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Boots of Travel
Manta Style
Black King Bar
Butterfly
Heart of Tarrasque
Daedalus
Slippers of Agility
Slippers of Agility
Tango
Healing Salve
Iron Branch
Iron Branch
Power Treads
Magic Wand
Wraith Band
Wraith Band
Yasha
Manta Style
Black King Bar
Assault Cuirass
Blink Dagger
Divine Rapier
Aegis of the Immortal
Monkey King Bar
Linken's Sphere
Hood of Defiance
Helm of the Dominator
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1 | 3 | 5 | 7 |  |
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4 | 13 | 14 | 15 |  |
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8 | 9 | 10 | 12 |  |
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6 | 11 | 16 |  |
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2 | 17 | 18 |
Welcome to my first guide ever created. I decided to write it about Drow Ranger since she was the first hero I ever played. I hope this guide helps in improving your understanding of this hero. While reading this guide you may find some controverse topics regarding itemchoices, so keep in mind that builds are fluid and that there is no such thing as a perfect build. I just aim to widen your horizon and think before you buy and skill.
Hero attributes:
Strength: 17 + 1,9
Agility: 26 + 1,9
Intelligence: 15 + 1,4
Level
1 16 25
Hit Points
473 1043 1708
Mana
195 494 884
Damage
44-55 74-85 109-120
Armor
2.64 6.84 11.74
Attacks / Second
0.74 0.91 1.12
Movement Speed
300
Sight Range
1800/1700
Attack Range
625
Missile Speed
1250
Attack Duration
0.7+0.3
Cast Duration
0.4+0.5
Base Attack Time
1.7
Background story:
Drow Ranger's given name is Traxex—a name well suited to the short, trollish, rather repulsive Drow people. But Traxex herself is not a Drow. Her parents were travelers in a caravan set upon by bandits, whose noisy slaughter of innocents roused the ire of the quiet Drow people. After the battle settled, the Drow discovered a small girl-child hiding in the ruined wagons, and agreed she could not be abandoned. Even as child, Traxex showed herself naturally adept at the arts they prized: Stealth, silence, subtlety. In spirit, if not in physique, she might have been a Drow changeling, returned to her proper home. But as she grew, she towered above her family and came to think of herself as ugly. After all, her features were smooth and symmetrical, entirely devoid of warts and coarse whiskers. Estranged from her adopted tribe, she withdrew to live alone in the woods. Lost travelers who find their way from the forest sometimes speak of an impossibly beautiful Ranger who peered at them from deep among the trees, then vanished like a dream before they could approach. Lithe and stealthy, icy hot, she moves like mist in silence. That whispering you hear is her frozen arrows finding an enemy's heart.
Pros:
Good damage output even without items
AoE Silence
Great capabilities to chase
Nightvision of 1700
The highest Attack Range in game
Versatile in laning
Drow
Cons:
No escapemechanism
No disables
Difficult to lasthit in Early-game
Level 1: Frost Arrows
Level 2: Stats
Level 3: Frost Arrows
Level 4: Silence
Level 5: Frost Arrows
Level 6: Marksmanship
Level 7: Frost Arrows
Level 8: Trueshot Aura
Level 9: Trueshot Aura
Level 10: Trueshot Aura
Level 11: Marksmanship
Level 12: Truehsot Aura
Level 13: Silence
Level 14: Silence
Level 15: Silence
Level 16: Marksmanship
Level 17-25: Stats
Explanation:
Frost Arrows are taken on level 1 since they provide you with strong lane dominance due to the fact that orb-walking wont trigger creep-aggro. I prefer to max it out first because you can grab easy kills with lets say a Vengeful Spirit as lane partner. I will give an example here: I played Radiant bottom lane solo (we had a Naix in woods) and I faced a Dragon Knight with a supporting Jakiro. Jakiro left to gang mid. The Dragon Knight was standing in line with the river. I killed him without taking one hit from a creep and only had to take one shot from his tower. I think the arrows are highly underestimated these days.
Usually I take stats on level 2, unless I face a dual stun combo. If that happens I take Silence on level 2. I could also take Trueshot Aura at that point. That would give me 4 extra damage whilst stats only give 2, but Trueshot Aura also pushes your lane because the ranged creep also gets bonus damage - I will explain a special skillbuild later on focusing the aura – furthermore grant stats Mana what is really useful to keep orb-walking and silencing up.
The rest of this skillbuild should be self-explanatory when you comprhended my argumentation so far.
1. Power Treads: Highly recommended. Provide Movement Speed, IAS and HP (if str-treads are taken).
2. Phase Boots: Better chase-abilities, but the damage doesnt add on aura.
3. Boots of Travel: Consider these later in game because you wont need to port around that much in Early/Mid-game
4. Arcane Boots: Ok. I said you need mana, but this is just nuts.
5. Tranquil Boots: No. Just no.
Yasha: Highly recommended. Provides Movementspeed bonus, IAS and damage.
Manta Style: Great item on Drow since illusion scale well with Trueshot Aura and Marksmanship. Skip if opposite team has many AoE and crowdcontrol (e.g.: Sand King and Earthshaker)
Black King Bar: If you play a serious game you will need this item, unless you face few disables and nukes, so you can take them out while silenced. However dont get this item before your first dps-item. Opposite team wont bother with you, when you deal no damage.
Butterfly: Great item with a big synergy for Trueshot Aura and Manta Style. Waive it should opposite carry have Monkey King Bar.
Heart of Tarrasque: Good defensive item. Grab it if game goes late, you will need the HP.
Daedalus: Great dps-item, but doesnt scale as well as Manta Style and Butterfly. Consider it nonetheless.
Scroll of Town Portal: Always have one. Always.
