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Kraken!
A scourge upon the seas of Newerth, the Kraken consumed countless victims who were unfortunate enough to travel his waters.
Though he be ashore, the Kraken brings the wrath of the ocean to the battlefield,
dragging his enemies to depths unknown, unseen, and unwanted.
Table of contents
1 Introduction
1.1 Motivation
1.2 Hero role
1.3 Stats
2 Skill builds
2.1 Skills overview
2.2 Skill builds
2.3 Normal build
2.4 Aggressive build
3 Item builds
3.1 Starting items
3.2 Core items
3.3 Post-core items
3.4 Luxury
3.5 Item summary
4 Gameplay
4.1 Laning
4.2 Whirlpool use
4.3 Good friends
4.4 Bad enemies
1 Introduction
1.1 Motivation
I've seen so many bad Kraken builds lately, even of high ranked players. This hero has a lot of potential, and is vs certain line-ups a gamebreaking hero on an even higher level than Tempest. The only thing you got to do is play him right! And it's not even hard at all. This guide is meant for competitive play at high skill level. This guide isn't meant to be fun. If you want to have fun, play something else. Kraken is serious business and is just brutal. No fun!
1.2 Hero role
As well as being an initiator, Kraken is a support hero, which means that after you get your core items, your team expects you to ward, and buy team utility items. Kraken's role is defined by his ulti, and after he has done a good ulti, you're basically useless, and the enemy won't focus you down anyway. Kraken's role is based around 5v5 teamfights. He is perfect in a pushing line-up, because getting creeps to the enemy towers means that the enemy has to bunch up to get rid of them. He's also a great turtle hero. If your team has one or several hard carries like Chronos, Magebane or Sand Wraith, Kraken can keep your towers up long enough for the carries to get their farm.
1.3 Stats
Base damage: 47-53
Attacks/Sec.: 0.68
Armor: 3.1
Movement speed: 310
Strength: 22 (+3/lvl)
Agility: 15 (+1.5/lvl)
Intelligence: 16 (+1.7/lvl)
Kraken has very low base damage compared to other strength-heroes. That's why Splash is crucial to ensure good farm early game. His stat gain is decent, with a very high str gain per level. This basically means that you get all the survivability you need just by leveling up. His low int gain however isn't enough to support his high manacost spells.
2 Skills
2.1 Skills overview
Splash
Type: Physical Attack
Cast Time: 1.0 Seconds
Mana Cost: 25
Cooldown: 6.0 / 5.0 / 4.0 / 3.0 Seconds
Required Level: 1 / 3 / 5 / 7
Deals 30 / 50 / 70 / 90 bonus Magic damage to targets in a 325 radius and an additional 30 / 50 / 70 / 90 Magic damage to targets in a 200 radius.
This is the skill that allows you to get the large amount of farm you need early game.
Tsunami Charge
Kraken charges toward a target location with great strength and speed, damaging and knocking aside enemies in his path.
Type: Magic
Range: 700 / 900 / 1,100 / 1,300
Cast Time: 0.1 Seconds
Mana Cost: 90 / 100 / 110 / 120
Cooldown: 14.0 / 13.0 / 12.0 / 11.0 Seconds
Required Level: 1 / 3 / 5 / 7
Charges to target location, pushing aside and dealing 100 / 150 / 200 / 250 Magic damage to enemies in a 200 radius of self.
An escape spell and a medium damage nuke. Awesome! It has very high manacost though, so it isn't spammable.
Tidal Pull
Kraken's presence slows nearby enemies with a continuous tidal pull.
Passive
Required Level: 1 / 3 / 5 / 7
Aura Effects
Radius: 300
Target: Enemy Units
7 / 14 / 21 / 28% Movement Slow
This skill makes you an excellent chaser. Stay close to the guy until your teammates arrive to own him!
Whirlpool
Kraken forms two connected whirlpools, one at a target location and one around himself. After a short time, the whirlpool near Kraken sucks everyone in and spits them out at the targeted location. Enemies are damaged in the process.
Type: SuperiorMagic
Range: 750 / 1,000 / 1,250
Radius: 350
Mana Cost: 200 / 250 / 300
Cooldown: 150.0 / 135.0 / 120.0 Seconds
Required Level: 6 / 11 / 16
Activation
Creates a whirlpool at target location. Teleports all units around Kraken 4 / 5 / 6 seconds after activation to whirlpool's location, dealing 150 / 300 / 450 Magic damage to enemy units and applying Drench for 4 seconds.
May not be used near an allied Well, Tarpit, or Trees.
Drench Effects
-2 / -4 / -6 Armor
20 / 30 / 40% Movement Slow
This skill is what makes Kraken, the Kraken. It's one of the best ultimates in the game, gamebreaking if used right. Mana cost is high for a low-int hero like Kraken though, so make sure you have enough mana before casting it.
2.2 Skill builds
There are a couple of viable skillbuilds for Kraken, depending on how well the laning phase is going and how early you get your core items.
