Horrific
03-09-2010, 03:43 PM
:hamm:Hammerstorm is my favorite hero, and I'll tell you why. Late game, you're running around like Donkey Kong with his famed hammer almost entirely impervious and doing insane dps. I'm talking insane. I'm talking I've crit for over 1k dmg on many occasions. All while beating people with a huge hammer, how awesome!
First off, I'm relatively new at this game (2.5 months or so) and never played DotA, so if you have any trolling you'd like to direct my way, whisper me in game. I'm open to criticism, but not unconstructive flaming. I'll also state that I'm not going into specifics or crunching numbers; I would just like to provide a guide for players new to Hammerstorm or seeking assistance playing him.
I'm writing this guide purely for use in playing Hammerstorm. I'm going to list his skill build, his items, and his game-play from early to late game. I'm going to explain WHY I choose what I choose for every situation, which will hopefully make this guide clear and thorough.
Skill Build
1 - Hammer Throw
2 - Stats
3 - Hammer Throw
4 - Galvanize
5 - Hammer Throw
6 - Brute Strength
7 - Hammer Throw
8 - Stats
9 - Stats
10 - Stats
11 - Brute Strength
12 - Galvanize
13 - Galvanize
14 - Galvanize
15 - Mighty Swing
16 - Brute Strength
17 - Mighty Swing
18 - Mighty Swing
19 - Mighty Swing
20 - Stats+
SKILLS:
My skill build is pretty common, but there are variances. I take Galvanize at level 4 to provide me with mana for two stuns at level 3, but taking it at level 2 may enable you a kill/escape you wouldn't normally have had. This early, movement speed doesn't vary too much, so I opt for Galvanize at 4. If you have another stun/slow in your lane, get it at 2 to enable you that extra attack or two for the kill. Either way, get level 1 early because the 14% movement speed is the same from levels 1-4. I opt for Galvanize before Mighty Swing for three reasons: 1) The armor boost is more useful in ganks/team fights than the splash damage, as the dps adds up slowly due to poor attack speed/range, 2) Farming for Hammerstorm is an arduous process in mid game until you get your Elder Parasite, leave the neutrals to hard carries like Madman/Chronos, 3) Mighty Swing pushes lanes too hard mid game, leaving you open to ganks. You are better served last-hitting creeps/denies to keep the lane in a safe spot. HOWEVER!, if you ARE the best carry on your team, 1) Your team sucks at picking, and 2) Get Mighty Swing first for farming purposes. Rest of skills are core and should not change under any circumstances.
ITEMS:
Beginning items: :LoggersHatchet::HealthPotion::RunesOfTheBlight: :MinorTotem:x3 or :GuardianRing::HealthPotion::RunesOfTheBlight: :MinorTotem:x3
I'm not going to explain what/why every item is here. The first build is my core build, used in nearly all situations. The second build provides tankability, and should only be taken if you think you'll have difficulty attaining those elusive last hits. Get to the outpost and upgrade to a Ring of the Teacher ASAP as it will provide a useful +3 armor aura as well as mana regen, and while you're there grab a Mana Battery.
*** GET A COURIER ***
If your pub nub mid didn't get a monkey, GET ONE. Forego the hatchet and have the monkey bring you one if you cannot make it to the outpost. It's imperative that you get one, as Hammerstorm is far too valuable to be sitting in the fountain. Have the courier bring you Marchers, x1 Bracer (optional for mana/health), and the recipe for a Power Supply around levels 8-10. At this point, you should have the following items (for awhile):
Mid-Game Items: :Marchers::PowerSupply::FortifiedBracelet: :RingOfTheTeacher::LoggersHatchet: :HomecomingStone:
Once you have the core beginning items, you are rushing a Shrunken Head for two reasons: 1) Activating Shrunken Head, ulting, and beating the snot outta people with a hammer is awesome, and 2) The first 2-3 charges of Shrunken Head (9, 8, 7 seconds of magic immunity, respectively) can be maximized in the mid-game ganking/team-fight phase to stay in fights longer and farm late game items more effectively. This item was made for Hammerstorm, I swear.
