DOTAFire is a community that lives to help every Dota 2 player take their game to the next level by having open access to all our tools and resources. Please consider supporting us by whitelisting us in your ad blocker!
Want to support DOTAFire with an ad-free experience? You can support us ad-free for less than $1 a month!
Go Ad-Free
Tango
Wraith Band
Boots of Speed
Magic Wand
Healing Salve
Power Treads
Ring of Aquila
Dragon Lance
Mask of Madness
Blink Dagger
Black King Bar
Silver Edge
Hand of Midas
Desolator
Assault Cuirass
Linken's Sphere
Butterfly
Manta Style
Monkey King Bar
Mjollnir
Boots of Travel
Daedalus
Eye of Skadi
Moon Shard
Satanic
|
|
3 | 12 | 13 | 14 |  |
|
2 | 8 | 9 | 10 |  |
|
1 | 4 | 5 | 7 |  |
|
6 | 11 | 16 |  |
|
15 | 17 | 18 |
| 1. | About the author |
| 2. | Introduction |
| 3. | Pros / Cons |
| 4. | Skills |
| 5. | Items |
| 6. | Gameplay |
| 7. | Friends and foes |
| 8. | Conclusion |
Hi! My name is penomena. I am not some kind of a high level monster at ragnarok online to be seen at the sunken ship, but i am a player who will attempt to make my first guide at dotafire.
My mmr at dota 2 is 3802 (at the time of making this guide). Although not that high enough, but my ten years of experience in dota, a total of 6 months playing ranked games and a winrate of 55% in ranked, have gained me knowledge of playing many heroes and how to play them.
Expect this guide to have lots of texts, since I made this guide through android. Constructive criticisms are welcome.
Since this is my first guide, it is great to start it with the most basic dota hero of all time - Sniper!
When we first play dota, the first hero that we learned is Sniper, the best hero for beginners. However he is also considered in the professional scene, probably due to its ability to kite heroes because of his range. Despite so many updates in dota 2, the role of sniper has not changed - he is still a ranged carry that can bust enemies from afar. With the advent of 6.86, I will introduce a new item to sniper - Dragon Lance.
Pros
1. Longest range in the whole game.
2. Good for harassing and/or kiting enemies.
3. His ultimate is a strong nuke and has low cooldown that can finish the life of fleeing enemies within the range.
4. Provides temporary vision in a small area using shrapnel.
5. Fast attack animation; good for practicing lasthits for beginners.
6. Can reach towers without him being reached.
7. Hard to reach by enemies, except by blinkers.
Cons
1. Low attack damage.
2. Slow movement speed.
3. No escape mechanisms, therefore susceptible to ganks by blinkers and/or initiators.
4. Low magic resistance, therefore almost always aimed by heavy skill nukers.
5. Not that effective if not farmed well.
In this chapter, I will not explain the skills in detail but I will explain the importance of each skill.
Q - Shrapnel
In my opinion, this is sniper's most insignificant skill. It only does minor damage and minor slow. However, what is great with this skill is that it provides temporary vision in a small area. It may somehow prevent little aggression on the part of enemies especially when they have initiators but as I said, it is only temporary and it will only disappear after a few seconds.
W - Headshot
This is sniper's skill that decreases the enemy's chance of fleeing from death. Previously, this passive skill procs ministun but currently, this is like a maim that provides temporary slow. Good for kiting enemies who will try to flee or go towards sniper but this is a passive one so dont be reliant on this skill. You can unleash its full potential by building attack speed items and utilizing sniper's long range with his third skill.
E - Take Aim
This is Sniper's signature skill. This skill enables kiting enemies from afar. At maximum level, he can even reach towers without him being reached. If used correctly, he can take down almost any hero in the game so take advantage of this skill. You can also improve his range using Dragon Lance. You are now unreachable.
R - Assassinate
This is his ultimate. Has great nuke that can finish heroes fleeing from death, it also has long casting range and has vision when it is cast. It can penetrate invisible heroes provided it is also cast. However, this is a magical skill therefore, it can be prevented by BKB and any skills that have magic immnunity. It can also be dodged by Linken's Sphere and any skills that can blink or disappear.
Starting items
You can start off with survivability items like Tangoes and Healing Salve. Buy some Iron Branches and Circlet. The idea here is to gain stats on Sniper. You can proceed in building Wraith Band, Magic Wand, and Ring of Aquila. For your safety, buy Boots of Speed as he is lacking movespeed. You can also buy Stout Shield and upgrade it to Poor Man Shield for additional survivability.
At the end of 15 minute mark, you should have:
Power Treads Preferred boots for Sniper. Has good stats, ability to switch stats, and has some attack speed that sniper needs.
Dragon Lance New item since the introduction of 6.86. It increases attack range by 130, giving Sniper an insane range to be used in kiting enemies more effectively. Be sure to stay in the long range mode to unleash Sniper's effectiveness in the battlefield.
