Hero Profile: Nevermore the Shadow Fiend
Affiliation: Scourge
Attack Animation: 0.5 / 0.54
Damage: 35 - 41
Casting Animation: 0.67 / 0.4
Armor: 1.9
Base Attack Time: 1.7
Movespeed: 300
Missile Speed: 1200
Attack Range: 500
Sight Range: 1800 / 800
15 + 2
20 + 2.4
18 + 2 As you can already see, Nevermore has one of the lowest starting damage in DotA and in the hands of an inexperienced player, soloing with Nevermore against good last hitters such as Viper can prove to be very difficult indeed. However, Nevermore’s ability to solo lay not in his starting damage, but in his excellent missile speed, his attack range and his Base Attack Time, not to mention his ability Necromastery that gives him a tremendous boost in damage in the early-middle game. His movement speed is quite average but not horrible.
His armour is quite low for an Agility hero. He has low strength gain, and for an Agility hero, average Agility gain. However, he does have quite a high Intelligence gain for an Agility hero which makes it possible for him to spam his Shadowrazes in the middle game that makes farming (and carrying with Nevermore) very easy indeed.
His armour is quite low for an Agility hero. He has low strength gain, and for an Agility hero, average Agility gain. However, he does have quite a high Intelligence gain for an Agility hero which makes it possible for him to spam his Shadowrazes in the middle game that makes farming (and carrying with Nevermore) very easy indeed.
Shadowraze
• Damage type: magical
• When Shadow Raze is learned, three independent skills will be given to Nevermore, each one generating a Shadow Raze at a specific distance in front of him.
Mana Cost (All Levels): 75
Damage (Levels 1-4 respectively): 75, 150, 225, 300
Cooldown (All Levels): 10 seconds
AoE (Area of Effect): 275
Shadowraze (Z) Cast Range: 200
Shadowraze (X) Cast Range: 450
Shadowraze (C) Cast Range: 700
Skill Explanation:
Skill Explanation:
Another one of Nevermore’s abilities that enables him to become a potent force in the middle game, Necromastery is directly linked to his Ultimate, Requiem of Souls and gives his massive DPS (damage-per-second, or just ‘damage’) advantage over other heroes in the middle game.
Unfortunately, Necromastery loses a lot of its effectiveness towards the late-game, as DPS-carries are mostly farmed up and the extra 60 damage become rather minuscule. It is very important, as a Nevermore user, to maintain that ‘edge’ through the middle game as Nevermore tends to be most effective during the early-middle to the middle-late game.
Skill Explanation:
Skill Explanation:
Perhaps a difficult-to-explain ability to some, but the mechanism is simple—the closer Nevermore is to the target whilst he casts Requiem of Souls, the greater damage he unleashes upon that target. If correctly used, Requiem of Souls will create devastating damage in a team fight, especially when combined with items such as Kelen’s Dagger (Lothar’s edge, in my opinion, is a valid but easily countered option—will be discussed in much greater depth later)
Level 1: Necromastery
Level 2: Shadowraze
Level 3: Shadowraze/Necromastery
Level 4: Necromastery/Shadowraze
Level 5: Shadowraze/Necromastery
Level 6: Necromastery/Shadowraze
Level 7: Shadowraze
Level 8: Necromastery
Level 9: Requiem of Souls/Stats
Level 10: Stats/Requiem of Souls
Level 11: Requiem of Souls
Level 12: Stats/Presence of the Dark Lord
Level 13: Stats/Presence of the Dark Lord
Level 14: Stats/Presence of the Dark Lord
Level 15: Stats/Presence of the Dark Lord
Level 16: Requiem of Souls
Level 17-25: Stats
(Or max out Presence of the Dark Lord should Stats be taken between Level 12 and 15, Bold/colored font denotes my preferred build for Nevermore. The skillset after the / indicates an interesting alternative build.)
Explanation:
Perhaps the alternative skill build I’ve suggested between Levels 1-7 is more or less quite unusual, compared to the conventional Necromastery, Raze, Raze, Necromastery, Raze skill build. However, the alternative skill build can be useful if you are soloing well (e.g. versus a weak solo such as Vengeful Spirit) so that you can build on those souls in Necromastery and literally out-last-hit your opponent. In any case, Shadowraze being Nevermore’s main nuke should be maxed out by Level 7 as it is his main farming and ganking skill.
