blueseph
12-06-2009, 01:17 AM
THIS GUIDE DOES NOT WORK WELL IN PUBS. YOU WILL NOT GET A HIGHER KD DOING THIS
Roaming
Hello and welcome to my guide on a very distinct playstyle. Roaming is something seldom discussed on these forums except in a passing comment. It is an incredibly potent strategy under certain circumstances and an amazing roamer will set your carry up for the express lane. Roamers admittedly gimp themselves on items and levels but if played well they will devastate the opposing team.
Quick note: Mid/Short/Long: Middle lane. Short is the lane where the creeps fight closer to your tower. Top for Hellbourne and bottom for Legion. Long is the exact opposite.
What is a roamer?
A roamer is a hero with no set lane. They head from lane to lane, looking for players who are out of position/low on hp to score a kill or to simply harass and slow down their farming and ganking potential.
Two types of roamers exist. For the majority of this guide I'll be focusing on dedicated roamers
Dedicated Roamers
http://honwiki.net/w/images/thumb/4/4b/Andromedahero.gif/64px-Andromedahero.gif http://honwiki.net/w/images/thumb/2/2a/Behemothhero.gif/64px-Behemothhero.gif http://honwiki.net/w/images/thumb/6/6c/Slitherhero.gif/64px-Slitherhero.gif
Dedicated roamers are heroes that begin roaming at level one and stop roaming once the leveling phase stops and the group fight stage begins. They have either a strong stun or a crippling slow at level one that leads to an incredibly early first blood and subsequent kills beyond that.
Dedicated roamers are heroes who have strong stuns/slows at level one and are not very item dependent.
Semi-Roamers
http://honwiki.net/w/images/thumb/3/35/Pharaohhero.gif/64px-Pharaohhero.gif http://honwiki.net/w/images/thumb/9/96/Madmanhero.gif/64px-Madmanhero.gif http://honwiki.net/w/images/thumb/0/02/Valkyriehero.gif/64px-Valkyriehero.gif
Semi-roamers are heroes who start in a lane but leave their lane and begin ganking once certain criteria has been met. For example, Pharaoh will leave his lane and begin ganking nonstop once he hits level six and has boots and a bottle.
Why should I choose a roamer?
Roamers put pressure on the enemy from level one. They give your team two solos and you help your carry/babysitter in a psuedo-trilane. Enemies mid and short lane are forced to play defensive lest they step out of position and be destroyed by a fissure that gets them stuck, spoon-feeding your carry. Roamers are also incredibly potent ways to stop pulling and shut down jungling players. They are also always in perfect position to ward mid/short lane.
What are the downsides to having a roamer/why should I not choose a roamer?
Roamers inherently have no money. A roamer should *never* get the killing blow on *anything* for the first few minutes. They leech XP and receive assist gold. A roamer at twenty minutes would be lucky to have a bottle, boots, and a pair of bracers. You should not expect your roamer to carry you to victory. If your team does not have two adequate solos, do not run this strategy. Playing the roamer in a pub game is also a quick way to concede at 15 minutes.
Item Overview
Starting items
Recommended starting items
http://i49.tinypic.com/2s7vu4j.jpg
You get quite a bit of mana regen, a solid amount of stats, and enough tangos to last you through to your bottle (hopefully). You should ideally be able to sustain yourself through these items until at least you have boots/bottle.
Starting Items I don't recommend
http://i49.tinypic.com/1zbfl84.jpg
http://i50.tinypic.com/29di6j7.jpg
A naked bottle on a roamer is not *terrible* seeing as we're not trying to outhit anyone, but every bit of autoattack damage really comes into play in ganking. A pair of marchers and regen is something you should never take. You severely gimp your damage and mana regen, requiring you to head back to base after a maximum of two casts, defeating the purpose of being a roamer. Never get boots first.
Secondary Items
http://honwiki.net/w/images/thumb/6/66/Bottleitem.gif/60px-Bottleitem.gif http://honwiki.net/w/images/thumb/7/7d/Marchersitem.gif/60px-Marchersitem.gif http://honwiki.net/w/images/thumb/6/67/Mana_Batteryitem.gif/60px-Mana_Batteryitem.gif http://honwiki.net/w/images/thumb/f/fd/Power_Supplyitem.gif/60px-Power_Supplyitem.gif
Every roamer needs these items, regardless of who they are.
