Welcome to my guide to Huskar, the Sacred Warrior! The aim of this guide is to help you master this hero in both big and small games.

TABLE OF CONTENTS
1.The hero
2.The stats
3.Pros and cons
4.Skills and skill build
5.Item build
6.How to play Huskar
7.Friends and foes
8.Huskar in 1v1
9.Huskar in 2v2
10.Replays
11.Conclusion

1.The hero


Huskar is a Sentinel Strength hero. The usual role for him is being a carry and not a tank like many people mistake.

WHEN NOT TO PICK HUSKAR:
• when there are too many nukers in the opponent's team
• when your team already has 3 carries
• when after seeing some of the enemy heroes you know they are going to start pushing right off the start
• when your team wants to push right off the start
• when your teammates are totally retarded and don't let you lasthit

WHEN TO PICK HUSKAR:
• when there aren't too many nukers in the opponent's team
• when your team needs a solid carry
• when you are playing a pub game and want to have fun
• when you are bored and want to kick someone's ass(not literally)

2.The stats

Attack range: 400
Strength: 18 + 2.4
Agility: 20 + 2.4
Intelligence: 18 + 1.5
Base damage: 39 - 48
Base armor: 1.9
Movespeed 300
BAT 1.6
Attack Animation: 0.4 / 0.5
Casting Animation: 0.3 / 2.4
Missile Speed: 1400
Sight Range: 1800 / 800

3.Pros and cons

Pros:
1. One of the three Strength heroes that are ranged and not melee
2. BAT is lower than the average
3. Really powerful throughout the whole game
4. Great survivabilty
5. Good Agi and Agi gain
6. Great lane control
7. High missile speed

Cons:
1. Low starting Strength
2. Requires orb-walking otherwise his animation pulls him back
3. His only mana-consuming skill is really expensive
4. Can be the first target in ganks
5. Low starting damage
6. No escape mechanism

Wait, aren't there too many cons? Half of these can be solved so don't worry.

4.Skills and skill build

Inner Vitality - (Active, Self, Allied Units)

____________________

Magically unlocks the potential regenerative power within a target unit, healing its life force based upon its primary attribute. If the target is below 40% it will heal faster.

__	____.	________.	_______.	___.	_______.	__________________________.
	Mana	Cooldown	C. Range	AoE	Duration	Effects
1	170	25 sec	450	N/A	16 sec	5(15*)% of main attrib + 2 hp regen per sec
2	170	25 sec	450	N/A	16 sec	10(30*)% of main attrib + 4 hp regen per sec
3	170	25 sec	450	N/A	16 sec	15(45*)% of main attrib + 6 hp regen per sec
4	170	25 sec	450	N/A	16 sec	20(60*)% of main attrib + 8 hp regen per sec

Notes:
• (*) These values are used if the target is below 40% of its maximum hp.
• The hp percentage is checked every second and the regeneration adjusted accordingly.

This skill is really important to Huskar as it grants him big HP recovery. If this skill is maxed first at lvl 7 a naked Huskar will recover 15 HP/sec. Note that this skill becomes more effective if you are under 40% of your max HP. This can turn the tide of the battle.


Burning Spear - (Active, Enemy Unit)

____________________

Using his own life force to set them aflame, the Sacred Warrior can cause his spears to deal stackable damage over time as they impact the foe.

__	____.	________.	_______.	___.	_______.	__________________________.
	Mana	Cooldown	C. Range	AoE	Duration	Effects
1	15 HP	0 sec	450	N/A	6 sec	4 damage per second
2	15 HP	0 sec	450	N/A	6 sec	8 damage per second
3	15 HP	0 sec	450	N/A	6 sec	12 damage per second
4	15 HP	0 sec	450	N/A	6 sec	16 damage per second

Notes:
• Damage type: magical (target), HP removal (self)
• Burning Spears stacks additively when used multiple times on one target. There is no cap.
• Huskar cannot kill himself using this skill.

