Guide to Demnok Lannik, the WarlockDemnok Lannik the WarlockAuthor: spyAfterMath
Contents
1. Background
2. Basic Role
3. Stats
4. Pros / Cons
5. Skills
6. Laning
7. Good Allies
8. Worst Enemies
9. Items
10. Gameplay
11. Replays
12. Conclusion
1. Background
Affiliation: Scourge INT
Former cultist of the Blacksun, Lannik was among the first of many orcs enslaved by the wretched demons when the Legion's taint befell the lands of Kalimdor - a dire affliction that grew stronger over the years. Mannoroth's sudden and unexpected demise severed this Warlock's ties to demonology, and the absence of its corrupting influenced caused his body to wither onto the verge of death. In exchange for life beyond the grave, he bound a pact with the Lich King.
2. Basic Role
Warlock is a versatile hero, capable of assuming multiple team roles, and largely maintains effectiveness in all stages of the game. He is an occasional pick and ban in high level play for his great lane control and dictation in teamfights.
Recent versions (6.67+) have seen a drop in Warlock's popularity due to the decreasing viability of babysitting melee carries and the rise of tri-lanes. He is now almost exclusively used as a side-lane solo.
3. Stats
STR: 18+2.5/Lvl
AGI: 10+1.0/Lvl
INT: 24+2.7/Lvl (Primary Attribute)
Attack Animation: 0.3
Damage: 46 - 56
Casting Animation: 0.5
Armor: 2.4
Base Attack Time: 1.7
Movespeed: 295
Missile Speed: 1200
Attack Range: 600
Sight Range: 1800 / 800
4. Pros and Cons
Pros
Item independent. This is Warlock greatest asset: none of his skills require items to be effective. Therefore, he is a natural team item buyer (wards, Mekansm, courier, and Pipe are big ones) if he is drafted for the support role.
Healer. Warlock is 1 of 9 healers in the game (the others being Dirge, Omniknight, Dazzle, Huskar, Abaddon, Witch Doctor, Enchantress, and Chen), making him valuable as a babysitter.
High STR/INT. Warlock is blessed with great innate stats; High INT allows him to rely minimally on mana items, and high STR (STR/lvl tied for second in INT class) makes him less susceptible to burst damage and disables, the common banes of most casters.
Valuable AoE support/initiator. 2 (or 3, depending on how you build him) of Warlock's abilities are game-breaking in team clashes.
Pusher. Infernals are useful in tower-tanking, creep skipping, and moving your enemies away from a valuable push site.
Strong physical attack. Warlock has a fast missile speed, attack animation time, 600 range, and high base damage. Early game, he hits nearly as hard as a melee hero, which gives him a significant edge in lane control.
Flexible role. Warlock's combination of assets allows him to be a babysitter, team support, warder, and/or a semi-carry, depending on the team's needs.
Cons
Weak by himself. Beyond laning, Warlock relies heavily on his allies for his skills to be effective.
No low CD disable. Warlock doesn't have a disable that can be used regularly in ganks or for escaping.
Below average MS. It's 295, which isn't too significant, but it's worth mentioning.
Below average armor. Warlock's AGI is low, so naturally he is more susceptible to physical damage.
Countered by Purge. Purge destroys Infernal, making part of his ultimate worthless, as well as feeding the enemy gold.
5. Skills
Fatal Bonds Hotkey: F
Bonds up to 5 enemy units together, causing damage dealt to any of them to be partially felt by the others.
Mana Cost: 120
CD: 25 seconds
Cast Range: 600
AoE: 600 per bond
Duration: 25 seconds
Effect: Links 2/3/4/5 units, dealing 15% damage taken on any unit to other linked units. (Direct HP removal)
A very nice damage amplifier that works wonders with AoE spells. If you bond 5 heroes together, and they are all hit by a single AoE spell, the total damage is multiplied by 1.60 (+4*15% extra damage dealt to each target if all are bonded and damaged).
Fatal Bonds hits both creeps and heroes, so to get the biggest effect out of the spell you want to cast it when there are many heroes and little to no creeps.
Shadow Word Hotkey: W
A single word causes powerful magics to envelop the target. Creates a healing mechanism on a friendly target or damages an unfriendly one. Does not dispel on attack.
Mana Cost: 90/110/130/150
CD: 24 sec
Cast Range: 500
Effect: 10/20/30/40 hp per second for 8 seconds.
Word is Warlock's bread and butter skill, that doubles as a nuke or heal.
Most commonly, you'll be using it as the heal, which mainly combats hard lanes very effectively. With this skill, his high mana pool, and great physical attack, Warlock is one of the most solid defensive laners in the game. This can be useful for babysitting or soloing.
Besides laning, it's a great ally-saving skill in early ganks, and later it remains useful to heal allies out of battle.
The nuke damage is 320, which is above average. However, it can be problematic because it's DoT, meaning that an enemy under the effect of Word can compensate damage by regeneration, be denied under 25% hp, or run out of your exp range if he ends up dying.
If your lanes are too pushed and you need to farm, jungle for a little bit and use Word to tank hits.
Note that the cast range is slightly shorter than your physical attack.
Upheaval Hotkey: E Channeling
Stirs up inert magic in a target area, channeling the force into a powerful slowing current that grows more powerful with every passing second it's channeled. Can channel up to 10 seconds and up to 84% slow.
Mana Cost: 100
CD: 65 seconds
Cast Range: 700
AoE: 650
Duration: 3 seconds
Effect: Stacking slow by 7/14/21/28% per second channeled.
Since this skill was fixed, it can be very strong situationally. It's got good cast range so try to stand back and channel, preferably when most of the stuns are out. Good in teamfights when coupled with position reliant AoE damage.
Rain of Chaos Hotkey: R
Calls an Infernal down from the sky, dealing 100 damage and stunning nearby enemies for 1 second. The Infernal lasts 60 seconds, takes reduced damage from spells, has Permanent Immolation and a chance to Pulverize an area on attack.
Mana Cost: 200/250/300
CD: 165 seconds
Cast Range: 1200
AoE: 600
Effect: Deals 100 damage, stuns for 1 second in an AoE, and summons an Infernal.
And of course, Warlock's ultimate and signature skill. Rain of Chaos is fantastic for initiation, having a huge cast range and AoE, without the need for any items. With this, you can set up other AoE spells effectively, like Kunkka's Ship, Tide's Ravage, Enigma's Black Hole, etc.
1200 range for a stun means you can screw up enemy positioning very easily. Enigma, Bane, Crix, etc. will have an especially hard time trying to release their ultimates anywhere near you.
The initial damage and consequent immolation can also disable Daggers, giving you the edge of a fight.
