TERMINATOR LEORIC, THE SKELETON KING
AUTHOR'S NOTE:
THIS GUIDE IS NOT FOR EM GAMES.
THIS GUIDE IS NOT CONCISE. YOU WILL FIND SOME WALLS OF TEXT HERE.
A KEY THING MOST GUIDE READERS DO NOT GET IS THAT SKILL AND ITEM BUILDS ARE FLUID. AND WHY DID I FORGET TO TURN OFF CAPS LOCK ?
Because the game evolved a bit and because CrimsonQueso didn't appear on PlayDotA for 15+ months, I felt I had to make a new guide with a few things to add. Of course a lot of quotes from his guide are so epic that they deserved to be here ; his guide was, and is still in my eyes the best guide on PlayDotA, but it's starting to get outdated and lacks a bit on the technical side. Like for so many other people, he taught me how to play Leoric, and it's my duty to show you how to unlock the full potential the Skeleton King has, to lead you into the untapped ressources making Leoric what he is...the King !
For those who didn't read his guide, his famous quotes are in CAPS LOCK and in white.
But I know that DotA guide readers want some "literature" guides, so here's one :
P.S. : FOR MAXIMUM MANLINESS, SUPPORT THIS IDEA : http://dev.dota2.com/showthread.php?t=14975
Forum version | Guide version
Table of contents
I. Introduction
II. Stats' analysis
III. Skills
IV. Skill Build
V. Starting Items
VI. Core Build
VII. Situational Items
VIII. Luxury Items
IX. Rejected Items
X. Best Allies/Worst Enemies
XI. Game Walkthrough
XII. Replays
XIII. Special Thanks
I. Introduction
THIS IS A GUIDE FOR LEORIC, THAT IS THE MANLIEST HERO IN DOTA THAT DOES NOT HAVE TESTICLES.
In order to save the World Tree/Frozen Throne, IceFrog sends back to the present a reprogrammed T-850 Model 101 TERMINATOR Leoric. Because of the fierceness of battle, human tissue has disappeared, exposing Leoric's hyperalloy combat chassis.
Leoric isn't a glass cannon ; he's an armored-cannon-that-can-stop-bullets-with-his-teeth, so abuse it !
Playing him efficiently needs to ask oneself the following questions :
1) Do I know his skills and stats ?
2) What's my role in the team ?
3) Is picking him a good choice depending on my team's picks and the enemy team's pick ?
4) Can I play correctly with 1 active skill ?
5) Am I reasonably intelligent not to waste my ultimate to a creep ?
6) Am I manly enough to appreciate beef jerky as the greatest food ever invented and gank like no tomorrow and tank if need be ?
After answering those philosophical questions, let's list his pros and cons.
PROS :
- Beefy, durable because of a good Strength growth and a decent starting armor ; you're the TERMINATOR !
- The ultimate that makes you quote Arnold Schwarzenegger
- A low cooldown stun with an additional slow and good damage
- Vampiric Aura for melee heroes and a bit of pushing power
- Good DPS with Critical Strike and the Strength growth
- Among the 104 heroes of DotA, the ONLY HERO WITH 1 ACTIVE SKILL
- Decent starting damage with little variance for easy last hits/denies
- Decent 300 movespeed, as the TERMINATOR isn't hindered by a massive beard and testicles
CONS :
- Needs 280 points of mana after level 6 to be really useful (2 stuns or 1 stun and 1 reincarnation duh !)
- Low starting intelligence
- Average Agility growth, meaning a slight lack of armor mid-late game and an average attack speed, without Marksmanship to make up for it
- Can't orbwalk and doesn't have a 625 range, i.e. is melee
- No beard
II. Stats' Analysis
Here are his raw stats :
* Strength: 22 + 2.9
* Agility: 18 + 1.7
* Intelligence: 13 + 1.6
* Attack Animation: 0.56 / 0.44
* Damage: 54 - 56
* Casting Animation: 0.35 / 0.51
* Armor: 3.52
* Base Attack Time: 1.7
* Movespeed: 300
* Missile Speed: Instant
* Attack Range: 128 (melee)
* Sight Range: 1800 / 800
Strength is the TERMINATOR's main attribute, and because of those values, makes him beefy and quite hard hitting. Agility's starting value and growth gives him an average attack speed ; that problem should be adressed later. The low starting Intelligence means you should spare your mana and not harass with Hellfire Blast, especially if you wasted mana and can't Reincarnate later. Intelligence's growth is decent.
