Almindor
11-02-2009, 09:41 AM
This is my attempt at a Wretched Hag guide. Note that I'm still a newbie so i'm open to suggestion on items mostly. This is an updated take after the latest patch changes to her (buffs) namely:
Wretched Hag
- Flash of Darkness is now 800,900,1000,1150 range (from 700,850,1000,1150)
- Bat Blast will now apply Haunt's Haunted state when cast. The strength of the Haunted state depends on the level of Haunt.
This girl
http://www.heroesofnewerth.com/images/heroes/104/icon_128.jpg
is bad :) (and by bad I mean good). Until lately she was considered underpowered because her damage wasn't anything special, her blink was worse than Magebanes' and her stats suck. The 2 aforementioned changes, at least in my opinion fix these problems. But first some intro.
DESCRIPTION:
The Wretched Hag haunted Newerth's darkness long before the Hellbourne spilled forth. A fiendish hag fatted off the flesh of children and virgin brides, she keeps as her only company a swarm of bats -- the only creatures that can abide her shrieking cries.
ROLE:
Nuker (can be initiator if really needed, but sucks at it), can carry if REALLY needed.
STATS:
Str: 16 + 1.7
Agi: 18 + 2.0
Int: 19 + 2.5 (main)
SKILLS:
1. Haunt
http://www.heroesofnewerth.com/images/heroes/104/ability1_128.jpg
Range: 400
Cast Time: 1.5 Seconds
Mana Cost: 80 / 100 / 120 / 140
Cooldown: 20.0 / 17.0 / 14.0 / 11.0 Seconds
Activation
Deals 50 / 70 / 70 / 100 initial Magic damage, then applies Haunted to target for 15 seconds.
Haunted Effects
10 / 20 / 40 / 50 Magic damage inflicted every 3 seconds.
20 / 30 / 40 / 50% Movement speed slow initially, which wears off over 10 seconds.
Haunt is a slow + DOT skill and with latest patch is double-useful because your Ulti applies it at the level you have it. The range on this one is your main problem, but it's great to catch/kill those escaping heroes, or slow down someone chasing you (but this is rare since you can blink). Use it early game the DOT is actually feelable.
2. Flash of Darkness
http://www.heroesofnewerth.com/images/heroes/104/ability2_128.jpg
Range: 800 / 900 / 1,000 / 1,150
Cast Time: 1.5 Seconds
Mana Cost: 60
Cooldown: 12.0 / 10.0 / 8.0 / 6.0 Seconds
Teleports self to target position.
This is your basic blink which gets better high levels with lower cooldown and greater range. It's your defining ability actually, if used well you will rock, if not you will suck. The animation was fixed. Cast time is also lower lately AFAIK.
3. Sonar Scream
http://www.heroesofnewerth.com/images/heroes/104/ability3_128.jpg
Radius: 400 / 450 / 475 / 500
Cast Time: 1.5 Seconds
Mana Cost: 140
Cooldown: 7.0 Seconds
Deals 85 / 165 / 225 / 300 Magic damage to targets in radius.
This is an AOE nuke around the Hag with some nice radius especially at lvl4. The animation really doesn't do justice to it's radius, don't be afraid to spam this from a mid distance. It's also on 7s cooldown which is nice. Your main nuke.
4. Bat Blast
http://www.heroesofnewerth.com/images/heroes/104/ability4_128.jpg
Range: 700
Cast Time: 1.5 Seconds
Mana Cost: 250 / 360 / 500
Cooldown: 135.0 Seconds
Deals 290 / 430 / 600 Magic damage to targets in a line, up to 800 units away. Radius of the damaging line starts out at 100 and ends at 300.
Applies Haunt to all hit units (level of Haunt you have)!
This is your nice newly buffed Ulti, and it's a nice buff indeed. You do some mediocre damage to the enemy team with this (the range is really nice btw.) but with this latest buff you also slow them and DOT them. Really nice skill as of now.
SCALING:
Early game: Fair
Mid game: Good
Late game: Bad
Exchange Fair for Early game to Good if you're good with blink, your enemy is melee or has short range obviously. Hag is mediocre at AA damage so don't expect easy last-hits. It's not so bad tho. You can surprise your opponents with a quick gank if you're full mana but it's always dangerous.
Mid game you're going to reach your potential and really become a nice nuker. With the blink used well you'll be better than a Pyromancer, although mainly for teamfights not against single heroes.
I personaly found Hag lacking in the late game department since most people get magic defense by then and you just don't scale well enough. However my item build is still newbish so I might be missing something obvious here.
SKILL BUILD:
1. Flash of Darkness
2. Haunt
3. Sonar Scream
4. Haunt
5. Sonar Scream
6. Bat Blast
7. Flash of Darkness
8. Haunt
9. Sonar Scream
10. Haunt
11. Bat Blast
12. Sonar Scream
13. Flash of Darkness
14. Flash of Darkness
15. Stats
16. Bat Blast
Rationale is to keep Haunt/Bat Blast effective as much as possible while getting decent Sonar Scream too. You usually don't use Haunt that much but getting it on lvl2 with your 1st ult is a nice bonus worth having IMHO. Some people prefer to max Sonar Scream instead so they get max damage on a nice 7s skill. I'll leave it up to you to decide.