The consequent Infernal is devastating in early/mid game clashes, as your enemies will constantly be on the run from it. It possesses moderate damage, immolation, and is relatively hard to kill. It can also be used for pushes as mentioned earlier - tanking, creep skipping, and making it harder for enemies to defend. Late game the stun is just as effective, but the Infernal usually won't be such a big threat, especially if your enemies can Purge it.
You can also use the Infernal to jungle, if there's nothing else to do with it after summoning.
Rain of Chaos destroys trees, which can be helpful for anti-juke, notably by each team's most external long lane tower.
Infernal Information
Infernal 1
Level: 7 (98 experience)
HP: 900
HP regen: 15
Mana: -
Mana regen: -
Damage: 50 (Chaos)(100 melee)
Armor: 5 (Hero)
Mspd: 320
BAT: 1.35
Missile speed: -
Damage point/backswing: 0.26/0.74
Casting point/backswing: 0.3/0.51
Vision day/night: 1800/1800
Acquisition range: 500
Type: Ancient, Summoned
Bounty: 100
Hand of Midas: -
Ability:
Flaming Fist - 40% chance, 75 damage (300 AoE), 37.5 damage (350 AoE).
Spell Resistance - 33% resistance against spell damage.
Permanent Immolation - 20 damage per second, 250 AoE.
Resistant Skin
Flaming Fist is a cleaving attack that kills creeps moderately fast and increases DPS against enemy heroes.
Permanent Immolation is a free mini-Radiance on your Infernal, that has synergy with Fatal Bonds. The Necronomicon MS aura makes immolation chasing more effective.
Resistant Skin grants some immunity to spells and reduces the duration of others.
Infernal (2)
Level: 7 (98 experience)
HP: 1200
HP regen: 20
Mana: -
Mana regen: -
Damage: 75 (Chaos)(100 melee)
Armor: 7 (Hero)
Mspd: 330
BAT: 1.35
Missile speed: -
Damage point/backswing: 0.26/0.74
Casting point/backswing: 0.3/0.51
Vision day/night: 1800/1800
Acquisition range: 500
Type: Ancient, Summoned
Bounty: 150
Hand of Midas: -
Ability:
Flaming Fist - 40% chance, 115 damage (300 AoE), 57.5 damage (350 AoE).
Spell Resistance - 33% resistance against spell damage.
Permanent Immolation - 30 damage per second, 250 AoE.
Resistant Skin
Infernal (3)
Level: 7 (98 experience)
HP: 1500
HP regen: 25
Mana: -
Mana regen: -
Damage: 100 (Chaos)(100 melee)
Armor: 10 (Hero)
Mspd: 340
BAT: 1.35
Missile speed: -
Damage point/backswing: 0.26/0.74
Casting point/backswing: 0.3/0.51
Vision day/night: 1800/1800
Acquisition range: 500
Type: Ancient, Summoned
Bounty: 200
Hand of Midas: -
Ability:
Flaming Fist - 40% chance, 150 damage (300 AoE), 75 damage (350 AoE).
Spell Resistance - 33% resistance against spell damage.
Permanent Immolation - 40 damage per second, 250 AoE.
Resistant Skin
Build
Traditional Build
1: Shadow Word (1)
2: Attribute Bonus (1)
3: Shadow Word (2)
4: Attribute Bonus (2)
5: Shadow Word (3)
6: Rain of Chaos (1)
7: Shadow Word (4)
8: Attribute Bonus (3)
9: Fatal Bonds (1)
10: Fatal Bonds (2)
11: Rain of Chaos (2)
12: Fatal Bonds (3)
13: Fatal Bonds (4)
14: Attribute Bonus (4)
15: Attribute Bonus (5)
16: Rain of Chaos (3)
17-21: Attribute Bonus (6-10)
22-25: Upheaval (1-4)
Upheaval Build
1: Shadow Word (1)
2: Upheaval (1)
3: Shadow Word (2)
4: Upheaval (2)
5: Shadow Word (3)
6: Rain of Chaos (1)
7: Shadow Word (4)
8: Upheaval (3)
9: Upheaval (4)
10: Fatal Bonds (1)
11: Rain of Chaos (2)
12: Fatal Bonds (2)
13: Fatal Bonds (3)
14: Fatal Bonds (4)
15: Attribute Bonus (1)
16: Rain of Chaos (3)
17-25: Attribute Bonus (2-10)
Justification
Shadow Word is maxed first, and Rain of Chaos whenever possible, for obvious reasons.
Taking Stats versus Fatal Bonds is flexible - Fatal Bonds before mid-game doesn't really have a significant effect, so I don't recommend maxing it alongside Word. Starting Bonds at lvl 9 is just a rough template, though.
For Upheaval users, max Word alongside it and take Rock whenever possible, then Bonds.
6. Laning
Solo
Warlock is one of the strongest solos. His combination of high range, projectile speed, animation, and damage allows him to out-CS and physically harass most other solos when combined with Shadow Word, to offset counter-harassment. A skilled Warlock can even combat the top solos like Shadow Fiend and Tinker.
Solo Warlock generally plays out as follows:
Versus another solo: lots of last hitting and denying, primarily staying in the lane as much as possible to rush a tier 4 item.
Versus a dual lane: as much last hitting and denying as possible but remaining defensive. This strategy relies on minimizing loss on this lane and winning in others.
Versus a tri-lane: surviving and doing whatever to hold off the lane. This strategy also relies on minimizing loss on the lane and winning others but to a more extreme degree.
WL is one the best candidates for the second and third case since he has pretty high survivability and lane control to scrap last hits as much as possible. If he doesn't get farm it's ok since he still functions without items.
Dual Lane
WL in a dual lane is less common option in today's metagame but still viable. He's a good hero to pair with a carry - he can harass/deny well while not being as susceptible to dangerous lane combos with his decent strength, which eases the pressure on a carry supported by heal so he can farm. As much as you can, trade hits with the enemy, because you have higher damage. Ideally, so your carry is safer, take Sentinel bottom or Scourge top. Pull neutrals when appropriate.
Common Lane Partners
Melee carries benefit tremendously from Warlock's lane control. Examples:
All of the above can lane infinitely better with a babysitting Warlock. They'll get more last hits, level faster, and be at less risk of dying. Kunkka doesn't truly need a babysitter so much as the rest, but the lane is still quite commonly used.
Axe deserves a special mention - he's not a true carry, but Warlock's heal is so useful for Axe to be aggressive in lane. Axe/Warlock is one of the most dangerous lanes to face even though it's not a cookie-cutter dual stun combo.
7. Good Allies
AoE damage
AoE damage is amplified greatly by Warlock. Use Rain of Chaos and follow immediately with Bonds. This is a great set-up to Akasha's Sonic Wave, for example.