Marchers give you extra MS, allowing you to chase and animation cancel better, allowing more hits and more successful ganks.
Bottle gives unequaled rune control and combined with a Winged Courier gives you a near infinite supply of mana.
Mana battery and Power Supply supplement your regen quite nicely, as well as provide you fodder for some mind games.
Optional Items
http://honwiki.net/w/images/thumb/8/8d/Homecoming_Stoneitem.gif/60px-Homecoming_Stoneitem.gif http://honwiki.net/w/images/thumb/b/b1/Ward_of_Sightitem.gif/60px-Ward_of_Sightitem.gif http://honwiki.net/w/images/thumb/f/f9/Ward_of_Revelationitem.gif/60px-Ward_of_Revelationitem.gif http://honwiki.net/w/images/thumb/9/9e/Winged_Courieritem.gif/60px-Winged_Courieritem.gif
The Homecoming Stone allows you to quickly counter tower dives and move to the far lane, but I don't exactly recommend them until the laning phase is over.
You are always in a good spot to both offensively and defensively place wards. These are somewhat costly and should probably be left to your dedicated ward *****. If that's you, salud.
You should never buy a courier, but you may want to upgrade it to a Winged Courier via the recipe. It allows your items to be brought much quicker and refilling your bottle becomes painless. There are usually better candidates for upgrading your courier, but it won't harm you to.
...If you're the ward ***** and you have to upgrade your courier AND roaming, man you should find a new team.
Positioning
Map Position
You will be situated squarely in the enemy's jungle the entire time, giving you direct access to their short lane (where their two weaker heroes will most likely be) and mid. The biggest part of roaming is being in a position where you're able to quickly capitalize on a player's mistake while not revealing yourself. If a player makes a mistake and overextends himself, you should be there before he corrects and hand a kill to your team.
Make no mistake, though: you're the most vulnerable to mid->short ganks. You will probably be overpowered by a higher level hero and any assistance from short. Your mid must be on top of missing calls and you should do your best to attempt to counter gank.
Rune Control
Roamers have a prime position to grab their respective runes. If short lane attempts to grab it, they have to go through you. If mid is a rune-dependant hero, it's an opportune time for you and your mid player to attempt a kill.
Double Damage/Illusion are your best bet at a guaranteed kill. You can eschew most of the good positioning required to gank and still be awarded the kill. With double damage rune you will most likely take the kill, but it's not something to fret over. Illusion not only adds damage, but it allows you to block with one illusion, further increasing the damage done to the enemy.
Invisibility lets you ignore positioning and wait right next to the enemy until the creep wave is in a favorable position.
Haste is my personal favorite. Haste allows you to visit the lane you can't normally get to in a flash. The enemy won't be expecting you in the slighest, giving you a great opportunity to catch them with their pants down.
Regeneration should be left to your mid player. You should have enough regen to carry you through to the end of the laning phase.
The Gank
Someone messed up and moved out of position. It's Glacius, and you can already taste his delicious tears. You step out from hiding and let fly with the nukes. Even commie joe would be terrified. You walk up to Glacius and start auto-attacking, just waiting for the announcer to triumphantly proclaim...
"Bloodlust!"
But your allies are sitting at the tower. You notice you're at the fountain, far from where the bad guys are. Your name is definately on the screen, but it's the second one instead of the first. That means...
...#$!%. Okay, let's prevent that.
Before the Gank
Let your allies know you're there. Ping yourself and then ping your enemies. If time allows, let them know of your preferred target. If you have multiple disables, try to organize them to possibly get both heroes. It's usually best to wait for your creeps to overwhelm theirs.
At this point you become the initiator. You are the embodiment of the word go. Look for your opening and take it.
The Gank
Someone messed up and moved out of position. It's Glacius, and you can already taste his delicious tears. Before he can even correct himself, you're there. His pants turn a delightful shade of brown. You land your nuke cleanly, and Sand Wraith is on him faster than Scout on Thunderbringer. Witch Slayer lands an amazing stun that nails both Glacius and Maliken. At the very instant Glacius shatters, Maliken is a miniature version of himself, waddling towards the safety of the tower. He trail of sand at his back weighs him down, but he finally makes it.
