Analyzing competitive plays with Doom (+ Jungle Guide!), by Peppo_o'Paccio

Introduction

Doom is a powerful STR carry that usually takes the role of ganker or mid-game carry in competitive games: his ultimate, Doom, is one of the best counters to everyone and, particularly, those carries or gankers that are difficult to deal with ( Weaver, Puck, Timbersaw, Huskar...). His low armor make him one of the less survivable STR Heroes, but his farming capabilities and high damage and movement speed make him able to dominate the mid game. People pick him because he's versatile: you can build him in many different ways from utility to ganker - much like Elder Titan or Tusk - and he can be played in a wide variety of roles: safe lane carry, mid or even jungle. His high STR gain make him a vaild candidate to no- Heart of Tarrasque builds, especially because armor (which is always better than HP after reaching ~2200HP) is so important on him.

Pros and Cons

Pros High base gamage Good mid-game carry Good initiator and chaser His ultimte counters everyone Can heal himself Can fill various roles Can use the abilities of neutral creeps Can farm more quickly than the other Heroes

Cons Can easily be outcarried Very low mana pool Very serious problems with armor

Abilities

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Devour is what makes Doom a quick farmer and an unpredictable enemy: different jungle creeps give you different skills after devouring them. If you're wondering what are the best neutrals to eat, take a look at the chapter below. You need to max out this skill as soon as possible for two reasons: the lower mana cost which, given your tiny mana pool, is a very good upgrade; and the lower cooldown time which makes you able to use it more and more often. The gold increase is also a good way to improve your income. This skill, combined with Scorched Earth, makes this Hero able to jungle from level 1.

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Scorched Earth is a really strong steroid for the mid game: extra healing, damage to nearby enemies and extra movement speed. Versus a lone enemy, this and your ultimate should be enough to get a kill. You want to max this second because you'll be ganking or teamfighting a lot after level 7-8: for this reason, you want max points in your main chasing tool and damage steroid. In the late game the extra damage isn't much (unless you stack it with a Radiance, but it's still not worth it most of the time), but the heal and movement speed are still noticeable especially with an Armlet of Mordiggian. Even though it doesn't scale so well, it's useful throughout the whole game. The bonus heal and damage are very good for pushing and jungling purposes: 480 HP in 16 seconds isn't bad at all. Remember that you can use Scorched Earth as an escape mechanism, too: extra movement speed and heal, paired with damage to the enemies that follow you, should discourage your chasers unless they're more farmed or in a numbers advantage.

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This skill is often overlooked since the level multiplier is something really situational, but it actually deals the same damage as many AoE nukes. Some players tried to max it out first: while I don't think it's necessarily a bad idea, leaving Devour at level 1 reduces your farming capabilities. This is not always a bad thing (just think about Alchemist's Greevil's Greed that gets skilled after Unstable Concoction, usually), but the main problem with it is the mana. Doom has such a low mana pool he doesn't really benefit from an extra skill before reaching a good level or getting some items, like Earthshaker. This skill is really good for interrupting channeling spells and TP Scrolls or dealing the killing blow, but you don't want to rely on it for your ganks since your ultimate already deals a lot of damage over time. The multiplier adds 20% of the enemy's max HP as bonus damage, but remember it gets mitigated by magic resistance: don't use it too early even on enemies with the right level, unless you can't reach melee range at all.

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Doom is between the top 3 single target ultimates in the game: 15 seconds of complete silence (for both items and skills) and damage over time. Yes, fifteen seconds. Always have enough mana to throw it when you need to teamfight: consider buying a Shiva's Guard or Vladmir's Offering if your mana is always low. When teamfighting always aim for the most dangerous enemy (preferably some squishy Hero), whether they're storng teamfighters or slippery carries: you can improve your initiation with a Blink Dagger or a Shadow Blade, so that you don't get caught too early. Never, never waste your Doom on an enemy you're surely going to kill! If you group up as five and catch an enemy off guard he will eventually die; don't waste one of the best ultimates in the game for it. It also has a 100 second cooldown: a smart enemy will always take advantage of it and force teamfights.

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Neutral abilities

This chapter is divided in two sections: one related to jungle and one related to teamfights and late game. The two different explanations are split by a line.

