aRKaNg3l
03-18-2006, 08:15 PM
Lone Druid Guide v6.28by New-Zealand
http://www.dotaportal.com/images/heroes/animations/N01O.gif
RAWWR
Introduction
Skill descriptions & notes
Skill build & reasoning
Item Build & reasoning
Useful Items
Strategy
Technique
Team Strategy
Problematic Heroes
Replays
Conclusion
Introduction
This was a guide I originaly wrote for dotaportal.com but seeing the new dota section I thought it might do some good here. My current AKA is New-Zealand I did not copy this guide from anywhere else :dancing:
Welcome to the first guide I have written about our hairy friend syllabear. I started writing this guide because syllabear is my favourite, most fun hero and I have alot of experience with him. At the time I started writing this there were no good syllabear guides avaliable (thanks l33t :angry: ) so I hope that this is a valuable contribution.
Syllabear is a very unique hero. For who else do you get to play 2 heroes for the price of one? Syllabear and his bear can own 3/4 of the heroes in dota 1v1 (well 2v1 really) as well as being one of the fastest units in the game thanks to Rabid.
http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f321/New-Zealand/funnybear.jpg
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Stat breakdown
Here is a comparison of syllabears stats and hp/damage figures compared to typical intelligence and strength hero (items not included)
http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f321/New-Zealand/statstableJPG.jpg
This shows how syllabear (agility) stacks up against an intelligence hero and a strength hero in terms of damage and hp.
You can easily see that you will run out of hp before you get anywhere near killing that centaur and lion has unnervingly similar damage capabilities for a hero stacked with nukes and disables.
How are you gonna beat them?
#1 Your bear. Turn a 1v1 into a 2v1
#2 Your raged movespeed and attackspeed
Skill Descriptions
http://www.dotaportal.com/images/abils/A0A5.gif
Summon Spirit Bear
Summons a powerful Spirit Bear companion. It randomly Entangles enemies that it attacks, which immobilizes an enemy for 3 seconds, dealing 40 damage per second.
Spirit Bear deals 28 - 38 normal damage.
Spirit Bear will automatically teleport back to Syllabear if it attempts to attack a unit while he is more than 1500 range away from Syllabear
Level 1 - 1400 hit points, Entangles 4% of the time, Syllabear will lose 100 HP if Spirit Bear dies. Spirit Bear has 320 movespeed and Base Attack Time of 1.75.
Level 2 - 1800 hit points, Entangles 8% of the time, gains Return, which allows it to teleport to Syllabear instantly, Syllabear will lose 200 HP if Spirit Bear dies. Spirit Bear has 320 movespeed and Base Attack Time of 1.6
Level 3 - 2300 hit points, Entangles 12% of the time, and has Return and Demolish. Demolish allows Spirit Bear to deal 1.33 times damage to buildings, Syllabear will lose 300 HP if Spirit Bear dies. Spirit Bear has 330 movespeed and Base Attack Time of 1.45.
Level 4 - 2700 hit points, Entangles 16% of the time, has Return, Demolish, 33% Spell Damage Reduction, and can carry up to 6 items, Syllabear will lose 400 HP if Spirit Bear dies. Spirit Bear has 340 movespeed and Base Attack Time of 1.3
Mana Cost: 75
Cooldown: 180
Notes: Using this skill while a bear is already summoned will make a new bear but it will be on the same hp as previous one. When you level this skill up a new bear is automatically made on the same % hit points as the previous one.
If the bear dies you can use this skill to immediately summon a new one. However try to keep your bear alive as you lose hp when it dies and the enemy gets 100 gold and some experience. The cooldown for this skill is long so if you make a bear and it dies shortly afterwards you will have to wait for the skill to cooldown to get your bear again.
16% entangle is every 1 in 6 hits
When playing syllabear you must have formation movement off
When formation movement is on all units in a control group will move as fast as the slowest unit in that group. If you have syllabear and his bear in the same control group and have the bear raged but syllabear is not raged the bear will have a faster movespeed. If formation movement is on the bear will only travel as fast as syllabear. This can be turned off by clicking the icon next to your minimap display at the bottom.
http://www.dotaportal.com/images/abils/A0AA.gif
Rabid
Syllabear can create an intense combative fury in either himself or any of his controlled unit.
Lasts 10 seconds.
Level 1 - Increases attack speed by 10% and movement speed by 5%.
Level 2 - Increases attack speed by 20% and movement speed by 10%.
Level 3 - Increases attack speed by 30% and movement speed by 15%.
Level 4 - Increases attack speed by 40% and movement speed by 20%.
Mana Cost: 50
Cooldown: 30
Notes: Without synergy to buff its duration this skill doesnt last long. With 4 synergy though it will last 50 seconds and has a cooldown of 30 seconds. This will allow you to almost keep it constantly casted on syllabear and the bear. There will be a small lapse though so be aware.
http://www.dotaportal.com/images/abils/A0A8.gif
Synergy
Increases the Lone Druid's synergy with his Spirit Bear with each level:
Spirit Bear - Adds 10 damage and 10 movement points.
Rabid - Increases the duration by 10 seconds.
True Form - Adds 100 HP per level
Mana Cost: N/A
Cooldown: N/A
http://www.dotaportal.com/images/abils/A0AG.gif
True Form
Syllabear learns to morph himself into a brown bear. He can morph freely between human and bear form.
Level 1 - 250 bonus health.
Level 2 - 400 bonus health and has Battle Cry.
Level 3 - 600 bonus health and has One.
Battle [C]ry:
Give Lone Druid and his units under his control within 900 AoE 20 bonus damage and 2 bonus armor.
Duration: Lasts 10 seconds
Cooldown: 30 seconds
Mana cost: 50 mana
On[e]: Links Syllabear and up to 2 of his controlled units by the soul. Damage that they take is distributed equally between 2 or 3 of them.
Mana Cost: 80 mana Duration: 35 seconds
Cooldown: About 12 seconds
True Form's Mana cost:
Mana Cost: 25
Cooldown: N/A
Notes: Not used in this build because your ranged ability is better than hp and this skill conflicts with the bear. Explained in skill reasoning.
The level 4 bear has the following skills
Entangle
Attacks randomly cause roots to burst from the ground, immobilizing and disarming a target enemy unit for 3 seconds, and dealing 40 damage per second. Orb Effect
Notes: This is an extremely important skill that will allow you to get many of your kills earlier in the game. It makes the bear into a disabler which is important because syllabear cant do this. If you land even one entangle you can kill weaker heroes in the early game. It does 120 damage and allows syllabear and the bear to hammer at the target for 3 seconds. More details in techniques and strategy section.
http://www.dotaportal.com/images/abils/A01O.gif
Return
Immediately teleports the Spirit Bear back to Syllabear.
Notes: This skill has no cooldown. It can be used to blink the bear back during shopping trips and you can scout with the bear and return it at any moment. One of its better uses is when you are being chased by an enemy hero continuously blink the bear back as you are running to get in the heros way and try and entangle him.
If the bear attacks anything outside of about 1500 range of syllabear he will return automatically. This means that he can be used as a scout but dont attack or he will blink back.
Demolish
Causes attacks to do 1.33 times damage to buildings.
Skill Build
1 Bear
2 Synergy
3 Bear
4 Synergy
5 Bear
6 Rabid
7 Bear
8 Rabid
9 Rabid
10 Rabid
11 Synergy
12 Synergy
13-23 Stats
23-25 True Form
Reasoning:
Why not max synergy before rabid?
Rabid is really a much more important skill as it gets you kills. The movespeed from this allows your bear to be faster than enemy heroes to chase and entangle them. The only reason 2 points are put in synergy first is rabid by itself has a duration of 10 seconds. 2 points in synergy extends this to 30 seconds and the cooldown of rabid is 30 seconds. This means that you can do the chasing without rabid wearing off.
Why no true form? It adds so much hp
True form will give you +1000 hp at level 16. This is very nice but I would never sacrifice my range for it. If you like being a tank then go for it but this guide is not for you. The fact that you are ranged will keep you out of harms way far more than extra hp. The ranged heroes in a team gank/battle are the ones that are standing at the end of it. This is not a good way to think for a team game, but in a pub...let the othes take the punishment and clean up afterwards. The last reason not to go true form is it negates the chasing capabilities of the bear. If you have two melee units chasing a hero they will just get in each others way. Only one will be able to attack at once (rabid gives a large colision size), whereas if you have a ranged and a melee they wont get in each others way and you will have two units wacking away.
Playing with no bear
Some people like to play syllabear without the bear at all. They believe the bear only takes away from the potential of syllabear and he best played like razor/troll. This guide does not cover that build.
Why max bear first?