An unsung agreement between the three of you is forged and your trio follows. Your nuke flies yet again, and Sand Wraith gracefully swoops in and clinches the kill.
"Bloodlust!"
"Double Tap!"
After the Gank
Head to the opposite lane that you just ganked. It's going to take that lane a little while to return and regain their confidence. You're simply going to be wasting time there. The opposite lane gives you time to regen, a quick runecheck, and another opportunity for a gank. Even if you don't kill mid, you should at least try to harass.
Killing an enemy is definitely the goal of a roamer, but even if all you're able to do is slow their farm and make them tower hug, you're accomplishing your goal.
If both lanes refuse to leave the safety of their tower, consider going to the far lane for an assist. If this is also unfeasable, farm a little with your lane. Try not to take your carry's last hits, but if he can't reach one for whatever reason, don't be afraid to snag it.
Ganking Top
http://i45.tinypic.com/34p10mh.gif
Andromeda waits until Nymphora is in a position where her creep wave will offer little to no help. Wraith and Witch Slayer jump in, and both supports leave the last hit to the carry.
Ganking Bot
http://i45.tinypic.com/2db74a8.gif
Behemoth sits, waiting til Jereziah crosses the specific line. Creep advantage does not matter at this point. Standing between Jereziah and the only viable exit (the jungle) are our three heroes. A few auto attacks and a Nymphora pod later he goes down to Madman.
Mid Game
Mid game has rolled around and the laning phase has broken down. You're significantly lower level than the enemies, and you're also undergeared.
Your team is miles ahead and your carry is a few minutes from his first big core item. Their carry is finishing up his bracers and is about three fourths of the way through his mana battery.
Your job is done. You've done more in 10 minutes than most players do in 40.
If you lose the game, don't fret. Learn from your mistakes. Maybe it wasn't an opportune time to take a roamer, or you played too timidly/aggresively. Don't expect this strat to beat every team ever. Learn to play it well, adapt to it, and adapt to enemies who adapt to your strat. A good roamer is an impact player that will decide the game within the first ten minutes.
Roaming
Hello and welcome to my guide on a very distinct playstyle. Roaming is something seldom discussed on these forums except in a passing comment. It is an incredibly potent strategy under certain circumstances and an amazing roamer will set your carry up for the express lane. Roamers admittedly gimp themselves on items and levels but if played well they will devastate the opposing team.
Quick note: Mid/Short/Long: Middle lane. Short is the lane where the creeps fight closer to your tower. Top for Hellbourne and bottom for Legion. Long is the exact opposite.
What is a roamer?
A roamer is a hero with no set lane. They head from lane to lane, looking for players who are out of position/low on hp to score a kill or to simply harass and slow down their farming and ganking potential.
Two types of roamers exist. For the majority of this guide I'll be focusing on dedicated roamers
Dedicated Roamers
http://honwiki.net/w/images/thumb/4/4b/Andromedahero.gif/64px-Andromedahero.gif http://honwiki.net/w/images/thumb/2/2a/Behemothhero.gif/64px-Behemothhero.gif http://honwiki.net/w/images/thumb/6/6c/Slitherhero.gif/64px-Slitherhero.gif
Dedicated roamers are heroes that begin roaming at level one and stop roaming once the leveling phase stops and the group fight stage begins. They have either a strong stun or a crippling slow at level one that leads to an incredibly early first blood and subsequent kills beyond that.
Dedicated roamers are heroes who have strong stuns/slows at level one and are not very item dependent.
Semi-Roamers
http://honwiki.net/w/images/thumb/3/35/Pharaohhero.gif/64px-Pharaohhero.gif http://honwiki.net/w/images/thumb/9/96/Madmanhero.gif/64px-Madmanhero.gif http://honwiki.net/w/images/thumb/0/02/Valkyriehero.gif/64px-Valkyriehero.gif
Semi-roamers are heroes who start in a lane but leave their lane and begin ganking once certain criteria has been met. For example, Pharaoh will leave his lane and begin ganking nonstop once he hits level six and has boots and a bottle.