Last hitting shouldn't be a problem with a decent base damage and little variance. Note that the Attack's and Casting's Backswing animations are quite big, so cancel it if you can. To do so, just right-click to move (Preferably towards your enemy if you attack, away from him if you must survive...).
Because of his skills and stats, Leoric can fulfill three roles ; ganker, carry, tank. The first 2 roles are where he works best, while the last role is somewhat situational. So choose your items and adapt your tactics to the role you'll play.
III. Skills
Quote:
Hellfire Blast Leoric launches a sphere of hellfire from the end of his sword, causing his victim to burst into flames. Deals damage and stuns for 2 seconds followed by a 15% slow for 2 seconds. Level 1 - 50 impact damage, 15 dps, stun, 15% slow Level 2 - 100 impact damage, 30 dps, stun, 15% slow Level 3 - 150 impact damage, 40 dps, stun, 15% slow Level 4 - 200 impact damage, 50 dps, stun, 15% slow Casting Range : 525 Damage type: magical Level 1: 140 mana, 8 sec cooldown. Level 2: 140 mana, 8 sec cooldown. Level 3: 140 mana, 8 sec cooldown. Level 4: 140 mana, 8 sec cooldown. Notes • Damage type: magical • Total damage: 80 / 160 / 230 / 300 • (*) 2 seconds stun, then 2 seconds slow and damage |
If you need to evaluate what's a range of 525, here's a visual representation :
Also don't forget to immediately make a right click (animation cancel) just after Hellfire Blast is cast, so you save some time to hit more often the enemy. Same thing for your normal attacks if the enemy is moving.
Quote:
Vampiric Aura Nearby friendly melee units gain hit points when they hit enemy units. Level 1 - Gains 15% of attack damage Level 2 - Gains 20% of attack damage Level 3 - Gains 25% of attack damage Level 4 - Gains 30% of attack damage Area of effect : 900 |
OMFG NO VAMPIRIC AURA? THIS GUIDE IS N00b!!!!
VAMPIRIC AURA EARLY IS LIKE A MAN USING OVERSIZED CONDOMS. NOT ONLY WILL IT PROBABLY NOT DO ITS JOB, IT WILL MAKE YOUR PERFORMANCE WORSE. IT IS DANGEROUS FOR YOU AND YOUR PARTNER AS IT WILL PUSH YOUR CREEPS/STDS CLOSER TO THE ENEMY TOWER/VAGINA.
The other reasons for not leveling it too early is that you need some Stats early game to make up for your deficient starting Intelligence and to get Critical Strike to start dealing damage ; a naked level 6 Leoric has only a manapool of 273 points without bonus Stats. And of course, Lifesteal gets useful when you start dealing damage...
Also note how this skill scales ; a single level is quite good, and additional levels bring small improvements.
Quote:
Critical Strike Gives a chance to do more damage on an attack. Level 1 - 15% chance, 1.25 times normal damage Level 2 - 15% chance, 1.75 times normal damage Level 3 - 15% chance, 2.25 times normal damage Level 4 - 15% chance, 2.75 times normal damage Passive |
Quote:
Reincarnation When killed the Skeleton King will come back to life and slow enemies in a 700 aoe by 30% for 3 seconds. Level 1 - 3 seconds delay, slows enemies' movement speed around him by 30% Level 2 - 3 seconds delay, slows enemies' movement speed around him by 30% Level 3 - 3 seconds delay, slows enemies' movement speed around him by 30% Level 1: 140 mana, 300 sec cooldown. Level 2: 140 mana, 220 sec cooldown. Level 3: 140 mana, 140 sec cooldown. Area of effect : 700 Notes • Will revive even if silenced on death. • Will not revive if Skeleton King does not have required mana. • Will not revive if he dies on unpathable terrain. • If Skeleton King has an Aegis and Reincarnation is cooled down upon death, Reincarnation will trigger first. • Revives with full HP and full mana. |
IV. Skill Build
Skill builds are fluid and should be adapted according to what you're facing, who are your mates and whether you're jungling or not.