The reason why that Shadowraze is taken at both Level 2 and 3 is because it gives you a decent nuke (75 damage at Level 1 is really just for some desperate last-hits) and gives you the ability to score last hits when you are facing a nasty dual-lane or annoying heroes such as Tinker or Viper. You can basically spam your razes till you reach Level 4/5, fill up your souls in Necromastery, rune-whore (god do I hate this phrase) once in a while and farm up the core items you need in the middle game.
It is hard to say when it is best to max out Presence of the Dark Lord, but I tend to max it out when:
1. My team is playing aggressively and is winning in terms of towers/hero kills.
2. I’ve decided to buy Stygian Desolator for my first DPS item (BKB does not really count) and the -5 armour can really help.
3. I’m playing a clan war and my team mates all have minus-armour abilities (Slarder’s Amplify Damage, for example) and my -5 armour aura can really turn the tide of the battle.
Nevermore’s position in a team:
Getting things like these first...
Is better than getting these first!
Shadowraze is without a doubt Nevermore’s bread and butter skill. To some extent, mastering Shadowraze is essentially mastering Nevermore. This is really the kind of stuff you see on those You tube ‘DotA Mega Pwnage Videos’ and ‘Nevermore Montages’ and what makes Nevermore the hero that separates beginners from pros. It is with utmost importance the one can ‘raze’ with almost pinpoint accuracy as the AoE of Shadowraze is quite small—the red circles on the diagram are not particularly accurate and the actual AoE is slightly smaller.
Shadowraze costs very little mana compared to the amount of damage it does. The Cooldown on each Shadowraze (the first red circle being ‘Z’, second being ‘X’ and third being ‘C’) are separate which means Nevermore actually has three nukes on his back. This means he can deal a maximum of 900 damage (675 if magic resistance is considered) to a single target in a very short amount of time which makes Nevermore very dangerous indeed especially in the early game, when very few heroes have more than 900 hp. The tricks-of-the-trade to mastering Shadowraze will be discussed in greater depth in another chapter.
Shadowraze costs very little mana compared to the amount of damage it does. The Cooldown on each Shadowraze (the first red circle being ‘Z’, second being ‘X’ and third being ‘C’) are separate which means Nevermore actually has three nukes on his back. This means he can deal a maximum of 900 damage (675 if magic resistance is considered) to a single target in a very short amount of time which makes Nevermore very dangerous indeed especially in the early game, when very few heroes have more than 900 hp. The tricks-of-the-trade to mastering Shadowraze will be discussed in greater depth in another chapter.
Necromastery
Whenever the Shadow Fiend kills a target, he stores the unfortunate soul inside of him. For each stored soul he gains 2 bonus damage until his own death releases half of them from bondage.
Ability Type: Passive
Damage Cap (Levels 1-4 respectively): 16, 30, 46, 60
• Heroes, denies and neutral creeps also provide Bonus damage through Necromastery.
• The more souls Nevermore has, the more powerful Requiem of Souls will be.
Ability Type: Passive
Damage Cap (Levels 1-4 respectively): 16, 30, 46, 60
• Heroes, denies and neutral creeps also provide Bonus damage through Necromastery.
• The more souls Nevermore has, the more powerful Requiem of Souls will be.
Skill Explanation:
Another one of Nevermore’s abilities that enables him to become a potent force in the middle game, Necromastery is directly linked to his Ultimate, Requiem of Souls and gives his massive DPS (damage-per-second, or just ‘damage’) advantage over other heroes in the middle game.
Unfortunately, Necromastery loses a lot of its effectiveness towards the late-game, as DPS-carries are mostly farmed up and the extra 60 damage become rather minuscule. It is very important, as a Nevermore user, to maintain that ‘edge’ through the middle game as Nevermore tends to be most effective during the early-middle to the middle-late game.
Presence of the Dark Lord
The presence of such a horrible creature terrifies nearby enemies, reducing their armour.
