Nagash's Guide To Pudge Middle Lane (Updated)

Introduction

This is going to be a simple to the point guide to Pudge, I am by no means a "pro player" and I probably never will be. But have played DOTA for 6 years. Please be aware that my grammar is atrocious, but I try as hard as I can. This is my first build I have ever released and I am very shy as to what people will think. I accept all feedback and wish to further make this guide as good as possible for experienced and new player alike. I hope you have fun and I hope you have a great time playing my absolute favorite hero in DOTA 2: Pudge.

I have recently updated some of the items, also be sure to tell the people responsible you hate how the new default Pudge looks!

Rot or hook first?

Now, a lot of you have been asking why i get hook first. It is a good harass if you can land it super early and i have achieved a few level 1 kills with it, but lately i get rot first. It all really depends on who you are laning against in mid. the only difference between getting rot then 2 skills in hook is that a early clash with a melee hero with rot is really good, while a nice level 1 hook against a ranged hero is just as good, i sometimes wait to level something when see which rune i am getting. If i am getting a regen i deny it. If i am getting a invis i will usually get rot (unless its a sniper then i get a invis hook on him). If its a haste i will get rot. If it is a dd i will get hook. Think careful about which skill you get first. It may take awhile to grasp which starting skill is more important, but remember its only 1 level.

Middle? Middle.

Pudge middle lane: Pudge middle lane is all about the match ups! If you can land your hook on any one stupid enough to let it in on them and kill em off with a little bit of rot and a 2 foot chase: you're golden. Going middle is a huge responcibilty, losing or winning mid is a game changer. Don't **** it up. there are a few reasons why pudge may not want to go mid.

1. they have a strong mid hero who will never let you farm or get an early kill the lane like: Sniper (great range and harass) Huskar (who will easily force you out of lane if he gets burning spears and his ult wont make you feel good about yourself) Viper (who will harass you fast enough to not get near your farm) Puck (who will probably make you rage quit he knows what he is doing most of his skills allow him/her to completely make you miss your hooks) Queen of pain (who will harass and teleport the second you hook her near you) Outworld (who will make you down right ******ed with his intelligence draining and hook dodging) KOTL (who will make you regret even turning on your PC with his horse spam) Silencer (who will make you say bye bye to your mana and your fun)*

*but please note these lanes are not unwinnable just very difficult to farm do not completely abandon your middle lane just because someone wanted to out lane you. SHOW THEM YOUR RIGHT HOOK AND YOUR ITCHY CLEAVER. All of those people listed have low health land one good hook and chase them rot and make them get the **** out. MIDDLE IS FOR PUDGE! The butcher is the king of middle. Show them he is.

2. YOUR ****ING SUPPORT DID NOT BUY THE COURIER AND YOU WILL HAVE TO DRAG 300 POUNDS (136 kg for all you Euros) WORTH OF FAT*** TO THE DAMN SPAWN RECHARGE YOUR HP AND MANA WALK ALL THE WAY BACK TO FOUND YOUR ****ING TOWER GOT ****ED IN THE ***!!!!!!!! I CAN NOT STRESS ENOUGH HOW MUCH A COURIER IS FOR PUDGE!

3.There is a much better mid then you on your team (anyone listed above in paragraph 1)
*And again, do not just give mid up. It is your zone. The enemy does not want you in your zone (that's why they picked those heroes in the first place!) But show them its your town!

http://youtu.be/t7Qiy57jT8Y

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Items!: Middle lane is simple rush dat bottle then when you get level 6 gank dem lanes.

Items items items

When in middle your goal is to get a bottle ASAP. Its what keeps you in lane and its what helps you gank other lanes when your team asks for it. without getting out of your lane for to long of a time (3 minutes is a good benchmark).

once you get your bottle go ahead and get boots then an Urn Of Shadows. You will (should) be getting kills around this time anyway. It helps with mana and hp regen, great early item for pudge. Then level up your boots. Pudge is versatile with his boots which one is up to you and who is on your team. (please think about them too, sure you are pudge and therefore a greedy guts but, you still need them, eat them later, not now. For now feed them a lil fatten em' up.) Depending who is on your team and on the enemy team is the deciding factor on boots selction.
mana to land an extra hook and give your team more mana , treads to get another hook a quicker hit or a stronger auto attack, phase to chase or get into the great hook spot for a team fight, boots of travel to get to a lane late game and get a very punishing hook or some healing boots for some nice sustain that your team might not be able to give you.