ITEM BUILD:
Hag should concentrate on 2 things mainly. Survivability and Mana, in that order. I'm not a big fan of definitive item sets, so I'll go more generally.
I usually get Steam Boots over Enhanced Marchers because she needs more survivability (yes, leave it at str, see later). Post Haste would be IMHO a total waste since you have blink. Next is usually Iron Shield. I also aim for Great Arcana because it makes you self-sufficient between fights on mana. Then I go for Sustainer and by this time I can just walk around freely between fights and expect to be near full on both health and mana by the next one, which is pretty important. As I said I'm no late game expert, and I never got to the 4k+ items.
IF YOU GO MIDDLE GET THE DAMN BOTTLE!
This is important. Hag is an UBER rune whore. You can outwhore them all, no puns intended. Your blink ensures you can beat them to it, and by retreiving useful runes and refilling your bottle by using them you can stay in the middle and even outharass a Puppet Master (I mean it). Just watch for the even minute marks (0:00, 2:00 etc.) and check those rune spawns (best if someone warded them for you). Remember to BLINK if someone is chasing them too.
STRATEGY:
Laning:
If you're middle, see above about bottle. If not, concentrate on last hitting. If they're aggressive, nuke and juke. You can harass pretty damn well if you don't overextend too much. Biggest problem I had was with Arachna because she can slow you down and your initial blink distance sucks. But with right terrain that's not a problem for escapes.
Also if they get close enough, use Haunt (but don't overextend because of it, the damage isn't that great) and Shriek.
General:
Blink blink and more blink. It's important to utilize this skill with her as much as possible. Blink out of danger, run back, nuke. Blink in, nuke. All viable depending on situation of course. Example: you see a Magmus preparing his ulti (even if he's far), ulti somewhere out of the way/away from the team, you're going to get nuked. Then run back and nuke back (preferably with Ulti so it slows too). Then shriek and possibly Haunt some escapees. If it's going badly, blink again. Don't forget, you can shriek 7s after the last one, which means just about now :)
Being a PITA:
Hag can be a major PITA by luring and jumping around, breaking visual and wasting skills of enemies. You just have to be smart about your blinks. You team also needs to know that if you blink out (especially with 1/2+ health) it doesn't mean you're out of the fight (on the contrary, you're probably just about to release the bats :D).
Wretched Hag
- Flash of Darkness is now 800,900,1000,1150 range (from 700,850,1000,1150)
- Bat Blast will now apply Haunt's Haunted state when cast. The strength of the Haunted state depends on the level of Haunt.
This girl
http://www.heroesofnewerth.com/images/heroes/104/icon_128.jpg
is bad :) (and by bad I mean good). Until lately she was considered underpowered because her damage wasn't anything special, her blink was worse than Magebanes' and her stats suck. The 2 aforementioned changes, at least in my opinion fix these problems. But first some intro.
DESCRIPTION:
The Wretched Hag haunted Newerth's darkness long before the Hellbourne spilled forth. A fiendish hag fatted off the flesh of children and virgin brides, she keeps as her only company a swarm of bats -- the only creatures that can abide her shrieking cries.
ROLE:
Nuker (can be initiator if really needed, but sucks at it), can carry if REALLY needed.
STATS:
Str: 16 + 1.7
Agi: 18 + 2.0
Int: 19 + 2.5 (main)
SKILLS:
1. Haunt
http://www.heroesofnewerth.com/images/heroes/104/ability1_128.jpg
Range: 400
Cast Time: 1.5 Seconds
Mana Cost: 80 / 100 / 120 / 140
Cooldown: 20.0 / 17.0 / 14.0 / 11.0 Seconds
Activation
Deals 50 / 70 / 70 / 100 initial Magic damage, then applies Haunted to target for 15 seconds.
Haunted Effects
10 / 20 / 40 / 50 Magic damage inflicted every 3 seconds.
20 / 30 / 40 / 50% Movement speed slow initially, which wears off over 10 seconds.
Haunt is a slow + DOT skill and with latest patch is double-useful because your Ulti applies it at the level you have it. The range on this one is your main problem, but it's great to catch/kill those escaping heroes, or slow down someone chasing you (but this is rare since you can blink). Use it early game the DOT is actually feelable.
2. Flash of Darkness
http://www.heroesofnewerth.com/images/heroes/104/ability2_128.jpg
Range: 800 / 900 / 1,000 / 1,150
Cast Time: 1.5 Seconds
Mana Cost: 60
Cooldown: 12.0 / 10.0 / 8.0 / 6.0 Seconds
Teleports self to target position.
