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18 Votes

Burn You Alive - A Guide to QWERTY

July 12, 2013 by Yasutsuna
Comments: 19    |    Views: 86985    |   


Build 1
Build 2
Build 3
Build 4

Early Radiance

DotA2 Hero: Spectre




Hero Skills

Spectral Dagger

1 3 5 7

Desolate

8 9 10 12

Dispersion

13 14 15 17

Shadow Step

6 11 16

Talents

2 4 18

Introduction to Yasutsuna

It's me, again. I have said it a few times already that I am pretty experienced. I have played in both pub and competitive matches over the years. Also, I have joined a few tournaments. My team's most humiliating defeat when we lost to an all-girls group in the semi-finals.

Anyway, it's time we start the guide on [{Spectre]] or QWERTY, or so her name in DotA Vanilla.

Other Guides by Yasutsuna:
- Aria's Requiem - A Guide to Slithice
- Support-Killer - A Guide to Tresdin
- Slam And Death - A Guide to Slardar

Introduction to Spectre

Well, this is for Spectre, one of my favorite hard carry. As some might notice, this guide is slightly different from my others. This is due to Spectre's versatility, she can make use of nearly every item in the game and doesn't have a straight build apart from a few core items. Well, here goes.


Although Spectre is insanely tanky at the mid-late phases of the game, she is relatively squishy in the early game. To play her, you need to have a decent team that wards and map-awareness. Although she have Spectral Dagger that allows running past nearly everything, it is still pointless if you're stun or silenced. However, her ganking ability is insanely good and lone heroes should fear her, thanks to her Desolate and Haunt.

Merits + Demerits

Merits:
  • Global Presence with Haunt.
  • Spectral Dagger.
  • High STR gain for a carry.
  • Tanky in mid-late game.
Demerits:
  • Very farm dependant.
  • Very squishy early game.
  • Needs a babysitter.
  • Melee.
  • Skills easily countered by BKB.
  • Low AGI gain for carry.

The Ghost? Skills













Spectral Dagger is Spectre's signatures skills. It allows the users to have zero collision and able to travel past anything. It slows enemies hit by the dagger and increases your move speed when you're on it. Like Pudge's Meat Hook, it requires thinking and practice to make full use of it. Below this there's a section on the Spectral Dagger. Know that Spectral Dagger's trail can follow invisible heroes so Lina and Co. can land a stun on them.




Desolate is a very useful skill coupled with Haunt since it let you deals extra damage to enemies who have no allies near him or her. However, IT CAN BE BLOCKED BY Black King Bar. There's not much to say about this straight forward skill except you should exploit it on loners.




Dispersion can block some damage and reflect it on enemies. The reason why this is taken later into the game because it is pretty much useless early due to low damage output of enemy heroes. Although some might argue a point of this is good, I don't agree. Because of the AoE damage output, it is very possible for you to overpush a lane. This is what you must avoid when using Spectre because she is very squishy in early games and going too close to tower might let the enemy first blood you.




And now, Haunt. Normally, one level of this is enough unless you're going for the Radiance setup. Note that there is a 1 second delay before images starts attacking. It can be used as a potential escape mechanism by using Reality on a hero which won't be able to kill you. Normally, your allies will be the one requesting you to Haunt. But, in the end, it's your call to decide.




Reality. This must be used with care. If you use it on the wrong Haunt image, you're particularly walking into a death trap yourself. There's not much to say about this except Haunt will end once you activate this. Note that this skill is pretty important late game to score a kill. So, save up your excess gold so you can insta respawn, Haunt and Reality to get the kill.

Special Mention: Spectral Dagger

SPECTRAL DAGGER


Spectral Dagger, as mention above, is Spectre's signature skill. It allows you to run past nearly anything and everything. In this part, I will show you how to use the dagger wisely and mistakes that are commonly done by other players.
  • Lesson 1: Escaping

GOOD DAGGER: Exploits trees, terrain and ms.



BAD DAGGER: Travelling in a straight line exploits only collision and ms.

  • Lesson 2: Attacking Waves

GOOD DAGGER: Hit all/most of the creeps.



BAD DAGGER: Hit two creeps only.

  • Lesson 3: Creeping

GOOD DAGGER: Hits both creep camps.


BAD DAGGER: Hits only one camp.




Well, basically these are the few common mistakes down by Spectre players. When hunting an enemy down, try to target the ground when tossing dagger. If the player is a good juker, do not hesitate the target him instead.

When Escaping, it is vital not to dagger the wrong place that might lock you and get yourself killed. The green lines are good escaping ways while the red lines indicates bad places. Crosses are places you should not stand there.

The reason why I marked red arrows when you dive the trees at the edge of the map is because you're locking yourself in place. Know that it is pretty easy to judge where you're going if you rush through a set of trees only. It is harder to know if you dive straight to jungle because you can walk off the Spectral Dagger path, if you know they're gonna bomb there.

Items + Their Builds

Variation I: Early Radiance



The Radiance build is a fairly old school build from DotA 1. This builds focus on making an early Radiance which gives you a massive presence in team-fights. Furthermore, the illusions will also get to burn enemies when they're running, which explains the maxed Haunt. Only problem lies that you are very useless before getting Radiance and you are also playing a risky game.

NEVER GO FOR THIS BUILD IF YOU HAVEN'T ACQUIRED SACRED RELIC WITHIN 15 MIN!!

Tranquil Boots. You are gonna stay in lane long, very long. So, getting Tranquil Boots can aid you in early game, especially if you're harassed a lot. You can break this to Power Treads after Radiance, though.

Quelling Blade is a core for this build. Since Spectre have quite ****ty base damage, it is crucial to get this so you won't miss last-hits since this build is very, very farm dependant.

