dotA Item Build on Troll Warlord, Jah'Rakal
Jah'rakal the Troll Warlord
Author:spyAfterMath
Jah'Rakal, Troll Warlord
Changelog:
7/14/11 - Guide started as a draft guide
7/29/11 - Guide published 7/30/11 - Updated some stuff 7/31/11 - Added some images and notes 8/1/11 - Added more images and “Extra Info” section 8/6/11 - Minor updates 9/3/11 - Minor updates 3/18/12 - Updated items, skill info, and allies. 9/30/12 - Updated to 6.75, edited situational items, skill build, and item build |
Version 6.72 brought buffs to this unloved hero and had improved his gameplay for the most part. IceFrog replaced his mediocre Blind skill with two new actives, a ranged and melee version of Whirling Axes. This changed his gameplay by allowing Troll to deal some burst damage and chase more effectively. I've always personally loved Troll's insane IAS and when I read the changelog, I wanted to try him out. This guide is about my findings and what I think can maximize Troll's effectiveness in casual Dota.
This is also my first guide and item/skill/gameplay suggestions are welcome! Please comment and rate but only rate after you read the entire guide!  Troll has also received various buffs in the past couple versions (6.73 - 6.74) to his attack speed skills. Although they may not be as big of a buff asWhirling Axes but it is still useful nonetheless. Also, with the coming of DotA 2, mechanics that were a hassle in WC3 will be improved (being able to Bashand Crit in phase boots and toggling melee and ranged forms with Berserker Rage) and a smoother gameplay will help players control and use Troll. Another buff came in 6.75 to Troll’s ultimate, Battle Trance, making it last on all his allies for the full duration as Troll. |
Recent Hero Balances:
6.75 – Battle Trance now lasts full duration for allies 6.74 - Battle Trance attack speed bonus increased from 60/100/140 to 60/120/180 6.73 - Fervor increments now increase while attacking towers 6.72c - Fervor AS bonus rebalanced from 5/10/15/20 AS per attack with a max of 100 to 20 AS per attack max of 40/60/80/100 6.72c - Ranged Whirling Axes now does 75 damage 6.72 - Blind replaced with Whirling Axes 6.72 - Cast point reduced by 0.3 6.72 - Berserker Rage transformation time removed 6.69 - Battle Trance self duration increased from 8 to 10 seconds 6.69 - Fixed melee/range item to update properly for Berserker Rage transformation 6.67 - Berserker's Rage bash rebalanced from 5/5/10/10% chance for 2 seconds bash and 25/50/25/50 damage to 10% chance for 0.8/1.2/1.6/2 seconds bash and 20/30/40/50 damage 6.63 - Battle Trance attack speed bonus increased from 60/80/100 to 60/100/140 |
The Troll:
Pros and Cons:
Pros
[+]Can choose to fight in ranged or melee
[+]High base damage
[+]Fast attack animation
[+]High MS
[+]Abilities give IAS
[+]Good AGI gain
[+]Decent STR gain for a carry
[+]Longest lasting Bash ability (2 sec)
[+]Global Ultimate
[+]Low mana costing skills
[+]Short cooldowns
[+]Ganker and carry
Cons
[-]Must be in melee to gain many benefits
[-]Will be aimed in team fights
[-]Squishy
[-]No escape mechanism
[-]Lowest base INT and gain
[-]Low Bash chance (10%)
[-]Switching targets hinders DPS
When to pick Troll?
You can pick him whenever you want but these may screw up your game:
- If your team already has a lot of carries
- If your team has few disables
- If the enemy team has a lot of disables
- If the enemy team is heavy with nukes
And these may make it easier to play Troll:
- Enemy team has lots of squishy Heroes
- Enemy team is full of carries
- Your team has a auto attack DPS strategy (lol)
- You're lucky
- You're a good farmer
Info and Stats:
Statistics:
| Strength: 17 + 2.2 |
| Agility: 21 + 2.75 |
| Intelligence: 13 + 1 |
| Damage: 38 - 56 |
| Strength: 69.8 |
| Agility: 87 |
| Intelligence: 37 |
| Damage: 104 - 122 |
Skills:
Berserker Rage
This skill boosts Troll's stats quite nicely. It gives HP (equivalent to about 5 STR) to make up for his not-so-great base STR, armor to tank some extra harassment, some useful MS for mobility, damage for easy last hits, reduced BAT to whack even faster, and a Bash to hold the enemy in place. All ranks give +15 damage, +3 armor, +100 hit points, reduces BAT to 1.55, and the Bash ability. Effect: Toggles melee/ranged modes. Adds 20/20/20/30 MS. 10% Bash for 0.8/1.2/1.6/2 seconds and deal 20/30/40/50 bonus damage Cooldown: 0 Note: The bonuses from the extra levels into Berserker Rage only increase the duration (not the chance) of this unreliable Bash by a lousy 0.4s. It is more beneficial to keep this at Rank 1 and level up his other, more useful skills. |
As you can see, he gets a LOT of IAS but no damage from his abilities. At level 25 and some IAS items, he nears the IAS cap of 400. This is what setsTroll apart from other carries. DPS is dependent on two main components, damage and IAS. Troll is already given all the IAS he needs. No other carry has spells that give them damage or IAS to such an extreme with the exception of Ursa’s Overpower (only last for # of attacks).Gameplay:
Jungle or Lane?