2.3 Standard build
1 Splash
2 Tsunami Charge
3 Splash
4 Tsunami Charge
5 Tsunami Charge
6 Whirlpool
7 Tsunami Charge
8 Tidal Pull
9 Tidal Pull
10 Tidal Pull
11 Whirlpool
12 Tidal Pull
13 Splash
14 Splash
15 Attribute Boost
16 Whirlpool
17-25 Attribute Boost
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This is the standard build ensuring you get rank 2 Splash as early as possible. Rank 2 Splash is all you need to get last hits before anyone else. Don't even think about getting a higher rank of Splash until lvl 13! This is also the solo mid build.
2.4 Aggressive build
1 Tsunami Charge
2 Splash
3 Tsunami Charge
4 Splash
5 Tsunami Charge
6 Whirlpool
7 Tsunami Charge
8 Tidal Pull
9 Tidal Pull
10 Tidal Pull
11 Whirlpool
12 Tidal Pull
13 Splash
14 Splash
15 Attribute Boost
16 Whirlpool
17-25 Attribute Boost
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Laning with Demented Shaman? Feeling like you can get a first blood at the rune? This is the optimal aggressive build, focusing on getting Tsunami Charge early.
I've also experimented with a build that gets Tidal Pull earlier. This way you take Tidal Pull instead of Tsunami Charge rank 2,3,4 because of low mana pool. However, in most cases it's better to level Tsunami Charge, because the mana cost only goes up by 10 every level.
3 Item build
3.1 Starting items
2x Runes of blight (180g)
2x Mana pots or 1x health pot (100g)
1x Pretender's Crown (185)
2x Minor totem (106g)
Total: 571g
Gives you a lot of stats for the money, and even room to buy a mana battery in lane. Hatchet is recommended if you go solo mid, to let you last hit even earlier, but in lane with a babysitter it isn't really needed. You could also spend 200g on a courier, in that case just don't buy the Pretender's crown. This is recommended if no one else on your team buys a courier.
3.2 Core
Steamboots
Portal key
Kraken has very cheap core item build up. This is all he needs to be a great utility to the team.Steamboots are obvious. You need the mana more than any other hero in the game. A kraken running around with 220 mana by the time he has Portal key+lvl 6 ulti is a useless Kraken, remember that!
Portal key is the other core item. It's the item that will allow you to place perfect ulties. If someone thinks they can place good ulties without it, they're wrong. In a high level game (which this guide is meant for) you're not gonna land good ulties just by charging. Portal key is essential to grab the right amount of heroes with your ulti. This will get covered in the gameplay section.
3.3 Post-Core (All these items are viable, but it doesn't mean that you need to get all of them)
Wards
Puzzlebox
Astrolabe
Nome's Wisdom
Ring of Sorcery
Barrier Idol
Kuldra's Sheepstick
Kraken is the number one ward hoe after he has core items, and I'll explain why. After Kraken has landed his ult, he is basically a useless hero until the next ulti is off cooldown. After landing his 200dmg nuke (Charge) he might as well die. No one will notice. That's why you get support items that will keep your team utility high. Kraken is a teamfight hero. Puzzlebox, Astrolabe and Barrier idol are all awesome team fight items. Kuldra is basically the best support item in the game, and if no one else on your team builds it, you should. Puzzlebox is extremely nice and will always deal a bunch of damage to the enemy team if you summon them after a ult. Also helps your team push towers. If no one else on your team gets Puzzlebox, Kraken is an excellent hero to get it on. Barrier idol is core if your enemies are heavy on nukes.
3.4 Luxury
Demonic Breastpalte
Frostfield Plate
These items will help you in teamfights but they are very expensive, and are usually bought by heroes with more income than you. If you somehow have good farm however, they're the best luxury items possible. Behemoth's heart or any +damage items won't help you at all. You staying alive longer won't make your team win.
3.5 Items summary
The items I've suggested here are centered around Kraken's ult, and his potential as a team fighter. People who go HotBL, Behemoths heart, Runed Axe etc. on Kraken have to ask themselves why? Why the hell do I get items that doesn't synergy at all with my hero? HotBL and Behe. are awesome items for heroes that needs to stay alive for a long time in a teamfight (Defiler, C.Disciple, Sand Wraith). Kraken is not one of those heroes. Instead you should keep your team mates alive by buying support items.
4 Gameplay
4.1 Laning
Kraken should lane with a strong babysitter. The earlier you get portal key, the earlier you can start pushing enemy towers. It is possible to solo mid with Kraken, but is not recommended. If you're vs a competent player who plays a ranged hero, you'll spend too much gold on regen items. It is possible however, and at lvl 6 you might get a sneaky kill with a good timed ult+charge.
4.2 Whirlpool use
The first thing you need to look at before you use your ulti is your mana pool. At lvl 6-10 you need to have at least 275 mana to pull off a ult+portal key combo. At lvl 11-15 you need 325 mana, and at lvl 16+ you need 375 mana. Remember to always have sufficient mana before placing an ult. The next thing to note is that it isn't always optimal to get all their heroes with your ulti. The goal is simply to assassinate their most important heroes before the teamfight even begins. That's how Kraken wins games. Get 2-3 heroes, then continue to push to get an easy tower kill. Back off when they respawn and wait until the ulti is off cooldown! Sometimes, mostly early-mid game (around lvl 6-10) it is often worth to ult just to grab a single hero for an easy kill. Ganking their Sand Wraith right when he has saved up 2500g farming for Mock can be gamebreaking!