After your Shrunken Head, you're going to build both an Elder Parasite and finish your boots. The order is entirely up to you, but I prefer to build Elder first because of the movement speed increase on activation and increased attack speed (which Hammerstorm sorely needs). The boots, however, will surely be a cause of heated discussion. If you're tanking, I'd recommend Plated Greaves - otherwise, the choice between Steamboots and Ghost Marchers is entirely up to you. This warrants a pro/con discussion:
Steamboots: Galvanize already provides above-average speed with Steamboots on, +str damage factored into ult damage multiplier, 476 movement speed with Elder/Galvanize activated, +200ish health
Phase Boots: +24 damage doesn't factor into ult multiplier, no +200ish health, movement speed maxed at 522 with Elder/Phase/Galvanize all activated
I usually choose Phase Boots when not tanking, but the boot choice is ENTIRELY UP TO YOU. I feel the additional 46 movement speed with magic immunity and ult running is more useful than the increase in damage and health, IF you can land that extra hit or two. If your opponents are fast (Wildsoul) or have blink, you may have to rely on Steamboots and well timed stuns/disables.
Late-Game Items: :ElderParasite::ShrunkenHead::EnhancedMarchers: :PowerSupply::DaemonicBreastplate
After the the Elder/boots, I usually opt for Daemonic Breastplate for the armor aura/increased attack speed, both incredibly useful on Hammerstorm. Once you have this, you are going to be racking up kills. Other options include Heart, Riftshards, and I suppose a Portal Key could be viable. You should not have the opportunity to attain these in most games. Note: I have not included situational items such as Nullstone, Puzzlebox, etc. I leave those choices up to you, but don?t get until after Elder/boots/rest of core.
Gameplay: This is where the items and skills come together and make sense. Hammerstorm is, in the purest sense, one of the EASIEST characters to play. The key is learning HOW to play him. Once you get it down, you'll be surprised you ever found him difficult to play/useless.
General Gameplay: You need to be in every team battle, and when you aren't you should be ganking as often as possible. Hammerstorm has an excellent gank stun, and you should be roaming to farm your late-game carry items. The trick to mastering Hammerstorm is microing a bunch of buttons (spells) at once, but fortunately most of them are self-buffing abilities (you will not need to spam spells on other heroes, just your stun). Once you've mastered the micro process, Hammerstorm becomes a wrecking ball. Lastly, use your ult as often as possible! With an 80 second cooldown, you should never have to worry about wasting it; don't farm with it, but whenever there's an opportunity for a kill, pop that sucker.
Early-Game Gameplay: Early game, Hammerstorm has great lane control for a melee hero; his high base damage allows for easy last hitting, his AoE stun deals huge early game damage as well as a lengthy stun time, and his ult messes people up even at level 1. Try to lane with another stunner/disabler or a ranged hero, as you should dominate the lane with relative ease. You should choose the strong lane, and if you can port to the weak lane and pop a stun, you should get an easy kill or two. Once you have your Marchers/Bracer/Power Supply, you?re approaching mid-game.
Mid-Game Gameplay: You're goal now is 3,900 gold (Shrunken Head price), and by ganking and participating in team battles, you can get it at the 20-25 minute mark. Roam with teammates, gank forests/neutral camp spots/lanes and push towers immediately after. Another plus of Hammerstorm's is his tower-pushing skills - his ult WRECKS towers. You should be able to time last hits on towers with ease, enabling you 500ish gold towards your Head. Your power supply should keep your mana up for 2-3 ganks, possibly more depending on your teammates. ALWAYS HAVE A PORTAL SCROLL WITH YOU, AT ALL TIMES. As soon as you finish a gank/push a tower, port to where the action is.
Late-Game Gameplay: Once you have your Shrunken Head, micro time! You are now capable of initiating with the best of them; the skill combination is, in this order: Galvanize, Shrunken Head, Run in and Stun, Ult. Focus the disabler/caster/squishy that will be waiting for your Shrunken Head to end so they can disable you. Chase if needed. Once you return to the fight, drop another stun, Galvanize you and your teammates, and proceed with messing them up. Farm your Elder Parasite and possibly Phase Boots, then revise the equation to: Galvanize, Phase Boots, Shrunken Head, Run in and Stun, Ult, Elder Parasite. By this point, if all has gone according to plan, you should be a hard late-game carry. You will be entering battles with 522 movement speed (max), immunity to magic, dealing 150% your base damage and beating people up at Elder Parasite attack speed. If time provides, get your Breastplate and whatever other goodies you can afford.
I'll finish by mentioning just a few odds and ends. 1) Nullfire Blade will debuff your Shrunken Head, so be sure to be aware of any enemy hero wielding one. I assure you he spent 3,300 gold just for you, 2) When ganking alone, come from behind and stun, ult, get a few hits in, and stun again. More to come as I think of them. Open to criticism, I'm am constantly in pursuit of perfection.
