Table of Contents
Introduction
Basic Information
Skills
Item Builds
General Strategy
How to Use Spells
Allies and Enemies
Enemies
Miscellaneous
Conclusion
Replays
Credits
Basic Information
Skills
Item Builds
General Strategy
How to Use Spells
Allies and Enemies
Enemies
Miscellaneous
Conclusion
Replays
Credits
Hello everyone, its been a while since i posted my last guide and it was really controversial. If you have read my previous guides, you will see Im not a common guide maker, I introduce new stuff like different items or a different skill build,well, what you will see here is a complete different skill build for one of my best heroes in game Spectre.
WARNING this guide is for pub games only this will not work in an organized game
Spectral Dagger
Additional:
This skill is really really useful,remember, you can walk trought units and cliffs with the zero collision effect (this is why i dont know why people get phase boots on Spectre)
Notes:
 | The Spectre launches a deadly dagger that trails a Shadow Path. Deals damage to the targets in its path. Units hit by the dagger will also trail a Shadow Path. The Spectre becomes phased (gains zero collision) while on the path. |
| __ | ____. | ________. | _______. | ___. | _______. | __________________________. |
| Mana | Cooldown | C. Range | AoE | Duration | Effects | |
| 1 | 130 | 16 sec | 2000 | 125 | 12 seconds | Spectre gains 5% movespeed, enemies lose 5%. Deals 50 damage |
| 2 | 140 | 16 sec | 2000 | 125 | 12 seconds | Spectre gains 9% movespeed, enemies lose 9%. Deals 100 damage |
| 3 | 150 | 16 sec | 2000 | 125 | 12 seconds | Spectre gains 14% movespeed, enemies lose 14%. Deals 150 damage |
| 4 | 160 | 16 sec | 2000 | 125 | 12 seconds | Spectre gains 18% movespeed, enemies lose 18%. Deals 200 damage |
This skill is really really useful,remember, you can walk trought units and cliffs with the zero collision effect (this is why i dont know why people get phase boots on Spectre)
Notes:
- Damage type: magical
- Buff lasts for 4 seconds after Mercurial leaves shadow path.
- Debuff lasts for 7 seconds after enemy leaves shadow path.
- Slows but does not damage magic immune units.
- The dagger moves at a speed of 857.14 units per second.
- Vision is granted of shadow path when Spectral dagger is cast.
Skill build:
Level 1 - Spectral Dagger/desolateLevel 2 - Desolate/Spectral Dagger
Level 3 - Spectral Dagger
Level 4 - Desolate
Level 5 - Spectral Dagger
Level 6 - Haunt
Level 7 - Spectral Dagger/desolate
Level 8 - Desolate/Spectral Dagger
Level 9 - Desolate
Level 10 - Dispersion
Level 11 - Dispersion
Level 12 - Dispersion
Level 13 - Dispersion
Level 14 - Haunt
Level 15 - Stats
Level 16 - Haunt
Level +17 - Stats
Explanation:
PLEASE PAY A VERY GOOD ATTENTION HERE, Im pretty sure some of you guys want to close this guide already, i literally ROFL when I talk with my friends about DotA and how to create new stuff, new item builds or skill builds (like in my previous guide Personal Guide for Earthshaker - DotA Guides). They usually say things like: "hahha are you serious?, this shit wonīt work" and when they try it, they realize its pretty good or even better than the regular normal, non-creative skill/item build they are using, and they are using it because pro players use it. what a lame answer: "If X, the best DotA player, uses skill build A, I wonīt think for my self and I will just imitate him"
this might bore you a bit but its worth the reading. Sorry for my shitty English by the way, so Iīll try to do it as short as possible. Spectre is a carry, no doubts about it, BUT the problem is, and i blame the CM/CW games, they made you thought Spectre MUST BE a tank to become a carry. WRONG!. Any hero with vanguard gets a LOT of survability, thats for sure (well, maybe not Tidehunter =S) so vanguard+Dispersion=really good tank. But why do people in CM/CW games tank their Spectres? because they are in an organized game and they want to make it to the late game and win with Spectre (a fat Spectre is really imba) but in pub, LAN, fun, friend, random dudes games, this shouldnīt be this way. Do you really wanna spend 35 minutes farming and killing creeps? is that really funny? I donīt think so.
Desolate, Is it actually good?
yes! it is REALLY good. letīs make some math here: vanguard+Dispersion= near 0 damage (letīs face it, if you want to make 50 damage to them, you need to recieve 200 damage). Desolate by it self gives you 50 damage and you can get this bonus even at lvl 7 (if you have a disable/stunner/slower, you don't need to max dagger do you?) hereīs the "catch", they need to be alone (325 away from any other ally unit), but in game, you will see how easily is to find someone alone and deal the bonus damage.