This is your bread and butter skill. Really powerful throughout the whole game especially at the early levels. Just be careful with it, it can kill someone



Berserker's Blood - (Passive, Self)

____________________

Huskar feels each of his wounds and channels the pain, increasing attack speed and damage for each 7% missing health. First bonus starts at full health.

__	____.	________.	_______.	___.	_______.	__________________________.
	Mana	Cooldown	C. Range	AoE	Duration	Effects
1	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	3% IAS and 2 damage per stack
2	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	6% IAS and 4 damage per stack
3	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	9% IAS and 6 damage per stack
4	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	12% IAS and 8 damage per stack

Notes:
• There will be a special effect when Berserker's Blood is giving a large bonus (60% missing health).
• First stack lasts from 100% to 87% of Huskar's maximum HP.
• Maximum bonus (14 stacks) is achieved when Huskar has strictly less than 3% of his maximum HP.

Now isn't that some skill? The more you hit him the stronger he becomes. But be careful as with his HP if you fall under 40% of your max HP usually about 2 nukes will be enough to kill you.


Life Break - (Active, Enemy Unit)

____________________

Huskar reaches into the well of his own life force to heavily damage an enemy. Huskar is magic immune while charging towards the target. The target takes damage equal to 50% of its hp. Slows target by 50% for 5 seconds. Huskar pays a certain percentage of his hp to cast this.

__	____.	________.	_______.	___.	_______.	__________________________.
	Mana	Cooldown	C. Range	AoE	Duration	Effects
1	0	45(24*)	600	N/A	5 sec	Huskar pays 35% of his current hp to cast.
2	0	30(16*)	600	N/A	5 sec	Huskar pays 30% of his current hp to cast.
3	0	15(8*)	600	N/A	5 sec	Huskar pays 25% of his current hp to cast.

Notes:
• Damage type: magical (to both Huskar and the target)
• Huskar will charge up to his target, becoming magic immune, before doing the effects.
• If Huskar is disabled during this charge, or if the target moves more than 1400 units in 0.015s, the charge stops.
• Slow works on magic immune units.
• Can be improved by Aghanim's Scepter (* shows the improved values).
• Improved version deals 65% of the targets current hp as damage.

This is Huskar's signature skill. Not only does it half the opponent's HP but it also gives a boost to your passive, Berserker's Blood. Just be careful with enemies who have magic immunity/good magic resistance.


The skill build of a hero is one of the things that can vary the most. Here's an example of a skill build:

1.Burning Spears 1
2.Berserker's Blood 1
3.Burning Spears 2
4.Berserker's Blood 2 / Inner Vitality 1
5.Burning Spears 3
6.Life Break 1
7.Burning Spears 4
8.Inner Vitality 1 / Berserker's Blood 2
9.Berserker's Blood 3 / Inner Vitality 2
10.Berserker's Blood 4 / Inner Vitality 3
11.Life Break 2
12.Inner Vitality 2
13.Inner Vitality 3 / Berserker's Blood 3
14.Inner Vitality 4 / Berserker's Blood 4
15.Attribute Bonus
16.Life Break 3
17. - 25.Attribute Bonus

Okay, I agree this looks confusing. Burning Spears is your main source of damage and should be maxed first ALWAYS! Then a level of Berserker's Blood will help you make use of your missing HP (if any). Then ... you should get a level of Inner Vitality if you feel that you need some additional HP regen OR you can take another level of Berserker's Blood to double the bonuses you get from it. Next you are against pretty much the same choice but with a little difference. It is almost mid game, people are starting to push if they didn't do it by now. So in most cases it will be better to get Inner Vitality to level 4 now and the last levels of Berserker's Blood later so you can stand there and kick their asses. Plus mid game is where you are in your best. Life Break is taken whenever you can for the lower cooldown and HP cost. Stats are obvious.

