaoh, but after reading this guide i went 19/3. My item build was HotBL -> disassembled for shamans -> SotM -> Bheart (used beastheart from HotBL) -> Barbed armor -> Puzzlebox lvl3. Our enemies team was full of nukers, Shamans helped me alot, Soulstealer's ult didn't do much dmg even i stood right next to him. Great guide indeed.

on the hotbl, that's smart! i like it! Imma try it man!

on the hotbl, that's smart! i like it! Imma try it man!
No, HotBL is the biggest waste of cash on Pharaoh.

[mega_dmitri]

No, HotBL is the biggest waste of cash on Pharaoh.
Could you tell me why? It offers some good early game survivability, but lategame it sucks, so you disassemble it and get items faster.

The item doesn't defend you against 90% of early game damage(magic damage) and takes off only 40 damage from 60% of the lategame attacks(physical damage). The added health will not save you during fights and will not help the slightest bit during ganks. If you want more hp and more regen for some odd reason, you should get 2 bracers as they also give you +12 attack damage. If you need to survive physical attacks you can get armor and for magic attacks you can get shaman's headress or barrier idol. Though in general I never needed any survivability on Pharaoh unless I was being the fire and forget initiator, where barbed armor and behemoth's heart simply works a ton better. (Don't stack armor when you're running around with barbed armor as only damage taken is reflected.)

The item doesn't defend you against 90% of early game damage(magic damage) and takes off only 40 damage from 60% of the lategame attacks(physical damage). The added health will not save you during fights and will not help the slightest bit during ganks. If you want more hp and more regen for some odd reason, you should get 2 bracers as they also give you +12 attack damage. If you need to survive physical attacks you can get armor and for magic attacks you can get shaman's headress or barrier idol. Though in general I never needed any survivability on Pharaoh unless I was being the fire and forget initiator, where barbed armor and behemoth's heart simply works a ton better. (Don't stack armor when you're running around with barbed armor as only damage taken is reflected.)
I believe he mentioned that he disassembled Hotbl so it didn't affect late game and he did get a shaman's headdress and a barbed armour. He was also the initiator and did get focused(I was in the same team). In the early game Hotbl is superior to regular armor. Early game protection was also very needed due to soloing top against 2 enemies (Yes, sounds stupid but 1 genious decided to go jungle ophelia after tempest was already picked so we had 3 solo lanes)

[mega_dmitri]

The added health can save you, 300 hp is a pretty good boost, it eats pyro's stun+nuke combo when both skills are lvl2 or such (and by that time i usually have HotBL, or at least beastheart). That alone can save you from ganks, or even win you one. And if you even read my post, I said I disassembled HotBL and got barbed armor and Bheart, because I was focused heavily on midgame because of my bloodbath.

EDIT: My friend got here first :(

Being duallaned is not a requirement for you to get any kind of armor as being pharaoh is concerned. Pharaoh is not required to go near the creepwave to get his farm and he doesn't need a whole lot of farm to be functional in the game. Putting pharaoh in a sidelane is also a mistake due to the lack of mapcontrol. Now someone calculated this somewhere else, shaman's headress defends equally well to magic damage than hotbl but there's a catch.

You are a bottle user, whether you like this or not, you simply are. That bottle will heal you for a fixed amount of hp and to get the most out of your bottle you need to keep your health pool as low as possible. The same thing applies to teammate heals etc etc. So by default you shouldn't get a behemoth's heart either. This is one of the reasons why SotM and Barrier Idol is his default competitive build: it gives him just that tiny bit of hp to survive but defends him against the most common source of damage during his tirade.

In the application that you'd need behemoth's heart you shouldn't get any kind of defense, because behemoth's heart goes with barbed armor. It's the 3000 damage to the opposing team in less than 5 seconds joke and reducing their damage is the opposite of what you want to achieve at that point. You could however, and that is the only case that hotbl is useful in any form, disassemble hotbl into sac stone. But you'd still miss out on the regenerative properties that behemoth's heart provides(and which composes most if not all of your defense during the barbed armor trick).

[ChaLkDust]

Haha first time someone noticed that in the forums. Anyways pharoah is pretty weak in competitive (at least in dota) so in pubs i might as well just build him up to dps. The items parts give regen early game ( ring of basiluss, Ring of rengen, Helm of iron will) for laning. Once you finish these items pharoah could probably solo kill the opponents carry with his combo( because the stun thingy will affect their attack animation)

Have you seen the mega-clockwerk rape replay yet? I think someone from mYm used clockwerk cuz he wasn't banned. ( and was never banned until that game)


*On guide
You should add a section for checking rune spots.
Basically you dont wanna go mid with pharaoh, so if you're top, try to get into a position to launch your rocket(rofl) so that you could see both rune spots at 2:00 mark or succeeding intervals. Otherwise, great guide!

[Donn]

Basically you dont wanna go mid with pharaoh

wait what. why not?

