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Larceny
01-05-2011, 09:50 AM
Caution: This guide is intended for 5v5 non-CM Forests of Calvadar game play. If you afraid of bright colours, this guide may scare you.


Bubbles


http://www.heroesofnewerth.com/images/heroes/125/icon_128.jpg

A powerful wizard once owned a pet turtle. Each day, the turtle watched and mimicked as the wizard practiced his spells. One day, the turtle fell into a magical pool and was transformed into more than a mere turtle. Now, centuries after his master died, Bubbles lives on, fighting the forces of evil.


Contents



Introduction
1.1 Introduction
1.2 Strengths/Weaknesses
1.3 Hero Roles
1.4 Basic Hero Stats
1.5 Advanced Hero Stats

Hero Abilities
2.1 Shell Surf
2.2 Song Of The Sea
2.3 Take Cover
2.4 Kelp Field
2.5 The Combo
2.6 Skill Builds

Early Game
3.1 Starting Items
3.2 Tactics

Mid Game
4.1 Core Items
4.2 Tactics

Late Game
5.1 Luxury/Late Items
5.2 Other Items Worth Mentioning
5.3 Items Not To Get
5.4 Tactics

Miscellaneous
6.1 Good Team Mates
6.2 Dangerous Enemies
6.3 Easy Targets/Counters
6.4 Shell Tricks/Maneouvres
6.5 Replays


[1.1] Introduction
Bubbles is a magical turtle who is an almost-direct port of Puck the Faerie Dragon from DotA (Defence of the Ancients). He is most effective at fulfilling supportive roles like ganking and initiating, so if you were looking to afk farm and carry your team with DPS items, you should pick another hero, like :scou:Scout, for instance. Whilst we’re on the matter, Bubbles was by no means created to be played as a damage absorbing “tank”, so when you teleport into the fray, positioning is key and missing the silence on one enemy could potentially be your demise. After all, he is centuries old. If this doesn’t sound like you, then it’s best to reconsider which hero you are going to learn to play.


[1.2] Strengths/Weaknesses



Strengths
+ Strong mid hero / solo hero
+ Decent range and damage
+ Fair survivability despite poor strength
+ Very good ganker and a solid initiator
+ Unique abilities

Weaknesses
- Low strength
- Loses effectiveness into late round
- Average damage output without level advantages
- Not an ideal babysitter, requires a bit of farm



[1.3] Hero Roles

The following are all qualities that Bubbles intrinsically exhibits. He is stronger at some than others.

Ganking: This is his main role. He has an amazing ability to take advantage of unprotected enemies and destroy them, earning himself and hopefully a fellow hero some gold. The great thing about Bubbles is that his Kelp Field lets the carry finish the job by forcing an enemy to stay in the area.

Initiating: His secondary role, especially late game when team fights can make or break your victory. Though there are better initiators like :behe:Behemoth or :temp:Tempest, he can still do an amazing job.

Supporting: He does not rely too heavily on items, and if you are constantly ganking and netting kills/assists, the core items are finished rather quickly. When it comes down to warding, Bubbles should take to the job unless there are even harder supports around like :plag:Plague Rider or :deme:Demented Shaman, to name a few.

Scouting: Shell Surf has huge range and a large radius of clear vision, which can grant vision over Kongor or up hills and distinguish ambushes that otherwise might've cost your team lives.

Pushing: Bubbles has two strong AoE spells for pushing lanes and destroying creep waves in a hot second. These also serve as good farming utilities.

Nuking: At level 16, he can quickly deal 720/920 magic damage in a radius of 400 which is quite substantial. At level 9, it's 620/720 with the right skills. While this isn't as much as a :pyro:Pyromancer, it's AoE is much superior.

Pseudo-disabling and immobilising: Bubbles is equipped with a damaging silence and an ultimate that forces the enemy to stay in the area for 5 seconds. This lets your team join you.

Bubbles should be played as a ganker/initiator, with a touch of support in the form of wards. His skills revolve around positioning, both himself and his enemies, and he is adept at bursting down enemies and taking advantage of poorly positioned heroes. He will always be up in the enemy's face, because that is where he thrives. Due to this, he has a bit of item dependancy in the way that items will help him survive being up in the enemy's grill, and that is why :glac:Glacius or :witc:Witch Slayer, for example, are better off doing most of the warding/counter-warding.