Standard laning build :
1. Hellfire Blast
2. Stats
3. Hellfire Blast/Stats
4. Stats/Hellfire Blast
5. Hellfire Blast
6. Reincarnation
7. Hellfire Blast
8. Critical Strike
9. Critical Strike
10. Vampiric Aura/Critical Strike
11. Reincarnation
12. Critical Strike
13. Critical Strike/Vampiric Aura
14. Vampiric Aura
15. Vampiric Aura
16. Reincarnation
17-25. WHATEVER THE FUCK IS LEFT
You max your Hellfire Blast because it improves its damage. Stats are taken at level 2 and 4 because your manapool is otherwise pitiful, and as a side effect, makes you beefier and gives a little more DPS. Get Stats at level 3 if the harassment is heavy. If you've got mates that deal enough burst damage to reliably kill your laning enemies in one combo, just level up 1-2 levels of Hellfire Blast and get Stats or Critical Strike for a beefier/harder hitting Leoric. Note that you can take 1 level of Vampiric Aura at level 10 ; that's because Vampiric Aura saw multiple buffs since 6.64, making it viable to get it a bit earlier for helping regenerating HP. I don't suggest getting it earlier however because you don't deal a lot of damage and you don't want to push too early. An example of utter stupidity would be to take Critical Strike level 1 at level 8 and then skilling up Vampiric Aura level 1 at level 9, as Critical Strike level 1 multiplies your DPS by 1.0375x, a way too small number to be actually noticeable. Consequently, Critical Strike level 2 should always come just after Critical Strike level 1, and no other skill should be leveled between them.
Although not advised (because farming heroes is better than farming neutral creeps), it is possible to jungle with the TERMINATOR.
Jungling build :
1. Vampiric Aura
2. Critical Strike
3. Critical Strike
4. Hellfire Blast/Stats
5. Critical Strike
6. Reincarnation
7. Critical Strike
8-10. WHATEVER YOU THINK IS APPROPRIATE
11. Reincarnation
12-15. WHATEVER YOU THINK IS APPROPRIATE
16. Reincarnation
17-25. WHATEVER THE FUCK IS LEFT
As you can see, this skill build is quite flexible, because after spending the early levels jungling, you have to adapt to the situation. "Basic
V. Starting Items
SOME COMBINATION OF THESE ITEMS
My personal favorite starting items are the following :
Because you have responsible support heroes in your team, use the courier to get the following items after a few minutes of game :
Because you arrived naked from the future, you need some boots ; the STR Power Treads are the boots of choice. It gives you beefiness and DPS and decent mobility. As a side note, abuse from stats manipulation with Power Treads ; if you need to regenerate some HP/mana, put it in Agility to get more from your Tangoes/Salves/Magic Wand/Urn of Shadows. Need mana ? Put Power Treads in Intelligence. Phase Boots isn't a recommended choice ; stats manipulation is very strong, especially on the TERMINATOR, and the Phase ability disables Critical Strike, bashes and True Strike. If you play at DotA, you know why there's a Magic Wand. TP scroll is mandatory for surviving/ganking/farming in a free lane.
WTF AN URN OF SHADOWS ON LEORIC ? YES. Though you can play Leoric without mana regen, I prefer to get some mana to spare, and because you're a Strength hero that is gonna gank like vigoss, a rewards card is welcomed ; after 5 ganks, the next is FREE !
BUT YOU'RE STEALING CHARGES FROM THAT WITCH DOCTOR/SVEN/OTHER URN CARRIER ! YOU WORK IN A TEAM, SO USE YOUR CHARGES ON YOUR MATES/ENEMIES WHEN IT'S NEEDED !
Note that the following items are worthy Urn replacements too :
The Ring of
VI. ARMLET TIER
ASK YOURSELF THIS FIRST:
AM I PLAYING LEORIC?
YES: GET AN ARMLET
NO: GET AN ARMLET
Therefore, this is the
Lacked armor ? Got Armlet.