5.Item build

Okay, time to think about items. Since you are probably playing 5v5 your starting items should be a combination of these:


Well that list is too big to start with everything on it so you will have to choose. I will first explain the purpose of the items on it and then suggest a combination of them.
Healing Salve - way too obvious. Only usage is healing.
Ancient Tango of Essifation - take this is if you think that the 400 HP heal from Healing Salve isn't that necessary.
Gauntlets of Ogre Strength - +3 Strength will boost your HP a bit and will give a little damage boost. Can be upgraded to 2 different items.
Circlet of Nobility - +2 to all stats is even more useful. Can be upgraded to 3 different items with good cost efficiency.
Ring of Protection - +2 armor early on can be useful sometimes. Take if you think you will need a little extra survivability early on.
Stout Shield - only purpose is damage block. Not that useful on Huskar and is rather situational but still can be used.
Ironwood Branch - +1 to all stats and can be upgraded to 3 different items(not all 3 are recommended).
Magic Stick - take if there is someone who can give you a lot of charges(Ursa warrior and Zeus - yes, Troll Warlord and Skeleton King - no).

Ok, so now here a some ideas on how to combine them:

I think 4 are enough. Now let's explain the purpose of each:
#1 - Gives you +5 Strength, +3 to other stats, solid healing(775 HP) and aims for a magic wand(notice the 3 Ironwood Branches)
#2 - +6 Strength, +2 armor and good HP recovery(375HP). Purpose is getting a bit beefier early on.
#3 - +5 Strength, +2 to other stats, solid healing(750 HP). Purpose is having a little stats investments early on. Circlet and Gauntlets can be upgraded to Bracer.
#4 - +3 Strength, solid healing(775 HP) and a Magic Stick. Purpose is standing a chance against nukers. Still having a little support against them is not a bad idea.

Note that all the combinations are under 603 gold. If you randomed Huskar you will have 853 gold so you can invest that in some other items.


Now, what to do after that? Of course, start farming up your core. While doing that remember to lasthit and deny creeps. If you do that properly your opponent will be annoyed and will probably start doing dumb things like trying to get FB from you near YOUR tower(once happened to me and I laughed my ass off).


Now some explanation. You should Power Treads or Phase Boots as your boots(explained later). Next, we have an Armlet of Mordiggian(this can be bought after you get Boots of Speed). The main purpose of Armlet is damage, damage and damage. When activated, you will get 475 HP, 65 damage, 25 attack speed, 5HP/sec recovery, 5 armor, and the annoying 37 HP/sec lost. Don't forget to turn your Armlet off when you don't need it! After that we have two Bracers to give us a bit of HP and some more power. You should ALWAYS have a Scroll of Town Portal(a.k.a. TP scroll) and Magic Wand is optional and shoul be bought only if you can get charges for it.

A bit more explanation on the boots section:

VS.


Of these, you will get most movement speed bonus from Boots of Travel. They make you flexible, give you the ability to teleport. But are a good choice only if the game goes on for too long(usually considered 60+ minutes). Also, they provide no other bonus for Huskar and these have almost no use in a battle. Arcane Boots give you +65 movement speed along with +250 mana and the Mana Replenish ability. But Huskar has only one mana-consuming skill and even though it is expensive the Sacred Warrior doesn't have mana problems. In other words, skip that item. Phase Boots are the last alternative to Power Treads. Let's compare them. They both give +60 movement speed. Phase Boots will provide with +24 damage and the Phase ability which makes you gain 0 collision. Alternatively, Power Treads give you +25 attack speed, +8 to the selected attribute and the Switch Attribute ability. So pretty much it is raw damage and 0 collision VS. attack speed and a little stat bonus. With the boost to your ultimate you no longer need Phase Boots in order to set it up well. But still if you want Phase Boots, get them over Power Treads.

But can you survive throughout the whole game with your core only? Well, sometimes you can but what will you do with your gold? So here are some items you can make after your core.