[1.4] Basic Hero Stats



Strength: 15 (+1.7) Poor - Very squishy
Agility: 22 (+1.7) Good - strangely high starting amount for an intel, though pointless
Intelligence: 25 (+2.4) Fair - lots of intel isn't really necessary for Bubbles anyway

Attack Range: 550 Good
Attack Damage: 45-50 Fair
Attacks per second: 0.72 Fair
Seconds per attack: 1.39 Fair

Movespeed: 295 Fair
Physical Armor: 2.52 (13% reduction) Fair
Magical Armor: 5.5 (25% reduction) Normal


[1.5] Advanced Hero Stats



Cast point/backswing: 0.1s/0.5s Very Good - almost no cast time on spells
Damage point/backswing: 0.5s/0.8s Average - Comparable to :soulr:Soul Reaper
Sight range day/night: 1800/1200 Above Average - 400 more sight than most other heroes at night
Missile Speed: 900ms Average - Comparable to :soulr:Soul Reaper
Turn Rate: 0.45s Average


Hero Skills


[2.1] Shell Surf

http://www.heroesofnewerth.com/images/heroes/125/ability1_128.jpg

Bubbles uses his Shell as the focus for a teleport spell. Bubbles's Shell slides toward his opponents, damaging anyone it strikes. Bubbles may choose to teleport to his Shell at any point in its journey.



Action Target Position
Type Enemy Units
Type: Magic
Range: 1,800
Radius: 225
Cast Time: 0.6 Seconds
Mana Cost: 150
Cooldown: 15.0 Seconds
Required Level: 1 / 3 / 5 / 7

Activation
Throws the Shell in the target direction, damaging all enemies in the radius for 70 / 140 / 210 / 280 Magic damage.

Using this ability again while the Shell is in mid-flight will teleport self to the Shell's current location. Grants 800 day and night clearvision while the Shell is active; vision lingers for 3.34 seconds after the Shell disappears.


http://img197.imageshack.us/img197/4834/5910148149952878.jpg

Usage: This ability is very versatile in its uses. It can be used as an AoE nuke, a farming utility, a teleport, and a scouting ability. Whilst the range and radius are 1,800 and 225 respectively, this means that you can damage enemies that are 2,025 units away! That is a huge distance. Furthermore, this ability will help you locate any pesky heroes juking you in the fog or the trees, as the Shell gives a large amount of clearvision (meaning unobstructed vision). Because the Shell moves reasonably slowly, you may have to aim ahead of the enemy, using prediction to position yourself and damage them correctly. There are a few special manoeuvres that Bubbles can do with his Shell that will be covered later.

Mechanics: Shell speed is 850ms. Teleporting to the Shell disjoints you, meaning you can evade certain projectiles with it, like :andr:Andromeda’s Comet or :hamm:Hammerstorm’s Hammer Throw.


[2.2] Song of the Sea

http://www.heroesofnewerth.com/images/heroes/125/ability2_128.jpg

Bubbles plays a resounding note on his conch, damaging and silencing any foes unlucky enough to be near.



Action Self Position
Type Enemy Units
Type: Magic
Cast Time: 0.6 Seconds
Mana Cost: 100 / 110 / 120 / 130
Cooldown: 20.0 Seconds
Required Level: 1 / 3 / 5 / 7

Activation
Deals 60 / 120 / 180 / 240 Magic damage to all enemy units in the 400 radius and applies Muted for .1 / 1 / 2 / 3 seconds.

Muted Effects
Silenced


http://img46.imageshack.us/img46/7928/5910148149537517.jpg

http://img25.imageshack.us/img25/7169/hvjv6uzooriginal.jpg

Usage: Song of the Sea should be used directly after porting into the middle of a bunch of heroes. Doing this allows you to instantly disable as many enemies as possible, denying them the chance to move out of range or to stop you casting any more spells. This is also your secondary nuke, which can be used to help burst down the enemy heroes.


[2.3] Take Cover

http://www.heroesofnewerth.com/images/heroes/125/ability3_128.jpg

Bubbles retreats into his enchanted Shell, becoming impervious to all forms of attack, whether magical or mundane.



Action Target Self
Type: Magic
Channeling Time: 0.5 Seconds
Mana Cost: 50 / 40 / 30 / 20
Cooldown: 6.0 Seconds
Required Level: 1 / 3 / 5 / 7

Activation
Grants invulnerability to all damage for duration of channel.

Can be toggled to auto-cast by right clicking. When set to auto-cast, this skill will automatically be used when Bubbles takes non-DOT damage, preventing that damage from being dealt.

The automatic use will not trigger if Bubbles becomes stunned or silenced.