Because of the change to Fervor, Troll's jungling ability was crippled. Not only was the maximum bonus IAS reduced to 40/60/80/100, but the counter is reset every time he switches targets. This means that Troll can no longer reach 100 bonus IAS from level 1 Fervor, and whenever he switches to a different creep, instead of the IAS counter being set to half, it is completely lost. The change of gaining 20 IAS from every attack is also made more for going up against the opponent. His new skills also hint that he is stronger in a lane. Jungling is hardly possible, not worth it, and not recommended.
Which Lane?
Troll doesn't have any escape mechanism so he should take the safe lane. Top lane for Scourge and bot lane for Sentinel. Best if you lane with a babysitter that can pull neutrals to keep the creep wave close to your tower. The side shop also carries almost everything you need for the laning phase.
Skill Build
Basic Cookie Cutter build
Level 1 - Berserker Rage/Whirling Axes
Level 2 - Whirling Axes/Berserker Rage
Level 3 - Whirling Axes
Level 4 - Fervor
Level 5 - Whirling Axes
Level 6 - Battle Trance
Level 7 - Whirling Axes
Level 8 - Fervor/ Stats
Level 9 - Fervor/ Stats
Level 10 - Fervor/ Stats
Level 11 - Battle Trance
Level 12 - Berserker Rage/Stats
Level 13 - Berserker Rage/Stats
Level 14 - Berserker Rage/Stats
Level 15 - Stats/Berserker Rage
Level 16 - Battle Trance
Level 17+ Stats/Berserker Rage
Skill Justification
Berserker Rage is taken first for its benefits or Whirling Axes if you try to get first blood. Whirling Axes is maxed as soon as possible because it is most effective in the early game as a nuke. It will make you more of a threat and gives you some defense. Fervor is more beneficial than extra levels intoBerserker Rage so that's taken second. At level 11, you'll have about 270 IAS naked from your skills alone (100 from Fervor, 120 from Battle Trance, and the rest from your AGI). This is enough to make leveling up Berserker Rageworth it because you have more chances to proc a Bash and it's his last remaining skill anyway. Stats may be taken over Fervor and Berserker Rage if you are having a hard time surviving. |
Starting Items
Total Cost - 603
Justification: Mix and match some of the above items. Stout Shield if you have aggressive ranged enemies in your lane, Quelling Blade for easier last hits, some regen to stay alive and GG Branches for Magic Wand, some stats, and a good game.
Notes: You will not have enough starting gold to purchase every item so buy what is most fitting to the situation. |
Early Game
[ 
]
Total Cost - 2434
Justification: Because of his high IAS, Troll doesn't need to get any more IAS. Instead he should try to optimize his DPS by getting damage items. Check out this link to get a better understanding of optimization of DPS:Dota: Fun to Think and Imagine - DotA Guides. We have Phase Bootsbecause it gives the most damage for boots and it gives you burst MS for getting closer to the enemy and for jukes.
The Magic Wand and Bracer are just for some extra HP and clutch moments where you need that little bit of HP or mana to kill someone or get out alive. If you feel you do not need the extra stats from Bracer, feel free to skip it. Ring of Basilius is useful if you plan to gank a lot. The passive mana regen is very beneficial especially since Troll has very cheap spells. Feel free to skipRing of Basilius too if you don’t plan on ganking or don’t need the mana regen. Bottle is probably the best item that a ganker can have since it gives him sustenance to keep hitting up the lanes and it allows him to keep a powerful rune with him to use when needed. Like Ring of Basilius, you can skip it if you don’t plan on ganking. Always carry a TP for ganks and counter-ganks. Notes: You cannot Bash or Crit while phased. |
Mid Game
>
[
]
[
]Total Cost - 7350
Justification: Lothar's comes to mind because it offers an escape mechanism, a surprise attack mechanism, some decent damage, and a good amount of attack speed. Try to build it by buying the Claymore first. It gives a lot of damage for its cost. However, you may choose to get a Shadow Amulet instead if you plan on pushing towers (read “Extra Info”). The Janggois for escaping/chasing, build up from Bracer, and to help with Troll's horrid INT a bit. Crystalys is the logical follow-up because it is a pure damage item. More crits due to high attack speed. If the enemy team is disable-heavy, get a BKB. Get a Mask of Death when you feel you do enough DPS to make good use of it. It can even be used for taking on Roshan or to upgrade and use the creep to stack the ancient creep camp.
