Nymphora

[CptJesus]

This guide is intended for 5v5 on Forests of Caldaver, although the guide will work for lower numbers of players as well. This guide is NOT intended for Easy Mode play. This guide is searchable, simply enter the number of the section you would like to see in your find box. Refer to the table of contents!


Nymphora, Protector of the Wilds
UPDATED FOR 0.1.62.0


Table of Contents

[1] - Introduction
[1.1] - Stats

[2] - Skills
[2.1] - Skill Descriptions
[2.2] - Cookie Cutter Build
[2.3] - Alternative Build

[3] - Items
[3.1] - Starting
[3.2] - Early Game
[3.3] - Mid Game
[3.4] - Late Game
[3.5] - Luxury

[4] - In Depth Skills
[4.1] - Volatile Pod
[4.2] - Grace of the Nymph
[4.3] - Volatile Pod
[4.4] - Teleport
[4.5] - Nymph's Call

[5] - Gameplay
[5.1] - Laning
[5.2] - Ganking
[5.3] - Pushing
[5.4] - Supporting

[6] - Nymphora vs. Other Support Heroes

[7] - Video

[8] - Conclusion

[1] Introduction
Alright, so I've written a Nymphora guide before, and it was decent. This one however, I'm going all out on. Nymphora received some amazing buffs in 0.1.42, and I intend to highlight why exactly these buffs are amazing, and why I feel that Nymphora might be the best support hero in the entire game. So, say hello to the most annoying little fairy ever, Nymphora.

http://honwiki.net/w/images/6/67/Nymphorahero.gif

Nymphora has long been a protectress of Newerth's secret beauties, its secluded glades and crystal springs. One might think that the paragon of butterflies and skylarks would have little role in the brutal carnage that has engulfed the world, but one need only see the tiny fangs revealed by her smile to know that she holds secret dangers of her own.

[1.1] Stats
Attack Type - Ranged
Attack Range - 550
Attack Damage - 38 - 49
Attack Rate - 0.59

Armor - 2.08
Movespeed - 295

Strength - 15 (+1.7 Per Level)
Agility - 22 (+1.6 Per Level)
Intelligence - 25 (+2.7 Per Level)

[2] Skills

[2.1] Skill Descriptions

Volatile Pod - Q
http://honwiki.net/w/images/thumb/a/ac/Nymphoraskill1.gif/64px-Nymphoraskill1.gif

Nymphora spawns a Volatile Pod at a target location. The pod bursts after a brief delay, damaging enemies and healing allies in the area.

Spawns a Pod at target location, which detonates after 2.5 seconds, doing an AoE Heal as well as nuke simultaneously.

Mana Cost - 110/130/150/160
Cooldown - 15 Seconds
Damage/Heal - 90/180/270/360

Grace of the Nymph - W
http://honwiki.net/w/images/thumb/c/c4/Nymphoraskill2.gif/64px-Nymphoraskill2.gif

Nymphora blesses an allied target with her grace, giving them back mana.

Restores mana to any allied target, including Nymphora herself.

Mana Cost - 40/55/70/85
Cooldown - 19/18/17/16 Seconds
Mana Restored - 75/150/225/300

Nymphora's Zeal - E
http://honwiki.net/w/images/thumb/6/6c/Nymphoraskill3.gif/64px-Nymphoraskill3.gif

Shoots forth a wisp to damage and stun enemies in a line. For each enemy hit, Nymphora has her movement speed and attack speed buffed.

Nymphora's base disable. Shoots a projectile that stuns every unit it touches and deals extremely minor damage to heroes. The projectile will travel in a direction to its max distance, and then return along the same path. It can hit units twice. Also applies a buff to Nymphora when it returns based on the number of units touched by the projectile. Buff maxes out at 10 stacks.

Mana Cost - 100/120/140/160
Cooldown - 13 Seconds
Range - 600/800/1000/1200
Stun Length - .75/1/1.25/1.5
Movespeed Buff - 1/2/3/4% Per Stack
Attack Speed Buff - 5/10/15/20 Per Stack

Teleport - R
http://honwiki.net/w/images/thumb/f/f5/Nymphoraskill4.gif/64px-Nymphoraskill4.gif
Nymphora channels the power of the Forest, connecting with all living things in it. Through this power she is able to teleport herself and, at higher levels, some nearby allies to a target destination of her choosing.

Allows you to target any location on the map except inside the enemy base and teleport you there. Does not have to be targetted on a unit. At higher levels, you can take friendly heroes along for the ride.

Mana Cost - 90/150/210
Heroes Taken With You - 0/1/2
Channel Time - 4 seconds

Nymph's Call - D
Ability is unlocked with the purchase of Staff of the Master. Allows you to target a friendly hero and pull them to you after a slight delay. As of patch 0.1.50.1, no longer shares a cooldown with Teleport, making it even more awesome than before.

Mana Cost - 90
Channel Time - 5.5/4.5/3.5 Seconds

[2.2] Cookie Cutter Build


Volatile Pod
Nymphora's Zeal
Volatile Pod
Grace of the Nymph
Volatile Pod
Teleport
Volatile Pod
Grace of the Nymph
Grace of the Nymph
Grace of the Nymph
Teleport
Nymphora's Zeal
Nymphora's Zeal
Nymphora's Zeal
Stats
Teleport

This is your standard cookie cutter build for almost every single occasion. Volatile Pod is maxed early as it is your main support ability, and the one you will be using pretty much nonstop. Being a ble to heal a hero is also far more useful than providing them with mana. If a hero doesn't have mana, they cant cast. If a hero doesn't have health, they're dead, and not getting exp, which is a far worse situation. We get 1 early level of Zeal for the purpose of survivability. Teleport is taken at every opportunity, as it is an incredibly important ganking tool and provides amazing map control. Grace of the Nymph is maxed before Zeal first as it allows you to stay in lanes much much longer and is far superior support for mana hungry strength heroes who you will most likely be laning with.


[2.2] Alternative Build


Nymphora's Zeal
Grace of the Nymph
Grace of the Nymph
Volatile Pod
Grace of the Nymph
Volatile Pod
Teleport
Volatile Pod
Volatile Pod
Grace of the Nymph
Teleport
Nymphora's Zeal
Nymphora's Zeal
Nymphora's Zeal
Stats
Teleport

Pick this build if you are laning with a mana hungry nuker like Behemoth. With this build, you can constantly pump him with mana, allowing him to spam fissure like crazy. This provides you with superior lane control and allows your nuker to farm his core items quickly. This build is NOT for laning with a non-heavy nuker. The cookie cutter build should be used in this situation.

[3] Items
Items should be purchased in the order listed!

[3.1] Starting
http://i938.photobucket.com/albums/ad225/CptJesus/HoN%20Stuff/NymphoraStartingItems.jpg

Starting Item Cost
3x Minor Totem - 159
1x Pretender's Crown - 185
1x Mana Battery - 210
Total Cost - 554

This starting item build will net you +5 to all stats, and provide core components for the Power Supply you will be building, as well as a start for the Fortified Bracelet and the Plated Greaves you will be building down the line.

[3.2] Early Game
http://i938.photobucket.com/albums/ad225/CptJesus/HoN%20Stuff/NymphoraEarlyGame.jpg
Early Game Item Cost
1x Marchers - 500
1x Crushing Claws - 150
1x Fortified Bracelet Recipes - 175
1x Power Supply Recipe - 203
Total Cost - 1562

The Fortified Bracelet will provide you with some extra health which is desperately needed by a squishy hero such as Nymphora. The Power Supply will provide you with burst regen during team battles, and can often mean the difference between living and dying.
[3.3] Mid-Game
http://i938.photobucket.com/albums/ad225/CptJesus/HoN%20Stuff/NymphMid-Game.jpg
Mid Game Item Cost
1x Ringmail - 550
1x Shield of the Five Recipe - 200
1x Plated Greaves Recipe - 200
Total Cost - 2532

With the addition of Plated Greaves, a new option for boots is available that boosts Nymph's survivability, as well as giving an activated +armor buff to your team mates, which can make a nice little difference in damage reduction. Ghost Marchers are still viable, as are Steamboots, but Plated Greaves are by far the best choice on Nymph as of now.

Avoid Post-Haste still. It's absolutely not worth it on Nymph.

[3.4] Late Game
Here's where things get a bit complicated. At this point, you're going to build one of 3 items based on the way the game is going and what you want to do.

Path 1: Staff of the Master
This is the item build I prefer for most cases. However it isn't always the best option for pub games because the coordination that it provides is very rarely taken advantage of. This is the build you should use in a well coordinated team who can really take advantage of it.
http://i938.photobucket.com/albums/ad225/CptJesus/HoN%20Stuff/NymphSotM.jpg
Late Game Item Cost
1x Glowstone - 1200
1x Mighty Blade - 1000
1x Neophyte's Book - 1000
1x Staff of the Master Recipe - 1100
Total Cost - 6832

Staff of the Master gives us a big chunk of health and mana, further improving our survivability. More importantly though, it gives us access to Nymph's Call, which is an incredibly useful tool throughout any game.

Path 2: Kuldra's Sheepstick
This is the path you want to take in an un-coordinated pub game, especially if the enemy has a carry that is giving you a large amount of trouble.
http://i938.photobucket.com/albums/ad225/CptJesus/HoN%20Stuff/NymphTotem.jpg
Late Game Item Cost
1x Blessed Orb - 2100
1x Acolyte's Staff - 2700
1x Manatube - 875
Total Cost - 8207

Definitely the more expensive path to take, with the components coming in bigger chunks, Kuldra's is still one of the best support tools in the game. If you can manage to get this, it's totally worth it, and knocking an enemy carry out of the game for a few seconds can easily change the tide of a battle.

Path 3: Astrolabe
http://i938.photobucket.com/albums/ad225/CptJesus/HoN%20Stuff/NymphAstrolabe.jpg
Late Game Item Cost
1x Ringmail - 550
1x Minor Totem - 53
1x Shield of the Five Recipe - 200
1x Trinket of Restoration - 350
1x Minor Totem - 53
1x Refreshing Ornament Recipe - 200
1x Astrolabe Recipe - 900
Total Cost - 4838

The cheapest of the options available to you, this is a great path to take if your team is using an early push strategy. It is the quickest one to obtain out of the three paths, and provides awesome amounts of support, as well as personal survivability. Note that using Plated Greaves and Astrolabe on your team will grant everyone +4 armor, as well as a 100% chance to block 10 damage. This is fairly significant, especially when coupled with the heal tacked on. The only downside to this strategy is that it pushes back your big item (Kuldra or Staff depending on which you choose).

[3.5] Luxury Items
If you picked the third path and went with an astrolabe, I would immediately start working on one of the other two items. You will absolutely want a Staff of the Master or a Sheepstick. My personal preference is always Staff of the Master because Nymph's Call is one of my favorite abilities in the game. However, the following section will assume that you went with the first or second path and grabbed Staff of the Master or Sheepstick.

http://honwiki.net/w/images/6/6d/Astrolabeitem.gif
Astrolabe
Cost - 2306 Gold
+5 All Attributes
+5 Armor
Aura: +3 Health Regen to Allies
Active: 250 Health Restore to Allies in a 450 Radius
Active: +2 Armor to Allies in a 450 Radius for 25 seconds.
Astrolabe is a great choice for your next item. Nymphora provides an incredible amount of pushing power with Volatile Pod, and this can really help the push. It also provides a second, more reliable heal on top of your Pod, which can sometimes be "accidentally evaded" ("DAMN IT, STAND IN MY FREAKING POD ALREADY") by your teammates. A combination of Astrolabe and Volatile Pod going off at the same time can provide the majority of, if not the whole team a boost of 610 Health, as well as a temporary +2 armor. This can make a HUGE difference in a team battle. 610 is nothing to sneeze at, even at later portions of the game. On top of all this, Astrolabe adds +5 armor, which is a decent chunk, further improving survivability. Survivability will continue to be an issue farther and farther into the game, so it is important to keep track of it.

http://honwiki.net/w/images/0/09/Kuldra%27s_Sheepstickitem.gif
Kuldra's Sheepstick
Cost - 5675 Gold
+25 Intelligence
+10 To All Attributes
+200% Mana Regeneration
Active: Turns target unit into a critter for 3.5 seconds, preventing spells and attacks.
Another altogether excellent choice, but with a slightly more specific role. If your team is severely lacking in disables, this is your best bet by far. It provides an extra disable to knock out the enemy carry for a small period of time, which can easily turn the tides of a pitched team battle. I would suggest this item most if your team is struggling particularly hard against one or two of their heroes, but I can honestly say that this is a great item in almost any game. However, if your team is pushing fine already and you are already heavy on disables, I would suggest Astrolabe as the better option for raw pushing power. Note, if you already have a Sheepstick, please do not get another one. That would be a serious mistake.

http://honwiki.net/wiki/File:Frostfield_Plateitem.gifhttp://honwiki.net/w/images/a/a0/Frostfield_Plateitem.gif
Frostfield Plate
Cost - 4700 Gold
+30 Intelligence
+15 Armor
Aura: -25% Attack Speed to Enemies
Active: Slows nearby enemies movement speed by 40% for 4 seconds.
Active: Deals 200 damage to nearby enemies.
This is another great pick for Nymphora. If the enemy team is loaded with agi carries, this will be particularly effective, as the -attack speed aura will eliminate a bit of their DPS. On top of this, the armor boost from Frostfield Plate will provide extra survivability. If you're struggling to stay alive, this is a great choice. The avtivated AoE Slow + Damage is also really helpful, since with Nymphora's gross buffed movespeed with Zeal, you can quickly catch up to fleeing heroes, and use Frostfield's effect to slow them down, allowing your friendly heroes to catch up with them easier. The AoE damage provides a small little hit in pitched team battles as well, and it lets you farm creeps even easier than before.

http://honwiki.net/w/images/3/38/Hellfloweritem.gif
Hellflower
Cost - 5025 Gold
+30 Attack Speed
+40 Damage
+20 Intelligence
+225% Mana Regeneration
Active: Silences target for 5 seconds.
Active: Target takes 20% more damage for 5 seconds.
Another excellent pick for Nymphora, especially against blinking heroes such as Magebane. The silence effectively locks down their escape ability, while also simultaneously amplifying the amount of damage dealt to the target. On top of this, the stats from Hellflower synergize well with Nymphora's Zeal, and you can actually dish out quite a bit of damage in short order just with autoattacks, on an amplified target. Hellflower is a great choice and an alternative to Totem of Kuldra in many games. I would recommend this as a pick just as much as Totem, based on what the game is looking like.

http://honwiki.net/w/images/d/d3/Barrier_Idolitem.gif
Barrier Idol
Cost - 3653 Gold
+10 Magic Armor
+10 Health Regeneration
Active: Adds a shield on nearby allies, that absorbs 400 Magic Damage
This is on the bottom of my luxury items list, as I can only really really really recommend it for very specific scenarios, and that's pretty much if your team is getting hammered by AoE. Your ability to farm can allow you to make this, and it can be a complete game changer. With its low cooldown, and low mana cost, it can and should be used in almost any team battle. Once again though, keep in mind that the above three items will most likely be better choices in almost every situation.

[CptJesus]

[4] In-Depth Skills

[4.1] Volatile Pod
Volatile Pod is your main farming skill, as well as a huge boost to your team. It allows you to push lanes extremely hard, with the ability to not only to deal massive damage to a creep wave, but also heal your friendly creeps for a hefty chunk. In the early stages of the game, this move is also devastating to enemy heroes, as with a damage of 360 at level 4, Volatile Pod is one of the strongest nukes in the game. Volatile Pod is very easy to use for the purpose of farming.

This video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yXlCTp-YnlE&fmt=22) is a quick demonstration of farming a creep wave with Pod.

Notice that the AoE of the pod covers the ranged creeps in the back of their wave. At level 4, Volatile Pod is a guaranteed kill on ranged creeps until the very late stages of the game.

Volatile Pod is also extremely useful in team battles, as a heal with damage tacked on can quickly turn the tides of a battle. Volatile Pod is also a great assist when running away. However, you have to be careful not to drop the pod on top of yourself while running. Make sure you drop it in the path you intend to take, and compensate for changes in movespeed. Try to place it in a position where you will be crossing in the next 2.5 seconds.

This video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AJ2KixKA-a0&fmt=22) demonstrates leading with pods. By leading yourself, you ensure that you wont run outside the range of your own heal, missing the potential for a lifesaving boost. Also, keep in mind that pods can be targetting inside fog, which allows you to place pods in juke locations, as show in this video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S2bccU_y6NQ&fmt=22).

Also, take note that in the frenzy of a team battle, Volatile Pod can often be lost in the storm of AoEs that usually occur, making it far less likely that enemy heroes will evade the pod. Take advantage of this, and use it properly. 360 Magic Damage is nothing to sneeze at.

[4.2] Grace of the Nymph
This is not a very complicated spell. Simply pick your target, and give them mana. The manacost of the spell is less then the mana returned on every single level, so even at rank 1 of the spell, you should be using this on yourself every time the cooldown is up for free mana. There is no downside to this.

This spell is also incredibly good when paired up with super mana hungry heroes like Behemoth. A constant stream of Fissures is extremely aggravating to enemy heroes in a lane. This spell retains its usefulness throughout the game, since Nymphora herself is fairly mana hungry provided you are constantly using Volatile Pod (which you should be).