When jungling, the Wildwings are your best friends. The Thoughness Aura, since your armor is low until you get the right items, will be really useful in the jungling phase. Then there's the Tornado, which is able to clear stacked camps in a matter of seconds. "OH MY GOD THIS MEANS I HAVE TO STACK CAMPS AND THEN KILL THEM WITH A TORNADO, RIGHT?" No, not at all. Let your supports stack the camps if they want to (but it's not necessary), because wasting time getting stacks is not beneficial for your easly jungling phase as you won't have enough mana to use the Tornado early on. But after you get a Hand of Midas, things are easier and you can do that. Oh, mud golems are really annoying when you're stacking camps because they don't die to the tornado. After the laning phase, Wildwings aren't very useful. Okay, they have an aura, but you'd better take the one of the big Satyr or Alpha Wolf in this case. Still, the extra armor is decent for when you still have to build a Shiva's or Cuirass

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The Unholy Aura is even better than the aura from the Wildwings: 4HP/s is a lot, almost like a free Ring of Health (which is enough to jungle with Heroes like Axe). You also have an AoE nuke, but I discourage using it when jungling as Doom's mana is always low and he really needs it to use his other two skills. After the laning/jungling phase, the Satyr is mainly useful for his aura that works as good as the Mekansm aura (with which should stack, doubling its effect). The nuke shouldn't be that big of a problem for enemies anymore, but it's pretty good for level 1 first blood attempts thanks to its big range.

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Centaurs are probably the most common choice for early jungling since you find them in both medium and hard camps. But still, the extra movement speed from the Swiftness Aura, even if it speeds up your jungling by a bit, is not good at all early on; not as nice as the defensive auras above or the damage steroid below for sure. Don't even try using War Stomp in the jungle. Just don't. In teamfights, the War Stomp is as good as an initiation spell: 2 seconds of AoE stun is nothing to laugh at, especially if you have a Blink Dagger or Shadow Blade. The aura is decent late game, but it's outclassed by the Satyr's and the Alpha Wolf's. Consider getting another creep if you don't have enough mana or initiation tools to use the Stomp.

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Wolves are way better than Centaurs for getting more damage: not only they grant you critical strikes, the Packleader's Aura also improves your damage (and the damage of your allies) by 30%! It isn't much when jungling, but it makes this creep a very good candidate for the late game. Don't bother eating an Alpha Wolf before getting at least a second level of Scorched Earth and the Gloves of Haste, since big neutrals are still a nuisance even with the extra damage. The late game is when the aura shines: 30% more damage is two times better than the damage bonus of Vladmir's Offering! The crit chance is also a free damage steroid that goes well with your Scorched Earth: you don't have to buy a Daedalus if you already have an Alpha Wolf in your stomach.

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Trolls are your best friends. Eat a big troll, get the smaller ones and use the Raise Dead ability: it costs 50 mana, but it's still a good trade-off since you're trading the extra regen and damage from Scorched Earth with two meatshields that deal a bit of damage. Before reaching level 4, they will be your best friends for sure. As for the Centaurs, don't bother using Ensnare on creeps. Late game-wise this skill is not useful, but it really does its job if you plan on ganking: pair the Ensnare with Shadow Blade and Doom to ensure any gank. The Raise Dead ability becomes useless, but it still gives you some extra defenses when pushing I guess.

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Don't use this ability for jungling purposes: 100 mana is more than you can afford. If you really want to, wait until you have to return to base or your mana is 200+. The Thunder Clap is also pretty useless in fights (outclassed by the War Stomp that also comes with the Swiftness Aura), but it's still a decent substitute since it trades stun with damage. The movement speed slow and damage are minimal, but they're still something. On the other side, this skill is what wins early ganks and makes first bloods: it's also a decent tool for slowing down an enemy you're ganking.

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As for the Alpha Wolves you shouldn't eat Ogres, but eating the blue one is actually terrific for your jungling phase: 8 extra armor (in comparison to the 3 extra armor from the Thoughness Aura), movement and attack speed slow much like Lich's omonymous spell and 40 mana cost. I'd say it's worth it after you get a Ring of Basilius: since it lasts 45 seconds, you can trade a Scorched Earth for an armor buff. This creep is super useful when fighting Roshan: the attack speed slow affects him and the extra armor always comes in handy when fighting in his lair; you can potentially solo Roshan with Scorched Earth and the Ice Armor. In teamfights, it's a good ability but, as the mana cost is too much, I still think the Packleader's Aura is better.