Maxing bear is crucial. The bear owns everything :D Entagle is an excellent disable, far better than bash. If it goes off early game you can get a kill from just one entangle. 2700 hp makes this bear immune to anything a hero can throw at it for quite some time. Anyone dumb enough to focus it wont get anywhere. With the bear leading, you can chase heroes through a tower. It is also very useful as a chicken. As soon as you reach level 7 send your level 4 bear to the fountain to bring you flasks and other components for your recipes and blink it back. In a 2v1 lane situation, which is quite comon for me, the bear will draw all of the fire from enemies. They will generaly have to go through the bear to get a shot in at syllabear leaving you pretty damn safe (some exceptions to this). The bear also adds more damage for farming. You dont have to last hit creep so much as syllabears damage plus the 50 odd damage of the bear is ample for exp deny and creeping by just attacking.
http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f321/New-Zealand/funnybear5.jpg
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Item Build
all items without (bear) are for syllabear, bold items are completed items with totaled cost
*First shopping triphttp://www.dotaportal.com/images/items/BTNRingSkull.gif
Ring of regeneration 375
Ring vs flask. I have always prefered a RoR because it is always working, i dont have to do anything and it heals for more overall. Flasks are useful when you are below 1/3 health. I tend to just get them as i feel i need them. If i am forced back to my fountain then i will buy one so it doesnt happen again. After i reach lvl 4 bear, the bear can go back for a flask so i can keep leeching exp. Also the ring will be used to make a headress.
http://www.dotaportal.com/images/items/BTNNatureTouchGrow.gif
Ironwood branch 57
Items after this should be obtained by using your bear as a chicken or if you have to heal. Send the bear back whenever he isnt needed to use up your money and blink him back.http://www.dotaportal.com/images/items/BTNINV_Helmet_17.gif
Headress of Rejuv 657 (optional)
The headdress is completely optional really. It find it very useful because the bear has very little hp regen and tends to take alot of damage. This just means you can have him by your side more and at the fountain less. This item becomes a must when you have an ally in your lane.
http://www.dotaportal.com/images/items/BTNBootsOfSpeed.gif
Boots 500
Boots (bear) 500
Boots are most important first so you do not die. Boots for the bear second in preparation for the chasing and killing phase. These items should really be obtained before lvl8 when you will need them. I have never had problems doing this but if you do then skip the headress.
http://www.dotaportal.com/images/items/BTNGlove.gif
Gloves of haste (bear) 620
http://www.dotaportal.com/images/items/BTNWirtsLeg.gif
Power Treads (bear) 1540
Gloves of haste and treads next. This attack speed boost lets the bear get in more entangles. Entangles are the way to get kills early game. This attack speed will also remian consistently useful throughout the game. If a melee hero wants to fight you he will be entangled in very short order.
http://www.dotaportal.com/images/items/BTNBelt.gif
Belt of giant strength 450
http://www.dotaportal.com/images/items/BTNSpiritWalkerAdeptTraining.gif
Ogre Axe 1000
http://www.dotaportal.com/images/items/BTNJapaneseSword.gif
Sange 2050
http://www.dotaportal.com/images/items/BTNBoots.gif
Boots of Elvenskin 450
http://www.dotaportal.com/images/items/BTNINV_ThrowingKnife_03.gif
Blades of Alacrity 1000
http://www.dotaportal.com/images/items/BTNINV_Sword_10.gif
Yasha 2050
http://www.dotaportal.com/images/items/BTNSpell_Holy_BlessingOfStrength.gif
Sange & Yasha 5000
I work on the sange next because I love the maim effect and the str boost is really much more useful than agil (it adds over 300hp). The yasha after that gives a decent damage boost and a small speed increase. Your will really see the difference upgrading to Sange&Yasha when maim goes from 5% to 10% and speed from 5% to 10%. Your speed will be almost unmatchable with this and rabid. This is a very good general item that caters for everything.
http://www.dotaportal.com/images/items/BTNGlove.gif
Gloves of haste 650
http://www.dotaportal.com/images/items/BTNWirtsLeg.gif
Power Treads 1540
http://www.dotaportal.com/images/items/BTNClawsOfAttack.gif
Blades of attack 650
http://www.dotaportal.com/images/items/BTNSteelMelee.gif
Broadsword 1200
http://www.dotaportal.com/images/items/BTNThoriumMelee.gif
Crystalis 2850
http://www.dotaportal.com/images/items/BTNFrostMourne.gif
Demon Edge 2600
http://www.dotaportal.com/images/items/BTNINV_Weapon_Crossbow_10.gif
Buriza 6200
The crystalis is in build up to late game. You will want damage and theres no beter item than a buriza. Monkey king bar is just as good but you can farm for a buriza in smaller increments and if it takes you a long time to farm for it crystalis is still extremely useful.
http://www.dotaportal.com/images/items/BTNINV_Weapon_Bow_06.gif
Eaglehorn 3400
http://www.dotaportal.com/images/items/BTNAlleriaFlute.gif
Quarterstaff 1150
http://www.dotaportal.com/images/items/BTNINV_ThrowingKnife_04.gif
Butterfly 5950
You can never go wrong with a butterfly for an agil hero. Buffs speed, damage and gives nice evasion. I only include butterfly for a sense of completeness as you are not likely to get one.
Alternate Item Build
Replace Sange&Yasha with Eye of Skadihttp://www.dotaportal.com/images/items/BTNOrbofSlowness.gif
Ultimate Orb 2300
Ultimate Orb 2300
http://www.dotaportal.com/images/items/BTNUsedSoulGem.gif
Point Booster 1200
http://www.dotaportal.com/images/items/BTNIceShard.gif
Eye of Skadi 7050
Reasoning
Why no mana items?
As you can see by looking at the mana costs for his skills Syllabear will never run out of mana. You will always have enough to keep rabid and to summon your bear if it dies. Therefore any intel items are useless.
Why do you use Sange&Yasha over skadi?
Skadi is a great item there is no question, and if you prefer it then go for it. It will be a better item in late game, however it will take a long time to get it. It normaly takes me to level 15-16 and that is with some greedy farming. If your spending so much time farming mid game your team will suffer and you wont get any kills. Also it costs 2300 for +10 to all stats. That is more than it costs to get a Sange (2200) which gives you 16 str and maim. Farming for smaller items is also much easier. The Sange&Yasha build allows you to get stuck into the fighting during mid game with some decent items.
Why not put some stronger items on the bear?
Putting stronger items on the bear it is not a good idea as syllabear will always be faster and harder hitting than his bear as well as ranged. Players also like to cyclone the bear for twice the duration it has on heroes and hex the bear for twice the duration it has on heroes. Disables cripple your bear very easily. A hyperstone can be a good idea but remember attack speed bonuses stack diminishingly and you already have 30% from treads and 40% from rabid.
Why not use bashers?
Bashers are a decent item so I have included them in useful items. But why do you really want them? You wont achieve permabash with only a 10% bash that stacks diminishingly so they will never be of use 1v1. Their other use is chasing. Maim and a movespeed of 474 with S&Y will make sure they dont get away. You will actually kill them faster while they are running if you have more damage and no bash. Therefore buriza is a much better item.
Why butterfly
This item is expensive but it gives great benefits. 40 damage 25% evasion 25% attack speed and 25 agil. I cant really see any other item taking this slot except a MKB (Im not sure if burizas stack and no one can prove it to me but MKB is just as good). The MKB would probably get a little more damage but you wouldnt get the nice evasion bonus which is very important late game vs high damage dealers. 25% evasion means a 1/4 less physical damage taken. Thats alot.
Useful Itemshttp://www.dotaportal.com/images/items/BTNPotionBlueBig.gif
Flasks 100
Keeping 1 of these on you is a good idea as you can stay in your lane after a fight or continue pushing after a fight. Buy these if you ever have 100 gold left over.
http://www.dotaportal.com/images/items/BTNScrollUber.gif
Scroll of Town Portal 135
For when you need to make a quick exit. After youve made a kill and are on low hp the enemy heroes will be circling like vultures. Saves alot of time too for fountain trips and is great for defending against pushes/backdooring.
http://www.dotaportal.com/images/items/BTNSentryWard.gif
Observer wards 215
Relatively cheap item that is most useful when soloing in dangerous places. These will give you plenty of warning. Click here for madeeneR-'s miniguide to ward placement (http://www.dotaportal.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=15525).
http://www.dotaportal.com/images/items/BTNPeriapt1.gif
Hyperstone 2450
Great item to have on the bear. Will easily net you heroes with entangle going off regularly.
http://www.dotaportal.com/images/items/BTNRunedBracers.gif
Bracers 500
The most useful of the three stat items. Boosts your low hp if you think you need it. I usually skip these as Sange is made from str items.
http://www.dotaportal.com/images/items/BTNINV_Hammer_10.gif
Basher 3220
I possible alternative to a buriza is getting 2 of these. 60 damage and bash for 6.4k or 75 damage and critical for 6.2k. It is a very good item but i prefer to go for a damage build and I feel that maim and rabid is enough for chasing enemies. If you do use bashers always put them on syllabear as he is ranged, doesnt get disabled for so long and you can get 15% bash on him. Get one point in bear form and complete the basher while in bear form then change back and it will stay a 15% basher. (thanks nales)
http://www.dotaportal.com/images/items/BTNSpellShieldAmulet.gif
Mekansm 2434
This item is cheap and easy to make, especially if you went headress first. When activated you get a tidy 7 armour the heal is great for you your bear and your team and it gives a nice stat bonus. Excellent item overall but I miss it in favour of getting a crystalis earlier.
http://www.dotaportal.com/images/items/BTNRingGreen.gif
Ring of Protection 175
Great item to buff the bear so he will last longer in late game. Only in late game though as he will have plenty of hp until then. Cheaper to stack these than buy plate mail. The bear will have plenty of slots if you only bought treads for him.