First off, I'm relatively new at this game (2.5 months or so) and never played DotA, so if you have any trolling you'd like to direct my way, whisper me in game. I'm open to criticism, but not unconstructive flaming. I'll also state that I'm not going into specifics or crunching numbers; I would just like to provide a guide for players new to Hammerstorm or seeking assistance playing him.
I'm writing this guide purely for use in playing Hammerstorm. I'm going to list his skill build, his items, and his game-play from early to late game. I'm going to explain WHY I choose what I choose for every situation, which will hopefully make this guide clear and thorough.
Skill Build
1 - Hammer Throw
2 - Stats
3 - Hammer Throw
4 - Galvanize
5 - Hammer Throw
6 - Brute Strength
7 - Hammer Throw
8 - Stats
9 - Stats
10 - Stats
11 - Brute Strength
12 - Galvanize
13 - Galvanize
14 - Galvanize
15 - Mighty Swing
16 - Brute Strength
17 - Mighty Swing
18 - Mighty Swing
19 - Mighty Swing
20 - Stats+
SKILLS:
My skill build is pretty common, but there are variances. I take Galvanize at level 4 to provide me with mana for two stuns at level 3, but taking it at level 2 may enable you a kill/escape you wouldn't normally have had. This early, movement speed doesn't vary too much, so I opt for Galvanize at 4. If you have another stun/slow in your lane, get it at 2 to enable you that extra attack or two for the kill. Either way, get level 1 early because the 14% movement speed is the same from levels 1-4. I opt for Galvanize before Mighty Swing for three reasons: 1) The armor boost is more useful in ganks/team fights than the splash damage, as the dps adds up slowly due to poor attack speed/range, 2) Farming for Hammerstorm is an arduous process in mid game until you get your Elder Parasite, leave the neutrals to hard carries like Madman/Chronos, 3) Mighty Swing pushes lanes too hard mid game, leaving you open to ganks. You are better served last-hitting creeps/denies to keep the lane in a safe spot. HOWEVER!, if you ARE the best carry on your team, 1) Your team sucks at picking, and 2) Get Mighty Swing first for farming purposes. Rest of skills are core and should not change under any circumstances.
ITEMS:
Beginning items: :LoggersHatchet::HealthPotion::RunesOfTheBlight: :MinorTotem:x3 or :GuardianRing::HealthPotion::RunesOfTheBlight: :MinorTotem:x3
I'm not going to explain what/why every item is here. The first build is my core build, used in nearly all situations. The second build provides tankability, and should only be taken if you think you'll have difficulty attaining those elusive last hits. Get to the outpost and upgrade to a Ring of the Teacher ASAP as it will provide a useful +3 armor aura as well as mana regen, and while you're there grab a Mana Battery.
*** GET A COURIER ***
If your pub nub mid didn't get a monkey, GET ONE. Forego the hatchet and have the monkey bring you one if you cannot make it to the outpost. It's imperative that you get one, as Hammerstorm is far too valuable to be sitting in the fountain. Have the courier bring you Marchers, x1 Bracer (optional for mana/health), and the recipe for a Power Supply around levels 8-10. At this point, you should have the following items (for awhile):
Mid-Game Items: :Marchers::PowerSupply::FortifiedBracelet: :RingOfTheTeacher::LoggersHatchet: :HomecomingStone:
Once you have the core beginning items, you are rushing a Shrunken Head for two reasons: 1) Activating Shrunken Head, ulting, and beating the snot outta people with a hammer is awesome, and 2) The first 2-3 charges of Shrunken Head (9, 8, 7 seconds of magic immunity, respectively) can be maximized in the mid-game ganking/team-fight phase to stay in fights longer and farm late game items more effectively. This item was made for Hammerstorm, I swear.
