As a n00b - 2 things i don't get yet

i'm about 5 matches in and i don't quite get:

1. how to use carriers
2. how to craft items (if possible)

little help?

thanks.

-o

1. Carries need to get lots of gold to buy items by last hitting creeps, as they level up they get very strong and can "carry" the game.

2. If you drag n drop (left click and release) items from the list into the window at the bottom of the shop they'll show you what you can combine them with to make bigger items.

1. You mean, how to play carries? If yes, carries need a lot of gold in order to get good items to be effective. Their role is to deal a lot of damage and 'carry' the game to the win.
If you're talking about the courier carrying the items, there a button in the right bottom of the screen of a backpack, which will command the courier to pick up your items from the base and bring them to you.

2. There are simple items and items build from more items. All you have to do is buy all the components of the item, for example, for Butterfly you'll have to get the Quarterstaff, Eaglesong and the Talisman of Evasion. Some items require recipes though, recipes give no bonus, they are just needed to finish the final item.

Do you mean Animal Couriers, if so then in order to have one bring you items, you must...

Step 1)Buy the items you want delivering, so they appear in your Stash (this will appear above your inventory)

Step 2)Press the Arrow Icon next to the little icon that looks like a Donkey's face

Step 3) The Arrow Icon will change into a picture of your Hero (if there is a picture of someone else's hero, then they are currently using the Coureir and you will have to wait your turn)

Step 4)The Courier will deliver All the items in your stash to you, so make sure that when it gets near you, you are well away from any enemies as they can kill the courier (this will make your team very angry)

Step 5)If you don't have enough Inventory spaces for all the items being delivered (bear in mind that some items will combine), the courier will return to base, but keep hold of the spare items, these can be delivered to you by presssing the arrow button again


If you mean, make your own items, then sadly no, it isn't possible. Otherwise see the above posts.

got it guys.. thanks..

Quick heads up for couriers and hotkeys. F1 targets your Hero. F2 Targets the Courier. F3 auto instructs the courier to retrieve your items and bring them to you. F4 opens the (regular) store window from anywhere on the map, unless you have the courier targeted and its at the secret or side stores.

Carries: Often times (I am still pretty new so take it for what it's worth) I have found that carries who are slower to start (Phantom Assassin and maybe Spectre are good examples) are better at the end / late game, if they have had the proper support and are relatively efficient at farming. Where as the carries who are a bit quicker to start (Drow and Templar Assassin are good examples) tend to peak at mid game. Bottom line, carries are the bread and butter of your late game and need proper support to be able to bloom into the monsters they are designed to be.

Upgrading Items: This can come in a couple different forms. You have items that need recipes, which most really good items will and then you have items that are auto upgraded when you buy items in a certain order. A prime example of this is Power Treads; an item like this would be "Hood of Defiance" which once you buy Ring of Regen (x2), Cloak and Ring of Health.. the Hood of Defiance will automatically appear in your inventory and any of the other items you had will be gone. This means you need to be careful with which items you choose to buy in the early game. Now for recipe's, I will use the Hood of Defiance again, as that can be upgraded into the "Pipe of Insight" by simply buying the "Headdress" and the Recipe for the Pipe.

Pros of Upgrading: Potential to lose less gold. You use up gold as you earn it and hence each death can potentially set you back less. Items give you small boosts while you wait to finalize your end item, which can give you a slight boost early game.

Cons of Upgrading: Can potentially use up a LOT of inventory space.. so much that you may (at times) not have space for essentials like TP scrolls or health/mana regen items. You can potentially cause problems with the courier being overused if you are always having it deliver items to you.. while making great use of the courier is a good thing, you can potentially take the couriers attention from a teammate who needs an item delivered more than you (so this is more about improved situational awareness).

So those are my thoughts on these.. I hope what I wrote is useful :)