Andromeda

[Sye]

#1 Hero Overview

• Strengths and Weaknesses
• The Hero Role
• Skills

#2 Skill Build

• Usual Build
• New-Type Build
• Trilane Build

#3 Item Build

• Starting Items
• Early Game - Mid Game - Roaming
• Roaming or common sense items
• Late Game aka Luxury for you

#4 Synergy, Teammates and foes
#5 Ganking and roaming
#6 Basic Void Rip tactics
#7 Warding, Runes & Replays

• Warding
• Runes
• Replays

Andromeda has a decent Strength gain for an Agility hero.
That makes her less squishy than other "not-Strength" heroes in the later game.
This survivability can be increased with a proper item and stat build.

Reliable Stun
Great Ganker
Strong early armor reduction
Great Lategame Aura
Versatile Intiation Spell
Rather squishy
Does not scale into late game
Not made for farming
Very reliant on her team

In 5vs5 games Andromeda is preferably played as a ganker-/support hero. Which means that she barely will remain in any lane and while roam between the lanes and ganks enemy heroes to assist their team mates.
What allows her to be played like that is her skill set.
She can also be played as a part of a trilane in which her teammates will benefit from her reliable Comet,the Aura, the versatile Aurora and Void Rip

Comet
Hotkey: Q

• Your bread and butter skill for initiating a gank, saving a teammate or yourself.
• Her Stun is directly targetable on the enemy hero instead of aiming on the ground - this makes her stun reliable and allows other heroes to follow up with their target ability.

Range Visualization


Aurora
Hotkey: W

• Long ranged skill which deals minor damage, reduces the damage and armor by all heroes which are hit by the spell.
• -2/-3/-4/-5 armor is a huge number in early game against heroes with low armor. The beginner armor ranges from nearly 0 on to nearly 6 on
• The first 5 armor roughly provide 23% damage reduction, which means Aurora level 4 provides about 23% additional damage from physical attacks against low armor targets. This is basic and simple information.
  For additional info:
  
  If you look at it with the perspective of the damage coefficient (in this case, the damage coefficient is ~0.3, aka you deal 1.3x damage).
  
  If you look at it with the perspective of the linear differences in the damage reduction, you'll get a ~23.08% decrease in damage reduction.
  
  If you look at it with the perspective of EHP, then (since armor goes from positive to 0 this holds true) EHP decreases by 30%.
  
  Depends on how you look at it.

  
  
• Furthermore this skill reveals the area it hits for a short amount of time.

Note for Aurora:

Every 0.25 seconds, an affector providing 500/500 sight is created for Aurora.

The projectile for Aurora travels at 1400 units/second, which means it finishes in 1 second (since it travels 1400 units total)

The code files also say that 1 sight affector is created right on top of Andromeda, so a total of 5 sight affectors are created at these positions in front of Andromeda:

0 units @ 0s, 350 units @ 0.25s, 700 units @ 0.5s, 1050 units @ 0.75s, 1400 units @ 1s (the times listed here are the times after Andromeda reaches the cast point of Aurora)

Also, each sight affector lasts 5 seconds.

That means that Aurora will provide you with roughly - actually a bit more than that due to travel time - 5 seconds of vision when casted.
Thanks to ElementUser

Range Visualization

Note: This Screenshot is the whole screen while playing. As you can see Aurora actually is a tad longer than you will see from left to right.

Width Visualization

Note: The width of Aurora is immense, it is pretty easy to hit with.

Dimensional Link
Hotkey: E

• One of the three simple yet effective damage auras.
• The difference is that the percentage is higher than Moon Queen (27%) and Arachna (28%).
• You can toggle it to heroes-only be pressing "E" or hit the Aura button
• Superior to other auras because the raw percentage is higher and also effects melee heroes.

Your Aura will not boost the raw damage provided by your items. Instead it boosts the bonus damage recieved from your main stat - on Andromeda it is agility.
Example: 100 Agility will provide you 100 Base Damage + 36 from Dimensional Link
(Information by ElementUser)

Range Visualization

Note: The Range is huge. The Radius of 900 is not fully catchable on the game screen

Void Rip
Hotkey: R

• This spell allows you to initiate a gank on single heroes or prevent them for running away.
• Void Rip can be improved by Staff of the Masters. The cooldown will be 10 seconds.
• This spell is a physical push which means that you can swap with magic-immune heroes like Swiftblade or Predator.
• Find ideas on how to use Void Rip in post #4

Range Visualization

[Sye]

Usual Build

Comet
Comet is max'ed as soon as possible for providing additional burst damage when using it.
It should be noted that the mana costs increase greatly but the bonus damage really worth it in this kind of build and nearly always ensures a secure kill.

