Kemedo Experiences

Introduction

This is my first guide. Period.

I played some games at dota 1 and this moment I'm with 40-50 games. Most of them played as Sniper. It's my favorite hero and the one I play better.

So I try to share my thoughts with you and hope you'll like it.

I'm not done (and never will be) with the Sniper's learning. Your feedback will be apreciated and tested aftwards.

The idea is made this a dinamic guide to Sniper. Changing it when thoughts change. Every knowledge in this guide is from reading, testing and playing.

(...Still need to put some colors and images...)

Skills

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In early game i just right click to attack, so I'm not invested in these one until now. The mana usage is large but we don't have any other mana use until Assassination. I don't use often.

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This is our mini-stun. It's usefull but it's random. 40% Chance. 0.25 seconds stun and a plus damage. I like this to harassment and luckly for another shot, can hold the target a bit while he is running, but it will really shine when you invest at attack speed and Manta Style in late game.

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My main skill. With this I can get opponents before entering their ranges, and with 4 point we can out-ranged a tower. Potent if combined with Headshot.

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Our ultimate is what define us. A long range shot, doing great magic damage, normally means a kill to a low hp runner, if well timed. If well timed.
Remember that "s" cancel it, if your dead target just use a magic protection/resistance ( Blade Fury, Black King Bar, Repel).

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You can go with two builds: a Sniper Take Aim + Headshot or a Farmer Shrapnel. Just remember that we have to farm hard before go for kills, but early kills are excelents too. I chose above two of the most common builds I did, but I prefer the first one for strong single player damage until the end.

Items

Start

I changed my start to 2x Slippers of Agility 1x Circlet and a Tango, there is anothers ways to open a game, but I'm considering we are doing a most effective one in stats side. A weaker start could be Wraith Band + Tango.

If you chose to start with Shrapnel, you must watch something for mana regen like sage mask and some Clarity instead. Actually we will get our Ring of Aquila soon anyway.

Early

Now we can define our gameplan based on how the game is going. If everything goes perfect, we can rush to Shadow Blade, for a juice +30 attack speed and damage. And our main way to escape a gank, invisibility. If you been harassed hard or top/botton tried to gank you unsucessful, buy Shadow Amulet first. If you was been the harasser go for Claymore first.

But every game goes different, if they got you without pants. It's safer start with Wraith Bandx2 and a Power Treads. Some games I go for Tranquil Boots, for counter a Zeus or a strong harassment, not often.

After these, complete our Ring of Aquila, we will need it.

Middle Game

Normally when everything goes perfect I go for maelstron, I'm kinda in love by the Mjollnir sooner. And then cystalys.

If not, well we have to farm harder, then Mask of Madness would be nice at this point. There is some theories about how bad life steal is for us. See more down.

Mjollnir is a really center point to this build, it gives you +80 attack speed and a 160 chain lighting. This associated with Headshot as a mini-stun, will make you gank any non-stun class this early.

I put Crystalys here, if you just can't reach the Mjollnir at this point. It's ok, often thing are not went perfect, we need to keep evolving our damage. It's highen our damage with brute damage and a chance for 175% damage, it's great. And we are prepared for Daedalus.

Or Mask of Madness. This is a controversy point, again. The Life Steal on this in good, specially when you are getting too much dmg from variety sort. MoM allows you farm jungle safelly and recover your life when you hit. It will shine when you got your Mjollnir. Its On Use effect are good but dangerous. Use at discretion and at max range, for pushing towers while keep your finger over Shadow Blade to escape.

Late

Now, you must have the lasts one itens for your OP-siness. If you complete Mjollnir right before this part, you already killing other heros. Now complete your Daedalus and start to think in your Butterfly. In this time a lot of things can heappen, forcing you to get one thing or another. By this time, if my team got some mana regen aura, I change my Ring of Aquila to a Manta Style. Maybe a Monkey King Bar work better. It's all a matter of feelings.

Optionals

Abyssal Blade is the upgrade of Skull Basher, and adds a lot of damage, health and a passive 1.4 seconds stun, and an usable 2 second stun. WARNING: The usable stun is for when our enemy is close, since its range: 140, use it to get a distance. It goes trought BKB (apparently)and works GREATLY with Daedalus (100 damage x 2.7 ) since our very fast attack speed.

Assault Cuirass really expensive for only Attack Speeds, made once, didn't like it. The armor reduction on enemies should be useless at this point because we shot at far away...

Ethreal Blade is a very situational item, for burst our assassination if well timed, the slow and magic damage burst will benefit our comrades too, if they are magical damages of course. And I see some Snipers using it to counter a Blink Dagger Ursa

Strategies

Start

I always try to go middle lane alone, there you can face (normally) only one foe. Remember, Sniper is a carry, and maybe a finisher in mid game. You will shine and overcome and melt enemies in the end, not now. People say that you are a semi-carry, but this is arguable. Just remember, you need money and levels, a lots of it.

A Side Lane with a jungler or a baby sitter would work too, but it will slow your leveling. I have had problem when tried a side lane, because there are some class combination that are deadly togheter, and normally we lack in synergy with others classes. Do not die, try keep the XP and money income constant. Do not suicide yourself for a kill or two, we need money this time, not kills.

