Lone Druid? More like Pwn Druid!

Introduction

Pros and Cons

Pros

• Good Tower pusher
• High base movement speed
• 2 heroes in 1!
• Good solo laner
• Good jungler

Cons

• Squishy without ultimate
• Outcarried easily in late game
• Can be hard to manage 2 heroes

Skills and Abilities (Lone Druid)

Summon Spirit Bear

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Notes:

• The Spirit Bear can use all items except for Observer Ward, Sentry Ward and Bottle.
• The Spirit Bear is treated as a hero, so spells like Shallow Grave can work on it.
• Killing the Spirit Bear grants 300 gold to the enemy.

This is Lone Druid's trademark ability. It summons your cute little Spirit Bear.

You must always, and I mean ALWAYS max this skill first! The health that your bear gains is just immense, so you can use your bear to tank more hits, or dive towers.

Also, upgrading the bear unlocks new abilities for it. Basically, just think of your bear as your brother. So, of course you want to max Summon Spirit Bear first.

Rabid

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Notes:

• Cancels channeling spells.

This is Lone Druid's second skill. Max this out last. You have to max Synergy first. I'll explain why when we get there.

Synergy

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Notes:

• Illusions created by Lone Druid while he is in True Form will receive the health bonus.

Ahh, Synergy. This skill will make you and your bear more powerful, so you have to max this second.

Why should you max this before Rabid? Look at the duration bonus it gives to Rabid. Maxing this will give Rabid a 50 second duration. What's more, Rabid's cooldown is only 30 seconds. This basically means you can be Rabid forever!

Max this skill before you get True Form.

Battle Cry (Only in True Form)

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Notes:

• Only available when in True Form.
• The level of Battle Cry is equal to the level of True Form.
• Battle Cry affects all units owned by Lone Druid, not just him and the Spirit Bear.

This skill is just more icing to the cake! It gives you and your bear bonus armor and damage. What's not to like?

However, it only lasts 8 seconds. So only use it for fights, obviously.

True Form

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Notes:

• Disjoints projectiles upon cast.
• Turns Lone Druid into a melee unit, so items like Stout Shield will treat him as a melee unit.

This is your ultimate, True Form. It turns you into a giant angry bear.

Once you get this skill, stay in Bear Form and never go back to Druid Form. This is because the extra health you gain from it is just so good.

I mean look. A fully maxed Synergy and True Form will give you a bonus 1000 FREAKING HEALTH! You will be so tanky that your enemies won't even bother trying to solo fight you.

Only go back to Druid form to refresh the bonuses when you upgrade the skill. Every time you upgrade True Form, switch to Druid form and then back to Bear form again to refresh it.

NEVER get into a fight without being in Bear Form!

Skills and Abilities (Spirit Bear)

Return

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Notes:

• Requires Summon Spirit Bear Level 2 to be unlocked.
• Can be cast from anywhere on the map.

Nothing much to say about this skill. Basically it returns your bear to your side, from anywhere on the map. This is useful if you are sending your bear to scout, and if he meets an enemy, just Return him to you.

Entangling Claws

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Proc chance: 20%
Damage per second: 60
Hero Duration: 3
Creep Duration: 9
Cooldown: 5

Notes:

• Requires Summon Spirit Bear Level 3 to be unlocked.
• Interrupts channeling spells.
• Reveals invisible units for its duration.
• As of 6.80, Entangling Claws is no longer a unique attack modifier.

Hands down. This is the best skill for your Spirit Bear. It works like Meepo's Earthbind. It ensnares an enemy.

If it's a hero, you will ensnare him for 3 seconds and deal 60 damage per second, which means a total of 180 damage. This skill is devastating during early game. A squishy Sniper caught in Entangling Claws is a free kill for you.

As of 6.80, Entangling Claws is no longer an Orb Effect! So now you can buy items like Orb of Venom.

Demolish

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Bonus Damage to Buildings: 40%
Bonus Magic Resistance: 33%

Notes:

• Requires Summon Spirit Bear Level 4 to unlock.
• Does not deal bonus damage against Tombstone.

Once your bear unlocks this skill, start pushing towers. Seriously, your bear will destroy towers like nobody's business.

Skill Build

Level 1- Summon Spirit Bear Level 2-Synergy Level 3- Summon Spirit Bear Level 4-Synergy Level 5- Summon Spirit Bear Level 6-Synergy Level 7- Summon Spirit Bear Level 8-Synergy Level 9- True Form

Level 10-Rabid Level 11- True Form Level 12-Rabid Level 13-Rabid Level 14-Rabid Level 15- Stats Level 16- True Form

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Max Summon Spirit Bear first no matter what build you are using. The reason is obvious.