Why should I choose a roamer?
Roamers put pressure on the enemy from level one. They give your team two solos and you help your carry/babysitter in a psuedo-trilane. Enemies mid and short lane are forced to play defensive lest they step out of position and be destroyed by a fissure that gets them stuck, spoon-feeding your carry. Roamers are also incredibly potent ways to stop pulling and shut down jungling players. They are also always in perfect position to ward mid/short lane.
What are the downsides to having a roamer/why should I not choose a roamer?
Roamers inherently have no money. A roamer should *never* get the killing blow on *anything* for the first few minutes. They leech XP and receive assist gold. A roamer at twenty minutes would be lucky to have a bottle, boots, and a pair of bracers. You should not expect your roamer to carry you to victory. If your team does not have two adequate solos, do not run this strategy. Playing the roamer in a pub game is also a quick way to concede at 15 minutes.
Item Overview
Starting items
Recommended starting items
http://i49.tinypic.com/2s7vu4j.jpg
You get quite a bit of mana regen, a solid amount of stats, and enough tangos to last you through to your bottle (hopefully). You should ideally be able to sustain yourself through these items until at least you have boots/bottle.
Starting Items I don't recommend
http://i49.tinypic.com/1zbfl84.jpg
http://i50.tinypic.com/29di6j7.jpg
A naked bottle on a roamer is not *terrible* seeing as we're not trying to outhit anyone, but every bit of autoattack damage really comes into play in ganking. A pair of marchers and regen is something you should never take. You severely gimp your damage and mana regen, requiring you to head back to base after a maximum of two casts, defeating the purpose of being a roamer. Never get boots first.
Secondary Items
http://honwiki.net/w/images/thumb/6/66/Bottleitem.gif/60px-Bottleitem.gif http://honwiki.net/w/images/thumb/7/7d/Marchersitem.gif/60px-Marchersitem.gif http://honwiki.net/w/images/thumb/6/67/Mana_Batteryitem.gif/60px-Mana_Batteryitem.gif http://honwiki.net/w/images/thumb/f/fd/Power_Supplyitem.gif/60px-Power_Supplyitem.gif
Every roamer needs these items, regardless of who they are.
Marchers give you extra MS, allowing you to chase and animation cancel better, allowing more hits and more successful ganks.
Bottle gives unequaled rune control and combined with a Winged Courier gives you a near infinite supply of mana.
Mana battery and Power Supply supplement your regen quite nicely, as well as provide you fodder for some mind games.
Optional Items
http://honwiki.net/w/images/thumb/8/8d/Homecoming_Stoneitem.gif/60px-Homecoming_Stoneitem.gif http://honwiki.net/w/images/thumb/b/b1/Ward_of_Sightitem.gif/60px-Ward_of_Sightitem.gif http://honwiki.net/w/images/thumb/f/f9/Ward_of_Revelationitem.gif/60px-Ward_of_Revelationitem.gif http://honwiki.net/w/images/thumb/9/9e/Winged_Courieritem.gif/60px-Winged_Courieritem.gif
The Homecoming Stone allows you to quickly counter tower dives and move to the far lane, but I don't exactly recommend them until the laning phase is over.
You are always in a good spot to both offensively and defensively place wards. These are somewhat costly and should probably be left to your dedicated ward *****. If that's you, salud.
You should never buy a courier, but you may want to upgrade it to a Winged Courier via the recipe. It allows your items to be brought much quicker and refilling your bottle becomes painless. There are usually better candidates for upgrading your courier, but it won't harm you to.
...If you're the ward ***** and you have to upgrade your courier AND roaming, man you should find a new team.
Positioning
Map Position
You will be situated squarely in the enemy's jungle the entire time, giving you direct access to their short lane (where their two weaker heroes will most likely be) and mid. The biggest part of roaming is being in a position where you're able to quickly capitalize on a player's mistake while not revealing yourself. If a player makes a mistake and overextends himself, you should be there before he corrects and hand a kill to your team.
Make no mistake, though: you're the most vulnerable to mid->short ganks. You will probably be overpowered by a higher level hero and any assistance from short. Your mid must be on top of missing calls and you should do your best to attempt to counter gank.
