Zephyr

[Zakri]

Zephyr
A game breaking and versatile farming machine.

Introduction
A short introduction to our beast.

I'm guessing that you just came to the strategy section looking for a guide after watching with your mouth fully opened how a Zephyr farmed , ganked , pushed and defended just as he was an one-man-army . Perhaps you played him once and you like him but you need advice on what items to get ? what skills to level ? how to play him like the "pros" ? . Well , you're in the right place ! as we will spend the next few minutes learning how to play your Zephyr

There's a good amount of players that say that Zephyr is a "Boring" hero , some even say he is "The most boring hero in HoN" but oh god ... you wouldn't imagine how wrong they are. Playing zephyr is extremely intense because of the following facts: 1. He has 4 active abilities 2. You need to able to farm but help your team at the same time 3. You are a designated tank and everybody knows that a real tank player needs to know how react to different situations 4. You can play many roles for your team 5. Your laning phase is highly intense because you have to last hit like a monster , avoid some damage , use your cyclones , leap every now and then Etc. 6. Zephyr is awesome late game and how can be good late gamers boring ? and much other reasons!

Zephyr is unique and versatile. He is the only Agility hero that can fulfill any role for your team. He has a supportive ultimate, the perfect tools to farm and has the ability to tank almost better than any hero in HoN. You might be surprised but I'm not lying , all this is possible with this fun and complex hero. It is NOT simple or newbie friendly because it has 4 active abilities and requires proper last hitting.


Fielding"]Zephyr probably has the highest learning curve out of all the HoN heroes at the moment. It's not that he's hard to play - although he is harder than many heroes - he just requires a slightly different approach than most other heroes.

That said let's get started !


***********
https://www.heroesofnewerth.com/images/heroes/31/icon_128.jpg
A riddler, a sage, and a lover of sweets, Zephyr sadly is known in these times simply as a warrior of the winds. Though he chose not to participate in the Beast Horde's war with the humans, he has joined battle against the Hellbourne, and the powerful winds and aerial attacks he calls down upon the daemons are a welcome addition to the new Legion.

Stats:
You start with these stats. You get +X.X stat points every level .
OUTDATED.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v176/zipog/Zephyrstats.jpg

Notes:
As you can see , He is melee and agility is his primary stat so you gotta be careful when buying STR items to him as you won't be pumping his damage , This is something you have to keep in mind as most people think Zephyr is Strength. His stats are pretty balanced compared to other Agility heroes and this is one of the reasons that makes him versatile , His skills have great synergy and his movement speed is normal [300] . You really need to know WHEN TO FARM and always carry a TP or buy Post Haste with this hero.

Your Role:
Read carefully , your team needs you to do this. or not to !

Your role as zephyr varies each game , One game you might be needed as tank , other as carry and sometimes even as support. This is a list of things you need to do as the game progresses:

You HAVE TO:

Farm.
Tank.
Last hit.
Always have a TP.
Watch your minimap.
Avoid Ganks.
Keep cyclones up.
Target/Be close to the weakest enemy in teamfights.
Skip towers .
Finish with good CS.

You SHOULD AVOID :


Farming when your team is fighting.
Trying to carry when there's another good carry candidate in your team.
Targeting tanks.
Dying early.

You MIGHT need to:

Buy wards of sight.
Jungle.
Solo mid.
Buy a Bound Eye [Gem].
Initiate.
Gank.

Skills
You need to learn what your skills do. This is the basic part of mastering your Zephyr.

Gust:
http://heroes-newerth.com/wp-content/myimages/Gust.png (http://heroes-newerth.com/wp-content/myimages/Gust.png)
Zephyr summons a gust of wind in the direction
of his choosing, pushing , stunning and dealing damage
to enemies it hits.

Level 1 : All units hit by wind cone are pushed and stunned for 1 second, taking 75 Magic damage.
Level 2 : All units hit by wind cone are pushed and stunned for 1 second, taking 125 Magic damage.
Level 3 : All units hit by wind cone are pushed and stunned for 1 second, taking 175 Magic damage.
Level 4 : All units hit by wind cone are pushed and stunned for 1 second, taking 250 Magic damage.
Mana cost 100/120/140/160
Cooldown 20/19/18/17 seconds

Recent patch 0.3.2:

The gust of wind from Gust now travels 540 total distance (reduced from 640)


Explanation:


This is one of those skills you would love to have under ANY circumstance . It deals damage , pushes/pulls units , has a nice range and synergizes extremely well with your other skills. I'll explain later more detailed how to use your "Gust" so you can take all the advantages of this amazing skill. Don't use it early just to farm or you will run low on mana soon , It's very good for harassing and trying to get a kill early because if used well you can put your enemy in a defenseless position , deals decent damage , try to lane with a stuner or a slower if you want to harass/kill with this skill.



Early laning phase you should always pull the enemy with this skill when the enemy creeps are about to die and you still have some of yours , this way the enemy hero will take a few hits from your creeps and might also be blocked by them giving you and your ally more time to smack him.



Cyclones:
http://heroes-newerth.com/wp-content/myimages/cyclone.png (http://heroes-newerth.com/wp-content/myimages/cyclone.png)
Zephyr spawns a small cyclone on every
kill he makes. Spawned cyclones automatically
patrol around Zephyr and damage enemies
they touch. Zephyr can then call all active
cyclones to himself, restoring some Health and Mana.

Level 1 : On kill spawns cyclone which lasts 50 seconds and deals 15 damage per second to enemies it touches. Max 2 cyclones.
Level 2 : On kill spawns cyclone which lasts 50 seconds and deals 20 damage per second to enemies it touches. Max 4 cyclones.
Level 3 : On kill spawns cyclone which lasts 50 seconds and deals 25 damage per second to enemies it touches. Max 6 cyclones.
Level 4 : On kill spawns cyclone which lasts 50 seconds and deals 30 damage per second to enemies it touches. Max 8 cyclones.
Mana cost 75
Cooldown n/a
Cyclone activation
Consumes all active cyclones restoring 30 health per cyclone

Recent patch:

Cyclones now display the time remaining before the next cyclone expires

NOTE: If a cyclone expires it heals Zephyr for 15 health


The bread and butter of Zephyr , This skill is what makes your enemies stay away from you , they will let you farm if they are melee and you will be able to farm without major problems if they are range. It helps you last hit and helps you survive the early game phase . Coupled with some consumables you won't go to your base for a long time , If you are a good last hitter and with the help of Logger's hatchet you will rarely face hard laning times . Thanks to the active heal and your gust (which is a good way to push enemies back when they are trying to go for you) you are harder to kill than most heroes . you really need to be good with your last hitting ! , I'll explain how to use it later on.

Wind Shield:
http://heroes-newerth.com/wp-content/myimages/wind-shield.png (http://heroes-newerth.com/wp-content/myimages/wind-shield.png)
Zephyr uses his control of the wind to
create a protective barrier around himself,
increasing his evasion. The barrier also has
a chance to redirect incoming projectile
based attacks back at the attacker.

Level 1 : Applies Wind Shield to self for 8 seconds when zephyr lands an attack.
Level 2 : Applies Wind Shield to self for 12 seconds when zephyr lands an attack.
Level 3 : Applies Wind Shield to self for 16 seconds when zephyr lands an attack.
Level 4 : Applies Wind Shield to self for 20 seconds when zephyr lands an attack.
Mana cost n/a
Cooldown n/a
Wind Shield effects
+10% Movement speed
6/9/12/15% Melee evasion
6/9/12/15% Chance to redirect projectile based attacks back at the attacker


This skill makes you fragile and weak. NOT !. This is the extra bacon on that baconator ! . This skill will make your enemies very mad . If It's level 4 you will only have to attack every 20 seconds to keep the buff up . If this skill is activate along with a barrier idol and helm of the black legion you will take a lot of smacking . 15% melee evasion and 15% projectile redirection is good enough for a skill you can almost always have up , you will make the carries miss some of their attacks so I asure you you wont be targetted by melee much. This skill is leveled in mid game for obvious reasons. . The extra movement speed will help you chasing while your cyclones eat em' up.



Ultimate
Typhoon:
http://heroes-newerth.com/wp-content/myimages/wind-control.png (http://heroes-newerth.com/wp-content/myimages/wind-control.png)
Zephyr creates a might Typhoon, slowing movement speed
and dealing damage to any units near it. The closer the Enemy is to the center of the Typhoon, the higher the damage and speed reduction becomes.

Level 1 : Instantly grants max Cyclones and applies Harsh winds to enemies in 550 radius for 6 seconds.
Level 2 : Instantly grants max Cyclones and applies Harsh winds to enemies in 550 radius for 8 seconds.
Level 3 : Instantly grants max Cyclones and applies Harsh winds to enemies in 550 radius for 10 seconds.
Mana Cost 100/150/200
Cooldown 100 seconds
Harsh winds Effect
1% Movement slow per charge
Deals up to 60,80,100 Magic damage per second


NOTE: Charges are based on the distance the enemy is from the center of the Typhoon, the closer they are the more charges.

Recent patch:

- Typhoon no longer spawns max Cyclones instantly. Instead, it spawns one cyclone per second for the duration of the Typhoon.


Say hello to one of the craziest ultimates in the whole game . This skill is the last thing we needed in our arsenal , It will greatly damage your enemies in battle . The fact that this skill slows makes it better. The cooldown is okay , 1 minute and 40 seconds for an ultimate that turns battles this much so don't hang on waiting for a perfect opportunity to grab all 5 heroes. Use it every fight ! If you can hit 3 or more targets use it!.

Use it to recharge cylcones and use it as a slow when chasing . If you are being chased use all your cyclones to heal yourself , cast the ultimate on your back to slow your enemies and re-heal yourself with your fresh 8 cyclones, be creative !


Skill Build:
You might want to follow these viable skill builds.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v176/zipog/Zephyrbuilds.jpg

These builds prove that Zephyr is a versatile hero . There's also variations to these I.E skipping your ultimate early but I don't consider you should be focusing on farming THAT much. Builds from A to C are self-explainable , If you want to be very defensive or you want to go and get first blood , pick up gust first , It's a great skill for FB and an excellent skill to avoid ganks early game .

If you want to go straight farm , you are against melees and want some surviabiliry then go cyclones first , you will be able to farm and regen yourself with your cyclones , get last hits easier and harass those melees a little . Don't just focus on ONE build , try to pick the one that's best for your circumstance.

Justification and Explanation:
Why do you get this skills?

COMING SOON.

Items:
You should always get these "Core" items and get the fillers depending on the situation.

These haven't changed , you should use this early and core items.
Early and core items:

http://img196.imageshack.us/img196/1605/hatchet.jpg

Initial Build Cost:
Runes of Blight - 90
Health Potion - 100
Logger's Hatchet - 225
Minor Totem x 3 - 106 (53 x 3)
--- --- --- --- ---
Total - 574 gold
===========
We get a Logger's Hatchet for easier last hits which mean CYCLONES. It grants us 32% bonus damage which translates to around 15-25 extra damage versus creeps in the first minutes of the game. As we understand this is great for last hitting. We also get +3 to all stats which increases our HP with 57 and MP with 39. We also get a good amount of Heal. This build is god for Zephyr. Works great for melee heroes in solo mid.