Thanks Nales for suggesion.
http://www.dotaportal.com/images/items/BTNRodOfNecromancy.gif
Black king bar 3800
This items primary use is when getting ganked or focused. For ten seconds you are untouchable, with no disables able to hit you, you can run away unscathed.
http://www.dotaportal.com/images/items/BTNIceShard.gif
Eye of Skadi 7050
Can actually be stacked on top of Sange&Yasha (try it if you dont believe me). If you really like the slow it is great and gives nice stat bonuses but you could have a buriza +1k by this stage. I would rather the damage.
Do not use any other orb effects as they will overide the Sange&Yasha.
Do not use orb effects on the bear as they will overide Entangle.
http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f321/New-Zealand/bearfunny9.jpg
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Strategy
lvls 1-6
As soon as youve picked your hero buy a RoR and ironwood branch and proceed immediately either the top or bottom lane. This is not for greedy solo reasons, it is because you need room to chase heroes. The middle is no place for you.
Do not summon the bear yet. Start up your farming and exp deny until level 3. Summon the bear now. The reason for this is the lvl 1 bear has very low hp and by the time you summon lvl 2 bear it will have lost more health because the hp is transferred as a %. With you and the bear attacking there is not so much need to time last hits. Just keep up this farming during the entire early game.
If an enemy hero (this would normaly be a melee hero) comes in close for last hits give him a couple of wacks from syllabear and his bear. The bear can take the hits when the creeps target you. If you hit him every time he comes close eventually the bear will entangle him. The entangle is 16% with a level 4 bear which is 1 in 6. Be ready for this and just keep hitting him until he is free and runs off with his tail between his legs, back to the fountain. It is possible to get a kill from this but it depends how much hp they have at the entangle. Chasing without rabid rarely achieves anything so dont bother, a fountain trip is just as good as a kill.
If vs ranged heroes this will not be possible so just farm. Sometimes I have played people who try to kill the bear. Just blink it back when ever it gets focused. You can send it to the fountain by itself to heal if needed. The only trouble I have ever in early game are two nukers while im solo. If they put alot of pressure on your hero you will have to return to the fountain. On this trip buy flasks so it doesnt happen again. Another RoR is also a possibility.
Your goal at this period is just to farm and put pressure on heroes, maybe get an entangle. Play carefully with syllabear but do not worry about the bear, he is expendable.
lvls 7-12
You hit level 7. Summon the new bear immediately and send it to the fountain (unless you already have your items) to buy 2 boots, a headress recipe and possibly gloves of haste. I dont think its asking too much to have 1200-1500 gold by then, unless you are getting focused alot or have died. Now is time to do some damage.
You have 2 points in rabid with a 30 second duration if you followed my build. The bear now has approximately 340 movespeed + 20 from synergy + 50 from boots + 34 (10%) from level 2 rabid. 444 movespeed is faster than almost any hero at this point. To launch your attack it needs to be a 1v1 situation or 2v2 situation. Use your judgment to pick a target, it doesnt have to be in the same lane. Obviously avoid lion because lion can just kill you outright with spikes-finger if he has enough mana, also dont bother with blinkers/windwalkers.
Idealy get in behind the bushes because you will get more hits in before he runs. rabid the bear and attack. Keep chasing him along his lane, even through the tower because the bear can take the damage. The bear will get hits off while chasing and its just up to luck if it entangles. When this happens just keep hitting him with syllabear and the bear and its pretty much over. I wouldnt chase too far past the tower trying for an entangle because if another hero comes your screwed.
A flask is useful after having a go at a hero because your hp will be low. During this period you also have to farm for Sange so take every oppourtunity to make money. At level 10 you can creep some more powerful nuetrals, my favorites being the black dragons near roshan. The bear takes the damage then send him back to base while you creep some more easier creeps. More on creeping patterns in techniques.
lvls 13-20
At level 13 dota will really turn into a team game so keep a scroll handy to teleport in and a flask for healing after a fight. If the enemy team converges and starts to push make your way to the lane to defend it with your teamates (hopefully). Hang back a bit and wait for the s*** to start flying.
If you are at the front of a fight you will die first, this is why i dont like true form. When the fight starts rabid yourself pick a vulnerable target and attack (more info in techniques section). It is important you rabid yourself because if you get focused you need the movement speed to leg it out of there. Your movespeed will be well over 400. You can rejoin the fight after if you have enough hp (use flasks). The key to these team battles is survival and if your team wins you can mop up after the fleeing heroes.
In the quiet periods make your way to the side lanes for farming and also take out the good nuetral creeps. It is very important to keep moving when farming, if you stay in the same spot to clear a few waves 3 heroes will pop out of the bush and your toast. Try to stay in the field as long as possible for more money and exp so send the bear back for items.
Your farming objective is to finsh your Sange & Yasha asap and start the crystalis. Keep these goals in mind so you dont go play chasey chasey around the map too much. You would really want the crystalis by level 20. Depending on how you are doing with this survival/farming tactic you can be leveled well in excess with far better items than those that die in these team battles.
lvls 20-25
At this stage of the game pushing will win or lose it for your team so always keep a tp scroll handy to defend your base. When your not pushing with your teamates you should be farming. Keep it random, creep the neutrals and dont stray past the river and you should survive. Farm for a buriza as fast as possible. Getting butterfly is not so critical (buriza makes you a killer, butterfly makes you a better killer) so once you have a buriza you can do more pushing.
If an enemy hero is pushing alone you could go and take him out but only if your sure hes alone. If youve just killed someone on their side of the river you want to get out of there as fast as you can. Either leg it with rabid on or use a scroll. Consistant farming along with team pushes are the key late game.
http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f321/New-Zealand/funnybear2.jpg
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Techniques
I apoligize for the quality of screenshots as they were taken from my home computer. I only play DOTA at the local net cafe. Hopefuly you can see what im getting at though.
Blinking Bear
When running on low health with an enemy giving chase you can repeatedly blink the bear back to syllabear as blink has no cooldown. This protects syllabear by blocking enemies with the bears massive collision size, the bear can damage them and if the bear entangles then the enemy will be disabled and unable to give chase.
http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f321/New-Zealand/BlinkingBear1.jpg
Im on low health and tiny senses a kill so he gives chase
http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f321/New-Zealand/BlinkingBear2.jpg
I blink the bear back to me
http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f321/New-Zealand/BlinkingBear3.jpg
Tiny is forced back because he is blocked.
Scouting Bear
The bear can be sent anywhere on the map without fear of it dying as you can blink it back whenever you see a threat. Note if the bear attacks enemies outside 1500 range it will automatically blink back so dont let him go off and attack a creep.
This technique is useful when you are in a dangerous area of the map and need warning incase of a gank. I often do this when leveling at the bottom of the map for scourge and top of the map for sentinel. Send it into the bush where it has the best vision.
Scouting is also very useful in a team push. The enemies often like to come out of the bush for a surprise attack. If you scout one in the bush alongside you know that you are about to get ganked. Sometimes your team can rush in and kill him before the other team can get in position.
http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f321/New-Zealand/BearScout1.jpg
Its early game and im on the scourge leveling with sniper at the bottom of map. Necrolyte disappears so I suspect a gank.
http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f321/New-Zealand/BearScout2.jpg
Send the bear into the bush for a look.
http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f321/New-Zealand/BearScout3.jpg
Well look who it is. I run for my tower at this point because chances are he wont be planning a gank alone.
Bear Harass
In early game syllabear and the bear approximately do a combined 80 damage. If vs a melee hero early on just wack him if he ever comes close. Normaly you cant do this because the creeps attack you and you take just as much damage but with Lone Druid the bear will take the hits for you. He can be sent to the fountain at any stage. Entangle also goes off every 1 in 6 hits with level 4 bear so if you get the occasional hit in you might get an entangle. If this happens keep hitting him and send him back to the fountain or possibly kill him (dont chase without rabid though).
http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f321/New-Zealand/BearHarass1.jpg
Juggernaught comes close for last hits. Make him pay for it. The damage of syllabear and the bear is really taking its toll.
Bear Chase
Throughout early mid game you will kill heroes by raging the bear and chasing them until you get an entangle and they are killed. rabid at level 4 adds 20% to the bears already high movespeed and will easily catch even spirit breaker. Chasing sometimes requires alot of room to do but you can chase through towers as the bear will be leading and he has 2700 hp.
http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f321/New-Zealand/BearChase1.jpg
I find pudge alone in the forest with plenty or room to chase.
http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f321/New-Zealand/BearChase2.jpg
I quickly close the gap with rabid on.
http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f321/New-Zealand/BearChase3.jpg
The bear entangles after a couple hits and pudge dies fast to the pounding from syllabear and the bear. Sniper arrives on the scene for a KS but is too late :P .
rabid syllabear or the bear?
You may be wondering: rabid benfits both syllabear and the bear so who do I use it on as a priority?
rabid Syllabear:
When you need to get away fast
Syllabear getting away is far more important than the bear getting away. With 475 movespeed you are a speed demon.