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Hill Trolls are another very good choice for jungling, maybe even the best one, but since you find them in the small camp you'll probably never eat one. Still, if you're lucky and your supports pull a Hill Troll camp when your Devour is off cooldown, take advantage of it and eat the Priest. Not only the Hill Trolls grant you a spammable Heal that cost 5 mana, they also give you a way to sustain it with the Mana Aura: 2 extra mana regen, compared to the 0.65 extra regen from the Ring of Basilius, is huge. And remember that you can heal your teammates and they get the extra +2mana/s too! Late-game wise this is one of the worst auras. Try not to go into teamfights without a better aura since 2mana/s is nice but not quite as much as the auras above. You won't need it to jungle after you build some damage or survivability either.

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The aura from the Kobolds might not seem much and, in fact, is pretty useless when jungling. Considering you also have to waste a Devour on a small creep and you have to reach a pretty far camp which your support might be using, it's not worth it at all. In the mid game 12% extra movement speed, especially with Phase Boots and Drum of Endurance, makes you reach a very high speed: a Yasha gives less movement speed and still has a lot of impact with Phase and Drums. I think you should consider this if you have a big advantage, much like Vladmir's Offering. It's also a decent aura if you want to gank early on: if at least one of your teammates has a lockdown, being able to run faster than the enemy will probably ensure the kill.

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The little Satyr is useless for your jungling phase, so don't waste time eating it before you can get your core and a bigger mana pool. On the other side, even though his Purge costs 120 mana it's rarely useless: not only it's one of the cheapest counters to Warlock's Golems and most of Omniknight's spells, it also makes abilities like Insatiable Hunger and Enrage completely useless. You can also use it on your allies and remove Track, Amplify Damage, Dust of Appearance and any Hex ability. Like the Diffusal Blade, it slows enemies: its range is way inferior to the one of the item (getting close to enemies shouldn't be a problem though), but the slow lasts one second more and it has a lower cooldown. If you have enough mana to sustain it, consider substituting your Ensnare with this.

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As above, don't use this skill for jungling: don't eat a Harpie unless you have to go back to base and the small camp is between you and the base. In the ganking phase this skill is actually the best nuke you can get on Doom: low mana cost, really low cooldown and 140 damage from a huge range (900!); perfect for ganking if your team already has a setup. Just two hits (for as much mana as a Thunder Clap) deal the average damage of a level 4 nuke, and I'm not even considering the jumps on the enemies around your target!

Items Explanation: Utility Doom

While Doom's scaling into late game is okay, the mid game is when he shines: if you focus on utility items and stick to teamfights, since your damage is already high thanks to Scorched Earth you'll be able to put pressure on the enemy team while giving auras to your teammates. Don't underestimate Doom's damage early on, he hits pretty hard.

Starting items

First off, choose either the Stout Shield or the Ring of Protection depending on your situation: if you're mid or versus an aggressive dual/trilane you'll need the shield; if you're in the safe lane and you can trust your support partner(s), start with the Ring. Take an extra Branch if you start with it. A Tango and a Healing Salve are the usual regeneration items you get on any Hero: early points in Scorched Earth aren't enough to justify the absence of a Salve since your mana will most likely be too low when you need it. Two or three Iron Branches give some stats and, as always, are the best way to fill the empty gaps in your inventory early on. Since Doom usually doesn't build a full Wand, feel free to sell them unless you're making a Mekansm.

Mid game items

If you're mid, always remember to rush a Bottle: the regeneration it gives is very useful for your early game and ganking phase; taking runes is also a good way to ensure ganks. I really like rushing a Ring of Basilius on a lot of Heroes, especially ranged ones, but since Doom needs both armor and mana this is a perfect item for his early game. Keep the ring turned off in the laning phase or you'll push the lane: doing so makes you unable to farm well and gives free farm to the enemies under their tower. Now, choose your boots: Phase Boots are preferred if you want to play more of a ganker role but are still acceptable for the utility build because you'll be so fast with Scorched Earth activated; Arcane Boots are generally better if you want to focus more on the abilities of the devoured creeps (especially Centaurs and Trolls) and your team needs extra mana. In some ways, they're even better at chasing since you can trap, slow or stun the enemies with the creep abilities. A Magic Stick is kind of a situational choice, but since Doom really needs sustainability for his skills getting charges is the best way to obtain burst mana. I rarely upgrade it because Doom needs inventory slots, but feel free to do so if you're underfarmed.

Defensive Options

This is no doubt the most used item on a safe lane Doom in competitive games: as you need 150 mana to activate it, most of the time you want to buy Arcane Boots before it. Even though it makes you even weaker in some ways (since it tends to deplete your mana), the extra armor it provides makes you much more survivable in the early game; having a 15 minute Mekansm is also a very good way to force early fights and get towers.