Aurora
Aurora is taken whenever it is possible (Comet and Void Rip have a higher priority though). Aurora gives you a great scouting tool plus amplifying physical damage which is useful while ganking.

Dimensional Link
Scales much better in Mid-/Lategame than early on. A roaming Andromeda and her team will benefit way more of successful ganks with Aurora, Void Rip and Comet rather than Dimensional Link.

Void Rip
Taken whenever it's possible (6 - 11 - 16). Void Rip is a very powerful ability with a lot of utility for ganking, saving, dodging, initation and more. For more information and visual aid check post #4

Replays:
Match 6568022 played by ElementUser
Match 6453119 played by ElementUser

New-Type Build

Comet
This build relies on the static stun time of Andromedas' Comet (1.75 seconds). Therefor your teammates always have the same time to react to your initiation no matter what level your Comet is.

Aurora
Max'ed over Comet in this build - there are several reasons for this. The manacosts will always remain the same (40 Mana) whereas the damage, the -Basedamage and the -Armor will scale with the levels of Aurora.
Is build can be used if your team has a lot of slows or disables like Glacius and Predator on one lane. With Aurora three people can hit like trucks onto one person with reduced armor, especially early game.

Dimensional Link
Scales much better in Mid-/Lategame than early on. A roaming Andromeda and her team will benefit way more of successful ganks with Aurora, Void Rip and Comet rather than Dimensional Link.

Void Rip
Taken whenever it's possible (6 - 11 - 16). Void Rip is a very powerful ability with a lot of utility for ganking, saving, dodging, initation and more. For more information and visual aid check post #4

Match 8044834 played by budgi

Trilane Build

Comet
Playing in a trilane your team needs a reliable stun to follow up to.This build relies on the static stun time of Andromedas' Comet (1.75 seconds). Therefore your teammates always have the same time to react to your initiation. You only get this for providing the reliable stun.

Aurora
Directly use Aurora onto the target of choice after hitting the target with Comet. The damage will drastically amplified for three heroes who are using their abilites and their auto-attacks onto the enemy hero.

Dimensional Link
As you are a supportive part in the trilane and Comet always has the same stun duration you can increase your team's damage by leveling Dimensional Link over Comet. You will increase the damage the enemies will recieve with Aurora and boost the base damage of your team.

Void Rip

A nice initiation tool is even stronger on a trilane and nearly always ensures a sure kill on the target of choice. Taken whenever it's possible (6 ? 11 ? 16). Void Rip is a very powerful ability with a lot of utility for ganking, saving, dodging, initation and more. For more information and visual aid check post #4

Match 9440809 played by Nova_
Match 9225680 played by Bot

[Sye]

[200g ----------------- 2x = 106g ------------- 1x = 90g------------- 100g ----------------- 2x = 100g
=596g

Minor totems
Cheap stat increasing

Courier
As a supporter you are usually the one to buy a courier, can be wards as well though.

Runes of Blight
You can regenerate a few hitpoints if you did not really recieved any damage in the gank.

Healing Potion
The more effective regeneration tool after a gank or just while juking.

Mana Potions
They allow you to use your Comet and Aurora more often. Use them while you roam in the woods.

------------ 500g ------------------ 650g ------------------- 300g------------------ 210+290g --------


------------ 100g ------------------ 200g ------------------- 135g--------------------- 510g -------------

On a first note. You will not have a lot of gold as you should leave the hero kills to your teammates, preferably the carries. Yet don't hesitate to finish of your prey if noone else is in range.


Marchers
They will increase your movement speed and thus allow you to gank/chase/move more efficently.

Striders
The new patch provides with the most awesome new roamer boots available. I'd advice you to take these on Andromeda unless your personal playstyle suffers from it if you prefer Steamboots. These boots provide you high mobility for such a low cost.
You might still pick up steam boots in trilanes - gonna check on that.

Power Supply
This is your item. It will increase your Health- and Manapool and is able to refill your Health & Mana with it's active ability. Ganked opponents usually use their abilites to scare you and your teammate off. While waiting in the woods near the lane you might be able to snatch some charges as well.

Blood Chalice
A great new Roamer item which replaces bottle with ease. Blood Chalice provides you a chuck of necessary mana, when needed, and some basic stats.

Bracelet
Used to decrease your squishiness by cheap +Str and your steady Strength gain from levels. Helps out with the +Str from Power Supply and Blood Chalice
Mostly used due to money reasons as you have slim to none.