Auto-casting:

http://img20.imageshack.us/img20/4940/ovzaqnoioriginal.jpg

http://img130.imageshack.us/img130/8774/84xkpr89original.jpg

Manual casting (better against stuns/disables):

http://img233.imageshack.us/img233/1262/io117qjroriginal.jpg

http://img151.imageshack.us/img151/8771/ic30lstoriginal.jpg


Usage: This is your free Void Talisman. This is your free Null Stone. This is your free self-cyclone. Whatever! You can avoid ALL sorts of damage and effects with Take Cover.

Mechanics: Take Cover has a cast point of 0, which means it is instantaneous and you don’t have to channel before using or anything like that. Take Cover doesn’t work exactly the same as Puck’s Phase Shift, which is the 1% difference between the two heroes. Whilst auto-casting Phase Shift allows you to negate stuns and ministun effects as well as damage (if I recall correctly), if you auto-cast in HoN, it won't block spells with stuns or ministuns attached, like :thun:'s blast.


[2.4] Kelp Field

http://www.heroesofnewerth.com/images/heroes/125/ability4_128.jpg

Arcane seaweed vines sprout from the ground, latching onto enemy heroes. Trying to escape the vines is futile - running causes them to snap, stunning and damaging their captive.



Action Target Position
Type Enemy Heroes
Type: Superior Magic
Range: 750
Radius: 400
Cast Time: 0.6 Seconds
Mana Cost: 100 / 150 / 200
Cooldown: 85.0 Seconds
Required Level: 6 / 11 / 16

Activation
All enemy heroes in the radius take 100 / 150 / 200 Magic damage and are stunned for .5 seconds instantly.

If they move more than 600 units away from the center of the effect, they are stunned for 1.5 / 2.25 / 3 seconds and take an additional 100 / 150 / 200 Magic damage. Lasts 5 seconds.

Also grants 800 day vision and 500 night vision around the Kelp Field for 5 seconds.


http://img27.imageshack.us/img27/5428/591014814985760.jpg

http://img705.imageshack.us/img705/2425/bmetzw12original.jpg

http://img812.imageshack.us/img812/3769/5910148149838779.jpg

Usage: Kelp Field will force your opponents to stay in the area, or risk taking extra damage and a hefty stun. This ability is great for letting your team catch up after you’ve initiated, and/or your carry to come in and take the kill after you’ve burst down the enemy. This skill has an effective range of 1150 (750 cast range + 400 radius) which is very good, and is also awesome at cancelling that Tempest/Devourer ultimate, which they thought they could get away with because they have a Shrunken Head. Not today...

Mechanics: If your enemy is immune to magic, they will still take the 0.5 seconds stun when you first cast it, but they won’t take any damage or an additional stun. That is what is meant by “Superior Magic”.


[2.5] The Combo

Shell Surf in > Song of the Sea > Kelp Field > (Take Cover)

This is for ideal initiation on a group of heroes, or hero, when ganking with your allies or initiating team fights. Shell Surf will allow you to teleport on top of the enemy, dealing damage. Song of the Sea will silence the enemies, dealing more damage. Kelp Field will ministun, deal damage and force the enemies to stay in the area, or risk taking more damage and stun. Take Cover if taking lots of damage from auto attacks or non-silenced foes. Overall damage at level 16: 720/920 magical damage.


[2.6] The Skill Build

There are two fairly conventional skill builds that can be used when playing Bubbles. There is also an unconventional build that can be used, but it's not as effective most of the time.



Defensive Build

1. Shell Surf
2. Take Cover
3. Shell Surf
4. Song of the Sea
5. Shell Surf
6. Kelp Field
7. Shell Surf
8. Song of the Sea
9. Song of the Sea
10. Song of the Sea
11. Kelp Field
12. Take Cover
13. Take Cover
14. Take Cover
15. Stats
16. Kelp Field

Allows for safer laning experience, especially when solo 1v2. One level of Take Cover to help negate some spells and projectiles, while maxing Shell Surf first is a safer harass and last hitting spell than Song of the Sea. Downside is that you won't have a reliable silence until level 8+ and your burst damage will be considerably lower than taking a more offensive route.



Offensive Build

1. Shell Surf
2. Song of the Sea
3. Shell Surf
4. Song of the Sea
5. Shell Surf
6. Kelp Field
7. Shell Surf
8. Song of the Sea
9. Song of the Sea
10. Take Cover
11. Kelp Field
12. Take Cover
13. Take Cover
14. Take Cover
15. Stats
16. Kelp Field

If you have full lane control, or are solo mid, this is a great build as it provides the most amount of burst damage. Only problem is if you are dealing with stuns and spells that you could otherwise easily dodge with Take Cover.