Extensions and optional items:


A good extension if you had a Bracer. Gives you +9 to all stats +9 damage and a small boost to movement and attack speed that comes as an aura.


An item to be considered. Hood of Defiance will give you even more HP regen and will also boost your performance against nukers. It will also slightly reduce the HP you pay to cast your ultimate.


Rather situational. Gives you 275 HP, 6 HP/sec and bigger damage block. Get it if there are too many physical attackers around and if they gank you often.


Should be considered getting in some situations. It can help you a bit in taking down hard-hitters faster. Note that Rhasta's Mass Serpent Ward will damage him if they hit you while Blade Mail is active.


Get this if you are getting silenced all the time or that Juggernaut is annoying you with his Blade Fury. Medallion of Courage gives you better physical performance so it can be considered. Combined with Armlet things are not looking good for your opponent.


I have more gold what do I do? Obviously get a luxury item. Here are some suggestions:

Luxury items:


One of the best luxuries for Huskar. Having that much bonus HP and a monstrous recovery while out of battle will keep you in the lane longer which means more heroes killed. Plus it gives you 40 Strength which is useful for Inner Vitality which will keep your HP steady even when in a battle.


Another great luxury for Huskar. He can make a great use of the attack speed and the armor bonus. It also comes with a Negative armor aura for your opponents which can replace Medallion of Courage if you bought it(I don't say you necessarily have to sell it!).


This should be considered. As a main target in ganks he is likely to be disabled and that can be a problem. Black King Bar solves this problem. Remember to use it before you are raped by all the disables. For Treant Protector's ultimate wait until it hits you. If you use BKB after that you will break free, but if it hits you after that you pretty much wasted your BKB.


An alternative to BKB. It also comes with +15 to all stats which is better than BKB's bonuses. The choice between Linken's Sphere and BKB is all yours.


Get this if you have to spam your ultimate a lot. Aghanim's Scepter makes it stronger and halves the cooldown.


Get this only if you are facing an opponent with a lot of evasion(Void, Phantom Assassin, Pandaren Brewmaster, Butterfly users) or if your opponent has a skill that affects your chance to land a hit(Pandaren Brewmaster, Night Stalker, Troll Warlord, Stealth Assassin).


Agility, Attack speed, Damage - this is the DPS side. And now about the survivability part. 30% evasion is a lot. Paired with your HP you are becoming a real monster. Still if you take this item for defense and not offense take a quick look at your armor value. If it is above 6 take this. Otherwise Assault Cuirass is better.


"Can be used" items:

Remember, these CAN BE USED but ARE NOT recommended.


Yeah, lifesteal is an option. Although it is an orb effect there is a trick on how to use it. When your arrows are on auto cast only their effect will work, but if you casted them manually then the lifesteal will work. Remember that if you are going to buy lifesteal for Huskar.


If you buy one of these remember to leave your arrows on auto cast. If you cast your arrows manually you will not Bash/Crit.


With the upgrade to your ultimate you no longer need these to get your positioning right. Still get them if you want to sneak up on someone/escape.


Costs a lot of mana(150). And Inner Vitality beats the heal pretty early(maxing Inner Vitality first will give you the same HP recovery as if you are using Mekansm). Still this item can be bought in some situations.


After all the comments I think I should make it a bit clearer. Huskar is really at his best with low HP but he is always in the center of the battlefield (unless you don't use Life Break but without it you will have trouble taking down the enemy's tank). Yes, when you use Soul Ring you gain pretty much enough mana to cast Inner Vitality. BUT! Don't forget that if you are already in your opponent's team (Life Break) you will need burst regen more as Inner Vitality's HP regen is /sec so it needs some time. But ok I finally agree that the item is viable in some situations.

Rejected items:


Your ultimate slows well enough already so you don't need Sange/Sange and Yasha. Skadi just can't deal with your orb, only the arrows will work.