***********
later on we will replace one Minor totem with :
Iron Shield 550 $:

http://heroes-newerth.com/wp-content/myimages/Iron-Shield.png

A nice initiation item. Get it after starting gear if you have problems surviving due to physical harass in early game. Gives 6 agility and 100% chance to block 20 hero damage (10 for ranged), and 60% change to block 20 creep damage (10 for ranged).

It's a great item for 550 gold , You will get your cyclones easier because now you can tank more damage, The 20 damage block is about 15-30% less damage from attack-harassing. the +6 agility also pumps little armor and attack . Will help tons If you solo mid.

NOTE: You can buy this from the "Outpost" and that's what makes It Great !

Mid Game:
What you buy depends on your late game build but there are some items that are worth the money to help you , they are self explanatory so I'll just put the image:

http://www.heroesofnewerth.com/images/items/Item_Lifetube.jpghttp://www.heroesofnewerth.com/images/items/Item_HomecomingStone.jpghttp://www.heroesofnewerth.com/images/items/Item_HealthPotion.jpghttp://www.heroesofnewerth.com/images/items/Item_PowerSupply.jpg

Late game:

There's a giant window of item possibilities for Zephyr depending on what your team needs , i will summarize your viable mid-game builds here.

Zephyr Builds:


Note:

These zephyr builds are similar to the ones we will be using but HAVE NOT BEEN UPDATED .
They will be reworked soon .

USE THEM FOR REFERENCE.
The tank:
http://heroes-newerth.com/wp-content/myimages/Barrier-Idol.pnghttp://heroes-newerth.com/wp-content/myimages/Helm-of-the-Black-Legion.pnghttp://heroes-newerth.com/wp-content/myimages/Behemoths-Heart.pnghttp://heroes-newerth.com/wp-content/myimages/Fortified-Bracelet.pnghttp://heroes-newerth.com/wp-content/myimages/Fortified-Bracelet.pnghttp://heroes-newerth.com/wp-content/myimages/Steamboots.png
Information about this build:
Self Explanatory , Barrier Idol and helm of the black legion for Mitigation , frostfield plate for support and armor , Bracelets for the STR pump , STR Treads for the MS and STR Pump. After getting your Behemoth's heart you should aim for [I]Frostfield Plate or a Shrunken head . After this , If you happen to get Kongor's token of life your enemies will lose the interest in playing . Another item that goes great with this build is "Barbed armor" , I personally like it a lot If I go tank and is the perfect solution If you want to tank fragile heroes with high DPS.

Use this build If your team needs a tank or initiator , you should be able to farm this easily.

The Farmer/Killer:
http://heroes-newerth.com/wp-content/myimages/Post-Haste.pnghttp://heroes-newerth.com/wp-content/myimages/Mock-of-Brilliance.pnghttp://img525.imageshack.us/img525/8954/nullfirebladeitem.gifhttp://heroes-newerth.com/wp-content/myimages/Fortified-Bracelet.pnghttp://heroes-newerth.com/wp-content/myimages/Fortified-Bracelet.pnghttp://heroes-newerth.com/wp-content/myimages/Shrunken-Head.png
Information about this build:
This is for those hard carry players , Only go for this build if you are experienced and you can rush MoB FAST !
If you get killed early more than once don't use this build or you will get stuck farming ALL GAME long.
Mock of brilliance and Post Haste are your core items here , Nullfire blade is the next important item as It's the one that will slow your target down while your radiance/hits pwn your target , It stacks with your ultimate . It burns mana and pumps your Agility which gives you more armor and Attack DMG /Speed . It's a perfect item for this purpose. BkB makes you immune so you can roflpwn freely , bracers gotten for the extra tanking needed early as we didn't get a Helm of the black legion. You might want to get a Helm of the black legion instead of one bracelet and you can substitute the BkB with a Behemoth heart If you feel it suits you better.

You can play with this build by throwing in Enchanted marchersinstead of Post Haste for the attack speed and Unit-walk But you will need to carry Orbs of TP too keep your farming at top ~.

The All-around:
http://www.honwiki.net/w/images/6/6d/Astrolabeitem.gifhttp://heroes-newerth.com/wp-content/myimages/Mock-of-Brilliance.pnghttp://heroes-newerth.com/wp-content/myimages/Helm-of-the-Black-Legion.pnghttp://heroes-newerth.com/wp-content/myimages/Enhanced-Marchers.pnghttp://heroes-newerth.com/wp-content/myimages/Fortified-Bracelet.pnghttp://heroes-newerth.com/wp-content/myimages/Fortified-Bracelet.png
Information about this build:
You can support , you can tank you can deal damage , Overall A nice zephyr build , Again you should rush MoB As soon as possible but If you can't get you sword of the High before minute 25 ~ Don't bother get the other core items or throw in more HP or Magic resistant items then leave that Mock of brilliance for later.
All these MoB Builds are more effective If you get it before min 25 so that should be your mark.

Astrolabe helps your team mates when fighting or pushing and It's a big plus to your survivability , The scaling of this item Is horrible so you might want to replace it later. It's certainly good for early game pushing.

You might find yourself in the situation where you already have all these items , It's not as rare as you might think because zephyr CAN farm a lot . Just replace the bracers / lower tier items with the item of your choice.

Mock Of brilliance is an excellent item on zephyr as it stacks with your cyclones so you will BBQ those creeps in seconds. Mix the builds and find your favorite flavor .

Try to avoid this items:

Geometer's bane [Not worth it]
Sacrificial Stone [There are better items, you don't need mana regen and you need damage mitigation]
Assasin's Shroud [Not worth it]
Frost skull / Skadi
Hellflower [Only If your team really needs the silence otherwise It's not worth it]
Elder parasite [Not worth it]
Savage mace [Not worth it]
Brutalizer [Might be worth it with a DPS build with lots of AS but It's a bad idea]
Shieldbraker [Simply a bad filler]

Other items to get:

These items are not bad choices but they aren't as good as the build ones. You can use these as fillers and depending on the situation.

Wing bow [Good item but very situational . Melee evasion wont stack. [I]refer to the note below]
Warp cleft [Decent item but won't make much changes unless there's major stunners in your team]
Abyssal skull [You shouldn't need to leech life /the +attack , mana and health regen might come handy]
Charged hammer/Thunderclaw Very good item in conjunction with your wind shield that gives you extra attack speed .
Forstburn Another great item for the slow , extra movement speed and stats.
Symbol of rage [This goes to the maybe pile , Gives life leech extra damage and STR , you will benefit from all but If you really want to carry there's better items]

NOTE: The evasion given by Wingbow works with wing shield for ranged attacks . This is because enemies projectiles will be reflected and not evaded . This item is a good counter If you happen to face farmed ranged carries but It's very situational , so I won't consider it core.

Use it against a farmed: Moon queen , Arachna , Puppet Master , Soul stealer , Maliken or Valkyrie.

Other Items to play with:
Plated greaves . (Excellent boots for the short game Zephyr , Perfect if you are going tank... Gives you the armor and mitigation you need ) , NOT a MUST
because it doesn't stacks with HotBL.

Barbed Armor . Also a nice item , be sure to keep up your health pool so this item is effective .


***********
Before arguing builds with me:

Please remember that Item builds are subject to change under different circumstances , Use your brain to make your build by thinking what you really NEED to help your team win. I just gave you some ideas with items that synergy very well with your skills and they will certainly be a good choice but you don't always have to stick to this builds , I encourage you to try and test yourself different builds so you can see what playstyle fits you the most =) .
***********


Laning and farming:
beyond the basics , advanced notes.

So your about to play your first game and you need help with your laning , First thing to figure out is who you want to lane with . The order goes like this: 1- Supporter , 2- Ganker(with stun or slow) , 3- Nuker(no stun or slow) , 4- Farmer.

Simply because a supporter will help you stay in your lane and farm and a ganker will roam so you can solo a bit and at this point we know you are able to do it. A nuker will keep your enemies back and a farmer or another tank will just make the lane harder for you - No need to go deep into this, It's simple-.

The second thing to know is how to position yourself . You should be behind and walk in to "Last hit" the dying creep , your hatchet will help you a lot and your Iron shield will mitigate damage if you get attacked , your cyclones might get an extra kill or help you last hit your target. If they are both melees try to stay behind THEIR creeps last hitting and use leap If you are in danger.

If the lane is very hard , limit yourself to creep denying , you will occasionally damage your enemies with your cyclones or you might get one or two creep kills while denying , eventually your enemies will stop bugging you If you get 6+ Cyclones out. If they have stunner's and **** that won't let you farm , I repeat - DENY THEM - , Chances are they will try very hard to kill you and will farm very little and you will outlevel them.

If your farming alone or under little pressure here's how you should Farm:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v176/zipog/OHHAI.jpg
As you can see from that picture your standing in the middle of the creep wave , this way your cyclones are hitting both melee and range creeps.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v176/zipog/OHHAIcopy.jpg

Your cyclones move randomly , Apparently they move In Z or N patterns , It almost looks like they try not to collide with each other , I caught different cyclone patterns in blue green and red.

***********
You are an awesome jungler once you get 3 or more cyclones out .

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v176/zipog/Pull.jpg

Oh YEAH ! , we can see a Snortter's creep camp [Picture #1]. This creep camp will provide 5 Cyclones . If your enemies are about to push and you have no cyclones this is the camp you want to kill.
If you have a lot of cyclones and low health , you can attack the camp and back immediately so your cyclones kill them while your running , this is known as "Kiting" And it's very useful In situations where you can't tank all the damage [#2].

Replays:
Watch and learn.

Replay 1 (http://www.gamereplays.org/HeroesofNewerth/replays.php?game=58&tab=&show=details&id=110781)

Replay 2 (http://www.gamereplays.org/HeroesofNewerth/replays.php?game=58&tab=&show=details&id=116037)


Last Words:
Thank you for reading my guide , I really hope it helped you . I could use some constructive criticism every now and then. I have to Give credit to SyyRaaaN because I got information from his "The Big Item" guide and I'd like to thank "dune_" because I copied some of his Pharoah guide structure.
This is a new account , I've been playing HoN for a long time and I have the experience to back up everything stated in this guide. This is all my property and it unofficial. It's just my opinion of how this hero has to be played , Grammar and spelling errors will be fixed , If you find errors please PM on the forums (I tried hard to avoid them , my native language is spanish).


Contact:
Email: GabrielDGM@hotmail.com

Thanks to everyone !

[Zakri]

Reserved for suggestions to S2 team.

[acojan]

It has been mentioned in the previous zeph guide but i think its important to note that Wingbow's evasion will stack on long ranged attacks. Wind Sheild has a % to "reflect" thus is stacks with a chance to "evade".

It makes you nearly un-hittable and is amazing when they have a fattened arach or luna or any other ranged carry.

Also, i don't think that mock should be core anymore. It doesn't scale very well into late game at all and i think tornadoes are enough for farming -- plus the fact its not easy to farm up 3.8k in one go.

[Emster]

Zephyr's an unique
lol grammar

[Wizad1]

Another pro guide by Zip!!
I actually learned quite a bit from this.

[Zakri]

It has been mentioned in the previous zeph guide but i think its important to note that Wingbow's evasion will stack on long ranged attacks. Wind Sheild has a % to "reflect" thus is stacks with a chance to "evade".

It makes you nearly un-hittable and is amazing when they have a fattened arach or luna or any other ranged carry.

Also, i don't think that mock should be core anymore. It doesn't scale very well into late game at all and i think tornadoes are enough for farming -- plus the fact its not easy to farm up 3.8k in one go.