This is your basic blink which gets better high levels with lower cooldown and greater range. It's your defining ability actually, if used well you will rock, if not you will suck. The animation was fixed. Cast time is also lower lately AFAIK.
3. Sonar Scream
http://www.heroesofnewerth.com/images/heroes/104/ability3_128.jpg
Radius: 400 / 450 / 475 / 500
Cast Time: 1.5 Seconds
Mana Cost: 140
Cooldown: 7.0 Seconds
Deals 85 / 165 / 225 / 300 Magic damage to targets in radius.
This is an AOE nuke around the Hag with some nice radius especially at lvl4. The animation really doesn't do justice to it's radius, don't be afraid to spam this from a mid distance. It's also on 7s cooldown which is nice. Your main nuke.
4. Bat Blast
http://www.heroesofnewerth.com/images/heroes/104/ability4_128.jpg
Range: 700
Cast Time: 1.5 Seconds
Mana Cost: 250 / 360 / 500
Cooldown: 135.0 Seconds
Deals 290 / 430 / 600 Magic damage to targets in a line, up to 800 units away. Radius of the damaging line starts out at 100 and ends at 300.
Applies Haunt to all hit units (level of Haunt you have)!
This is your nice newly buffed Ulti, and it's a nice buff indeed. You do some mediocre damage to the enemy team with this (the range is really nice btw.) but with this latest buff you also slow them and DOT them. Really nice skill as of now.
SCALING:
Early game: Fair
Mid game: Good
Late game: Bad
Exchange Fair for Early game to Good if you're good with blink, your enemy is melee or has short range obviously. Hag is mediocre at AA damage so don't expect easy last-hits. It's not so bad tho. You can surprise your opponents with a quick gank if you're full mana but it's always dangerous.
Mid game you're going to reach your potential and really become a nice nuker. With the blink used well you'll be better than a Pyromancer, although mainly for teamfights not against single heroes.
I personaly found Hag lacking in the late game department since most people get magic defense by then and you just don't scale well enough. However my item build is still newbish so I might be missing something obvious here.
SKILL BUILD:
1. Flash of Darkness
2. Haunt
3. Sonar Scream
4. Haunt
5. Sonar Scream
6. Bat Blast
7. Flash of Darkness
8. Haunt
9. Sonar Scream
10. Haunt
11. Bat Blast
12. Sonar Scream
13. Flash of Darkness
14. Flash of Darkness
15. Stats
16. Bat Blast
Rationale is to keep Haunt/Bat Blast effective as much as possible while getting decent Sonar Scream too. You usually don't use Haunt that much but getting it on lvl2 with your 1st ult is a nice bonus worth having IMHO. Some people prefer to max Sonar Scream instead so they get max damage on a nice 7s skill. I'll leave it up to you to decide.
ITEM BUILD:
Hag should concentrate on 2 things mainly. Survivability and Mana, in that order. I'm not a big fan of definitive item sets, so I'll go more generally.
I usually get Steam Boots over Enhanced Marchers because she needs more survivability (yes, leave it at str, see later). Post Haste would be IMHO a total waste since you have blink. Next is usually Iron Shield. I also aim for Great Arcana because it makes you self-sufficient between fights on mana. Then I go for Sustainer and by this time I can just walk around freely between fights and expect to be near full on both health and mana by the next one, which is pretty important. As I said I'm no late game expert, and I never got to the 4k+ items.
IF YOU GO MIDDLE GET THE DAMN BOTTLE!
This is important. Hag is an UBER rune whore. You can outwhore them all, no puns intended. Your blink ensures you can beat them to it, and by retreiving useful runes and refilling your bottle by using them you can stay in the middle and even outharass a Puppet Master (I mean it). Just watch for the even minute marks (0:00, 2:00 etc.) and check those rune spawns (best if someone warded them for you). Remember to BLINK if someone is chasing them too.
STRATEGY:
Laning:
If you're middle, see above about bottle. If not, concentrate on last hitting. If they're aggressive, nuke and juke. You can harass pretty damn well if you don't overextend too much. Biggest problem I had was with Arachna because she can slow you down and your initial blink distance sucks. But with right terrain that's not a problem for escapes.
Also if they get close enough, use Haunt (but don't overextend because of it, the damage isn't that great) and Shriek.
General:
Blink blink and more blink. It's important to utilize this skill with her as much as possible. Blink out of danger, run back, nuke. Blink in, nuke. All viable depending on situation of course. Example: you see a Magmus preparing his ulti (even if he's far), ulti somewhere out of the way/away from the team, you're going to get nuked. Then run back and nuke back (preferably with Ulti so it slows too). Then shriek and possibly Haunt some escapees. If it's going badly, blink again. Don't forget, you can shriek 7s after the last one, which means just about now :)
Being a PITA:
Hag can be a major PITA by luring and jumping around, breaking visual and wasting skills of enemies. You just have to be smart about your blinks. You team also needs to know that if you blink out (especially with 1/2+ health) it doesn't mean you're out of the fight (on the contrary, you're probably just about to release the bats :D).