|
Late Game
>
Total Cost - 8850
Justification: If you think you can deal damage without dying, build up yourCrystalys to a Buriza and then finish off your build with a Satanic. Note thatSatanic has an active 175% lifesteal! When you’re dishing out 1300 DPS, that means you can gain all your HP back in a few second. It works almost like anAegies if timed well. Some might think that Buriza isn't as good as other items such as MKB or Butterfly but the crit chance makes it pull through. Troll's DPS hits about 1300 at the Late Game. Buriza gives the most damage besides Rapier.
 This compares Buriza DPS to MKB and Butterfly. As you can see, Buriza’s is only above the other two items because of the crit damage. Note that this is total DPS without taking into account armor, damage block, chasing, nukes, etc. |
Extra Info:
Using the Phase ability from Phase Boots, you are unable to Crit or Bash. Using items or abilities cancelsPhase.. It has one of the lowest gold/damage ratios and offers the most out of the other boots. It also allows Troll to be one of the fastest heroes in the game when he uses the Phase ability.
Good Allies
Babysitters
These guys will keep you alive during the laning phase and make life a lot easier for you. Some can even help you net some kills.
Disablers
These guys hold the enemy in place. You start hitting them with your axes. Simple reason why we love them.
Buffers
These guys make Troll even stronger. Some can even keep him alive longer and bring you to your target faster.
Autoattackers
These guys do a lot of damage when they autoattack. They do even more when they get a 180 IAS boost.
Special Mentions
He can toss you to get in melee range and then follow up with an avalanche so you can keep attacking.
He can roll you in so you get close and then he can trap in the enemy.
Free cleave, pulls enemies together AND keeps them there. Perfect for a carry likeTroll.
Every carry's dream. Global relocate, even more MS, a free stun, and damage reduction.
If you ever gank with this guy, it’s an automatic kill and he gains 10 damage permanently. Every time he uses his ultimate, use yours too.
Bad Enemies
Disablers
These guys will hold you in place. Enemy carries smash your face in. Simple reason why we hate them.
Heavy Casters
They have 100 HP and you chase them with full HP. They turn around, stun, nuke, nuke, and suddenly you’re dead. Yes, it sucks.
Debuffers
These guys bring you down. Ever attacked with -200 damage? Ever got 4 misses in a row? Very irritating.
Special Mentions
Craggy Exterior. 24% to stun you when you attack. Very fast attacks = lots of stuns. Do not focus him in the late game.
How to combat: Don’t focus him first. BKB stops the stuns.
What do they have in commmon? An active disable and a passive Bash. They 1-up you when it comes to keeping their targets stunned and you are no exception.
How to combat: BKB to stop their active stun, Whirling Axes to beat their passiveBash.
He can keep your damage low, make you sleep, or completely disable you for 5 seconds while his team kills you, even with BKB. Try to stay away from him when he has all his skills off cooldown.
How to combat: Attack him when his spells are on cooldown or have a silencer with you. BKB blocks all his spells except his ulti.
He can make you useless for up to 7 seconds because your DPS comes from physical attacks. Guardian Angel > physical attacks
How to combat: Diffusal’s purge will take off his Repel and his Guardian Angel butDiffusal is not recommended for Troll. Guardian Angel only stops physical damage so spells will still hit other, non-magic immune units. Get it only if you can’t win the game without it.
Just don't attack into it.
How to combat: BKB will stop the damage return. Or you could activate Satanic to negate the damage for 3.75 seconds.
Well you can't really do much against this except to wait until it's over.
How to combat: Diffusal’s purge will take off the ghost form but Diffusal’s is not recommended for Troll. Or you could bring a nuker with you to gank.
You need to get close to do your job. This keeps the enemy away from you. UnlikeDagger, it doesn’t get disabled after taking damage.
How to combat: Have a stunner with you. Or Vengeful Spirit
It might not seem like it but Troll actually gets a lot of his survivability from usingWhirling Axes on enemy heroes for miss chance. Once your opponents get this, you lose all of that miss chance and you need to rely on ally disables to survive fights.
How to combat: Have a stunner with you. In team fights, try to focus down the MKBholder. It will probably be the carry holding it anyway.
Bad Luck… Sometimes you can’t help it. Never Bash when you need it? Whether it’s that Chaos Knight always getting 4’s or getting stunned over and over from attackingTiny.
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