After your Shrunken Head, you're going to build both an Elder Parasite and finish your boots. The order is entirely up to you, but I prefer to build Elder first because of the movement speed increase on activation and increased attack speed (which Hammerstorm sorely needs). The boots, however, will surely be a cause of heated discussion. If you're tanking, I'd recommend Plated Greaves - otherwise, the choice between Steamboots and Ghost Marchers is entirely up to you. This warrants a pro/con discussion:
Steamboots: Galvanize already provides above-average speed with Steamboots on, +str damage factored into ult damage multiplier, 476 movement speed with Elder/Galvanize activated, +200ish health
Phase Boots: +24 damage doesn't factor into ult multiplier, no +200ish health, movement speed maxed at 522 with Elder/Phase/Galvanize all activated
I usually choose Phase Boots when not tanking, but the boot choice is ENTIRELY UP TO YOU. I feel the additional 46 movement speed with magic immunity and ult running is more useful than the increase in damage and health, IF you can land that extra hit or two. If your opponents are fast (Wildsoul) or have blink, you may have to rely on Steamboots and well timed stuns/disables.
Late-Game Items: :ElderParasite::ShrunkenHead::EnhancedMarchers: :PowerSupply::DaemonicBreastplate
After the the Elder/boots, I usually opt for Daemonic Breastplate for the armor aura/increased attack speed, both incredibly useful on Hammerstorm. Once you have this, you are going to be racking up kills. Other options include Heart, Riftshards, and I suppose a Portal Key could be viable. You should not have the opportunity to attain these in most games. Note: I have not included situational items such as Nullstone, Puzzlebox, etc. I leave those choices up to you, but don?t get until after Elder/boots/rest of core.
Gameplay: This is where the items and skills come together and make sense. Hammerstorm is, in the purest sense, one of the EASIEST characters to play. The key is learning HOW to play him. Once you get it down, you'll be surprised you ever found him difficult to play/useless.
General Gameplay: You need to be in every team battle, and when you aren't you should be ganking as often as possible. Hammerstorm has an excellent gank stun, and you should be roaming to farm your late-game carry items. The trick to mastering Hammerstorm is microing a bunch of buttons (spells) at once, but fortunately most of them are self-buffing abilities (you will not need to spam spells on other heroes, just your stun). Once you've mastered the micro process, Hammerstorm becomes a wrecking ball. Lastly, use your ult as often as possible! With an 80 second cooldown, you should never have to worry about wasting it; don't farm with it, but whenever there's an opportunity for a kill, pop that sucker.
Early-Game Gameplay: Early game, Hammerstorm has great lane control for a melee hero; his high base damage allows for easy last hitting, his AoE stun deals huge early game damage as well as a lengthy stun time, and his ult messes people up even at level 1. Try to lane with another stunner/disabler or a ranged hero, as you should dominate the lane with relative ease. You should choose the strong lane, and if you can port to the weak lane and pop a stun, you should get an easy kill or two. Once you have your Marchers/Bracer/Power Supply, you?re approaching mid-game.
Mid-Game Gameplay: You're goal now is 3,900 gold (Shrunken Head price), and by ganking and participating in team battles, you can get it at the 20-25 minute mark. Roam with teammates, gank forests/neutral camp spots/lanes and push towers immediately after. Another plus of Hammerstorm's is his tower-pushing skills - his ult WRECKS towers. You should be able to time last hits on towers with ease, enabling you 500ish gold towards your Head. Your power supply should keep your mana up for 2-3 ganks, possibly more depending on your teammates. ALWAYS HAVE A PORTAL SCROLL WITH YOU, AT ALL TIMES. As soon as you finish a gank/push a tower, port to where the action is.
Late-Game Gameplay: Once you have your Shrunken Head, micro time! You are now capable of initiating with the best of them; the skill combination is, in this order: Galvanize, Shrunken Head, Run in and Stun, Ult. Focus the disabler/caster/squishy that will be waiting for your Shrunken Head to end so they can disable you. Chase if needed. Once you return to the fight, drop another stun, Galvanize you and your teammates, and proceed with messing them up. Farm your Elder Parasite and possibly Phase Boots, then revise the equation to: Galvanize, Phase Boots, Shrunken Head, Run in and Stun, Ult, Elder Parasite. By this point, if all has gone according to plan, you should be a hard late-game carry. You will be entering battles with 522 movement speed (max), immunity to magic, dealing 150% your base damage and beating people up at Elder Parasite attack speed. If time provides, get your Breastplate and whatever other goodies you can afford.
I'll finish by mentioning just a few odds and ends. 1) Nullfire Blade will debuff your Shrunken Head, so be sure to be aware of any enemy hero wielding one. I assure you he spent 3,300 gold just for you, 2) When ganking alone, come from behind and stun, ult, get a few hits in, and stun again. More to come as I think of them. Open to criticism, I'm am constantly in pursuit of perfection.