Ability Type: Passive
Armour Reduced (Levels 1-4 Respectively): 2, 3, 4, 5
• Fully stacks with other armour reduction abilities and auras.
• Is not affected by magic immunity e.g. Black King Bar.
Ability Type: Passive
Armour Reduced (Levels 1-4 Respectively): 2, 3, 4, 5
• Fully stacks with other armour reduction abilities and auras.
• Is not affected by magic immunity e.g. Black King Bar.
Skill Explanation:
It is difficult to say when it is best to max out this ability. The problem with Presence of the Dark Lord is that it needs to be maxed out in order for it to be effective in any way and in a lot of cases, it is perhaps much better to invest in Stats than to max out Presence of the Dark Lord.
Presence of the Dark Lord is best combined with Stygian Desolator as the armour-reduction becomes very effective against many spellcasters. In an armour-reduction team strategy (e.g. Nevermore with Vengeful Spirit, Slarder and Templar Assassin), Presence of the Dark Lord should definitely be skilled. Otherwise, stick with Stats, especially when the game is not going your way. Think about it this way: -5 armour, or a free Ultimate Orb? (Well, almost an Ultimate Orb anyway)
Presence of the Dark Lord is best combined with Stygian Desolator as the armour-reduction becomes very effective against many spellcasters. In an armour-reduction team strategy (e.g. Nevermore with Vengeful Spirit, Slarder and Templar Assassin), Presence of the Dark Lord should definitely be skilled. Otherwise, stick with Stats, especially when the game is not going your way. Think about it this way: -5 armour, or a free Ultimate Orb? (Well, almost an Ultimate Orb anyway)
Requiem of Souls
Summons evil spirits around you dealing damage to units in the area. Number of spirits is related to the number of souls stored and the movement/damage reduction is related to the distance from the Shadow Fiend. Lowers movement speed and damage of nearby units. The closer the units are the greater the effect.
Ability Type: Active
Ability Hotkey: R
Damage in each line (evil spirit) from Level 1-3: 80, 120, 160
Movement speed reduction, from Level 1-3: 15%, 20%, 25%
Channelling time: 1 Second
Mana cost, from Level 1-3: 150, 175, 200
AoE, from Level 1-3: 1300, 1325, 1350
Duration of slow on all Levels: 5 seconds
• Damage type: magical
• The amount of damage dealt is related to the number of souls captured with Necromastery.
• Requiem of Souls generates damaging lines around Nevermore, 1 per 2 souls stored, for a maximum of 15 lines.
• The closer the targeted unit is, the bigger the amount of lines affecting him.
• Reduces both movement speed and attack damage of units in a 700 AoE.
• This skill breaks invisibility a short time before it's released.
• This skill has a 1 second cast time
Ability Type: Active
Ability Hotkey: R
Damage in each line (evil spirit) from Level 1-3: 80, 120, 160
Movement speed reduction, from Level 1-3: 15%, 20%, 25%
Channelling time: 1 Second
Mana cost, from Level 1-3: 150, 175, 200
AoE, from Level 1-3: 1300, 1325, 1350
Duration of slow on all Levels: 5 seconds
• Damage type: magical
• The amount of damage dealt is related to the number of souls captured with Necromastery.
• Requiem of Souls generates damaging lines around Nevermore, 1 per 2 souls stored, for a maximum of 15 lines.
• The closer the targeted unit is, the bigger the amount of lines affecting him.
• Reduces both movement speed and attack damage of units in a 700 AoE.
• This skill breaks invisibility a short time before it's released.
• This skill has a 1 second cast time
Skill Explanation:
Perhaps a difficult-to-explain ability to some, but the mechanism is simple—the closer Nevermore is to the target whilst he casts Requiem of Souls, the greater damage he unleashes upon that target. If correctly used, Requiem of Souls will create devastating damage in a team fight, especially when combined with items such as Kelen’s Dagger (Lothar’s edge, in my opinion, is a valid but easily countered option—will be discussed in much greater depth later)
Nevermore's Ultimate can do a massive amount of damage in team battles. This is taken from one of my many Inhouse games with my friends' clan. Thanks a lot, guys.
