Rexxar Item Build - dotA Guides

Rexxar Item Build - dotA Guides

  

Rexxar the Beastmaster
Author:spyAfterMath

Ramomar's guide to | Rexxar, the Beastmaster

A wandering vagrant of the Mok'nathal, the fabled half orc-half ogres of legend, Rexxar and his mighty blades have joined the cause of the Sentinel to better protect the natural world around him. A friend of beasts, Rexxar flails and tears at his enemies with unsettling savagery, even going as far as hurling his axes in the manner of boomerangs at his enemies to better his chances at victory. Truly a warrior of the living planet that thrives around him, the Beastmaster is an ally to be counted on when he is needed the most.

- Quoted From Rexxar's Background Story

Rexxar's Info & Stats

Pros:
[+] Dominant throughout entire game
[+] Not Item-Dependant
[+] Above average movement speed
[+] Excellent base damage Early Game
[+] Long range nuke
[+] Built-in slow and scout

Cons:
[-] Below average STR gain for a Strength hero.
[-] Mana dependant Early Game
[-] Can be hard to play effectively

Information

• Affiliation: Sentinel
• Primary Attribute: Strength
• Attack Range: 100 (Melee)
• Sight Range: 1800 / 800
• Main Roles: Support and Ganking

Level 1 Stats

• Strength: 23
• Agility: 18
• Intelligence: 16
• Hit Points: 587
• Mana Points: 208
• Damage: 56 - 60
• Armor: 4.5 (Shows 5)

Level 25 Stats (Including Bonus Stats)

• Strength: 75 + 20
• Agility: 56 + 20
• Intelligence: 61 + 20
• Hit Points: 1955
• Mana Points: 1053
• Damage: 108 - 112
• Armor: 10 + 2.8

Rexxar's Skills

Quote:

- Wild Axes Rexxar hurls his two axes outward, which then intersect and return to him. Each axe can only damage a unit once. Level 1 - Each axe deals 90 damage. Level 2 - Each axe deals 120 damage. Level 3 - Each axe deals 150 damage. Level 4 - Each axe deals 180 damage. Cooldown: 13 seconds. Manacost: 120 Description: Great tool to harass throughout entire game and aiding Rexxar to get those early kills. Also necessary for some strategic ganks

Quote:

- Call of the Wild Rexxar calls upon wild beasts to aid him. The duration, strength and number of beasts increases per level. Previous summons are removed upon casting. Level 1 - Summons a Scout Hawk. Level 2 - Summons a Scout Hawk and a Quilbeast. Level 3 - Summons a Greater Hawk and a Quilbeast. Level 4 - Summons a Greater Hawk and a Greater Quilbeast. Cooldown: 40 Manacost: 25 Description: Must have skill. Excellent for hero killing, scouting, chasing, harassing, and even escaping throughout entire game.

Quote:

- Inner Beast (Passive) Releases the inner beast inside nearby allies, passively increasing their attack speed. Level 1 - +18% Attack Speed Level 2 - +26% Attack Speed Level 3 - +32% Attack Speed Level 4 - +40% Attack Speed Description: I used to skip the old "Beast Rage" until Late Game, but its recent "buff" has changed the whole thing around. Get this after Level 2 Primal Roar for some Necro action.

Quote:

- Primal Roar (Ultimate) The Beastmaster looses a deafening roar which deals damage and stuns its target. Enemy units near the roar wave take minor damage and have their movement speed and attack rate reduced. Due to the force of the roar, all units between the Beastmaster and his prey are shoved aside, creating an open path. Level 1 - 200 primary damage, 3 second stun. 100 side damage, 2 second slow. Level 2 - 250 primary damage, 3.5 second stun. 200 side damage, 3 second slow. Level 3 - 300 primary damage, 4 second stun. 300 side damage, 4 second slow. Cooldown: 80/75/70 Manacost: 150/175/200 Description: Main tool for ganks and best Ultimate Skill in the whole world of DotA. Will discuss strategies later on the guide.