Wraith Band: Get some if the game isnt going so well.
Sange&Yasha: As a replacement for Manta Style, if opposite has a lot of AoE. You can also consider a flat Yasha, but the HP and maim come in handy.
Assault Cuirass: Consider it, when your team has no hero to carry this and your opponents stack Armor like crazy or have Dazzle.
Monkey King Bar: Great item, but the stun does not work with your orb. Grab it when your opponents have evasion or skills that make you miss (e.g.: Smoke Screen).
Divine Rapier: Only get this item if you have an Aegis of the Immortal and 15-0-like stats or if you are a crazy madman.
Linkens Sphere: May substitute Black King Bar. Problem here is that it gives no real damage.
Hood of Defiance: Get this if you face a lot of nukers.
Lifesteal: I put this here because I dont like getting another orb on Drow, but I can understand the reasons some people buy this.
Blink Dagger: Great for escaping, chasing and positioning. Get this item if opponents try to hold you down through gang or run awaý from you on sight or just to mind**** some people. Dont get it if Radiance is in opposite team. Especially nice against dagger-carrys like Ursa Warrior since you can blink away instantly.
Every item from caster and support tier.
Armelt of Mordiggian: I put this item into the guide since I saw an Anti-Mage with it in a recent game (No he wasnt on Divine Courage). Its just wrong on an agility-carry. If you want this item so badly play Skeleton King.
Radiance: This item is usually build by heroes like Spectre or Treant Protector and it fits these heroes cause they want a fight to take long due to their tankability. Drow wants to hit hard and fast and this fact doesnt synergize with Radiance.
Ethereal Blade: Ask yourself this question. Does Drow rely on nukes?
Battlefury: Neat stats, but cleave doesnt work on ranged.
Skull Basher/Abyssal Blade: 10% bash chance isnt that much and you already have a skill that helps you chase.
Blade Mail: If you are tanking, you are playing wrong.
Vanguard: Good joke.
Shivas Guard: You can take this just for **** and giggles to slow even more, but other then that? You dont need the high mana pool.
Bloodstone: Caster-Drow always wins.
Mjollnir: You dont need the IAS. Your ultimate provides this with agility.
Diffusal Blade: You usually dont get close enough to purge people.
Heavens Halberd: If you want evasion get Butterfly. This item suits strength heroes more.
Desolator: I think Drows orb is stronger then Desolators
Eye of Skadi: More slow, please. Unfortunatly slow doesnt stack with your slow.
Shadow Blade: The first choice item for cowards. I hate this item and people think its imba, yet so easily countered. Every game I see someone buying this item I get a gem and gang the living **** out of them.
Early-Game:
Possible lanes for Drow: Mid lane; Long lane solo, dual, triple; Short lane dual, triple.
Regardless what lane you are on the gameplay stays very similar. Grab lasthits and deny, however lasthits have higher priority. If your lane opponent gets close harass him with frost arrows until he learns that it is not his place to get creeps. Always have one eye on the minimap and look out for gangs. Participate in gangs and grab kills where you can, if your team blames you for stealing a kill remind them that you are the carry. Have a Town Portal ready not just to port you back to safety, but also to throw away a possible push.
Mid Lane:
I dont like play Drow mid because this lane should be taken by someone who can get the gangs going and needs fast level. Drow can gang, even has to on Mid lane. Grab the rune and with the help of your Frost Arrows you can get easy kills. Problem with the duell on this lane is that the lane is not long enough for you to harass your opponent to death. However he will have problems to kill you too.
Long Lane Solo:
Stay at tower and ask the guy in woods to pull if your opponents anti-push very well. Ask for gangs when you get level 5 to 6. They usually wont stand a chance. Most important rule however is: Stay defensive. If you come out of towerrange to far you are as good as dead, at least if you face a dual lane. If opponent is solo too, same rules apply as in Mid lane, with the only difference that you are the king on this lane because you can harass him to death, when your mate pulled the lane.
Dual Lane:
Go look for the minute 0 rune. If it is double damage wait inside the trees call one enemy to your lane mate and focus him down. Kill should be assured. If you find a haste rune, try to kite your opponents, so they throw their spells at you out of desperation. If you get your hands on an invisibility rune head towards mid and kill that Shadow Fiend or whoever dwells there. On your dual lane you wont get a kill that easily. Illusion rune is used to keep opponents away from creeps and zone them. Regeneration rune is kind of useless at minute 0.
On lane get the lasthits and ask your mate to pull., so you can try to get a kill.
Triple Lane:
Same rules apply as with the dual lane, only difference is that you can rock this lane into oblivion.
Mid-Game:
Now you have to decide between farm and gang. If your team asks for help, go help them, but help doesnt imply always porting to def a tower. Sometimes its better to push the lane to opposite tower and force tps. You can gang, but for this you will need an item for this purpose. Possible items are Blink Dagger ans Shadow Blade, but blink is way better due to higher versatility. Most of the time however you will be farming.
Late-Game:
Its your time to shine now and make the opponents pay for letting the game to this point. In teamfight focus on damagedealers and casters. Ignore the tank. Use your illusions to bring the supporters to their knees and use the magic immunity from Black King Bar to kill the opposing carry.
If I have a dagger I tend to snipe the supports before they know they are dead. Blink in and silence often ends in a dead shadow shaman.
Special tactic:
In mood for oldschool play?
Pick Drow and order your team to pick Beastmaster, Troll Warlord, Moon Rider, Treant Protector and Vengeful Spirit and tell them to max out their auras. When you all get level 7 go mid and push.
Thanks for reading this. Feel free to comment.
I appreciate constructive criticism and will consider it to make the guide better. I wont respond to comments like "Omg noob, you ******."
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