Mask of Madness A lifesteal item in berserk mode. Gives increased attack speed that Sniper needs to utilize his headshot skill but takes more damage, therefore more squishy. With the insane range that he has, he can utilize his berserk fully without being reached by enemies in clash.
At 30 minutes, when the game is in your favor, you should have luxury items:
Manta Style
Great stat item, has attack speed, and can release two illusions. Great for pushing and ****ing enemies in clash. You can use this to dodge projectiles. Just use this correctly and in timing.
Butterfly
Great evasion item. Adds great amount of agility and an active ability of increasing movespeed for a certain amount of time suffering its evasion for the time being. Useless if the enemy has built MKB first.
Daedalus
Damage item that unleashes critical strikes. Buy this if you want heavy damage.
Mjollnir
Attack speed item that procs chain lightning.
Monkey King Bar
Dealing with PA, riki, WR, or heroes with Butterfly? Buy this.
Eye of Skadi
Another stat item. It makes sniper more tanky. Furthermore, it procs frost attack that slows enemies even more. It can be built together with lifesteal but not with desolator.
Moon Shard
7th item by consuming it.
Assault Cuirass
A sturdy alternative to Mjollnir. Gives increased armor to allies but decreased armor on enemies. You only need one carrier in your team to buy this.
Optional items.
Shadow Blade
An item that could be built during mid game. Can be used as an escape item. Beware of sight items that can detect you. You will die.
Blink Dagger
A must-buy item especially in today's world where players are more skillful. A great escape item.
Black King Bar
Dealing with magical nukes or stuns? Buy this.
Linken's Sphere
Single targeted spell-wielding heroes getting annoying? Use this.
Desolator
Dealing with heroes with high armor? Buy this. However, this is an orb effect item. Cannot be in the same inventory with lifesteal or skadi and other orb effect items.
Hand of Midas
Attack speed and faster farm.
Satanic
An alternative to madness as far as this guide is concerned. Gives an insane lifesteal when activated. You can sell madness later on for satanic for added tenacity.
Early Game.
As you see, sniper needs a lot of farm in order to be effective all throughout the game. However, since sniper is a squishy hero and lacks escape mechanism, he is very susceptible to gank by roaming supports. This is the main reason why this hero is not popular in the ranked gameplay especially those at 3k MMR and above. In the light of the foregoing, he should be at the safelane together with your supports.
Tell your hard support to place wards in strategic locations where potential ganks may come. When you are placed at the offlane, you can not farm freely despite your range since this is a deathzone for sniper and is more vulnerable to ganks. Therefore, request backup from supports or request accompaniment from your tank.
At any timeframe within the game, use your insane range as an advantage. It will make you more unreachable by the enemies. That is why this build focuses on range build - no escape items or magic immunity what so ever. The idea is to build dragon lance for increased atk range, build atk speed and damage items for easier kiting.
Midgame.
Assuming by following my build you already obtained the suggested items, you have two options:
1. Continue to farm to get high-tier items.
2. Assist your team in ganks and in minor skirmishes.
I suggest you follow 2nd option. As I have said, you have to use your range as an advantage. You have to be there at the battlefield when your team won't be able to secure a kill because enemies are fleeing but you should not be in the center of it meaning, do not go in front. Like the snipers in the greatest battles in our history, you have to be undetected by enemies to score kills.
Assist your supports in busting wards. Use your range to deward them. You can also kill couriers with ease.
Endgame.
There are two phases of the game. A defensive game where your enemies have the upper hand taking offensive position or an offensive game where it is clear that you have the upper hand.
When defending base, use your shrapnel to the advancing units. This will make them slow their progress as you are on the high ground. Remember to use your range effectively.
When in the offensive side, use your shrapnel to have temporary sight of the high ground especially on the tier 3. Keep yourself in range to keep enemies at bay.
You know, almost all heroes that can initiate, stun, hold, or even can tank can be an ally of sniper. Vice versa, these heroes can be a nightmare for sniper so be cautious in picking sniper when picked by the enemy.
When enemies have 2 or 3 melee heroes, sniper can be a viable option but be sure to analyze the melee hero.
The mechanics of sniper is very straight-forward. From its itemization to its gameplay, this hero is very easy to play. The key here is to get as many lasthits as you can since lasthitting with sniper is very easy. The most important rule with sniper is use your insane range as an advantage. You can win most games. However, before picking sniper, assess the heroes of your enemies. Usually, if the heroes are initiators or blinkers, do not pick sniper.
DOTAFire is the place to find the perfect build guide to take your game to the next level. Learn how to play a new hero, or fine tune your favorite DotA hero’s build and strategy.
Copyright © 2019 DOTAFire | All Rights Reserved
Quick Comment (2) View Comments
You need to log in before commenting.