1. Added wingbow stacking evasion and reflection on range to the guide. Still , there's very few ranged DPS. Wingbow isn't "Bad" on him , that's why It's in the yellow section but it's certainly not core. I clearly stated you have to mix the builds depending the situation.

Most carries are melee so why bother pumping range evasion ALWAYS?.
Ranged "Carries":

1st tier.Moon queen , Soul stealer , Arachna , Puppet master.
2nd tier.Maliken , Valkyrie .


2. How can you say It's not easy to farm 3.8K [5150] For mock of brilliance and then say farming 3,300 - 1,800 and - 900 [6.000] In one go is easier ?
You said cyclones are enough for farming then why not use them to farm Mock of brilliance.

It is core , you said that it doesn't scales "very well" but there's other factors that make it better. It makes you kill creeps in 3 seconds with your cyclones so fast farming = Efficiency , It will help you farm your wingbow in a couple of minutes If you really want it. MoB's scaling is not the most important thing on Zephyr because he shouldn't be built like a right click attack melee hero and the MoB will help him a lot in battles . With it he can just tank damage and kill people by being there.

The damage you will do with your cyclone + MoB to 5 heroes trapped in your ultimate will be far greater than the damage you will do with a naked wingbow. 35 x 5 = 175 dmg per second , plus your cyclones and some melee attacks.
Since zephyr is a tank the MoB becomes more effective because you can stay alive longer in big fights .

Once again I repeat , If you can't farm the MoB , Do not go for it. Farming as fast as you can should be your goal but If you can't achieve it then switch to the tank build. If you like right clicking then you should try a charged hammer wingbow demonic breastplate but it 's not efficent.

I'll add it as a choice to counter those 4 [6] Heroes I mentioned earlier anyways.
Thanks for the constructive criticism


Another pro guide by Zip!!
I actually learned quite a bit from this.
Thanks =).


lol grammar
English is not my native language . I think I fixed it =) .

[Lujo]

Great and informative guide, as well as it is needed, because I see a lot of people (including myself, lulz) playing him wrong!

[Dyslogic]

Since in order to be a really good player in this game it is important to understand the big and the not so big details of each hero. I believe this guide is pretty good.
My understanding of this hero is a lot better now... There are so many things I did not know/avoided. Not every guide explain all the different roles of the Hero in discussion with so much information. Most importantly, there are examples of many situations in here, so that when the time comes you don't need to ask yourself "Hmm... what should I do in 'X' situation". I though i knew when to leap... but nope I didn't.
In my case I don't play Zephyr very much but now I know how it works a lot better.

The only thing missing in here are the best Heroes to counter Zephyr in some way or in other words the heroes that should be avoided when using Zephyr. I have always asked myself this, but I can't find a really good answer. I believe you can give me the answer! =)
Thanks for this guide, it helped me a lot.

Edit: Added the question.

[lecrash]

Before reading the guide, I'll answer Dyslogics' question, then I'll post my comments. There are 2 basic counters, Pestilence with swarm, and Soul Reaper for obvious reasons. =D

[Zakri]

I'll name a few heroes that will give you headaches:

Soul Reaper
A counter to tanks in general . His ultimate cripples your tanking capabilities.
Electrician
He can purge your wind shield. BAD BAD BAD

Other than that , It's not good for zephyr to lane vs hardocre nuke spammers like Torturer or Zeus . If you read my guide you should know that wind shield does not gives magic resistance but you can acquire it later so nukers aren't a counter, they just make your life a little difficult early game If you can't last hit properly. If you can manage to last hit you can survive by using your cyclones and consumables.

Good last hitters like a Soul stealer will own you If you solo mid , He has both magic damage and he is capable of denying/killing creeps just as good as you.

There's really no counter to him but there are some heroes that can be a problem.

[Gatsby1]

I still don't get the new behemoth's heart. It increases 10% all damage for agi heroes. So does that mean even skills like Leap and Cyclone deal 10% more damage? Can someone clarify that for me. :D

[Madlobster]

wow, very informative.

I came here to read and larn about zephyr, as i didnt understand him at all after meeting him online.
Now i know why i couldnt kill him :D

[Lethe]

wind shield has been tweaked, update your guide.

[Zakri]

wind shield has been tweaked, update your guide.
Thanks.

[lecrash]

I still don't get the new behemoth's heart. It increases 10% all damage for agi heroes. So does that mean even skills like Leap and Cyclone deal 10% more damage? Can someone clarify that for me. :D

This is correct... Leap and Cyclone deal +10%, so does the Hero per SE (don't remember if that is how you say it), even thou it doesn't show the 10% increase when you wear it.

[warped1]

You should remove the helm of the black legion. Just getting two normal shields is a lot more worth it.

[Zakri]

No , he's agility so the extra HP comes very handy.
Why do you think It's " a lot more worth it " anyways ?

[Distort3d]

omg this mofo is hard to play

[ElementUser]

No , he's agility so the extra HP comes very handy.
Why do you think It's " a lot more worth it " anyways ?

A lot of people just hate Helm of the Black Legion (or Vanguard in DotA). That's all, really

[Zakri]

Yeah , I don't like it very much either but sometimes it's needed and this is the case.

[Ninotramp]

Nice guide. I wonder how many creep kills you should get in a apem game 30-40 minutes? 300-400?

[HoNZelH33T]

thanks for the guide mate

[Zakri]

@ Ninotramp .

That depends on how the game rolls. I won't give you an exact number because It's bad If you aim for a stable creep kill count for many reasons . You need to help your allies every time you can but unfortunately If you are far behind from your creep count goal you might be tempted to stay farming / pushing .

I don't play EM but In a game longer than 40 minutes good last hitters often get more than 300+ creep kills.

@ HoNZelH33t
No problem , I'm glad you liked it =) .

[Ninotramp]

Zakri: Thanks.

No I played him some times now and I guess it depends on luck and who you're up against. I rarely come up in 300-400 kills in a 30 minutes match (EM).

Sometimes I just stay and push the lane and kill all creeps even if my teammayes is in a fight. IMO that's good cause zephyr needs much money to be a good support in mid-late game.

[Weishaupt]

I've definitely topped 300 in non-EM games. Hardcore jungling if unopposed becomes a joke by late game. I tend to get worrried if I don't see enemy heroes on the map, though, and go back to laning until they do, or stay at the 'ultra safe' camp with leap queued.

And yes, this is one of the VERY FEW situations in which HotBL is justifiable. Why? The buffer HP is useful for you, and alternative buffers are no good. SOTM does nothing for this hero, so that's out. Behemoth's Heart? Too expensive early game. Remember, if you're playing correctly, you have at least a few cyclones all the time, and can heal yourself. So a buffer is in some ways better than the superior HP regen+magic armor of a headdress. Obviously if you're playing against Pyro, TB and Voodoo (his thing is magic damage now, isn't it?) you might want to consider the headdress in addition, but not instead of the vanguard. Generally speaking the Bracer-Boots-Vanguard-Radiance build is going to work fairly well in most situations. Just tweak according to the team.

[Ninotramp]

You guys always play with teleport boots right? Imo, that's important cause you will get more money out of them.

[Magil]

I've definitely topped 300 in non-EM games. Hardcore jungling if unopposed becomes a joke by late game. I tend to get worrried if I don't see enemy heroes on the map, though, and go back to laning until they do, or stay at the 'ultra safe' camp with leap queued.

And yes, this is one of the VERY FEW situations in which HotBL is justifiable. Why? The buffer HP is useful for you, and alternative buffers are no good. SOTM does nothing for this hero, so that's out. Behemoth's Heart? Too expensive early game. Remember, if you're playing correctly, you have at least a few cyclones all the time, and can heal yourself. So a buffer is in some ways better than the superior HP regen+magic armor of a headdress. Obviously if you're playing against Pyro, TB and Voodoo (his thing is magic damage now, isn't it?) you might want to consider the headdress in addition, but not instead of the vanguard. Generally speaking the Bracer-Boots-Vanguard-Radiance build is going to work fairly well in most situations. Just tweak according to the team.

I'd still rather just sit on a Iron Shield and 2x Trinkets of Restoration (or a Helm of the Victim if you have the gold). If you want the buffer HP, grab the Beast Heart, but save it for Behemoth's Heart rather than converting to HotBL. Shaman's Headdress, an Iron Shield, and Beast Heart may take up more space than HotBL, but you'll waste less money and be more effective in the long run (and pretty much just as effective in the short run).

Behemoth's Heart sounds very good if it affects cyclones/leaps/mock. It also goes directly towards the goal of staying alive long enough to let cyclones/mock do their business as well. How many HP is 35 strength?

But how much auto-attack damage per hit is a Zep doing around the time ion the game that he might acquire one of these? +10% could be worse than a Punchdagger, depending on what it is multiplying.

Does the +10% apply after other +damage items? I.e., Doombringer is effectively +275 dmg?

[WSLaFleur]

I have an inquiry, what about this item?

Harkon's Blade: Lowers your target's magic defense and changes your attack type to magic.

I assume that once their 'Magic Defense' has been lowered that your cyclones-which deal magic damage-up to one-hundred and eighty per second, assuming all eight are stacked on a single unit-would deal enhanced damage as well.

It's just a thought, and I was wondering why it wasn't addressed as either good nor bad in your guide.

On the other hand-excellent guide. Kudos.

[Zakri]

You guys always play with teleport boots right? Imo, that's important cause you will get more money out of them.

I wouldn't say "Always" but It definitely is a good Item choice. Homecoming stones can also do the trick but as towers get destroyed the effectiveness of them will become poor because you will have fewer TP spots . IMO you should get Post Haste at mid-late game depending on the situation. After you get them one of your goals will be maintaining the pushing pressure on your enemies lanes .


Behemoth's Heart sounds very good if it affects cyclones/leaps/mock

I'm a 100% sure that it works with cyclones, spells, and mock of brilliance. About the doombringer question , I think that's right but I'm not completely sure about it so I will run some tests and do some research and I will give you your answer soon.


I assume that once their 'Magic Defense' has been lowered that your cyclones-which deal magic damage-up to one-hundred and eighty per second, assuming all eight are stacked on a single unit-would deal enhanced damage as well.

In theory , It's good but It's pricey and you don't really need the bonuses it gives you . It might be a decent filler in some circumstances but Harkon's blade isn't among the good items for sure .

Harkon's blade gives you 35 intelligence and 150% mana regen that you Do not need at all . It also adds 10 AS and 25 damage and we all already know there are better item choices to add those stats if needed. -5 Magic damage could be good with the correct hero/item build but with Zephyrs cyclones It isn't that great. Harkon's blade Is NOT a good item for Zephyr simply because there's better choices and too much money spent on items that won't help you at all although It isn't as bad as other items choices OFC. I'll add it to the guide soon.

[Jack_3d]

Great guide! One of my fav characters, love the windshield/wingbow combo.

[Weishaupt]

I'd still rather just sit on a Iron Shield and 2x Trinkets of Restoration (or a Helm of the Victim if you have the gold). If you want the buffer HP, grab the Beast Heart, but save it for Behemoth's Heart rather than converting to HotBL. Shaman's Headdress, an Iron Shield, and Beast Heart may take up more space than HotBL, but you'll waste less money and be more effective in the long run (and pretty much just as effective in the short run).