Whenever you are creeping or in a dangerous area
There is no need to get entangles when creeping so just rabid syllabear for higher damage and on the off chance you get attacked.
Late game
Your damage and crits in this part of the game can be a far faster way of killing than with the entangle from the bear
Team battles
You need the mobility to get out of there if you are being focused. Chasing is less of a priority here.
rabid the bear:
When chasing during early/mid game
Entangles in this part of the game are deadly. 3 second disable for you to pound your enemy + 120 damage.
Always rabid the bear when playing aggresively in this stage of the game.
When you are fighting a very high damage enemy whom you must disable to kill. eg. Sven with gods strength will kill you very fast unless you entangle him.
So in general rabid the bear for offense, rabid syllabear for defence. The exception is late game.
Creeping patterns
This minimap shows an efficient and safe way to creep during lulls in the action. The top (for scourge) and bottom (for sentinel) are the best. Pick a lane to creep that no one else is using. Creep from the base of the lane to the river and make your way back killing all the good neutral creeps. This gives the enemy creeps time to push back up your lane. Once you have killed the neutrals then creep the enemy creeps back to the river again.
This ensures a constant flow of exp and money while leaving you very safe from attack as you never cross the river and half the time you are unseen while you creep the neutrals. Enemies may target you if they see you creeping up your lane for too long and will come to kill you. Creeping neutrals also means that when they get there to kill you, you will be gone.
http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f321/New-Zealand/Dota-Mini-Map.jpg
White is for scourge, yellow is for sentinel.
http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f321/New-Zealand/funnybear8.jpg
* * * * *
Team Strategy
Syllabears team play is rather limited. He does not have such a clearly defined role. The best way to use syllabear in a team situation is as a damager. This build does that reasonably well once you get crystalis/buriza but nothing to compete with troll/razor.
The role of a damager in a team battle is to take out the priority targets as fast as possible and finish heroes on lower hp from your teams AOE spells. If you really wanted to be a team player mekansm is highly recommended.
If a team battle does ensue you want to keep syllabear reasonable safe. Send the bear into the thick of it as the bear is expendable and it takes alot to kill him. Hopefully this will absorb some of the damage for your team. Wait until the heroes of both teams are fully engaged before you make your move. Keep yourself raged and attack the disable spammer/heavy nuker/damager. Its really up to your judgement to select the victim as it depends on the player skills and will be diferent every game. The first target should be the very dangerous and reasonably easy to kill.
It is important that you keep raged so if you get focused you can quickly retreat back. Rejoin the fight after they stop targeting you and pick another target.
These screenshots show my descisions regarding this battle.
http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f321/New-Zealand/TeamBattle1.jpg
The heroes start to converge on one point so I send in the bear first to absorb some damage and I target lion to kill him before he uses his powerful combo and because he has low hp and he was in a vulnerable position.
http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f321/New-Zealand/TeamBattle2.jpg
Lion quickly goes down but I get focused by tiny and slardar so I quickly run back a short way.
http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f321/New-Zealand/TeamBattle3.jpg
I return to the fight to chase and kill tiny.
Problematic Heroes
Here is a list of some of the heroes I hate to fight with syllabear. This doesnt include full spam nukers because everybody knows to avoid them unless they have used spells/ they have no mana, in which case they are easy meat.
http://www.dotaportal.com/images/heroes/UC18.gif
Lion
Voodoo
http://www.dotaportal.com/images/abils/AOhx.gif
Transforms an enemy unit into a random critter, disabling special abilities.
Level 1 - Lasts 1 seconds.
Level 2 - Lasts 2 seconds.
Level 3 - Lasts 3 seconds.
Level 4 - Lasts 4 seconds.
Mana Cost: 110 / 140 / 170 / 200
Cooldown: 13
Level 4 hex lasts 8 seconds on your bear. All disable spells have a hero duration and a unit duration. The unit duration is usually twice the hero duration. For this reason you are going to have a really hard time chasing him. If trying to kill Lion dont bother raging the bear, it will just get hexed. Raging yourself is a better option.
http://www.dotaportal.com/images/heroes/Orkn.gif
Rhasta
Voodoo
http://www.dotaportal.com/images/abils/AOhx.gif
Transforms an enemy unit into a random critter, disabling special abilities.
Level 1 - Lasts 1 seconds.
Level 2 - Lasts 2 seconds.
Level 3 - Lasts 3 seconds.
Level 4 - Lasts 4 seconds.
Mana Cost: 110 / 140 / 170 / 200
Cooldown: 13
Same as above.
http://www.dotaportal.com/images/heroes/Ulic.gif
Lich
Chain Frost
http://www.dotaportal.com/images/abils/A05T.gif
Releases a jumping breath of frost that can jump up to 6 times. Frost will bounce back and forth between units that are within 750 range.
Level 1 - Deals 280 damage per hit.
Level 2 - Deals 370 damage per hit.
Level 3 - Deals 460 damage per hit.
Level 4 (with Aghanim Scepter) - Deals 580 damage per hit.
Mana Cost: 200/ 325/ 500/ 500
Cooldown: 135/ 110/ 95/ 95
Dont get alone with this guy. Chain frost is most effective in 2v1 scenario. That means you and the bear. With no creeps around this thing will deal 280 damage per hit 6 times at level 1. Thats 1680 damage. OUCH.
http://www.dotaportal.com/images/heroes/Hjai.gif
Crystal Maiden
Frost Bite
http://www.dotaportal.com/images/abils/A04C.gif
Freezes the target in a case of ice, prohibiting movement and attacking. Deals 70 damage per second.
Level 1 - Lasts 1.5 seconds.
Level 2 - Lasts 2 seconds.
Level 3 - Lasts 2.5 seconds.
Level 4 - Lasts 3 seconds.
Mana Cost: 115/ 125/ 140/ 150
Cooldown: 12
Yet another nasty disable. 6 seconds to the bear.
http://www.dotaportal.com/images/heroes/H00V.gif
Medusa
Purge
http://www.dotaportal.com/images/abils/A02V.gif
Casts a powerful anti-magic buff at a target enemy unit. Slows movement and attack speeds for 5 seconds.
Level 1 - Slows speed by a factor of 2.
Level 2 - Slows speed by a factor of 3.
Level 3 - Slows speed by a factor of 5.
Deals 1000 damage to summoned units.
Mana Cost: 60
Cooldown: 12
This would do 1000 damage to the bear for 60 mana with a cooldown of 12 seconds. Thats alot. However I have never had problems with this ability. Either a medusa never thought of using it on my bear or it doesnt work on the bear. It would be great if someone could confirm this.
EDIT: the bear is an ancient not a summon, purge will only slow it
http://www.dotaportal.com/images/items/BTNStaffofpurification.gif
Euls Sceptre of Divinity
Shop: Level 2
Description:
+100% Mana Regeneration
+18 Intelligence
Charged: Cyclone
6 Charges 5.6 Second Duration 600 Range
5 seconds cooldown
This isnt a hero but it is here because any hero carrying it becomes problematic. 5.6 becomes 11.2 when used on your bear. This is complete gayness. Everyone will spam cyclone on the bear if they get a cyclone stick. If your bear starts to become useless due to so much disabling then switch his items off onto syllabear.
http://www.dotaportal.com/images/items/BTNINV_Sword_09.gif
Guinsoo's Scythe of Vyse
Shop: Level 4
Description:
+150% Mana Regeneration
+25 Intellegence
+35 Damage
Activate: Polymorph
600 Range 3 Second Duration
23 Second Cooldown 100 Mana Cost
Whats could possibly be worse than a cyclone stick? The fact that when they run out of charges they upgrade it to an infinite charge sheep stick for 6 seconds on the bear.
Replays (TFT v1.20)
Watching these replays is highly recommended to justify my item build and they will teach you things you can't learn in screenshots.
Replay 1
This is a recent v6.28 replay that demonstrates my fine tuned sange & yasha, buriza build. Yes it was a noob game but it shows the bulk of the ideas described. I die twice and get about 10 kills. The second death was quite funny. I bloodseeker uses lvl 3 rupture, so naturaly I stop to wait it out. This makes me a perfect target for pudges incoming hook. Hook + Rupture = OUCH. He dismembers me and im dead :D
Replay 2
This replay is by NF4, used with his permission. This shows excellent play with a Sange & Yasha, mekasm, basher build. Also a bit of a noob game but flawless play.
Replay 3
This was recorded during the testing phase of my guide. Sange & Yasha, Skadi, Butterfly. The build was very effective but I farmed like a whore and rarely helped my team to get those items. I have the most frustrating time at the start of this game trying to get kills. I get sven and tiny down to 100 hp many times but never quite finish them. Really shows the importance of getting treads on the bear early, which I didnt.
Final score about 15-4 and my team loses.