AoE strengthened with set-up
+
+
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Puck has exceptional synergy with Warlock, because they both initiate from long range. The Infernal stun helps Puck's orb hit on target, and then the follow-up Coil screws them because they either stay and get owned by the Infernal and more follow-up, or break the Coil and still get owned. Upheaval is also excellent when paired with Coil.
Shadow Fiend, Crix, Tide, and Enigma who don't have Daggers benefit from an Infernal set-up stun. It's even better if they DO have Daggers.
Kunkka can land ships better as well.
+
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A combo'd Burrowstrike -> channel Epicenter -> Rain of Chaos can be devastating early game, netting possibly every kill in the AoE. The extra AoE stun offered by Warlock makes it impossible for Epicenter to be canceled, and keeps them closer to the pulses.
+
+
Cast Rain of Chaos first; then, Blink in with Shadow Fiend and immediately cast Requiem. If executed well, the stun will come in slightly after the start of the channeling before your enemies have time to react / move away / stun SF (pre-BKB), resulting in a devastating close range cast of RoS.
Rambo heroes
Clockwerk, Batrider, Axe, and Pudge are all examples of gankers that benefit largely from the early game 320 EHP, as they need to be in close range of their targets and therefore will be more prone to drawing fire.
Carries
Refer to the laning section.
8. Worst Enemies
Burst damage
A bit of a cliche as he counters so many heroes, but Mana Burn screws your in lane healing, and he can insta-kill you pretty easily early to mid game if you let your health slip.
While Warlock has better STR than most heroes, burst damage combos are still hard to avoid as you'll be buying wards and maybe have only a Wand + Bracer for survivability.
Diffusal carriers
Mirana has high potential burst damage and is a common Diffusal carrier. Early game her nukes are dangerous, and Diffusal feeds off your Infernal drops.
Morph, Naga, and Lancer may also buy Diffusal.
Mana burners
Anti-Mage can easily dispose of your mana pool, deal high DPS, and nuke with Mana Void. Warlock doesn't excel at single target combat - he doesn't have burst damage / a high duration disable to counter this hero. Remember, Warlock is powerful at range, and shouldn't be in the thick of a battle. Thus, Blink can be very annoying if you're being specifically targeted.
NA has already been mentioned for his burst damage. Since 6.63, Mana Burn has been changed to burn based on enemy intelligence with a 5 second CD, so he can prove problematic due to Warlock's relatively high INT pool.
9. Item Build
Support Build
Starting
Branches are the cheapest option for stats. Later you should finish it into a Magic Wand.
Tangos/Salves are always good. Even though you have a heal, it's likely that you'll use it more frequently on the carry (who will get harassed more often). 1 of each usually gets you a pretty long time in the lane. If you need more later, use the chicken. It's almost always better as Warlock to not leave the lane just for a fountain trip, as you need to keep your carry alive and farming as much as possible.
Clarities are usually unnecessary, but if you're using Word very frequently then consider getting them.
Warlock usually buys one or the other at the start of the game. Buying both isn't recommended because you'll be severely restricted on your laning items.
Core
Don't concentrate on farming too hard for items. Generally it's fine to stick with the core for the majority of a normal game. Concentrate on warding, supporting your allies, harassing in lane, and denying - get last hits, but if it's obvious that your carry can get it, don't steal it.
Phase Boots are the optimal choice. They are the best extension boots for support heroes who don't need to farm lanes. Treads don't offer that invaluable MS, and BoT is too expensive to spend time farming for.
Ring of Basilius is used for pushing, cheap extra mana regeneration, and the armor, which Warlock lacks.
Magic Wand is an all around great item for stats and the small burst heal. There's nothing in particular that makes it any better to be bought by Warlock; it's simply an item I recommend on nearly every hero.
Urn is a great utility item that makes you a walking fountain, along with mana regeneration and a cheap health boost.
Always carry at least 1 TP scroll.
Warlock's item independence makes him the perfect ward buyer. You should be always moving and assisting your team, so plant wards when you're crossing the map.
Early Luxury
The spare bit of cash you may have leftover after buying support items should go to building a Mek. It works well on Warlock, again, because nothing else he can buy that is relatively cheap increases the potency of his spells, and he has a large mana pool to support it.
Late Luxury
Hex is always an invaluable ability to have. Shiva's adds good armor and AoE damage that works decently well with your Infernal and Fatal Bonds, as well as help to combo/set-up other AoE. Necronomicon is another possibility, adding to your summon arsenal and true sight to clean out enemy wards.
Solo Build
Warlock semi-carries effectively due to his fantastic solo ability. Shadow Word in a solo lane grants almost infinite lane-staying power, while he can rack up CS with his awesome attack animation and damage.
Core
Phase Boots, Magic Wand, and Ring of Basilius are still taken.
Luxury
Necronomicon is a good item to really wreak havoc in team fights along with your Infernal. Your entire team will benefit from the auras. Even if you die, your summon army will do your job. In addition, it adds a fair bit of STR and INT.
Hex is the most popular option currently. Beyond it being much more micro-friendly than Book, it doesn't really need an explanation.
Shiva's is possible to extend your AoE power and armor though it is usually less useful than the previous two.
Items to Consider
Treads are a cheap upgrade to Boots of Speed and give good stats for its gold cost. You'll have 190 more HP but end up with only 355 MS and IAS you don't really need. IMO Phase is far stronger but some still prefer Treads for the direct survivability boost.
Some would be surprised to see Bracers as situational rather than core. The cheap HP boosting is good, but they do take up item slots. Boots, 1 Bracer, unplaced Wards/Urn, TPs, and a Magic Wand is already 5 of your 6.
If you're dying too often or need cheap survivability, you can fill up whatever slots you have left with them. However, Wand, Word, and 2.5 STR per level is generally sufficient, therefore they're not put in core.
Refresher is decent because it basically doubles your ultimate (Refresher and Rain of Chaos have almost the same CD). However, it expends a TON of mana, and unless if you've done really well to farm it fast, the Infernals won't be so powerful come the time you can buy it. The AoE stun will be the bigger focus by that point.
Sure, it's nice, but only if you're getting some major free farming. The slow is a great assisting skill, and the stats really beef up Warlock.
It's possible to use Pipe, which makes Warlock an even better pusher, or turtler. If your team strategy is to give your carry as much farm as possible, Pipe is good at delaying enemy pushes. Also it should be considered when facing heroes like Lich, Sand King, Shaker, Lesh, etc - the AoE monsters.
Since Warlock has high STR growth, skills attributes, and buys Bracer(s) and / or Necronomicon, he can become very tanky for an INT hero against spells with Hood / Pipe.
Vlad's seems retarded at first, but you should consider this item for a late game upgrade to Basilius if your team has a melee DPS carry or carries. It's better that you buy it, as the support, than them.
Also, the +5 armor can be good for your summon(s) and pushing.