Variation II: Diffusal Spectre


Probably the most basic build found in the Spectre textbook. Diffusal Blade is good since it provides AGI which is her base stats, also meaning more damage. It gives the PURGE skill which can be good to remove debuffs on yourself, such as Amplify Damage. Best part, the FEEDBACK can be used by illusions and Haunt images. Preferably gotten together with Manta Style to increase your potential.

Power Treads gives a little of everything and you can switch the stats into whatever you want, when ever you want. Except when you're invisible or teleporting, though.

Variation III: Maelstrom


Maelstrom is good on Spectre because it gives her attack speed. Furthermore, if you're lucky, the CHAIN LIGHTNING can hit your enemies and get you last-hits. Later on, when upgraded to Mjollnir, you can use the active on yourself. Since you;re fairly tanky, I can bet many people will try to attack you and will be rewarded for their bravery by getting a shock!

Power Treads or Tranquil Boots. Treads have a probably higher priority. If you are getting harassed, getting Tranquil Boots will be a better option, though.

Variation IV: Gimme Manta!


Now, the reason for boots is you can pick Tranquil Boots if you're getting harassed and Phase Boots if you want a minor boost of damage. I acquired Drum of Endurance first because it offers good survivability for Spectre. An early Yasha will help her to be not so useless in the earlier phases. Well, Manta Style gives two extra images and you can smash your enemies quick and fast. Because your primary attribute is Agility and Manta Style focus hard on Agility, you will get a big advantage here and will allow you to dominate easier.

Hand of Midas & Radiance





Because there are ***s who don't understand some things, I have to stress it in this chapter.

Hand of Midas - A lot of people said it over and over again. Hand of Midas is a situational item. If you can't rush it between 7 to 8 minute, do not ever get it. It will delay your core too much and it will be the death of you.

Radiance - This item has the ~25 minute mark. If you can't get it by then, spent your gold on something else or for an alternating build. Because Radiance offers damage and damage only, you have no survivalability whatsoever. By the ~25 minute, most if not all heroes should have core items already and you, running around with Quelling Blade and Tranquil Boots only will definitely be their first target.

What? No Vanguard?

YES, NO MORE VANGUARD!


Why?

Because Vanguard is pretty hard to get, especially if you're rushing Radiance since it delays it too much. Although some might argue Vanguard is good on Spectre, I think it's the opposite. It causes a **** load of money and you're most likely dumping it at ~30 minutes anyway. The 2200 gold can be spent on more worthwhile items.

If you're getting harassed a lot, 2 Bracers will be better and Tranquil Boots, of coz.

Runes

Haste: Better left for others since you have Spectral Dagger and possibly Haunt as a chasing mechanism.

Illusion: Can be used if you have Diffusal Blade. Overall, its Spectre's rune.

Invisibility: Maybe for escape purposes only. Not advisable.

Double Damage: Possibly your rune, since you can hit harder. Ideal for you in early game for last-hitting.

Regeneration: Only grab it when you need it.

Jungling + Roshan

JUNGLING


You're not a jungler early game. Just remain in your lane as long as possible. You need the farm. You can enter the jungle if required, though you normally shouldn't.

ROSHAN-ING


It's best you avoid poking Roshan since you lack the power and tankiness to kill him solo and in early game.

Friends + Foes

FRIENDS

Bounty Hunter, without a doubt is Spectre's best friend. His Track shares gold which is vital for you before your core items. Who doesn't love babysitters like Omniknight and Undying? They can help you maintain your lane for a longer period of time. Heck, with this guys, you can go for Power Treads instead of Tranquil Boots. Vengeful Spirit isolates enemies which allows your Desolate to proc. Pretty self-explanatory.

Because Spectre relies on movement speed to escape, with slowers like Crystal Maiden and Venomancer, you can't run for ****. Hopefully you get to trees or past terrain fast enough before you die. Lion is possibly your worst nightmare, especially when he hunts you down in early-mid game. His Impale-Attack- Finger of Death combo can easily kill you. Razor can drain you of you damage which you have very little and terminate you as easy as anything.

Stunners like Sven and Chaos Knight will also cause hell on you. Since you rely on walking or running to escape, these stuns will really be the end of you. Another thing is Lifestealer. You have high hit points in late game and Feast loves you. You'll be dead in no time flat.

FOES

Team Fight + Solo Fights

SOLO FIGHTS


This should happen pretty often thanks to Haunt + Reality.
1. Reality!
2. Haunt! Assuming you find a good target.
3. Auto-attack him!
4. Spectral Dagger him if he tries to run.
5. Kill is confirmed, Sir.

TEAM FIGHTS


After the enemy initiates...
1. Haunt
2. Walk in if possible, if not, just Reality.
3. Spectral Dagger ALL of them so nobody gets away.
4. Chase if required.
5. They're dead.

This is just paperwork, in reality, you might need a Black King Bar so you don't die.

Final Words

Ol' Spectre is one of my favorite heroes. She is fun to play with and deadly in the right hands. Just remember what you're suppose to do and try not to screw anything up.

Anyway, Spectre is a hero that is highly nerfed around so expect this guide to be updated regularly. Remember to offer ideas or feedbacks along your votes. Thanks!

A special thanks to:
- Dr. D for his formatting guide!
- Nubtrain for his tips about guide writing!
- Guide-Writers whose guide I used as reference.

- Yasutsuna

Changelog:
21.06.13 - Draft Started.
23.06.13 - Guide published.
12.07.13 - Added: Gimme Manta!

To-Do List

- Replays, as usual.
- More builds.
- Song for her.

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