A no-brainer when you want to play a mid-game carry: extra stats mean so much for Doom (especially the extra mana), plus the extra movement speed stacks with your Scorched Earth. The extra attack speed makes up for the lack of Power Treads and synergizes well with any STR carry (since they don't usually get attack speed from items), plus the active ability makes you even more useful in teamfights.

The Blade Mail is, most of the time, a situational choice: I have to say, the INT and damage increase are very useful (especially for an early game item), but the previous items give much more to your teammates. Still, its active coupled with Scorched Earth makes you a really strong tank and is deadly for low-HP Heroes: consider buying this versus squishy nukers like Queen of Pain or burst damage Heroes such as Troll Warlord and Ursa.

Offensive Options

This should always be your favourite item: if you can't initiate with a Blink Dagger or Shadow Blade because you fear you might get killed, be a man and walk between your enemies with an activated Black King Bar! Especially on STR Heroes - because the extra strength translates into extra damage - you have to consider this an offensive item: don't just buy it for the extra HP or invulnerability, buy it for the damage, too.

If you have enough mana to combine it with creep abilities, a Blink Dagger can lead to very effective surprise initiations: a Centaur's stomp that gets three enemies makes the others panic; add a Doom on the strongest one and you'll start winning fights and getting towers over and over. You can also use it as an escape mechanism if your reflexes are good enough.

For the Heaven's Halberd, follow the same thing I said about the BKB: don't just think about it defensively because of the extra HP, disarm and evasion (which are still a ton of things from a single item), remember also that you get extra damage - both from STR and from raw damage - and, most of all, a Maim ability that makes you able to chase with your Scorched Earth even better. Consider buying this versus very strong or fed carries that don't have a BKB or have a low-cooldown one; using it on a Lifestealer after his Rage is also a very good way to counter him.

Armor and Mana

Shiva's is the item that suits best on a utility Doom: the extra armor speaks for itself and the mana pool increase is a really good way to start using your skills more often (especially if you ate a Troll or Centaur). The active ability and aura are, again, strong teamfight abilities that make you even more fearful; you can also clear creep waves with it as it has such a low cooldown.

This item is sometimes outclassed by Shiva's Guard, but it brings more to the table if your team has more than a core Hero (basically, if you aren't the only farm-dependent Hero): extra attack speed and armor for your team plus armor reduction to enemy Heroes and buildings mean faster pushes and better teamfights. And, as Doom is very armor-dependent, this is one of the strongest mid-late game choices.

Vlad's gives less armor than the previous items, but makes up for it with extra lifesteal to all the melee Heroes in your team: always buy one if you're planning to fight Roshan consistently and/or there are many melees in your team. You should still buy one of the previous items if you need to make something happen in teamfights, as Vladmir's Offering is better used to enlarge the gap between your team's gold and experience and the enemies'.

Items Explanation: Ganking Doom

Taking advantage of Doom's ultimate and high base damage, you can focus on a quick Shadow Blade and go to gank enemies with a small HP pool (especially carries or counterpushers). The damage given by this item will be enough until the later stages of the game, so you can focus on defensive items or armor getting more and more advantage in teamfights.

Starting items

The starting items are the same as above for a simple reason: you don't know what build you'll use until you see how the game goes; you don't want to take a Shadow Blade before your teammates say no-one is building a Mekansm or get extra defenses when you need to shut down a Weaver. As said before, get either the Stout Shield or the Ring of Protection: if you go for the ring, buy a third Iron Branch.

Mid game items

If you're mid always rush that Bottle: you can't just forget about rune control and the regen you get from it is really noticeable, especially for Heroes like Doom that have a small mana pool. Buy a Ring of Basilius only if you already have a Ring of Protection (as you can get the Sage's Mask from the side shop); keep it turned off during the laning phase or you'll push the lane losing gold and experience. Phase Boots are your boots of choice here: 350 mana is enough to land your full combo in the mid game and, since Doom has more than 450 mana at level 11 with no items, you'll have no problems throwing all your spells without Arcane Boots; moreover, the extra chasing power will be really worth it. Again, the Magic Stick is almost situational but it's always worth buying one. 200 gold for an item that gives burst mana and HP (150 mana with 10 charges, enough to cast a level 2 Doom!) - 100 if you sell it later - is one of the best deals you can get. You shouldn't upgrade it since you'll probably sell it soon: Doom really needs inventory slots for his items and tends to fill them pretty quickly. Now, you can finally buy your Shadow Blade: I suggest to start from the Claymore since extra damage is better than extra attack speed while chasing and it can make a difference in the early game; none of the items is purchasable from the side shop, so you have to buy them with your courier anyway.