Video of Grace in action. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pR_GnHsaIPg&fmt=22)

[4.3] Nymphora's Zeal
Nymphora's Zeal is your disable, with an added little quirk to it. The movespeed and attack speed buff is incredibly potent. At level 4, 10 stacks of the buff that is placed on you results in a 40% movespeed increase, and an attack speed increase of 200. This opens this ability for a variety of different uses.

If you are running from heroes, throw a zeal at them. Not only will the stun buy you time, but the added movespeed allows you to put even greater distance between you and them. For a squishy hero like Nymphora, this is extremely important. The movespeed bonus synergizes very well with Enhanced Marchers. A 10 stack of Nymphora's Zeal plus the active ability on Enhanced Marchers will max you out at 522 Movespeed.

The attack speed buff you gain from Zeal should never be underestimated. It allows you to dish out massive amounts of damage with your autoattack if a hero is dumb enough to stay in range of you. Your attack speed will shoot through the roof under the effects of the buff.

One of the biggest mistakes made with Zeal is targeting by clicking on a hero. Zeal is not a seeker ability. It will fire in the direction you click, and travel until its range expires. Then it will return along the same path. This forces you to lead heroes who are moving as demonstrated in this (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QiuiDDMWH2E&fmt=22) video. Keep in mind that the duration of the stun is 1.5 seconds, but if zeal hits them twice, the time refreshes on the second hit. So under ideal circumstances (the hero is right next to you when cast), you can have someone stunned for roughly 2 to 2.5 seconds.

This ability can also quickly change the tides of a team battle, as it is entirely plausible to hit 3+ heroes with this ability if properly placed.


[4.4] Teleport
Teleport is quite possibly one of the most underrated ultimates in the game. I see many Nymphora players leave off on getting Teleport till later levels. Every time I see this, I kill a kitten. Teleport is an incredibly useful skill in so many different ways. Its a free Post Haste without any targetting limitations. Teleport provides incredible map control. What makes this spell truly amazing though, is its ability to take friendly heroes with you for the ride. This opens up a plethora of uses for the ability.

You can use teleport to facilitate ganks. In this video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XK8ebrCoFLQ&fmt=22), teleport is used to pick up 2 allied heroes and place them in the trees near bottom lane. From this vantage point, the team can easily sweep out and gank an unsuspecting hero.

Teleport can be used to save your team after a team battle gone horrifically wrong. In this video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Wui54BYq-k&fmt=22), the 2 Scouts being owned by the 2 Pestilences are picked up and saved from certain death. This is a risky manuever, but can majorly pay off.

On top of all this, it allows Nymphora quick trips back to base for shopping, and allows her to farm multiple lanes quickly. It also allows us to skip Post Haste and get Steamboots instead, as the Post Haste becomes redundant with this skill.

Also, if one of your teammates really pisses you off, pick him up and drop him in the middle of the enemy team. It's a total dick move, but you'll laugh so hard, it'll be worth it.

[4.5] Nymph's Call
Ok, this skill here is possibly one of the most broken abilities I have seen so far. Keeper of the Light in DotA had a similar ability. However, in DotA, any damage would interrupt the channeling of Recall. In HoN, Nymphora does not have this limitation.

This ability can be used to pull your friendly heroes out of sure death. Whether they are stunned, rooted, hexed, you name it. After the channeling time is up, they will be ported straight to you. As demonstrated in this video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0G8acr0Hmlc&fmt=22), you can allow your teammates to tower dive, knowing that you are waiting to pull them back to safety. In games I have played, I have seen Magmus unload his ultimate on a Static Gripped hero, only to have that hero ported out by yours truly in a truly Jesus-like move.

The ability can also be used to facilitate pushes and defenses. If you have 4 heroes tearing up a lane, with the fifth in another lane, simply pull the fifth hero to your team so you have full strength for a team battle.

In major team battles, an even more ridiculous tactic is the ability to port in heroes that buyback. In a game I recently played, our carry hero bought back after being killed, and I ported him directly into their base where a battle was raging. He proceeded to clean up the already weakened heroes, and then we took down the barracks. Nymph's call allows for a ton of crazy stuff, and can save your friendly heroes dozens of times in a single game.

As of patch 0.1.50, this ability no longer shares a cooldown with Teleport, which allows for some more crazy hijinks. This means 2 main things. First of all, you can now use Teleport with impunity, knowing that Nymph's Call will still be off cooldown, allowing you to save heroes from a gank (unless you're the one getting ganked). The second thing is, it now allows you to move 3 heroes with you. How do I do that, you may ask. Well, its easy. Teleport allows you to drag 2 of your allied heroes with you to any spot on the map (barring the enemy base). Nymph's Call will let you teleport a third wherever you take yourself and the 2 others too. So picture this scenario: you have 1 hero pushing top lane by himself, and 4 on bottom lane (including you). You push the creep wave, and let the fog swallow the 4 of you. You cast Teleport to the top lane, and take 2 heroes with you. You cast Nymph's Call and grab the last of the four. All of a sudden, the push which the enemy was preparing for on bottom lane is in the top lane, and they are completely out of position. Epic, right?

Note, if Nymphora is stunned during the channel, it will interrupt the spell.

[5] Gameplay

[5.1] Laning
Nymphora should never be allowed to solo lane. This is a waste of your solo slot. Nymphora is an ideal babysitter, with not just a heal, but a mana restore as well. Pair Nymphora up with a late game strength hero and go to town. Nymphora can easily prevent early deaths with the use of her heal and stun, and can provide much needed mana to heroes for their skill usage. Heroes like Behemoth who eat through mana are great lane partners.

[5.2] Ganking
As mentioned earlier, Teleport allows Nymphora to make ganks so much easier. With the ability to take heroes from the top lane to the bottom in the space of 4 seconds, it becomes incredibly challenging for the enemy team to keep tabs on you and your teammates. Missing calls are often too late to save enemies as your team comes out of the trees and dominates them. Use your stun judiciously,and drop heals as necessary. You can lead heroes with pods, forcing them to either eat the 360 damage nuke or run a different direction, providing your teammates even more time to deal damage.

[5.3] Pushing
Nymphora is one of the premiere pushing heroes in the game. Volatile Pod heals most of, if not all of your creep wave, while simultaneously lethally damaging theirs. The low cooldown on Volatile Pod allows for its repeated use, and you can often hit one pod on each and every creep wave. Combined with Teleport, you can go around the map and push multiple lanes and still easily show up for team battles.

[5.4] Supporting
Above all, never forget that Nymphora is a support hero. She is not a DPS Carry, and she never will be. Your job is to be a good little support hero. If no one else will buy a courier, it falls to you. You farm at a very fast pace using pod, so money is almost never an issue. Wards also should fall as your responsibility. Support is Nymphora's strong point, and you should always play to your strengths. Once you get Staff of the Master, your core items are complete, and if wards are needed, you should always pick them up.


[6] Nymphora vs Other Support Heroes
I'm going to give brief comparisons of Nymphora versus some of the other support characters commonly compared to Nymphora with skill overlaps.

http://honwiki.net/w/images/f/f3/Demented_Shamanhero.gif
Demented Shaman
Demented Shaman is definitely a powerful support hero. Similar to Nymphora, Demented Shaman has a combo heal and nuke in Healing Wave. However, Healing Wave is capped at a certain number of targets, and can only be targetted on one particular target, with the rest of the heals jumping randomly. This means there's no guarantee that you'll actually hit all the heroes you want. However, there is the consideration that Healing Wave is Physical Damage whereas Volatile Pod is magic damage. This means that Healing Wave's damage scales poorly into late game due to armor increasing as the game progresses. Entangle is not even a close comparison to Nymphora's Zeal. Zeal can stun literally an entire team if placed properly, and its range is massive. Arcane Hide is definitely an advantage for DS, because placing it on your carry is awesome. DS's ultimate is definitely awesome, as it can make a huge difference in team battles, but Nymphora's ultimate definitely provides a HUGE amount of map control. In the end though, they're both excellent choices. Demented Shaman is a much better harasser, while I feel that Nymphora is a better overall supporter.

http://honwiki.net/w/images/2/2d/Pollywog_Priesthero.gif
Pollywog Priest
Pollywog Priest is definitely a support character geared towards offensive support, whereas Nymphora's abilities are tailored more towards defensive support. Pollywog has double disables available, which makes him a better ganker by far. The overlap between the 2 heroes is very minimal however, and they're used for 2 completely different purposes.

http://honwiki.net/w/images/2/29/Voodoo_Jesterhero.gif
Voodoo Jester
Voodoo Jester is another support hero geared more towards offense than defense. The major overlap here is Mojo versus Volatile Pod. Mojo has the advantage of being mobile. However, the healing/damage on Mojo is spread out over 8 seconds, whereas Volatile Pod is instantaneous. Between the two, I would give the advantage to Volatile Pod, since the total healing is still higher by 40, not to mention Mojo can only do damage or healing, whereas Pod does both. The other overlap is in the stuns. Acid Cocktail is great in a situation dealing with maybe 2 or 3 units. However, Zeal is a better stun in high density encounters where lots of units are involved, as there is no cap on the number of targets hit. Once again, similar to Pollywog Priest, Voodoo Jester is far more offensively based than Nymphora, and they both serve different purposes.

http://honwiki.net/w/images/9/9a/Jeraziahhero.gif
Jeraziah
The first thing to look at in this comparison is the difference between the heals. The obvious difference is the fact that Jeraziah's heal only targets one person at a time, which is a fairly significant loss of overall healing. The other, slightly less obvious difference is damage type. Volatile Pod deals magic damage, whereas Inner Light deals true damage. This means that Inner Light will deal consistent damage throughout the game. Jeraziah provides magic immunity through Protective Charm, which is a huge plus. Righteous Strike is a great harassing tool, however, Nymphora's Zeal provides a stun, which is a huge benefit that Jeraziah does not have in his arsenal. Another point to note is Jeraziah's ultimate. If you're up against a team of mostly melee heroes who rely on auto attacking, then Jeraziah's ultimate will make a HUGE difference. However, in the big picture, Jeraziah is lacking the map control which Nymphora provides, and has a significantly weaker heal in team battles. Grace of the Nymph is a much better support ability than Righteous Strike. Overall, Jeraziah is a slightly more offensively geared support, while Nymphora is still more defensive (man I feel like a broken record). The other minor detail to look at is that Jeraziah has better overall survivability than Nymphora, since he is a strength hero. However, I feel that this is countered by the fact that Nymphora has one of the best escape abilities in the game in Nymphora's Zeal.

[7] Video
Any gameplay videos I get will be posted here.
http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=EBCE2435646E8EA6

[8] Conclusion
Well, that about wraps up the guide. I'm absolutely positive people have different ideas about Nymphora, and thats cool. Post it constructively. Nymphora is a beast of a hero, and in my opinion, always a great pick. Hope you enjoyed the read. Also, the videos were all made using Practice Mode, so they're a bit limited. They're meant to give you a general idea of the concepts involved. If there's enough interest, I'll grab video footage from a real game and post that here. That's all, thanks for reading!

[Ohyeah`]

ninja

[Isin]

Everyone knows it's better to go Charged Hammer and Steamboots on Nymphora. :p

[Drasha]

Everyone knows it's better to go Charged Hammer and Steamboots on Nymphora. :p
Every one knows its better to go thunder claw > basher on nyph.

Also why don't you spend more points on the mana restore early game with a lane partner show can nuke it makes you're lane crazy hard on the other team since you both will have almost unlimited mana.

[CptJesus]

Every one knows its better to go thunder claw > basher on nyph.

Also why don't you spend more points on the mana restore early game with a lane partner show can nuke it makes you're lane crazy hard on the other team since you both will have almost unlimited mana.

Because you need that early level of stun for survivability. You are a prime gank target for the enemy team. You are incredibly weak and easy to kill, and they will come looking for you. That one level of stun gives a lot of survivability. So yes, you would get more nuking power out of more points in Grace, but it would come at a cost. Grace is the second ability you max out.

And for god's sake, please don't build Nymphora as a DPS hero. Thats not her purpose.

[Fx71]

Hi, I'm new to the game, but I saw someone stack doombringers and use Nymphora's teleport to avoid ganks. Why don't you write about that?

[Drasha]

Because you need that early level of stun for survivability. You are a prime gank target for the enemy team. You are incredibly weak and easy to kill, and they will come looking for you. That one level of stun gives a lot of survivability. So yes, you would get more nuking power out of more points in Grace, but it would come at a cost. Grace is the second ability you max out.

And for god's sake, please don't build Nymphora as a DPS hero. Thats not her purpose.
But its fun its not a real build its an i bash pubs with a int support hero build. You could skip the one point in pod to get an extra level in grace. I also think a starter build that grabs a healing potion for you're lane mate and minor totems instead of the crowns works pretty well.

[CptJesus]

Hi, I'm new to the game, but I saw someone stack doombringers and use Nymphora's teleport to avoid ganks. Why don't you write about that?

This is a totally valid strategy, but only on tuesdays. Any other day of the week, it just wont work.


But its fun its not a real build its an i bash pubs with a int support hero build. You could skip the one point in pod to get an extra level in grace. I also think a starter build that grabs a healing potion for you're lane mate and minor totems instead of the crowns works pretty well.

Well, this was a guide for srs buzniss. I would not build Nymphora as a DPS hero in any serious game. But yeah, you can use variations of the build based on your circumstances. The build I listed is a jack of all trades build that will work well in any situation.

[Fx71]

This is a totally valid strategy, but only on tuesdays. Any other day of the week, it just wont work.

I am disappointed by your lack of dedication to fully flushing out the nuance of playing Nymphora.

[CptJesus]

I am disappointed by your lack of dedication to fully flushing out the nuance of playing Nymphora.

Sorry. On Wednesdays, stack Hellflowers instead. That's the right way to do it.

Edit: Apparently I fail at typing. Changed the links to the HD versions.

[Vadi]

where is the video?

[Robocop]

Do you think Staff is that much more useful than getting a disable from say Kuldra, or Hellflower's silence and damage? I mean the utility of the summon is good, don't get me wrong, but it doesn't really help in actual team fights where Nymph is pretty weak after blowing Zeal/Pod and not having anything to do but autoattack for the next 12 seconds. I just play pubs, but I feel like my map utility is already good enough with my base skills, and what I need is strength/survivability in team fights more than the summon.

[CptJesus]

Do you think Staff is that much more useful than getting a disable from say Kuldra, or Hellflower's silence and damage? I mean the utility of the summon is good, don't get me wrong, but it doesn't really help in actual team fights where Nymph is pretty weak after blowing Zeal/Pod and not having anything to do but autoattack for the next 12 seconds. I just play pubs, but I feel like my map utility is already good enough with my base skills, and what I need is strength/survivability in team fights more than the summon.

I've tried it both ways, and I've found Staff so much superior. All the points I showed in the in depth area, I've used dozens of times in a single game. Its utility is simply incredible. You have long range on your skills, exploit it. You shouldn't be in the fray anyways.

Vadi, the videos are linked throughout the in-depth abilities part. You can see some of the words are hyperlinks.

[Drasha]

I could see a behemoth portal key in ult fissure enrage with the timing just right on nymphs port to get him out before the other team can focus him working well.

[CptJesus]

I could see a behemoth portal key in ult fissure enrage with the timing just right on nymphs port to get him out before the other team can focus him working well.

Theres so many things that work with Nymph's Call. I had a Pestilence chasing our legionaire, who had like literally 100 health. I actually ran back towards their base, and then called the legion back towards me in essentially the most awesome juke ever. And then we killed Pesti. It was priceless.

[Dio]

Good guide, just when I wanted to play with nymph for once ^^

[Clyne]

thanks good guide. I will try her in my next game.

You should also add Post Haste as an optional, teleporting back to base and using Nymph's Call to a dying ally is priceless. But its really hard to farm, so if you have a ton of cash, I say go for it :)

[Sir_Josh]

Nice guide. Bookmark'd.

[Tapioka]

I like to play her the same way. But i do it not very often, because you need some friends or at least a very good team to use your port skills.
I like the staff of the master, but its so hard trying to tell someone that you gonna port him. A lot of people dont understand what you did and why.

[CptJesus]

I like to play her the same way. But i do it not very often, because you need some friends or at least a very good team to use your port skills.
I like the staff of the master, but its so hard trying to tell someone that you gonna port him. A lot of people dont understand what you did and why.

If I'm playing with my clan, they figure it out right away. If I'm not, I dont really care if they know why or not. If I see a save, I'll take it. Sometimes, you have to support your team whether you like it or not. Its also great for those games where you have scout, and you cant contain your rage. So you just port him to random places every time your cooldown is up.

[Karacis]

Awesome guide! thanks a lot man, i will have to give her a try. I usually play Shaman and Hellbringer for support but i can see her being up there as well :)

[CptJesus]

Awesome guide! thanks a lot man, i will have to give her a try. I usually play Shaman and Hellbringer for support but i can see her being up there as well :)

Thats what I hoped for. I want more people to realize that Nymphora is a totally viable support hero, and completely worth a pick. Also, I had fun writing the guide, so that counts for something too.

By the way, if anyone watched the videos, can you comment on the usefulness of them?

[Comis1]

Do you think Staff is that much more useful than getting a disable from say Kuldra, or Hellflower's silence and damage? I mean the utility of the summon is good, don't get me wrong, but it doesn't really help in actual team fights where Nymph is pretty weak after blowing Zeal/Pod and not having anything to do but autoattack for the next 12 seconds. I just play pubs, but I feel like my map utility is already good enough with my base skills, and what I need is strength/survivability in team fights more than the summon.