Unconventional build

1. Shell Surf
2. Take Cover
3. Song of the Sea
4. Song of the Sea
5. Song of the Sea
6. Kelp Field
7. Song of the Sea
8. Shell Surf
9. Shell Surf
10. Shell Surf
11. Kelp Field
12. Take Cover
13. Take Cover
14. Take Cover
15. Stats
16. Kelp Field

Not a common build, but is viable if you really need that silence early on.

Larceny
01-05-2011, 09:50 AM
[3.1] Starting Items



If mid, and courier/wards are covered
:HealthPotion: Health Potion 100g
:ManaPotion: Mana Potion 50g
:MarkOfTheNovice: Mark Of The Novice 150g
:CrushingClaws: Crushing Claws 150g
:MinorTotem: Minor Totem 53g
:MinorTotem: Minor Totem 53g
:scou: Total 556g

If mid, and courier/wards not covered
:Courier: Courier / :WardOfSight: :WardOfSight: Wards 200g
:HealthPotion: Health Potion 100g
:ManaPotion: Mana Potion 50g
:ManaPotion: Mana Potion 50g
:MarkOfTheNovice: Mark Of The Novice 150g
:MinorTotem: Minor Totem 53g
:scou: Total 603g

If side lane, and courier/wards are covered
:RunesOfTheBlight: Runes Of The Blight 90g
:ManaPotion: Mana Potion 50g
:ManaPotion: Mana Potion 50g
:MarkOfTheNovice: Mark Of The Novice 150g
:CrushingClaws: Crushing Claws 150g
:MinorTotem: Minor Totem 53g
:MinorTotem: Minor Totem 53g
:scou: Total 596g

If side lane, and courier/wards not covered:
:Courier: Courier / :WardOfSight: :WardOfSight: Wards 200g
:HealthPotion: Health Potion 100g
:MarkOfTheNovice: Mark Of The Novice 150g
:CrushingClaws: Crushing Claws 150g
:scou: Total 600g

It’s taboo to get either Marchers or Bottle first on most heroes, including Bubbles, and for good reason too. You don’t need the extra move speed from Marchers that early in the game, and your spells are too weak to be spamming this early. Both items lack bonus stats, and Marchers doesn’t even offer any regen, which is horrible. Better off waiting a few minutes and farming them.


[3.2] Early Game tactics

Solo Mid: it’s the same ol’ story. Last hit as much as you can, deny as much as you can. Use the offensive skill build for mid, unless the enemy hero has very easy to dodge stuns or abilities (:pyro:Pyromancer or :andr:Andromeda, for instance). Once you get bottle, you can start using your Shell Surf to harass and last hit groups of creeps. The key to winning mid will be rune control and keeping your opponent fairly denied of XP/farm, as well as some harass. Bubbles is a great mid hero, and once you hit level 6, you should consider ganking vulnerable side lanes.

The first item you want to be couriered to you is a Bottle. This’ll let you bottle runes, and keep up your mana and health. You will almost always be competing for runes against the other mid hero, so be careful. Next item is your Marchers, for quicker travelling of course.

Side Laning: It’ll be much the same as mid except you won’t get to bottle runes. However, if you have been assigned to babysit a carry, you should leave as many creep kills as possible for them and harass a bit. Don’t get caught out by the enemy though, Bubbles is anything but a tank at early levels. First up, it’s best to finish your Blood Chalice with a Scarab from the Side Shop. After that, your best bet is with some Marchers, or a Mana Battery, if the enemies in your lane tend to cast lots of spells.

Try to set up kills in your lane. Try to harass down an enemy with your attacks, low enough so that you and your lane partner can combo him to death fairly easily. Play smart. Don’t teleport where you shouldn’t be, like onto a tower or into the middle of a :magm:Magmus :pyro:Pyromancer combo, unless you’re fairly sure you can get the kill and get out alive.

Solo Side Laning: Be safe, and always be aware of missing heroes on the map. Bubbles can handle himself as solo in a side lane 1v2, more especially in short/easy lane as the tower provides more support, and also with the defensive skill build. The main idea with soloing a side lane is if there is a better mid hero to solo mid, whilst the rest of your team is either dual laning + jungler, or tri-laning. In this case, with lack of access to runes, it may be wise to conserve your mana more.

Tri-laning: Bubbles is not an ideal tri-laner, and I’ve never seen it done in competitive play. If anything, Bubbles should be soloing another lane if your team uses a tri-lane. He can hold his own against two heroes fairly well, more especially with the more defensive build.