Defensive Options

A no-brainer when you want to play a mid-game carry: extra stats mean so much for Doom (especially the extra mana), plus the extra movement speed stacks with your Scorched Earth. The extra attack speed makes up for the lack of Power Treads and synergizes well with any STR carry (since they don't usually get attack speed from items), plus the active ability makes you even more useful in teamfights.

The Blade Mail is, most of the time, a situational choice: I have to say, the INT and damage increase are very useful (especially for an early game item), but the previous items give much more to your teammates. Still, its active coupled with Scorched Earth makes you a really strong tank and is deadly for low-HP Heroes: consider buying this versus squishy nukers like Queen of Pain or burst damage Heroes such as Troll Warlord and Ursa.

Vlad's is one of the best late-game items because it costs a mere 2050 gold, is made from cheap components and gives a very strong aura: unlike the Drum of Endurance or Blade Mail, you can keep it even if the game gets very long (like, 50+ minutes). Don't get a Vladmir's Offering if one of your teammate already has one because they don't stack; but aside from it you can buy one anytime. Take advantage of the lifesteal aura and get Roshan with your teammates as many times as possible.

This is a very underrated item, especially on Doom: the extra intelligence - as much as the one from a Mystic Staff - makes Doom's mana pool huge; the extra HP will also help when building armor. But most of all, what you're looking for is the slow: its cooldown is really low (12 seconds) and works wonders in ganks; you can also pseudo-trap an enemy with a Doom + Rod of Atos combo and focus him before the slow ends. Remember to always use its active in teamfights, even more than once in the same fight.

In the other chapter we talked about how useful this item is for offensive purposes; now we'll talk about the defensive ones, too: you obviously get magic immunity and extra HP from it, but it's also useful for making the enemies waste their spells. If you're quick enough, you can activate it after you get targeted by a Storm Hammer, Magic Missile or Unstable Concoction and turn the fight in your favor! The only downside about this item is that it doesn't give mana, so you'd better buy a Shiva's before it.

Armor

Shiva's is the item that suits best on a Doom when he has no items that give extra mana: the extra armor speaks for itself and the mana pool increase is a really good way to start using your skills more often (especially if you ate a Troll or Centaur). The active ability and aura are, again, strong teamfight abilities that make you even more fearful; you can also clear creep waves with it as it has such a low cooldown.

This item is sometimes outclassed by Shiva's Guard, but it brings more to the table if your team has more than a core Hero (basically, if you aren't the only farm-dependent Hero): extra attack speed and armor for your team plus armor reduction to enemy Heroes and buildings mean faster pushes and better teamfights. And, as Doom is very armor-dependent, this is one of the strongest mid-late game choices.

Items Explanation: Hard Carry Doom

As said in the "Build 4" it's an outdated build, but if your team has no hard carry (and has gankers and Mekansm holders), head to the safe lane and start farming your Radiance. You might want to get a survivability item first: many players used to get a Vanguard but, since it doesn't give you more mana, I think the Drum of Endurance - which also gives you some mid-game presence - is a more suitable choice; it also costs less. Now, as Devour should speed up your farm, you should be able to get that Radiance at a reasonable amount of time and get a quick Black King Bar in the jungle, after which you can start winning teamfights. Don't be afraid to teleport and gank/teamfight somewhere when you're building your core, as Doom can recover from losses pretty fast and victories make your attempts really worth it.

Starting items

I think getting a Ring of Basilius is less useful when playing hard carry: you want to save as much gold as possible, getting a 500 gold item - even though it's cost-efficient for Doom - is like buying a second Bracer for your Drum of Endurance. So, I think getting Stout Shield, regen and two Iron Branches is the way to go.

Item Progression

I still consider Phase Boots as the best boots for Doom because this Hero is, like Razor, one of the best chasers in the game and should always take advantage of it. Someone might argue Power Treads are better for the carry build, and I really think Tread switching and extra attack speed are surprisingly useful on STR carries, but the Drum of Endurance usually makes up for the lack of attack speed and stats. It depends on your playing style though: take the Boots that suit you best. Again, the Magic Stick is still here: I know, 200 gold still delays your Radiance, but the burst HP and mana - unlike the Ring of Basilius - will eventually save your life (or make a gank happen). If you sell it later your gold spent would be 100: an extra Devour can't delay your core by that much. Now, your pre-core item: I chose to put here the Drum of Endurance as it's easy to build (cheap items, low overall cost) and gives many benefits making you able to survive throughout the laning phase and even gank other lanes, sometimes. Unlike an Anti-Mage that's farming his Battle Fury, don't be afraid to leave your lane and use your Doom on someone you want to gank.