[ChaLkDust]

wait what. why not?

Usually, pharaoh isn't played as a hard carry, leave mid to some1 who needs it, phar works better in a lane anyway.

Usually, pharaoh isn't played as a hard carry, leave mid to some1 who needs it, phar works better in a lane anyway.
There's 2 reasons to take mid:
1. Map control
2. Farm

Last time I checked, Pharaoh's map control outweighs nearly any hard carry's farm on the priority list. So no, you don't want Pharaoh in the sidelanes.

[Milkyslice]

phara mid is wow ! i skill hellfire+ mummies, no tormented early, tormented is good for pushing and scouting. with mummies early probably 2min rune like haste or invis you can easily gank the lanes with even lvl 3 or 4

[Donn]

Usually, pharaoh isn't played as a hard carry, leave mid to some1 who needs it, phar works better in a lane anyway.

Mid lane is for gankers that can take advantage of the extra levels in the beginning to dominate the game early on.

i would say pharaoh with lvl 3 hellfire + his ult is quite deadly.

[Mateui]

I hate not seeing tormented soul on the minimap now. :(

[JoeMartin]

Yeah, this, like removing Keeper's eyes on the minimap, was a bad decision.

[Mateui]

On a positive note, I recently discovered the amazing synergy that is Pharaoh's wall of mummies + Chipper's sawblades. It just shreds whoever is unfortunate to be caught in your wall.

[CaptainOP]

I do not know if it has been mentioned, but teaming with a Blood Hunter with Pharaoh can be extremely fun thanks to Blood Hunter's Blood Sense ability.
(The one that reveals enemies under 40% hp in a massive area)
It allows some real target practicing with your Tormented Soul ability.

I do not know if it has been mentioned, but teaming with a Blood Hunter with Pharaoh can be extremely fun thanks to Blood Hunter's Blood Sense ability.
(The one that reveals enemies under 40% hp in a massive area)
It allows some real target practicing with your Tormented Soul ability.
Tormented Soul and ulti:p

I would have a replay to show that stuff but the replay system is borked again. Though imo Pharaoh synergizes with almost any hero due to the fact he's a walking bag with disables(where 2 of them go through shrunkenhead) and has a spotting/harass device.

[Kalium]

I'm a quite good Pharaoh player, he is easily my favorite hero.
I'm not surprised to see that your guide is exactly how I play my Pharaoh. And I assure all of you that this is THE WAY to play him. Pharaoh with Staff of the Master is pure ownage when your team ganks well. No need to say that he is also the best initiator in the game.

[Kalium]

staff makes the cooldown 20s and able to hook onto ally heroes. can only hook enemy units and heores otherwise.

The cooldown reduction is awesome. But the ally hook sucks most of the time. It is useful to escape sometimes, but most of the time someone will get in front of you when try to ulti that hero far away and makes you waste your ulti. (Good thing the cooldown is lowered)

[BoxshotGG]

Any recommendation items for a carry build?

[win`]

Any recommendation items for a carry build?
No.

However, if you want to cause the most dps possible, buy a :Puzzlebox:

It's easily the best item for him after boots (i prefer steam for the hp, and switching to int whenever i ult/use souls), bottle and power supply in any situation.

[Villainelle]

Haven't read through the entire thread, so I'm sorry if this was already discussed.

I think Steamboots are a better choice for Pharaoh instead of Ghost Marchers.

Reasoning:


He has innately good mobility: high base move speed and ult.
Mummies are generally better for escaping.
Steamboots are usually better once you've caught someone in Mummies, and for general survivability/longevity (extra HP, mana if you set them to Int, etc.).

Especially if you go Staff of the Master, there's no need for Ghost Marchers, since you can essentially spam your ult to chase/escape.

Steamboots also have a better build-up early game than Ghost Marchers.

[sherpa]

Agree with the Steamboots.

Also, Hellflower is great for invis/blink heroes.

[LightRain]

I've tried playing with just basic marchers, spending the money on something else, and ulting every minute to get around, it's pretty useful. Choice of boots on him is a matter of situation and personal preference, imo.

[QKO]

I recall mentioning it in this thread earlier...

But you don't get boots to move around on Pharaoh. Courtesy of his ulti you don't need ANY boots to move around. You get the ghost marchers to control the position of the wall relative to your opponent's position. Using the marchers gains you a small burst of speed which you can combine with the wall to push people out. Or you can do the exact opposite: run towards them and lock them in during a teamfight. That is the only reason why ghost marchers are better than ANYTHING on Pharaoh.

If you for some reason do not desire this kind of control(opponents, playstyle, w/e) then you can get steamboots, plated greaves or post haste.

[Nugginz]

....

[MANTOWN]

Personally I reckon they should relay back to the original Damage of Battery Assault/ Hellfire...
on Dota it's 20 damage at level 1 and progressively increases by 20 per level, allowing for some easy First Blood scenario's...