Disable is nice for helping out in that big clash. Staff is nice for making sure that clash happens when and where you want it.

Either is good.

And you say autoattacking for 12 seconds like it's bad :P If you get 10stack from Zeal you're going to enjoy doing carry-quality deeps :) If they're dumb enough to go for you last, autoattack away.

[CptJesus]

Disable is nice for helping out in that big clash. Staff is nice for making sure that clash happens when and where you want it.

Either is good.

And you say autoattacking for 12 seconds like it's bad :P If you get 10stack from Zeal you're going to enjoy doing carry-quality deeps :) If they're dumb enough to go for you last, autoattack away.

Absolutely. With staff of the master and another int based item, you actually do a pretty decent amount of damage per attack, and with what I believe is almost the fastest attack in the game (provided a 10 stack of zeal at Level 4), you can do quite a bit of damage.

[Eiz]

unless you are playing with at least one friend going staff b4 kuldraa or hellflower is not a good idea imo. For the staff ability to really shine it has to be planned and used well. Not just used at random when you (nymph) feel like its a good idea.

[LOLDUMP]

Protip:
Fortified Bracelets on int and agi heroes is just a waste of money, worthless. Just get the hpbooster from secretshop for the same cash, and you can build heart with it. and/or 10+str thingy for shrunken head, superlate.

[CptJesus]

Protip:
Fortified Bracelets on int and agi heroes is just a waste of money, worthless. Just get the hpbooster from secretshop for the same cash, and you can build heart with it. and/or 10+str thingy for shrunken head, superlate.

No and no. The fortified bracelets provide extra stats other than just health early which help contribute to last hitting and longevity in lanes. With 2 fort bracelets, you get 12 Strength, 6 Intelligence and 6 Agility, which totals up to 228 health, 78 mana, and some extra armor and attack speed. The 228 health is only slightly less health than a Beastheart for the same price, and you get the extra mana and armor on top which is important. You have no use for a heart on Nymphora, as you are busy farming more important items, and Shrunken Head isn't on your priority list either. Extra survivability will come naturally with Staff of the Master.


unless you are playing with at least one friend going staff b4 kuldraa or hellflower is not a good idea imo. For the staff ability to really shine it has to be planned and used well. Not just used at random when you (nymph) feel like its a good idea.

That's not really true. I've used Nymph's Call in plenty of pubs, and it really comes down to your judgment. You don't have to plan anything to save a hero that gets ganked, and you don't need to plan anything to pull a hero from the other side of the map to assist in a push. The amount of utility you gain from Nymph's Call is far too much to pass up in my opinion, as saving your carry from across the map is an awesome feeling.

[Santoriin]

great guide, i only really disagree with one point on your skil build which is that unless i really need to go to base at lvl 6 i don't take teleport. (sticking with pod and grace, to stay in lane as long as possible) I like taking it at 9 or 10.

[CptJesus]

great guide, i only really disagree with one point on your skil build which is that unless i really need to go to base at lvl 6 i don't take teleport. (sticking with pod and grace, to stay in lane as long as possible) I like taking it at 9 or 10.

Fair enough, but I don't actually use it to go to base. I use it to help defend lanes from ganks. In most games I play in, the pushing and ganking starts around level 7 or 8, and being able to teleport in and save the day is a huge plus. And of course, it shortens time spent healing if its necessary

[Santoriin]

Fair enough, but I don't actually use it to go to base. I use it to help defend lanes from ganks. In most games I play in, the pushing and ganking starts around level 7 or 8, and being able to teleport in and save the day is a huge plus. And of course, it shortens time spent healing if its necessary
yea i get why you were using it "unless i need to go to base" is the reasoning i use when i get it at 6, mainly.

also often if im having trouble in lane i need to base, and then i head to another lane to defend or something. anyways great guide, and i know you asked in one of the posts, the videos are useful i think, but i would love to see you record an actual nymph game.

[Sir_Josh]

Recommended for Premium.

[CptJesus]

Recommended for Premium.

Thanks =O. I'm hoping to get a bit more traffic in this thread, so if you have anything to say, say it!

Your second teleport video and your call video are the same link. I think you accidentally copied and pasted.

[EnragedCamel]

Grace of the Nymph is ridiculously overpowered now with it's low cooldown. You can get away with no mana regeneration items, and have enough mana for yourself AND your buddies.

My guess is that it will be looked at pretty soon.

[Santoriin]

Grace of the Nymph is ridiculously overpowered now with it's low cooldown. You can get away with no mana regeneration items, and have enough mana for yourself AND your buddies.

My guess is that it will be looked at pretty soon.
shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

Theres so many things that work with Nymph's Call. I had a Pestilence chasing our legionaire, who had like literally 100 health. I actually ran back towards their base, and then called the legion back towards me in essentially the most awesome juke ever. And then we killed Pesti. It was priceless.


Team fights.

TEAM FIGHTS.

[TurpinoS]

I would definately suggest getting Grace over Pod when laning with heroes such as Behemoth and Hammerstorm (just to take 2 examples). Having a quick level 3 grace (dont need to rush level 4 grace, its too much mana for the laning phase) helps a lot in letting them spam their spells like crazy for
1. lane domination and
2. easy farm.

Having behemoth stun ever 10 second and farm a 6 minute blink dagger is imo way more important then 100 more hp from pod, yes hp means death/live but with offensive lanes like that, your behemoth/hammer just can stun so much that the other team will have to back out/you will always have a stun if you're in danger.

75 mana till level 8 (level 1 grace) just really doesnt cut it for this kind of lanes. She really should be used like KoTL was, maxing mana first.

(too bad PL is not in game :D)

Build when you're with a hero that can spam a spell to harass/farm.
1. zeal (I personnaly prefer always having a stun first in case of fb, thats just me, picks your favorite)
2. Grace
3. Grace.
4. Pod
5. Grace
6. Pod (youll wait 1 more level for your teleport since you want that level 2 pod)
7. teleport

Note : 1 can be switched for pod if you dont plan on taking zeal early and you can swap 5 and 6 depending on how much spamming you are doing.

Note 2 : level 1 to 3, you normally always have regen items and shouldnt need pod so much, especially when you can permanently give your laner mana to spam and push the opponents out of the lane.

[CptJesus]

Your second teleport video and your call video are the same link. I think you accidentally copied and pasted.

Oops, fixed, thanks.

I'm just going to update the first post with the alternate Grace build. I've used it before, but I figured I would just post a cookie cutter build for general play.

[push3r]

very nice guide from now on im playing only nyph, very nice ty

[EnragedCamel]

TurpinoS is right. Grace is a lot better than healing pod early on assuming you have someone who can spam their spells like crazy.

[ElementUser]

Replace 1 Bracer with a Power Supply and you'll be great for Core Items

[Acriphony]

You should also add Post Haste as an optional, teleporting back to base and using Nymph's Call to a dying ally is priceless. But its really hard to farm, so if you have a ton of cash, I say go for it :)
It's also an invaluable pushing tool. Use Teleport to move to a lane, then Post Haste to escape it. You have a teleport every 30 seconds - just stun, run, and channel if you encounter the enemy team. I often get it even before Staff of the Master, because it vastly increases your farming power and survivability, keeping you in the gold and destroying towers besides.

[CptJesus]

Replace 1 Bracer with a Power Supply and you'll be great for Core Items

I dislike Power Supply intensely except on a few heroes. Power Supply puts part of your regen in the hands of your enemies, because you are reliant on them casting spells. With Grace of the Nymph, you simply don't need the regen that Power Supply provides. You have both a heal and a mana restore.

When I played KotL, my standard build was Chakra/Mana Leak, with illuminate last. I played him as a pure support. However, Illuminate didn't have a healing component, and thats the only reason that I rate Pod as a higher spell than Grace. I prefer to farm up my Staff of the Master as fast as humanly possible, because its utility is in my opinion nearly unmatched. Updating the first post with the alternate Grace build.

[Alhanalem]

I've found you really can't count on people to take advantage of teleport level2/3 in pubs. I've told people "hey I can teleport us anywhere on the map", said stand near me to teleport to the other lane... and its amazingly difficult to get people to cooperate- this led me to delaying level 2/3 teleport until after everything else if at all.

One could argue i'm hurting the team for doing this, but if they're not going to cooperate anyway, there's little benefit in the upgrade.

[CptJesus]

I've found you really can't count on people to take advantage of teleport level2/3 in pubs. I've told people "hey I can teleport us anywhere on the map", said stand near me to teleport to the other lane... and its amazingly difficult to get people to cooperate- this led me to delaying level 2/3 teleport until after everything else if at all.

One could argue i'm hurting the team for doing this, but if they're not going to cooperate anyway, there's little benefit in the upgrade.

I've never actually had an issue with it. Mainly because I use the fofllowing wording:

"Hey *carry hero*, do you want an easy kill? See that guy on bottom lane? I'm going to pick us up and teleport us into the trees, stand next to me"

The idea of a kill will get even the most reticent pubber's attention.

Monies! Stats!

[Skunkjuice]

Why do you buy two crowns first? That's only +4 stats. You can buy 3 minor totems and a +3 int item thingy (forget the name off-hand)

Then you can either buy 1 stack of tangos and 4 claritys, or 2 stacks of tangos and two clarity pots....

So, instead of +4 stats you get +3 to all stats and an additional +3 to int and twice the regen.

[CptJesus]

Why do you buy two crowns first? That's only +4 stats. You can buy 3 minor totems and a +3 int item thingy (forget the name off-hand)

Then you can either buy 1 stack of tangos and 4 claritys, or 2 stacks of tangos and two clarity pots....

So, instead of +4 stats you get +3 to all stats and an additional +3 to int and twice the regen.

Because we're building towards bracers, and 2 crowns serves the purpose we need. The crows aren't just for mana, they're for health as well, and minor armor. If you buy minor totems, you're going to end up selling them off sooner than later, and that's wasted money right out the starting gate. The crowns serve the same purpose, and they are parts of the items you're building next anyways. You don't really need the extra regen items at all, because by the time you finish using them, you already have grace/pod at a level high enough to sustain yourself without any consumable use.

[CptJesus]

As far as the new patch goes, I'm going to have to reluctantly change Enhanced Marchers to Steamboots. You need the armor more than the attack speed for sure. Even Post Haste might be a good option at this point, although I'm trying to avoid it if possible. I'll have to do some more testing and see what works out best.

I'll update the first post as soon as I get some more info

[ElementUser]

I dislike Power Supply intensely except on a few heroes. Power Supply puts part of your regen in the hands of your enemies, because you are reliant on them casting spells. With Grace of the Nymph, you simply don't need the regen that Power Supply provides. You have both a heal and a mana restore..

It's about the burst HP & mana restore in skirmishes/ganks/teamfights (+225 HP/Mana burst heal helps more than +3 strength = +57 HP in most cases) and not the "regeneration". But if you won't listen, then that's fine (it costs 9 more gold than a Fortified Bracelet). Like you said, Nymph already has a delayed HP restore with a mana-on-demand skill. Investing 9 more gold to get more benefits in most cases is the smarter choice IMO

[Mateui]

Nymph is my favourite hero. You need to play conservatively during the early game and pretty much for the rest of the game as well. You're not going to be the one doing the killing. It's great if you're laning with a mana-intensive hero because you can both heal them and provide them with an easy source of mana.

I usually select Zeal as my first skill unless my lanemate has his stun, in which case I go with pod. I make sure to get an early Grace started so that I can keep my mana replenished or my partners'. Even at lvl 1 Grace heals a lot of mana to the person you're laning with, and they'll love you for replenishing them.

Later in the game you need to stay in the back of team fights and place pods down to heal your team. If you're doing ok on mana then you need to look out to see who on your team is almost empty, then proceed to Grace them.

Definetely get teleport as soon as possible, and quickly get Staff of the Master. I like to stand in the pool and quickly scan the map to see if anyone is in trouble, and then save them.

With all the support you're providing to the rest of the team you're almost carrying them in a way. It's definetely indirect since you're not actively fighting, but since you're letting everyone else be at their max capacity your team will do wonders.

I'm so glad that Nymph is underutilized in pubs, because I always get to play as her and I, and with time eventually the rest of my team, love it.

[sirC]

I love this guide, I would love to see videos of you in action!

[crayze]

The fact that crowns are used in your items is never a good justification for picking crowns over totems. Think about it -- a totem is 53 gold for +1 to all stats, a crown is 185 gold for +2 to all stats. Right there you're essentially wasting 79 gold (53 x 2 = 106, 185 - 106 = 79) in exchange for 1 inventory slot. When you sell back the totem, you get 26 gold back. Thus you're still ahead. Only pick crowns when you have no space.

[Mateui]

I generally start the game with buying 3 minor totems, 1 pretender's crown (to turn into a Bracer eventually), 1 Runes of bight, and 2/3 mana potions depending on who I'm laning with.

I agree that starting with totems is more cost efficient and better for your initial stats. 3 minor totems + 1 pretender crown > 2 pretender's crowns.

[dunehunter]

I personally tend to grab a monkey at the start, as I don't have to leave lane to regen anyway :p

Good guide though :) I like nymph a lot, and I'm sure that I'll be able to get even more out of her now :p

[CptJesus]

Alright, I've changed my core item build based on responses on this thread and my own testing. I'll update the first post soonish, but changes are as follows

1 Bracer replaced with 1 Power Supply (I still want to test this more, but it seems to be a reasonable replacement)

Starting items - 3x Minor Totems 1x Runes of Blight 3x Mana Potions, 1x Pretender's Crown - Total Cost 584. Changed to build into Power Supply early.

Core Items - 1x Bracer, 1x Power Supply, 1x Steamboots, 1x Staff of the Master

I'll touch up the first post when I get home and can head into practice mode for some more screenshots.

Thanks to ElementUser for the suggestion. I'm still not ENTIRELY convinced, but I'm looking at it anyways.

Steamboots are definitely a better choice for Nymphora post patch, as the armor is vital, and 16 int is awesome for your early game. And then you can switch to strength. Its pretty win. I am still opposed to Post Haste on Nymphora, just because I don't feel its necessary and it takes away from necessary survivability.

[Workdawg]

I've been playing Nymphora quite a bit lately and the discussion going on here seems quite useful. Previously I was starting with the following:

2x Claws = 300
2x Minor Totem = 106
1x Crown = 185
Total = 591

This gave me solid starting stats (+4 all, additional +6 str) and all the pieces were built into my core set. I found that I rarely had trouble with mana or HP in lane when babysitting a competent laner. Just don't use any of your skills when you don't need to. Hopefully whoever you're babysitting doesn't take needless damage making you heal him too much. All the items went into my core build, which was also nice:

2x Bracelets
Enhanced Marchers
Astrolabe
SOTM

================
Powersupply seems like a solid thing to build after laning. I wonder if something like this would make more sense for starting items:

3x Totems = 159
1x Crown = 185
1x Mana Battery = 235
Total = 579

You sub a Claw for the Crown and get a mana pot instead if your not confident in your lane partner, but hopefully the Mana Battery will be able to help keep your mana/hp up just enough to not need it.

3x Totems = 159
1x Claw = 150
1x Mana Battery = 235
1x Mana Pot = 50
Total = 594

I'd probably take a look at your opponents and guess which heroes you're laning against. If there's a decent chance of laning against someone who'll use some spells, maybe go the claw route and skip the mana potion for an extra totem.

4x Totem = 212
1x Claw = 150
1x Mana Battery = 235
Total = 597

You can build your Power Supply and Braclet quickly then and Astrolabe with the other Totems.

================
Steamboots also seems like a good choice over Enhanced Marchers... the new build I'll go for is:

Power Supply
Bracelet
Steamboots
Astrolabe
SOTM

[Blitzl0l]

Power supply is invaluable. I didn't like it at first either, but early game ganks require the enemy to cast everything they have. If you survive the initial burst you can burst heal enough to survive and get away.

[Workdawg]

I played a game last night and went with the following for starting items:
3x Totems = 159
1x Claw = 150
1x Mana Battery = 235
1x Mana Pot = 50
Total = 594

Unfortunately, my team didn't pick a solo mid (SD) and for some reason they thought it should be me (Glac, Pred, Pest, Dark Lady, Nymph-Me). I ended up selling the mana pot as I never needed to use it. Solo mid is quite different from babysitting of course. I was laning Slither, and he was pretty bad, so I was able to out last-hit and harass him back at the same time.

I did build the power supply and found it to be quite useful.

Core Build ended up
Power Supply
Steamboots
Bracelet
Astrolabe
SOTM

Quite fun.

[ft]

Excellent guide! Thank you very much for the time and effort taken to write this up. The videos were useful, especially the pod in the fog.

[Lim_Dul]

Uhm - all good except for starting items...
Really, you only need to get Crowns if you're running out of space to fill with totems for some reason.
Yes, you will most likely have to sell them BUT they're only 106 gold for +2 stats while crowns are 185. They sell back for 26 gold for crying out loud, so you lose only 27 per Totem! 106+54 (gold lost due to reselling the Totems) is still less than 185, so you get an early 79 gold advantage to spend (or not spend) on stuff and a true advantage of 25 gold per two Totems.
Need to build bracelets? Go ahead - sell the totems on the first trip back! Where's the problem? You're AHEAD in gold, not behind.

