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Hi guys! I'm back with my 5th guide, this time it's a shorter piece about our favourite treeman. He's received a lot of attention of late with his (in)famous remake from a passive support to a ganker. I'm here to provide a basic grounding in how to play him as he is now. Bear in mind, this is an abridged guide where I expand on the main points; abilities, items, skill-builds, allies/enemies. With that said, read on and I hope you enjoy.
 | Rooftrellen | | Treant Protector |
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| | Strength | Agility | Intelligence | | | | | [25+2.8] | 15+2 | 17+1.8 |
| Affiliation: | Sentinel | | Attack Animation: | 0.6/0.4 | | Damage: | 59 - 67 | | Casting Animation: | 0.5/0.51 | | Armour: | 1.1 | | Base Attack Time: | 1.7 | | Movespeed: | 300 | | Missile Speed: | Instant | | Attack Range: | 128 | | Sight Range: | 1800/1200 |
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| With the recent (and completely undeserved) nerf to his strength, Rooftrellen has somewhat less health than he used to but he still has a decent strength gain (2.8), which is almost as good as Leoric's (2.9). His starting intelligence is rather good for a strength hero, which helps because Leech Seed has quite a high mana cost and will quickly drain Roof's mana. Since Nature's Guise has quite a low mana cost, it shouldn't cause much trouble, and now that Living Armour is a passive aura, that's a whole skill's worth of mana that stays in your mana pool now because the benefits are passive. |
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| Type: Active | | Targeting: Unit | | Hotkey: T |
| Changes a target friendly unit's appearance so that it blends in with the forest. It becomes invisible to enemy eyes and gains a 10% movement speed bonus, but it must remain near a tree, or the Guise is lost. |
| | Mana | Cooldown | Range | AoE | Duration | Effects |
| 1 | 90 | 10 | 300 | 375 Tree search area | 15 seconds | Turns target allied unit invisible |
| 2 | 80 | 8 | 300 | 375 Tree search area | 30 seconds | Turns target allied unit invisible |
| 3 | 70 | 6 | 300 | 375 Tree search area | 45 seconds | Turns target allied unit invisible |
| 4 | 60 | 4 | 300 | 375 Tree search area | 60 seconds | Turns target allied unit invisible |
- Has an initial fade time of 2 seconds, during which the unit is still visible.
- If the unit has a distance of more than 375 to the closest tree during 1 second, the invisibility will be removed.
- Can be used on units even if they aren't close to a tree, but the invisibility will be removed almost instantly.
- Treant Protector can cast spells without losing invisibility from Nature's Guise.
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This is one of Rooftrellen's most stable abilities, and for good reason. It's a highly spammable and cheap escape and ganking mechanism. It allows your to creep up on enemies or flee from them in a crisis. Arguably, this one skill gives you the role of support because of it's sheer utility at almost every stage of the game. In the laning phase it's vital to you and your lane partner(s) survival in case of ganks. It can be used at all stages of a match to assist with ganking, fleeing and juking, making it very versatile, not to mention the increased movement speed actually allows it to also be used as a chasing skill.
The only drawback with this ability is that you need to be within a 375 AoE of a tree at all times. There are trees absolutely everywhere on the map so this isn't all the difficult, however you need to make sure you're in range otherwise your cover will be blown.