Ganking: When the opportunity arises or when your team mates call for it, you should start ganking soon after level 6 if you were mid, or maybe in conjunction with your mid hero when they come to gank your side lane. Be careful though, as the most common early game ward position is overlooking the runes, so if you pass through one of these areas and your enemy notices, you may not get the chance to destroy them. A handy fact to know is that wards last 6 minutes, and are placed usually at the start of the game. So at 6 minutes in, you have the highest chance of catching the enemy off guard. Or if you think you can manage town portalling in secretly, this usually does wonders too because it takes less time and bypasses most wards.

Larceny
01-09-2011, 05:59 AM
[4.1] Core Items



http://www.heroesofnewerth.com/images/items/Item_Steamboots.jpg

Steamboots
:Marchers: Marchers 500g
:GlovesOfTheSwift: Gloves Of The Swift 500g
:BolsteringArmband: Bolstering Armband 450g
:Steamboots: Total 1450g

In my opinion, this has to be the most effective set of Marchers for Bubbles. It offers survivability or intelligence (your choice), and attack speed. I often set mine to Strength and never look back unless I need some clutch mana. The bonus HP really makes a big difference when you swoop on a group of heroes, and the bonus attack speed is necessary, most especially if you’re going to have heroes standing around in the vicinity for 5 seconds at least. There is merit in getting Striders or Ghost Marchers, but I prefer the bonuses given by Steamboots over extra move speed.



http://www.heroesofnewerth.com/images/items/Item_BloodChalice.jpg

Blood Chalice
:CrushingClaws: Crushing Claws 150g
:MarkOfTheNovice: Mark Of The Novice 150g
:ScarabRing: Scarab Ring 325g
:chal: Total 625g

Should be finished quite early, especially in a side lane, as this item is good on just about any hero, even after several nerfs. Bonus points if you can use it just before a hero dies nearby, which is usually the case when using Bubbles.



http://www.heroesofnewerth.com/images/items/Item_Bottle.jpg

Bottle
:Bottle: Total 600g

Better off taken as soon as possible if mid (but not as a starting item), or after Blood Chalice if in a side lane. It will mainly only become useful when you’ve begun ganking after the laning phase if you went in a side lane. However, if you can control the runes, this'll save you having to go back to base for a long time.



http://www.heroesofnewerth.com/images/items/Item_PowerSupply.jpg

Power Supply
:ManaBattery: Mana Battery 200g
:MinorTotem: Minor Totem 53g
:MinorTotem: Minor Totem 53g
:PowerSupply: Recipe 240g
:PowerSupply: Total 546g

This item should see quite a bit of action from Bubbles’ point of view. You’ll gain a load of charges in team fights, which you will probably initiate. Since it was nerfed in a recent patch, it is no longer a core item on a lot of heroes. If you want to skip it, be my guest.



http://www.heroesofnewerth.com/images/items/Item_PortalKey.jpg

Portal Key
:Portalkey: Total 2150g

I’ve seen the light. I used to play Bubbles without one, and it worked well enough, but I’ve since converted. Portal Key brings so much to the table when we talk about initiation, mobility and survivability. Shell Surf takes just over 2 seconds to run its full course. Better players will be able to dodge a long range Shell Surf, but no one can dodge a quick port. This way you can catch the enemy at the precise moment they are most vulnerable. The Achilles’ heel of the Portal Key is its inability to work when taking constant damage. With Bubbles, almost nothing can stop your port. After one damage-free second, Take Cover for a few seconds, and instantly port out afterwards. Quite powerful, really. This item should take up a good amount of time to farm, unless you’re stomping hard. Better off left til last.



http://www.heroesofnewerth.com/images/items/Item_HomecomingStone.jpg

Homecoming Stone
:HomecomingStone: Total 135g

You should always be carrying around at least one at all times, so you can town portal to help an ally, counter gank or defend a tower.


[4.2] Mid Game tactics

What should you be doing mid game? Doing what Bubbles does best. Pouncing on vulnerable heroes, initiating team fights on badly positioned groups of heroes, warding, yes warding, provided there isn’t a ward spamming :plag:Plague Rider or similar doing the job for you already. You are an intelligence hero, and tend to be less item dependant in general than a majority of heroes. Wards will get you the vision you need to catch the enemy off guard so don’t resist buying them. Your carry needs them as well, so he can safely farm in the forest or in horizontal/short lane.