Conclusion
Phew that took a while to write :blink: but I hope you have learned something from all this. For all the people who disagree and write thier own little guides in this thread PLEASE provide a replay. You cant prove the effectiveness of a strat without hard evidence. I would be glad to watch them. And remember... dont do drugs.
http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f321/New-Zealand/funnybear3.jpg
* * * * *
http://www.dotaportal.com/images/heroes/animations/N01O.gif
RAWWR
Introduction
Skill descriptions & notes
Skill build & reasoning
Item Build & reasoning
Useful Items
Strategy
Technique
Team Strategy
Problematic Heroes
Replays
Conclusion
Introduction
This was a guide I originaly wrote for dotaportal.com but seeing the new dota section I thought it might do some good here. My current AKA is New-Zealand I did not copy this guide from anywhere else :dancing:
Welcome to the first guide I have written about our hairy friend syllabear. I started writing this guide because syllabear is my favourite, most fun hero and I have alot of experience with him. At the time I started writing this there were no good syllabear guides avaliable (thanks l33t :angry: ) so I hope that this is a valuable contribution.
Syllabear is a very unique hero. For who else do you get to play 2 heroes for the price of one? Syllabear and his bear can own 3/4 of the heroes in dota 1v1 (well 2v1 really) as well as being one of the fastest units in the game thanks to Rabid.
http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f321/New-Zealand/funnybear.jpg
* * * * *
Stat breakdown
Here is a comparison of syllabears stats and hp/damage figures compared to typical intelligence and strength hero (items not included)
http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f321/New-Zealand/statstableJPG.jpg
This shows how syllabear (agility) stacks up against an intelligence hero and a strength hero in terms of damage and hp.
You can easily see that you will run out of hp before you get anywhere near killing that centaur and lion has unnervingly similar damage capabilities for a hero stacked with nukes and disables.
How are you gonna beat them?
#1 Your bear. Turn a 1v1 into a 2v1
#2 Your raged movespeed and attackspeed
Skill Descriptions
http://www.dotaportal.com/images/abils/A0A5.gif
Summon Spirit Bear
Summons a powerful Spirit Bear companion. It randomly Entangles enemies that it attacks, which immobilizes an enemy for 3 seconds, dealing 40 damage per second.
Spirit Bear deals 28 - 38 normal damage.
Spirit Bear will automatically teleport back to Syllabear if it attempts to attack a unit while he is more than 1500 range away from Syllabear
Level 1 - 1400 hit points, Entangles 4% of the time, Syllabear will lose 100 HP if Spirit Bear dies. Spirit Bear has 320 movespeed and Base Attack Time of 1.75.
Level 2 - 1800 hit points, Entangles 8% of the time, gains Return, which allows it to teleport to Syllabear instantly, Syllabear will lose 200 HP if Spirit Bear dies. Spirit Bear has 320 movespeed and Base Attack Time of 1.6
Level 3 - 2300 hit points, Entangles 12% of the time, and has Return and Demolish. Demolish allows Spirit Bear to deal 1.33 times damage to buildings, Syllabear will lose 300 HP if Spirit Bear dies. Spirit Bear has 330 movespeed and Base Attack Time of 1.45.
Level 4 - 2700 hit points, Entangles 16% of the time, has Return, Demolish, 33% Spell Damage Reduction, and can carry up to 6 items, Syllabear will lose 400 HP if Spirit Bear dies. Spirit Bear has 340 movespeed and Base Attack Time of 1.3
Mana Cost: 75
Cooldown: 180
Notes: Using this skill while a bear is already summoned will make a new bear but it will be on the same hp as previous one. When you level this skill up a new bear is automatically made on the same % hit points as the previous one.
If the bear dies you can use this skill to immediately summon a new one. However try to keep your bear alive as you lose hp when it dies and the enemy gets 100 gold and some experience. The cooldown for this skill is long so if you make a bear and it dies shortly afterwards you will have to wait for the skill to cooldown to get your bear again.
16% entangle is every 1 in 6 hits
When playing syllabear you must have formation movement off
When formation movement is on all units in a control group will move as fast as the slowest unit in that group. If you have syllabear and his bear in the same control group and have the bear raged but syllabear is not raged the bear will have a faster movespeed. If formation movement is on the bear will only travel as fast as syllabear. This can be turned off by clicking the icon next to your minimap display at the bottom.
http://www.dotaportal.com/images/abils/A0AA.gif
Rabid
Syllabear can create an intense combative fury in either himself or any of his controlled unit.
Lasts 10 seconds.
Level 1 - Increases attack speed by 10% and movement speed by 5%.
Level 2 - Increases attack speed by 20% and movement speed by 10%.
Level 3 - Increases attack speed by 30% and movement speed by 15%.
Level 4 - Increases attack speed by 40% and movement speed by 20%.
Mana Cost: 50
Cooldown: 30
Notes: Without synergy to buff its duration this skill doesnt last long. With 4 synergy though it will last 50 seconds and has a cooldown of 30 seconds. This will allow you to almost keep it constantly casted on syllabear and the bear. There will be a small lapse though so be aware.
http://www.dotaportal.com/images/abils/A0A8.gif
Synergy
Increases the Lone Druid's synergy with his Spirit Bear with each level:
Spirit Bear - Adds 10 damage and 10 movement points.
Rabid - Increases the duration by 10 seconds.
True Form - Adds 100 HP per level
Mana Cost: N/A
Cooldown: N/A
http://www.dotaportal.com/images/abils/A0AG.gif
True Form
Syllabear learns to morph himself into a brown bear. He can morph freely between human and bear form.
Level 1 - 250 bonus health.
Level 2 - 400 bonus health and has Battle Cry.
Level 3 - 600 bonus health and has One.
Battle [C]ry:
Give Lone Druid and his units under his control within 900 AoE 20 bonus damage and 2 bonus armor.
Duration: Lasts 10 seconds
Cooldown: 30 seconds
Mana cost: 50 mana
On[e]: Links Syllabear and up to 2 of his controlled units by the soul. Damage that they take is distributed equally between 2 or 3 of them.
Mana Cost: 80 mana Duration: 35 seconds
Cooldown: About 12 seconds
True Form's Mana cost:
Mana Cost: 25
Cooldown: N/A
Notes: Not used in this build because your ranged ability is better than hp and this skill conflicts with the bear. Explained in skill reasoning.
The level 4 bear has the following skills
Entangle
Attacks randomly cause roots to burst from the ground, immobilizing and disarming a target enemy unit for 3 seconds, and dealing 40 damage per second. Orb Effect
Notes: This is an extremely important skill that will allow you to get many of your kills earlier in the game. It makes the bear into a disabler which is important because syllabear cant do this. If you land even one entangle you can kill weaker heroes in the early game. It does 120 damage and allows syllabear and the bear to hammer at the target for 3 seconds. More details in techniques and strategy section.
http://www.dotaportal.com/images/abils/A01O.gif
Return
Immediately teleports the Spirit Bear back to Syllabear.
Notes: This skill has no cooldown. It can be used to blink the bear back during shopping trips and you can scout with the bear and return it at any moment. One of its better uses is when you are being chased by an enemy hero continuously blink the bear back as you are running to get in the heros way and try and entangle him.
If the bear attacks anything outside of about 1500 range of syllabear he will return automatically. This means that he can be used as a scout but dont attack or he will blink back.
Demolish
Causes attacks to do 1.33 times damage to buildings.
Skill Build
1 Bear
2 Synergy
3 Bear
4 Synergy
5 Bear
6 Rabid
7 Bear
8 Rabid
9 Rabid
10 Rabid
11 Synergy
12 Synergy
13-23 Stats
23-25 True Form
Reasoning:
Why not max synergy before rabid?
Rabid is really a much more important skill as it gets you kills. The movespeed from this allows your bear to be faster than enemy heroes to chase and entangle them. The only reason 2 points are put in synergy first is rabid by itself has a duration of 10 seconds. 2 points in synergy extends this to 30 seconds and the cooldown of rabid is 30 seconds. This means that you can do the chasing without rabid wearing off.
Why no true form? It adds so much hp
True form will give you +1000 hp at level 16. This is very nice but I would never sacrifice my range for it. If you like being a tank then go for it but this guide is not for you. The fact that you are ranged will keep you out of harms way far more than extra hp. The ranged heroes in a team gank/battle are the ones that are standing at the end of it. This is not a good way to think for a team game, but in a pub...let the othes take the punishment and clean up afterwards. The last reason not to go true form is it negates the chasing capabilities of the bear. If you have two melee units chasing a hero they will just get in each others way. Only one will be able to attack at once (rabid gives a large colision size), whereas if you have a ranged and a melee they wont get in each others way and you will have two units wacking away.
Playing with no bear
Some people like to play syllabear without the bear at all. They believe the bear only takes away from the potential of syllabear and he best played like razor/troll. This guide does not cover that build.
Why max bear first?
