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Warbeast
aka "Where the F*** R U GREEN!?"
OVERVIEW
Warbeast is one of those heroes that gets a lot of flack from inexperienced pubbers. This is very often because he is essentially useless for the first 20-30 minutes of a game, but more often than not it is because he is played improperly, not because he is a poor pick.
Warbeast is a late game carry, and in my opinion one of the best late game carries at that, but as with all late-game carries, takes a while to bear fruit. Many pubbers will scoff at picking him, without recognizing the benefits a hybrid carry/junglist brings to the team early on. He is one of the most efficient jungle farmers on the roster and provides some of the best melee damage output thanks to his ability to keep up with unslowed targets using Metamorphosis. He provides a significant +44 dmg buff to his team on demand, and he has summonable mobile wards that can scout and also add some damage to his already high output.
However, a warning! Its very easy for the enemy team to wise up and farm you if they know you are jungling, this will seriously set back your farm, and if you don't farm efficiently, you will be useless in the late game. There are better picks if you want easier returns for the effort than Warbeast, but a well played beast early on can very easily dominate any other melee carry in the game.
YOUR ROLELevel 4: Units have 625 HP, deal 43-49 physical damage every 1.25 seconds, and have a 30% chance to deal 1.5x critical hits. Also have innate stealth when not attacking.
Warbeast is both a late game STR carry and lane pusher. With extremely high physical damage output he will be able to drop most targets fairly quickly, and also solo push tower lanes when opportunity arises and often times before the other team can even defend in time.
RECOMMENDATIONS BEFORE PICKING
Before going over Warbeast in this guide I feel it might be beneficial to divert to some things to look out for before choosing him.
1. First and foremost, turn off Unit reaction sounds. This hero's voiceover will drive you insane before you even get your marchers if you dont.- Unless you like it in which case I'd question your sanity before even stepping into any pub game.
2. Does your team have a jungler already? - Many times I'll select Warbeast and then someone will later pick a jungler and then demand jungling rights. In which case you can safely facepalm as the game is pretty much already ****ed essentially as jungling is staple to this character's success. That and usually if someone picks a jungle-dependant hero after you pick him they are the type of player that KS'es and comes to neutrals to gank your farming anyway, regardless of the hero. So don't be "that guy", if someone is playing an efficient jungle hero just don't pick Warbeast.
3. Are you very aware of the map? - I do this from time to time but if you aren't paying attention to the map at all times, I.E. knowing that someone on the other team may be using your neutrals to plan a gank, I'd highly recommend that you dont' play this character. Many times I forget to check or I tunnel vision and suffer the penalty of a 3 hero gank just happening to cross paths with me while I'm jungling. You have to know when to use the lane and when to use the neutrals, so you don't just become an easy feed to people who know you'll always be there for a quickie. Luckily you have an out, a way to get out very quickly when it is required, but you still require some premeditation to avoid being a vulnerable feeder.
4. Are you an efficient farmer? - Warbeast's strength is highly dependant on this. If you're very efficient at jungle farming and can manage Alchy Bones at or before level 9, then you're moving at a good pace. If you aren't very familiar with neutral farming tactics, don't pick him. The idea of playing warbeast requires that you able to farm very quickly and beef your hero as early as possible.
SKILL RUNDOWN
Summon Hellhounds
Summons two ally units that you can control for 55 seconds.
Cooldown: 30 Seconds
Cost: 125 MP
Level 1: Units have 400 HP, deal 17-18 physical damage every 1.25 seconds.
Level 2: Units have 475 HP, deal 27-30 physical damage every 1.25 seconds, and have a 30% chance to deal 1.5x critical hits.
Level 3: Units have 550 HP, deal 34-40 physical damage every 1.25 seconds, and have a 30% chance to deal 1.5x critical hits.
Importance - 5/5
This ability will be your main skill to level early, as it gives you access to the jungle farm very early as they can tank for you. The dogs also double as mobile wards and harassing tools during the laning phase (you won't be jungling right off the start, so you have to spend some time in a lane). The best part about using them to scout is that they are stealthed, so you can essentially send them off to check for potential ganks or to check a rune, whatever you deem necessary. Learning to micro your dogs will make you a better asset to the team than just being a straight carry.
Battle Cry
Increases the damage of all nearby units temporarily.
Cooldown: 35 Seconds
Cost: 15/20/25/30 MP
Level 1: +11 Damage to all allies and self, +4 extra damage to self and controlled units
Level 2: +22 Damage to all allies and self, +8 extra damage to self and controlled units
Level 3: +33 Damage to all allies and self, +12 extra damage to self and controlled units
Level 4: +44 Damage to all allies and self, +16 extra damage to self and controlled units
Importance - 3/5
This ability is a huge contributor to your teamfights and pushing power, and should always be up once a teamfight has been initiated, or when you are chopping down a tower. Due to its duration there will be a good amount of time when it is on cooldown so this should be saved only for when really needed.