Boots of Travel are strong in pushing line-ups. Since Warlock can be used as a support/pusher, this can be an option. However, because the price and build-up is expensive, they're usually not worth buying.
Pretty self explanatory to counter invisibility. Again, support heroes like Warlock should be spending gold on such team oriented items. These are cheaper alternatives to Necronomicon 3.
DPS items
It's possible to do, but DPS Warlock is a fun build more than anything. Since his AGI gain is quite sad, you can farm and build similar things to more effectiveness with other ranged semi-carries like Mirana or Shadow Fiend who possess similarly fast animation and alternative AoE farming spells.
Semi-Carry/Support Build 2
This build is pretty rare but I figured I'd put it in. It is EXTREMELY powerful when farmed quickly, which is possible if the opposing team didn't draft a comparable solo lane hero. Examples would be heroes like Clockwerk, Beastmaster, Morph, Puck, Storm, Mirana, and Necrolyte: these are generally worthy solos but they will be mediocre in CSing versus a skilled Warlock.
Core
Phase as always, but here it'll also improve your last hitting. Nulls increase your damage and mana pool to farm for and use Refresher. Focus on solo farming your lane as fast as possible for Perseverance to Oblivion Staff to Refresher whenever you can get the recipe.
A fast Refresher is really scary for a mega-push strategy and initiation. Just remember that your mana pool must be able to sustain the combo.
Luxury
Double Shiva's, double Infernal is insanity. There's not much more I can say about this; try it out.
If you've gotten Refresher on level 2 Rain of Chaos, then you need 250+375+250=875 mana. Level 3 requires 300+375+300=975 mana. Casting Bonds is another 120.
10. Gameplay
Warlock's gameplay is relatively straightfoward - support, support, support.
Laning
As explained before, Warlock is one of the strongest laners in the game.
If you're babysitting, take the safe lane. Focus on harassing your enemies from level 1 with your superior attack, and deny as much as possible. Go for last hits when your carry can't reach it, but don't jack all the gold. Doing this defeats the purpose of a defensive babysitter.
Pull the neutral camp whenever you can; the carry can get last hits easier by the tower, and it'll make your lane less pushed and thus safer. If your camps were warded then you can optionally get Sentries.
Shadow Word's priority should be on the carry, then yourself, then your enemies. Healing is more important as the HP/sec is unreduced, unlike the nuke form. Instead, you can use your strong physical attack to inflict damage. However, if you have mana and your lane is fully healed, by all means, use Word to harass.
If your lane gets ganked or your enemies attempt to make a lane kill, always prioritize the carry over yourself. If blocking your enemies will kill yourself but save the carry, do it.
Warding
Since you'll often be on the move, place wards wherever your team needs them. Warding is a crucial role of Warlock's.
Ganking
Warlock doesn't really excel at ganking, unfortunately. You need to rely on allied disables to get hits in, and your ultimate is only a 1 second stun, which isn't great on just 1 target. It takes some judgment to cast Word to either cast it on an enemy or ally. Note that its CD is usually too long to use twice - this means that if you use it as a nuke, and you get counter ganked, you won't have any real means of defense. Also, healing an ally - rambo heroes in particular like Clockwerk or Batrider - might have a better overall effect than if you used it simply to nuke. The heal can assist in tower diving and/or discourage enemy retaliation.
If you do use Rain of Chaos in a gank, it can tank hits for tower diving, but that's pretty situational.
You can also micro the Infernal for blocking purposes.
Being Ganked
This is a tough one. Warlock doesn't have any great single target spell to disable and escape ganks. The best thing you can do is cast Word on yourself, eat a Tango if you have it, and run/juke/TP.
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This clip shows the usage of Word, Tangos, and Warlock's powerful physical attack. The effect is somewhat similar to Enchantress' heal.
Also try to use Magic Wand to juke; when you're close to being killed by a ranged hero, cast Wand right before the projectile hits. Sometimes chasers will turn around immediately once they think they have the kill, especially if tower diving.
Team Clashes
This is where Warlock is so useful. Try to always be the initiator with your Infernal, and then cast Fatal Bonds/Upheaval (maybe the other way around, if there's a good opportunity to cast a good FB). Usually you should wait to catch 3+ heroes with rock drop - when your enemies are ill-positioned and bunched. Because of the huge cast range, it's hard for the enemy to see it coming and scatter away from it, making it one of the best initiation skills in the game that doesn't require a Dagger as compared to other initiators like ES or Tide.
Fatal Bonds targets creeps as well, so you'll get closer to the maximum effect against a group of lone enemy heroes.
This clip (the version is old) demonstrates the power of the Infernal+Bonds combo, followed by other AoE. Warlock gets 5 kills with the Infernal and Fatal Bond damage, mainly with the help of an ally Akasha.
Pushing
Infernals can be used to great effect for pushing towers, providing a free tank and extra DPS if you use it to attack the tower directly. Casting Shadow Word on the Infernal makes it even stronger. You can also creep skip with the Infernal to stop the next wave and continue pushing, without putting your team at risk - the general problem with that tactic. Finally, the Infernal makes it harder for the enemy team to defend their tower, as it both tanks the tower and provides extra DPS / immolation. This is especially effective early/mid game, where Infernals are more powerful vs. heroes.
However, don't ever summon your Infernal JUST for the pushing when there are no enemies around - it's not like Rhasta's Wards or Lesh's Edict. The tower pushing is icing on the cake after you've hopefully won a team fight, using the stun to initiate.
11. Replays
Well played support Warlock by W1z4rd, demonstrating the hero's utility even with practically no items.
Sentinel
Blight[Daeg]
[JesseQ]Blight
eXain
MCiTY^Kirai
AzN|SaberStyle
Scourge
AirwalK^Bone
dmZ^eQuiNOX
klif-
Airwalk^W1z4rd
ComeWithMe_
Interesting game featuring Puppey soloing mid with Warlock.
Sentinel
Mitch--
Kebap-
dmZ^eQuiNOX
neXt!LiZ
e^SNK
Scourge
Puppey
mouz.CAT
lia^lia
mnemonick
joliE
An action-packed replay between 2 of the best teams in the world. DkPhobos plays a solo Warlock w/ Necronomicon.
Sentinel
Ks^Puppey
Ks^Miracle
Ks^KuroKy
Ks^Dendi
olo)AsH
Scourge
DTS-_-GO[blin]
DTS-_-ArtStyle-
DTS-_-LighT
DTS-_-TrAvkAAAA
DTS-_-DkPhobos
12. Conclusion
To sum up, Warlock is a versatile hero, being one of the strongest supporters in the game, as well as having the ability to semi-carry. The former is most commonly used, and while Warlock generally isn't the flashy, micro/skill intensive hero most people love to watch and play, from the sidelines, he can a true gamebreaker.