Those items are just no use to Huskar. They either don't work with his orb or they just f**k it up.


What are you going to Refresh? By the time you buy this item your longest cooldown will be 25 sec(Inner Vitality). No use.


Totally NOT needed. Better spend those 2805 on an Armlet.


Those items are a total waste on you. You won't get neither lifesteal neither cleave since you are ranged. And wasting all that gold for the rest of the bonuses is totally not needed.


Really what are you going to do with this item? It solves your non-existing mana problems and if we exclude all the things about mana .. it gives you 500 HP and 8HP/sec. Messerschimdt's Reaver will give you +25 Strength which is not only better but it is also cheaper.




6.How to play Huskar

Early Game: Levels 1-8

This is where Huskar is pretty easy to counter. A few nukes and he is out. So watch out. At this point you are still weak and should pay attention to what is happening. Keep an eye on the map so you can see if someone is coming your way(usually that is seen for less than a second). Don't forget to lasthit creeps and deny all others. This will give YOU some amount of gold and NONE to your opponent. If you can harass your opponents in lane, do it. Even at level 1 Burning Spear will do more damage to the opponent than to you. So use it. If your teammates call for a gank, go. Just be careful not to die there At the end of this stage you should be ready to go and kill all by yourself. Still be careful and don't start a battle unless you know you can win it. If you are going to kill someone alone, choose an opponent with low magic resistance or no escape mechanism. Then Life Break him and finish him off with your Burning Spear. The target is slowed for 5 sec which should be enough if you have the proper items. If you already have Boots of Speed and are now rushing Armlet of Mordiggian get Helm of Iron Will if you need the armor, otherwise take Gloves of Haste first, then Claws of Attack, after that Helm of Iron Will and last, of course, the recipe.


Mid Game: Levels 9-16
Here is where you shine. By now your core should be ready or at least close enough to ready. Find easy targets and feed on them. Keep a TP scroll with you so you can go back to base when needed. When there is no one to kill, either go and gank with your team or push the lane and destroy a tower. At this point you should start feeding on heroes and towers more and less on creeps. Try to outlevel most of the heroes and then the fun starts


Late game: Levels 17-25
By now your opponents will all have more HP, higher magic resistance(if they are smart) and better survivability. At these levels your Burning Spear will be doing less damage but if you nailed a few kills you should have not only the level advantage but also more gold and more attack speed so you can make a better use of your orb. Don't forget that by this stage you should be either already winning or getting your butts kicked. Make sure it is the first Get more kills and if your team has destroyed something like 2-3 towers help them destroy the rest. If the game goes on for too long you will lose your efficiency. Try to finish the game at this stage and do it before the other team reaches your World Tree/Frozen Throne.



7.Friends and foes

1.Friends.
Disablers:

You love these guys. They disable the enemy and then the two of you finish him off. Note that Treant Protector can also heal you using Leech Seed on an enemy.

Armor Eaters:

With these guys around Huskar can kill heroes with only his Armlet on. This can be helpful if you just used your Life Break and it is still on cooldown/you don't want to risk more HP.

Babysitters:

Those guys will help you early on when you are easy to take down. Lich is helpful for helping you in early ganks and having more denied creeps. All others can heal you, help you, save you, gank with you. You should love these guys.

Pushers:

Those can take down towers in a matter of a few minutes. This means more gold for the whole team and a bit more farming for you.

AOE monsters:

You have no AOE skills. So these guys pretty much help you become a real monster don't they?

Damage Amplifiers:

More damage=more kills. It is as easy as that.

Special mention:

You take one half of the opponent's HP he takes the other. You guys LOVE each other. He can heal you, you can help him if he is ganked.


2.Foes.
Disablers:

Yeah, these guys again. You hate them on the opposing team, they hate you when they are with their teammates. Try to avoid fighting them when they are with an ally, but rape them when they are alone if you can, of course.