Pros + Cons
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+] It has a short cooldown
[
+] It has a low manacost
[
+] Makes juking easy
[
+] Usful escape/ganking spell
[
+] It lasts a long time
[
+] You're able to cast your spells while still under it's effects
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-] You need to stay close to trees otherwise the effects are removed
| Type: Active | | Targeting: Unit | | Hotkey: E |
| Rooftrellen plants a life-sapping seed in his enemy, causing it to be slowed by 24% and have its life force drained over the next 3 seconds. Nearby allied units are healed by the same amount. Pulses 4 times. |
| | Mana | Cooldown | Range | AoE | Duration | Effects |
| 1 | 140 | 18 | 350 | 500 | 3 seconds | Slows by 24%, 30 damage/heal per pulse |
| 2 | 140 | 16 | 350 | 500 | 3 seconds | Slows by 24%, 45 damage/heal per pulse |
| 3 | 140 | 14 | 350 | 500 | 3 seconds | Slows by 24%, 60 damage/heal per pulse |
| 4 | 140 | 12 | 350 | 500 | 3 seconds | Slows by 24%, 75 damage/heal per pulse |
The use of this ability depends on the situation. Using it purely to harass your lane opponents is a waste of it's potential. The mana cost also means that using it purely to harass, to my eyes, isn't great. Using it in ganks or first-blood attempts is a better use for it because it not only deals pretty heavy damage early game, but it also provides restoration to your allies when they get in close. This is a skill made for the trilane due to the fact that it encourages getting up close and personal to the opposing hero(es).
The area of effect of the healing portion of the ability is roughly the same as level 2 of Sanity's Eclipse so medium ranged heroes like Morphling, Luna, Lanaya, Huskar, etc are also able to benefit from the healing that occurs. Later in the game it somewhat loses it's effectiveness because the numbers are fixed, however 300 damage at level 4 over 3 seconds is still significant enough to be of use in most teamfights, especially when combined with Vacuum and any other AoE stun. During ganks, if you're not initiating with your ultimate, it's best to open with this ability and follow up with your ultimate later if the targets look like getting away.
One of the most noticeable drawbacks of Leech Seed is the prohibitive casting range. To get this right it's often best to use Nature's Guise to sneak up on the target before hitting them with it.
Pros + Cons
[+] Significant damage/heal early game
[+] For a healing ability, it has a large AoE
[+] Non-prohibitive cooldown allows it to be used when needed
[+] Multi-purpose (can slow, heal and damage at once)
[-] High mana cost prevents liberal use early on
[-] The healing requires getting close to the enemy
[-] Short casting range
| Type: Passive | | Targeting: N/A | | Hotkey: V |
| Rooftrellen's presence infuses allied heroes and structures with a protective healing aura, increasing armour and regeneration. During the daytime, his power of nature is increased, causing the aura to extend globally. The regen on structures is always a 900 aoe aura. |
| | Mana | Cooldown | Range | AoE | Duration | Effects |
| 1 | N/A | N/A | N/A | Global (day for heroes) / 900 (structures, night for heroes) | N/A | Gives 1 armour and 1 HP regeneration |
| 2 | N/A | N/A | N/A | Global (day for heroes) / 900 (structures, night for heroes) | N/A | Gives 2 armour and 2 HP regeneration |
| 3 | N/A | N/A | N/A | Global (day for heroes) / 900 (structures, night for heroes) | N/A | Gives 3 armour and 3 HP regeneration |
| 4 | N/A | N/A | N/A | Global (day for heroes) / 900 (structures, night for heroes) | N/A | Gives 4 armour and 4 HP regeneration |
This was once Rooftrellen's signature ability, it still provides a significant benefit to the team, especially during the daylight minutes of the game when it has global scope (but still limited on structures). The health regeneration is still the same, so nothing has been lost from there. The armour is noticeably lower, but it's global reach more than makes up for the change from active to passive. During the laning phase, the impact on buildings is useful due to the often close(ish) proximity to the local tower. Taking the aura past level 2 before the first evening isn't worth it, because you lose the global benefits and don't gain them until the next morning. That means that you could've taken extra levels of Seed and made more use of it's extra levels than the levels of the aura.
The global health regeneration, to an extent, saves your allies some gold to start with because they cn get some basic regen from your aura until the first evening, by which time they may have saved up enough gold to buy some regen of their own that they didn't need before that, allowing them to purchase more items to suite themselves and their lane situation, however that's more of a minor factor to consider.