Good luck, and I hope you enjoyed the guide!
1. Background
2. Basic Role
3. Stats
4. Pros / Cons
5. Skills
6. Laning
7. Good Allies
8. Worst Enemies
9. Items
10. Gameplay
11. Replays
12. Conclusion
1. Background
Affiliation: Scourge INT
Former cultist of the Blacksun, Lannik was among the first of many orcs enslaved by the wretched demons when the Legion's taint befell the lands of Kalimdor - a dire affliction that grew stronger over the years. Mannoroth's sudden and unexpected demise severed this Warlock's ties to demonology, and the absence of its corrupting influenced caused his body to wither onto the verge of death. In exchange for life beyond the grave, he bound a pact with the Lich King.
2. Basic Role
Warlock is a versatile hero, capable of assuming multiple team roles, and largely maintains effectiveness in all stages of the game. He is an occasional pick and ban in high level play for his great lane control and dictation in teamfights.
Recent versions (6.67+) have seen a drop in Warlock's popularity due to the decreasing viability of babysitting melee carries and the rise of tri-lanes. He is now almost exclusively used as a side-lane solo.
3. Stats
STR: 18+2.5/Lvl
AGI: 10+1.0/Lvl
INT: 24+2.7/Lvl (Primary Attribute)
Attack Animation: 0.3
Damage: 46 - 56
Casting Animation: 0.5
Armor: 2.4
Base Attack Time: 1.7
Movespeed: 295
Missile Speed: 1200
Attack Range: 600
Sight Range: 1800 / 800
4. Pros and Cons
Pros
Item independent. This is Warlock greatest asset: none of his skills require items to be effective. Therefore, he is a natural team item buyer (wards, Mekansm, courier, and Pipe are big ones) if he is drafted for the support role.
Healer. Warlock is 1 of 9 healers in the game (the others being Dirge, Omniknight, Dazzle, Huskar, Abaddon, Witch Doctor, Enchantress, and Chen), making him valuable as a babysitter.
High STR/INT. Warlock is blessed with great innate stats; High INT allows him to rely minimally on mana items, and high STR (STR/lvl tied for second in INT class) makes him less susceptible to burst damage and disables, the common banes of most casters.
Valuable AoE support/initiator. 2 (or 3, depending on how you build him) of Warlock's abilities are game-breaking in team clashes.
Pusher. Infernals are useful in tower-tanking, creep skipping, and moving your enemies away from a valuable push site.
Strong physical attack. Warlock has a fast missile speed, attack animation time, 600 range, and high base damage. Early game, he hits nearly as hard as a melee hero, which gives him a significant edge in lane control.
Flexible role. Warlock's combination of assets allows him to be a babysitter, team support, warder, and/or a semi-carry, depending on the team's needs.
Cons
Weak by himself. Beyond laning, Warlock relies heavily on his allies for his skills to be effective.
No low CD disable. Warlock doesn't have a disable that can be used regularly in ganks or for escaping.
Below average MS. It's 295, which isn't too significant, but it's worth mentioning.
Below average armor. Warlock's AGI is low, so naturally he is more susceptible to physical damage.
Countered by Purge. Purge destroys Infernal, making part of his ultimate worthless, as well as feeding the enemy gold.
5. Skills
Fatal Bonds Hotkey: F
Bonds up to 5 enemy units together, causing damage dealt to any of them to be partially felt by the others.
Mana Cost: 120
CD: 25 seconds
Cast Range: 600
AoE: 600 per bond
Duration: 25 seconds
Effect: Links 2/3/4/5 units, dealing 15% damage taken on any unit to other linked units. (Direct HP removal)
A very nice damage amplifier that works wonders with AoE spells. If you bond 5 heroes together, and they are all hit by a single AoE spell, the total damage is multiplied by 1.60 (+4*15% extra damage dealt to each target if all are bonded and damaged).
Fatal Bonds hits both creeps and heroes, so to get the biggest effect out of the spell you want to cast it when there are many heroes and little to no creeps.
Shadow Word Hotkey: W
A single word causes powerful magics to envelop the target. Creates a healing mechanism on a friendly target or damages an unfriendly one. Does not dispel on attack.
Mana Cost: 90/110/130/150
CD: 24 sec
Cast Range: 500
Effect: 10/20/30/40 hp per second for 8 seconds.
Word is Warlock's bread and butter skill, that doubles as a nuke or heal.
Most commonly, you'll be using it as the heal, which mainly combats hard lanes very effectively. With this skill, his high mana pool, and great physical attack, Warlock is one of the most solid defensive laners in the game. This can be useful for babysitting or soloing.
Besides laning, it's a great ally-saving skill in early ganks, and later it remains useful to heal allies out of battle.
The nuke damage is 320, which is above average. However, it can be problematic because it's DoT, meaning that an enemy under the effect of Word can compensate damage by regeneration, be denied under 25% hp, or run out of your exp range if he ends up dying.
If your lanes are too pushed and you need to farm, jungle for a little bit and use Word to tank hits.
Note that the cast range is slightly shorter than your physical attack.
Upheaval Hotkey: E Channeling
Stirs up inert magic in a target area, channeling the force into a powerful slowing current that grows more powerful with every passing second it's channeled. Can channel up to 10 seconds and up to 84% slow.
Mana Cost: 100
CD: 65 seconds
Cast Range: 700
AoE: 650
Duration: 3 seconds
Effect: Stacking slow by 7/14/21/28% per second channeled.
Since this skill was fixed, it can be very strong situationally. It's got good cast range so try to stand back and channel, preferably when most of the stuns are out. Good in teamfights when coupled with position reliant AoE damage.
Rain of Chaos Hotkey: R
Calls an Infernal down from the sky, dealing 100 damage and stunning nearby enemies for 1 second. The Infernal lasts 60 seconds, takes reduced damage from spells, has Permanent Immolation and a chance to Pulverize an area on attack.
Mana Cost: 200/250/300
CD: 165 seconds
Cast Range: 1200
AoE: 600
Effect: Deals 100 damage, stuns for 1 second in an AoE, and summons an Infernal.
And of course, Warlock's ultimate and signature skill. Rain of Chaos is fantastic for initiation, having a huge cast range and AoE, without the need for any items. With this, you can set up other AoE spells effectively, like Kunkka's Ship, Tide's Ravage, Enigma's Black Hole, etc.
1200 range for a stun means you can screw up enemy positioning very easily. Enigma, Bane, Crix, etc. will have an especially hard time trying to release their ultimates anywhere near you.
The initial damage and consequent immolation can also disable Daggers, giving you the edge of a fight.