Maxing bear is crucial. The bear owns everything :D Entagle is an excellent disable, far better than bash. If it goes off early game you can get a kill from just one entangle. 2700 hp makes this bear immune to anything a hero can throw at it for quite some time. Anyone dumb enough to focus it wont get anywhere. With the bear leading, you can chase heroes through a tower. It is also very useful as a chicken. As soon as you reach level 7 send your level 4 bear to the fountain to bring you flasks and other components for your recipes and blink it back. In a 2v1 lane situation, which is quite comon for me, the bear will draw all of the fire from enemies. They will generaly have to go through the bear to get a shot in at syllabear leaving you pretty damn safe (some exceptions to this). The bear also adds more damage for farming. You dont have to last hit creep so much as syllabears damage plus the 50 odd damage of the bear is ample for exp deny and creeping by just attacking.
http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f321/New-Zealand/funnybear5.jpg
* * * * *
Item Build
all items without (bear) are for syllabear, bold items are completed items with totaled cost
*First shopping triphttp://www.dotaportal.com/images/items/BTNRingSkull.gif
Ring of regeneration 375
Ring vs flask. I have always prefered a RoR because it is always working, i dont have to do anything and it heals for more overall. Flasks are useful when you are below 1/3 health. I tend to just get them as i feel i need them. If i am forced back to my fountain then i will buy one so it doesnt happen again. After i reach lvl 4 bear, the bear can go back for a flask so i can keep leeching exp. Also the ring will be used to make a headress.
http://www.dotaportal.com/images/items/BTNNatureTouchGrow.gif
Ironwood branch 57
Items after this should be obtained by using your bear as a chicken or if you have to heal. Send the bear back whenever he isnt needed to use up your money and blink him back.http://www.dotaportal.com/images/items/BTNINV_Helmet_17.gif
Headress of Rejuv 657 (optional)
The headdress is completely optional really. It find it very useful because the bear has very little hp regen and tends to take alot of damage. This just means you can have him by your side more and at the fountain less. This item becomes a must when you have an ally in your lane.
http://www.dotaportal.com/images/items/BTNBootsOfSpeed.gif
Boots 500
Boots (bear) 500
Boots are most important first so you do not die. Boots for the bear second in preparation for the chasing and killing phase. These items should really be obtained before lvl8 when you will need them. I have never had problems doing this but if you do then skip the headress.
http://www.dotaportal.com/images/items/BTNGlove.gif
Gloves of haste (bear) 620
http://www.dotaportal.com/images/items/BTNWirtsLeg.gif
Power Treads (bear) 1540
Gloves of haste and treads next. This attack speed boost lets the bear get in more entangles. Entangles are the way to get kills early game. This attack speed will also remian consistently useful throughout the game. If a melee hero wants to fight you he will be entangled in very short order.
http://www.dotaportal.com/images/items/BTNBelt.gif
Belt of giant strength 450
http://www.dotaportal.com/images/items/BTNSpiritWalkerAdeptTraining.gif
Ogre Axe 1000
http://www.dotaportal.com/images/items/BTNJapaneseSword.gif
Sange 2050
http://www.dotaportal.com/images/items/BTNBoots.gif
Boots of Elvenskin 450
http://www.dotaportal.com/images/items/BTNINV_ThrowingKnife_03.gif
Blades of Alacrity 1000
http://www.dotaportal.com/images/items/BTNINV_Sword_10.gif
Yasha 2050
http://www.dotaportal.com/images/items/BTNSpell_Holy_BlessingOfStrength.gif
Sange & Yasha 5000
I work on the sange next because I love the maim effect and the str boost is really much more useful than agil (it adds over 300hp). The yasha after that gives a decent damage boost and a small speed increase. Your will really see the difference upgrading to Sange&Yasha when maim goes from 5% to 10% and speed from 5% to 10%. Your speed will be almost unmatchable with this and rabid. This is a very good general item that caters for everything.
http://www.dotaportal.com/images/items/BTNGlove.gif
Gloves of haste 650
http://www.dotaportal.com/images/items/BTNWirtsLeg.gif
Power Treads 1540
http://www.dotaportal.com/images/items/BTNClawsOfAttack.gif
Blades of attack 650
http://www.dotaportal.com/images/items/BTNSteelMelee.gif
Broadsword 1200
http://www.dotaportal.com/images/items/BTNThoriumMelee.gif
Crystalis 2850
http://www.dotaportal.com/images/items/BTNFrostMourne.gif
Demon Edge 2600
http://www.dotaportal.com/images/items/BTNINV_Weapon_Crossbow_10.gif
Buriza 6200
The crystalis is in build up to late game. You will want damage and theres no beter item than a buriza. Monkey king bar is just as good but you can farm for a buriza in smaller increments and if it takes you a long time to farm for it crystalis is still extremely useful.
http://www.dotaportal.com/images/items/BTNINV_Weapon_Bow_06.gif
Eaglehorn 3400
http://www.dotaportal.com/images/items/BTNAlleriaFlute.gif
Quarterstaff 1150
http://www.dotaportal.com/images/items/BTNINV_ThrowingKnife_04.gif
Butterfly 5950
You can never go wrong with a butterfly for an agil hero. Buffs speed, damage and gives nice evasion. I only include butterfly for a sense of completeness as you are not likely to get one.
Alternate Item Build
Replace Sange&Yasha with Eye of Skadihttp://www.dotaportal.com/images/items/BTNOrbofSlowness.gif
Ultimate Orb 2300
Ultimate Orb 2300
http://www.dotaportal.com/images/items/BTNUsedSoulGem.gif
Point Booster 1200
http://www.dotaportal.com/images/items/BTNIceShard.gif
Eye of Skadi 7050
Reasoning
Why no mana items?
As you can see by looking at the mana costs for his skills Syllabear will never run out of mana. You will always have enough to keep rabid and to summon your bear if it dies. Therefore any intel items are useless.
Why do you use Sange&Yasha over skadi?
Skadi is a great item there is no question, and if you prefer it then go for it. It will be a better item in late game, however it will take a long time to get it. It normaly takes me to level 15-16 and that is with some greedy farming. If your spending so much time farming mid game your team will suffer and you wont get any kills. Also it costs 2300 for +10 to all stats. That is more than it costs to get a Sange (2200) which gives you 16 str and maim. Farming for smaller items is also much easier. The Sange&Yasha build allows you to get stuck into the fighting during mid game with some decent items.
Why not put some stronger items on the bear?
Putting stronger items on the bear it is not a good idea as syllabear will always be faster and harder hitting than his bear as well as ranged. Players also like to cyclone the bear for twice the duration it has on heroes and hex the bear for twice the duration it has on heroes. Disables cripple your bear very easily. A hyperstone can be a good idea but remember attack speed bonuses stack diminishingly and you already have 30% from treads and 40% from rabid.
Why not use bashers?
Bashers are a decent item so I have included them in useful items. But why do you really want them? You wont achieve permabash with only a 10% bash that stacks diminishingly so they will never be of use 1v1. Their other use is chasing. Maim and a movespeed of 474 with S&Y will make sure they dont get away. You will actually kill them faster while they are running if you have more damage and no bash. Therefore buriza is a much better item.
Why butterfly
This item is expensive but it gives great benefits. 40 damage 25% evasion 25% attack speed and 25 agil. I cant really see any other item taking this slot except a MKB (Im not sure if burizas stack and no one can prove it to me but MKB is just as good). The MKB would probably get a little more damage but you wouldnt get the nice evasion bonus which is very important late game vs high damage dealers. 25% evasion means a 1/4 less physical damage taken. Thats alot.
Useful Itemshttp://www.dotaportal.com/images/items/BTNPotionBlueBig.gif
Flasks 100
Keeping 1 of these on you is a good idea as you can stay in your lane after a fight or continue pushing after a fight. Buy these if you ever have 100 gold left over.
http://www.dotaportal.com/images/items/BTNScrollUber.gif
Scroll of Town Portal 135
For when you need to make a quick exit. After youve made a kill and are on low hp the enemy heroes will be circling like vultures. Saves alot of time too for fountain trips and is great for defending against pushes/backdooring.
http://www.dotaportal.com/images/items/BTNSentryWard.gif
Observer wards 215
Relatively cheap item that is most useful when soloing in dangerous places. These will give you plenty of warning. Click here for madeeneR-'s miniguide to ward placement (http://www.dotaportal.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=15525).
http://www.dotaportal.com/images/items/BTNPeriapt1.gif
Hyperstone 2450
Great item to have on the bear. Will easily net you heroes with entangle going off regularly.
http://www.dotaportal.com/images/items/BTNRunedBracers.gif
Bracers 500
The most useful of the three stat items. Boosts your low hp if you think you need it. I usually skip these as Sange is made from str items.
http://www.dotaportal.com/images/items/BTNINV_Hammer_10.gif
Basher 3220
I possible alternative to a buriza is getting 2 of these. 60 damage and bash for 6.4k or 75 damage and critical for 6.2k. It is a very good item but i prefer to go for a damage build and I feel that maim and rabid is enough for chasing enemies. If you do use bashers always put them on syllabear as he is ranged, doesnt get disabled for so long and you can get 15% bash on him. Get one point in bear form and complete the basher while in bear form then change back and it will stay a 15% basher. (thanks nales)
http://www.dotaportal.com/images/items/BTNSpellShieldAmulet.gif
Mekansm 2434
This item is cheap and easy to make, especially if you went headress first. When activated you get a tidy 7 armour the heal is great for you your bear and your team and it gives a nice stat bonus. Excellent item overall but I miss it in favour of getting a crystalis earlier.
http://www.dotaportal.com/images/items/BTNRingGreen.gif
Ring of Protection 175
Great item to buff the bear so he will last longer in late game. Only in late game though as he will have plenty of hp until then. Cheaper to stack these than buy plate mail. The bear will have plenty of slots if you only bought treads for him.