Silencers:

When silenced, they and their team will gank you and kill you. Not good. Try to surprise them when they are alone.

Armor Eaters:

Those look familiar don't they? With your low starting armor they will deal a lot of damage. Try to fight them with your teammates or after you get fat.

Special mentions:

I will go through each to explain why they are here. Mangix is one hell of an annoyer. He won't run away; he will just stand there, give you a good fight, and when he is at low HP he will just split into the 3 mighty pandas and kill you. Remember that those 3 can kill you at any time. Necrolyte will give you a hard time killing him. He will just use his Death Pulse to heal himself and damage you and when you go at low enough HP ... BOOM! He just uses Reaper's Scythe and sends you back to your fountain. Viper will annoy you with his supperior range and will make a great use of your main strength - low HP. When you go below 80% of your max HP, his Nethertoxin kicks in and he starts dealing more damage. And if you use your ultimate your HP goes EVEN lower and he starts dealing EVEN more damage. And if he decides to rape you, he will just use Viper Strike and you will be slowed to a crawl so he can hit you with an ease. Lucifer is easy to guess. He is the counter to every hero in DotA, as we know, and in Huskar's case it gets even worse. He will stand against you, take all your hits like a real man, while at the same time slicing you to little pieces. Void isn't too much of a threat early on, but mid-late game he is. He will get his items and then not much can help you. Try to get him with a teammate but be careful as his Chronosphere may catch you both! Nessaj is quite a problem once he has enough mana. He will just stun you, use his Phantasm and if you are still alive and try to run away Reality Rift will do the job. Don't fight this guy alone. You will lose. And last but definitely not least, Troll Warlord. That guy is pretty much like Void with a little difference - Troll is harder to harass since he can stay ranged and his range is 550 while yours is 400. I think this explains why is it obvious what will you do if you walk towards him. And the worst part is that a farmed Troll will kick your ass all the time. Get this guy with a teammate. Good ideas are Earthshaker, Vengeful Spirit, Necrolyte(duh ...). Remember to face him alone ONLY if he is still not farmed well enough to take you on.



8.Huskar in 1v1
Now, time to cover this section. The skill build here is the same as in 5v5. Click HERE for it.I haven't seen such in other guides so I decided to make one. In 1v1 game Huskar is a good choice. But still be aware of his counters. And in 1v1 they are a few:
- until you get Blademail and more HP than him.
- with his combo you better be ready for some ass kicking.
- annoying until you sneak up on him and start killing him.
- with this guy you are pretty much equal, make sure that when you use Life Break you can kill him.
- a decent one will rape you all the time.
- make sure that his ultimate is on cooldown or he has no mana for it. That is your only chance.
- same as above. Otherwise he will rape you.
- you want low HP for more damage? He wants that as well.
- don't let him farm up ANYTHING. He is a real threat mid and late game so make sure you kill him often early on.
- his mana is pathetic. Make sure he can't use his ultimate and he is yours.
- not too much of a threat but if you are still inexperienced he can beat you. When you are playing 1v1 he will farm up Manta Style pretty early and you will have a hard time finding the real one. Plus his range is twice bigger than yours and he can kill towers pretty easily if you are not around. Thankfully, his HP is low enough for you to take it out in a few hits.
- yep, Troll Warlord again. In 1v1 he is EVEN a bigger threat to you. He will have a solid start and with the new buff to his passive he will have quite an advantage against you. Deny and lasthit like crazy and get your items faster than him.

I guess the section above pretty much tells you when to choose and when not to choose Huskar. Heroes that are not mentioned are either equal with you or weaker. Kill them but try not to get killed by them.