The consequent Infernal is devastating in early/mid game clashes, as your enemies will constantly be on the run from it. It possesses moderate damage, immolation, and is relatively hard to kill. It can also be used for pushes as mentioned earlier - tanking, creep skipping, and making it harder for enemies to defend. Late game the stun is just as effective, but the Infernal usually won't be such a big threat, especially if your enemies can Purge it.
You can also use the Infernal to jungle, if there's nothing else to do with it after summoning.
Rain of Chaos destroys trees, which can be helpful for anti-juke, notably by each team's most external long lane tower.
Infernal Information
Infernal 1
Level: 7 (98 experience)
HP: 900
HP regen: 15
Mana: -
Mana regen: -
Damage: 50 (Chaos)(100 melee)
Armor: 5 (Hero)
Mspd: 320
BAT: 1.35
Missile speed: -
Damage point/backswing: 0.26/0.74
Casting point/backswing: 0.3/0.51
Vision day/night: 1800/1800
Acquisition range: 500
Type: Ancient, Summoned
Bounty: 100
Hand of Midas: -
Ability:
Flaming Fist - 40% chance, 75 damage (300 AoE), 37.5 damage (350 AoE).
Spell Resistance - 33% resistance against spell damage.
Permanent Immolation - 20 damage per second, 250 AoE.
Resistant Skin
Flaming Fist is a cleaving attack that kills creeps moderately fast and increases DPS against enemy heroes.
Permanent Immolation is a free mini-Radiance on your Infernal, that has synergy with Fatal Bonds. The Necronomicon MS aura makes immolation chasing more effective.
Resistant Skin grants some immunity to spells and reduces the duration of others.
Infernal (2)
Level: 7 (98 experience)
HP: 1200
HP regen: 20
Mana: -
Mana regen: -
Damage: 75 (Chaos)(100 melee)
Armor: 7 (Hero)
Mspd: 330
BAT: 1.35
Missile speed: -
Damage point/backswing: 0.26/0.74
Casting point/backswing: 0.3/0.51
Vision day/night: 1800/1800
Acquisition range: 500
Type: Ancient, Summoned
Bounty: 150
Hand of Midas: -
Ability:
Flaming Fist - 40% chance, 115 damage (300 AoE), 57.5 damage (350 AoE).
Spell Resistance - 33% resistance against spell damage.
Permanent Immolation - 30 damage per second, 250 AoE.
Resistant Skin
Infernal (3)
Level: 7 (98 experience)
HP: 1500
HP regen: 25
Mana: -
Mana regen: -
Damage: 100 (Chaos)(100 melee)
Armor: 10 (Hero)
Mspd: 340
BAT: 1.35
Missile speed: -
Damage point/backswing: 0.26/0.74
Casting point/backswing: 0.3/0.51
Vision day/night: 1800/1800
Acquisition range: 500
Type: Ancient, Summoned
Bounty: 200
Hand of Midas: -
Ability:
Flaming Fist - 40% chance, 150 damage (300 AoE), 75 damage (350 AoE).
Spell Resistance - 33% resistance against spell damage.
Permanent Immolation - 40 damage per second, 250 AoE.
Resistant Skin
Build
Traditional Build
1: Shadow Word (1)
2: Attribute Bonus (1)
3: Shadow Word (2)
4: Attribute Bonus (2)
5: Shadow Word (3)
6: Rain of Chaos (1)
7: Shadow Word (4)
8: Attribute Bonus (3)
9: Fatal Bonds (1)
10: Fatal Bonds (2)
11: Rain of Chaos (2)
12: Fatal Bonds (3)
13: Fatal Bonds (4)
14: Attribute Bonus (4)
15: Attribute Bonus (5)
16: Rain of Chaos (3)
17-21: Attribute Bonus (6-10)
22-25: Upheaval (1-4)
Upheaval Build
1: Shadow Word (1)
2: Upheaval (1)
3: Shadow Word (2)
4: Upheaval (2)
5: Shadow Word (3)
6: Rain of Chaos (1)
7: Shadow Word (4)
8: Upheaval (3)
9: Upheaval (4)
10: Fatal Bonds (1)
11: Rain of Chaos (2)
12: Fatal Bonds (2)
13: Fatal Bonds (3)
14: Fatal Bonds (4)
15: Attribute Bonus (1)
16: Rain of Chaos (3)
17-25: Attribute Bonus (2-10)
Justification
Shadow Word is maxed first, and Rain of Chaos whenever possible, for obvious reasons.
Taking Stats versus Fatal Bonds is flexible - Fatal Bonds before mid-game doesn't really have a significant effect, so I don't recommend maxing it alongside Word. Starting Bonds at lvl 9 is just a rough template, though.
For Upheaval users, max Word alongside it and take Rock whenever possible, then Bonds.
6. Laning
Solo
Warlock is one of the strongest solos. His combination of high range, projectile speed, animation, and damage allows him to out-CS and physically harass most other solos when combined with Shadow Word, to offset counter-harassment. A skilled Warlock can even combat the top solos like Shadow Fiend and Tinker.
Solo Warlock generally plays out as follows:
Versus another solo: lots of last hitting and denying, primarily staying in the lane as much as possible to rush a tier 4 item.
Versus a dual lane: as much last hitting and denying as possible but remaining defensive. This strategy relies on minimizing loss on this lane and winning in others.
Versus a tri-lane: surviving and doing whatever to hold off the lane. This strategy also relies on minimizing loss on the lane and winning others but to a more extreme degree.
WL is one the best candidates for the second and third case since he has pretty high survivability and lane control to scrap last hits as much as possible. If he doesn't get farm it's ok since he still functions without items.
Dual Lane
WL in a dual lane is less common option in today's metagame but still viable. He's a good hero to pair with a carry - he can harass/deny well while not being as susceptible to dangerous lane combos with his decent strength, which eases the pressure on a carry supported by heal so he can farm. As much as you can, trade hits with the enemy, because you have higher damage. Ideally, so your carry is safer, take Sentinel bottom or Scourge top. Pull neutrals when appropriate.
Common Lane Partners
Melee carries benefit tremendously from Warlock's lane control. Examples:
All of the above can lane infinitely better with a babysitting Warlock. They'll get more last hits, level faster, and be at less risk of dying. Kunkka doesn't truly need a babysitter so much as the rest, but the lane is still quite commonly used.
Axe deserves a special mention - he's not a true carry, but Warlock's heal is so useful for Axe to be aggressive in lane. Axe/Warlock is one of the most dangerous lanes to face even though it's not a cookie-cutter dual stun combo.
7. Good Allies
AoE damage
AoE damage is amplified greatly by Warlock. Use Rain of Chaos and follow immediately with Bonds. This is a great set-up to Akasha's Sonic Wave, for example.
