NOOBCAKE's No MoM Guide to Spirit Breaker

Introduction

Hello everyone welcome to my fourth guide, and this time I will be discussing Barathrum - the Spirit Breaker. In my view he is solely a pubstomping hero - he has no value in high level play right now, as his charge is easily interrupted and countered by wards.
Some people try to get past this by buying Shadow Blade, but if you've read my other guides you know how much I dislike that item!

Enough small talk. Let's go.

About Spirit Breaker

Barathrum the Spirit Breaker is a lordly and powerful being, a fierce and elemental intelligence which chose to plane-shift into the world of matter to take part in events with repercussions in the elemental realm that is his home. To that end, he assembled a form that would serve him well, both in our world and out of it. His physical form borrows from the strengths of this world, blending features both bovine and simian - horns, hooves and hands - as outward emblems of his inner qualities of strength, speed and cunning. He wears a ring in his nose, as a reminder that he serves a hidden master, and that this world in which he works is but a shadow of the real one.

Pros/Cons

Pros
Global ganker
Perma bash with enough attack speed
Aghanim's Scepter upgrade is a large AoE
Great synergy with most heroes
High Strength gain

Cons
Easily disabled without BKB
Needs good team communication and ward placements


When to pick

• Enemy team is squishy
• You want to have some fun in a pub
• You have a hard carry
• You have gankers to combo with ( Lifestealer, Zeus, Vengeful Spirit, Ancient Apparition etc)

When NOT to pick

• Enemy team has blinkers
• Enemy team has a lot of disable
• Enemy team is tanky
• Your team needs a hard carry

Skills

Charge of Darkness

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Breaker fixes his sight on an enemy unit and starts charging through all objects. All enemy units passed through will be hit by a Greater Bash, and the targeted unit is stunned upon impact. If the targeted unit dies, Spirit Breaker will change his target to the nearest enemy unit to that location.

Range: Cooldown:

Global 35

Mana:

100

Empowering Haste

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The Spirit Breaker's presence increases the movement speed of nearby allied units.

Increased Allied Movement Speed: Movement Speed Aura Radius:

6% 900

10%

14%

18%

Greater Bash

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Gives a chance to stun and knockback an enemy unit on an attack, as well as gaining bonus movement speed after a bash occurs. Deals damage based on movement speed.

Chance to Trigger on Attack: 17%

Damage: Stun Duration:

10% 1

20% 1.2

30% 1.4

40% 1.6

Knockback Duration: 0.5
Increased Movement Speed: 15%
Increased Movement Speed Duration: 3
Cooldown 1.5

Nether Strike

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Spirit Breaker slips into the nether realm, reappearing next to his hapless victim. Upon reappearing, a Greater Bash of the current level occurs and deals bonus damage.

Damage: Range:

150 400 (550)

250 550 (700)

350 700 (850)

Cooldown: 75 (20*)

Mana 125/150/175

Skill Discussion and Build

This is tricky, because I don't use one single skill build all the time. I change it according to the game. So, instead, I'll explain why the skills are good and/or bad and what are it's immediate affects, and you can decide.
You can also check this, if you are completely lost: TO DOTABUFF

Charge of Darkness is a single target global spell that causes you to go on a rampage across the map until you bash them with your head. Deals a stun ranging from 1.2 to 2.4 seconds, and all units you pass through will be hit by a Greater Bash.

Skilling this gives you higher movement speed during charging, and a longer initial stun duration.

Empowering Haste is an aura that gives you and allies up to 18% bonus movement speed. This ties in with your third skill-

Greater Bash, which is a passive that deals a bash with damage based on your movement speed, 10-40%. Since maximum movement speed is 522, Bash can deal up to 208.8 extra damage before reductions.

I usually pick Spirit Breaker against squishy heroes and take the hard lane, so almost always skill Greater Bash first. Depending on my lane partner and enemies, I skill Empowering Haste or Charge of Darkness. If I get charge, and laner has a stun, then we go for a kill here. You should wrap around the trees, do NOT charge up the lane! They can see you coming and run. Chain your stuns, and while the victim is helpless and stunned make sure to stand between him and his tower before hitting away.