The difference between 5v5 and 1v1 is not only the number of players but also the starting gold. In 1v1 you start with 4265 gold(if you randomed your hero) or with 4015(if you chose your hero) and that is almost enough for your core in 5v5. Here is a suggestion on how to start in 1v1:


Power Treads - the best boots for Huskar. Vitality Booster means +250 HP and depending on the situation can be upgraded to Vanguard or saved for later in order to make Heart of Tarrasque. Healing Salves and Tangoes are obviously used for healing. Get a few of these you will need them. Helm of Iron Will gives you armor(you definitely need that) 3 HP/sec regen and will be later upgraded to Armlet of Mordiggian. With the rest of the gold you can buy more Healing Salves, Tangoes or a TP scroll(you have just enough for one).

Of course, your starting items may be different, for example Boots of Speed and Vanguard, or starting directly with Hood of Defiance(recommended if you are playing -sh mode) and many other. Just don't forget that it all depends on your enemy.

Next up, the core items:


The only difference here is Armlet of Mordiggian. With it your damage goes through the roof, not to mention that you still can use your Burning Spear. With the obviously small difference in cost of your starting items and your core items you should notice that you are ready to kill pretty early. So what do we do after we get our core?

KILL! Then kill and between the kills kill again. If you know you can kill your opponent, do it. And with the gold from him you can buy some of these items.

Luxury items:

The luxury you would like to get first. Helps Huskar a lot as it gives him +40 Strength and +300 HP which is actually +1060 HP, +40 Damage and +1.2 HP/sec. Also note that when you get HoT you and your opponent will be at such levels that you will recover all your HP before he respawns.


The second luxury you will love. Makes you a pushing machine, boosts survivabilty against physical attackers, gives you attack speed and an armor boost to your creeps.


Another great item to have. Will boost your DPS performance and your survivability as well.


Only against enemies that give you hard time hitting them(Mangix, Rikimaru, Balanar, etc.)


Optional items:

An item to be considered. Hood of Defiance will give you even more HP regen and will also boost your performance against nukers. It will also slightly reduce the HP you pay to cast your ultimate.


Rather situational. Gives you 275 HP, 6 HP/sec and bigger damage block. Get it if there are too many physical attackers around and if they gank you often.


Should be considered getting in some situations. It can help you a bit in taking down hard-hitters faster. Note that Rhasta's Mass Serpent Ward will damage him if they hit you while Blade Mail is active.


This should be considered. As a main target in ganks he is likely to be disabled and that can be a problem. Black King Bar solves this problem. Remember to use it before you are raped by all the disables. For Treant Protector's ultimate wait until it hits you. If you use BKB after that you will break free, but if it hits you after that you pretty much wasted your BKB.


Get this if you are getting silenced all the time or that Juggernaut is annoying you with his Blade Fury. Medallion of Courage gives you better physical performance so it can be considered. Combined with Armlet things are not looking good for your opponent.


Yeah, lifesteal is an option. Although it is an orb effect there is a trick on how to use it. When your arrows are on auto cast only their effect will work, but if you casted them manually then the lifesteal will work. Remember that if you are going to buy lifesteal for Huskar.


If you buy one of these remember to leave your arrows on auto cast. If you cast your arrows manually you will not Bash/Crit.


With the upgrade to your ultimate you no longer need these to get your positioning right. Still get them if you want to sneak up on someone/escape.

Yeah, copied from above. Note that I didn't include a few because you won't need them in 1v1.


Rejected items:
Same as in 5v5. Click HERE to see them.



How to play him:
Be aggressive but not foolish. This is 1v1 so you concentrate on 1 enemy and there is no chance of gank. Keep an eye on the rune spots as they can play a key role here. Push and kill. Try to deny like never before and fight for every lasthit. Farm up Armlet quickly and then kick your opponent's ass. Exceptions are the opponents listed in the start. Before buying anything take a look at their items and try to guess what are they aiming at. Then counter them with a better item build. This will pretty much win you the game.