Lacked DPS ? Got Armlet.
Lacked burst HP ? Got Armlet.
Lacked magic immunity ? Got BKB.
Once you've got your ARMLET TIER items, you are now a real TERMINATOR. If you didn't already gank frequently, start doing it NOW ! Unless
BUT THE NOOB ENEMIES ASK ME TO STOP GANKING/PWNING THEM ! WITH THAT ARMLET ON YOUR RIGHT HAND, RAISE YOUR RIGHT HAND AND TELL THEM TO "TALK TO THE HAND".
VII. Situational Items
VIII. ITEMS AFTER ARMLET TIER
Want the BEST single-target DPS-boosting item for Leoric ? Note that you should get Stygian and/or Assault Cuirass instead of Mjollnir if your team deals massive physical damage. Mjollnir is also good for disabling any Linken's Sphere and dealing some AOE damage. Because the TERMINATOR is extremely manly and fights hand to hand, when a Chain Lightning and a Critical Strike proc at the same time, he gets the effects of BOTH. Don't forget that Static Charge to protect yourself, your main carry or your initiator, especially if it has a BEARD. This item is a must if the enemy team relies on DoTs and/or a carry with Radiance (Static Charge now triggers on DAMAGE...) !
Want an armor reducing strat that turns the armor's metal to liquid metal ? Note that it's not mandatory to get both ; you can let someone else carry one of the items. If you have to get one of the items, I recommend getting Assault Cuirass first, unless your farming skills aren't that great ; the point is that Assault Cuirass grants you the same DPS as Stygian and is more team-beneficial because of all the auras. It's especially a must if you have Gorgon in your team that shoots at 4 heroes at the same time...
Want MOAR AOE damage ? Works best with another IAS boosting item, the best being Mjollnir.
Want the BEST OF THE BEST survivability against physical damage item ? You don't trust me ? READ THIS :
For the DPS side, Butterfly can be superior to Assault Cuirass depending on how much damage you deal and the enemy's armor. Check Malle's wonderful armor reduction/damage amplification, found in EcceLex's Slardar guide if you want to calculate a bit. Of course, if someone else on your team is already wearing an Assault Cuirass, Butterfly IS superior to Assault Cuirass for the DPS.
Note that if no one gets Assault Cuirass, it's better that you get it for the sake of the team.
Another note about Butterfly ; the Talisman of Evasion only costs 1800 gold and already grants you an impressive +25% Evasion. It is not necessary to complete Butterfly immediately, as it "only" grants you an additional +30 damage, +30 Agility, +30 Attack Speed and +5% Evasion. The 4200 gold you've saved can be reinvested somewhere else (Battlefury costs only 4350 gold, Stygian 4400 gold, Maelstrom 2700 gold, etc.).
Want an even better targeting system to take care of an enemy wielding a Butterfly/having a skill that grants Evasion ? Note that the Bash doesn't have problems stacking with your Critical or Chain Lightning.
AM I A BALLER?
DO YOU HAVE REFRESHER ORB?
Why is it a good item on the TERMINATOR ? Because it allows you to come back not only for Judgement Day but also for Rise of the Machines.
There are only 2 downsides for that item ; the first is that it requires a huge manapool ; Hellfire Blast + Refresher + Reincarnate costs 655 mana, or the equivalent of 51 points of Intelligence, something Leoric gets at level 20 or a bit earlier with the appropriate items/more Stats in the skill build. The other problem is if you are the lone survivor in a teamfight, and the enemy team still has 2-3 heroes, reincarnating another time won't necessarily bring you victory.
In my opinion, it's better to kill fast ; the TERMINATOR doesn't want to star in a 4-hour movie !
I GOT A DIVINE RAPIER AFTER MY REFRESHER ORB
YOU ARE NOW BALLING OUT OF CONTROL
If your teammates know what they do, you don't need Refresher Orb to carry Divine Rapier. Divine Rapier (or TERMINATOR's legendary shotgun as it should be called here) works best with IAS-boosting items and/or Battlefury. HERE'S AN EXAMPLE OF HOW YOU SHOULD BE BALLING OF CONTROL :
Need more muscle for the title of Mr. Olympia or for Pumping Iron ?