Yeah, I'm leaning this way now as well. I think helm is still alright, but I'm now working on learning a Shield-Headdress-Boots-Mock-???? build instead. Bought in the right order, I think it can keep you in the jungle for a long time without needing to head back to base early on.

[Nat0]

Excelent Guide, presents various aspects of this hero, therefore adapting him to any team combo, or situation that may present during a game.

[Matsa]

I have an inquiry, what about this item?

Harkon's Blade: Lowers your target's magic defense and changes your attack type to magic.

I assume that once their 'Magic Defense' has been lowered that your cyclones-which deal magic damage-up to one-hundred and eighty per second, assuming all eight are stacked on a single unit-would deal enhanced damage as well.

.
I dont think its a good choice because zephyr has no big mana pool and if harkons blade is active it will cost 100 mana every hit.

[pogipants]

great post, finished it and the pictures still have not all loaded ;)

[Zakri]

Thanks for the support , I hope it helped =) !

i can usually have 220+ cs by 40 minutes, and have marchers, radiance, vanguard, and either be close to or finished heart. ill also get barrier idol if its needed for team fights but its situational item and isnt needed in all games

i also always go and jungle by lvl 3 or 4 and will take to lanes when its needed if no ones there , you either need to buy wards urself or get ur team too so that u dont get caught with low or when ur leap is on cd for some reason. and if the game isnt over by the time u have radiance and heart i think diffusal would be a great item

[rawgigz]

Pretty decent guide.

[NyRe]

Awesome guide, srsly.

Just went 21-3 in a 3v4 game, getting the earliest mock of my life at 21 minutes (SotH at 18). Due to the increased stakes of a 3v4, went Regular Shield->SotH->Regular Marchers->Mock->HotBL->Post Haste->Heart->Wingbow->Riftshards. Must say that Helm of the Black Legion (Vanguard) is simply awesome on the fast Mock Zephyr since you don't really attack at all and just need to survive long enough for cyclones/mock to net you kills. At this stage of the game Vanguard is pretty much the best survival item, so you go through the midgame with a blaze getting both kills and farm.

If there's any other way to play a Zephyr, I don't really know it. Fast mock makes him a goddamn monster.

[RubberSOUL]

Very nice.

[SHJordan]

Just have to say: I loved your guide. Pretty variable build sets if mock fail. =]

[Darop]

Hey Hellbringer's not your ally at all

[Xylias]

Question: Is it true that killing a creep with Cyclones will not yield more cyclones? That's how it seems to be when I play Zeph.

[Kirbyski]

very impressive guide, the details are there and more then helpful. im curious to know if the 10% dmg from heart is worth it. ima say s**t yeah but i would like some thrown information about e.g IF it works (as i havnt had time to try it myself) and if it effects mock (again, havnt gotten around to trying it)

[Meloku]

This was an amazing guide, I just went 10-1 with your dps zephyr build. Thanks a lot!!!

[Euriti]

very impressive guide, the details are there and more then helpful. im curious to know if the 10% dmg from heart is worth it. ima say s**t yeah but i would like some thrown information about e.g IF it works (as i havnt had time to try it myself) and if it effects mock (again, havnt gotten around to trying it)

Heart increases all damage done by you, including spells, mock and cyclones iirc.

Great guide though. I prefer going a solo middle lane if I can as I'll be able to get almost every lasthits and easily come out with 55+ lasthits at 10 mins.

[Zakri]

Question: Is it true that killing a creep with Cyclones will not yield more cyclones? That's how it seems to be when I play Zeph.

Killing a creep with a cyclone will yield more cyclones unless it's bugged and I'm sure It's working perfectly fine.


very impressive guide, the details are there and more then helpful. im curious to know if the 10% dmg from heart is worth it. ima say s**t yeah but i would like some thrown information about e.g IF it works (as i havnt had time to try it myself) and if it effects mock.

Yes, It works , And It's intended to work with any source that deals damage (on agility heroes).

As I already explained , These kind of items are circumstancial , I'm not a huge fan of Heart Zephyr because it doesn't helps as much as you think it does . 10% damage on cyclones isn't a lot either , you wouldn't even notice a big difference but , It definitely is a viable item , There isn't much hp pumping items that have good synergy with Zephyr but this is one of the exceptions , don't get me wrong , It's not bad ... It's just that I personally don't "love" it and use it as a filler luxury item in most cases .

Thanks everybody for your support.

[Emeriel]

What about rushing the nullfire blade for ganks? Would work well with the cyclones and boost the dps. Also, if you jungle Zeph, early you wont need much more than regular shields.

[Matau32]

Ahh this guide helps so much thx :D

[Dijemoto]

I prefer getting thunder claw -> charge hammer > mock

makes farming so much easier 500 > 1600 > 900
and u can do a little better in early skirmishes against heroes.

and the proc has a psychological impact on pub players

"wtf cyclones? windshield and lightning?"

they become a lot less "lol at early/mid game zypher"

[Elipson]

Nice

[Elipson]

nice

[Zakri]

@Emeriel
That could work If you need to gank but it's not the greatest idea because Zephyr is not a great ganker , you will need a lot of Cyclones up If you want to do this , His damage output is really low early game , you will lose most of your cyclones while you wait for the perfect moment to gank and rushing a nullifier will cripple your farming.

@Dijemoto
It's a nice item to have very early , you could rush it early with just boots and hatchet but your Attack speed isn't the greast to proc the thunders and your survivability will be minimum because you'll have no hp/regen/tanking items .If you manage to get the money for it early In my opinion it's better to save for a Mock of brilliance .

[pyrated]

how do you feel about the new plated boots on him?

[Zakri]

@pyrated

I think they're an excellent item for him if you need to push towers early , the new boots give both armor and damage mitigation which is what we are looking for . If the opposing team has a good defensive team and you have support heroes make em build the new boots instead so you can concentrate on your luxury/core items , If you have good team support and good pushers go for them and try to take towers early. Bottom line is , they are good on Zephyr and if nobody is willing to make em It's a nice investment .

[SGT_Hash]

Loved the guide :), it was really helpfull.
Tanking build owns hard!!! btw

cuidate bro

[Zakri]

Thanks =) !

[ringelnet]

Haha i always sucked hard with Zephyr, called him unplayable silly hero. After I read this guide I gave it a try and immediately became the carry, playing the solo line helllbourne top while lego was jungeling. After 15 min i had my mock and just pushed the hell out of the enemies^^ 14-3-12 in a 32 min rape, although we failed in the first 20 min with 5-13 herokills.
Top guide!

[iWin`]

In the last screenshot, Hellbringer is not your ally, he's your enemy xD

But nvm - great guide. I use this alot!

[Zakri]

It's an example bro , why so mean ! =( !

[Leetard179]

Hey, awesome guide you got there.

Just need to know, if you go with the tank build and its late game now, wouldnt enemies just kill off the rest of your team and save you for last? since you dont do much with your cyclones anymore. Your only use would be your ultimate?

Thanks

[Miloshai]

Did anyone consider assassin shroud ? I think its really good item for Zephyr.

[Crazyloon]

I think Heart is a very important item on Zephyr, especially if you do not have a pure tank on your team.

8 * (30 * 0.1) = 24 DPS increase for tornadoes w/ Heart

30 * 0.1 = 3 DPS increase on Mock w/ Heart

27 DPS on top of 270 DPS gets you pretty close to 300 DPS

It is not a significant damage increase, but since we are assuming you need to be your team's tank. On top of the huge HP increase Heart gives, this is a pretty decent DPS increase.

[Cidawo]

frostburn works great on him btw and so does plateboots, and i always go with barbed armor around mid game when you are becoming the center or attention.
by build usually go like this.

i can't see the item page so i might use dota names sometimes.
starting
stout shield, hp pot, hatchet.
follow up with boots, sometimes i go for iron shield sometimes not depending on how my return trip to pool.
rush MoB 18-25 min.

as soon as i get MoB farming goes threw the roof and i will get a hotbl+plateboots about 5-10 min later. either by lane farming or ganking/teamfights as you should with a MoB that early.
after that i usually barbed armor as with mob and you leaping in you will get focused and that is the point with this hero. and with 8 winds+MoB+barbed you got a lot of dmg outgoing and your third skill+plateboots+hotbl+barbed will keep you alive for a long time.
after that i usually go for frostburn as it works great on zephyr.
luxury is to get a heart and if you want you can change plate boots to tp boots. or just save buy out gold.

Edit PS: I just came from a game when we had a infiltrator in our team playing pebbles running around tossing our team in to the enemy or telling them were we were, and running along side the enemy team and they did not attack him so it was basically a 4v6 game.

But following this build i could safely turn this game around buy turtle farming the first part of the game (avoid fights with your team and farm were they are not. even if it means losing all towers up to base) and only picking fights were we had the upper hand. i could even without much fear leap in to the middle of the fight in the late part of the game (45min+) and stand toe to toe with fed free farmed tfl+maliken and often come out alive or dying just as their entire team were down on <10% hp letting my team clean up that mostly were unharmed many times.

[Radi3nce]

not bad

[`warchild`]

does leap "pushing" a hero break channeling? Anybody know?

[Meowshi]

does leap "pushing" a hero break channeling? Anybody know?

No. It doesn't.


@OP: Have you ever considered, in a jungling build, getting wind control instead of leap? For example:
Cyclone
Leap
Cyclone
Wind Control
Cyclone
Wind Control
Cyclone
Wind Control
Wind Control
Leap

or even:
Cyclone
Leap
Cyclone
WC
WC
WC

etc- those kinds of builds. The reason being, you aren't going to need leap to gank very much, and even then it adds so much survivability when jungling that you will be pretty non-stop.

I'm not saying this is a better build, I'm just wondering if you've ever experimented with it. I don't really play zephyr. At all.

[Lucretius]

I usually hold off Jungling until I have level 2 or 3 Cyclones. After that you really kill neutrals so fast that you don't take much damage anyway, especially if you kite them.

1. Cyclone
2. Leap
3. Cyclone
4. Wind Shield (just in case)
5. Cyclone (Hit the jungle)
6. Wind Control (to contribute something to an early game gank if I think our team is going to be active gankers)
7. Cyclone
8. Leap
9. Leap
10. Wind Shield
11. Leap
12. Wind Shield
13. Wind Shield

Ult is kinda weak because, even if heroes start at one end and run through the entire thing they get out pretty easily... in my experience.

A couple of item changes I think are important.

Sustainer >> Runed Axe / Nullstone.
I usually end up getting a Sustainer early, between spamming leap to get around fast in jungle, and wind shield I use a lot of mana... and since Sustainer so easily builds into Runed Axe or Nullstone... given Zephyrs awesome farm and tankish nature... the synergy is too apparent to ignore. I'll generally always make a sustainer, and go either Nullstone or Runed Axe with it depending on the role I'm playing. The Runed Axe works very well with Tornadoes and Mock. Nullstone works well with the need to tank, giving stats and the mitigated spells.

Icebrand >> Frostburn / Frostwolf's Skull.
I usually work for an Icebrand early, because I've found that Zephyr has slow movement speed and his ganking ability suffers because of it. Because his tornadoes travel so slowly, it is necessary to slow an enemy down in order for your tornadoes to do damage to them. It used to be a common problem on Zephyr that enemies could just simply and easily run away. This is a similar case as with Sustainer, I can build the Icebrand into one of two things. If I'm more tankish I'll work toward a Frostwolf Skull for the HP and stats, while keeping the slow. If tanking is not demanded of me I'll make a Frostburn.