Rexxar's Skill Build

The Cookie Cutter

Level 1 - Call of the Wild
Level 2 - Wild Axes
Level 3 - Call of the Wild
Level 4 - Wild Axes
Level 5 - Call of the Wild
Level 6 - Primal Roar
Level 7 - Call of the Wild
Level 8 - Wild Axes
Level 9 - Wild Axes
Level 10 - Stats
Level 11 - Primal Roar
Level 12 - Inner Beast
Level 13 - Inner Beast
Level 14 - Inner Beast
Level 15 - Inner Beast
Level 16 - Primal Roar
Level 17+ - Stats

Cookie Cutter Skill Build Justification:

Call of the Wild is maxed out first because it is so very useful. It can help from the get go to scout runes and may possibly land you an early "First Blood". the Greater Quillbeast's slow is more useful than Wild Axes, and simply having a pig harassing with the slow all the time, will be annoying to your oponent(s).
Primal Roar is your main killing/ganking tool and as mentioned before, it's the best Ultimate Skill in DotA so it SHALL be learned as quickly as possiblem.
About Inner Beast. With its recent change in 6.60, it is now crucial for Rexxar's Cookie Cutter item; Necronomicon. Your Necronomicon Spawns already have a pretty fast attack rate, with your passive you'll be landing more hits than eva!

The Pubber

Level 1 - Call of the Wild
Level 2 - Wild Axes
Level 3 - Wild Axes
Level 4 - Call of the Wild
Level 5 - Wild Axes
Level 6 - Primal Roar
Level 7 - Wild Axes
Level 8 - Call of the Wild
Level 9 - Call of the Wild
Level 10 - Inner Beast
Level 11 - Primal Roar
Level 12 - Inner Beast
Level 13 - Inner Beast
Level 14 - Inner Beast
Level 15 - Stats
Level 16 - Primal Roar
Level 17+ - Stats

Pubber Skill Build Justification:

In this instance, Call of the Wild is still gotten first to scout rune spots and possible juking spots. Wild Axes are maxed out as soon as possible because players in Pubs tend to aim for individual plays. Also, Pub players tend to gank VERY early, so having the most damage possible in your super "nuke" is best. Inner Beast is gotten as quick as possible to synergize with Sange. Get Primal Roar whenever you can since it will be your main ganking spell.

Rexxar's Item Build

The Cookie Cutter (Core Build)

  
Cookie Cutter Justification: Bottle is gotten as your main "regen" item for most of early/mid game. Also important to store runes. Boots of Travel are gotten to maximize map control, later on, pushes are very important and Rexxar is no joke when talking pushes. Necronomicon is pretty much the base of your Core build. It grants Strength and Intelligence, the two you need the most (now thanks to his new Passive). Necronomicon Spawns give you an extra push in the Movement Speed area and will give you an amazing True Sight for some time. Crucial against matchups with invisible heroes. For additional information and guidance on Necronomicon, check outNecronomicon by -Might-

The Pubber (Core Build)

    OR 
Pubber Justification: Bottle is gotten as your main "regen" item for most of early/mid game. Also important to store runes. Power Treads are gotten instead of BoT because they're cheaper and will give you more killing potential. Sange is gotten as your main killing item. The Maim paired with your Pig's slow, makes a decent combination. It will also give you the strenght you need to survive until Late Game.
Helm of the Dominator is a very nice choice for an early item. It gives you the potential to convert Centaurs to add to your combo. the +20 Damage early game is also important, helping you last hit and deny.
Vladimir's Offering is gotten mainly because of Ring of Basilus early game (if you decided to go for extra mana regen) and Life Steal. Classic Pubber item.

Possible Late Game Items

    
Late Game Item Justifications:
Guinsoo's Scythe of Vyse is probably your best bet once you finish your core build. It gives you decent Stats, more than enough mana regen (to this point, you won't have to worry about spamming Wild Axes on every creep wave) and will also give you Hex, a very viable ability when other team has Channeling heroes or even other dangerous Disablers.
Radiance should only be gotten if either no one in your team has gotten it or if you're farming really, really well. Its damaging aura will make clearing creep waves a breeze with help of your Wild Axes. Perfect for final game pushes and team fights.
Heart of Tarrasque is pretty simple. Best raw HP item in the game. Coupled with Assault Cuirass, will give you a nice boost in the EHP area, which can save you from nasty spell combos. Also works well to push late game. Armor reduction aura will enhance your Wild Axe's damage mainly against creeps.
Shiva's Guard is an alternate source of armor, which Rexxar lacks mid/late game. Also, it's -AS aura will help against late DPS heroes and it's Arctic Blast will ensure kills in team fights.