Pros + Cons
[+] Global scope
[+] No longer costs mana
[+] Large AoE at night
[+] Still benefits buildings
[+] Free regeneration and defence
[-] Global for only half the time
[-] Significantly reduced effectiveness on buildings vs previous version
| Type: Active | | Targeting: Instant | | Hotkey: R |
| Summons an overgrowth of damaging vines and branches. Prevents all nearby enemies from moving or attacking and deals damage to each. |
| | Mana | Cooldown | Range | AoE | Duration | Effects |
| 1 | 150 | 115 | N/A | 625 | 3 seconds | Entangles all nearby enemy units, deals 50 damage per second |
| 2 | 175 | 105 | N/A | 625 | 3 seconds | Entangles all nearby enemy units, deals 75 damage per second |
| 3 | 200 | 95 | N/A | 625 | 3 seconds | Entangles all nearby enemy units, deals 100 damage per second |
- Damage type: magical
- Prevents usage of the Blink spell.
- Disable works on currently magic immune units, however if a unit becomes magic immune while already affected by Overgrowth, they will break free.
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The general usage of this ability hasn't really changed from pre-6.72 versions, aside from the fact that it can be used much more often now. The area of effect is noticeably smaller but it still very large (625, which is even bigger than Rain of Chaos' AoE). With the most recent nerf, the usage of this ability has pretty much been thrown out the window. The disable is still the same and the damage is worse. The best uses of this ability now lie in co-ordinated team fight initiation in conjunction with some other ability like Epicenter or Ravage, or secondary initiation skills like Slithereen Crush or other Stomp-based abilities.
Given the old ultimate was almost always cut short on heroes with BKB at around the 2-3 second mark, this remake is a realistic look at the problem, without making it too powerful to counter these things. It's still an effective initiation skill when combined with Guise (sneak in, SURPRISE BUTTSECKS the enemy team). Combined with Leech Seed and you can pump out some hefty damage while healing your team as they beat down on those trapped.
Pros + Cons
[
+] Large area of effect
[
+] Shorter cooldown
[
+] Effective damage over a short duration
[
+] Prevents blinking
[
+] Disables already magic immune units
[
+] Low mana cost compared to other comparable ultimates
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-] Easily countered by BKB/Repel
[
-] (Relatively) short duration
| For those still favouring a more defensive playstyle, Headdress of Rejuvenation is a decent item, offering stats and an addition regeneration aura for your lane partner(s). It doesn't provide anything for your mana regeneration but with good last hitting you can buy clarities/RoB with little hassle. |
| A classic starting item for many heroes, it also works well with Rooftrellen if you feel like going for a more agressive playstyle. Since you already get health regeneration from your aura, RoB provides the other side of regen with it's mana aura. The additional armour is also great for absorbing harassing. |
| A stock-standard item for many heroes, but being a support hero, Rooftrellen is a strong candidate to buy a courier. |
| Quelling Blade is very useful on Rooftrellen. He has high starting damage, making using it even easier than on most heroes. It helps you last hit much more effectively. |
| A great item for ganking and laning, it provides HP and MP regeneration, as well as burst MP restoration. This is probably better than Urn for Rooftrellen, however both are pretty good. Soul Ring is slightly cheaper, however, and is probably a better option because it doesn't rely on charges. |
 | Being a gank oriented hero, as well as a support hero, makes Rooftrellen a decent candidate for buying Urn on most teams. The mana regeneration is welcome, as is the +6 strength. The active ability suites his ganker style since he'll be likely to be close to plenty of action. |
 | The health bonuses from this item, as well as the movement speed aura and the active ability are ideal on Rooftrellen. Leech Seed slows enemies, this makes you and your team faster, both passively and additively actively. A very effective item on Rooftrellen, in both his ganker and support roles. |
 | Other than Mekansm, no other item defines supportive like Vladmir's Offering. Providing a raft of great auras for the team, it boosts your damage, armour, mana regen and gives lifesteal to boot. As an aurawhore hero, this item is great on Rooftrellen who, with his "near unstoppable constitution" will always be in the thick of things, giving all the auras he's got. |