In middle lane I do:

1) Harass - one shot at a time, try to keep enemy with less than 340 of health, this is essencial if you try to get the first blood when you get lvl 6 with assassination. If you didn't kill him, at least keep him away the line for less XP. Be agressive, but not suicidal. the smarters players normally go away just before we level 6 and try to get full hp. No worries, their time will be come.

2) Farm - I am very bad to "last hit". The tip is turn off the auto shot in configs or just wandering arround, and try to hit the mobs just before death. Personally, I just let him shot around the highest hp mob and switch to kill hit. Or control your hitting by spamming "s" until you feel the right moement, will take a time to perfect this, but work better. If you are good at last hits you can get your XP and Gold very fast.

3) Deny - If I'm terribad as last-hitter, imgine on denying :D But with a very well timed A + click you can deny enemy some XP. Your range will make this easier.

4) Pusher - Do not push at all. It's not the most important, but it's a plus. Probably you won't destroy their tower by now, but if you can give a tower some shots, do it, just do not get hitted. Shrapnel works wonderfull if enemy hero hides itself behind a tower, you can damage critters, tower and him with.

But fighting away from our tower may put you in danger situations, if you die, you will late your SB or even denying it. Play safe, but make your opponent play safe too.

Focus on farm and then poke your enemy, if he overconfident you, he will be dead when you get your first Assassination or even before. Remember to keep him with less than 340 HP when you get 50% lvl 5 and save mana for it. Try to not get hitted at all. Less you got damaged, less you have to heal yourself with tango.

In most of games, I encounter solo rangeds at mid, then you must explore you extra range and your foward and back dance, try to confuse him and keeping shoot him, one shoot at a time, right click to attack and just before the shoot click back, takes time to get the timing to shot and go back fast. If you encounter a melee, do not superestimate her range, a lots of classes have a "charge" skill that should put you and danger.

Try to not cross the river too much, and ask your mates to call any bot/top miss. If we got an extra enemy incoming from river may cause our death, stay focus on mini-map.

This time I try to save money for Shadow Blade, a excelent tool for boost damage and for escape too. But it's expensive, and you have to protect yourself at all cost to not lost gold. It's hard but it's doable get your Shadow Blade at lvl 7 or 8.

Mid

In the middle of the game, you must have ate least your SB and your boots. The you should start work on next level of itens. Again you must consider a lot of things to the next level of itens.

If everything works perfect, you now have 0 deaths, and are grouping with teammates to gank enemies. Work on surprise and Assassinate any low hp enemy at range. Avoid at all cost stay close, use your Shadow Blade wisely for that before the combat and after it. Do not wander alone too much. Always spy yours foes for Sentry Ward or Gem of True Sight, this could counter your stealth strategy.

Don't forget to Assassinate every now and then, even if it's not a kill. As a sniper we should not only kill the flee-ers but save our friends and give them some easy kills. Don't forget to keeping farm lines (or even crreps) between kills. Rely on team play, and keep max distance. Keep your eyes at florest's exits.

Late

End game is tricky, because now everynoe should be with at least one great item, even all of it. Move with your teams in max range, always protect from "behind enemy lines ganks" and be happy gankins foes. DO NOT stay alone very often and keep your health high, we still are a squish target, but with these itens we can push every line without too much effort.

Take Aim will put you out of range of any tower so you can destroy them safelly and fast. Headshot will make any classe get a hard time to down you. Assassination will be used not only to kill but to lower the life of your foes for your friends.

Shrapnel. Well, it's really a good skill, some damage and slow, use it wisely, because your ultimate now have a short cooldown and a good damage . I was having big problems with mana when I decided to use it, i just prefer take one shoot at a time on Assassination.

Do not head your team attack or defend, the enemies can blow up us in a matter of 2 seconds. If the enemies do not work on see your Shadow Blade stealth, just use it pr©-combat for a bonus on damage and surprise, otherwise, let the tanks, initiators, disables go first. And again, do not be caught alone. Use your legs to keep them far away while your machine gun Headshot them

Sinergies

There are some heros that work greatly with us, that empower our Gunpower.

Drow Ranger - due the Trueshot Aura that give us some bonus damage on ALL MAP based on her Agility. But the sinergy dont stop here. Sniper + Drow Ranger on the same line could be the worst nightmare of melees, frost arrow + Headshot could give any of you a first kill. Even if both benefit better alone in mid lane they are good enought in side lanes togheter, I did this twice when we had a zeus/tiny aking for mid lane. Worked wonderfull to harass and get kills, even we have to play safer because our low health pool. Both of us got feed this way, skyrocket our kills in end game.

Vengeful Spirit - Another good line partner due the Vengeance Aura and Magic Missile. Actually every one of her skills are great with work with us, I played with one of these when a group made got sniper first, and works great on line phase. And better yet in coordnated kills after it.

Any support or baby-sitter works fine with us, since can fullfill some aspects we don't have in the beggining like a stun, or mana regen or even a heal. The deal is addapt the game play with your partner to play togheter. Communication is vital for that, and not being too greedy for first blood <= this is important.

Thanks

Thank you to read until here. The only thing I want is helping our dwarves comrades shot thats dum-dum in their faces..

"Guns are the future, my friend!"

Thanks for standing still, ganker!