Okay, this should be your standard build. We leave Rabid until level 10 to max Synergy first. Here's why:

Maxing Synergy will give Rabid a bonus 40 second duration. So basically, you will have 50 seconds of Rabid. What's more, Rabid only has a 30 second cooldown. So basically, you can be Rabid forever. That's why we want to max Synergy over Rabid.

Also, Synergy gives your bear more damage and more movespeed. Of course you want to max it early. But always max Summon Spirit Bear first!

Now let's come to True Form. We leave True Form until level 9 to max Summon Spirit Bear and Synergy first. The reason being this: Bear before self.

You must make your bear more powerful first because he is you main damage dealer. So that's why you max Summon Spirit Bear and Synergy first. Leave True Form until level 9.

Lastly, we skill Rabid. You now have unlimited Rabid time. Good Job.

Defensive Build

Level 1- Summon Spirit Bear Level 2-Synergy Level 3- Summon Spirit Bear Level 4-Rabid Level 5- Summon Spirit Bear Level 6- True Form Level 7- Summon Spirit Bear Level 8-Synergy Level 9-Synergy

Level 10-Synergy Level 11- True Form Level 12-Rabid Level 13-Rabid Level 14-Rabid Level 15- Stats Level 16- True Form

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This is more of a defensive build for the laning stages.

As always, max Summon Spirit Bear first.

For this build you get 1 level of Rabid at level 4. This is just for that extra movespeed. So if you get into any trouble, just pop Rabid and run away. You can also use it offensively, by popping Rabid and chasing down enemies.

You get one level of Synergy ar level 2 to increase your Rabid duration, and of course, upgrade your bear.

This time, get True Form at level 6. The reason is just to give you more health.

From here on, adjust accordingly. Max Synergy before Rabid, and get True Form at the standard levels 11 and 16.

Item Build (Lone Druid)

Starting Items

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Here are your starting items.

Just start with some basic regeneration items. Tango and a Healing Salve will do just fine.
Then just grab a few Iron Branches for stat boosts.

Early Game

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Grab a Boots of Speed. You need to stay close to your bear when you chase enemies, if not your bear can't attack. So get Boots of Speed because once you max Synergy, you bear will run really, really fast. Or at least faster than you.

Cloak only costs 550 gold and it provides you with an extra 15% magic resistance! It is a cheap and useful item. Later, turn it into Pipe of Insight.

Bracer just for some cheap stat boosts. You are squishy without True Form. So you can grab a Bracer before True Form is unlocked. Bracer is to be turned into a Drum of Endurance later.

Core Items

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Pipe of Insight grants you an extra 30% magic resistance and a staggering 8 hp regeneration. Your bear already has magic resistance from Demolish, so why not give yourself some magic resistance as well? Also you can shield your self and your bear from 400 magic damage. What's not to like?

Drum of Endurance gives you and your bear bonus attack speed and movement speed. This item is good for helping you chase down enemies. Trust me, you will see how effective it is when you use it.

Magic Wand is a very cost effective item. It only cost 500 gold and it can save your life.

Situational Items

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Black King Bar is a great pickup for every hero. It works wonders against heavy nukers like Lina. It renders nukers completely useless while you and your bear just whack them with your claws!

Heart of Tarrasque will let you take more hits. People pick this up if they want to stay in Druid Form, for the ranged advantage.

Vladmir's Offering gives you and your bear bonus damage, lifesteal, mana regeneration, and most importantly, armor. With this item, you shouldn't have trouble taking down Roshan.

Even though you are not an intelligence hero, Shiva's Guard can also help you greatly. An additional 15 armor and a huge AoE slow. Good for chasing down enemies too.

Since your bear will be doing most of the right-clicking, you can buy Ghost Scepter. It basically renders heavy right-clickers like Faceless Void completely useless, while also saving your life. Don't get this if you are facing lots of heavy nukers!

Thanks to True Form, you are a good Gem of True Sight carrier. Maybe you want to get this if there is Riki on the enemy team.

Boots of Choice

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I think the best boots for Lone Druid are Tranquil Boots. It gives awesome HP regen and it allows you to roam a lot faster.

Boots of Travel are another viable option. It allows you to push multiple lanes.
If you're going back to base, one thing you can do is send your bear where you want to go, and then TP right on top of him.

Item Build (Spirit Bear)

Starting Items

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If you are laning, just get Stout Shield for your bear. You don't really need Quelling Blade to get last hits, although it makes it easier.

If you are jungling, you should get both for your bear and just grab a set of Tango for yourself.

Early Game

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Grab a Boots of Speed for your bear. The additional movespeed from Synergy will make it so easy for your bear to chase down enemies.

Blades of Attack for added damage. Later, craft Blades of Attack and Boots of Speed into Phase Boots.

Orb of Venom only costs 350 gold and you can slow enemies by 12%! It's a good and cheap slow for your bear

Core Items

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Phase Boots are the best boots for bear because of the extra damage, and it ensures that you and your bear don't collide because he can just walk through you.