[Nimara]

I actually go for two crown and a claw with a mana pot in the beginning. I think Nymphora is very situational when it comes to grabbing what skills and items at first.

I do the claw instead of 2 mana pots and 2 runes because I feel like it helps me early on up at the top where usually such squishy hero will experience some problem. The mana pot is actually just for emergency situations. As long as you keep your distance and pick a viable lane partner, then you shouldn't be in the need for runes.

Skill wise, I personally like to take pod first as well. If my lane partner has a stun, I will delay stun for a few levels. Recently I've been pubbing with a friend who uses hammerstorm often. Instead of takin pod first, I take grace. Grace is great to have first, I feel. I've been ending up with level 3 grace and level 2 pod at level 5 then I'll go for level 4 pod. By now I'd already have mana tube for totem of khulda.

I choose totem over staff only as a personal choice because I usually play with a group of friends which keeps us well coordinated. I think totem, in the long run is a better choice. You can work on staff after it. Totem can really break through some team fights. It's like having two stuns at the very least.

[PvtPublic]

I didn't sift through all the posts but was there a mention of kraken's ult (let's say in fountain) and then teleporting into the middle of a team battle? I find that strictly amazing.

[CptJesus]

It seems like I read some bad math somewhere that suggested that totems were not the optimal starting choice. I guess now that I'm looking at it, it clearly is a better choice. I'm going to go update with new item builds right about...now

Edit: First post updated with the new Item Build. I'm going to start frapsing some of my Nymphora games to get some decent footage to post here.

[Nimara]

Very interesting new item build. I've never used mana battery/supply so this should be quite amazing. I'll play a few gams and come back and tell you how it went.

[ElementUser]

Thanks to ElementUser for the suggestion. I'm still not ENTIRELY convinced, but I'm looking at it anyways.

Lol you're welcome

Main reason I like Power Supply over Bracer is that 4 charges on Power Supply will give you 60 HP (and 60 mana in addition to that), which is close enough to the Bracer's +3 strength (57 HP). You'll be getting more than 4 charges in most scenarios. Not to mention you're making use of Minor Totems from the beginning of the game rather than reselling them

Oh yeah, normally I don't get Mana Battery with my starting gold because I'm not sure who I'll be up against. I would rather get a Courier or other items & buy Mana Battery from the sideshop, assuming that you're in one of the sidelanes

[CptJesus]

Lol you're welcome

Main reason I like Power Supply over Bracer is that 4 charges on Power Supply will give you 60 HP (and 60 mana in addition to that), which is close enough to the Bracer's +3 strength (57 HP). You'll be getting more than 4 charges in most scenarios. Not to mention you're making use of Minor Totems from the beginning of the game rather than reselling them

Oh yeah, normally I don't get Mana Battery with my starting gold because I'm not sure who I'll be up against. I would rather get a Courier or other items & buy Mana Battery from the sideshop, assuming that you're in one of the sidelanes

I wasn't even aware Mana Battery was IN the side shop. I must have missed that one. So I guess its even more situational than it first seems. I might change the first post, I might not, but I think I'm fairly happy with where it is right now, since it covers the essence of Nymphora fairly well.

Edit: How do they decide on Premium guides, and who does it? I'm curious now.

[a_cloth]

From this point on, you are free to build whatever suits the occasion best. Great picks are Astrolabe, Totem of Kuldra or Frostfield Plate. Pick your next item depending on what your team needs the most.




I think you should expand this section to pictures and explanations on when to get each

[CptJesus]

From this point on, you are free to build whatever suits the occasion best. Great picks are Astrolabe, Totem of Kuldra or Frostfield Plate. Pick your next item depending on what your team needs the most.




I think you should expand this section to pictures and explanations on when to get each


Done.

[Lim_Dul]

I like the guide even more now!
Thanks for bearing my Minor Totem calculations. :-D

[CptJesus]

I like the guide even more now!
Thanks for bearing my Minor Totem calculations. :-D

Thanks for throwing them out there. The adaptation of the starting items actually works well, since the minor totems go into the Power Supply. I'm a Comp Sci major, so I'm obsessed with efficiency =P

Ahh, what happened to the forums! They exploded with sub-sections!

[CptJesus]

I'm uploading a gameplay video now, of a full 50ish minute game.

Attaching it to the end of the second post

[Mateui]

Now that Steamboots have been nerfed a lot, what is everyone buying for Nymph? Enhanced Marchers or Post-haste? Getting money is pretty easy with her, so lack of money shouldn't be that big of an excuse. I've never gotten post-haste for Nymph except that last time I played and the ability to just teleport around the map like crazy was awesome. As a defense it was very strong to be able to teleport to a tower, lay down a level 4 pod taking out almost the entire enemy creep, and then teleport to another tower and repeat the process.

The attack speed from the enhanced marchers does look appealing though, especially with Nymphora's Zeal in the picture...

Any thoughts on what's better?

On a different note, I've discovered that Call of the Nymph works on heroes trapped within Chronos' sphere. Nothing pisses off a Chronos more than freezing someone, commencing to attack them only to have them disappear before they are killed.

[CptJesus]

Now that Steamboots have been nerfed a lot, what is everyone buying for Nymph? Enhanced Marchers or Post-haste? Getting money is pretty easy with her, so lack of money shouldn't be that big of an excuse. I've never gotten post-haste for Nymph except that last time I played and the ability to just teleport around the map like crazy was awesome. As a defense it was very strong to be able to teleport to a tower, lay down a level 4 pod taking out almost the entire enemy creep, and then teleport to another tower and repeat the process.

The attack speed from the enhanced marchers does look appealing though, especially with Nymphora's Zeal in the picture...

Any thoughts on what's better?

On a different note, I've discovered that Call of the Nymph works on heroes trapped within Chronos' sphere. Nothing pisses off a Chronos more than freezing someone, commencing to attack them only to have them disappear before they are killed.

Yeah, Nymph's call goes through pretty much anything. I think at this point,as far as the boots issue, its either Steamboots or Post-Haste, depending on how the game is working out. I'm severely dissapointed in the removal of the armor on Steamboots, as it was the major draw. However, the bonuses from Steamboots are still better in general for what we need. Post Haste is a viable option now though. I'll play a few games with Post-haste and see which one works out better.

[Dalgrim]

wow, this guide is amazing

i just played nymphora the very first time, but i found myself playing her pretty good

my earlygame wasnt that good (died a few times) but mid and lategame was totally awesome. my team totally steamrolled them, and they almost never died, especially when i had my astrolabe. nymphoras farming und push power is, i guess, one of the very best. at around 30 minutes i had the late game build finished (though last hitting and denying is pretty hard)

i didnt had the chance to really use the SotM to get a mate out of a nasty situation, but i think its still worth it, just to have the option to get a mate out

edit: the gameplay vid you listed there, also helped alot, i saw myself trying similar things like you, like healing myself on the run (which isnt that easy, if you have wrong timing)

[CptJesus]

wow, this guide is amazing

i just played nymphora the very first time, but i found myself playing her pretty good

my earlygame wasnt that good (died a few times) but mid and lategame was totally awesome. my team totally steamrolled them, and they almost never died, especially when i had my astrolabe. nymphoras farming und push power is, i guess, one of the very best. at around 30 minutes i had the late game build finished (though last hitting and denying is pretty hard)

i didnt had the chance to really use the SotM to get a mate out of a nasty situation, but i think its still worth it, just to have the option to get a mate out

edit: the gameplay vid you listed there, also helped alot, i saw myself trying similar things like you, like healing myself on the run (which isnt that easy, if you have wrong timing)

It gets easier with practice, and SotM isn't as useful in pubs as in inhouses. On another note, I think I'm going to stick with the Steamboots build, but Post-Haste is a viable alternative I guess. Its a tough call though, since without the armor, Steamboots doesn't offer anything other than the stats.

[Mateui]

I've switched to getting Enhanced Marchers for Nymph lately simply for the increased move speed they provide to let you run away when being ganked. Throw down a zeal at the enemies and then activate the marchers to get an even greater boost to your already increased move speed. Works quite well especially if there are creep around as you run right through them.

Also, since these boots are cheaper than steamboots and post haste it lets you get your first expensive purchase a little bit faster.

I generally don't find Nymph to have mana issues especially since she has Grace, so that +5 or +10 INT you're missing out on by not getting steamboots doesn't seem like such a big deal. You're not going to be spamming spells like crazy during team fights anyway so you don't need a huge mana pool I find.

[CptJesus]

I've switched to getting Enhanced Marchers for Nymph lately simply for the increased move speed they provide to let you run away when being ganked. Throw down a zeal at the enemies and then activate the marchers to get an even greater boost to your already increased move speed. Works quite well especially if there are creep around as you run right through them.

Also, since these boots are cheaper than steamboots and post haste it lets you get your first expensive purchase a little bit faster.

I generally don't find Nymph to have mana issues especially since she has Grace, so that +5 or +10 INT you're missing out on by not getting steamboots doesn't seem like such a big deal. You're not going to be spamming spells like crazy during team fights anyway so you don't need a huge mana pool I find.

Yeah, at this point, I don't think any of the different boots have a clear advantage over any of the other for Nymph. I think I'll rank them like this:

Enhanced Marchers > Steamboots > Post-Haste

I played a few games with Post Haste, and it costs so much to get it initially, it ends up delaying your Staff, and the second teleport doesn't give you enough benefits to warrant the extra money.

[CptJesus]

Updated for 0.1.47.1. Changed the item build to reflect the switch to Enhanced Marchers.

[Honbaddie]

Wanna have fun with nymph? Get your buddy to go behe and start your lineup like this:

mana
pod
pod
mana
pod

Have fun getting all the last hits and denies while the other teams laners try their best to even stay in range of xp.

[Istaro]

What do you guys think about Nome's Wisdom? I haven't tried it yet, but it sounds interesting . . . is the heal noticeable, I wonder?

[CptJesus]

What do you guys think about Nome's Wisdom? I haven't tried it yet, but it sounds interesting . . . is the heal noticeable, I wonder?

Not really. I tried it in a game just for shits and giggles, and I barely noticed it at all. I think it really only benefits heroes like Pyro who have HUGE nukes that cost a buttload of mana. I didn't like it much though.

But thats just my opinion.

[Istaro]

I just tried it too, and incidentally I did have Pyro on my team . . . it may have helped him, but something like that is hard to notice compared to an active. Bummer, it's a cool idea.

[CptJesus]

I just tried it too, and incidentally I did have Pyro on my team . . . it may have helped him, but something like that is hard to notice compared to an active. Bummer, it's a cool idea.

Yeah...the money is better spent towards one of your other core items.

[PosSibley]

Wanna have fun with nymph? Get your buddy to go behe and start your lineup like this:

mana
pod
pod
mana
pod

Have fun getting all the last hits and denies while the other teams laners try their best to even stay in range of xp.
I've been using that order a lot with any stunner with mana pool issues. Behemoth, madman, hammerstorm, pestilence are all GREAT with nympho. With grace I dont buy mana regen items and just grace them then me every 30 sec, and can just gun for +hp at the start. Usually a bracer or steamboots.

Then I aim for behemoths heart. Heart just makes her that much more effective overall. Super heal/nuke more often, faster mana regen with grace, tp more often, stun/run/gun more often.

Already skipped mana regen and skipped post haste (i find orbs + her ult to be effective), so I'm ready to support my team with either dmg or disables. Games are usually over before i finish hellflower or charged hammer.

I was very underwhelmed with astrolabe, frostwolf, and Staff of the Master on nympho.
Current favorites: Heart, Steamboots
Situationally I've enjoyed: Barrier Idol, Nullfire Blade, Codex.
Still want to try out or hear from other's who've used: Harkon's Blade, Whispering Helm & Puzzlebox, Ring of Sorcery

[CptJesus]

I was very underwhelmed with astrolabe, frostwolf, and Staff of the Master on nympho.
Current favorites: Heart, Steamboots
Situationally I've enjoyed: Barrier Idol, Nullfire Blade, Codex.
Still want to try out or hear from other's who've used: Harkon's Blade, Whispering Helm & Puzzlebox, Ring of Sorcery

In almost every situation, adding Nymph's call to your arsenal is going to be your best bet. Staff of the Master is very easy to farm, and it provides you a good chunk of health. I literally turned a game around last night with call by saving our carry from a gank, which allowed him to participate in the next team battle, where we wiped them.

I haven't tried heart yet, maybe I'll give it a shot and see how it works out. Barrier Idol has been a total game changer in a few games in the past couple of days.

I grabbed Harkon's Blade in a game last night, and it was fun to use in conjunction with Zeal. However...it costs a LOT of money. Money that would better go towards support items.

[PosSibley]

I grabbed Harkon's Blade in a game last night, and it was fun to use in conjunction with Zeal. However...it costs a LOT of money. Money that would better go towards support items.
I can believe that. I like to think it would be great, but I feel like there are plenty of higher priority items for the little nympho.

[Oko]

A very good guide. Helped me as a total Nympho-newb to now being confident when she randoms up, or picking her when in need of support.

Premium.

[CptJesus]

I can believe that. I like to think it would be great, but I feel like there are plenty of higher priority items for the little nympho.

Yeah, it was done as an experiment. We were losing the game anyways, so I figured I would do it in the name of science =P

[ValentinO2]

What to do against Scouts, who are hiding and pwning you during you are creeping in Forest?

Forgot to say that the Guide is really kool. Thank you very much for it. The videoes are epic. I am gonna watch them all.

TYVM.

[Mateui]

What to do against Scouts, who are hiding and pwning you during you are creeping in Forest?

Forgot to say that the Guide is really kool. Thank you very much for it. The videoes are epic. I am gonna watch them all.

TYVM.

I always throw a zeal at them and then run! If they continue to chase, keep running and throw down a leading pod to heal you and harm the Scout if he still continues to pursue. Eventually your zeal cooldown will be done and you can throw it again.

You should be wary of laning/pushing alone because you're just not that strong on your own.

[ValentinO2]

I always throw a zeal at them and then run! If they continue to chase, keep running and throw down a leading pod to heal you and harm the Scout if he still continues to pursue. Eventually your zeal cooldown will be done and you can throw it again.

You should be wary of laning/pushing alone because you're just not that strong on your own.

ok, will try, another question, I have mostly 0 killz as Nmyho, but many assists, is there any possibilty to increase the chance to kill some heroes?

[VyyyE]

ok, will try, another question, I have mostly 0 killz as Nmyho, but many assists, is there any possibilty to increase the chance to kill some heroes?
Yes, but if you do you should reconsider your hero choice.

Nymphora is one of the best (if not the best) support heroes in game. You can let your teammate harass whoever you're facing due to your infinite mana, you can heal quite a bit while dishing out a bit of damage if necessary.

However, you're by no means the character who racks up kills. What you do is prevent your team from getting kills, and help them getting their K:D up. You're pure support, and your team will love you for it.

Major /facepalm if you get shieldbreaker or something.

[CptJesus]

ok, will try, another question, I have mostly 0 killz as Nmyho, but many assists, is there any possibilty to increase the chance to kill some heroes?

Heh, I play a lot of Nymph. If you check my stats, my assists are wayyyy higher than my Kills/Deaths. Thats just how it is when you play support.

[Mateui]

Yeah, as Nymph, you shouldn't be focusing on kills at all. In my opinion, you have 2 roles to play in the match. Support being one of them obviously. In the beginning help your lanemate survive and give them mana as needed. Your goal should be to get to level 6 before being killed, because after this point, should you die, you can quickly teleport back to your lane and not miss out on lost exp. When the game proceeds to the point where people are starting to gank and push together, stay near the back of your team and heal/grace as needed. Once you get higher levels of zeal you can throw that into a team fight to disable a lot of enemy heroes. Your team will love you for it.

That's the obvious first role. The second one, and the role that some forget about is that you're one of the best pushers/anti-pushers in the game. Once you have a level 4 pod, you can throw that down inbetween the enemy melee and ranged creep, and when it fires off you will have killed all the ranged creep and severely damaged the melee creep (up until late game where the creep are a little bit stronger).

Pushing and defending against pushes is the fastest and easiest way to gain exp as Nymph.

Should your team find itself in the situation where mega creeps are being sent against you, your pod won't be as effective anymore. This is where zeal will come in. Throw down a pod, then zeal, and you'll be a mean machine gun that will quickly take down the creep and allow your own creep to advance further, pushing the lane back.

I'd say that Nymph is one of the best, if not best at controlling a lane late game against creep. (And the fact that you can do so indefinetely thanks to grace is just an added bonus). Push one lane, then teleport to another and repeat the process. (Just be wary of your enemies' whereabouts because most of the time you'll be doing this on your own and a lone nymph is an easy to kill nymph...)

[gwho1]

a little advanced thing when laning and ur dropping pod:

if your hp will be full when the pod goes off, go ahead and use that opportunity to inch forward and landa few hits on the enemy heroes. it won't matter if u aggro creeps or get hit by them b/c u will be max/nearmax health when the pod goes off.

- sometimes enemies wil come closer to u, thinking you've given then an opportunity to kill you or majorily hurt you.
- when you do this you should probably do the "inching forward and attacking the hero part" before laying down the pod. if u do pod first they just run away immediately

[ValentinO2]

what do u mean? they would kill me if I attack them instead of making the pod, dont they? Explain plz.

[gwho1]

i dont mean attack INSTEAD of making the pod i mean aggro first and then make the pod - not the reverse order.