Wards of Sight & Revelation
You are moving across the map and prefer to do this unseen. In addition you are a support hero who would like a few runes if your Mid-Laner does NOT need them
Therefore: Buy Wards of Sight and Revelation. They provide you with a lot of vision and are able to remove the vision of the enemies with Revaltion - you can gank unseen.

Homecoming Stone
Always carry one of those as long your are not using Post Haste. In public games these are surely underrated. They allow you to gank, save your teammate & gank on all lanes. Most expect a running Andromeda after a gank. A well timed Homecoming Stone might provide two successful ganks within 1 minute.

Bottle (Optional)
This item is optional as you are not supposed to get all runes and therefore you mostly need to rely on the courier. Yet the improve your ganking capabilites drastically by refilling your mana and health after each gank. Together with Power Supply you should not have any issues.

--------------------------- 2150g --------------- 4300g ------------- 3300g---------------------

Portal Key
Allows plenty of things and synergies very well with your swap and your other abilites.

• Blink + Stun
• Blink + Swap
• Swap + Blink - Swap the enemy out of their group and blink instantly back.

Staff of the Master
Reduces the cooldown of your ulimate to ten second which allow more fun uses of your Void Rip (Posted below: #4)

Nullfire Blade (Optional)
I doubt that you will get that much money in a normal game without stealing.
Yet you might need to purchase it for your team to counter heroes like Hellbringer, The Dark Lady or Hammerstorm.

[Sye]

Synergy with Teammates
Slowers & Stunners

Side Lanes

Lanes which can follow up with their Spells when you intiated or can start a gank with their targetable slow/stun.


Special mentioning:
or
A hero combination which combines physical damage and disables. Therefore your Aurora is extremely effective in combination with those heroes.


Mid heroes with stuns and slows

Ganking the Mid-lane gives your teammate a nice advantage, even your pure existance decreases the offensive capabilities of your enemies due to being feared to be ganked.
These mid heroes should be able to ensure a kill on the enemy if you jump in.


Skillshot heroes

A reliable stun works wonders for those heroes. Devourer can easily land his hook or Chipper can blast his triple rockets into the enemy.

Prefered foes

Squishy heroes without escape spells

If you are able to hit one of these heroes with your stuns and your team is able to follow up, then those heroes have a chance from slim-to-none to survive due to a low health pool and no escape mechanism.


Heroes which rely on their channel spells

You can break channeling spells by swapping either the caster or the target for canceling their channel spell.

Worst enemies

Silencers

As for most supporters you are pretty much useless when you are silenced as you cannot use your spells. Andromeda without spells is rather weak and an easy gold for your enemies.
Warning: Carries with build in silence spells cause a huge threat for you.


Blink-type heroes

You can initiate on these heroes, but if you are not able to chain stun them they will just blink out after the duration of the stun wears off. Yet you should be able to force him to regenerate.

[Sye]

The ward symbols show the usual ward spots for the first 12-18 minutes in the game.
As you are trying to gank you should try to avoid these spots by taking a bit longer route.
If you are playing Hellbourne you are mostly trying to gank the bot & mid lane due to accessibility (Red line)
Its nearly the same for Legion: You will try to gank the Top & Mid lane. (Green Line)
You sure can and should support the other lane as well - Hellbourne: Top & Legion: Bot
For reaching those lanes you can use the other coloured way on the minimap.

[Sye]

Swap for Chasing
Switch your position with your enemy when he attempts to run away.
Most enemies will not directly realize that they are running straight into your arms.




Swap for Ganking
Switch your position with the enemy hero when your teammates are ready for a gank. Swapping the positions will confuse them and your teammates can initiate the gank with a stun which can be followed by yours.



Swap in range of a tower
Switch your position with the enemy hero when there are none/just a few creeps left next to the tower. Followed by a stun the tower beats on the swapped hero as well. Very effective in early game.
Even more effective if you have a lane partner who got another disable.


Swap for saving your teammate
Your teammate is running away at low hitpoints and is being chased by one or multiple heroes which might have critical hitpoints as well.
Swapping his position with him will not only save him but might give you a free kill.




Swap for saving yourself
You are being chased or you are trapped. Switch your position with a teammate who is able to initiate a fight with a stun or something similar.



Swap for avoiding spells
Sometimes you can guess what your enemy is up to, or you'll see the cast animation. If you are fast enough you are able to avoid some spells like that, e.g. Pyromancer's Dragonfire.



Swap for breaking Channeling Spells
Swap your targeted teammate to break the channel effect (e.g. Succubus' Hold, Panda's Face Smash - even trough Shrunken Head)

Note: You have to swap from a distance greater than the enemy's max channel range. If you swap your ally who's being channeled on & not the enemy target, the only reason the enemy stops channeling is because the distance between the channeler & the target of their channel is greater than their max channel range.