I think this is a very versatile way to play Zephyr that satisfies two urgent needs, without taking away from his ability to either do damage or tank. The biggest point is that Zephyr's farm is more than capable of getting all of these items in addition to other items. There is no reason to settle with a couple of fortified bracelets when you could fill that slot with better stat items.

IMO Dream Build:
Tank: Plated Greaves, Helm of the Black Legion, Nullstone, Frostwolf's Skull, Behemoth's Hearth, and Symbol of Rage
Carry: Post Haste, Helm of the Black Legion, Runed Axe, Frostburn, Mock of Brilliance, Symbol of Rage

Either way, mid-game you look the same.
Marchers, Helm, Sustainer, Icebrand, Whispering Helm, TP's

[Zakri]

I'm pretty excited about the upcoming changes to Zephyr , as soon as the new patch goes live I'll update the guide so it's up to date and more complete as soon as possible . Thanks for your support.

[Drasha]

I'm pretty excited about the upcoming changes to Zephyr , as soon as the new patch goes live I'll update the guide so it's up to date and more complete as soon as possible . Thanks for your support.
you have seen the changes?

[e`solle]

What I think S2 developers should buff to make this hero more viable in the competitive scene:

1. Zephyr's cyclones NEED to Teleport with him when you are ported (Different sources include Homecoming stones , Nymphora's ultimate , Post haste ... Etc ).

2. Ultimate should make you have full cyclones when casted ! .
Why ? defending lanes with A resurrected Zephyr is hard if the opposing team is pushing , it makes him vulnerable and useless . The ultimate is not strong enough , Make it spawn 4/6/8 cyclones depening on ultimates level , lower the cooldown by 10/20/25 so It's up to par.

More to come . Not a final edit. look at your Zephyr stats and think about it S2.

woaw dude, the cyclones are OP enough, what S2 should do really is to make Zephyr gain an debuff to his spell called "Leap"
Early game and end game chasing without ulti or frostbrand is nearly impossible. When u leap to a target, they should be 10/20/30/40% slowed.
I don't approve the item build for a gank/tank, and the iron shield is a waste of money since u'll be going for HOTBL.

War Axe, 6trees, healing pot, 2 totems start items. lane top until lvl 3 with cyclone as main spell leap as offspell, farm until you are 11, and be sure to stack up the camp closest to your base 3-4times depening on your luck, by doing this the minor camp will respawn, u will be able to regen by your cyclones and gain new ones killing the camp.
Item build mid game: Steam Boots, 2 bracers/ soulscreams, HOTBL. - end game, Frostbrand, thunderclaw / charged hammer, MOB (mock of briliance) demonic breastplate, pure tank should simply rely on the HOTBL, MB (magic barrier), BH (behemoths heart).

great guide tho with the screenshots.

cheers.

e`solle

PS S2 - nerf :fors:

[e`solle]

Did anyone consider assassin shroud ? I think its really good item for Zephyr.

no way...

[Sneakyrompe]

geo not recommended, cool enough but i would like to remind u that illusions have 8 cyclones, (if u have ofc) and they all do full dmg=)

[leNijo]

Now that the replay function is up and running, could you maybe post a couple of game id's that feature you playing a nice Zephyr? It would be nice to be able to learn from someone who mastered him, since i kinda like him but think he is weakish compared to other heroes.

[obe]

There is some great update job to do with the last 1.66 patch

:zeph: Zephyr
- Base int lowered to 15 from 19
- Int gain lowered to 1.8 from 1.9
- Leap removed, replaced with Gust
* Manacost is 120 at all levels
* Target a position and click/drag the mouse in a any direction to release the gust of wind from the point you click in the direction the mouse is dragged
* Enemies in the cone are pushed in the direction specified, stunned for 1 second and dealt 75,125,175,250 Magic damage
- Cyclones reworked
* No longer has a cool down
* No longer restores mana
* Manacost removed
* When a cyclone expires naturally, it automatically heals Zephyr for 15 health
* On use, consumes one cyclone instantly, healing for 30 health
* When consuming, automatically consumes the oldest cyclone first
- Wind Shield
* Now a passive and will now apply its buff to Zephyr for 3 seconds after a successful attack
* Chance on both evasion and redirection lowered to 6,9,12,15%
* Grants Zephyr 10% movement speed while active
- Wind Control renamed to Typhoon
* Cool down is now 100 seconds (from 120)
* Mana cost stays the same (100, 150, 200)
* 500 unit cast range
* Grants clearvision and kills trees in a 600 radius of the target location
* Summons a Typhoon at the target location for 6,8,10 seconds
* Typhoon itself has a 60 unit radius in the center and a winds radius of 550 units.
* Slows enemies based on distance from the center (99% slow at the center [100 movespeed], 0% at the outer edge of effect)
* Deals damage based on distance from the center. Up to 60,90,120 Magic damage per second with a linear dropoff. Max damage done if standing in the center.
* When cast, the maximum number of cyclones are spawned around Zephyr (based on the level of Cyclones)


How will it affect the build ?

cyclones change will make it much more easy to stay in lane early game and jungle will be more easy too.

in the items choice, maybe portal key will be a nice pick now. with the change of ult so that you can port -> ult -> kill/slow
And it will also boost survival by replacing the "missing" leap.

[Fidel]

There is some great update job to do with the last 1.66 patch

:zeph: Zephyr
- Base int lowered to 15 from 19
- Int gain lowered to 1.8 from 1.9
- Leap removed, replaced with Gust
* Manacost is 120 at all levels
* Target a position and click/drag the mouse in a any direction to release the gust of wind from the point you click in the direction the mouse is dragged
* Enemies in the cone are pushed in the direction specified, stunned for 1 second and dealt 75,125,175,250 Magic damage
- Cyclones reworked
* No longer has a cool down
* No longer restores mana
* Manacost removed
* When a cyclone expires naturally, it automatically heals Zephyr for 15 health
* On use, consumes one cyclone instantly, healing for 30 health
* When consuming, automatically consumes the oldest cyclone first
- Wind Shield
* Now a passive and will now apply its buff to Zephyr for 3 seconds after a successful attack
* Chance on both evasion and redirection lowered to 6,9,12,15%
* Grants Zephyr 10% movement speed while active
- Wind Control renamed to Typhoon
* Cool down is now 100 seconds (from 120)
* Mana cost stays the same (100, 150, 200)
* 500 unit cast range
* Grants clearvision and kills trees in a 600 radius of the target location
* Summons a Typhoon at the target location for 6,8,10 seconds
* Typhoon itself has a 60 unit radius in the center and a winds radius of 550 units.
* Slows enemies based on distance from the center (99% slow at the center [100 movespeed], 0% at the outer edge of effect)
* Deals damage based on distance from the center. Up to 60,90,120 Magic damage per second with a linear dropoff. Max damage done if standing in the center.
* When cast, the maximum number of cyclones are spawned around Zephyr (based on the level of Cyclones)


How will it affect the build ?

cyclones change will make it much more easy to stay in lane early game and jungle will be more easy too.

in the items choice, maybe portal key will be a nice pick now. with the change of ult so that you can port -> ult -> kill/slow
And it will also boost survival by replacing the "missing" leap.


Could you imagine Tempest and Zephyr ult combo ? Tempest ults, say 2 heroes manage to escape, zeph can push them towards temp's ult, then he himselfults ontop of that.

amazing.

[SHJordan]

Well... this guide finally needs an update!!! =D

Many i mean!!! =x

Do your best!!! ;)

[Loki20]

Zephyr + Engineer is now my new favorite combo.

[Zakri]

The guide will be updated as soon as possible .
Still have to play as new Zephyr more , play against him , have him as a partner try builds etc... Be sure to check out periodically in about a week and a half or so .

[Sam88]

Zephyr is now a viable with Portal Key. Discuss?

[MrPsychology]

I love the new Zeph, but his Gust is kinda hard to use. :|

[Namtar]

Zephyr is now a viable with Portal Key. Discuss?Agree, but it certainly isn't a high priority. Get some carry/farm/tank items first.

Always start:
- hatchet/buckler/runes start (he can afford not having many consumables because of healing from cyclones)
- iron shield/regeneration rings in outpost
- marchers
- finish shamans headgress
- upgrade marchers (I usually go steamboots, but other upgrades are viable as well)

Possibility 1:
- Go farm a lot and get mock of brilliance
- Get more carry items of your choice (I like frostwulf skull)

Possibility 2:
- go gank a lot
- buy nullfire blade
- buy portal key
With those items zephyr is in fact a good ganker.

Things to keep in mind: because he gets physical evasion so incredible early*, helm of the black legion is a waste on zephyr. He already has a nice defense against auto attacks/creeps (cyclones keeps melee heroes away from you and passive evasion), he really doesn't need more. On the other hand Shamans Headgress has a much better interaction with your evasion passive.

*) you need to get one level on wind shield at level 4 for the +10 movement speed. Plus, because the evasion is now free (mana cost wise) you'll have it a lot more on you then before.

Second important note: zephyr loves slows. Before the patch slows were already incredible useful for keeping things in range of your cyclones. But now he can use them to keep his enemies in his ultimate longer (especially nullfire blade).

edit: also note that because cyclones always give health now, you don't need as many regen items to jungle. (another reason why HotBL is outdated)

[Sam88]

Agree, but it certainly isn't a high priority. Get some carry/farm/tank items first.

Always start:
- hatchet/buckler/runes start (he can afford not having many consumables because of healing from cyclones)
- iron shield/regeneration rings in outpost
- marchers
- finish shamans headgress

Possibility 1:
- Go farm a lot and get mock of brilliance
- Get more carry items of your choice (I like frostwulf skull)

Possibility 2:
- go gank a lot
- buy nullfire blade
- buy portal key
With those items zephyr is in fact a good ganker.

Things to keep in mind: because he gets physical evasion so incredible early*, helm of the black legion is a waste on zephyr. He already has a nice defense against auto attacks/creeps (cyclones keeps melee heroes away from you and passive evasion), he really doesn't need more. On the other hand Shamans Headgress has a much better interaction with your evasion passive.

*) you need to get one level on wind shield at level 4 for the +10 movement speed. Plus, because the evasion is now free (mana cost wise) you'll have it a lot more on you then before.

Second important note: zephyr loves slows. Before the patch slows were already incredible useful for keeping things in range of your cyclones. But now he can use them to keep his enemies in his ultimate longer (especially nullfire blade).

edit: also note that because cyclones always give health now, you don't need as many regen items to jungle. (another reason why HotBL is outdated)

I agree with pretty much everything you said, I must admit I didn't even think of Shamans and have either been rushing Nullfire-Portal Key or getting HotlB mindlessly. Thoughts of Zephyr mid?

[Namtar]

Thoughts of Zephyr mid?Certainly viable. Although I have to admit I haven't tried zephyr mid yet in theory it should work thanks to cyclone healing.

However, I don't think the patch made him much stronger mid solo, simply because he lost his leap.

Check this game: http://honcast.com/2010/01/1800-in-house-on-18/
Zephyr used before the patch who went solo mid. Completely outlaned madman, but had quite a bit of problems vs succubus (which isn't that surprising) after the lane swap. Read: he didn't get as much last hits when laning vs a ranged.

[hulahula]

zephyr is so retarded holy ****

[KnightDavion]

Hi folks, I am posting in this thread b/c I think the new zephyr is useful and I would like to learn to play him now. Is there a replay of a "standard" zephyr performance that I could use as a baseline for comparison?