Then turn those gauntlets into either some bracers (then into a drum to help your team push and escape) or into an urn (you will be getting plenty of kills to heal yourself and your team with it.
UPDATE!: PUDGE NOW GETS A BLINK DAGGER! (he is now SOOOO OP) cant land a hook? that's ok!! blink in then rot and dismember and when thats over hook em. easy easy easy. or become the worlds biggest pro and hook then blink away for a longer range hook or vice versa to take out someone to far for your normal hook. so many things can be don with the blink dagger that i can not list them all, a force staff is no longer needed to get onto ledges, but now the enemy (and teamamtes ;c) get free pathing (whichs means they can move where ever the hell they want for a few seconds) so be sure to land dismember before they can move.

After that get the item that any good pudge will get for him (or her) self the Hood of defiance it will give you nice magic resistance which will let you go on longer (YES it deceases magic damage you do to yourself aswell I.E. ROT)


~this section on force staff is still viable if you can not get used to your blinks.~

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By this point you have been doing great right? got a few kills. got some good ganks. well they enemy team is figuring you out bro! Fix it by getting places they cant. Get a force staff its just like a blink dagger if not better. It will allow you to escape, chase or get into areas a blink dagger could. Force pudge up into spots you could not reach without it. then either have your team pull the enemy to you, or play the waiting game.

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Get an Aghanim, using it on a creep even gives you near full hp, massive sustain and makes your ultimate a hero melting insta-win.

Last, A heart OR a bloodstone. simply put
Bloodstone: Crazy Mana
Heart: Crazy hp.

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Lastly consider a shadowblade or just a shadow amulet (it is cheapier and has the same effec plus you are pudge, you stand still for hooks anyway) at any point in the game if you are not winning your hooks, if you are, don't bother, pudge is about positioning yourself in the FOW and trees to not be seen, get the shadow blade under these circumstances
1.you suck as pudge.
2.you cant position yourself correctly to not be seen
3.you need to escape (the enemy is targeting you first before you can land a hook)

Landing hooks.

As pudge your job is to land hooks on the enemy and pull them near pudge. Being hooked is scary (especially when they never even saw it coming!) Your hook is your friend and your worst enemy. Hooking an opponent is key to playing pudge effectively. It is one of the hardest and most rewarding skill shots in DOTA and everyone loves to see a good hook (even the enemy).

Pudge's hook is his primary source of damage and is his best skill. To land a hook you WILL need a few things.
1. Patience to swing at just the right time at the right place at the right person.
2. Skill to know when, who, how and why to hook your target.
3. Practice and forgiving teammates.
4. MOST IMPORTANTLY a sense of bloody humor. You will not get every hook, get used to it. Dendi himself never gets all his hooks. But he does so well because: he can laugh. Missing a hook is sometimes a pain in the *** and a really bad self esteem crusher. But if you can look at it as a learning experience instead of a failed try. then you will do fine.

Hooks are 90% Skill 10% luck (DO NOT FORGET THIS!)

Before you pull in your prey ask yourself a few simple things.
Will I be able to kill if I hook,rot,dismember him?
Will I need to chase him if he gets away?
Is my team around to help me?
Is it a trap?
Can I pull off this hook?
Will I hit my (intended) target?
Will his team save him?
If you can scratch off one or two of these things. the hook is worth it. (except maybe him living thats a big one)

Making your hooks easier is the best thing to do, you can make yourself invisible, you can go into fog of war (behind trees, to far out of enemy sight) ect. use the trees to poistion yourself for a great gank.

Thank You All So Much

This guide has become the second most viewed and second most highest rated pudge guide on Dotafire! I have enjoyed all of your feedback and support, lets see if we can make it to #1!
To all of you Dota fans thank you for supporting a game so close to my heart, and to all you Pudge players, hook on my friends, hook on! -Nagash