That said, your other three abilities are significantly more important for early game staying power, so should be an absolute priority to get this last, around mid/late game when you'll actually need it.
Primal Rage
Passive ability that grants attack base damage and speed to himself and all controlled units.
Level 1: +10% Base damage and +10 Attack speed aura
Level 2: +15% Base damage and +15 Attack speed aura
Level 3: +20% Base damage and +20 Attack speed aura
Level 4: +25% Base damage and +25 Attack speed aura
Importance - 4/5
This gives you the bulk of your melee power right here, and also covers your attack speed, meaning you won't need as much of it as some carries do. This will allow you to chop down the neutral camps faster, which means more efficient farming, so max this out secondary to your hounds ASAP.
Metamorphosis
Transforms you into a hellish beast with greatly enhanced movement, health, and a chance to land critical blows.
Cooldown: 100/70/40 Seconds
Cost: 100 MP
Level 1: +100 Max health, 30% chance for 2.0x Critical strike, Reduces base attack by 0.3 seconds and Increases movement speed of self and controlled units to 522 for 14 seconds.
Level 2: +200 Max health, 30% chance for 2.0x Critical strike, Reduces base attack by 0.3 seconds and Increases movement speed of self and controlled units to 522 for 15 seconds.
Level 3: +300 Max health, 30% chance for 2.0x Critical strike, Reduces base attack by 0.3 seconds and Increases movement speed of self and controlled units to 522 for 16 seconds.
Importance - 5/5
Should go without saying, this is the meat of Warbeast's power. This is both your escape mechanism and way to seal a kill, with the increased critical, health, and speed, you can almost always be guaranteed that someone will die. At level 3 it is on a short enough cooldown that it will almost always be up when you need it. Before then, you will probably use it mostly to escape a gank while farming.
SKILL BUILDS
Pure Junglist
This build assumes you will be jungling for a large chunk of the game. Your first priority then is to boost your jungling/farming prowess early, and worry about actually doing anything useful for the team, later- This is arguably one of the most optimal builds for Warbeast, but as with any hero in HoN, it is entirely open to interpretation.
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1. Hellhounds (x1)
2. Primal Rage (x1)
3. Hellhounds (x2)
4. Primal Rage (x2)
5. Hellhounds (x3)
6. Metamorphosis (x1)
7. Hellhounds (x4)
8. Primal Rage (x3)
9. Primal Rage (x4)
10. Battle Cry (x1)
11. Metamorphosis (x2)
12. Battle Cry (x2)
13. Battle Cry (x3)
14. Battle Cry (x4)
15. Stats
16. Metamorphosis (x3)
17. Stats
18. Stats
19. Stats
20. Stats
21. Stats
22. Stats
23. Stats
24. Stats
25. Stats
Rambo Build
Assuming you don't enjoy the jungling style, this build is more for a Warbeast built to be a hybrid "tank". Your item build determines this more than anything, but this is focused more on early game support for your team than sitting in neutrals for most of the game. - Note this was a build proposed by a friend, and it is open to experimentation. I do not recommend this build as "suitable" or "good", as I've never tried it, and neither has he, but it sounds like a good idea on paper (RED FLAG! RED FLAG!). In this build you forgo your hounds till later, and only use them for scouting and harassment early game.
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1. Hellhounds (x1)
2. Primal Rage (x1)
3. Primal Rage (x2)
4. Battle Cry (x1)
5. Primal Rage (x3)
6. Morph (x1)
7. Primal Rage (x4)
8. Battle Cry (x2)
9. Battle Cry (x3)
10. Battle Cry (x4)
11. Morph (x2)
12. Stats
13. Stats
14. Stats
15. Stats
16. Morph (x3)
17. Stats
18. Stats
19. Stats
20. Stats
21. Stats
22. Stats
23. Hounds (x2)
24. Hounds (x3)
25. Hounds (x4)
ITEM BUILDS (Junglist)
Early Game (Laning Phase)
Items you should get right at the start.
2x Mana Potion: You will very likely find yourself needing a little extra mana while early jungling, you may not. They're very useful to have handy though.
1x Ring of the Teacher: Get this, put it on Heroes while laning, then Ally Units while jungling. Reasoning for getting this early, for one it helps your lane partner until you take off for the woods. Two, it keeps your mana regen up so you can continuously throw dogs at ****. Three, it lets your dogs stay up longer while jungling thanks to the armor buff and damage buffs. This also indirectly helps with last-hitting if you are so lucky to be laning in an opportune lane, or for some reason the other team didn't send anyone to your lane. And fourthly, the ring is used in the Abyssal Skull recipe which is crucial to your build.