Core Options

The armlet is one of the most common items on STR carries: more attack speed that, as I said, is really important on STR Heroes; more armor, HP regen and damage. Consider also that it's a very cost-efficient item. Consider buying a Vladmir's Offering after your BKB for two reasons: you already have some extra armor from the Armlet and don't need the one from Shiva's or AC that much, and the lifesteal is complementary to the Unholy Rage. On the other side, since you already have Scorched Earth don't be afraid to get a Shiva's if your mana is always low and you need something to win teamfights. There are other Heroes like Chaos Knight and Slardar that don't always build lifesteal with an Armlet, so it's a pretty common thing.

Finally, you can start saving gold for your Radiance: the damage it gives is huge, but the aura is worth it only if you can rush it before 30 minutes; if you're really behind in levels and farm, change build. But still, since the aura stacks with your Scorched Earth, you'll be able to chase enemies and prevent initiators from Blinking in (the Radiance aura disables Blink Daggers). Remember also that it's a really good farming item, so getting your BKB after it should be really easy (~7 minutes, I daresay). This means you might end up selling your Radiance if you're already six-slotted (50-60+ minutes, usually), so keep that in mind.

Post-Core Item

This should always be your favourite item: as you can't initiate with a Blink Dagger or Shadow Blade because you need to get more and more carry items, be a man and walk between your enemies with an activated Black King Bar! Especially on STR Heroes - because the extra strength translates into extra damage - you have to consider this an offensive item: don't just buy it for the extra HP or invulnerability, buy it for the damage, too.

Armor and Mana

Shiva's is the item that suits best on a utility Doom: the extra armor speaks for itself and the mana pool increase is a really good way to start using your skills more often (especially if you ate a Troll or Centaur). The active ability and aura are, again, strong teamfight abilities that make you even more fearful; you can also clear creep waves with it as it has such a low cooldown.

This item is sometimes outclassed by Shiva's Guard, but it brings more to the table when playing carry Doom: extra attack speed and armor for your team plus armor reduction to enemy Heroes and buildings mean faster pushes and better teamfights. And, as Doom is very armor-dependent, this is one of the strongest mid-late game choices.

Vlad's gives less armor than the previous items, but makes up for it with extra lifesteal to all the melee Heroes in your team: always buy one if you're planning to fight Roshan consistently and/or there are many melees in your team. You should still buy one of the previous items if you need to make something happen in teamfights, as Vladmir's Offering is better used to enlarge the gap between your team's gold and experience and the enemies'.

Late Game Items

Simply the best item to get after the Assault Cuirass. As Doom has no lockdown besides his ultimate (which still doesn't prevent your enemy from attacking), having a stun-piercing single target disable never hurts; the extra damage is also pretty scary in the late game. The Skull Basher itself is a nice addition to Doom's arsenal because the high attack speed given by your Assault Cuirass makes you able to almost perma-stun an enemy; being able to stun is also key for winning against a farmed carry.

Never underestimate the usefulness of an MKB: enemy AGI carries will eventually pick up a Butterfly, in which case true strikes are mandatory. It's also the best item for raw damage - maybe after the Daedalus but I don't really like it - and adds some more attack speed which STR carries desperately need.

This is one of the highest DPS items in the game: you usually want to spend your money on an Assault Cuirass to get extra attack speed, but if you already have armor and one of your teammates is going to make an AC why don't you buy a Mjollnir? The extra attack speed and damage make it a really good choice for improving your permastun capabilities with the Abyssal Blade; the lightning procs you get from attacking (and being attacked if you cast the shield on yourself) deal a lot of damage to illusion and the enemies you aren't targetting.

Unlike the other items this is easier to buy: the two Mithril Hammers cost only 1600 gold (compared to the Demon Edge or Hyperstone) and you only need a mere 4100 gold to complete it. Negative armor makes the difference, especially if stacked with the Assault Cuirass or if you have more than one core Hero. The armor reduction applies to buildings too, so this is a perfect item for pushing and destroying barracks.