Thanks Nales for suggesion.
http://www.dotaportal.com/images/items/BTNRodOfNecromancy.gif
Black king bar 3800
This items primary use is when getting ganked or focused. For ten seconds you are untouchable, with no disables able to hit you, you can run away unscathed.
http://www.dotaportal.com/images/items/BTNIceShard.gif
Eye of Skadi 7050
Can actually be stacked on top of Sange&Yasha (try it if you dont believe me). If you really like the slow it is great and gives nice stat bonuses but you could have a buriza +1k by this stage. I would rather the damage.
Do not use any other orb effects as they will overide the Sange&Yasha.
Do not use orb effects on the bear as they will overide Entangle.
http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f321/New-Zealand/bearfunny9.jpg
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Strategy
lvls 1-6
As soon as youve picked your hero buy a RoR and ironwood branch and proceed immediately either the top or bottom lane. This is not for greedy solo reasons, it is because you need room to chase heroes. The middle is no place for you.
Do not summon the bear yet. Start up your farming and exp deny until level 3. Summon the bear now. The reason for this is the lvl 1 bear has very low hp and by the time you summon lvl 2 bear it will have lost more health because the hp is transferred as a %. With you and the bear attacking there is not so much need to time last hits. Just keep up this farming during the entire early game.
If an enemy hero (this would normaly be a melee hero) comes in close for last hits give him a couple of wacks from syllabear and his bear. The bear can take the hits when the creeps target you. If you hit him every time he comes close eventually the bear will entangle him. The entangle is 16% with a level 4 bear which is 1 in 6. Be ready for this and just keep hitting him until he is free and runs off with his tail between his legs, back to the fountain. It is possible to get a kill from this but it depends how much hp they have at the entangle. Chasing without rabid rarely achieves anything so dont bother, a fountain trip is just as good as a kill.
If vs ranged heroes this will not be possible so just farm. Sometimes I have played people who try to kill the bear. Just blink it back when ever it gets focused. You can send it to the fountain by itself to heal if needed. The only trouble I have ever in early game are two nukers while im solo. If they put alot of pressure on your hero you will have to return to the fountain. On this trip buy flasks so it doesnt happen again. Another RoR is also a possibility.
Your goal at this period is just to farm and put pressure on heroes, maybe get an entangle. Play carefully with syllabear but do not worry about the bear, he is expendable.
lvls 7-12
You hit level 7. Summon the new bear immediately and send it to the fountain (unless you already have your items) to buy 2 boots, a headress recipe and possibly gloves of haste. I dont think its asking too much to have 1200-1500 gold by then, unless you are getting focused alot or have died. Now is time to do some damage.
You have 2 points in rabid with a 30 second duration if you followed my build. The bear now has approximately 340 movespeed + 20 from synergy + 50 from boots + 34 (10%) from level 2 rabid. 444 movespeed is faster than almost any hero at this point. To launch your attack it needs to be a 1v1 situation or 2v2 situation. Use your judgment to pick a target, it doesnt have to be in the same lane. Obviously avoid lion because lion can just kill you outright with spikes-finger if he has enough mana, also dont bother with blinkers/windwalkers.
Idealy get in behind the bushes because you will get more hits in before he runs. rabid the bear and attack. Keep chasing him along his lane, even through the tower because the bear can take the damage. The bear will get hits off while chasing and its just up to luck if it entangles. When this happens just keep hitting him with syllabear and the bear and its pretty much over. I wouldnt chase too far past the tower trying for an entangle because if another hero comes your screwed.
A flask is useful after having a go at a hero because your hp will be low. During this period you also have to farm for Sange so take every oppourtunity to make money. At level 10 you can creep some more powerful nuetrals, my favorites being the black dragons near roshan. The bear takes the damage then send him back to base while you creep some more easier creeps. More on creeping patterns in techniques.
lvls 13-20
At level 13 dota will really turn into a team game so keep a scroll handy to teleport in and a flask for healing after a fight. If the enemy team converges and starts to push make your way to the lane to defend it with your teamates (hopefully). Hang back a bit and wait for the s*** to start flying.
If you are at the front of a fight you will die first, this is why i dont like true form. When the fight starts rabid yourself pick a vulnerable target and attack (more info in techniques section). It is important you rabid yourself because if you get focused you need the movement speed to leg it out of there. Your movespeed will be well over 400. You can rejoin the fight after if you have enough hp (use flasks). The key to these team battles is survival and if your team wins you can mop up after the fleeing heroes.
In the quiet periods make your way to the side lanes for farming and also take out the good nuetral creeps. It is very important to keep moving when farming, if you stay in the same spot to clear a few waves 3 heroes will pop out of the bush and your toast. Try to stay in the field as long as possible for more money and exp so send the bear back for items.
Your farming objective is to finsh your Sange & Yasha asap and start the crystalis. Keep these goals in mind so you dont go play chasey chasey around the map too much. You would really want the crystalis by level 20. Depending on how you are doing with this survival/farming tactic you can be leveled well in excess with far better items than those that die in these team battles.
lvls 20-25
At this stage of the game pushing will win or lose it for your team so always keep a tp scroll handy to defend your base. When your not pushing with your teamates you should be farming. Keep it random, creep the neutrals and dont stray past the river and you should survive. Farm for a buriza as fast as possible. Getting butterfly is not so critical (buriza makes you a killer, butterfly makes you a better killer) so once you have a buriza you can do more pushing.
If an enemy hero is pushing alone you could go and take him out but only if your sure hes alone. If youve just killed someone on their side of the river you want to get out of there as fast as you can. Either leg it with rabid on or use a scroll. Consistant farming along with team pushes are the key late game.
http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f321/New-Zealand/funnybear2.jpg
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Techniques
I apoligize for the quality of screenshots as they were taken from my home computer. I only play DOTA at the local net cafe. Hopefuly you can see what im getting at though.
Blinking Bear
When running on low health with an enemy giving chase you can repeatedly blink the bear back to syllabear as blink has no cooldown. This protects syllabear by blocking enemies with the bears massive collision size, the bear can damage them and if the bear entangles then the enemy will be disabled and unable to give chase.
http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f321/New-Zealand/BlinkingBear1.jpg
Im on low health and tiny senses a kill so he gives chase
http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f321/New-Zealand/BlinkingBear2.jpg
I blink the bear back to me
http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f321/New-Zealand/BlinkingBear3.jpg
Tiny is forced back because he is blocked.
Scouting Bear
The bear can be sent anywhere on the map without fear of it dying as you can blink it back whenever you see a threat. Note if the bear attacks enemies outside 1500 range it will automatically blink back so dont let him go off and attack a creep.
This technique is useful when you are in a dangerous area of the map and need warning incase of a gank. I often do this when leveling at the bottom of the map for scourge and top of the map for sentinel. Send it into the bush where it has the best vision.
Scouting is also very useful in a team push. The enemies often like to come out of the bush for a surprise attack. If you scout one in the bush alongside you know that you are about to get ganked. Sometimes your team can rush in and kill him before the other team can get in position.
http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f321/New-Zealand/BearScout1.jpg
Its early game and im on the scourge leveling with sniper at the bottom of map. Necrolyte disappears so I suspect a gank.
http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f321/New-Zealand/BearScout2.jpg
Send the bear into the bush for a look.
http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f321/New-Zealand/BearScout3.jpg
Well look who it is. I run for my tower at this point because chances are he wont be planning a gank alone.
Bear Harass
In early game syllabear and the bear approximately do a combined 80 damage. If vs a melee hero early on just wack him if he ever comes close. Normaly you cant do this because the creeps attack you and you take just as much damage but with Lone Druid the bear will take the hits for you. He can be sent to the fountain at any stage. Entangle also goes off every 1 in 6 hits with level 4 bear so if you get the occasional hit in you might get an entangle. If this happens keep hitting him and send him back to the fountain or possibly kill him (dont chase without rabid though).
http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f321/New-Zealand/BearHarass1.jpg
Juggernaught comes close for last hits. Make him pay for it. The damage of syllabear and the bear is really taking its toll.
Bear Chase
Throughout early mid game you will kill heroes by raging the bear and chasing them until you get an entangle and they are killed. rabid at level 4 adds 20% to the bears already high movespeed and will easily catch even spirit breaker. Chasing sometimes requires alot of room to do but you can chase through towers as the bear will be leading and he has 2700 hp.
http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f321/New-Zealand/BearChase1.jpg
I find pudge alone in the forest with plenty or room to chase.
http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f321/New-Zealand/BearChase2.jpg
I quickly close the gap with rabid on.
http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f321/New-Zealand/BearChase3.jpg
The bear entangles after a couple hits and pudge dies fast to the pounding from syllabear and the bear. Sniper arrives on the scene for a KS but is too late :P .
rabid syllabear or the bear?
You may be wondering: rabid benfits both syllabear and the bear so who do I use it on as a priority?
rabid Syllabear:
When you need to get away fast
Syllabear getting away is far more important than the bear getting away. With 475 movespeed you are a speed demon.