[snapdoodle]

nope! he's all new!

[Matau32]

just use the same build and you'll be fine with the new zephyr

[Jayrod]

Zephyr is a good mid, owned a bloodhunter mid last night pretty good. Basically level 1/2 I was beating him. Level 3 he was beating me because he got a couple nice feast heals, then I got 4 tornados going and gusted him back to me to get him low enough to put him on defensive. I was in control from that point forward and left I think at 6 (called 1 bot to come mid while I jungled). It worked well, ended up with almost 800 exp/min non-EM and 450 gpm.

Portal feels like overkill and marginal at best. Gust cuts the distance of a portal key in half already and the fact that zephyr should build a hotbl always means he should have no problems getting into their group to lay down an ulti. use gust to push them back in to it.

The real trick to soloing mid on him is using the tornado heal wisely. If you're at max tornados and you're last hitting well you should be healing right before you last hit to keep your HP up. Also dont even think about going without a buckler. Buckler, runes of blight, hatchet is without a doubt the only build for zephyr.

[SHJordan]

Zephyr is a good mid, owned a bloodhunter mid last night pretty good. Basically level 1/2 I was beating him. Level 3 he was beating me because he got a couple nice feast heals, then I got 4 tornados going and gusted him back to me to get him low enough to put him on defensive. I was in control from that point forward and left I think at 6 (called 1 bot to come mid while I jungled). It worked well, ended up with almost 800 exp/min non-EM and 450 gpm.

Portal feels like overkill and marginal at best. Gust cuts the distance of a portal key in half already and the fact that zephyr should build a hotbl always means he should have no problems getting into their group to lay down an ulti. use gust to push them back in to it.

The real trick to soloing mid on him is using the tornado heal wisely. If you're at max tornados and you're last hitting well you should be healing right before you last hit to keep your HP up. Also dont even think about going without a buckler. Buckler, runes of blight, hatchet is without a doubt the only build for zephyr.

Could you post the ID of this match? So we can get the replays for learning purposes?:zeph::zeph::zeph::zeph::zeph:

[Mallo]

Heres a Zephyr Mid Replay vs. Puppet.

http://replays.heroesofnewerth.com/match_replay.php?mid=24846922

Don't expect a godlike over the top performance.. I'm still new to this hero.

It's a decent performance that led to an early 20 minute concede from the enemy.

[Tanubis]

Amusing Zephyr Trick - Pick up a Void Talisman and use phase boots and it in conjunction to share space with a slowed/stunned hero. The enemy team can't target you effectively because they end up targeting their own hero most of the time, and you're immune to the autoattacks and dealing most of your damage through cyclones.

[bbnemi]

should you max gust first or shield after cyclones?

im new to :zeph:

[Haor]

I'll go for cyclones first

[obe]

I think the build presented here ( http://forums.heroesofnewerth.com/showthread.php?t=64274 ) is appropriate :

Skill Build
1 - Cyclones
2 - Wind Shield
3 - Cyclones
4 - Gust
5 - Cyclones
6 - Typhoon
7 - Cyclones
8 - Gust
9 - Gust
10 - Gust
11 - Typhoon
12 - Wind Shield
13 - Wind Shield
14 - Wind Shield
15 - Stats
16 - Typhoon
17 - Stats+

This detailed guide should explain precisely how to use gust which is now the most trickiest hability to handle.

[Mikelsa]

i don't understand how to properly use gust skill.. i mean how to push with it or bring them to you, is it random?

[Drasha]

i don't understand how to properly use gust skill.. i mean how to push with it or bring them to you, is it random?
read this
http://www.hondb.com/?basic7

[SHJordan]

read this
http://www.hondb.com/?basic7

Thank you for this information!!! This is a great new way for using skills!!!

[Mikelsa]

ty!!

[Xiaolin]

i hate this hero

[SHJordan]

i hate this hero

I just have to say the contrary!!! xD~ :zeph: FTW!!!

[Nopattern]

man I play demented shaman and I LOVE laning with competant zephyrs. Gusting people into the creeps and letting me nuke is just ****ing great haha

[SHJordan]

man I play demented shaman and I LOVE laning with competant zephyrs. Gusting people into the creeps and letting me nuke is just ****ing great haha

I would like to see a game like this xD~

Share the wonder with us!!! =D

[xHeartAttack]

I usually get the small Shield at start so I can eventually get Helm of the Black Legion. Was wondering if its "smart" to get Black Legion and then Mock of Brilliance? Consider the fact I start Jungling at lv.3

[SHJordan]

I usually get the small Shield at start so I can eventually get Helm of the Black Legion. Was wondering if its "smart" to get Black Legion and then Mock of Brilliance? Consider the fact I start Jungling at lv.3

No problem starting with a shield... but... not for completing HotBL.

Just for better lanning...

Afterwards is better to get a Shaman Headress...

More costly efficient I mean...

But today i think the following: MoB is LUXURY...

That's what I think.

[Daether]

Has anyone tried to use him as an Jungler recent ?

I'm a littlebit new to him, but he makes fun at lane, but his skills he might also be good in jungle.

Any opinions ?

[SHJordan]

Has anyone tried to use him as an Jungler recent ?

I'm a littlebit new to him, but he makes fun at lane, but his skills he might also be good in jungle.

Any opinions ?

With a HotBL he always was a good jungler... with the recent changes, he's even better...

[Nightmxre]

If not MoB, then what item build are people using to make Zephyr a better carry?

[SHJordan]

Always start:
- hatchet/buckler/runes start (he can afford not having many consumables because of healing from cyclones)
- iron shield/regeneration rings in outpost
- marchers
- finish shamans headgress
- upgrade marchers (I usually go steamboots, but other upgrades are viable as well)

Possibility 1:
- Go farm a lot and get mock of brilliance
- Get more carry items of your choice (I like frostwulf skull)

Possibility 2:
- go gank a lot
- buy nullfire blade
- buy portal key
With those items zephyr is in fact a good ganker.



If not MoB, then what item build are people using to make Zephyr a better carry?

Well... basically do what Namtar told, but with a few workarounds if you're dealing experienced players... =x

[obe]

in pubs, HoBL is just great to go "jungling".
Then you get you marchers and mock in 20 mins and it is early concede as you have several levels more than any other player.
When jungling, don't forget to engage fights everytime your ulti is not in CD so that you dont leave completely your team mates by them selves.

Most annoying plan here is if you lane mate gets dominated and the tower destroyed soon. You can't jungle safely and being ganked in your forest is just real bad.

[SHJordan]

in pubs, HoBL is just great to go "jungling".
Then you get you marchers and mock in 20 mins and it is early concede as you have several levels more than any other player.
When jungling, don't forget to engage fights everytime your ulti is not in CD so that you dont leave completely your team mates by them selves.

Most annoying plan here is if you lane mate gets dominated and the tower destroyed soon. You can't jungle safely and being ganked in your forest is just real bad.

That's continue to be a possibility too...

[Zakri]

To everyone messaging me :

I've been experimenting with zephyr on my other account and I think I have enough information to update the guide now but I think that I'll wait some time to see If S2 will nerf Zephyr or not so i don't have to work twice , also I want to be more sure about the most viable item builds to have . I hope you understand =)

[SHJordan]

To everyone messaging me :

I've been experimenting with zephyr on my other account and I think I have enough information to update the guide now but I think that I'll wait some time to see If S2 will nerf Zephyr or not so i don't have to work twice , also I want to be more sure about the most viable item builds to have . I hope you understand =)

Do your best Zakri!!! =D

[obe]

And maybe you can already just tell us some of your ideas without updating the guide so that we can talk about it.

Many players not think that mock of brilliance is no more core to Zephyr and that frostburn is much better. What do you think about it ?

[LoveFoolf]

For some reason, I rarely have problem with Zephyr on a lane. I usually stay on a lane, get atleast 2/3 of the creeps a wave and have no problems at all depending on who is babysitting or who else is on the lane. I only jungle if my teammate gets pissed at me getting all the creeps, or I get ganked once or twice.

KT

[Magil]

And maybe you can already just tell us some of your ideas without updating the guide so that we can talk about it.

Many players not think that mock of brilliance is no more core to Zephyr and that frostburn is much better. What do you think about it ?

It seems to me that Zephyr's power doesn't come from auto-attack, so there would be little reason to build a Frostburn as a core item...

It seems to me that Zephyr's power doesn't come from auto-attack, so there would be little reason to build a Frostburn as a core item...

I can think of a few counterarguments to what you've said:

1) If, as you claim, his auto-attack were relatively unimportant, then the +DMG component of the mock is somewhat wasted.
2) Zephyr already has an AoE magic damage skill. Mock no longer gives evasion, so its AoE is just "more of the same". >6 cyclones means you are insta-gibbing neutral camps and creepwaves as fast as you reach them; thus Mock is just spurious and redundant. You don't need its farming capabilities.
3) Icebrand* provides some survivability, 285hp. Mock does not. The longer Zephyr stays up, the more his cyclones can do.
4) Icebrand* provides a slow. A Frosted opponent is easier to get up next to, and easier to center an ultimate on top of.
5) A Frosted opponent will be stuck in the ultimate longer, maximizing the damage the ultimate and cyclones will do.
6) Icebrand costs 2750 less, comes in smaller components, doesn't require a visit to the secret shop.

* All that said, I'm pretty sure building your Icebrand into a Frostwolf's Skull is a much better idea that building it into a Frostburn. It costs an extra 1300 or so, but it's gotta be worth it. Skull hits points #3-#5 much harder than Frostburn does. The movement speed of Frostburn makes outrunning your cyclones more of an issue, and the attack speed is less useful on Zephyr than the right-click agility carries.

[KazeTanade]

Zephyr has and probably always will function primarily as a semi-tank semi-carry.

The fact that some people feel MoB is a LUXURY is slightly off; it is probably the best way to take advantage of his tanki-ness and his Carry-ness as well. FB gives him a little HP which he doesnt need as much, and a slow when he has gust and a massive slowing ult. Considering as well his damage itself isnt the most astounding you've ever seen, FB may not be the best choice, though it is a viable tool for many.

Of course, I dont think playing Zeph as a carry or a gank with nullfire, wingbow lifesteal or the sort is neccessarily BAD. I just think it's inferior. And a lot more risky.

Then again, rushing mock is risky in itself. But if you can play well, and your team actually ganks, you're safe.

To the above, it's UBER cool when the zeph gusts people into your heal as a DSham. I play DSham while my friend plays Zeph; and although my reaction time is bad and aimed wrongly sometimes, the culminated nuke from 2 or 3 creeps, with an entangle, and both of us AA him, the guy often = dead. It's really cool, and together we tend to have COMPLETE lane control. This is <1600 PSR games though so...

