Rooftrellen's Revenge - Foot Drinkers Unite! (Support Guide)

Introduction

This is my first guide and I do not consider myself an Dota expert by any means. I'm sure there are plenty of people who won't agree with my techniques. I mainly wanted to put together a guide for newer players and give some of my experience with Rooftrellen the Treant Protector.

I am fairly new to Dota and therefore I will not be getting into advanced tactics or game meta.

I think Treant is a badass and has a lot of potential for turning the tide for his team. He can be versatile due to his skill set and strenght. If you want to be effective for your team make sure you are watching the map.

If you are a gold ***** or want to carry and kill don't play Rooftrellen. If you want to win and play as a team then keep reading! If you don't like supporting your team don't play Rooftrellen (or dota 2 for that matter). He can be a versatile character that is fun to play and go for the win. You can get some luxury items late game (assuming you're doing that well) and rip some faces off with your barky appendages!

Lore

Far to the west, in the mountains beyond the Vale of Augury, lie the remains of an ancient power, a fount of eldritch energy nestled deep in the high woods. It is said that the things that grow here, grow strangely. To the forces of nature this is a sacred place, made to stay hidden and unknown. Many are the traps and dangers of this land--all-consuming grasses and crossbred fauna and poisonous flowers--but none are so fierce as the mighty Treant Protectors. These ageless, titanic beings, charged with keeping the peace in this dangerous land, ensure that none within encroach without reason, and none without poach their secrets. For time untold they tended to their holy ground, uninterrupted, only dimly aware of the changing world beyond. Yet inevitably the wider world grew aware of this untamed land, and with each passing winter the outsiders grew bolder. Soon they arrived with tools to cut and with flames to burn, and often the Treants would ponder: who are these fragile, industrious creatures? What now had become of the wild, green world? There came and went an age of questions and of doubts, a thousand summers of long traditions set to scrutiny, while more and more the outsiders died and fed their earth. When all that bloomed had finally finished their say, curiosity had overcome caution. It was decided: a lone Protector would be sent into the wider world, and instructed to wander until the glaciers arose once more, to observe the changing land and its creatures, and to discover what unknown dangers could threaten their sacred ground.

Pros / Cons

Pros

He's cool because he's a badass bark covered giant
Is easy to first hit with his base damage
He has a heal that does damage
His armor buff is castable from anywhere
His base strength is high
He is a good support for almost any team
Does not need super farming to be effective

He has low base armor
Silence can really hurt his effectiveness in a team battle
Somewhat easy to harass early game
Does not have any stuns
He doesn't have any items in the dota 2 armory

Skills

Nature's Guise

CASTING METHOD: ACTIVE
TARGETTING METHOD: UNIT
ALLOWED TARGETS: ALLIED UNITS
Causes the targeted unit to blend in with the forest, becoming invisible to enemies and gaining a movement speed bonus when near a tree. If the unit moves away from a tree or the spell is cast on a unit with no nearby trees, Guise is lost.

Range: 600
Duration: 15 / 30 / 45 / 60
Fade Time: 2
Tree Radius: 375
Bonus Movement Speed: 10%


Mana Cost: 90 / 80 / 70 / 60 Cooldown Time: 10 / 8 / 6 / 4

I usually level up this skill last as I'm not much for ganking and I don't use it much early game. It is a good escape mechanism for your if you are being chased and or you have someone that wants to go for a gank you can stealth them. The big risk with this skill is staying in proximity to trees. It also takes good communication to pull of a gank with someone using this skill. I mostly use it late game when I am in a group fight and need to escape. You may opt to get this skill for early game ganks if you want to try. Rooftrellen has one of the highest base melee damages in the game and he can do some good damage early game.

Leech Seed

CASTING METHOD: ACTIVE
TARGETTING METHOD: UNIT
ALLOWED TARGETS: ENEMY UNITS
Rooftrellen plants a life-sapping seed in an enemy unit, draining its health, while simultaneously slowing it. The seed heals friendly units around it equal to the amount drained. Pulses 6 times.
Effect ends after duration, even if target dies.

Range: 350
Radius: 500
Duration: 4.5
Slow: 28%
Lifesteal per Pulse: 24 / 36 / 48 / 60


Mana Cost: 140 Cooldown Time: 16 / 14 / 12 / 10

Living ArmorLiving Armor

CASTING METHOD: TARGET UNIT
ALLOWED TARGETS: ALLIED HEROES AND STRUCTURES
Target an allied unit or structure. Grants bonus regeneration and damage block. Dispels when more than 6 damage instances are taken.

Duration: 7 damage instances or 15 seconds
Damage Block: 20 / 40 / 60 / 80 (hero only)
Bonus Health Regeneration: 4 / 7 / 10 / 13

Note: Can be casted through mini-map

This skill is by far one of the best support skills in the game as it allows you to cast it on any team member, tower or creep; That means if you're on the other side of the map and your carry needs some armor you can hook him up. To be effective with this skill it requires good map awareness and situational awareness. You should always be looking for the best person to give an armor boost to on your team at any time. You can also cast this on yourself if you get in a tight spot or I like to cast it on myself as an initiator and run into the group and drop overgrowth.


Mana Cost: 50 Cooldown Time: 32 / 26 / 20 / 14

Overgrowth

CASTING METHOD: ACTIVE
TARGETTING METHOD: INSTANT
ALLOWED TARGETS: ENEMY UNIT
Summons an overgrowth of vines and branches around Treant that prevent afflicted enemies from moving, blinking, going invisible, or attacking.

Radius: 675
Duration: 3.0 / 3.75 / 4.5


Mana Cost: 150 / 175 / 200 Cooldown Time: 70

Like most ultimates you want to level this up as fast as you can. It is your group fighting initiation ability. This is an area disable that can give you a few seconds of nuking the enemy. It can also be used to get you out of a sticky situation. The cooldown is relatively low. If your team is working together the 4.5 seconds is a lot of time to do damage.

Items/Supporting

Items from the fountain from the get go should be support (as with any support hero). I usually get the courier some wards and a buckler is helpful for survivability depending on who is in your lane.

Remember you should be buying the support items throughout the match!

Keep the wards up
Get dust if you have stealth on the opposition
Go for auras that boost your team when you're in a team fight.

The items you should go for should be the ones that make your the most effective at all levels of the game so don't save up for shadow blade or something that doesn't benefit your team! (shadow blade is an even worse item to get since Rooftrellen has a stealth!).

The only mid to late game non-support items I go for are mainly for survivability (assault cuirass). As Rooftrellen can contribute decent damage in a fight without weapons.

Remember saving up for one item is penny wise and pound foolish ( I think that's right analogy). SO buy items as you go that will scale well for supporting the team. If you want to rip faces off with your giant tree hands then wait and be patient. You will get opportunities and they will be sweet!

I am not a good farmer and therefore the items I suggest are based on being effective without a great farm.