[Mateui]

If heroes like Scout or Predator are harassing you all the time, you should seriously considering building a void talisman because it can save your life and frustrate them to no end. If anything, it'll buy you time to escape.

[JeffEmming]

Thank you for this guide, I had played Nymphora decently, but my biggest problem was dying. I went into a game and didn't die a single time, and I think as a result of some of the defensive gameplay I learned I played 2 other games as support I usually have a decently difficult time staying alive with and didn't die either.

Granted there are other variables to keep in mind, but I still feel as if my playstyle improved and it opened my eyes a little, so thank you :).

[IdNotFound]

Really great guide. Probably the best I've seen! The YouTube videos were a very nice touch.

Also, what are the mods you are using on the gameplay video? I really liked the voice chat indicators on the right hand side of the screen.

Thank you!

[ValentinO2]

If heroes like Scout or Predator are harassing you all the time, you should seriously considering building a void talisman because it can save your life and frustrate them to no end. If anything, it'll buy you time to escape.

whats void talisman?

[Workdawg]

I played nymphora again last night and had previously forgotten how much I love playing her. Playing with a good team makes it really fun. It was an RD game and I got nymph. I ended up laning with armadon and he got seriously farmed up during laning because he could just spam his spines to get last hits and harass the enemy.

I'm a big fan of getting Astrolabe for the extra heal support. Getting any DPS items on her is a giant waste IMO.


Void Talisman: http://honwiki.net/wiki/Void_Talisman

[CptJesus]

Thanks to everyone who said nice things!

I'll actually probably add Void Talisman to the luxury item list as a counter to severe physical harassment. I'll also be doing some minor cosmetic improvements to the guide soonish, with some screenshots and stuff. I'm also trying to get another gameplay video up soonish.

The mods I use in the video are the following:

VoIP Slider
Bard's UI
Barter's UI
Rune Timer
Banlist Assist
Another Scoreboard Mod
Automatic Ability Learning
Hero Health and Mana Percentages

That should be all the mods that are visible. I use a slightly different set now, but all the visible mods should be in that list.

[Cloudmind]

thanks for the guide!
i play in pubs so my build isnt for competitive team play really but tell me what u think:

start items: TP stone, winged courier.
start building mana battery beginning with the thing that gets the charges.
get boots to build up to enhanced marchers.
mid game i either get glowstone for staff of masters, or i start building a thunderclaw. i think nymphora is a support defenitely, but when u use her stun on a large group, her auto attack speed is insane. i get a lightning bolt probably more then once per second which is 150 dmg to two additional targets. i've bought the warpcleft and made the hammer before too and i really liked being able to DPS and keep the group in the fight.
for spells i always go like this:
stun
mana
heal
mana
heal
mana
stun
heal
mana
etc till lvl 9-11. i use TP stones till i have heal and mana almost maxed then i put points into stun and port. unless the other team is really harassing in which case i will put the point into port earlier.

[CptJesus]

thanks for the guide!
i play in pubs so my build isnt for competitive team play really but tell me what u think:

start items: TP stone, winged courier.
start building mana battery beginning with the thing that gets the charges.
get boots to build up to enhanced marchers.
mid game i either get glowstone for staff of masters, or i start building a thunderclaw. i think nymphora is a support defenitely, but when u use her stun on a large group, her auto attack speed is insane. i get a lightning bolt probably more then once per second which is 150 dmg to two additional targets. i've bought the warpcleft and made the hammer before too and i really liked being able to DPS and keep the group in the fight.
for spells i always go like this:
stun
mana
heal
mana
heal
mana
stun
heal
mana
etc till lvl 9-11. i use TP stones till i have heal and mana almost maxed then i put points into stun and port. unless the other team is really harassing in which case i will put the point into port earlier.

As much fun as it is to build DPS items on Nymph, if you really want to maximize your role, you should just build support. I will admit that Nymph can put out some fairly ridiculous DPS in the right conditions, but a full Astrolabe + Pod on your team that's not conditional on your stun. For random pubs though, hell, play it however you want. I personally always play Nymph as support in pubs just because I feel that's her role to the core. As far as the skill build, it looks fine to me. Nymphora is one of those heroes who has 3 GREAT skills which its hard to choose between, and a pretty sweet ultimate. Build it however the game is working out for you.

Starting with a Winged Courier is really good for your team, thats for sure, but instead of a TP stone, grab yourself a couple minor totems at least. You can always farm the 135 for a TP stone in lane, but starting out with no + stats can be pretty crippling to your early game last hitting/denying.

[Exceptionz]

great guide, i just had so much fun, this was alot of info and i learnt heaps, thankyou!

[Workdawg]

I've started mixing my items up a little bit, I go Trinket of Resto, 2 Minor Totems and a couple mana pots (or runes depending), assuming I'm going to be laning with someone who I can spam grace on.

The trinket and totems build into astrolabe parts obviously.

I really disagree with anyone who builds Nymph as DPS. Sure, you CAN do it, but her attackspeed and damage are pretty terrible without the buff from zeal. So what you're pretty much doing is putting a bunch of gold into items that will only really benefit you situationally, and AT MOST 50% of the time (If you cast zeal on every CD and hit a big group of enemies every time).

[CptJesus]

I've started mixing my items up a little bit, I go Trinket of Resto, 2 Minor Totems and a couple mana pots (or runes depending), assuming I'm going to be laning with someone who I can spam grace on.

The trinket and totems build into astrolabe parts obviously. .

Nymph is pretty versatile, thats for sure. My item build is more of a general idea of what I feel the optimal build is, but theres tons of variations.

[CptJesus]

The latest patch removed the shared cooldown with Teleport and Nymph's Call, making this ability about 10 times more awesome in my opinion. You can now port yourself, 2 teammates, and an additional teammate in the space of 10 seconds to any spot on the map excluding the enemy base. I'll be updating this accordingly. I was just so excited that I had to post it first!

[gwho1]

so staff of the master is now core ... well it already was in ur guide but now it's solidly unequivocally core, right?

[CptJesus]

so staff of the master is now core ... well it already was in ur guide but now it's solidly unequivocally core, right?

In my opinion, absolutely. You can move almost your entire team from one lane to another in a matter of seconds. That's a HUGE thing to have. Not to mention, it allows you to maintain lane control using teleport and STILL have the ability to pull your teammates out of the **** storm if need be.

[gwho1]

a question i have is does it really take all the way to late game to get SotM? if so wouldn't it be much more benefitial to get astrolobe first to help your team during the time in between? but nymph can farm pretty well. what level are you consideringing as late game

[CptJesus]

a question i have is does it really take all the way to late game to get SotM? if so wouldn't it be much more benefitial to get astrolobe first to help your team during the time in between? but nymph can farm pretty well. what level are you consideringing as late game

Technically, no. I suppose late-game isn't the proper term, as its really just as soon as possible. I'm just sort of adapting what most other guides use. But in pretty much any game, you will have time to get your late game core set, as well as at LEAST one of the optional items I have listed as luxury.

[phoeniX18]

epic guide is epic. never played nymphora until i read this, went 8-3-9 and im a baddie.
congrats on guide <3<3

[gwho1]

do you have any thoughts about when to pick nymph? whenever i ask "nymph or jereziah?" ppl always seem to favor jereziah. nymph is fragile and end up dying if isolated against silence-assassins like scout or nighthound. also many other heroes can just tear her apart. as far as i could tell, when the other team has a dangerous lineup like nukers, blink + DPS, nymph seems to be not as good of a pick. however, i'm sure in the right hands the teleporting and hp/mana replenishing with a stun can work just as well as jereziah. i suppose maybe nymph is more of a stand-back support hero whereas jereziah is more durable and can get in the fray more?

[CptJesus]

do you have any thoughts about when to pick nymph? whenever i ask "nymph or jereziah?" ppl always seem to favor jereziah. nymph is fragile and end up dying if isolated against silence-assassins like scout or nighthound. also many other heroes can just tear her apart. as far as i could tell, when the other team has a dangerous lineup like nukers, blink + DPS, nymph seems to be not as good of a pick. however, i'm sure in the right hands the teleporting and hp/mana replenishing with a stun can work just as well as jereziah. i suppose maybe nymph is more of a stand-back support hero whereas jereziah is more durable and can get in the fray more?

If its an option between the two, I would almost always pick Nymph. Nymph is a much better pick in any team that has mana hungry heroes, as Grace is invaluable. Jera has better survivability, yes, but keep in mind that the range on Nymphora's spells are HUGE. Zeal at level 4 has a range of 1200, and Volatile Pod has a casting range of 600. You're easily able to stay outside of the fight and dish out heals. I would also argue that Nymph's escape options are MUCH better than Jera has available to him. With the ability to hit max movespeed with a 10 stack of zeal, Nymph can outrun pretty much anyone in the game without any issues.

On the flip side however, Jeraziah has much better harassing ability available to him, and his ultimate is arguably much more useful for team battles. It really comes down to what your lineup is in my opinion. If they have a lot of nukers, then Jera isn't going to be as helpful. If they're melee heavy, then Jera's ulti will rip them apart. So pick based on the circumstances, but my blanket statement is that Nymph is better than Jera if played properly in most circumstances due to the sheer versatility she offers.

[gwho1]

insightful. thx a lot. you've validified my desire to pick nymph more xp.

sry if i asked something already mentioned in the guide. i read it through before but couldn't remember if u talked about it, and didnt really feel like doing a lot of reading atm. =]

with pod u can also heal multiple allies instead of one so i suppose thats a huge plus in the healing department.

what did u mean by jer'z ulti will rip up melee heroes? b/c melee heroes tend to be DPS-based, that physical invulneratbility to your allies will render their offense ineffective and your team can dish out damage for the duration of the ulti?

[CptJesus]

insightful. thx a lot. you've validified my desire to pick nymph more xp.

sry if i asked something already mentioned in the guide. i read it through before but couldn't remember if u talked about it, and didnt really feel like doing a lot of reading atm. =]

with pod u can also heal multiple allies instead of one so i suppose thats a huge plus in the healing department.

what did u mean by jer'z ulti will rip up melee heroes? b/c melee heroes tend to be DPS-based, that physical invulneratbility to your allies will render their offense ineffective and your team can dish out damage for the duration of the ulti?

Yeah, any hero that depends on auto attacking significantly (i.e. a large portion of melee heroes) will basically be useless for the duration of Jeraziah's ultimate due to the massive armor boost + regen. However, against AoE nukers, a 360 AoE heal will be more effective in mitigating the overall damage being taken to your team, since Jera can heal only 1 person at a time.

[gwho1]

hey u know maybe a section comparing nymph to other support heroes like u just did would be a real treat, like a cherry on top ;)

[CptJesus]

hey u know maybe a section comparing nymph to other support heroes like u just did would be a real treat, like a cherry on top ;)

Thats actually not a bad idea really. Maybe I will.

[gwho1]

looking forward to it! =]

i tend to notice small thiings like cosmetics and stuff. color coding the skils for the skill build looks nice and becomes easy to tell apart. not that ppl can't read it how it is, but it looks good with color and is a nice touch.

the little video clips you have showing farming a creep wave, leading with a pod make the guide really good. i think it's a shame those links are very small. it makes the reader think it's a wall of text, when it's actually not. perhaps it would be good to make them just a bit more noticeable. ppl like visuals and quick and easy stuff, so i'm sure they'd immediately click a video clip dangling in front of their eyes, and then be led to read the description ("pod leading-oh, so simple i got that in 2 seconds"). Without even reading much, they already walk away with solid info for improvement.

did something happen to the guinsoo icon?


4.2 and 4.3 grace and zeal order are switched. maybe you did this intentionally

[CptJesus]

looking forward to it! =]

i tend to notice small thiings like cosmetics and stuff. color coding the skils for the skill build looks nice and becomes easy to tell apart. not that ppl can't read it how it is, but it looks good with color and is a nice touch.

the little video clips you have showing farming a creep wave, leading with a pod make the guide really good. i think it's a shame those links are very small. it makes the reader think it's a wall of text, when it's actually not. perhaps it would be good to make them just a bit more noticeable. ppl like visuals and quick and easy stuff, so i'm sure they'd immediately click a video clip dangling in front of their eyes, and then be led to read the description ("pod leading-oh, so simple i got that in 2 seconds"). Without even reading much, they already walk away with solid info for improvement.

did something happen to the guinsoo icon?


4.2 and 4.3 grace and zeal order are switched.

Whoo, making some cosmetic changes!

Color coded the skill builds, made the video links bigger, switched 4.2 and 4.3. THe guinsoo item vanished because the name of the item changed to Kuldra's Sheepstick. I updated the link to match the new location on the honwiki servers. The guide is updated for the newest patch now.

Being stunned always interrupted Teleport. However, the target of Nymph's Call will be teleported to you regardless of stuns or anything else.

[gwho1]

call of hte nymph is pretty imba lol

i just played nymph and in the game, i got SotM by level 13ish. thats probably still mid game right? our team was doing well, but i personally was only around 4 kills and 3 deaths. i'd say it was a pretty average game. as expensive as 7k may sound i think it's not difficult for nymph.






is my math wrong?

510 for bracer
519 for power supply
53 for minor totem
1500 for enhanced marchers
4300 for SotM

i get the total as 6882. not 7060






section 4.3:

Keep in mind that the duration of the stun is 1.5 seconds, but if zeal hits them twice, the time starts on the second hit. So under ideal circumstances (the hero is right next to you when cast), you can have someone stunned for roughly 2 to 2.5 seconds.
the meaning should be obvious, but i got thrown off at first. replacing that word with "refreshes" may be more accurate.

[CptJesus]

Fixed, and I added the section of Nymphora vs. Other Support Heroes. I'll expand on it as time goes by, but I think its a good start.

[gwho1]

glad i could help. =] i do like nymphora and this guide. good job on it

the support section looks good so far. good content.
- a bullet pointed summary for each support hero could be invaluable for skimmers.
- group defensive supporters together and offesnive support grouped together with defensive ones first. the real comparison is for defensive supporters, since nymph is what it is. of course she can be offensive, but her offensive capabilities are completely different from the other heroes i think. maybe not.
- oh i'd also say that as a nymph is the best pusher of all the supporters.

[CptJesus]

glad i could help. =] i do like nymphora and this guide. good job on it

the support section looks good so far. good content.
- a bullet pointed summary for each support hero could be invaluable for skimmers.
- group defensive supporters together and offesnive support grouped together with defensive ones first. the real comparison is for defensive supporters, since nymph is what it is. of course she can be offensive, but her offensive capabilities are completely different from the other heroes i think. maybe not.
- oh i'd also say that as a nymph is the best pusher of all the supporters.

Honestly, looking through the hero lists, I think Nymphora is unique in that she has the most defensively based skill set out of any hero. And yes, she is definitely the best pusher. I'll fix the grouping and stuff for the section later. Right now, I just want to focus on content.

[gwho1]

for nymphs call, if the guy you're trying to call gets stunned or whatever it doenst matter; it will still work.

BUT if nymph herself gets interrupted while channeling Call, it WILL break, just like how Teleport will get interrupted, right?

That's how i experienced it. it's not clear from reading, however.

[Shabla]

I've been playing HoN for 3 days, and I fell in love with Nymph thanks to your guide ! First time someone actually tell me I'm good at something in this game :p !

[CptJesus]

for nymphs call, if the guy you're trying to call gets stunned or whatever it doenst matter; it will still work.

BUT if nymph herself gets interrupted while channeling Call, it WILL break, just like how Teleport will get interrupted, right?

That's how i experienced it. it's not clear from reading, however.

Thats exactly how it works. If Nymph gets stunned, it will interrupt. I'll try to clarify that in the guide.

[OGSagat]

I have a different opinion on Nympora. I hope to engage some dialogue. Thank you.

Item build:

Steam boots
Astroblade
Barrier Idol
Staff

In that order.

That build almost completely eliminates the AOE game posed by the other team.

250 from astroblade
360 from Pod
400 from barrier Idol
Thats 1010 AOE dmg saved.

What do you think?

[CptJesus]

I have a different opinion on Nympora. I hope to engage some dialogue. Thank you.

Item build:

Steam boots
Astroblade
Barrier Idol
Staff

In that order.

That build almost completely eliminates the AOE game posed by the other team.

250 from astroblade
360 from Pod
400 from barrier Idol
Thats 1010 AOE dmg saved.

What do you think?

Barrier Idol should almost never be in your core. Its a situational item. Astrolabe is basically core, since in like 80% of the cases, it will be your item after the core that I have listed. It negates their AoE game, but its important for them to HAVE an AoE game. Otherwise, you're wasting money.

The problem with this build is that your early game survivability is incredibly poor. You need the extra health from your Bracelet and the burst regen from Mana Battery to keep you alive.

Steamboots is a viable alternative to Enhanced Marchers as I discussed in the guide, I just happen to prefer Enhanced Marchers.

[Saerchy]

First of all, great guide!

I've been playing nymph for quite some time and almost the same as you do, so I was hoping to get your opinion on my view.

You have SotM as a core item, I also tried that and I noticed that the new ability, as cool as it is, is quite useless. If I'm lucky I'm able to use it 1 or 2 times in a game to save someone. By the time you get SotM few players go roaming by themselves, making the new ability pretty useless IMO.
Therefore I go for the Kuldra sheepstick. It's a 1000 gold more expensive so you need to farm a little longer, but you get even better boosts. Also it's ability is useful in every fight.
So I think it's better to go for the sheepstick as a core item. It also enhances your ability as a support, because you can disable someone.
I know you can do a ton more things with the ability of SotM, but overall I find the ability from sheepstick more useful in almost every situation.