In any case, if you go jungle at lv.3, unless you're very good at jungling, you'll probably get MoB in about 30-37 minutes into game. Once here, come out of hiding and assist in ganks and pushes; laying down an ulti and the mock burn can be painful and life threatening. If you have several AoE ulti thrown at once, the damage is even more explicitly painful. Once played carry NH against this, and although no other hero posed a threat to me, the Zeph with his mock came out and decimated me as I joined ganks; as we all know, NH has quite pitiful HP, and it was the first game I played against Zeph after his vamp so the Mock and his toughness was entirely unexpected. ~_~

[JONNyG]

first post here, but ever since the changes to zephyr i tried him out as a hero, and although i have little experience (less than 15 games with zeph) I have to say i've had a lot of success with rushing the MoB. I get how it's risky and everything, but the payoff is certainly worth it since the damage stacks with the cyclones, and also it is much better for chasing since the cyclones are so far behind you. However now I wanna try frostwolf's skull after HotBL and MoB since it sounds rather useful :3

[Magil]

I can think of a few counterarguments to what you've said:

1) If, as you claim, his auto-attack were relatively unimportant, then the +DMG component of the mock is somewhat wasted.
2) Zephyr already has an AoE magic damage skill. Mock no longer gives evasion, so its AoE is just "more of the same". >6 cyclones means you are insta-gibbing neutral camps and creepwaves as fast as you reach them; thus Mock is just spurious and redundant. You don't need its farming capabilities.
3) Icebrand* provides some survivability, 285hp. Mock does not. The longer Zephyr stays up, the more his cyclones can do.
4) Icebrand* provides a slow. A Frosted opponent is easier to get up next to, and easier to center an ultimate on top of.
5) A Frosted opponent will be stuck in the ultimate longer, maximizing the damage the ultimate and cyclones will do.
6) Icebrand costs 2750 less, comes in smaller components, doesn't require a visit to the secret shop.

* All that said, I'm pretty sure building your Icebrand into a Frostwolf's Skull is a much better idea that building it into a Frostburn. It costs an extra 1300 or so, but it's gotta be worth it. Skull hits points #3-#5 much harder than Frostburn does. The movement speed of Frostburn makes outrunning your cyclones more of an issue, and the attack speed is less useful on Zephyr than the right-click agility carries.

It's not that Frostburn or Frostwolf's Skull are bad items on Zephyr, but I still think the majority of your damage in a given fight is going to come from weaving into the middle of the fray and using your ult/tornados to do the work. Zephyr probably shouldn't rush Mock naked, a bit of survival from a Helm would certainly help--or at least an iron shield and a Beast Heart (to be upgraded to a Behemoth's Heart later).

I suppose the carry Zephyr is more viable now, but it seems to me that his true strength still lies in being a tank-oriented semi-carry, due to lack of a real steroid skill.

[Meat_Puppet]

I find I always do much better w/ a Mock than without. Just sayin...

[Zakri]

I think I've gathered enough information so an update might be coming this weekend.
As you can see many people have different thoughts about different builds so Ill try to make an all-around guide explaining big and small details while being coherent as always.

Its important for you to have in mind that theres no actual mandatory build for Zephyr so Its more about you being comfortable and most importantly what really matters is having the capacity and knowledge to know when to go for certain item because one build will not always be as viable in some situations , like going Right-Click DPS agaisnt a high nuking and stunning lineup.

To keep up with the examples the best item choice for behemoth NO MATTER WHAT is a portal key and that will never change , sure you could go and make a lothars and complete the same purpose but its not as viable , and going for a runed axe is less viable , but guess what , he has a HUGE damage bonus and the runed axe certainly has synergy even if it sounds very stupid , So If you get what Im saying you will understand that just because something sounds good at first glance it doesn't means its the only and best choice , theres factors that will change your thought entirely and this is a game (like chess) where you cant just have 1 plan (And hell , Its a thousand times more complex).

Bottom line is Zephyr is a versatile hero , Ive always tried to point that out .

Talk to you later =}

[leNijo]

Thanks Zakri. I'm looking forward to the updated guide. Don't forget to include some nice replays, please. ;)

[SHJordan]

Thanks Zakri. I'm looking forward to the updated guide. Don't forget to include some nice replays, please. ;)

Agreed. Please post replays that you're doing GREAT at farming a mock. Since normally i get it on 25m mark i wish to know if you could get that earlier and how.

Do your best zakri...

May the :zeph:force:zeph: be with you!

[oKn]

I usually stay in the lane till I get a HotBL [7~8min] then jungle and get a mock by 20~23, from there I just go ganking cause you're so ridiculously powerful for the next 20 minutes or so with just those items.

[RyDeRz666]

nice guide

[UltimateFail]

Can't wait for the updated version

[Hannibal]

This was a recent game where I got mock in 12 mins. Match ID: 30566801

The way zephyr is currently built makes him incredibly imba for early farming as you will notice in the level difference. Contrary to how powerful I was, I didn't get that many kills because the other team were just so scared of me. I was focused on for most of it.

Anyway check it out, I received a rather cheeky hatrick halfway through.

[Didiuz]

Rly nice guide Too bad its outdated.

[Earthyy]

@ the zephyr who was in my game yesterday:

please dont get a 27 min mock and then use it to farm a frostwolfskull, post haste, and geometers bane

thx.

[War5pite]

In training to play this hero i did some testing myself, and i did a 20minute test run to see how well i could farm...Free farm with no deaths and ancients at 8/9 i was able to farm both Hotbl and Mock by 19minutes, no if you go for mock before anything you could probably farm it by 12-15 if you dont die, so if your enemy doesnt realise what your going for, the game is over by 20minutes.

[xCoituzx]

i want to read the updated version
i want to play zephyr better then i can :D

[Hannibal]

In training to play this hero i did some testing myself, and i did a 20minute test run to see how well i could farm...Free farm with no deaths and ancients at 8/9 i was able to farm both Hotbl and Mock by 19minutes, no if you go for mock before anything you could probably farm it by 12-15 if you dont die, so if your enemy doesnt realise what your going for, the game is over by 20minutes.

see my ingame replay above ^^ This is pretty true, 12 minutes is a decent time to get mock. Always start with hatchet + shield; this will leave you with about 300 gold towards a lifetube. Once you get the tube you can pretty much farm constantly in the forest and for the first 10 mins I farm the enemy forest because they rarely suspect you are in there at that stage of the game. Use your ultimate for more cyclones if you need, it all adds up. 12-15mins into game, you are a farming monster.

[xCoituzx]

^
where is the video? i want to watch it?
sorry i'm jsut a newbie so i don't knwo where to get it

can someone give me a strategy on how to kill easily?
coz always in my games when i use gust or just atk them they will run :(

[Hannibal]

^^ enter this match ID: 30566801 into the match stats menu ingame, then download.

Also Zephyr is ultimately a carry/support, it is hard to kill without some kind of stun so they can be drained of health by your aoe unless of course your physical dps is just insane

[xCoituzx]

^
I agree with that i've use zeph a while a go and kill me when they have three stuns :(

[Ker]

^^ enter this match ID: 30566801 into the match stats menu ingame, then download.

Also Zephyr is ultimately a carry/support, it is hard to kill without some kind of stun so they can be drained of health by your aoe unless of course your physical dps is just insane

What the... Is this replay a joke? 1400-1600 arEM? I wouldnt have the balls to be hanging out on Premium Guides with such replays, actually it would be more of a challenge trying to beat your own 13min-mock mark on practice mode. Cool story bro, now I want 20 min of my life back. :(

[Didiuz]

^^ enter this match ID: 30566801 into the match stats menu ingame, then download.

Also Zephyr is ultimately a carry/support, it is hard to kill without some kind of stun so they can be drained of health by your aoe unless of course your physical dps is just insane

Sorry but linking a EM game into a premium thread thats just fail. You cant come and compare numbers from EM games. Thats a no do

[Didiuz]

Agreed. Please post replays that you're doing GREAT at farming a mock. Since normally i get it on 25m mark i wish to know if you could get that earlier and how.

Do your best zakri...

May the :zeph:force:zeph: be with you!


Heres a replay:30872153

The game name says APEM only noobs but is actully a SD clan match. or kinda Me,Pepperdog and flexxier are friends and we had to pug's while the other side is more ore less a clan. As you might have seen they picked very bad so that might be how my friend managed to farm so well. He had helmet and sword by 18 min.

[crazyguy7398]

Hey so I'm kind of a noob to this game, but I really need help figuring out Zephyr's Gust ability. Other Zephyr players seem to know how to get the wind to push people any way they want, but for me the wind always seems to push away from me no matter where I click. Any tips?

[xCoituzx]

can i ask a strategy to kill heroes? using zeph?
eventually when ia atk them they run and run >.< and its hard for me to catch them >.<

[_k1]

Hey so I'm kind of a noob to this game, but I really need help figuring out Zephyr's Gust ability. Other Zephyr players seem to know how to get the wind to push people any way they want, but for me the wind always seems to push away from me no matter where I click. Any tips?

Hold down click and drag the mouse in the direction you want the gust to blow.

[Hannibal]

Well I was just trying to help.

Besides its not like zephyr is even allowed in competitive matches, he is only used in EM games.

[Aeonstorm]

Tomotron, your game was EM plus you were laning against a crappy, crappy enemy pair (you actually missed a few kills which you should've gotten early). In a more balanced match though in AP, it would take lot longer to farm mock, and you would probably need to go helm first.

Btw, what stuff do you guys get after mock? And how does Zephyr really carry? He doesn't seem to have anything that scales or lets him carry apart from his evasion, so I'm assuming there's some awesome item that he can farm up and pwn with.

[Necroth]

Hey so I'm kind of a noob to this game, but I really need help figuring out Zephyr's Gust ability. Other Zephyr players seem to know how to get the wind to push people any way they want, but for me the wind always seems to push away from me no matter where I click. Any tips?
you can change the direction by holding the left button (a huge arrow will show up)

[xCoituzx]

can i request a replay showing on how to play zephyr very nice? tnx
jsut want to see and learn

[AeroKiller]

I was playing Zephyr 3 days ago and i got 10-1. I was so happy and the other team was pretty much a noob. But anyways, you should update this guide pretty soon or other people will come up with it.

[xCoituzx]

^
the hard one is if ur team is retarded it is really hard to carry alone then ur enemies are nukers and stunners :/

[Katakylsm]

Well, I don't think I'm that great at this game and I played versus some noobs, but here. 31878312 (Yeah its No Stats but I'm learning)

[L337GoD777]

update mod plz

id wana know how to Jungle with Zephyr and such

[a_cloth]

if you wanna carry a little more the aoe damage of chain lightning could replace mock if you had bad farm

[Oppo]

This guide needs an update or a removal from the premium guides and sent to archives. Some of the stuff is similar, but gust and the ult are totally different. This hero plays differently now.

[TitaniumGene]

The character has definitely been nerfed. Gust is more of a stun and the ultimate is like a super cyclone.

[wala]

update mod plz

id wana know how to Jungle with Zephyr and such

You shouldn't start jungling right away. Start around level 3-7 depending on lane. You do have good lane presence with your gust and tornadoes.

Last hit to get tornadoes up, use up tornadoes to heal while you got last hits unless you want to push the lane or go for a heavy harass/kill. They push the lane and won't let you and your partner farm.

People usually start hatchet/buckler/runes. Get a lifetube from outpost, and depending on creep spawns and number of tornadoes, start jungling. You should doublestack (or partner), pull, then start jungling as it will give you good amount of tornadoes and make your lane safe. Skellies and ogres are best to play against, while minotaurs and catmen can deal some damage, rendering your vulnerable to ganks.

A core part on neutralling is to know how to stack. When you start attacking neutrals, and timer his x:40, try to pull back when one of the creeps is about to die (consider tornadoes' damage). That way, you'll have another creeps spawning to expedite your farm.

I see many people trying to doublestack at x:45~ by pulling then starting to attack; however, this ends up failing as many times one of the creeps returns to block the spawn. Do not do this unless you are sure of the timing to double-double stack camps.