Early Game (Jungling Phase)
Couriers: If no one has bought the team a courier, you should do it once you have the 400g. Lets face it, you will need to min/max your farming speed and stay in the jungle as long as possible without having to run back to base. For the cheap price, these will greatly speed up your farm and allow you to upgrade as you go. Though, if you have a generous teammate who already bought/upgraded, then these are not necessary.
Alchemist's Bones: Gives +30 Attack Speed and has a triggered use that kills the target creep and gives you 3x its gold value. This is essential to Warbeast to get ASAP as it will greatly aid your farming efficiency and thus reaching your late game prowess sooner. The attack speed is a nice bonus too.
Marchers: Get these at your convenience while early jungling, just for the added farming speed and travelling from camp to camp will be easier. You'll also want to upgrade these later into Steamboots anyway, but they're a good in-between cheap item that will aid you immensely early on.
Mid Game
At this point you should be alert and ready for ganks and pushes from the other team. You should already have your bones and couriers established to begin your mid game farming, roughly lvl 8-10. Being such a speedy money maker, never pass up an opportunity to help gank if your team is near you (I.E. doesn't require running to the opposite side of the map), but otherwise you need to keep on farmin! You can, of course pick up some tools at this point being the veritable money machine you should be by now.
Homecoming Stones: Keep 2 or 3 for good measure. Generally you'll have a couple equip slots empty during your early farm. Keep these handy for your jungling safety and also as a way to quickly get to a teamfight when needed, or to get home ASAP. More importantly the TPs than the wards, as you have your dogs to scout for you, the TPs are more so you can get to your team to help, get a little extra cash (hopefully). ALWAYS have TPs handy so you can stop your farming and get to the action as necessary. I'll cover this more later.
Abyssal Skull: Get this next, it will not only allow you to now tank neutrals but also keep your dogs up, increase your kill speed, and also add to teamfights. You'll already have the ring of the teacher from the beginning so this will be a safe bet.
Steamboots: Get 'em and complete your mid-game equipment setup.
Late Game
These are items that you should look into, in no particular order and as needed based on the situation, but farm these to achieve Warbeast's powerhouse status on the field. Most of the time you'll only need one if any by this point, depending on the teams and any subsequent *****ing that comes with pubbing :P
Shieldbreaker: Excellent item, and most of the time you will probably want this as your first late game item. Note that its effectiveness is higher on targets with LOWER armor, contrary to what it may portray. Armor increases are diminishing so if you're up against say, a 5 tank team then you may either want to consider other options, or just twiddle your thumbs as the game will be won before you even have to farm this.
Brutalizer: Innate ability which stuns the target for roughly 1 second when you hit them, and +30 Damage. With a low cooldown and the ease with which you can keep up with a target, this is also a good choice for late game and will make it obscenely hard for your target to get away from you. I usually don't get this though as it is not usually necessary to kill someone, and its passive stats aren't as good as some other choices.
Insanitarius: Excellent mid-late game item for STR carries. This gives you an trigger buff that greatly increases your STR and also grants +9 Damage, +15 attack speed, +5 armor, and +3hp regeneration passively. Just remember that it ticks your HP away while triggered. This will boost your HP so it has great synergy with your ult's HP boost as well.
Shrunken Head: Against heavy nuke/disable teams this should be the first late game item you get. This will allow you to run into the fray to cut a target down while minimizing risk. If you can't kill at least one of their squishies with this on, either your team is horrible or you're doing it wrong. Be careful of choosing this however if the opposite team has Electrician or a purge that can remove it, otherwise it is a bit of a poor choice. You can opt to skip this item if you have Jereziah on your team, however. If he isn't Repelling you then he's doing it wrong.
Luxury Items (aka Why's this Game Taking 5 hours?)
Flayer: +75 Damage and 20% chance for 2.2x critical hit. Why the hell not?
Symbol of Rage: +25% Life steal, +25 Strength, +5 Armor. When activated, grants you +15% Life steal, and +30 damage. Lasts 20 seconds. More life steal and it stacks with Abyssal's vamp.
****TO BE CONTINUED****
insanitarius is not a late game item. its a early-mid item.
also, why would you stack 2 lifesteals? thats just plain overkill
also - "very easily dominate any other melee carry in the game"
...
swiftblade pestilence and madman all WRECK warbeast.
also, alky bones are way overkill. bad item and not a good choice
you should also put in behe heart and savage mace as possible items, as both work VERY well on him.
other then those things, good guide. explains how to use him fairly well.
Edit: lol i said also like 3 times.