Situational Items

 
Situational Item Justification: If you're laned with heavy nukers or your opponents matchup contains nasty disablers, feel free to get one of this accordingly.

For Extra Fun...

Force Staff Justification: Feel free to add this item to any Item Build you desire. Although it is not essential or very important to properly using Rexxar, it can be very effective and fun.
I found it is very useful when you cast Primal Roar from its maximum cast distance. Just after you cast Primal Roar, Force yourself to your victim for an instant rear whipping. This will effectively give you ALMOST the entire stun from Primal Roar (which may be 0.5 - 1 seconds more depending on distance but may as well make the difference for a kill). Will add a Replay on this later.

Rexxar's Strategy

Early Game

Starting the Game:Your starting items may vary a lot depending on type of game, opponents and how much money you start with. Main choices are Quelling Blade, Stout Shield, Bottle / Ring of Basilus or a combination of GG branches and Tangoes / Healing Salves (not if you already have Bottle). First skill as mentioned before, should be Call of the Wild. Cast it in fountain so you regenerate the mana and head to your lane. Send the hawk to a rune spot to scout the area.
Level 3: As soon as you reach level 3, learn level 2 of Call of the Wild and cast it. Group yourself with your pig and send the hawk to the rune spot (remember: now that hawk is not invisible, be careful when and where you cast Call of the Wild. Take advantage of the hawk's invisibility skill).
Harassing Early Game: If your enemies are melee, try to constantly attack them with your pig and with your own attack if possible. This might end up giving you a First Blood if your wave kills the enemy wave and the enemy hero is still slowed by your pig. If enemy is long-ranged or has an annoying nuke, use your Wild Axes once or maybe twice, but watch out for mana. Make sure you leave some mana for your Ultimate because you will be using it almost as soon as you get it.

Early/Mid Game

Getting Ready to Kill: If enemy has plenty of HP (ex: Centaur or Pudge) try to lower their HP first with a Wild Axe or two. Remember to attack with pig constantly as long as the enemy is near the waves. Position your hawk around a reasonable way of escape for the enemy hero which could in effect be a way for their allies to counter-attack.
Main Rexxar Combo: Start with Primal Roar, and order yourself and the pig to attack the hero. At level 1, Primal Roar will give you 3 seconds to attack the hero, that's not as good as a level 3 Primal Roar but it's still plenty of time to get some hits down from you and the pig or any other allies. Use Wild Axes as soon as you get near them to start attacking. If they run and you feel you may die if you chase with your pig, use Wild Axes again.

Incorporating Necronomicon in your Combo:

1) Cast Call of the Wild (Unless you already have your pig with you)
2) Cast Primal Roar on your opponent
3) Immediately after, summon your Necronomicon
4) Group yourself and your pig with the two Necronomicons, which should look like this:



5) With your Ranged Necronomicon selected, cast Mana Burn on your target using the hot-key [R]

Now, depending on what level of Necronomicon you have, the order in which they are selected in your group varies.

For Necronomicon Level 1 you should hit TAB once to select the Ranged Necronomicon. Example:



For Necronomicon Levels 2 & 3 you should hit TAB twice to select the Ranged Necronomicon. Example:



6) Cast Wild Axes, targeting the ground as far as you can so that you hit all enemies and so that axes travel at the highest speed possible.
7) Proceed to OWN.

Example Screen:

Late Game

Owning: Late Game is when you'll be most likely pushing and farming for your luxury or late situational items. Pay attention to Runes as always, and be alert with minimap. By this time, you should or will most likely have Level 3 "Necrobook". This will get rid of problems with invisible heroes in battles and/or ganks late game. Push by spamming Wild Axes in each incoming wave and teleport to defend or when planning a hero attack with allies.