I also want to suggest nullstone as an optional item for nymph. It's ability gives her good survivability and nice boosts.

[Cyra]

Have to agree with the OGSagat. On pubs its hard to do such teleport rescues cause well, they're pubs.
Then when we're talking about competitive gaming there's always a fair number of AoE dmg in competitive gaming, because otherwise people don't die quickly enough. SotM has its uses in competitive gaming as people can base their strategy around it (as that is what you have to do, and the thing that makes it impossible to be put to its best use in pubs).

In other words, in pubs you can't put it to proper use, and in competitive barrier will be plain better.
If 2 other people are already going for Barrier and Astrolabe then sure, by all means get SotM, but otherwise I'd really recommend getting Astrolabe and Barrier Idol before SotM.

Also I really disagree with your Enhanced Marchers choice, Nymphora is already quick enough with her Zael, and she can use all the health she can get. Though personally, so far I've just skipped the upgraded marchers all together in two of my 3 games as Nymph today. Though in 2 of those the other team had a lot of casters so barrier idol became top prio both for my own magic armor and my teams health.

My opinion on this. :)

EDIT: And regarding Kuldra, I personally don't feel Kuldra is really put to its proper use on a Nymph, you really don't need the mana regen from Kuldra and the stats aren't really optimal either (you really don't run OOM fast enough for so much int to benefit you a lot..). I suppose the choice is more personal but I feel the stats and uses on Barrier and Astro are simply much better for Nymph than those of Sheepstick.

[shibbidydoo]

I too have to agree vs staff of the master in pub games. Simply requires the minimal coordination to make full use of yes, but you dont get that in pubs >.>

In pubs, for full support, i go:

Starting (same as you)
Early game: Turn totems into mana battery asap, get trinket of restoration from outpost, finish fortified bracer, get marchers. If i lane really well, i get alchemist bones for better farming+ attack speed synergy with zeal.

mid/late game: Steamboots (strength) and astrolabe. These two+ your battery and bracer give enough hp for most of the game, and together make her core set.

Luxury: I either go barrier idol or frostfield, depending on if we need magic or physical defense. Nymph REALLY needs the survivability these two provide to withstand late game.

[D0ri]

post haste are core for me.. start out with a crown, courier and a few totems, than get power supply and maybe throw a bracer in there. then i rush post haste.

after that i can start pushing 2 lanes with the 30 second teleport, and farming becomes a breeze.
you can put a lot of pressure on your opponents, thus giving your carry some safe time in the jungle or on lanes youre not pushing.

i usually get astrolabe, if facing magmus, mq, and other aoe heroes a barrier idol.

i dont usually get sotm, i just find it too situational
rather get totem or stormspirit since lategame you should be disabling. thunderclaw is fun too, and it actually makes pushing even easier

[gwho1]

i like phase for all the reaons cptjesus wrote. u already have unrestricted teleport which has a reasonable cd. massive teleporting can be good i guess. but it would be situational not core.

[Cyclone_Jack]

I'm guessing the Plated Greaves are the way to go with Nymph now?

You guide has made me a Nymphora player. I still have some things to learn, but I'm getting much better with her. The biggest help is the items guide and what to get when. Another help is that I printed out a little cheat sheet telling me how much gold I need to get my first set of upgrades. I'll sit in lane until L6, TP back to base, buy the Bracers, Power Supply, Marchers and a Homecoming and get right back into the lane a few seconds later. If my lane-mate and I are doing well, I'll even finish out the Plated Greaves recipe. :)

I have played with Post Haste on her, I was getting it before Plated Greaves hit, and I really liked the ability to go all over the place. The downside was that it pushed back getting the SotM quite a bit. Granted, I've only had the chance to use SotM a few times, the times that I did use it were awesome, like pulling our Tank out of a major gank with just a few HP left.

Right now my two biggest problems are staying alive in the latter part of the mid-game, and getting gold past SotM. As stated, Nymph is an easy character to take out, so I just need to judge a little better some of my choices. Will another player last long enough for my Heal Pod to go off? or should I back off now and not give them two kills? Little things like that.

I do have a question, does anyone know if Nymph's Zeal counts as an assist, since it does no damage? I've had a few games where I was able to Zeal through some trees and tag a fleeing enemy Hero, stunning them long enough for the chaser to finish them off, and did not get an assist. Or Zeal through a number of enemy Heroes, all of whom were shortly thereafter destroyed, and got no assists (they all were dead just before my Heal Pod went off).

[gwho1]

^ intresting to read.

yeah is plated greaves better or still phase? ur trading max movespeed for some damage blocking, essentially.

staying alive. what about blademail? too expensive and not worth it? blade mail isn't only for tanks. it's actualy for anyone who tends to get focused so. is there any item you should get for beefing yourself up at all? even if not, would there still be one best choice?

[Kamelkaze]

Barriors Idol and Void Talisman

Do both items work for Nymph at the same time :confused:

[stevefox]

Excellent guide. One thing I think it is missing is a more detailed discussion about her role as a babysitter in a lane. Specific hero pairings that are effective and how to sync their spells together effectively. Love the videos. Premium quality.

[PREZES]

Can someone tell me what is a "Ganking"? What is a "gank"? Eventually that can be GANG, no "Gank". Its "G" not a "K" :P

[stevefox]

Ganking is what people refer to as hunting and killing someone on the map where the targeted party is unaware they are being targeted. In contrast to a 5v5 team fight, which are often initiated with both teams being aware, ganks favor the ganking players.

[gwho1]

i think hes asking whats the difference between ganGing and ganKing. i also ask this. from the usage, they seem to mean the exact same thing.

but the etymology would be good to know.
ganging is obvious, yoiu gang up on them.
but gank? etymology plz, anyone who knows.



Excellent guide. One thing I think it is missing is a more detailed discussion about her role as a babysitter in a lane. Specific hero pairings that are effective and how to sync their spells together effectively. Love the videos. Premium quality.

oooo, good point. agreed/ babysitting details would be good.
also, there would be a babysitting skill build too, wouldn't there? kinda tough b/c all skills are good. i'm guessing probably mana first priority, healing 2nd, and then just one level of stun. but maybe u can just skip the stun altogether if your partner is effective enough?

[Cyclone_Jack]

i'm guessing probably mana first priority, healing 2nd, and then just one level of stun. but maybe u can just skip the stun altogether if your partner is effective enough?

Having at least one level of stun early on is good to have, both offensively and defensively. It can help keep an overzealous enemy at bay, and can help you and your lane mate get a kill, and possibly First Blood! L1 Zeal may not last long, but sometimes its just long enough to allow your partner to catch up and get that last hit.

[CptJesus]

Wow. Sorry guys, I've been out of the HoN loop for a little while. And wow, thanks for the premium. It's time for me to start playing some more HoN and update this guide!

[Thooom]

Do you think Staff is that much more useful than getting a disable from say Kuldra, or Hellflower's silence and damage? I mean the utility of the summon is good, don't get me wrong, but it doesn't really help in actual team fights where Nymph is pretty weak after blowing Zeal/Pod and not having anything to do but autoattack for the next 12 seconds. I just play pubs, but I feel like my map utility is already good enough with my base skills, and what I need is strength/survivability in team fights more than the summon.

The extra health from Staff might just save the day.

[Sirroelivan]

A quick question: doesn't the fact that the Teleport target is revealed diminish it's value for ganks and such?

[WSLaFleur]

Because you need that early level of stun for survivability. You are a prime gank target for the enemy team. You are incredibly weak and easy to kill, and they will come looking for you. That one level of stun gives a lot of survivability. So yes, you would get more nuking power out of more points in Grace, but it would come at a cost. Grace is the second ability you max out.

And for god's sake, please don't build Nymphora as a DPS hero. Thats not her purpose.

Map awareness prevents the need for Zeal early game, and if you've got a dependable lane partner with a stun/nuke, grace should give you essentially the same peace of mind.


A quick question: doesn't the fact that the Teleport target is revealed diminish it's value for ganks and such?

No. Avoid your opponent's LOS when targeting Teleport.

[Sirroelivan]

Map awareness prevents the need for Zeal early game, and if you've got a dependable lane partner with a stun/nuke, grace should give you essentially the same peace of mind.



No. Avoid your opponent's LOS when targeting Teleport.

But isn't the teleport target revealed through the fog of war? Or am I wrong about that one?

[CptJesus]

But isn't the teleport target revealed through the fog of war? Or am I wrong about that one?

From what I understand, if they have LoS, they can see the target. If not, they can't.

[gwho1]

so i played a game where my aly was nymph. she got heart.

now i thought what? but after thinking about it, it
1) solves survivability issue, lasting longer in battle,
2) reduces casting time, which can be almost as good as SotM,
but overall, solves a lot more things at once. and nymph is a good farmer so it may not be a bad idea at all, provided that your team isn't trying to win the game by early pushing (astralobe would be much better in that case).

[kiLUINNNN]

i really like this hero, thanks for the guide and i think with the staff works awesome

[Numerio]

hmm, the guide is not bad... but i play nymphora very different
often i go grace of the nymph first, just for the spamming with my laning partner (like swiftblade, mq..), then 2 and 3 i get the heal
I nearly never needed the heal on lvl 1, the healing power of the lvl1 heal is anyway to less for the mana cost (90 health)

then on 4 i get mana again, or the stun... at lvl 6 i get teleport and 7 maxed health.. and it works very well with me
you need the mana - for more heals or for the spamming... you always need the mana imo

and the items:
I mostly get plated - astrolabe as core items... it just gives so much survivalibity, to myself and to my teammates
then maybe sotm, becouse of the awesome teleport.. like in your guide
or instead of it, maybe barrier idol if no one else gets it (and against nuker)
I nearly never get kuldras finished when i try to, so from now on I focus on sotm instead

and wards of course... tons of wards :)

maybe some suggestions to my playstyle?

[Popo]

Also, if one of your teammates really pisses you off, pick him up and drop him in the middle of the enemy team. It's a total dick move, but you'll laugh so hard, it'll be worth it.



This is a premium guide...?

[CptJesus]

This is a premium guide...?

Its called humor. Some of us have it. The rest of the guide is solid enough I would think. Although it does need to be slightly updated. I've just been sort of lazy. I'll be adding in an alternative item build to what I have posted, since there's so many variables involved.

[alliednoob]

so, greaves or ghost marchers or steam boots?

[CptJesus]

so, greaves or ghost marchers or steam boots?

Plated Greaves is the best option IMO.

[alliednoob]

So should I just solo farm and push lanes carefully until I get Staff of Masters?

Btw, should I be getting tons of kills with Nymph? Apparently I am suppose to get at least a 1.0 kdr with nymph so I can be considered helping the team...

[hanjin1]

nice guide playing with nymphora since 2months and are very succesfull but i think her auto attack could be a little more stronger

[flammy]

Hello, I like your guide but I think you are overlooking post haste a little bit.

This item is just amazing on Nymphora because it allows you to push lanes so much faster and in a much safer way. Use teleport to get to the lane, push 2-3 waves of creeps and switch to an other lane with post haste, this is just amazing. The boots are expensive but once you have them you get your staff of the master in no time because you can safely push any lane like this. There is still a risk to be ganked but if you watch the map while pushing and don't push too deeply you can usually get away. Alose post haste has a shorter cast time than teleport which can be a life saver in some situations.

[Tanubis]

Hello, I like your guide but I think you are overlooking post haste a little bit.

This item is just amazing on Nymphora because it allows you to push lanes so much faster and in a much safer way. Use teleport to get to the lane, push 2-3 waves of creeps and switch to an other lane with post haste, this is just amazing. The boots are expensive but once you have them you get your staff of the master in no time because you can safely push any lane like this. There is still a risk to be ganked but if you watch the map while pushing and don't push too deeply you can usually get away. Alose post haste has a shorter cast time than teleport which can be a life saver in some situations.

If you're ricing as Nymphora, you're doing it wrong.

[CptJesus]

Hello, I like your guide but I think you are overlooking post haste a little bit.

This item is just amazing on Nymphora because it allows you to push lanes so much faster and in a much safer way. Use teleport to get to the lane, push 2-3 waves of creeps and switch to an other lane with post haste, this is just amazing. The boots are expensive but once you have them you get your staff of the master in no time because you can safely push any lane like this. There is still a risk to be ganked but if you watch the map while pushing and don't push too deeply you can usually get away. Alose post haste has a shorter cast time than teleport which can be a life saver in some situations.

As Tanubis said, this isn't the point of Nymphora. You're not supposed to be farming, you're supposed to be babysitting someone.

[logan85]

This build works grate ^^ Thx man. :nymp:

[Vulpes]

I don't really understand why one would prefer Phasing over +10 Str on the squishiest Character in the Game.
And, you really, really should mention Plated Greaves as THE supportive Boots..
Also Post Haste is great for pushing Purposes (what you most likely do if you pick her) - at least tell ppl to Disassemble their old Boots & get PH later.

You are a purely supportive Character. Start off with Wards / Courier / Winged Recipe (In Pubs: Courier).
I feel Mana Battery to be too less Regen on a Supersquishy with 550 Range, would prefer 2x Blight by a large margin -
You can always go and grab the Mana Battery from the Side Shop, anyways.

I also prefer a 2nd Bracelet. She just desperately needs the HP,
and in that Stage of the game there is no way you should be farming 1200g for Glowstone.

Hellflower is Crap on a Supporter like Nymph. Go get Puzzlebox / StormSpirit or something.
Also note Nome's Wisdom, Tablet as a situational pick, and tell ppl what to buy if they aren't able to farm up SotM (Hi Nomes).

Also you should tell people to not only constantly carry a TP (best: 2 of them), but also to keep Warding (Link a Warding Guide).

[gwho1]

i think a nymph guide cannot go without mentioning plated greaves, puzzlebox, nomes, or storm spirit. they are really worth mentioning, especially as a supporter, which nymph exculsively is.

storm can be your phase boots (movespeed)



@ vulpes
is hellflower really that bad? amplify damage is a supporting feature too. silence acts are a survival mechanism too, although not as good as sheepstick of course.

IF one were to go slightly (you are exculsively a supporter) more on the DPS side of nymph for whatever reason (since the dps from lvl 4 zeal is by no means insignificant at all), hellflower is certainly not bad, imo. woudld love to hear your thoughts, vulpes.

[CptJesus]

If you look at the last patch this was updated for, its outdated. I've already mentioned plated greaves in a previous post. I'll get around to updating it eventually, but I haven't been playing enough HoN lately to get a good enough feel for the hero with the current itemsets

[Vulpes]

@ vulpes
is hellflower really that bad? amplify damage is a supporting feature too. silence acts are a survival mechanism too, although not as good as sheepstick of course.

IF one were to go slightly (you are exculsively a supporter) more on the DPS side of nymph for whatever reason (since the dps from lvl 4 zeal is by no means insignificant at all), hellflower is certainly not bad, imo. woudld love to hear your thoughts, vulpes.

The bad thing about Hellflower is, that
a) All the Parts are pretty bad (the Arcane Staff doesn't really give you anything you need)
b) The ending Stats are also 'wasted' (You are squishy support, what do you want with +30 AS +40 Damage)
c) It isn't Damage amplification, but True Damage after the Duration - quite possible you snatch a Kill with it, what you don't want

But if you play -EM, where you (have to) build every single Hero as a Carry,
and manage to stun 3+ Guys on a regular Basis - go for it.

On a general note, it's not a terrible Item, it's just that you could get much better stuff for the 5000 Gold.

[Garche]

What's the validity on a pseudo-carry Nympho build?

She does a lot of damage.

[CptJesus]

I would still build her as support in 99% of cases.

You shouldn't build her as a support, I hereby say I disagree with most of this guide, in the draft section I put down my own guide and I'll tell you why you shouldn't build her as one:p Bottom line is, she already is a support hero, she can maintain herself and she can maintain others. Doubling her effort means that your team loses twice the support compared to when another hero got these items and Nymphora had gone for carry items.

[CptJesus]

You shouldn't build her as a support, I hereby say I disagree with most of this guide, in the draft section I put down my own guide and I'll tell you why you shouldn't build her as one:p Bottom line is, she already is a support hero, she can maintain herself and she can maintain others. Doubling her effort means that your team loses twice the support compared to when another hero got these items and Nymphora had gone for carry items.

She already is a support hero, and shes meant to stay as one.

That being said, be my guest and build her as a carry. Unless you're playing EM pubs, it probably won't work all that great, because outside of the zeal period, Nymph's attack stats blow hardcore.

I've seen about ten games where the person playing Nymph went as a carry build, and they all failed miserably bar none. No amount of carry items will improve Nymph's survivability to the point where she is a viable DPSer. In any team battle where people know half of what they are doing, Nymph is the first to die, always. So late game, your job becomes something along the lines of drop pod, throw up zeal, hit astrolabe, hit barrier idol/kuldra/frostfield. If you're still alive at this point, congratulations, you've beaten the odds. Any semi-organized team is not going to let you hit all of them with zeal, and you'll hit 2, maybe 3 if you're lucky. Granted, you have awesome attack speed for a short period, but in this same period, you WILL be focused down. If you're close enough to attack them, they're close enough to kill you dead.