AoE strengthened with set-up
+++Puck has exceptional synergy with Warlock, because they both initiate from long range. The Infernal stun helps Puck's orb hit on target, and then the follow-up Coil screws them because they either stay and get owned by the Infernal and more follow-up, or break the Coil and still get owned. Upheaval is also excellent when paired with Coil.
Shadow Fiend, Crix, Tide, and Enigma who don't have Daggers benefit from an Infernal set-up stun. It's even better if they DO have Daggers.
Kunkka can land ships better as well.
++A combo'd Burrowstrike -> channel Epicenter -> Rain of Chaos can be devastating early game, netting possibly every kill in the AoE. The extra AoE stun offered by Warlock makes it impossible for Epicenter to be canceled, and keeps them closer to the pulses.
++Cast Rain of Chaos first; then, Blink in with Shadow Fiend and immediately cast Requiem. If executed well, the stun will come in slightly after the start of the channeling before your enemies have time to react / move away / stun SF (pre-BKB), resulting in a devastating close range cast of RoS.
Rambo heroes
Clockwerk, Batrider, Axe, and Pudge are all examples of gankers that benefit largely from the early game 320 EHP, as they need to be in close range of their targets and therefore will be more prone to drawing fire.
Carries
Refer to the laning section.
8. Worst Enemies
Burst damage
A bit of a cliche as he counters so many heroes, but Mana Burn screws your in lane healing, and he can insta-kill you pretty easily early to mid game if you let your health slip.
While Warlock has better STR than most heroes, burst damage combos are still hard to avoid as you'll be buying wards and maybe have only a Wand + Bracer for survivability.
Diffusal carriers
Mirana has high potential burst damage and is a common Diffusal carrier. Early game her nukes are dangerous, and Diffusal feeds off your Infernal drops.
Morph, Naga, and Lancer may also buy Diffusal.
Mana burners
Anti-Mage can easily dispose of your mana pool, deal high DPS, and nuke with Mana Void. Warlock doesn't excel at single target combat - he doesn't have burst damage / a high duration disable to counter this hero. Remember, Warlock is powerful at range, and shouldn't be in the thick of a battle. Thus, Blink can be very annoying if you're being specifically targeted.
NA has already been mentioned for his burst damage. Since 6.63, Mana Burn has been changed to burn based on enemy intelligence with a 5 second CD, so he can prove problematic due to Warlock's relatively high INT pool.
9. Item Build
Support Build
Starting
Branches are the cheapest option for stats. Later you should finish it into a Magic Wand.
Tangos/Salves are always good. Even though you have a heal, it's likely that you'll use it more frequently on the carry (who will get harassed more often). 1 of each usually gets you a pretty long time in the lane. If you need more later, use the chicken. It's almost always better as Warlock to not leave the lane just for a fountain trip, as you need to keep your carry alive and farming as much as possible.
Clarities are usually unnecessary, but if you're using Word very frequently then consider getting them.
Warlock usually buys one or the other at the start of the game. Buying both isn't recommended because you'll be severely restricted on your laning items.
Core
Don't concentrate on farming too hard for items. Generally it's fine to stick with the core for the majority of a normal game. Concentrate on warding, supporting your allies, harassing in lane, and denying - get last hits, but if it's obvious that your carry can get it, don't steal it.
Phase Boots are the optimal choice. They are the best extension boots for support heroes who don't need to farm lanes. Treads don't offer that invaluable MS, and BoT is too expensive to spend time farming for.
Ring of Basilius is used for pushing, cheap extra mana regeneration, and the armor, which Warlock lacks.
Magic Wand is an all around great item for stats and the small burst heal. There's nothing in particular that makes it any better to be bought by Warlock; it's simply an item I recommend on nearly every hero.
Urn is a great utility item that makes you a walking fountain, along with mana regeneration and a cheap health boost.
Always carry at least 1 TP scroll.
Warlock's item independence makes him the perfect ward buyer. You should be always moving and assisting your team, so plant wards when you're crossing the map.
Early Luxury
The spare bit of cash you may have leftover after buying support items should go to building a Mek. It works well on Warlock, again, because nothing else he can buy that is relatively cheap increases the potency of his spells, and he has a large mana pool to support it.
Late Luxury
Hex is always an invaluable ability to have. Shiva's adds good armor and AoE damage that works decently well with your Infernal and Fatal Bonds, as well as help to combo/set-up other AoE. Necronomicon is another possibility, adding to your summon arsenal and true sight to clean out enemy wards.
Solo Build
Warlock semi-carries effectively due to his fantastic solo ability. Shadow Word in a solo lane grants almost infinite lane-staying power, while he can rack up CS with his awesome attack animation and damage.
Core
Phase Boots, Magic Wand, and Ring of Basilius are still taken.
Luxury
Necronomicon is a good item to really wreak havoc in team fights along with your Infernal. Your entire team will benefit from the auras. Even if you die, your summon army will do your job. In addition, it adds a fair bit of STR and INT.
Hex is the most popular option currently. Beyond it being much more micro-friendly than Book, it doesn't really need an explanation.
Shiva's is possible to extend your AoE power and armor though it is usually less useful than the previous two.
Items to Consider
Treads are a cheap upgrade to Boots of Speed and give good stats for its gold cost. You'll have 190 more HP but end up with only 355 MS and IAS you don't really need. IMO Phase is far stronger but some still prefer Treads for the direct survivability boost.
Some would be surprised to see Bracers as situational rather than core. The cheap HP boosting is good, but they do take up item slots. Boots, 1 Bracer, unplaced Wards/Urn, TPs, and a Magic Wand is already 5 of your 6.
If you're dying too often or need cheap survivability, you can fill up whatever slots you have left with them. However, Wand, Word, and 2.5 STR per level is generally sufficient, therefore they're not put in core.
Refresher is decent because it basically doubles your ultimate (Refresher and Rain of Chaos have almost the same CD). However, it expends a TON of mana, and unless if you've done really well to farm it fast, the Infernals won't be so powerful come the time you can buy it. The AoE stun will be the bigger focus by that point.
Sure, it's nice, but only if you're getting some major free farming. The slow is a great assisting skill, and the stats really beef up Warlock.
It's possible to use Pipe, which makes Warlock an even better pusher, or turtler. If your team strategy is to give your carry as much farm as possible, Pipe is good at delaying enemy pushes. Also it should be considered when facing heroes like Lich, Sand King, Shaker, Lesh, etc - the AoE monsters.
Since Warlock has high STR growth, skills attributes, and buys Bracer(s) and / or Necronomicon, he can become very tanky for an INT hero against spells with Hood / Pipe.
Vlad's seems retarded at first, but you should consider this item for a late game upgrade to Basilius if your team has a melee DPS carry or carries. It's better that you buy it, as the support, than them.
Also, the +5 armor can be good for your summon(s) and pushing.