9.Huskar in 2v2
The last one. How to play this guy in 2v2? First, get a good teammate to chose a hero you have a great synergy with. For 2v2 such are:
- you take all the beating, he helps you from behind. As easy as that.
- no need to explain really. The two of you can kill every hero if you perform well.
- he disables, both of you kill. Fun to do.
- your enemies are running? GET OVER HERE!
- same goes here. Plus Vengeful Spirit amplifies your damage and has Magic Missile(1.45 to 1.75 sec stun)
- nothing can run away from you now ...
- OMG, my opponents took Lion and Rhasta I am doomed! With this guy and a Blademail you are everything but doomed.
- more attack speed and a heal? Cool.
- if the two of you play it well your opponents may actually never see the tower.
- you should love this guy. Attack speed, movement speed and he is a moving fountain.

And of course many other fit the list but these fulfill there role almost perfectly.


What items should I buy? Well now you are not as rich as you were in 1v1 but you still have some gold. To be precise, you will have 2132 gold(if you randomed your hero) or 1882 gold(if you chose your hero). First thing you should know about 2v2. Always buy Boots of Speed and don't upgrade them until you farm up the money. I have seen people start with Power Treads on Huskar and then get raped by every opponent they see. So here is an idea on how to start:


This will give you a bit more HP to start with, movement speed bonus, attack speed bonus, and quite some healing. Gloves of Haste are for Armlet, not for Power Treads. If you are against a team of nukers get Planewalker's Cloak from the start so you can stand a chance.

Since you can't always stay with these items, let's see what your core looks like:


Looks familiar, doesn't it? Yes, it is almost a total copy of the core listed in 5v5. TP scroll is optional since most of the 2v2 games are played in -om mode which pretty much means that you won't be teleporting that much to another lane. Still get it if you are near the fountain and your ally needs help. Two Bracers are bought in order to have more HP as usually you are the VIP and therefore people will want to kill you first. Armlet of Mordiggian and Power Treads are obvious.

BUT you probably still have more gold. Use it on one of these items:

These are useful only for you. Except for Assault Cuirass, of course, it is useful for both you and your ally.


I know these look weird but I will explain the purpose of each of them. Lothar's Edge=sneak attack. Mekansm is useful to both of you because of the auras and the heal. If you and your teammate get one that is 500 HP heal. Ethereal Blade is for cases when you are dying and your ally is a powerful spellcaster(Slayer, Zeus, etc.). Necronomicon is bought for the True Sight that the Warrior grants and for all other *little* bonuses it gives you.

Remember that you are not playing alone! Help your ally if he needs you and when you are together in the lane don't *steal* his creeps. Also, sometimes you may have to get items that are not the best for you but are useful to your ally(the listed above). Don't forget that you can't win without teamwork(well you can but with good opponents you won't).

Rejected items:
As mentioned before items that are rejected are the same. They are rejected because you just don't need them. Click HERE to see them.



10.Replays
Finally, I have a replay. This is one of the very few Huskar games I've had in months but anyway. This is a pub game and although it wasn't really the best I think it is a decent example of what Huskar does. And to save a few questions for you here are a few things:
- I was playing this reaaally late (something like 1 AM) so I was easily outlaned and my lasthits were not that many ...
- My PC is old enough to be shown in a museum so it was lagging throughout the half of the game so that may explain a few of my weird actions
- I delayed Armlet because I was simply not having enough HP. As you will see, I took it and Mask of Death at the end of the game since we were doing well enough ... and I was too sleepy to think about the courier.

Download link

Map version: 6.72f
War 3 version: 1.26a
Mode: -apso
The players were:

_____________.	___.
Sentinel	Scourge
lkebin58	ky_tony
kotkar	pece111
Lemon_Deutsch	Anestezjolog
SteveDrops	emilian86
WM.ying	whatk

I will upload a 1v1 replay soon I guess. But I can't really promise that for the 2v2 replay ...





11.Conclusion
To conclude, the Sacred Warrior is a great hero. A solid carry with great survivability. Although, he is pretty powerful do not underestimate your opponents. Overall, Huskar is a powerful hero but he can't play all by himself.