Haunt is not an escape mechanism
I always see in early games people using Haunt, a really good ultimate, for escaping purposes (really? escape from one enemy hero to another?) here I will teach you how to use Haunt to "hunt" the enemy and make them suffer. so bottom lines, Haunt IS a deadly skill in early game.
Starting items:
+
OR
Explanation:
Lets make one thing clear, your main option before lvl 6 is to farm your ass off and get, at least boots of speed (I will explain why later). Tango and salve will give you enough
/
Middle lane
When you get used to Pudge and have some solid confidence in your hooks. You should be able to dominate most heroes in middle lane. However, there are some heroes that you might have trouble dominating. Here is a small breakdown of the heroes you won't be able to kill easily, that are likely to be on the middle lane:Heroes with escape mechanisms:
Akasha , Morphling, Mirana, Magina, Puck etc...
These heroes will be extremely hard for you to kill until level 5, with some exceptions that I will mention. Heroes that have an escape mechanism that has an animation which shows you the direction in which they went can give you a chance to hook them back, but this is highly risky and should only be attempted after you are very confident in your movement-reading skills.
When you get to level 6, you can kill most of these heroes if you are faster than them (and possibly if they have slightly higher lag than you).
Note: If laning aginst Puck, you can easily predict where he's going to end up since his Orb is very slow.
Heroes with good harassing spells:
Huskar and Viper come to mind. The key here is to not let them lower your HP. Don't lose patience just because they're not letting you farm that much. You depend on your level, not your items. As soon as you see an opening, take it and take them down.
Heroes with disables:
Lion, Rhasta, Invoker, Vengeful Spirit, Obsidian Destroyer etc...
These heroes will be extremely hard to kill until level 6, but even then, it might be tricky, unless you can drag them to you tower. I'll explain how to do this later...
High HP heroes:
Don't even bother without help. Heroes like Dragon Knight can't be killed at all by Pudge, even if you chase them for a while. DK has a stun, a nuke, high armor and an ultimate that can destroy you very fast. Avoid trying to kill these heroes without a disabler ganging them.
With all that being said, let's begin with the strategy on how to secure kills...
In my experience, it is much easier to play as Pudge while on The Sentinel middle lane.
Here is the basic strategy:
Wait until you get to level 3. That's when you become very deadly to the other middle hero. You COULD attempt to hook them first and then rot them to death. This is not a bad strategy but what I prefer to do is the following:
Wait until they get close to your tower. Usually for me, this means passing the line indicated in the picture:
As soon as they pass that line. It's a point of no return for them. Unless they can disable you with something, nothing can stop you from simply walking along this route:
The hero will usually try to go back to their tower. They will be within your Rot range now, or you will have a clear shot for a hook. (keep in mind, there will be creeps there)
You have to make sure that you do not click directly on the hero, because this will make his creeps attack you, and you won't be able to tank everything. Proceed to chase him to a bit beyond his ramp, he should die.
This starting strategy usually works for me, because people are very careful not to get hooked first when playing against Pudge in middle lane. BUT, some people do forget so use it to your advantage.
Using the tower to help you score kills:
Here's what you need to know about the tower AI in order to use it to your advantage:
- It will attack any hero that attacks you first.
- The tower will attack the nearest hero after finishing it's current target.
Now that you know this, it's time to use it to your advantage.
You should always try to hook a hero into your tower's range as soon as it finishes off it's current target. This will almost 10 out of 10 times guarantee a kill, early on.
Repeat the killing once more or possibly twice and you're done with middle lane. You'll be level 7 by now and you can start roaming the map, ganging left and right. But make sure you check in with the middle hero every now and sap their progress by killing them once more.
Important note:
Don't be afraid to ask for help. DotA is a team game, and you should not feel ashamed simply because you can't kill a hero alone.
How to use Meat Hook
Never target the hero directly. Always target the area around the hero and you will successful land a hook every time.
Important note: Some units can be hooked even shooting completely outside their model. Keep this in mind when you don't have a clear shot at a target.
Immobile targets
Units can't attack and move at the same time (not even orb-walkers) use this to your advantage. Cast hook at the beginning of the attack animation of your enemy, that will ensure that they can't move while the hook is flying.
Moving targets
Units that move are very easy to hook. Keep the following things in mind:
- The hero's movement speed and plan your hook acordingly. Check if the hero has a movement speed altering spell on him.
- Keep your allies' spell cooldowns in in mind, you don't want to miss your hook just because an allied hero slowed them or stunned them. In the case that you are 100% sure that the hero will be slowed and/or disabled, wait for your ally to cast his spell.
- Always calculate the position where the Hero is going to be, and cast your hook there, never directly at the hero.
Short Video on How to use Meat Hook:
DotA - Short Meat Hook Tutorial - YouTube
Mind games
Good players will always try to evade your hooks. Some run in a zig-zag pattern, some try to wait for you to hook, and move out of the way. There are solutions for both problems.
Zig-Zag pattern
As indicated in the picture, depending on how widely they're moving from side to side, either predict the next point where they're going to be and shoot there, or shoot a straight line between those points.