Basically, all you need to do is use ‘The Combo’ I have placed above the suggested skill builds. This is how you will catch your enemies and kill them. However, during mid game, you can’t always be sure of where all enemies are, as they are less likely to be farming creep waves in a lane, and could be running around trying to find your carries, or warding. Try to gank with another hero or two, as the more the merrier. There’s only so much magical damage you can put out before you have to rely on your auto attacks for a fair while. Only solo gank heroes that are weak enough, in that using all your spells and a few auto attacks will kill them. Factor in their current HP, magic armor and auto attack power. That being said, Kelp Field should be saved for cancelling homecoming stones or when the enemy starts running. Don’t automatically use it on the enemy straight away, as they may just stand around and attack you. Kelp Field can save you from a failed gank too, or a counter gank, so don’t blast it off willy nilly.


[5.1] Luxury/Late Items

You may have to sell some items to fit luxury items in. If you do, I strongly suggest the first item to go would be Power Supply, followed by Blood Chalice.



http://www.heroesofnewerth.com/images/items/Item_FrostfieldPlate.jpg

Frostfield Plate
:AcolytesStaff: Acolyte's Staff 2700g
:Platemail: Platemail 1400g
:FrostfieldPlate: Recipe 600g
:FrostfieldPlate: Total 4700g

A perfect item for Bubbles, it adds a lot of armor, it reduces the speed at which the enemy can attack and best of all, in my opinion, it adds an extra 200 magic damage to your combo in a large radius, a little larger than Kelp Field. Can also be used to Shell Surf in and slow. Has a poor item build up unfortunately.



http://www.heroesofnewerth.com/images/items/Item_vBehemothsHeart.jpg

Behemoth's Heart
:AxeOfTheMalphai: Axe Of The Malphai 3200g
:Beastheart: Beastheart 1100g
:BehemothsHeart: Recipe 1200g
:BehemothsHeart: Total 5500g

Gives you a LOT of survivability and reduces your cooldowns a bit. Has a terrible item build up unfortunately. There are better item pickups, but if you opt for this, its definitely not the worst you could do.



http://www.heroesofnewerth.com/images/items/Item_HealthMana3.jpg

Sacrificial Stone
:Lifetube: Lifetube 875g
:Manatube: Manatube 875g
:Glowstone: Glowstone 1200g
:Beastheart: Beastheart 1100g
:PickledBrain: Pickled Brain 1000g
:SacrificialStone: Total 5050g

Not only does it give a lot of HP and mana, if you die, you receive a good amount of on-death benefits, like letting off a large powerful heal in a huge radius, faster respawn, less gold lost, and continual sight and XP gain in the area you died. Sacrificial Stone works wonders on an intel initiator like Bubbles.



http://www.heroesofnewerth.com/images/items/Item_Summon.jpg

Puzzlebox
:NeophytesBook: Neophyte's Book 1000g
:BolsteringArmband: Bolstering Armband 450g
:Puzzlebox: Recipe 1250g
:Puzzlebox: Total 2700 / 3950 / 5200g

This is a great pickup. If you pop out some minions, you’ll basically force your enemy to attempt to escape Kelp Field. If they were to stand around for 5 seconds, your minions would surely rape and pilage.



http://www.heroesofnewerth.com/images/items/Item_Morph.jpg

Kuldra's Sheepstick
:BlessedOrb: Blessed Orb 2100g
:Manatube: Manatube 875g
:AcolytesStaff: Acolyte's Staff 2700g
:KuldrasSheepstick: Total 5675g

Another good pickup, basically allows for extra crowd control and some survivability, which is exactly what Bubbles needs.



http://www.heroesofnewerth.com/images/items/Item_SpellShards.jpg

Spellshards
:Steamstaff: Steamstaff 800g
:ScarabRing: Scarab Ring 325g
:ApprenticesRobe: Apprentice's Robe 450g
:Riftshards: Recipe 1000g
:Riftshards: Total 2575 / 3575 / 4575g

Another good pickup, best bought after you’ve got a fair amount of HP or armor on you. It offers no survivability, but because a majority of your damage is spell based, it makes you all that more effective later in the game.



http://www.heroesofnewerth.com/images/items/Item_Freeze.jpg

Frostwolf's Skull
:MightyBlade: Mighty Blade 1000g
:BolsteringArmband: Bolstering Armband 450g
:Slash: Icebrand Recipe 750g
:BlessedOrb: Blessed Orb 2100g
:Glowstone: Glowstone 1200g
:FrostwolfsSkull: Recipe 700g
:FrostwolfsSkull: Total 6200g

Plausible because it gives you everything you need plus a very handy slow, but quite expensive. A fairly good pickup on a fed Bubbles nonetheless.