Rune Control
Roamers have a prime position to grab their respective runes. If short lane attempts to grab it, they have to go through you. If mid is a rune-dependant hero, it's an opportune time for you and your mid player to attempt a kill.
Double Damage/Illusion are your best bet at a guaranteed kill. You can eschew most of the good positioning required to gank and still be awarded the kill. With double damage rune you will most likely take the kill, but it's not something to fret over. Illusion not only adds damage, but it allows you to block with one illusion, further increasing the damage done to the enemy.
Invisibility lets you ignore positioning and wait right next to the enemy until the creep wave is in a favorable position.
Haste is my personal favorite. Haste allows you to visit the lane you can't normally get to in a flash. The enemy won't be expecting you in the slighest, giving you a great opportunity to catch them with their pants down.
Regeneration should be left to your mid player. You should have enough regen to carry you through to the end of the laning phase.
The Gank
Someone messed up and moved out of position. It's Glacius, and you can already taste his delicious tears. You step out from hiding and let fly with the nukes. Even commie joe would be terrified. You walk up to Glacius and start auto-attacking, just waiting for the announcer to triumphantly proclaim...
"Bloodlust!"
But your allies are sitting at the tower. You notice you're at the fountain, far from where the bad guys are. Your name is definately on the screen, but it's the second one instead of the first. That means...
...#$!%. Okay, let's prevent that.
Before the Gank
Let your allies know you're there. Ping yourself and then ping your enemies. If time allows, let them know of your preferred target. If you have multiple disables, try to organize them to possibly get both heroes. It's usually best to wait for your creeps to overwhelm theirs.
At this point you become the initiator. You are the embodiment of the word go. Look for your opening and take it.
The Gank
Someone messed up and moved out of position. It's Glacius, and you can already taste his delicious tears. Before he can even correct himself, you're there. His pants turn a delightful shade of brown. You land your nuke cleanly, and Sand Wraith is on him faster than Scout on Thunderbringer. Witch Slayer lands an amazing stun that nails both Glacius and Maliken. At the very instant Glacius shatters, Maliken is a miniature version of himself, waddling towards the safety of the tower. He trail of sand at his back weighs him down, but he finally makes it.
An unsung agreement between the three of you is forged and your trio follows. Your nuke flies yet again, and Sand Wraith gracefully swoops in and clinches the kill.
"Bloodlust!"
"Double Tap!"
After the Gank
Head to the opposite lane that you just ganked. It's going to take that lane a little while to return and regain their confidence. You're simply going to be wasting time there. The opposite lane gives you time to regen, a quick runecheck, and another opportunity for a gank. Even if you don't kill mid, you should at least try to harass.
Killing an enemy is definitely the goal of a roamer, but even if all you're able to do is slow their farm and make them tower hug, you're accomplishing your goal.
If both lanes refuse to leave the safety of their tower, consider going to the far lane for an assist. If this is also unfeasable, farm a little with your lane. Try not to take your carry's last hits, but if he can't reach one for whatever reason, don't be afraid to snag it.
Ganking Top
http://i45.tinypic.com/34p10mh.gif
Andromeda waits until Nymphora is in a position where her creep wave will offer little to no help. Wraith and Witch Slayer jump in, and both supports leave the last hit to the carry.
Ganking Bot
http://i45.tinypic.com/2db74a8.gif
Behemoth sits, waiting til Jereziah crosses the specific line. Creep advantage does not matter at this point. Standing between Jereziah and the only viable exit (the jungle) are our three heroes. A few auto attacks and a Nymphora pod later he goes down to Madman.
Mid Game
Mid game has rolled around and the laning phase has broken down. You're significantly lower level than the enemies, and you're also undergeared.
Your team is miles ahead and your carry is a few minutes from his first big core item. Their carry is finishing up his bracers and is about three fourths of the way through his mana battery.
Your job is done. You've done more in 10 minutes than most players do in 40.
If you lose the game, don't fret. Learn from your mistakes. Maybe it wasn't an opportune time to take a roamer, or you played too timidly/aggresively. Don't expect this strat to beat every team ever. Learn to play it well, adapt to it, and adapt to enemies who adapt to your strat. A good roamer is an impact player that will decide the game within the first ten minutes.