[Dangos]

i dunno if its a bit gimicky, but i've found that a pharaoh with wall at lvl 1 can pull the long lane back to the tower on the first spawn by blocking their path down the hill...similar to what a behmoth can do with his stun, just abit harder

[TheHammer3]

I'm a quite good Pharaoh player, he is easily my favorite hero.
I'm not surprised to see that your guide is exactly how I play my Pharaoh. And I assure all of you that this is THE WAY to play him. Pharaoh with Staff of the Master is pure ownage when your team ganks well. No need to say that he is also the best initiator in the game.

Not agreeing with this or the guide. Wall of mummies should be taken first. It is more or less a 3 second disable/saving teamates ability/escape at lvl 1. After that lvl hellfire twice then get TS at 4 to scout (Do NOT max TS until wall and hellfire are maxed, it does not scale well and wall/HF synergise well). Otherwise the rest of the guide is decent. HAVE HF AND MUMMIES MAXED AT 10!!!

Edit: Phase is almost ALWAYS BETTER than steambts.

[Nebilim]

Wall of Mummies is situational in laning phase.
If your opponent has any escape mechanism, it's probably not going to do much.
Personally I would get TS if you're laning against heavy harassment characters.
I usually save a skillpoint and level it if I can find the opportunity to use it. (that includes saving teammates)

I prefer TS maxed before Wall just because more instant damage output. Level 1 Wall is usually good enough.
TS level 4 can get a LOT of scouting done.

[dune]

Updated: 25/07/10

- Skill build altered.
- New skill build added.
- Justification altered.
- Item build modified.

[Saturo]

Anyone knows why freshpro chooses codex over puzzlebox even in tournament games like vs DWi?

[Nebilim]

freshpro also maxes mummy wall over hellfire.

Theory:

msi ran trilanes thus having freshpro solo the long lane. Maybe he assumed his farm would be mediocre and went more of a support/disable type skillbuild.
As for codex.... idk.... maybe because by the time he got SOME farm, the ganking phase was over and he needed more damage output.

I suggest not following his example unless you know absolutely what you're doing

[Ancorehraq]

freshpro also maxes mummy wall over hellfire.

Theory:

msi ran trilanes thus having freshpro solo the long lane. Maybe he assumed his farm would be mediocre and went more of a support/disable type skillbuild.

No, mummies are just excellent mana harass and an amazing get-out-of-ganks-free card. I started skipping hellfire in favor of mummies and it gives me a lot more lane control. Think of mummies as fissure's skill-less irritating younger cousin.

edit: as for codex, it's just burst damage on a hero that's not in dire need of MOAR HP. Normally, people get the **** out if they drop below tormented soul damage, and codex raises that threshold. I usually get teamwork (barrier idol) or comedy (tablet) items, but I'm going to give codex a try.

[potoBest]

more points in mummies doesn't help escape ganks, just harass, and even then it's negligible honestly

the way msi plays, freshpro isn't coming into other lanes to gank a lot, like pharoah often does in other games. If he did gank a lot I assume he'd get hellfire

maxing mummies before hellfire if you're ganking is just silly, and isn't worth consideration. I'd still max hellfire first in freshpro's situation, but he doesn't feel like he has to for whatever reason

[DrBest]

I'm pretty sure freshpro got the codex for the lulz and to assist him in getting smackdowns. MSi had a huge lead at that point so it wasn't a risky move.

[citron_kage]

Nice little pharaoh(w nymph) replay here:


Match Details for ID 13078918

http://replays.heroesofnewerth.com/match_replay.php?mid=13078918
Laning with nymph can be so incredible powerful early on
Strategy is to wall the enemy while nymph heals&damages inside
Of course some of those enemies werent the best either xD

the sacri stone in the end was just for funs sake, hoped for a bit higher hp/sec :p

*Edit: Especially proud of the escape scene @ ~29min :D

[pires]

How to survive inside your wall at low lvls? Usually when i ult someone and wall i get hit so bad that i die...

[citron_kage]

@pires
At low level youll need a charged mana battery or power supply if you havent got a healer like jereziah or nymphora.
I almost never cage a 100% hp enemy in the beginning unless I know I'll recieve some form of heal

[Ancorehraq]

How to survive inside your wall at low lvls? Usually when i ult someone and wall i get hit so bad that i die...

After you ult, your target will be stunned for a short period of time. Use this time to walk away a few steps and position your mummies to separate/push back as many enemies as possible. Then deny a mummy and saunter out while your team is violating whoever ended up on the wrong side. Your team has to anticipate your initiation. If you go in all alone, you'll get killed for nothing.

Burst heal (bottle, power supply, team healers) and items such as void talisman/shrunken head/tablet of command/barbed armor will obviously help you survive better.

I like to think I do okay with pharaoh positioning. Run through 13112483 and look for mummy and ult usage for some ideas.