 | Another few auras for Rooftrellen to hoarde, this item is a strong supporting item but also works well in ganks, giving the team that extra health boost to helps them strike through and win the fight. This boost does taper off in it's effectiveness during the late game but it's still nevertheless useful. However by the time it is less useful in teamfights, it's a great item for pushing, effectively doubling the durability of a creep wave. |
 | Essentially this item can work as a supplement to Nature's Guise, providing both a ganking and escaping mechanism to Roof. I think the use of this item is quite clear to most players. |
 | The armour reduction of this item's active makes it a powerful ganking item when you've decided to take down a specific hero. Bear in mind it also reduces YOUR armour, but if you've co-ordinated the gank properly, that shouldn't be a problem. The armour and mana regeneration are very welcome, making this a pretty decent item. |
 | One of the most widely used items across all heroes, Power Treads is a sound investment for most of the game. Giving stats and attackspeed (as well as movement speed) it's an allround item that finds it's place on just about every hero, Rooftrellen as well. |
 | In the late game, Boots of Travel allows you and your auras to be where they need to be, when they need to be. However they cost a bomb (for boots) and so may not be for everyone. |
 | Cheap and easy to make, these will solve your mana problems pretty well. They also benefit your lane partner(s) by giving them extra mana boosts as well. Later, however, they should be swapped out for either Treads or Travels, due to their total lack of survivability in any form (Treads have +strength, Travels have Tp). |
 | Rooftrellen is a tank. There are no two ways about it. He's got a huge native health pool (~2700hp without items @ level 25) and Heart of Tarrasque just makes him all the harder to take down. With Heart alone he has over 3700hp, making him a formidable hero to take down. |
 | An awesome item for a tank like Rooftrellen, and when combined with his slow, allowing him to stay with the targeted hero, can dish out heavy damage over a period of time. The raw damage is quite high, providing extra oomph to his physical attacks. If he already has a Janggo, then he can chase enemies down with this. Bear this in mind when deciding on Radiance, however: I have placed it in the late game category due to it's price, however it's effects are much more suited to the MID game, and if you want to get this at a time when it's MOST effective, it's best bought as a rushed item. |
 | Necronomicon is a powerful item in the mid to late game when used properly (this is a good place to start). The movement speed aura given by the summons further assists Rooftrellen and his team in chasing fleeing heroes. The mana burn and feedback abilities also dish out additional DPS to compliment Rooftrellen's ultimate and Leech Seed. |
 | While not providing an aura of any kind, Khadgar's Pipe of Insight is a team item, providing protection to nearby allies from a decent chunk of magical damage. It would compliment Necronomicon nicely by extending the protection to your summons. The health regeneration and magic resistance further increase the tankiness of Rooftrellen. |
 | While not as effective as it used to be, it still provides significant damage (780 over 6 seconds). The regeneration is useful for spamming Leech Seed and Nature's Guise. However, I would recommend leaving this item till very late if you wish to get it, due to it's reduced effectiveness (with Refresher, the duration is only 1 second longer than a single casting of level 3 of the old ultimate) |
 | Giving another 3 auras (2 for your team, 1 to weaken the enemy) Assault Cuirass is a powerful IAS and armour item for the late game. If you're going for a more DPS styled Rooftrellen, then this is a solid item choice for this stage in the game due to the strong bonuses it gives both you and your team. |
This is merely a display of recommended item builds based on Rooftrellen's most prevalent playstyles: support and DPS/tank. If further builds are requested, I'm happy to consider them 
| Support Build | | DPS/Tank Build |
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| Level | Ability | Level | Ability | Level | Ability | | 1. | Leech Seed | 7. | Leech Seed | 13. | Nature's Guise | | 2. | Living Armour | 8. | Living Armour | 14. | Nature's Guise | | 3. | Living Armour | 9. | Living Armour | 15. | Attribute Bonus | | 4. | Leech Seed | 10. | Nature's Guise | 16. | Overgrowth | | 5. | Leech Seed | 11. | Overgrowth | 17+ | Attribute Bonus | | 6. | Overgrowth | 12. | Nature's Guise | | |