Whenever you are creeping or in a dangerous area
There is no need to get entangles when creeping so just rabid syllabear for higher damage and on the off chance you get attacked.
Late game
Your damage and crits in this part of the game can be a far faster way of killing than with the entangle from the bear
Team battles
You need the mobility to get out of there if you are being focused. Chasing is less of a priority here.
rabid the bear:
When chasing during early/mid game
Entangles in this part of the game are deadly. 3 second disable for you to pound your enemy + 120 damage.
Always rabid the bear when playing aggresively in this stage of the game.
When you are fighting a very high damage enemy whom you must disable to kill. eg. Sven with gods strength will kill you very fast unless you entangle him.
So in general rabid the bear for offense, rabid syllabear for defence. The exception is late game.
Creeping patterns
This minimap shows an efficient and safe way to creep during lulls in the action. The top (for scourge) and bottom (for sentinel) are the best. Pick a lane to creep that no one else is using. Creep from the base of the lane to the river and make your way back killing all the good neutral creeps. This gives the enemy creeps time to push back up your lane. Once you have killed the neutrals then creep the enemy creeps back to the river again.
This ensures a constant flow of exp and money while leaving you very safe from attack as you never cross the river and half the time you are unseen while you creep the neutrals. Enemies may target you if they see you creeping up your lane for too long and will come to kill you. Creeping neutrals also means that when they get there to kill you, you will be gone.
http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f321/New-Zealand/Dota-Mini-Map.jpg
White is for scourge, yellow is for sentinel.
http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f321/New-Zealand/funnybear8.jpg
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Team Strategy
Syllabears team play is rather limited. He does not have such a clearly defined role. The best way to use syllabear in a team situation is as a damager. This build does that reasonably well once you get crystalis/buriza but nothing to compete with troll/razor.
The role of a damager in a team battle is to take out the priority targets as fast as possible and finish heroes on lower hp from your teams AOE spells. If you really wanted to be a team player mekansm is highly recommended.
If a team battle does ensue you want to keep syllabear reasonable safe. Send the bear into the thick of it as the bear is expendable and it takes alot to kill him. Hopefully this will absorb some of the damage for your team. Wait until the heroes of both teams are fully engaged before you make your move. Keep yourself raged and attack the disable spammer/heavy nuker/damager. Its really up to your judgement to select the victim as it depends on the player skills and will be diferent every game. The first target should be the very dangerous and reasonably easy to kill.
It is important that you keep raged so if you get focused you can quickly retreat back. Rejoin the fight after they stop targeting you and pick another target.
These screenshots show my descisions regarding this battle.
http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f321/New-Zealand/TeamBattle1.jpg
The heroes start to converge on one point so I send in the bear first to absorb some damage and I target lion to kill him before he uses his powerful combo and because he has low hp and he was in a vulnerable position.
http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f321/New-Zealand/TeamBattle2.jpg
Lion quickly goes down but I get focused by tiny and slardar so I quickly run back a short way.
http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f321/New-Zealand/TeamBattle3.jpg
I return to the fight to chase and kill tiny.
Problematic Heroes
Here is a list of some of the heroes I hate to fight with syllabear. This doesnt include full spam nukers because everybody knows to avoid them unless they have used spells/ they have no mana, in which case they are easy meat.
http://www.dotaportal.com/images/heroes/UC18.gif
Lion
Voodoo
http://www.dotaportal.com/images/abils/AOhx.gif
Transforms an enemy unit into a random critter, disabling special abilities.
Level 1 - Lasts 1 seconds.
Level 2 - Lasts 2 seconds.
Level 3 - Lasts 3 seconds.
Level 4 - Lasts 4 seconds.
Mana Cost: 110 / 140 / 170 / 200
Cooldown: 13
Level 4 hex lasts 8 seconds on your bear. All disable spells have a hero duration and a unit duration. The unit duration is usually twice the hero duration. For this reason you are going to have a really hard time chasing him. If trying to kill Lion dont bother raging the bear, it will just get hexed. Raging yourself is a better option.
http://www.dotaportal.com/images/heroes/Orkn.gif
Rhasta
Voodoo
http://www.dotaportal.com/images/abils/AOhx.gif
Transforms an enemy unit into a random critter, disabling special abilities.
Level 1 - Lasts 1 seconds.
Level 2 - Lasts 2 seconds.
Level 3 - Lasts 3 seconds.
Level 4 - Lasts 4 seconds.
Mana Cost: 110 / 140 / 170 / 200
Cooldown: 13
Same as above.
http://www.dotaportal.com/images/heroes/Ulic.gif
Lich
Chain Frost
http://www.dotaportal.com/images/abils/A05T.gif
Releases a jumping breath of frost that can jump up to 6 times. Frost will bounce back and forth between units that are within 750 range.
Level 1 - Deals 280 damage per hit.
Level 2 - Deals 370 damage per hit.
Level 3 - Deals 460 damage per hit.
Level 4 (with Aghanim Scepter) - Deals 580 damage per hit.
Mana Cost: 200/ 325/ 500/ 500
Cooldown: 135/ 110/ 95/ 95
Dont get alone with this guy. Chain frost is most effective in 2v1 scenario. That means you and the bear. With no creeps around this thing will deal 280 damage per hit 6 times at level 1. Thats 1680 damage. OUCH.
http://www.dotaportal.com/images/heroes/Hjai.gif
Crystal Maiden
Frost Bite
http://www.dotaportal.com/images/abils/A04C.gif
Freezes the target in a case of ice, prohibiting movement and attacking. Deals 70 damage per second.
Level 1 - Lasts 1.5 seconds.
Level 2 - Lasts 2 seconds.
Level 3 - Lasts 2.5 seconds.
Level 4 - Lasts 3 seconds.
Mana Cost: 115/ 125/ 140/ 150
Cooldown: 12
Yet another nasty disable. 6 seconds to the bear.
http://www.dotaportal.com/images/heroes/H00V.gif
Medusa
Purge
http://www.dotaportal.com/images/abils/A02V.gif
Casts a powerful anti-magic buff at a target enemy unit. Slows movement and attack speeds for 5 seconds.
Level 1 - Slows speed by a factor of 2.
Level 2 - Slows speed by a factor of 3.
Level 3 - Slows speed by a factor of 5.
Deals 1000 damage to summoned units.
Mana Cost: 60
Cooldown: 12
This would do 1000 damage to the bear for 60 mana with a cooldown of 12 seconds. Thats alot. However I have never had problems with this ability. Either a medusa never thought of using it on my bear or it doesnt work on the bear. It would be great if someone could confirm this.
EDIT: the bear is an ancient not a summon, purge will only slow it
http://www.dotaportal.com/images/items/BTNStaffofpurification.gif
Euls Sceptre of Divinity
Shop: Level 2
Description:
+100% Mana Regeneration
+18 Intelligence
Charged: Cyclone
6 Charges 5.6 Second Duration 600 Range
5 seconds cooldown
This isnt a hero but it is here because any hero carrying it becomes problematic. 5.6 becomes 11.2 when used on your bear. This is complete gayness. Everyone will spam cyclone on the bear if they get a cyclone stick. If your bear starts to become useless due to so much disabling then switch his items off onto syllabear.
http://www.dotaportal.com/images/items/BTNINV_Sword_09.gif
Guinsoo's Scythe of Vyse
Shop: Level 4
Description:
+150% Mana Regeneration
+25 Intellegence
+35 Damage
Activate: Polymorph
600 Range 3 Second Duration
23 Second Cooldown 100 Mana Cost
Whats could possibly be worse than a cyclone stick? The fact that when they run out of charges they upgrade it to an infinite charge sheep stick for 6 seconds on the bear.
Replays (TFT v1.20)
Watching these replays is highly recommended to justify my item build and they will teach you things you can't learn in screenshots.
Replay 1
This is a recent v6.28 replay that demonstrates my fine tuned sange & yasha, buriza build. Yes it was a noob game but it shows the bulk of the ideas described. I die twice and get about 10 kills. The second death was quite funny. I bloodseeker uses lvl 3 rupture, so naturaly I stop to wait it out. This makes me a perfect target for pudges incoming hook. Hook + Rupture = OUCH. He dismembers me and im dead :D
Replay 2
This replay is by NF4, used with his permission. This shows excellent play with a Sange & Yasha, mekasm, basher build. Also a bit of a noob game but flawless play.
Replay 3
This was recorded during the testing phase of my guide. Sange & Yasha, Skadi, Butterfly. The build was very effective but I farmed like a whore and rarely helped my team to get those items. I have the most frustrating time at the start of this game trying to get kills. I get sven and tiny down to 100 hp many times but never quite finish them. Really shows the importance of getting treads on the bear early, which I didnt.
Final score about 15-4 and my team loses.
Conclusion
Phew that took a while to write :blink: but I hope you have learned something from all this. For all the people who disagree and write thier own little guides in this thread PLEASE provide a replay. You cant prove the effectiveness of a strat without hard evidence. I would be glad to watch them. And remember... dont do drugs.
http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f321/New-Zealand/funnybear3.jpg
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