Larceny
02-08-2011, 05:11 PM
[5.2] Other Items Worth Mentioning



http://www.heroesofnewerth.com/images/items/Item_Immunity.jpg

Shrunken Head
:MightyBlade: Mighty Blade 1000g
:Warhammer: Warhammer 1600g
:ShrunkenHead: Recipe 1300g
:ShrunkenHead: Total 3900g

Once again, offers survivability. However, Shrunken Head is a situational item and it’s not as useful as the other items I’ve recommended, because Take Cover does most of what you want Shrunken Head to do for you, except for 20 mana.



http://www.heroesofnewerth.com/images/items/Item_Protect.jpg

Null Stone
:Lifetube: Lifetube 875g
:Manatube: Manatube 875g
:BlessedOrb: Blessed Orb 2100g
:Nullstone: Recipe 1000g
:Nullstone: Total 4850g

A very situational item that is good for the regen either way. Offers excellent mana regeneration and some HP. Take Cover does a lot of what Null Stone does, the only benefit Null Stone offers in this sense is that it blocks instant single target spells and stuns/ministuns, some of which are quite powerful (:sand:Sand Wraith’s Mirage, :devo:Devourer’s Devour, :doct:Doctor Repulsor’s Opposites Attract to name a few).



http://www.heroesofnewerth.com/images/items/Item_Silence.jpg

Hellflower
:Steamstaff: Steamstaff 800g
:ScarabRing: Scarab Ring 325g
:ApprenticesRobe: Apprentice's Robe 450g
:Steamstaff: Steamstaff 800g
:ScarabRing: Scarab Ring 325g
:ApprenticesRobe: Apprentice's Robe 450g
:Steamstaff: Steamstaff 800g
:ScarabRing: Scarab Ring 325g
:ApprenticesRobe: Apprentice's Robe 450g
:Hellflower: Total 4850g

This is a carry Bubbles item. I don’t encourage carrying with Bubbles, unless you’re absolutely stomping the enemy. It has an excellent build up though. The silence and amplified damage that comes with the item are definitely useful, but there are better items for Bubbles.



http://www.heroesofnewerth.com/images/items/Item_HarkonsBlade.jpg

Harkon's Blade
:Steamstaff: Steamstaff 800g
:ScarabRing: Scarab Ring 325g
:ApprenticesRobe: Apprentice's Robe 450g
:AcolytesStaff: Acolyte's Staff 800g
:HarkonsBlade: Recipe 500g
:HarkonsBlade: Total 4775g

Similar to Hellflower in use, except I feel it’s slightly more potent as a DPS item. Magic attack damage really stings your opponents, especially when their armor is reduced. Though this item synergises with your spells, it's unlikely that you will begin a fight with an auto attack. If you are looking to make your spells more potent, maybe consider Spellshards.



http://www.heroesofnewerth.com/images/items/Item_PlatedGreaves.jpg

Plated Greaves
:Marchers: Marchers 500g
:Ringmail: Ringmail 550g
:MinorTotem: Minor Totem 53g
:ShieldOfTheFive: Shield Of The Five Recipe 200g
:PlatedGreaves: Total 1303g

Offers fair armor. The active ability is useful for pushing lanes, but doesn’t really synergise with Bubbles roles or skill set.



http://hon-utilities.com/wp-content/uploads/items/Storm-Spirit.png

Stormspirit
:NeophytesBook: Neophyte's Book 1000g
:ScarabRing: Scarab Ring 325g
:Manatube: Manatube 875g
:Stormspirit: Recipe 600g
:Stormspirit: Total 2800g

Meh. It’s up to you if you want to buy this, it adds move speed and fairly good mana regen, both of which are excellent but the cyclone ability is really unnecessary unless you want to effectively be invulnerable to all damage for 9 seconds, or you want to have an extra disable which is only semi-useful in most cases.



http://www.heroesofnewerth.com/images/items/Item_Nuke.jpg

Codex
:NeophytesBook: Neophyte's Book 1000g
:Punchdagger: Punch Dagger 500g
:Punchdagger: Punch Dagger 500g
:Codex: Recipe 1000g
:Codex: Total 3000 / 4000 / 5000 / 6000 / 7000g

A good stomping item, not so good in serious or close matches. You can grab this if you are fed, making Bubbles a face roll hero. Not recommended.



http://www.heroesofnewerth.com/images/items/Item_PushStaff.jpg

Tablet Of Command
:NeophytesBook: Neophyte's Book 1000g
:ApprenticesRobe: Apprentice's Robe 450g
:TabletOfCommand: Recipe 500g
:TabletOfCommand: Total 1950g

Good on paper, but you do have to get the enemy facing the correct way for it to be effective. The idea is you can push enemy heroes out of the Kelp Field, force stunning them, but it’s not as easy as it seems. There are better items out there, and for the self-mobility which this item offers, Portal Key does it better.