If Nevermore’s character model completely ‘overlaps’ with the target (achievable with items such as Phase boot or Lothar’s Edge), the target will receive 100% of the damage from Requiem of Souls, which amounts of 15 ‘spirits’, each dealing 160 damage: the target receives 2400 damage, 1800 damage if magic resistance is considered as well. This is more than enough to kill off literally any heroes in the middle game, though it is quite rare that you will actually have the chance to deal the full amount of damage. Nonetheless, Requiem of Souls is a potent skill that can unleash total chaos and devastation, though it should not be skilled until Necromastery is maxed out first.
Skill Build:
Level 1: Necromastery
Level 2: Shadowraze
Level 3: Shadowraze/Necromastery
Level 4: Necromastery/Shadowraze
Level 5: Shadowraze/Necromastery
Level 6: Necromastery/Shadowraze
Level 7: Shadowraze
Level 8: Necromastery
Level 9: Requiem of Souls/Stats
Level 10: Stats/Requiem of Souls
Level 11: Requiem of Souls
Level 12: Stats/Presence of the Dark Lord
Level 13: Stats/Presence of the Dark Lord
Level 14: Stats/Presence of the Dark Lord
Level 15: Stats/Presence of the Dark Lord
Level 16: Requiem of Souls
Level 17-25: Stats
(Or max out Presence of the Dark Lord should Stats be taken between Level 12 and 15, Bold/colored font denotes my preferred build for Nevermore. The skillset after the / indicates an interesting alternative build.)
Explanation:
Perhaps the alternative skill build I’ve suggested between Levels 1-7 is more or less quite unusual, compared to the conventional Necromastery, Raze, Raze, Necromastery, Raze skill build. However, the alternative skill build can be useful if you are soloing well (e.g. versus a weak solo such as Vengeful Spirit) so that you can build on those souls in Necromastery and literally out-last-hit your opponent. In any case, Shadowraze being Nevermore’s main nuke should be maxed out by Level 7 as it is his main farming and ganking skill.
The reason why that Shadowraze is taken at both Level 2 and 3 is because it gives you a decent nuke (75 damage at Level 1 is really just for some desperate last-hits) and gives you the ability to score last hits when you are facing a nasty dual-lane or annoying heroes such as Tinker or Viper. You can basically spam your razes till you reach Level 4/5, fill up your souls in Necromastery, rune-whore (god do I hate this phrase) once in a while and farm up the core items you need in the middle game.
It is hard to say when it is best to max out Presence of the Dark Lord, but I tend to max it out when:
1. My team is playing aggressively and is winning in terms of towers/hero kills.
2. I’ve decided to buy Stygian Desolator for my first DPS item (BKB does not really count) and the -5 armour can really help.
3. I’m playing a clan war and my team mates all have minus-armour abilities (Slarder’s Amplify Damage, for example) and my -5 armour aura can really turn the tide of the battle.
Nevermore’s position in a team:
Getting things like these first...
Is better than getting these first!
Unfortunately, Nevermore is not a DPS hero, unlike what most people think of Nevermore. He is an AoE carry, his advantage over other carry heroes (such as Phantom Assassin) being his insane farming speed and the +60 damage thanks to Necromastery. Load Nevermore up with Satanic, Treads, Butterfly and all those flashy items and give Phantom Assassin the same items. Nine times out of ten, Phantom Assassin will win, assuming, of course, Nevermore does not use his Ultimate, but any carries these days will likely farm a Black King Bar as one of their main items.
Now I’m not saying that you leave the middle lane after you turn Level 7 and spend the whole game trying to raze the hell out of your opponents. You should combine gank with farm (from my experiences, around 25 % gank with 75 % farm) and try farm your vital items before the 30th minute mark so that you have the necessary means to unleash your fury in team battles. Once again, one must remember Nevermore is all about his AoE damage, not his DPS.
Now I’m not saying that you leave the middle lane after you turn Level 7 and spend the whole game trying to raze the hell out of your opponents. You should combine gank with farm (from my experiences, around 25 % gank with 75 % farm) and try farm your vital items before the 30th minute mark so that you have the necessary means to unleash your fury in team battles. Once again, one must remember Nevermore is all about his AoE damage, not his DPS.
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