4 actually
Pestilence no, Madman in his current form possibly. They're not all stacked they are just options, there's only 1 up there really, I'm not a fan of lifesteal but I'll edit some of the items a bit later, I threw it together with the 15 minutes I had left at work.Originally Posted by LegoPirate
pestilence has a disable.. not to mention a bash?
even if you get shrunken head, its all physical. 1v1 late game pest > warbeast ANY DAY
you seem to underestimate other carries...
yes, if you have a full inventory and the enemy carry has boots and a sustainer, you will kill them.
on even territory, madman and pest both have disables, which make them high quality carries. warbeast is a medium damage carry with no disables and no slows.
the reason swiftblade owns him is because warbeast cant do anything against his ulti, and hellhounds die very fast, if they are there at all.
Warbeast CAN carry lategame but don't kid yourself. He overwhelms the opposing teams with ganks and can farm amazingly well but any real carry with equal items will demolish him.
Yes it is a different strategy - I'm not downplaying sb or pest they're both excellent carries, either. I have seen a well farmed WB take pestilence down very fast late game, I've seen pest carry very strong too, its not really a debate who is the better carry they're all excellent and have their strengths and weaknesses. If you want a fast farmer with a damage support aura Warbeast is a good pick. Pest only has stun (good utility anyway), Swiftblade only has his ult late game, the whirlwind isn't a great offensive tool anymore at that point.
As far as melee dps overall they're close to each other given optimal gear.
I only want to post some tips on HOW to make him up to par with your typical ez carry. Even then there are a lot of ways you can play a hero in this game. There's no one right way.
fair enough, tho pests strength is his attack power with his armor reduction, not his stun. plus flight is good all game.
warbeast is more of a ganker then a true carry, as he needs to get fed in order to carry, or ricefarm for 50 mins. thats my opinion tho.
Been playing warbeast a few times and i can tell you that pestilence, swiftblade and legionnaire are quiet annoying for me to go up against.
his crit modifier is X2?? Unlike dota lycan's 1.5? Cool...no wonder the figures i see are much higher than expected whenever i play him.
War Beast can lane (with a partner preferably) and jungle actually; your call. If the opposing lane can easily harass you, jungle. Otherwise, use the wolves to harass them (but not recklessly, lest you give them xp and gold) and maximize his passive in order to last hit better.
At level 1, i usually get the passive coz at level 1, the hounds do squat. THe passive also helps in the last hitting/denying as well, so abuse that.
I usually get 2 bracelets (bracers?) and then rush to vlads for early damage and hp. later on, i get marchers. From there, I get my next item:
1) disablers/nukers? shrunken head
2) otherwise, skip shrunken head and get a dps item like shield breaker, insanitorious (the armlet thingy) or even runed axe.
3) if it lingers too long, get behemoth's heart (Heart of Tarrasque for us dota fans adjusting to HoN terms) or prolly savage mace.
Note: get the armlet thing AFTER your lifesteal item in order to (partially) negate the hp degen.
Here's my usual skill build; it has worked for me when playing lycan in dota, and in the 3 games I played (and won) with him, this also worked for me in HoN as well:
passive
hounds
hounds
passive
hounds
ulti
hounds
passive
passive
attack buff
ulti
buff
buff
buff
stats
ulti..
QUESTION:
When War beast is in his ulti form, can he not be slowed just like lycan in dota?
Thanks
Your item description on the helm of rage is incorrect.
No, he can't be slowed, pissed off many Arachna players trying to gank me because of that.
I am so clever that sometimes I don't understand a single word of what I am saying.
~Oscar Wilde
Formerly Lprsti99
Y Abyssal Skull? you want whispering helm for jungle the rest is right, o wait and you need behe's heart.
Puzzle box is the new trend for War Beast right now. You can DPS and push extremely well with it. Really, Lvl 3 Puzzle box + abyssal + battle cry + ulti pretty much can wreck anyone under 2k hp late game in 5 secs, not mentioning your own DPS. Shrunken should be in the core anyday since stun is the only way to stop War Beast and stunners are common in mid to high lvl team composition. Frostburn can be a situational fall back build if they constantly gank and ward the jungle and have horrible lanes or you're drunk and feed like a glacius. Otherwise, good guide.
Puzzlebox
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Warbeast is good in tower pushing lineups. and thats about it
Rush puzzlebox. Get it before boots.
25 minute level 3 Puzzlebox, Steamboots, Abyssal.
Send team on a tower push.
Backdoor another tower.
Repeat.
My buddies also use battlecry to jungle instead of primal rage now that it costs less. It should also be known that we buy a winged courier for him adn that it's quite possible he does send additional manapots over to himself, I don't know.
nice necro-bump lol
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