Edit: I just read a bit of your guide. When I say that she is support, that is not limited to heals. Astrolabe is not the only item to get on Nymph, and is in fact one of the items I get the least. I usually get Staff of the Master and then Kuldra. Knocking an enemy carry out of the fight for a few seconds is way better than a mediocre attack damage with Charged Hammer.

She already is a support hero, and shes meant to stay as one.

That being said, be my guest and build her as a carry. Unless you're playing EM pubs, it probably won't work all that great, because outside of the zeal period, Nymph's attack stats blow hardcore.

I've seen about ten games where the person playing Nymph went as a carry build, and they all failed miserably bar none. No amount of carry items will improve Nymph's survivability to the point where she is a viable DPSer. In any team battle where people know half of what they are doing, Nymph is the first to die, always. So late game, your job becomes something along the lines of drop pod, throw up zeal, hit astrolabe, hit barrier idol/kuldra/frostfield. If you're still alive at this point, congratulations, you've beaten the odds. Any semi-organized team is not going to let you hit all of them with zeal, and you'll hit 2, maybe 3 if you're lucky. Granted, you have awesome attack speed for a short period, but in this same period, you WILL be focused down. If you're close enough to attack them, they're close enough to kill you dead.

Edit: I just read a bit of your guide. When I say that she is support, that is not limited to heals. Astrolabe is not the only item to get on Nymph, and is in fact one of the items I get the least. I usually get Staff of the Master and then Kuldra. Knocking an enemy carry out of the fight for a few seconds is way better than a mediocre attack damage with Charged Hammer.
The attack damage from charged hammer isn't mediocre when combined with zeal:p

[CptJesus]

The attack damage from charged hammer isn't mediocre when combined with zeal:p

But is it better than disabling the enemy carry? What happens if you miss zeal? What if you hit zeal, but only hit an enemy or two?

But is it better than disabling the enemy carry? What happens if you miss zeal? What if you hit zeal, but only hit an enemy or two?
Well, preferably you hit them along with the creepwave but even without the IAS should be fine. And you can also put a brutalizer on nymph if you need people disabled.

[alliednoob]

Well, preferably you hit them along with the creepwave but even without the IAS should be fine. And you can also put a brutalizer on nymph if you need people disabled.

your saying we should get support items on :madm::corr::nigh::mage: *insert other (hard) carries here*

your saying we should get support items on :madm::corr::nigh::mage: *insert other (hard) carries here*
No, I'm saying you should get them on your other int heroes that have mana to spare and rely on their spells(that don't scale with items) rather than their autoattacks.

[alliednoob]

No, I'm saying you should get them on your other int heroes that have mana to spare and rely on their spells(that don't scale with items) rather than their autoattacks.

Thunderbringer with Doombringer (or other items that boosts his auto attack)...
nuff said...

[CptJesus]

I just updated the guide to 0.1.62. Updated the item builds to reflect changes, and made a few alternate item builds after mid-game. I also updated a few of the item descriptions and stuff. Cosmetic stuff. The guide should be 1.62 ready though. Time to see if anything happens to Nymph in 1.63!

[alliednoob]

nice, btw, nymph is good with accursed too, accursed can tank/charge in and if he's really in trouble (getting owned and is about to ult), start channeling ur telegrab and get him out of there, good for escaping.

[Grim_Death]

yeh umm btw the cost of 3 minor totems is not 156 its 159, and so leaves you with 49 gold left... so no mana potion

Starting Item Cost
3x Minor Totem - 156
1x Pretender's Crown - 185
1x Mana Battery - 210
Total Cost - 551
Optional: 1x Mana Potion - 50
Total Cost - 601

[CptJesus]

yeh umm btw the cost of 3 minor totems is not 156 its 159, and so leaves you with 49 gold left... so no mana potion

Wow...I cant believe this thread has gone this long and no one, not even me caught it. Fixing it and thanks.

[twincannon]

edit: nm - Was going to mention that starting gold is 603 and that 601 would be fine, but added it up and noticed it comes out to 604, so yeah, no mana potion.

[CptJesus]

edit: nm - Was going to mention that starting gold is 603 and that 601 would be fine, but added it up and noticed it comes out to 604, so yeah, no mana potion.

We definitely need to start a suggestion to raise the starting gold to 604! THIS IS GAMEBREAKINGLY IMPORTANT

[alliednoob]

605 so it's a divisible of 5?

[Mateui]

Big changes to Nymph for 1.63:


Nymphora
- Fixed her correctly having effects bones (oops...)
- Increased base strength by 2
- Base damage changed from 38-49 to 45-52
- Cast range of Pod increased to 750
- Nymphora's Zeal now returns to her as she runs (Think Maliken's Sword)
- She gains charges for attackspeed/movespeed as Nymphora's Zeal hits enemies, not on it's death
- Grace of the Nymph now restores the mana over 4 seconds instead of instantly. Mana return dispels on damage.
She's slightly less squishy, her damage has improved, volatile pod range increased, and Zeal is now more useful. Grace has been nerfed, but I don't think that it will affect her negatively that much. Most of the time when you are using Grace it's during pushes or before teamfights, so the potential for it to be cut short by being damaged is not going to come into affect that often.

[Grim_Death]

rofl yeh i went to use the exact same items and i was so confused when i was halfway down my lane without a mana potion...

[Benny`]

I get a "this image has been moved or deleted" photobucket picture instead of Early Game items.

[CptJesus]

Yeah, I definitely thing Nymph got an overall buff in 1.63. And there's more changes coming in, so we'll see. However, Power Supply and Mana Battery took a shot to the groin. I might have to rethink the early items a bit, although I still think it might be the best choice anyways since the mana returned gets converted to health through pod. The Grace nerf could potentially be very annoying, since you won't be able to mana up a madman in the middle of a teamfight anymore, which turns it into more of a harassing tool than anything. Grace has essentially become a big mana potion, and we all know how easy it is to interrupt those.

I'm definitely liking the Zeal change, plus they fixed Nymph's animations too! I think seeing a Nymphora actually accelerating instead of just randomly gaining a bunch of movespeed all at once would be marginally terrifying.

"OH MY GOD, SHES COMING STRAIGHT AT US AND SHES GETTING FASTER"

Also, increased pod cast range is awesome. 750 is a pretty substantial distance.

Overall, I'm happy with this patch. We'll see if any more changes get rolled out that need looking at, and I'll update this guide as soon as I get a feel for how she plays in 1.63. It probably wont be until after the patch releases and I've played for a week or two.

Also: Fixed the broken image. I have no idea why that happened since the image was in the exact same place it was originally.

[alliednoob]

meh, accursed's and nymph's nuke cast farther than TB's does :(

oh well, at least I don't die as much ;P

[eAnGeL]

Well in all honesty, about the starting item build, you can grab the clarity first, and pick up the battery at the side shop after the first creep wave.

[iStudying]

No More staff of the Master?

[CptJesus]

No More staff of the Master?

SotM is still a viable choice. I listed 3 separate item builds that can be followed.

[alliednoob]

SotM is still a viable choice. I listed 3 separate item builds that can be followed.

I only used tele grab 2 times both saving someone, but I've played nymph countless times and it doesn't seem too useful, I'm probably gonna try astrolabe now cus EVERYONE FREAKING RUNS FROM MY HEAL!

[Ford]

I've tried this build a few times in low tier games and I don't find staff very useful. The extra ability it gives you is too situational to make it more valuable in the end than a support type item half the price. I could get a support item that has a nice stat boost and aura/support ability, and a separate stat boost item from the secret shop that would all together cost the same amount as a staff. By the time you get the staff its going to be the phase of the game where noone should be wandering off alone anyway and even if they do get attacked by themselves its likely they will get killed before you can get them out.

I have done it a few times and it was cool, but not often enough to justify forgoing all the benefits other items could give you. How about going straight for sheepstick?

[KazeTanade]

Just played a game with a Nymph in it, carried game to victory against a really well-fed NH. Thank god she was there most of the time, or I'd be chowder. >.<

22007131 is the replay number. I have no idea how to watch it, nor how to link it, but maybe the OP might want to take a look at it then add it to the video post?

[Strider43]

This is a totally valid strategy, but only on Tuesdays. Any other day of the week, it just wont work.

Jumping around like its mother ****ing Wednesday:pebb:

[CptJesus]

I've been fooling around with Nymph since the patch and I found out that Tempest + Nymph might be one of the grossest lane strategies possible. A good replay to watch is 23162746. Just ignore the *****ing. The early game is what I want to focus on here, since I basically just feed tempest mana and we play super aggressively.

[Firipinjin]

After finishing your core items, can I put a "Damage increasing" item on Nymphy? I mean it might be a viable idea to auto-attack heroes on cooldown on team battles.

And since Nymphy is a very squishy character, what are the good defensive items you can suggest?

I have the feeling I should play Nymphy now. Psr is below 1300. LOL.

[alliednoob]

After finishing your core items, can I put a "Damage increasing" item on Nymphy? I mean it might be a viable idea to auto-attack heroes on cooldown on team battles.

And since Nymphy is a very squishy character, what are the good defensive items you can suggest?

I have the feeling I should play Nymphy now. Psr is below 1300. LOL.

carry-nymph, nuff said

nymph shouldn't be hit at all, just stun, drop pod, astrolabe (or any other items), and if u survive mana heal ppl.

[Firipinjin]

Int support character as a carry? I'd rather call for it an "offensive/defensive support" character. A "hybrid" type.

Leave the carry role to your teammates, they can do that job much better than Nymphy. Yes Nymphy can do damage to your enemies, but she is not that good as a carry compared to the standard carries.

[alliednoob]

Int support character as a carry? I'd rather call for it an "offensive/defensive support" character. A "hybrid" type.

Leave the carry role to your teammates, they can do that job much better than Nymphy. Yes Nymphy can do damage to your enemies, but she is not that good as a carry compared to the standard carries.

another way to look at it
ur :thun:, do you get shieldbreaker?

[Firipinjin]

I don't play TB, so I don't know the answer.

I'll give you a scenario.

In a team battle, you play Nymphy. Your team have 2 standard carries, a nuke and a tank.

Tank initiates the battle, the carries attacks the heroes, nuke deals additional offensive support.

So as Nymphy, you shouldn't be chasing down the enemies to death. Instead, watch what is happening while controlling the creeps. Ally has no mana? Give em. Low health? Heal them. Enemy running away? stun them.

Carries concentrates on the enemy, you concentrate on the whole battle, from the creeps to your allies to your enemies. Yes you can attack and chase enemy. But is it your priority? Your priority is the whole team. If you think your ally needs help in beating an enemy, then do so.

Yes you can put carry items on Nymphy but still you are not the team's carry.

[alliednoob]

I don't play TB, so I don't know the answer.

I'll give you a scenario.

In a team battle, you play Nymphy. Your team have 2 standard carries, a nuke and a tank.

Tank initiates the battle, the carries attacks the heroes, nuke deals additional offensive support.

So as Nymphy, you shouldn't be chasing down the enemies to death. Instead, watch what is happening while controlling the creeps. Ally has no mana? Give em. Low health? Heal them. Enemy running away? stun them.

Carries concentrates on the enemy, you concentrate on the whole battle, from the creeps to your allies to your enemies. Yes you can attack and chase enemy. But is it your priority? Your priority is the whole team. If you think your ally needs help in beating an enemy, then do so.

Yes you can put carry items on Nymphy but still you are not the team's carry.

so when get damage items when u can get barrier idol for team?
contradiction much?

(another example, not so farmed up :fors: with :Astrolabe:, because it's better than power supplies if ur so farmed up that u can't buy any better items)

[Firipinjin]

^I didn't understand anything. Clear up your statement.

The question is here is Nymph being a "carry" or not. And can you tell me what is your definition of a "carry" character?

Nymph can't really carry. She can however contribute major dps to a team, even killing several carries if given the chance.

[CptJesus]

Someone changed my thread title /emo

Nymphora is not a carry. She can be built as a carry in EM games with some effort. However, if you really want to play a carry, go play a carry hero. Don't waste the insane support potential of Nymphora by loading her with a charged hammer or some other stuff.

Nymphora is a support intelligence hero. She thrives in this role, and was designed as such. Play her that way.

Someone changed my thread title /emo

Nymphora is not a carry. She can be built as a carry in EM games with some effort. However, if you really want to play a carry, go play a carry hero. Don't waste the insane support potential of Nymphora by loading her with a charged hammer or some other stuff.

Nymphora is a support intelligence hero. She thrives in this role, and was designed as such. Play her that way.
Wrong, by putting astrolabe on her and such you're giving tools she already has. She is the only int hero that can actually outdps carries and getting the items to amplify that damage makes a more wellrounded member for your team. Having a teammate Pyro/Plague running around with astrolabe is much more effective than having Nymph carry one.

[Firipinjin]

Wrong, by putting astrolabe on her and such you're giving tools she already has. She is the only int hero that can actually outdps carries and getting the items to amplify that damage makes a more wellrounded member for your team. Having a teammate Pyro/Plague running around with astrolabe is much more effective than having Nymph carry one.

This is much a better idea, an hybrid Offensive/Defensive support Nymphy. Well you can still put Astrolabe on Nymphy if your team doesn't get one.

The question is how can you balance the items? I need to think of support, offensive and defensive items.

This is much a better idea, an hybrid Offensive/Defensive support Nymphy. Well you can still put Astrolabe on Nymphy if your team doesn't get one.

The question is how can you balance the items? I need to think of support, offensive and defensive items.
There is no perfect balance, but you should focus on tools your team doesn't already have. If you have 3 dps carries already, you shouldn't get riftshards or charged hammer, but instead you could get shroud or tablet of command(to help initiate). If you build defensively you can also get an eye to spot wards and invisible opponents. Alternatively you could get a puzzlebox to achieve the same sort of thing.

[Przygood]

ive carried the team on nymph multiple times, usually the only way to do this is lane with a tanker/protecter and make sure u get as many kills as possible, i build a assasins shroud and then a harkons blade which does insane damamge coupled with nymphs zeal and heal, and then if needed u can pop the shroud to chase/run. After ive farmed these 2 items, usually with the phase boots(forgot hon name 4 them) i build a hack and slash for movement speed/slow and then a charged hammer, whenever ive been able to get like this, in non em games aswell its always been a victory - heres the scenario. team runs in, i drop pod in middle of the fight and zeal right down the middle, gettin 10 stacks, and then nuking the **** out of any1 who is near, continually using the mana spell to keep harkons blade active. I know nymphi is supposed to be a support but with a harkons blade she can deal out INSANE ammounts of damamge, followed with a stun and heal, which definately makes her a viable carry.

[alliednoob]

^I didn't understand anything. Clear up your statement.

The question is here is Nymph being a "carry" or not. And can you tell me what is your definition of a "carry" character?

wow really, ur saying to put items like shield breaker on nymph, that would make her like semi carry, why waste the little gold she gets on shield breaker? I was exaggerating with the carry-nymph (add a savage mace and it's true).

[CptJesus]

Ok, I don't know how to put this. There are other heroes that carry a million times better than Nymph. If you are Nymph, you should NOT be getting kills. You should be letting said other heroes get last hits. If you are truly playing Nymph properly, you are giving other heroes last hits on as much as possible. If you want to push a carry Nymph forward, go ahead and make your own guide. This guide is devoted to Nymph as a support hero.

[LucidCharade]

Ok, I don't know how to put this. There are other heroes that carry a million times better than Nymph. If you are Nymph, you should NOT be getting kills. You should be letting said other heroes get last hits. If you are truly playing Nymph properly, you are giving other heroes last hits on as much as possible. If you want to push a carry Nymph forward, go ahead and make your own guide. This guide is devoted to Nymph as a support hero.
I actually have been getting more and more kills with nymph as of late. Enemy hero escaping? Teleport behind them, stun, pod, kill. Also, I find a strategy that works quite well is to place pods on the tower when pushing it, it makes it harder to see and enemy heroes feel safe by the tower and inadvertently get hit. Nymph can carry quite well with the massive boost to attack speed from Zeal though I do agree that supporting is a much better role to play. However, I also feel that when you dominate early game with nymph I see no reason not to build more carry.

[shibbidydoo]

If you are swimming in money and after getting astrolabe, SotM, boots, and power supply, start warding. Still swimming in cash after wards and your wallets are so full of cash that you cant bear it any longer? Kuldra, frostfield, and Behemoth Heart are good choices.

Yes, you can provide a good amount of damage with zeal, but honestly, you dont need to buff that. Buff your support and survivability.

Carry nymph is fun for pub games which 98% of the people playing do, but this guide is meant to teach the correct way to play this character.

[kimadactyl]

Check chu playing this in 23677800. WTF!

Ok, I don't know how to put this. There are other heroes that carry a million times better than Nymph. If you are Nymph, you should NOT be getting kills. You should be letting said other heroes get last hits. If you are truly playing Nymph properly, you are giving other heroes last hits on as much as possible. If you want to push a carry Nymph forward, go ahead and make your own guide. This guide is devoted to Nymph as a support hero.
The problem kinda is, after the game reaches level 16+ her role a support hero starts to fade. People have tons more health than she can heal, have their own regenerative tools, their own teleports etc etc. While you can focus on more support tools, each tool you COULD get is a tool you already HAVE. Astrolabe is a poor man's heal compared to volatile pod. So in late game the only viable thing you have is no longer your astrolabe or your own heals: it's your stun.