Rexxar's Key Points

Pig = Gold
If you're in a lane and you have to come back to the fountain or you need to buy an item, never leave your pig inactive. While traveling to or from the fountain to the lane, use your pig as your hero. Last hit and even deny in early game with your pig and in the end, you will have extra gold.

Primal Roar > All Else
Always start your combo with Primal Roar. This skill offers very effective side effects that would be otherwise be useless. Primal Roar not only stuns the target but also slows all units around the path of the roar. If you use it as a finishing move you would be wasting the precious 4 second stun.

The only situation where you might not start with a Primal Roar is when you have two enemy heroes that don't have full health (See "Rexxar's Screens and Aditional Strategies")

Axes Kill Trees
Use Wild Axes to your advantage. When ganking, or planning a kill, go behind the trees, use Wild Axes to chop through the trees and arrive unexpected. Surprise is a key element for Rexxar.

Map Control is Golden
Pay attention at the map at all times. Be able to use Boots of Travel to teleport in case of emergencies. Respond to your allies' map pings and help calls. Rexxar is a hero that is all over the map most of the time, ganking one second then pushing in the next. You need that map control to succeed.

The Hawk is Half-Ogre/Half-Orc's best friend.
Always have a hawk near you or at a rune. Either roaming/patroling a forest near your location or scouting escape/help routes from your enemies. Try to position this so you can see the runes as well. Move your hawk as you move.

Rexxar's Hero Synergy

Rexxar is one of those heroes that -having an excellent slow and an IMBA stun- synergize well with almost any hero. So, I'm not going to mention the most obvious ones such as Rhasta or Lion or other Stunners, almost all heroes take advantage of them.


His Degen Aura coupled with your Pig's slow, are perfect for feeling heroes. Also, Repel ensures a nice and safe gank for you, no worries against enemies such as Lion or Rhasta.


You are magic with this hero. A well placed Primal Roar can serve as a prolonged stun for Tauren Chieftain's AoE Ground Rape. Coupled with his Echo Stomp, the enemy won't be anything but STUNNED.

    
All these heroes have something in common. They can shell out tons of damage, very quick, even at Early Game. These companions will ensure a kill in almost every gank.

     
Chasers will love you for your Pig slow. If you can, cast Call of the Wild and Auto-Attack a fleeing hero with your Pig, let your allies chase them to death 

     
Heres with skills that take a LONG time to take effect. Timely use Primal Roar to synchronize and position spells together. These combos tend to be very deadly.

    
Paired with any of these Gank Specialists and you'll be set with unstoppable juking action. For example Mirana, Primal Roar an enemy and there's a perfect chance to nail a 5 second arrow. You are magic when partnered with any of these.

Rexxar's Screens and Additional Strategy

Using Wild Axes
Wild Axes as opposed to other point-target spells, has a varying speed depending on where you cast it. The axes will take the same amount of time to reach their destination, regardless of the distance between Rexxar's position and the point where you target Wild Axes.

Example:

Be Alert of Runes
Especially early game, pay special attention to your scouting Hawk and rune positions. In the second example, I found a DD rune and it was easy as pie to terminate Awraith.

Example 1:

Example 2:

Wild Axe Surprise
Remember to use Wild Axes to open your way through trees if needed. Surprising enemies from behind or as they escape can be very efficient at killing heroes.

Example:

Primal Roar - 2 Hero Alternative
When you have a pig, a pair of Necrospawns, and you have two enemy heroes with average-low health in front of you, it's hard to resist not to go after them. In this case, cast Primal Roar on the thoughest guy, the side damage and slow will most likely be enough for you to get rid of the weaker enemy while the stun prevents the other one from escaping.

Example:

Conclusion

This concludes my quick and easy guide to Rexxar, the Beastmaster. This hero is perfect for users who like the element of surprise and are good with micro'ing (due to "Necrobook"). Rexxar is not damage-item dependant, at least not until Late Game if enemy has nasty tanks. Note that this guide has never been tested in professional matches but should work really well in public games and other more casual games. Or even againts AI.