[5.3] Do Not Get

It might be tempting in some obscure way or another, but don’t get these items.



http://www.heroesofnewerth.com/images/items/Item_VoidTalisman.jpg

Void Talisman

Take Cover does a better job, hands down.



http://www.heroesofnewerth.com/images/items/Item_Intelligence7.jpg

Staff Of The Master

Unlike in DotA, this item does not boost your ultimate in HoN.



http://www.heroesofnewerth.com/images/items/Item_Replenish.jpg

Ring Of Sorcery

It’s expensive, Blood Chalice fills the role much better, and Bubbles is an intelligence hero, so he definitely isn’t in dire need of the mana bonuses it offers.



http://www.heroesofnewerth.com/images/items/Item_RestorationStone.jpg

Restoration Stone

It’s overkill, expensive and unnecessary.


[5.4] Late Game Tactics

During the late game, you’ll want to be spamming your spells in the lane to push towers and try to reach those barracks. Of course, it’s only wise to do this when it is safe. Try to finish the game earlier rather than later as Bubbles really does lose most of his relevance as the game grows old. Your main duty in the last stages of the game is to initiate team fights and push. Song of the Sea is still a powerful ability even in the late game, so use it to full effect. You may need to use Take Cover more often, as things can get pretty messy in the late game.

Larceny
02-08-2011, 09:57 PM
[6.1] Good Team Mates

Bubbles goes well together with most heroes in the game, but there are some that are especially better than others.

These heroes have skills which either force the enemy to break the link with Kelp Field or can do high amounts of damage if the enemy decides to stay within.


http://www.heroesofnewerth.com/images/heroes/161/icon_128.jpg http://www.heroesofnewerth.com/images/heroes/35/icon_128.jpg http://www.heroesofnewerth.com/images/heroes/122/icon_128.jpg http://www.heroesofnewerth.com/images/heroes/31/icon_128.jpg
http://www.heroesofnewerth.com/images/heroes/108/icon_128.jpg http://www.heroesofnewerth.com/images/heroes/25/icon_128.jpg http://www.heroesofnewerth.com/images/heroes/93/icon_128.jpg http://www.heroesofnewerth.com/images/heroes/27/icon_128.jpg http://www.heroesofnewerth.com/images/heroes/106/icon_128.jpg


[6.2] Dangerous/Poor Enemies

Magic Immunity and Silences are strong against Bubbles, as his output is mostly magical damage and effects.


http://www.heroesofnewerth.com/images/heroes/26/icon_128.jpg http://www.heroesofnewerth.com/images/heroes/39/icon_128.jpg http://www.heroesofnewerth.com/images/heroes/115/icon_128.jpg http://www.heroesofnewerth.com/images/heroes/5/icon_128.jpg

Generally tanky heroes, especially ones that don't rely heavily on spells (thus aren't very disabled by silence)


http://www.heroesofnewerth.com/images/heroes/38/icon_128.jpg http://www.heroesofnewerth.com/images/heroes/96/icon_128.jpg http://www.heroesofnewerth.com/images/heroes/116/icon_128.jpg


[6.3] Easy Targets

Squishy heroes that are nothing without their spells. For example...


http://www.heroesofnewerth.com/images/heroes/12/icon_128.jpg http://www.heroesofnewerth.com/images/heroes/18/icon_128.jpg http://www.heroesofnewerth.com/images/heroes/10/icon_128.jpg


[6.4] Shell Tricks/Manoeuvres

The Two-Way Trick: When you have one hero chasing you and two equally good paths to choose from. Shell Surf one way, and run the other way. See which way the enemy follows you. He’ll most likely run after you, in which case, you should teleport to the shell and run from there. If he chases the shell, keep on running baby. This situation only pops up once in a while.

Shell Surf > Take Cover > Shell Surf: The most common shell manoeuvre out there. You’re taking some serious damage, so you should Shell Surf where you want to go, then immediately Take Cover. Then nearing the maximum range of Shell Surf, teleport to your shell and all should be fantastic.

Terrain Negation: Use your Shell Surf to get across the river, or to teleport into the outer edge of the map, where you can use a homecoming stone safely from.

Creep stacking up to three camps at once: With the huge range on Shell Surf, it is possible to easily pull two camps at once, and in some areas, up to three! You may accidentally kill Snotter camps though.


[6.5] Replays

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