And I'm arguing that during her support period she should focus on getting tools to gain a lategame presence, such as riftshards. It's not to put her in a carrying position, but it greatly improves her dps, which means that your own team can get much more out of their disables and tanks. Maybe a good example: riftshard+charged hammer kills a revealed (but fed) nighthound in 1-2 seconds. That means with just 1 or 2 stuns, their carry is dead. There aren't many support heroes that bring this kind of power to a (late)game.

[Mallo]

I really like to play her as a hardcore pusher if the situation allows it.

Give her :PostHaste: to be able to switch lanes like crazy after killing 1/2 creepwaves (this basically allows you to port every 30 seconds). Or to be able to jump to your team if you are needed.

If you should get into trouble because you stayed on a lane too long use :AssassinShroud: to get away safely.

You'll get filthy rich.. so you might aswell pump her up a bit with items like
:ChargedHammer: // :Mock: or make her tougher with a :BehemothsHeart:

It's totally not the way you should play her..but its really fun in pubs. And cmon.. we ought to have some fun from time to time :p

[alliednoob]

I really like to play her as a hardcore pusher if the situation allows it.

Give her :PostHaste: to be able to switch lanes like crazy after killing 1/2 creepwaves (this basically allows you to port every 30 seconds). Or to be able to jump to your team if you are needed.

If you should get into trouble because you stayed on a lane too long use :AssassinShroud: to get away safely.

You'll get filthy rich.. so you might aswell pump her up a bit with items like
:ChargedHammer: // :Mock: or make her tougher with a :BehemothsHeart:

It's totally not the way you should play her..but its really fun in pubs. And cmon.. we ought to have some fun from time to time :p

:PostHaste: is useless, she has an ult you know

:AssassinShroud: is countered by eyes and dust easily (not like ur :pupp: and can still pwn)

:ChargedHammer::Mock::BehemothsHeart: WTF? Do you play em or something? :nymp: in em? Just go pick :mage: and rape instead... And do you know how hard it is to be flithy rich with :nymp:? Half of the games I have trouble getting SotM... It's not even funny...

[Nurz]

Great guide btw! Although I totally agree that Nymph shouldn't be played as carry, I don't see what's stopping anyone from adding a simple Thunderclaw to boost her damage potential.

Nymph farms fairly easily with her pod so I don't see why some people are having trouble farming with her. Here's how I farm each creep wave: A level 4 Pod is a guaranteed kill on the ranged creep, so you don't have to worry about that. Meanwhile, there's usually one enemy melee creep that your own creeps are focusing on so don't attack that one. Instead target one creep that isn't being attacked and hit it about 2-3 times. Drop a Pod in the middle of the wave, and you should pretty much always be getting at least 3 kills in the entire wave, then just last hit the final creep. You can do this pretty much EVERY time a creep wave comes in, so I really don't know where the idea of how it's hard for Nymph to farm came from.

Anyways, I'm not saying to build other DPS weapons for Nymph, but a Thunderclaw seriously boosts her damage potential in team fights without necessarily taking away from her support game. You can still easily build an Astrolabe or a SotM along with a Thunderclaw for her.

[alliednoob]

Nymph farms fairly easily with her pod so I don't see why some people are having trouble farming with her. Here's how I farm each creep wave: A level 4 Pod is a guaranteed kill on the ranged creep, so you don't have to worry about that. Meanwhile, there's usually one enemy melee creep that your own creeps are focusing on so don't attack that one. Instead target one creep that isn't being attacked and hit it about 2-3 times. Drop a Pod in the middle of the wave, and you should pretty much always be getting at least 3 kills in the entire wave, then just last hit the final creep. You can do this pretty much EVERY time a creep wave comes in, so I really don't know where the idea of how it's hard for Nymph to farm came from.



Well her mediocre attack speed/damage is the problem
The thing is to try to drop a pod and last hit, cus it has like a 17 second cd and creep waves last like 15 seconds (probably 5 after pod). You don't wanna waste stun cus it might come in handy.
And really, do you know how easily it is to farm a thunderclaw? Steamboots would probably be the best boots for dps/farming or maybe Alch Bones (+30 attack speed and you can just go into jungle and 1 hit creeps with extra gold).

[Mallo]

:PostHaste: is useless, she has an ult you know

:AssassinShroud: is countered by eyes and dust easily (not like ur :pupp: and can still pwn)

:ChargedHammer::Mock::BehemothsHeart: WTF? Do you play em or something? :nymp: in em? Just go pick :mage: and rape instead... And do you know how hard it is to be flithy rich with :nymp:? Half of the games I have trouble getting SotM... It's not even funny...

cmon man .. at least read my post before you start blindly engaging in some sort of flaming mode.

Of course Nymphora has a teleport spell.. but is has a long cooldown. 60 seconds is way too much to be switching lanes safely. Therefore the Post Haste boots. Its enables you to swap lanes every 30 seconds.

This is enough to kill 2 creepwaves and disappear onto another lane.

And of course shroud is easliy counterable.. but the basic idea is not to get in a situation where the enemy gets even close to you.
Its just a last resort if you should get surprised. And even if they get you with dust.. Good luck trying to catch a Nymphora with Post Haste, Zeal MS Buff and the Shroud speed buff.

And yes.. I repeat myself.. you'll get filthy rich.. and I'm talking Normal Mode. Pod => Stun => Pew Pew.

You dont even need any damage boosting items.

And let me repeat myself again.. it's NOT the ways shes supposed to be played.. it's very situational. If you have the feeling that you can pull it off.. go ahead.. if not .. stick to your main role.

Here's a replay to give you an idea of what I mean by situational. The Legion side was kinda weak and I was able to pull it of:

http://replays.heroesofnewerth.com/match_replay.php?mid=23443451

[Nurz]

Well her mediocre attack speed/damage is the problem
The thing is to try to drop a pod and last hit, cus it has like a 17 second cd and creep waves last like 15 seconds (probably 5 after pod). You don't wanna waste stun cus it might come in handy.
And really, do you know how easily it is to farm a thunderclaw? Steamboots would probably be the best boots for dps/farming or maybe Alch Bones (+30 attack speed and you can just go into jungle and 1 hit creeps with extra gold).

Errr did you even read what I wrote? Whenever a creep wave comes in, target one of the creeps that your own creep wave isn't focusing on, hit it about 2-3 times with your normal attack, use your Pod so that it targets all enemy creeps, and then you'll be guaranteed AT LEAST 3 creeps kills in that wave(once you get the handle of things, getting all four creeps isn't that hard to do).

I don't know where you are getting these 17 and 15 second numbers(what are you referring to?), but just to clarify things, your Pod has a cooldown of 15 seconds and creep waves spawn every 30 seconds at every :00 and :30 interval on the time clock. So, you CAN use your Pod EVERY creep wave. And I don't know why you brought up Nymph's stun skill(Zeal) because I never mentioned having to use it during farming purposes.

With that said, I still fully believe that Nymph should be played as a support hero, but given her ease with farming, I see no reason why a Thunderclaw can't be added to her arsenal.

[Firipinjin]

wow really, ur saying to put items like shield breaker on nymph, that would make her like semi carry, why waste the little gold she gets on shield breaker? I was exaggerating with the carry-nymph (add a savage mace and it's true).

LOLWUT?

When did I say I should put Shield Breaker on Nymphy? Kindly quote it please.

I was just asking what you should put on Nymphy after finishing your core items, so she can do a good amount of DPS so she can be more useful on team fights.

[CptJesus]

Errr did you even read what I wrote? Whenever a creep wave comes in, target one of the creeps that your own creep wave isn't focusing on, hit it about 2-3 times with your normal attack, use your Pod so that it targets all enemy creeps, and then you'll be guaranteed AT LEAST 3 creeps kills in that wave(once you get the handle of things, getting all four creeps isn't that hard to do).

I don't know where you are getting these 17 and 15 second numbers(what are you referring to?), but just to clarify things, your Pod has a cooldown of 15 seconds and creep waves spawn every 30 seconds at every :00 and :30 interval on the time clock. So, you CAN use your Pod EVERY creep wave. And I don't know why you brought up Nymph's stun skill(Zeal) because I never mentioned having to use it during farming purposes.

With that said, I still fully believe that Nymph should be played as a support hero, but given her ease with farming, I see no reason why a Thunderclaw can't be added to her arsenal.

The thing about playing Nymphora, is that in an deal situation, you really want to use her superior pushing power to end the game as early as possible. Nymph brings a lot to the table, but like any support hero, she gets weaker as the game progresses. By end game, she is nothing more than a heal and a stun. However, the REAL goal is to never let it get to end game.

[Nurz]

The thing about playing Nymphora, is that in an deal situation, you really want to use her superior pushing power to end the game as early as possible. Nymph brings a lot to the table, but like any support hero, she gets weaker as the game progresses. By end game, she is nothing more than a heal and a stun. However, the REAL goal is to never let it get to end game.

Totally agree, but I still see no reason why this is preventing you from grabbing an extra DPS item to boost your use in team fights. Astrolabe is a pretty cheap item, and once you have that, you pretty much have a good core for Nymph with that double heal. Yes, I know SotM for Nymph's Call is useful, but it's not like that skill defines her. Unless you are playing a game with absolute noobs who need to be babysat the entire game, you shouldn't need to be relying on Nymph's Call in any game to save your team. Is it useful? Of course it is; and I still fully advocate getting it.

Regardless, the main reason why I replied to this thread was to clarify Nymph's farming abilities and how she excels in it, thus opening the possibility of adding a DPS item like Thunderclaw to help in team fights.

In team fights, once your initiator does his thing and starts the fight, you drop your heals(Pod, Astrolabe), throw your Zeal hitting as many heroes as possible(you can also move your hero left/right once you throw your zeal to manipulate the flight of the spell to hit as many heroes as you can), and then proceed to auto-attack like a machine gun. With that crazy boost in attack speed, an item such as Thunderclaw can really shine.

Not just thunderclaw, riftshards also shine there as the crit gets proc'ed often. Heck, you can put a brutalizer on her and you'd get a stunlock XD

[alliednoob]

LOLWUT?

When did I say I should put Shield Breaker on Nymphy? Kindly quote it please.

I was just asking what you should put on Nymphy after finishing your core items, so she can do a good amount of DPS so she can be more useful on team fights.

oh, well it CAN work but you need your team to coordinate with u cus they have to be the meat shields (I'd go for health first)

oh, well it CAN work but you need your team to coordinate with u cus they have to be the meat shields (I'd go for health first)
If you're fed enough, the opposing team is dead before they can reach nymphora.

[alliednoob]

If you're fed enough, the opposing team is dead before they can reach nymphora.

yeah but now often in pubs does nymph get fed (ur madman would be ksing you and saying "gtfo, ur support")

yeah but now often in pubs does nymph get fed (ur madman would be ksing you and saying "gtfo, ur support")
Well, if he kses creepwaves you're not using your pods right:p If he kses heroes: who cares? 1 hero = 1-2 creepwaves on average and you can kill 1 full creepwave easily.

[alliednoob]

Well, if he kses creepwaves you're not using your pods right:p If he kses heroes: who cares? 1 hero = 1-2 creepwaves on average and you can kill 1 full creepwave easily.

no I meant like heroes, creep waves are easy.

[Dreaded_]

I buy Frostwolf skull, Savage Mace, Whisp helm and then rape.
Later on if the game is still going ill get Symbol and then Charged Hammer.

[Pogiguy]

This guide is NOT intended for Easy Mode play

question.. why would this not be effective in EM games?

[CptJesus]

question.. why would this not be effective in EM games?

Nymphora is incredibly ineffective in Easy Mode. Her entire role is a support hero, and she doesn't have any particularly decent scaling. Her forte is early game, and in easy mode, there is no such thing as early game. If you play Nymph in EM, you're simply going to get dominated by overfed carries who farm up quickly. Your only hope in an EM game would be to play the Charged Hammer semi-carry build mentioned several times.

[Jazriel]

Guide is ****. Not how one plays Nymphora at all. SotM is horrible on her.

[CptJesus]

Guide is ****. Not how one plays Nymphora at all. SotM is horrible on her.

The guide is perfectly fine. It simply explores a purely supportive way to play Nymph. And for the last time, there are, count them, 3 different paths you can take. If you don't like SotM, choose one of the other ones. Its that simple.

[alliednoob]

Guide is ****. Not how one plays Nymphora at all. SotM is horrible on her.
this guide is for tryhards only
(that includes any sane people or anyone with a brain)

if you complain about this guide, go play moar :scou:

[shibbidydoo]

Guide is ****. Not how one plays Nymphora at all. SotM is horrible on her.

You dont know how to use call then. The raw stats given by staff are a nice boost as well as unlocking her 5th skill. I never ever ever underestimate the power of a 4 man teleport (3x with tele, call the 4th). To make most use out of call, you have to trust your team and your team has to trust you. That usually means playing with people you know.

And yes, he tells multiple paths. What are you mad about? That he doesnt have the carry nymph specs? Tank nymph? What?

As for me, i go:

Power supply> plated greaves > astrolabe > Braceletx2 > glowstone.

If the game is still going on, i build the glowstone to a SOTM, then after that i get demonic breastplate. I've been tinkering with nomes lately when i dont get SOTM (still get glowstone). Great support item.

[alliednoob]

You dont know how to use call then. The raw stats given by staff are a nice boost as well as unlocking her 5th skill. I never ever ever underestimate the power of a 4 man teleport (3x with tele, call the 4th). To make most use out of call, you have to trust your team and your team has to trust you. That usually means playing with people you know.

And yes, he tells multiple paths. What are you mad about? That he doesnt have the carry nymph specs? Tank nymph? What?

As for me, i go:

Power supply> plated greaves > astrolabe > Braceletx2 > glowstone.

If the game is still going on, i build the glowstone to a SOTM, then after that i get demonic breastplate. I've been tinkering with nomes lately when i dont get SOTM (still get glowstone). Great support item.

I personally prefer sheepstick instead of SotM unless if ur like playing pro inhouse games...
SotM is just too situational, and you have to know your team and have good communication, otherwise it fails...

It's viable but...

[CptJesus]

I personally prefer sheepstick instead of SotM unless if ur like playing pro inhouse games...
SotM is just too situational, and you have to know your team and have good communication, otherwise it fails...

It's viable but...

Yeah, I would say that SotM is the most "advanced" of the builds, because it requires the largest amount of actual coordination with your team. Nymph's Call is EXTREMELY powerful if used properly. However, for random pub games, even I stick with Kuldra 99% of the time.

[alliednoob]

Yeah, I would say that SotM is the most "advanced" of the builds, because it requires the largest amount of actual coordination with your team. Nymph's Call is EXTREMELY powerful if used properly. However, for random pub games, even I stick with Kuldra 99% of the time.
unless of course u have friend playing :accu:, then he can jump into 1v5, and u lol after u tele him out of there and they get pwnt by ur 3 team mates and ur fully healed :accu:

[Kaelillidan]

Will get heckled, but thunderclap isn't so bad on Nymph.. she is a somewhat difficult hero to farm with and bringing up her counter-push ability is better than farming her core items first ***; I do not disagree with the items listed in the guide, but any Nymph player realizes how it can be difficult to farm with her (weak base damage, squishy hero, etc)

Pick up a ganking partner, or such and combine her heal + stuns + lightning damage as a quick way to shrink their HP pool.

If you're farming, you just pod to last hit the creepwave:p

[alliednoob]

Will get heckled, but thunderclap isn't so bad on Nymph.. she is a somewhat difficult hero to farm with and bringing up her counter-push ability is better than farming her core items first ***; I do not disagree with the items listed in the guide, but any Nymph player realizes how it can be difficult to farm with her (weak base damage, squishy hero, etc)

Pick up a ganking partner, or such and combine her heal + stuns + lightning damage as a quick way to shrink their HP pool.
yeah but :nymp:'ll need a :BehemothsHeart: before she can even carry (try 1v1 :ramp: in nm, you will lose)...
idk wtf ur thinking man, but :nymp: doesn't need epic farm nor 20k worth of items, idk why u even need to farm, SotM is easily farm-able while pushing and u can just pod creep waves and get nuff money for SotM easily.

Gawd ur worse than that guy who wanted me to get astrolabe on :chro:

[kaboo_]

And for god's sake, please don't build Nymphora as a DPS hero. Thats not her purpose.
mby not, but its still good option, and maxing grace soon with some stunner (hammer, behem) on lane is just insane

[alliednoob]

mby not, but its still good option, and maxing grace soon with some stunner (hammer, behem) on lane is just insane
obvious info is obvious (forgot :pebb:)

Because you need that early level of stun for survivability. You are a prime gank target for the enemy team. You are incredibly weak and easy to kill, and they will come looking for you. That one level of stun gives a lot of survivability. So yes, you would get more nuking power out of more points in Grace, but it would come at a cost. Grace is the second ability you max out.
If your fear of getting ganked is that great, you should go mid instead of getting zeal. Always lane with a disabler so you get the maximum out of your heals. Really, getting a stun early is just putting yourself behind in the laning phase and then you're just hoping to catch up midgame.


And for god's sake, please don't build Nymphora as a DPS hero. Thats not her purpose.
Now that the issue has come up several times, blablabla, blablablablablabla: have you tried it? I mean if you talk about a hero's purpose, any basic purpose of a hero is to annoy the crap out of the opposing team. Getting dps items has proven to be very effective in that aspect thus far.