So in theory if you're right next to the enemy & swap your ally, that won't stop the channel.

Just saying to make sure you swap from a reasonable distance and you'll be fine in most cases - or just swap the enemy hero instead of the allied hero.

Information provided by the source of wisdom: ElementUser

[Sye]

As a ganker and roamer a few things are important for you:

• Having a bottle for refreshing yourself
• Where is the rune?
• What kind of rune is it?
• Is there anyone causing any threat on my roaming routes?

For taking care of #1 you just have to buy a bottle.
For #2-4 you will have to ward.
For not spamming my own guide with a bunch of warding pictures i'll refer to the Ward Guide made by Apot.

This is the overview of all runes. Runes of several uses for you as a
roamer and ganker. They will refill your bottle to 3/3 and have
another useful effect.

They spawn each 2 minutes, from 2:00,
as long there is no rune on the spawn points.
Picking up a rune at 3:59 may result in another rune spawn at 4:00.
The rune spawn cannot be influenced by sight.

Double Damage

Double Damage scales incredibly well with your hero.
A nice rune for a gank.
Picking up a DD rune at 0:00 is easily followed by First blood.

Haste

The Haste rune is very useful for ganking.
You'll charge into enemy heroes from behind and stun one so your lane mates are able to take them out.
Additionally you are able to chase enemies if they are running away as your movement speed is at maximum.

Illusion

Illusions can be used to distract your enemies,
which might result in having your enemies wasting their mana/cooldowns before you gank them.
Furthermore they give you additional damage while ganking


Invisibility

Invisibility is extremely powerful for ganking your opponents as they might not expect you.
Attacking and stunning the enemy hero will help your lane mates to land their spells.

Regeneration

The regeneration rune allows you to directly continue you ganking as it refreshes you completely.

Replays:

Roaming
Standard Build
Match 6568022 played by ElementUser
Match 6453119 played by ElementUser

New-type Build
Match 8044834 played by budgi

Trilane build
Match 9440809 played by Nova_
Match 9225680 played by Bot


Thanks a lot to
ElementUser for reviewing, adding Mechanical knowledge and spotting my flaws.
EspritFort for providing some space ♥

[decayed`cell]

Very nice guide.Looks like a Premium one

[Sye]

updated for 1.0.9 with Synergy with Teammates,prefered foes and worst enemies and The new Strider item. Gonna test the new blood chalice on her.

[Sye]

updated some stuff. Gonna fix some visual things when i get my monitor later on today. Sitting at1024x768 at this very moment.

[[tFMp]zcaz]

Prem asap. Really amazing job.

[[S2]ElementUser]

Sye a section on dual/trilaning & when to do it & just a small blurb on what to do (generally) would bump your guide to Premium for sure.

(IMO anyway)

[itwasntmeo_O]

I dont think it needs a trilane section, but it wouldnt hurt. This is worthy of premium already.

[[TTGL]Coolcollo]

Your Aura will not boost the raw damage provided by your items. Instead it boosts the bonus damage recieved from your main stat - on Andromeda it is agility.
Example: 100 Agility will provide you 100 Base Damage + 28 from Dimensional Link
(Information by ElementUser)

^Do you mean 36 from Dimensional link!?

Also you mentioned Dsham twice in special mentions.

I like this guide. The other day I asked an Andromeda to Blink into the enemies the swap me! (Tempest) so I could ult. I had my own pk but it was down and they were in perfect position :P. Suffice to say it worked and everyone rofl'd.

[Sye]

^Do you mean 36 from Dimensional link!?

Also you mentioned Dsham twice in special mentions.

1. Nice catch, thanks a lot

2. Refering to or lanes

redone some of the itembuild section

[Pwnograhpy]

Needs to premium, makes me want to try to pick up andro again even though I suck at her so bad xD

[[EKZ]TungaLexikon]

I think the statemnst about armor reduction being better at the beginning because of the lower armor all around in beginning is wrong.

The armor reduction is calculated so that an increase of 1 pont gives you 6% more actual hp at any given armor level.

A reduction of 1 in armor give -5.6% actual hp (for physical ofc) regardless of armor level.

[[KRWW]Sex_Expert]

I don't really get how you can say doesen't scale well into lategame... -20% -armor +36% basedmg, a good stun and amazing ult...

Otherwise really professional looking guide.

[thugwaffle]

blood chalice > bottle now?

[Sye]

Meh i exceeded the limit on photobucket. Gonna need to find a new decent upload site