Use the hatchet to cut shortcuts to shorten distance traveled. On legion side, you can triple stack camps using hatchet.

I've heard sometimes you can continuously stack the hard camp and use ult at level 6 to clear it out. I never tried it, and I advice against it. There is a threshhold where you can start jungling without worrying about hp (I say hard camp because medium camps can spawn magic-immune neuts). With sufficient tornadoes up and some micro, you'll be able to clear that quad/quint/sex-tuple camp quickly.

Once you hit level 6, you'll hopefully be able to gank and possibly double kill your lane. Do that, keep neutrallying, and ALWAYS keep in mind to stack camps and prevent non-respawns. Your gold should skyrocket and with wards, you should be able to farm to your full potential.

From my experience I usually have sufficient mana to constantly gank when my ult is up; however don't overgank as your neutral VERY effectively. Just carry tps to counter (and possibly gank your short lane then jungle the enemies') and gank your lane/mid.

You should learn some laning tricks to get the last-hits/denies to keep your tornadoes started. A simple one: when a creep is on low hp, your opponent(s) should linger near it to deny; draw aggro, last hit.

Hope this helps.

[xCoituzx]

if you wanna carry a little more the aoe damage of chain lightning could replace mock if you had bad farm

for me chain lightning is better than mock >.<
i found it more useful in the game

[Katakylsm]

for me chain lightning is better than mock >.<
i found it more useful in the game

It is an it isn't. Mock lets you pull neutral camps a lot faster since the range is so large, it's also a constant damage not a chance on hit, and it's synergy is nice with your tornadoes. On the other hand you have Thunderclaw which upgrades to hammer. It's a nice chunk of aspd, and that proc is extremely useful in basically every situation, and it also upgrades into a nice use effect on yourself/the tank. Personally I like the Thunderclaw because I've found that the proc rate is fairly decent, sure you have some dry streaks but I've gotten 4 in a row before.

[xCoituzx]

^
the time i made mock or hammer basically my team is now pushing and i found out that hammer is useful against the enemies >.< and pushing :/

[McNord]

Should not this be uptadet to the new patches if it's in premium guides

[Toadies]

Why is this crap in the premium guides section if the skills it discusses are not even in the game anymore? Not for a while. like monthsish.

[Fallacy]

Why is this crap in the premium guides section if the skills it discusses are not even in the game anymore? Not for a while. like monthsish.

My guess would be that the strategy and item builds are still relevant, if the skill build is a bit outdated. Personally, I tweaked my Zephyr-build based on this outdated guide, and he's still working like a charm.

[transticNERV]

Am I the only one in this topic who goes Frostburn as a first major item?

Zephyr solo-mid:
Stating: Health/Axe/Buckler
Courier ferries a bottle
Go ganking after level 6
Build Enhanced Marchers + Icebrand -> Frostburn
???
Profit

After this, you can build Behemoth's Heart or more DPS items like Riftshards.

Replay: http://replays.heroesofnewerth.com/match_replay.php?mid=37739056

[SHJordan]

Am I the only one in this topic who goes Frostburn as a first major item?

Zephyr solo-mid:
Stating: Health/Axe/Buckler
Courier ferries a bottle
Go ganking after level 6
Build Enhanced Marchers + Icebrand -> Frostburn
???
Profit

After this, you can build Behemoth's Heart or more DPS items like Riftshards.

Replay: http://replays.heroesofnewerth.com/match_replay.php?mid=37739056

Never tried... i'll but... why not taking wind shield earlier???

[Aeonstorm]

Am I the only one in this topic who goes Frostburn as a first major item?

Zephyr solo-mid:
Stating: Health/Axe/Buckler
Courier ferries a bottle
Go ganking after level 6
Build Enhanced Marchers + Icebrand -> Frostburn
???
Profit

After this, you can build Behemoth's Heart or more DPS items like Riftshards.

Replay: http://replays.heroesofnewerth.com/match_replay.php?mid=37739056

Erm, I get frostburn first in 3v3s, when im completely wtfpwning...
Otherwise always helm/idol first and then mock/frostburn depending on what i think i need to win.

[transticNERV]

Never tried... i'll but... why not taking wind shield earlier???

Its very situational. If i'm laning against a ranged hero, i'll take up wind shield over gust.

My levels look like this. Secondary build is if the opponent is a harassing ranged enemy.

1. Gust
2. Cyclone
3. Cyclone/Wind Shield
4. Gust/Wind Shield
5. Cyclone
6. Typhoon
7. Cyclone/Wind Shield
8. Gust/Wind Shield
9. Gust/Cyclone
10. Wind Shield/Cyclone
11. Typhoon
12. Wind Shield/Gust
13. Wind Shield/Gust
14. Wind Shield/Gust
15. Stats
16. Typhoon
17-25. Stats

So you go lane, if the enemy is harassing hard with range, pick up one of each skill, max Wind Shield first, then Cyclone, then Gust, pick up Typhoon when possible. If not, max Cyclone and Gust, pick up Typhoon when necessary. Wind Shield is only really good against ranged units. When you're laning against melee, it's waste of points. Cyclone harassment is much more needed than Wind Shield protection against melee heroes.

[oberbreit]

so what heroes are his best/worst enemies? i just never know what to pick to counter zeph

[SHJordan]

so what heroes are his best/worst enemies? i just never know what to pick to counter zeph

That's indeed a good question, i think those who can slow him to the grave or mass stunners OR a combination of those xD~ Can't name them though =\

[failshot]

so what heroes are his best/worst enemies? i just never know what to pick to counter zeph

Magic Immunity will really give him a hard time. :pred::jera::ShrunkenHead:

I would say nukers would be a counter, but heroes like :pyro::witc::wret: lose steam later in the game. You could sure try though.

[oberbreit]

hmm kk ty

[h0lyh3x0r]

the leap skill is remooved from zeph .... so your skill build is useless

[Electroid]

I would have to disagree with getting 2 bracers yet agree with it.
if your having a good farm avoiding ganks and getting some hero kills you should easily be able to avoid getting these withought a huge consequence, frostwolf skull gives you a ton of health and mana (same with helm)

although if your having a bad farm i would say go with them avoid the mock and get shaman's headress. (i wouldn't really bother with mock if your doing this bad) and just try to go for barrier idol and then behe heart / frostwolf skull. (if they have a port key get mock then)

[Skuko]

so from my yesterdays game I farmed mock in 18th minute (5200g) no em game
did die once when I've bought lifetube
so I did get to 5.7k gold in something bellow 20minutes with hatchet buckler and lifetube
was only double stacking creeps

[SHJordan]

so from my yesterdays game I farmed mock in 18th minute (5200g) no em game
did die once when I've bought lifetube
so I did get to 5.7k gold in something bellow 20minutes with hatchet buckler and lifetube
was only double stacking creeps

Could you post your replay # for learning purposes?

[kaabrejner]

Which heroes is good with zephyr in 2v2 or 3v3? and which is bad fighting?

Lots of Heroes are good with Zephyr. Anyone who can stun or disable for along time, such as electrician, succubus, tempest. this will maximize your ult and win damage (and mock if you have it). Any one with stacking slows is also a good option: Arachna, Armaddon, etc.

[Nopattern]

man, zephyr is so much fun to play. Gust is such a fun s kill. Its cool to be able to fend off a whole team when they are chasing a teammate.

[Rubidxx]

zzzZZZzzzZZZ

I had a really bad game as zephyr, there were feeders at my team, and the only range on the team was pyro, and he said he would go top. so i was forced to go mid, and the game went really bad. FUUUU

2483740

[YawningAngel]

Two Things:
One, Plated Greaves > Steamboots for Zephyr when tanking, especially in pubs when nobody else builds them.
Two, you should never ever ever ever ever ever ever ever buy an Astrolabe on Zephyr.

[YawningAngel]

so what heroes are his best/worst enemies? i just never know what to pick to counter zeph
Predator and Soul Reaper.

[SHJordan]

Predator and Soul Reaper.

Predator? Are u sure buddy? I agree with soul reaper... put... zeph with high avoid chances... idk...

[Aurelli]

Two Things:
One, Plated Greaves > Steamboots for Zephyr when tanking, especially in pubs when nobody else builds them.
Two, you should never ever ever ever ever ever ever ever buy an Astrolabe on Zephyr.

I was going to say Zephyr tends to be plagued with mana problems earlier on, an astrolabe really really doesn't help that situation and should be given to an int hero.

Speaking of which I generally find it a waste to get gust at level 1 for the only reason that you should maximize your cyclones right away. Getting cyclones at 1 gives you the benefit of denying/last hitting any creeps and generally gets you up and running right off the bat.

Also speaking of counters to zephyr, the best are generally stunners Arachna is probably one of the better ones tot ear Zephyr to shreds, surprisingly Vindicator is a fantastic team counter.

Thing about zephyr is he needs his post haste asap because without it he's VERY dependent on gust to pull his targets closer to him, he's pretty much a one trick horse, if his gust fails he can't do much with his typhoon because he has no one to grab. Just avoid his gust and you have about 10 seconds to ranged hit him without him countering.

I have a set of replays on hand here and there to show how quickly you can get a mock, I'll edit this post once I get the digits.

Also as Zephyr has the tendency to farm a lot, it is often best to keep an eye out for snotlings, they're often the best way to get cyclones quick whenever you need them

[GregerMoek]

-text-

Items:
You should always get these "Core" items and get the fillers depending on the situation.

These haven't changed , you should use this early and core items.
Early and core items:

http://img196.imageshack.us/img196/1605/hatchet.jpg

Initial Build Cost:
Runes of Blight - 90
Health Potion - 100
Logger's Hatchet - 225
Minor Totem x 3 - 106 (53 x 3)
--- --- --- --- ---
Total - 574 gold
===========

text..
Thanks to everyone !

Hehe, good guide but I found that thing a little funny. ;)

[SilverStars]

so what heroes are his best/worst enemies? i just never know what to pick to counter zeph

You have to gank him a lot. If you're playing public games, and your teammates won't cooperate, firstly HoNStats says that Magebane and Jeraziah are effective against him, because the majority of games Zeph loses have Mage and/or Jera on the other team. You can also annoy him with scout wards. It's quite fun. I actually wrote a guide on that.

[Jiggaboojoo]

I dont think mock is good on zephyr....It gives you something you already have aoe magic damage. If your gonna go carry go either frostworth skull or hack n slash. Mock just doesn't make sense....and even if your carrying you want at least one defense item most likely a shammans headress. Oh yeah and lastly you always want wind shield at lvl 1 within your first 4 levels for the ms when getting attacked.

[Karakas]

I dont think mock is good on zephyr....It gives you something you already have aoe magic damage. If your gonna go carry go either frostworth skull or hack n slash. Mock just doesn't make sense....and even if your carrying you want at least one defense item most likely a shammans headress. Oh yeah and lastly you always want wind shield at lvl 1 within your first 4 levels for the ms when getting attacked.

Mock is excellent on Zephyr, but only if you get it by 25 min or so. The bulk of zephyr's damage comes from cyclones, not autoattacking. So, frostwolf is decent but not great. Windshield at Lvl 1 is dumb gust to defend self/fb or cyclones for heal/survivability...also, it doesnt proc when you are attacked, only when YOU attack.

[Drasha]

This guide needs images showing the range of all his abilities and 3 or more replays.