Some of you may be wondering about Power Treads. Yes the attack speed is nice, but the stats are useless to your bear. You can't change your bear's stats. So, don't get Power Treads.

Next core item is Orb of Venom. As I've said before, it is a very cheap 12% slow.

Radiance is what lets you push two lanes at once, and harass with your bear even if you are on the other side of the map. Also a good farming item. Only get Radiance if it is available under 20 minutes, because it will delay other items.

Situational Items

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Skull Basher lets you chase down enemies so much easier. It is like, an additional Entangling Claws. I pick this up in almost every game.

Assault Cuirass is an excellent item for your Bear. The added armor and attack speed is just so great. And note that the armor reduction works on towers. Plus your bear already deals 40% bonus damage to the towers. So, yeah, those towers are going DOWN.

If you have some extra gold, you can craft your Stout Shield into Vanguard, for your bear.

Monkey King Bar is the 3rd highest damage item in the game. I always pick this up when there is Phantom Assassin on the enemy team, because without it she is nearly impossible to hit.

Maelstrom is another great pickup for your bear. It gives some much needed attack speed, because your bear's attack speed is just rubbish. Also the chain lightning is great for pushing and farming.

Luxury Items

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If you have the gold, you can turn Skull Basher into Abyssal Blade. It gives a bonus 100 freaking damage to your bear. Plus it comes with a guaranteed stun.

Daedalus is a pure luxury item. It's not bad, I mean have you ever seen a bear proc critical hits? You can pick this up if you have the gold.

Mjollnir, oh sweet Mjollnir. Have you seen your bear's attack speed? It is just RUBBISH. That's why I always pick up Mjollnir. Note that although chain lightning is an orb effect, it DOES STACK with other orb effects. So don't worry about your Orb of Venom :)

I can't get Radiance!

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Radiance gives you the ability to push and farm faster. If you can't get Radiance under 20 minutes, then just forget it. You might want to consider Maelstrom and Hand of Midas.

Maelstrom's chain lightning is a great help for pushing, while Hand of Midas also gives your bear more attack speed and you can farm faster.

If you can't get Radiance under 20 minutes, just forget it and try to go for these two items. These two items combined are cheaper than Radiance, which makes them a good alternative to Radiance

Micro Managing

Here are the default controls to micro manage your Bear:

• Press Ctrl+1 to select you
• Press Ctrl+2 to select your Bear
• Press Ctrl+3 to select both you and your Bear

Or you can just do it this way:

Press Tab to switch between you and your bear.
But to select both, just stick with Ctrl+3

Gameplay

Selecting a lane

SOLO MID

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Only take this lane if nobody on your team needs it. As Lone Druid, you will be doing a lot of chasing. The mid lane is short. You can't kill anyone without diving the tower. So, only take mid if nobody on your team needs it.

SAFE LANE

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Not a bad lane. You have easy access to your Side shop. And it's called a "safe lane" for a reason. You can't get ganked easily. It would be wonderful if you can solo this lane.

HARD LANE

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I like this lane because you have easy access to your Secret shop, where you can buy Orb of Venom. You are a good offlaner, so this lane shouldn't be a problem for you. Again, it would be great if you can solo.

SOLO SIDE LANE

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Your best option. If you can solo a side lane, do it. Solo side lane is the best lane for Lone Druid, because you can get levels faster. You can easily kill the enemies if they are both squishy heroes.

TRI LANE

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Tri lane is not a bad choice for you as long as your supports let you farm. But I wouldn't recommend it because you are pretty level dependent, and splitting the experience among 3 heroes is, not very helpful.

JUNGLE

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You are not such a good jungler like Chen or Enigma, so jungling will earn you farm quite slowly. Laning is actually more effective, and can even get you some kills. But jungling is safer, so it's really up to you.

The Laning Stage

Things to do:

• Last hit
• Upgrade your Bear
• DON'T let your Bear die
• You, DON'T DIE TOO

You must be cautious. Send your bear in front to get last hits, you must hit too but ALWAYS stay behind your bear.

You must be extra cautious if you are soloing the lane. Play passively, move in front to get last hits, and move back. Don't go near the enemies.

Your bear should have the Stout Shield so he can tank damage. You must stay behind your bear because your are squishy.

If your bear's health is low, just use Summon Spirit Bear to heal him. Please don't let your bear die. Killed your bear grants 300 gold to the enemy. 300 freaking gold. Your bear shouldn't be dying because he is so tanky.

Anyway, get as many last hits as you can. Last hitting shouldn't be a problem because you have your bear to help you. It should be easier if your bear has Quelling Blade.

The first items you want to rush are Boots of Speed for both you and your bear. Give your bear the first set of boots because he needs the movespeed more.