The TERMINATOR has acquired his Harley Davidson to gank across all the map and/or make that crucial teleportation to defend his base/erase the enemy base.
BUT I NEED ADDITIONAL ADVICE FOR DPS !
IX. Rejected Items
EVERYTHING ELSE !
X. Best Allies/Worst Enemies
Best Allies
Here is a complete list of heroes that get better when Leoric is on their team :
More precisely, you want these kinds of heroes :
Chain Stunners/Disablers
Note that Demon Witch and Shadow Shaman have 2 disables by themselves, and Tinker is here because of the Rearm-Guinsoo trick ; his burst damage is also very good.
With the first 3 heroes, use "The Power of Friendship". It's super effective !! :
Initiators
Self-explanatory.
DPS amplifiers
Your DPS gets, well, AMPLIFIED.
Carries
Which carry doesn't appreciate your Hellfire Blast ?
Worst Enemies
Although you are the manliest hero in DotA without testicles, you have to fear some enemies :
Mana Nazis (THEY ARE FAGS)
Do I even need to explain why ?
Chain Stunners/Disablers
About any hero has problems if these guys come to gank you before you gank them.
Lane Dominators
Lane Dominators will give you a hard time last hitting creeps.
Evasion
Though you can still Hellfire Blast them, Evasion fucks up your DPS capability.
Mr. Freeze
In this universe, there's only one absolute ... everything freezes ! Yes, against his ultimate, your HP is frozen and can only drop to the absolute zero. TERMINATE him with extreme prejudice before he can have a (Ice) Blast freezing you. If needed, use Orchid on him ; you don't want to hear in tonight's forecast...a freeze is coming !
Percentage-based damage
They don't care that you're beefy.
XI. Game Walkthrough
Early game, choose whether you want to lane or jungle.
If you choose to lane, go on a sidelane with a mate ; if and only if you are RageCore, you can solo mid with Leoric ! Your mate must be either ranged or have a disable. If you want to be really wicked, use the "Power of Trilane" to chainstun and try to grab that First Blood. Otherwise, try to grab some last hits on the creeps so you can farm a bit (but don't overexpose yourself to enemy harassing...), and as soon as an occasion presents itself, stun and attack that low-HP enemy if you think you can kill him.
If you go jungling, use that guide to jungle properly, and if your mates need you, go help them.
When you hit the mid-game, you've got to gank whenever it's possible, especially when you get that Armlet. Don't roam 100% of the time however, as a little farm will help you, and indirectly, your mates greatly.
Thanks to an analysis of the T-850's microchips, his killing function is as follows :
Code:
% terminator.m
%
% author : skynet/icefrog
% Note : Program can crash if terminator_alive==false
while (enemy_alive_presence==true)
lock(appropriate_enemy);
activate(armlet);
if(BKB_on_cooldown==false)
activate(BKB);
else
complain(balance_forums, 'BKB cooldown too great');
end
hellfire_blast(appropriate_enemy);
start(time_counter);
while (time_counter < 8s)
right_click(appropriate_enemy);
if((appropriate_enemy_HP < 150) && (urn_on_cooldown == false))
urn_of_shadows(appropriate_enemy);
end
end
reset(time_counter);
break ;
end
if (enemy_alive_presence==false)
deactivate(armlet);
shout(All_channel, 'YOU ARE TERMINATED !');
YOU ARE A DEFECTIVE T-850 THAT WILL BE TERMINATED !
As you can see, the killing procedure isn't particularly difficult. You might however use the function terminator_reincarnate if (HP==0 && reincarnate_on_cooldown==false). That killing procedure is the same whether you gank a lone enemy or start a big teamclash. In case of a team clash, just go behind your initiator.
Note that you can use Urn of Shadows before the enemy's HP is below 150 if you're pretty confident you can kill him with the Soul Release.
For your viewing pleasure, here's an example of the killing function :
No enemy should be left alive, for you are the GOVERNATOR of the Great State of
Late game, try to serve as a 2nd carry for your team ; if the enemy team focuses your carry, use the killing function and stab them hard. Otherwise, apply that same killing function and hope your carry does its job before terminator_alive==false.