Do you want to play racecar Doom? Then this is the item for you. Picking up a Manta Style isn't a new thing for STR carries: competitive players buy it on Tiny a lot. "Why?" You might ask; well, because the extra movement speed synergizes well with his ultimate, which improves his movement speed. For the same reason pairing a Manta Style with Scorched Earth will make you impossible to run away from. Keep in mind that the extra agility of the Yasha translates into armor. The extra attack speed is also needed on Doom since he's a STR carry and the stats from the Ultimate Orb aren't bad at all. The illusions, since STR Heroes are naturally tanky, should be pretty difficult to kill especially after you get a Skadi or Heart. But still, as you should be building damage and not strength, they won't probably deal much damage.

This is not really a carry item, but it's like a very nerfed Butterfly: the evasion is nice, the extra survivability and damage too, but it brings too less of everything to be considered a 5th or 6th slot item. But still, if you have to stop a carry and the Skull Basher isn't enough, you can start your Plan B and get some evasion and disarm. The components are cheap and the effects are nice: for a mere 3950 gold you can try to prevent an enemy carry from wreaking havoc in teamfights. just be sure not to activate it before the enemy pops his BKB, or you'll waste it.

I only consider this as a viable item for the carry build for the reasons I wrote above. While it doesn't bring much teamfight-wise, if you have enough armor to make it worth it 1060 extra HP are a straight improvement to both survivability and damage (remember the +40 STR translates into damage!). Armor is better for survivability and damage items are better for, well, damage; but if you already have both why don't you take more of both? That's why it's for the carry build: you can't usually farm enough when playing a ganking/utility role to make a Heart worth buying.

I usually refuse to get a Heart of Tarrasque on Doom for two simple reasons: Armor is better for improving your survivability (and teamfight presence) and there's an item that also gives you an orb for about the same purpose. The Eye of Skadi costs roughly as much as a Heart and, while it doesn't give as much STR as it, it also improves your overall stats and slows down the enemies you hit! Even though it doesn't give extra HP regen as the Heart does, you still have Scorched Earth for that! Spending mana fot it after you get a Skadi (and maybe Shiva's before it) shouldn't be a problem at all.

A good addition to Doom's late game items, but only if you manage to make it worth it: it doesn't increase the damage over time nor reduces the mana cost, so the only things you get from it are actually the stats and increased duration. Being able to Doom an enemy until he dies seems very good on paper, but unless you're targeting an extremely tanky Hero you'd better buy something else to stop them. After all, 15 seconds are more than enough to win (or lose) a fight.

Labeled by many as the "best" item in the game, I think he works well on a STR carry like Doom, too: as said before he doesn't have any hard disable besides his Doom which doesn't stun, so an extra Hex can potentially make you able to disable two enemies in the same fight! Try not to waste the Hex on the wrong target or you'll commit a huge mistake. Most teamfight are won with a good disable at the right time, late game-wise.

You don't usually see Refresher Orbs on Doom for one simple reason: mana problems. The Refresher active costs 375 mana(!) and works every 2:40 minutes (you might end up with no Refresher in the teamfight after you used it), plus it gives little to no damage. It does improve your mana regen though, so take it if not going for a Shiva's. Being able to Doom two targets in the same teamfights is a deadly strategy, but sometimes a disarm, bash or Hex are enough and cost less both gold-wise and mana-wise. Think carefully when buying a Refresher Orb, as it's worth it but it sometimes blinds you making you think it's always the best way to go. It's not, but it does work sometimes.

Jungle Guide

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• Your team needs a good off-laner (the one that solos the hard lane)
• Your team has to resist 4vs5 for the first 10-15 minutes (not difficult)
• You need a ward on the closest rune (top for Dire, bot for Radiant) so that you don't get ganked

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At the beginning of the game, start with your Tango, Stout Shield and Quelling Blade. You might say: "Why don't you start with a Ring of Basilius as you have to take it as soon as possible, then? It also delays your Hand of Midas!" And, well, the answer is simple: Stout Shield and Quelling Blade give you enough survivability and damage to clear the first camp before the 1:00 minute mark using only one Tango charge; you can also cut trees with your QB so that you can roam in the jungle more quickly. And no, you can't skip Basilius: its mana regen and armor are fundamental for your jungling phase as you'll read below.

Now, wait to the closest rune spawn until 0:00: you might get a lucky illusion or double damage rune that will improve your jungling by a lot; getting a haste or regeneration rune is still helpful to your team because you're denying them to the enemies.

After 0:00, go straight to your big camp (the one marked with the 1 in the map under the spoiler), wait until 0:30 - without blocking it! - and and adjust your jungling according to the creeps you find. If there is a Hellbear camp go straight to the medium camp (the one marked with the 2 in the map under the spoiler) and Devour the biggest creep there, otherwise eat the big creep in the hard camp. Kill the remaining neutrals before reaching the 1:00 minute mark, if possible.