LEVEL 2 BEAR

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Once your bear is level 2, he will unlock Return.
If you have 350 gold, send your bear to the secret shop to buy Orb of Venom. You, stay in the lane and get more last hits.
Once your bear has bought the Orb of Venom, just use Return to bring him back to you.

LEVEL 3 BEAR

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Once your bear hits level 3, he will unlock Entangling Claws. Now you can try to harass and if Entangling Claws procs on the enemy then go for the kill. Whenever the opportunity presents itself, go for the kill, but don't be greedy!

Entangling Claws deals 60 damage per second and traps the enemy for 3 seconds, so it can be a real pain in the *** for squishies like Sniper.

LEVEL 4 BEAR

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Once your bear hits level 4, he will unlock Demolish.
So what should you do? START PUSHING. Your bear can deal an additional 40% damage to towers. So make use of this and push.

So you have maxed your bear. Hopefully by now, your bear's inventory looks something like this:

If it does, good! You are on the right track. Now you should start getting your core items. They are Vladmir's Offering and Drum of Endurance.

If you want to farm more then rush Hand of Midas for your bear. But make sure you are free farming, because it will delay other important items.

If you are getting complete freefarm, then aim for Radiance for your bear. It is a great pushing item and allows you to farm faster. Only rush it if you can get it under 20 minutes, because it will delay other important items. If you can't get Radiance under 20 minutes, aim for Maelstrom and turn it into a Mjollnir. It is another great pushing item and the additional attack speed it provides for your bear is so great.

Once you unlock Rabid, use it whenever it is off cool down. Basically, keep it on forever and never turn it off. Synergy should have increased Rabid's duration to more than its cooldown so Rabid can be left on for the rest of the game.
Same goes for True Form. Once you unlock it, stay in bear form and only go back to druid form to refresh the bonuses whenever you upgrade True Form. NEVER get into a fight without being in Bear Form!

You can start ganking once you unlock True Form. Actually, you can already start ganking once you maxed your bear and Synergy, but wait for True Form just to be safe because you are squishy.

Once you have your core items and you are confident enough, go and kill Roshan and get your Aegis of the Immortal. Killing Roshan will require Vladmir's Offering, so make sure you have it.
Let your bear tank Roshan. If he is low on health, use Summon Spirit Bear to heal him.
Once you get your Aegis of the Immortal, you will be unstoppable!

Build your items according to the situation. If there is Phantom Assassin on the enemy team, aim for Monkey King Bar. If you are facing a lot of nukers and disablers, aim for Black King Bar or Pipe of Insight. Facing lots of right clicking carries? Get Assault Cuirass or Shiva's Guard.

After you have gotten your core and situational items you can start aiming for some luxury items on your bear such as Daedalus and Abyssal Blade. I usually upgrade my Maelstrom into Mjollnir because of the massive attack speed it gives to your bear. It is also a great pushing item.

Tips and Tricks

Always stay behind your bear

Especially during the laning stage and before you get True Form. You are squishy during the laning stage, so you must stay behind your bear to let him tank the hits. Also, your bear runs faster than you, so you must let him be in front to chase enemies.
If your bear is behind you, just activate his Phase Boots and he will walk right through you.

Tower Diving

If you want to dive towers, make sure your bear is in front of you. If your bear is in front of you, the tower will target your bear and not you. So let your bear tank the tower.

Scouting

If you see an enemy hero missing, send your bear into the jungle to scout for any incoming ganks. If your bear spots an enemy, Return him to you, and hug your tower!

You can also use your bear to scout for runes. Note that your bear can collect runes. So if you don't need that rune, use your bear to deny it so that enemies can't have it. But make sure no one else on your team needs it!

Kiting

Kiting with Lone Druid only works in Druid form when you have ranged attacks. If an enemy is chasing you, let your bear attack him while you run away. If the enemy attacks your bear, turn around and attack him. I have managed to kill so many people by doing this, especially in early game.

Dodging spells

Remember, when you cast True Form, projectiles will be disjointed during the 2 second transformation time. Use this to dodge spells! Note that this only works on single-target projectile spells like Assassinate or Wraithfire Blast. But then again, you can't move for those 2 seconds, so time it wisely.

Friends and Foes

Friends

Invoker's Alacrity will make your bear a killing machine.


Empower will give your bear bonus damage, and cleave!


Lion has multiple disables, so he will make it easier for you to get kills.


Same goes for Shadow Shaman. Hex combined with Shackles can disable an enemy for 8 seconds!


Lich has some nice slows, and also Ice Armor is pretty useful throughout the game, for both you and your bear.

Foes

Yes, Lich can be a good friend. But if he is your enemy, there is nothing worse than a Chain Frost bouncing between you and your bear.


Windranger can make very good use of Shackleshot because it will catch both you and your bear, resulting in a 3 second stun.


Paralyzing Cask bouncing between you and your bear is just the most annoying thing ever.