XII. Replays
Here are a couple of replays showing competitive players TERMINATING their enemies :
[Match] ADC '10 JnP vs Nirvana.CN
Dota Pride: Fear vs Pajkatt
Note that Nv.Cherry.Dgp strangely bought 2 Gloves of Haste early game ; if you make a quick computation, it was the best option for boosting Leoric's DPS for a low price, as he spent the early levels jungling. He also made some epic Armlet juking.
But here's another replay showing all the flexibility the TERMINATOR can deliver : http://www.playdota.com/forums/509164/terminator/
In this replay, you'll find me (I'll let you guess who I was...) and 3 of my mates playing a casual game against some n00bs in a regional LAN-party in our area. The picks seemed, in my opinion, to be more in favor of the Scourge, although our team had the advantage in teamfights thanks to the AOE fest we could dish out, especially late game. Before you criticize the Leoric player for some failed last hits/misclicks/lack of coordination, you have to know that he had an insomnia before the LAN-party, and as it was in the middle of it, at the time he played, he didn't sleep for 60-72 hours, but managed to hold his own and TERMINATE the enemy, because he is a MACHINE !
The Zeus in Sentinel isn't a member of our team, which explains his utter lack of map awareness, retarded item build (RoB at start, no bottle while being mid and where's that Guinsoo our team needed so badly ??) and super triple KS at the end of the game.
The replay shouldn't be watched if you're looking for a close game ; we knew we were facing n00bs, yet they managed to beat us, twice, in previous games with utterly stupid pushing strats, so we were desperate and used the "Power of
Indeed, even without testicles, the TERMINATOR is full of TESTOSTALLONE and should take the calculated and necessary risks to win the game ! Though you're free of tatoos and you don't play with knives (You play with a GIANT sword though !), your lives, for a good reason, are sometimes called...THE EXPENDABLES !
Throughout the game, so many towers/buildings fell to the TERMINATOR that he should be nicknamed DEMOLITION MAN, and because of serving so well his team, was so popular that a 61st Amendment was voted !
XIII. Special Thanks
I thank the following people for their direct/indirect help in writing that guide :
- CrimsonQueso for the legendary Leoric guide that made me laugh for days.
- Zotmaster for showing me the power of the BEARD, and of course a few jokes
- Kaedy for the boots' guide
- Luminous48 for the choke point jungling guide
- Vault Dweller and antiweltteilchen for Hellfire Blast's speed
- EebstertheGreat for detailing the Phase mechanics
- nix for the complete Linken's Sphere guide
- No0b.1337 for the T2 and T3 commentary, the addition of Tinker and wanting my guide so bad !
- Thisisbob for the MS paint work of art
- RageCore for the Rise of the noobs series
- My PhD ("Piled higher and Deeper") friend Stephen for initiating me to DotA years and years ago
- Another of my "Piled higher and Deeper" friends, Pandre (Yes, it's his username since he entered the world of academia and it sounds like the verb "hang" in French, so he's quite suicidary. :P) for double checking the armor value over which getting Butterfly is better than Assault Cuirass. It's also his idea to get the Orb of Venom.
- EcceLex and Malle for the relation between armor and damage
- Playdota's Orb Effect Stacking page of course
- Playdota's Damage and Armor page
- Playdota's Cleave page
- safetybreak for the facts about vigoss
- Nv.Cherry.Dgp and -_-PlaymatE for providing the replays
- Eul, Guinsoo and IceFrog for having developped/developping DotA
- All the n00bs I pwned in my replay
- PlayDotA's staff for giving me a beta key rewarding my "quality contribution to the PlayDota Community Hero Guides."
- Myself for watching the TERMINATOR series and a few more Arnold movies, for my basic mathematical analysis skills and for my epic graphics tablet drawing skills ! :P
HASTA LA VISTA ! (FOR OUR GERMANIC READERS : AUF WIEDERSEHEN !)
King Leoric the Skeleton KingAuthor: Kenshiro
Map Vers.: 6.72f
THE TERMINATOR
THE TERMINATOR
Last Comment:25/05/2012
Total Votes: 30
Current Rating: 8.20
Views: 66170