To get a good ult off, you'll want vision of the enemy targets. Getting vision is in 80% of the cases done by creeps. A good tactic is to push a tower so that your creeps swarm it. Your enemy targets will go in and kill them, this is the perfect moment to use whirlpool. The enemies will gather for you to drag them to their doom on the other side of the river.
So now you know when to use your ulti, now only the execution is left! Whirlpool has a quite decent cast range, so remember that you don't always have to cast it on your feet. Use this to your advantage, and try to position the whirlpool exit on a dangerous spot that's hard to get out of. Pling the map on where you place your ult right before you use it. This way your teammates knows what'll be happening. After casting the exit point on the ground, you'll need to wait a couple of seconds before teleporting in. This is because the transport can be manually activated after x amounts of seconds (depending on the lvl of the ult). When you've waited as long as you need, teleport to the bunch of enemy you want to catch and click R again. This will make it impossible for them to run away before you drag them away!
4.3 Good friends
Demented Shaman, Plague Rider, Glacius, Forsaken Archer and Voodoo Jester are Kraken's best friends. They are perfect babysitters for Kraken, pretty much ensuring a 10 minute portal key. Also they all have ults that will make your enemies cry after a good whirlpool. AoE abilities in general are good with Kraken's ult.
4.4 Bad enemies
Magebane, Chronos, Valkyrie and Zephyr are examples of Kraken's worst enemies. Blinkers can screw up a perfect ult (they can just blink out of it). Other bad enemies are Jerry and Engineer. They can both survive at the other end of the whirlpool thanks to their ults.
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I might update this guide with pictures, better formating and stuff later.
Last edited by TheWhale; 01-25-2010 at 08:15 AM.
Reserved.
You switched up the images of Tidal Pull and Splash.
Thanks for pointing it out. Fixed.
I really see kraken as one of the underplayed heroes on around 1500 and even 1600. He's no means a hard hero or a hero that needs a lot of farm as you mentioned. A hero that is sick only because one skill? I'd play it. Good solid read on the guide. Could you write more about placing and casting of the ult? Like... go into obnoxious details about it.
Sure man, I could post some screenshot of good places to use it.
Kraken is one of the best initiators in the game. INITIATORS not support heroes. He's also a great tank with his str gain. He doesn't actually have any skills to support. All he can do is buy some wards or Ring of Sorcery. You should also mention that the best way to use your ulti, especially early game, is to use it behind your tower, although it's pretty obvious.
You're right, but initiator is so obvious.
The obvious thing that most noobs can't get is the fact that you should buy support items for Kraken, thats why I call him a support hero. He's an initiator though no doubt!
1. Buy portal
2. Use ulti
3. ??????
4.PROFIT
Maybe add barbed armor to post-core items.
Nice guide thank you :P
Gonna try the item build and him later
Barbed armor is nice for Defiler and Corrupted Desciple. Heroes that needs to stay alive in order to do damage. They are high priority target, making barbed armor perfect for them. Kraken won't get focused after using ulti. Not a good item on Kraken I'm afraid.Originally Posted by Voulture
I'm not sure what you're implaying with kraken being useless after his ult + charge.
His slowing aura is still incredible for chasing and his splash deals some serious damage mid game.
Ok, not useless. But definitely not worth focusing. He's probably the most useless hero of the 5 on your team.
Slowing aura hardly does anything in a team fight. I'm not saying it's a bad skill, I love it, and it's awesome for chasing.. but it's not worth killing Kraken over.
Wouldnt you need some defense items like helm blacklegion or a headress early too?
I usually ignore 1st skill and go stats till 21 ; guess it depends on your liking though
No. Placing a good ulti doesn't require survivability.
@IMABLE:
Probably viable, but his crap base-damage makes it hard to last-hit. Splash allows you to grab every single last hit possible.
I love laning kraken vs 2 melee or even 1 melee 1 ranged, orb walking with splash is funny as hell, does a **** ton of damage and if you have a decent nuker with you will get some early kills.
I usually taken enhanced marchers over steamboots, and I'll throw 500g to get a talisman or 600 for a bottle if I need mana. The extra movement speed just helps make sure no one can get away from your ult and also makes it so you can close distance / avoid being juked so your tidal pull slows enemies that are running away so your team can catch up and kill.
Portal key is a must have on kraken, after port key i get 1-2 bracers, i disagree with the "kraken is useless after his ult" your splash will do a good 300 damage a hit which is nice to have but most important is you just need to stay near enemy heroes as they try to flee the scene to slow them and let your carries mop up some early kills.
After bracers I go straight for a frost usually just to make scattering that much harder.
excellent guide! premium quality in my opinion! your skill build and item build are very well reasoned out, they just make sense. will try this soon, kraken is one of the last few heroes that i haven't had the chance to play yet
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