Boots of Travel are strong in pushing line-ups. Since Warlock can be used as a support/pusher, this can be an option. However, because the price and build-up is expensive, they're usually not worth buying.
Pretty self explanatory to counter invisibility. Again, support heroes like Warlock should be spending gold on such team oriented items. These are cheaper alternatives to Necronomicon 3.
DPS items
It's possible to do, but DPS Warlock is a fun build more than anything. Since his AGI gain is quite sad, you can farm and build similar things to more effectiveness with other ranged semi-carries like Mirana or Shadow Fiend who possess similarly fast animation and alternative AoE farming spells.
Semi-Carry/Support Build 2
This build is pretty rare but I figured I'd put it in. It is EXTREMELY powerful when farmed quickly, which is possible if the opposing team didn't draft a comparable solo lane hero. Examples would be heroes like Clockwerk, Beastmaster, Morph, Puck, Storm, Mirana, and Necrolyte: these are generally worthy solos but they will be mediocre in CSing versus a skilled Warlock.
Core
Phase as always, but here it'll also improve your last hitting. Nulls increase your damage and mana pool to farm for and use Refresher. Focus on solo farming your lane as fast as possible for Perseverance to Oblivion Staff to Refresher whenever you can get the recipe.
A fast Refresher is really scary for a mega-push strategy and initiation. Just remember that your mana pool must be able to sustain the combo.
Luxury
Double Shiva's, double Infernal is insanity. There's not much more I can say about this; try it out.
If you've gotten Refresher on level 2 Rain of Chaos, then you need 250+375+250=875 mana. Level 3 requires 300+375+300=975 mana. Casting Bonds is another 120.
10. Gameplay
Warlock's gameplay is relatively straightfoward - support, support, support.
Laning
As explained before, Warlock is one of the strongest laners in the game.
If you're babysitting, take the safe lane. Focus on harassing your enemies from level 1 with your superior attack, and deny as much as possible. Go for last hits when your carry can't reach it, but don't jack all the gold. Doing this defeats the purpose of a defensive babysitter.
Pull the neutral camp whenever you can; the carry can get last hits easier by the tower, and it'll make your lane less pushed and thus safer. If your camps were warded then you can optionally get Sentries.
Shadow Word's priority should be on the carry, then yourself, then your enemies. Healing is more important as the HP/sec is unreduced, unlike the nuke form. Instead, you can use your strong physical attack to inflict damage. However, if you have mana and your lane is fully healed, by all means, use Word to harass.
If your lane gets ganked or your enemies attempt to make a lane kill, always prioritize the carry over yourself. If blocking your enemies will kill yourself but save the carry, do it.
Warding
Since you'll often be on the move, place wards wherever your team needs them. Warding is a crucial role of Warlock's.
Ganking
Warlock doesn't really excel at ganking, unfortunately. You need to rely on allied disables to get hits in, and your ultimate is only a 1 second stun, which isn't great on just 1 target. It takes some judgment to cast Word to either cast it on an enemy or ally. Note that its CD is usually too long to use twice - this means that if you use it as a nuke, and you get counter ganked, you won't have any real means of defense. Also, healing an ally - rambo heroes in particular like Clockwerk or Batrider - might have a better overall effect than if you used it simply to nuke. The heal can assist in tower diving and/or discourage enemy retaliation.
If you do use Rain of Chaos in a gank, it can tank hits for tower diving, but that's pretty situational.
You can also micro the Infernal for blocking purposes.
Being Ganked
This is a tough one. Warlock doesn't have any great single target spell to disable and escape ganks. The best thing you can do is cast Word on yourself, eat a Tango if you have it, and run/juke/TP.
+This clip shows the usage of Word, Tangos, and Warlock's powerful physical attack. The effect is somewhat similar to Enchantress' heal.
Also try to use Magic Wand to juke; when you're close to being killed by a ranged hero, cast Wand right before the projectile hits. Sometimes chasers will turn around immediately once they think they have the kill, especially if tower diving.
Team Clashes
This is where Warlock is so useful. Try to always be the initiator with your Infernal, and then cast Fatal Bonds/Upheaval (maybe the other way around, if there's a good opportunity to cast a good FB). Usually you should wait to catch 3+ heroes with rock drop - when your enemies are ill-positioned and bunched. Because of the huge cast range, it's hard for the enemy to see it coming and scatter away from it, making it one of the best initiation skills in the game that doesn't require a Dagger as compared to other initiators like ES or Tide.
Fatal Bonds targets creeps as well, so you'll get closer to the maximum effect against a group of lone enemy heroes.
This clip (the version is old) demonstrates the power of the Infernal+Bonds combo, followed by other AoE. Warlock gets 5 kills with the Infernal and Fatal Bond damage, mainly with the help of an ally Akasha.
Pushing
Infernals can be used to great effect for pushing towers, providing a free tank and extra DPS if you use it to attack the tower directly. Casting Shadow Word on the Infernal makes it even stronger. You can also creep skip with the Infernal to stop the next wave and continue pushing, without putting your team at risk - the general problem with that tactic. Finally, the Infernal makes it harder for the enemy team to defend their tower, as it both tanks the tower and provides extra DPS / immolation. This is especially effective early/mid game, where Infernals are more powerful vs. heroes.
However, don't ever summon your Infernal JUST for the pushing when there are no enemies around - it's not like Rhasta's Wards or Lesh's Edict. The tower pushing is icing on the cake after you've hopefully won a team fight, using the stun to initiate.
11. Replays
Well played support Warlock by W1z4rd, demonstrating the hero's utility even with practically no items.
Sentinel
Blight[Daeg][JesseQ]BlighteXainMCiTY^KiraiAzN|SaberStyleScourge
AirwalK^BonedmZ^eQuiNOXklif-Airwalk^W1z4rdComeWithMe_Interesting game featuring Puppey soloing mid with Warlock.
Sentinel
Mitch--Kebap-dmZ^eQuiNOXneXt!LiZe^SNKScourge
Puppeymouz.CATlia^liamnemonickjoliEAn action-packed replay between 2 of the best teams in the world. DkPhobos plays a solo Warlock w/ Necronomicon.
Sentinel
Ks^PuppeyKs^MiracleKs^KuroKyKs^Dendiolo)AsHScourge
DTS-_-GO[blin]DTS-_-ArtStyle-DTS-_-LighTDTS-_-TrAvkAAAADTS-_-DkPhobos12. Conclusion
To sum up, Warlock is a versatile hero, being one of the strongest supporters in the game, as well as having the ability to semi-carry. The former is most commonly used, and while Warlock generally isn't the flashy, micro/skill intensive hero most people love to watch and play, from the sidelines, he can a true gamebreaker.
Good luck, and I hope you enjoyed the guide!