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01:00

Hopefully, you should've killed one of the camps by the first minute using one or two Tango charges; don't be afraid if your health is low, it's normal (that's why you need wards around you after all). Now, check the number 2 (medium) camp: if there's a Centaur camp, then you're gonna have a hard time; otherwise it will be kinda easy. Kill the big creeps first (the small Centaurs and Satyrs, for instance, deal almost no damage thanks to your shield), then clear the whole camp. You should be level 2 by now and your Devour should be off-cooldown: eat the big creep in the hard camp and make sure you don't accidentally stack it by eating at 1:52-1:55! Kill the whole camp if there are no Hellbears.

02:00

If the mid already has his Bottle (or is far from getting one), get your Ring of Basilius with the Courier. Now head to the number 2 camp, activate your Scorched Earth, eat your second or third Tango and fight those neutrals. Eat another Tango if your health is below half HP. Get a second level in Devour and eat the usual creep in the hard camp if there are any.

3:00+

From now on, your mana regen is high enough to let you use both Devour and Scorched Earth every minute: use this to your advantage. Get a second point in Scorched Earth - now you can kill Hellbears - and you won't need Tangos anymore; keep rotating between the 1 and 2 camp eating big creeps and head to the other camps if you're quick and killed the first ones in little time. Get your Gloves of Haste as soon as possible for better jungling.

8:00 - 10:00

This is the average time for a Hand of Midas: while it doesn't always seem a very good timing, keep in mind that Devour can combine with Midas to speed up your farm by a whopping amont of time; plus, what you really need from it is the experience and not the extra gold. From now on, focus on finding a good creep ability with your Devour: after you find it, start eating the big creeps with the Hand of Midas and leave the smaller ones to your skill. Stick to the camps number 1 and 2 if your tier 1 tower in the safe lane gets destroyed. After reaching level 6-7 and getting your Phase Boots or Arcane Boots, be ready to teleport anywhere or gank your safe lane: remember not to stay in jungle unless your ultimate is off cooldown - it's really important! -, or your team will basically play 4vs5 until you realize what's going on.

Skill Builds

While the "typical" skill build is pretty standard - Max out Devour first, then Scorched Earth, then LVL? Death -, there are many builds you can experiment with: getting LVL? Death first, leaving one point in Devour, not skilling LVL? Death at all et cetera. What the usual build gives, though, is extra gold early game because of the maxed-out Devour and mid game presence (both teamfight-wise and gank-wise) thanks to your Scorched Earth. The cooldown of the first skill gets lowered too: this plus not having your third skill makes up for the lack of early mana of Doom. In every build, though, you have to max out Doom as soon as possible: this ultimate is what makes Doom what he is.

For a jungling Doom always follow the usual build: having full points in Devour is your main priority; getting extra regen and damage from Scorched Earth is next.

Devour
Scorched Earth
Devour
Scorched Earth
Devour
Doom
Devour
Scorched Earth
Scorched Earth
LVL? Death
Doom
LVL? Death
LVL? Death
LVL? Death
Stats
Doom
Stats

Friends and Foes

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Doom pairs up really well with any Hero: teammates don't have that much of an impact on him, but you'll surely love the ones that grant you extra armor, attack speed auras - since STR carries always have this attack speed/damage dilemma - or generally damage steroids. Lich and Dazzle, especially, grant a big amount of extra armor that makes the difference in teamfights. That doesn't mean you need them though; as said before, Doom can do well with any teammate:

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When should you pick Doom? Mainly, in two cases: the enemy team has a good and very annoying initiator or the enemy carry is difficult to kill. The following lists are for the two cases:




Heroes that rely on dominated creeps, also, are less than a threat for Doom as he can eat them:

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As everyone knows, the Achilles' Heel of Doom is armor: many Heroes that focus on armor reduction are really painful for Doom, especially early on. There are also many items that work wonders against him, so be wary when one of your enemies builds them:

Update History

1-5-2014: Added Chen and Enchantress in the "Friends and Foes" section.
1-4-2014: Removed the Daedalus because of the Alpha Wolf's Packleader's Aura.
Added the Desolator, Armlet of Mordiggian and Manta Style to the item build.
Added Trolls and Kobolds in the "Neutral Abilities" section.
Added Lich between the friends in the "Friends and Foes" section.
1-3-2013: Written the first part of the guide.