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This skill build predominantly benefits your ganking capabilities from an early stage. Taking armour at level 1 is always good because it gives your team an instant, albeit minor, advantage over the other team, giving both armour and health regeneration. Leech Seed is maxed first to make the most of it's potent damage and healing early on in the match. If your lane looks like a tough assignment, you can always take a level of Nature's Guise somewhere in levels 1-5 to provide a backup plan in case things go tits up for you. |
| Level | Ability | Level | Ability | Level | Ability | | 1. | Living Armour | 7. | Living Armour | 13. | Nature's Guise | | 2. | Leech Seed | 8. | Living Armour | 14. | Nature's Guise | | 3. | Living Armour | 9. | Leech Seed | 15. | Attribute Bonus | | 4. | Nature's Guise | 10. | Leech Seed | 16. | Overgrowth | | 5. | Leech Seed | 11. | Overgrowth | 17+ | Attribute Bonus | | 6. | Overgrowth | 12. | Nature's Guise | | |
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This build is quite similar, but instead of maxing Leech Seed first, we take an early level of Nature's Guise in order to help with supporting allies in lane in case they need to evacuate quickly. We also max Living Armour 2 levels before maxing Leech Seed, thus providing the maximum amount of support possible via the aura as early as is reasonably possible (taking into account the nighttime reduction in effectiveness). Those changes aside, this build is pretty well the same, however it does impact on the effectiveness of Rooftrellen in ganks due to the slightly lower level of Leech Seed at levels 5-10. |
AoE Disablers
These heroes allow you to land Leech Seed and your ultimate with ease, producing significant damage output for the team, as well as providing a target from which to gain health via Leech Seed. Whether it's a really large AoE (Ravage, Rain of Chaos, Upheaval, Epicentre) or a smaller AoE (Hoof Stomp, Slithereen Crush) with one or more of these heroes on your team, ganking should be easy.
AoE Damage Over Time
Leech Seed deals considerable damage, combined with the abilities of these heroes and the killing power of Leech Seed, combined with it's slow, allows these abilities to be used to their full potential by keeping those afflicted within reach. Abilities like Ignite and Dual Breath also slow enemy movement, further increasing the ganking potential of these combos. Healers
All of these heroes provide methods to heal your allies, some of them while also dealing damage to enemies. Witch Doctor's AoE heal is quite strong (40hp/sec) and moves with him, giving you a moving fountain of health to compliment Leech Seed's healing. The AoE healing of Witch Doctor, Enchantress and Juggernaut makes staying alive during ganks easy once your ultimate has been activated, preventing enemies from moving anywhere, allowing the regeneration from your team to take effect. That said, these heroes also provide utility in many other ways, so this synergy is just a big bonus. I thought Io deserves a special mention. His Tether ability, combined with the slow from Leech Seed and the +ms of some of the items you buy, makes him a mean chasing partner for tracking down fleeing enemies. His spirits provide more DPS in an area for you to take down whole teams, and the area the ability covers can be directly controlled. Overcharge makes pounding heroes who are already disabled even easier, thanks to the increased attack speed and damage reduction. Finally, Relocate allows you to land your ultimate with ease by Relocating into the enemy ranks, activating Overgrowth and Leech Seed, then taking you back out a few seconds later, provided you're still alive and kicking. Overall, Io gives some GREAT combos with Rooftrellen and is one hell of an ally to have with you
In the end, Rooftrellen doesn't really have any specific counters (above and beyond the usual tank counters like N'aix and Huskar). He's mostly countered by good team co-ordination on the part of the other side and shutting him down early on in the game, preventing him from really getting ahead in the match. By starving him of his farm, his effectiveness is somewhat, but not totally, diminished. So watch out for ganks during the early and mid stages of the game, because teams that have got their shit together most likely will target you because Rooftrellen is a dangerous hero after his remake.
- Monsterlord, without who's help this guide would not have been possible
- Secrecy, for feedback early in the development of this guide
Rooftrellen the Treant Protector