Waiting for you to hook first
Some players test your patience and just run in a straight line and wait for you to cast the hook, and then easily dodge it.
There are a couple of ways to solve this. One is gambling.
If you're going to gamble, instead of using the standard technique for moving targets, try to predict where the hero is going to dodge your hook. You basically have a 50% chance of guessing.
The other situation is if a ramp or some other form of terrain is involved, like a tree.
As demonstrated in the picture there is a certain point when heroes are walking on ramps or around trees where they have to follow a certain motion, because of how the Warcraft 3 engine is built. Use these points to your advantage, when you can be almost 100% sure that the hero has to pass through there and wait for the last second.
Ramp picture:
Tree picture:
Fog hooks
Some heroes will try to run away into the Fog of War in hopes that they can run away. You can effectively bring them back by predicting their movement. Much like hooking a moving target, try to compensate for what you can't see. Calculate their movement speed, the terrain they're walking on and hook where you think the hero will be.
Blind hooks
These only require luck and experience.
These are done mostly by hooking into areas where heroes have a chance of being in, without you actually seeing them go there. An example would be, when they're defending their 3rd tower (doesn't matter which lane) and you know they'll be hanging around that area, but since it's uphill, you don't know for sure where they are. You go to the side of any lane and simply hook in the general area of the tower. Some other places can be:
- Secret shop
- Side shop
- Roshan
- Rune spots
- While tower-hugging
- While they're defending any 3rd tower.
And the likes... You will probably be accused of maphacking. But keep in mind, if you try to blind-hook, and miss. You might lose your element of surprise if by chance, there was a hero there, but you missed him only slightly. So I suggest not using blind-hooks as a normal means of getting kills.
Video Example of a Blind Hook:
DotA - Example of Pudge's blind hook - YouTube
Hook Manipulation
You can, to a certain extent, manipulate the range and shape of your hooks. It's nothing particularly important, but it's worth mentioning. Since you lose control over Pudge when you cast hook, you can't move instantly. You regain control over him when the hook is about 3/4 of the way to it's target. The moment you regain control of Pudge, you will be able to either curve the hook slightly, or extend it's range by a small amount.
You curve the hook by moving left or right from the position at which you cast the hook. Depending on which direction you went, that's where the hook will curve. Same will happen if you move forward. The hook will be extended by the amount of distance you cover by that time. However, this technique can be extremely useful when combined with the Force Staff. As soon as you regain control over Pudge, double-click the Force Staff icon, and you will extend your Meat Hook range by 600.
Side note:
You can hook many things including Mirana while she's leaping, Morphling while he's using Wave Form and the likes...
Allies
Techies combo is fairly obvious. He plants mines, you hook them in, depending on how many mines techies planted, either you get the kill, or he does. Either way, it's a successful kill which results in you having an extra count on Flesh Heap.
Rubick combo needs some practice, but I use this combo successfully with a friend. The deal is, Rubick lifts a hero, and throws him in an open area where you can hook him without much trouble. Because you can see where the hero is going to land, it shouldn't be a problem timing a hook. Just needs a little practice.
Using Quelling Blade
This is one of my favorite items for Pudge. You should definitely consider buying it for Pudge since it's cheap and it opens up hook opertunities that people will never expect. Always use the QB while the enemy can't see you, otherwise this will ruin your element of surprise.
I will provide some screenshots of where you can chop down trees to give yourself new opertunities for hooking heroes.
Trees that have to be chopped down are marked in red.
Position 1:
Then
Position 2:
Then
Position 3:
Then
Position 4:
If you chop this tree, and hook a hero here, they will be trapped and won't be able to run away.
Position 5:
From here you can easily see their secret shop.
First of all, if you're even reading this, I appreciate it greatly.
I really hope you learned something from this guide. Pudge is a very fun hero to play and the feeling of hooking a hero that's about to escape is very rewarding. This is not a definitive or absolute guide on how to play this hero. This guide is a just a collection of my experience throuhout my years of playing DotA.
If you are a newer player, please don't feel bad if your hook accuracy is 4/28. Also, don't pay much attention if a random stranger starts flaming you for missing a hook, or not taking an opertunity to hook. Pudge is one of the hardest heroes to play, and chances are, they don't know how to play him at all. It's very easy to criticize.
This guide was put together and written in about 3 hours, so please feel free to add suggestions to it. Any feedback is greatly appreciated.
I will add replays soon.
Most of the credits go to the site administrators and moderators who keep the site running and up-to-date. A huge chunk of the information was gathered from the Hero section of the site and other parts of the site. Last but not least, without IceFrog, neither this game or this site would be possible, so I'd like to thank him too, for making one of the best games in history.
Until next time...
Mercurial the SpectreAuthor: chulapi
Map Vers.: 6.72f
Alternative Spectre Guide
my illusions will own you!
Last Comment:26/11/2011
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