My Poison Flies - a Viper guide

Intro

I want to keep this guide short and sweet. I'll try to keep the logical explanations short and hope you catch on b/c I know some of you just want to get back to the game.

Skills

Something to note is that dotafire's spell descriptions of Viper's abilities are not 100% correct and some are missing information.


Poison Attack is good for harassing as well as strong ganking, but don't fall into thinking it is viper's most valuable spell. Do not waste your mana last hitting minions with it as you want to be able to use its attack/movement slow to get kills. Remember that in an intense situation the fastest way to switch this to auto-cast is Alt-Q. Remember to turn auto-cast back off because it is possible to burn through your mana before realizing it when you have a lot of attack speed later game.


Nethertoxin is what makes viper a hard carry, very good at last hitting, and very powerful from the start of the game. The tool tip doesn't mention that for every 20% health the enemy, the damage stacks. A good Viper player will always max this first as it is Viper's bread and butter.

To be good with Viper means realizing how powerful this spell is in all stages of the game. Once you have some experience, this passive allows you to be moderately to very aggressive in the early game whether you are with a lane partner or solo. You must keep in mind what the enemy will often forget- your damage will keep increasing as the fight goes on. Often times this means that you can have guaranteed kills by the time they start to run. (Which won't be possible if you remembered to save mana for Poison Attack.)


Corrosive Skin is an ability that is tempting to get early. I advise you hold off on it until level 9 or so, although I sometimes grab a single point earlier in the case that I'm being harassed by melee auto attacks early. When you have boots complete, even 10% slow is enough to get of there when it stacks with your Poison Attack's slow. The stacking of these two abilities is what gives Viper so much survive ability for a hero that does this much damage.


Viper Strike is, in my opinion, just the icing on the cake. With some experience you will know when to use it and when it isn't necessary to secure a kill. Some things to consider are: what hero you are fighting (possible escape abilities) and where their teammates are. The 360dmg at lvl 6 and the stacking slows should score you a kill every time you use it. The 30sec CD at lvl 16 is amazing, but as a result I find myself going out of mana often in the later stages of a long push. Don't be afraid to go for a kill if this ability is down, as it isn't your bread and butter.

Items

Starting Items:

The items are pretty obvious choices. I use and suggest the first choice, but the second choice is good if you are new and may need to regen (or if you think you will be heavily harassed). The basic idea is to set up for Wraith Bands early.

Early Game:

There will be some dispute as to whether or not to get Wraith Bands before basic boots or not. The fact is that no item build nor order should be absolute in Dota, because you have to be fluid (as opposed to rigid) in order to play at your full potential.

If I can get decent farm, I generally finish one Wraith Band, then buy Boots of Speed, finish another Wraith Band, and then finish Power Treads. Choose gloves or belt first depending on what is needed in your situation (more survive vs more dmg).

Power Treads vs Phase Boots:
I choose power treads on Viper for the following reasons:
- Attack speed > Damage because of Nethertoxin's damage
- Strength option give more survivability which can be offensive or defensive esp early on
- Sacrificing the attack speed for Phasing just isn't worth it because you have high base movement and all your slows to get away. And if you are good with positioning you won't need phase most of the time.

Mid to Late game:

There will be people who tell you to get Vanguard and/or Hood of Defiance early on Viper. I've done this, and it isn't a terrible choice but I find that if I have a decent team and I play well by considering my opponent's, having good positioning, and having map awareness; then these items aren't worth the damage you postpone. Secondly, the next item gives you survivability.

After my Power Treads are complete, I always pick up a Quarterstaff first (because of the attack speed and it is cheaper than Claymore) and then build it into a Shadow Blade as soon as possible. By this time it is early-mid game and you need to remember to keep your farm up. If you are new, research ways to have better farm elsewhere. Getting a quick Shadow Blade does so much for Viper because the +150dmg + your slows means that not only will you quickly stack Nethertoxin, but your enemy will have a hard time escaping from a gank they didn't know was coming since you stealthed in. Also, having to see a carry that is getting farmed escape a gank with a Shadow Blade can be somewhat devastating psychologically at the ~15-20 minute mark.

Note: Sometimes it is helpful to pop this in a team fight just to get the +150 dmg and get the enemies to target someone else.

Building a Manta Style is great because Yasha is affordable, and in pieces. The Manta Style gives us great stats, none of which are wasted on Viper: extra agi (speed + dmg + armor), strength (more survive), intelligence (keep that Poison Strike going), and attack speed ( Nethertoxin++).

The active of Manta Style is amazing for Viper because it adds to your survivability, but also because illusions gain passive damage abilites ( Nethertoxin) just like how Anti-Mage's illusions sap the **** out of your mana.

If you finish Manta and your team is doing well it is pretty much good game and you can be choosy (based on what you need) about the rest of the items.

At this point I choose between Heart of Tarrasque and Desolator. The logical pathway is: do I need more staying power? Am I doing enough damage already? Is my team having trouble killing certain enemies?

If your team seems unable to take a certain hero out before they cause devastating damage, then Desolator is the way to go. You must not commit to a heart if your team doesn't have the dmg output to finish the game.

If you have enough damage and the need is to keep the pressure on their base and/or have some more survivability, then Heart of Tarrasque is a great choice. Do not make the mistake of thinking you are a tank once you finish Heart. It is great for keeping the pressure on, and if you need to last in a fight, use your Shadow Blade to get to the edge of the fighting area to try to regenerate some health.

Conclusion

I intend to add an in depth play-style guide to viper in the future.

I realize that some of you may have different opinions than what I have stated here, but this is what I've found best after trial and error with Viper. One of the biggest mistakes I've made and seen other people make is getting a Vanguard on a hero like viper and then thinking they are invincible.

Thanks for reading! Do your part to make the Dota2 community better by communicating effectively, and trying to teach rather than troll!