Reason being- if a Greater Bash procs, you won't get one for a while, and it's only a 1 second stun- and you've just moved them 100 units to their safety.

If you don't get the kill, don't worry! You've only used 100 mana. Heal up if you need, wait for the next opportunity. Do NOT dive under any circumstance, you're just not tanky enough. Also, dying is more crucial than a kill for Spirit Breaker - because you need a level advantage to be able to gank sufficiently in lane and around the map.

So, summary:

• skill Charge for higher movespeed while charging and a longer initial stun
• skill Haste for higher movespeed aura
• skill Bash for higher % of movespeed as damage and longer stun

Nether Strike should obviously be taken whenever possible. When casted, Bara phases out for 1 second becoming magic immune and appearing behind the target with a Greater Bash.
Cast this on heroes if your bash hasn't procced (sp?) and they're getting away. Also, blinkers such as Anti-Mage and Queen of Pain have quite long animation times - try to cast it in that split second.

Aghanim's Scepter should be seriously considered - if you're tanky but can't carry, take on a support role and buy this. If you end up throwing up gold because you're such a fat cow, maybe not. What you're paying for is Range, 200 AoE Bash and a lower cooldown.
Any extra damage? NOPE.
Only get this if you want to ulti a lot, if you need a AoE disable through BKB, or people just get away from you (which really shouldn't be happening. Why? Empowering Haste)

Item Discussion and Build

Starting

Stout for damage block, branches for some stats, and regen items. Standard. DO NOT START BOOTS FIRST! Stout is much more important, to be able to survive the laning phase with as little damage taken as possible! Boots of Speed would only give you about 4 damage per bash at early levels, and you have Charge of Darkness to escape, so don't do it!

Core

Treads for HP and IAS. Maelstrom into Mjollnir for a huge attack speed boost. Helm into Satanic later for lifesteal, and BKB because MAGIC IMMUNE SUCKERS

Luxury

Some of these are situational. Shadow Blade if you want that item (SBSB, BS), Agh's if you want the extras I talked about, but AC and Satanic should be your go-to-luxury items.

Why No Mask of Madness?

Mask of Madness should only be bought by heroes that need attack speed and/or movespeed (which is Breaker) AND will not be focused (not Breaker).

It grants 17% lifesteal on attack, and it's active Berserk gives +100 attack speed, +30% movespeed at the price of taking +30% extra damage.

+30% extra damage.

+30% EXTRA DAMAGE.

Get the picture?

Let's do some ****ing math.

Lina combo = Light Strike Array + Dragon Slave + Laguna Blade
= 280 + 280 + 950 = 1510
x+30% extra from MoM = 1963
x-25% magic resistance = 1472.27

Spirit Breaker level 16 base HP = 1423

A solo Lina WILL kill you if you have Mask of Madness activated.
Even if you survive her magical combo, she has auto-attacks with +255 IAS.

FINE, THEN I'LL GET BKB!
oh wow I never thought of that, it solves all my problems

WRONG

Phantom Assassin, no items, level 16
95-97 base damage
450% crit = 427.5-436.5
+30% more damage = 567.45
-35% armor = 368.85

Spirit Breaker level 16 base HP = 1423

1434 / 368.85 = 3.88.

One PA crit will take more than a quarter of your HP.
Not to mention this is calculated with PA having absolutely NO ITEMS - at level 16, she would have battlefury (+65 damage), treads/phase(+8/+24), helm (+20) and bkb (+24), if not more. (total = +117/133 damage per hit = 1k crits)


Let's say that you have BKB for 10 seconds, and it's a 2v2 situation.

Attacks per Second = (1 + IAS) / BAT
+100 IAS from MoM = 1.33 attacks per second.

+30% movespeed means bash deals more damage - how much more?
at level 16, Bara has 290 base movespeed and 98-108 damage.
A level 4 Bash here would do 116 extra damage.
With MoM active, it would do 150.8 extra damage.
Power Treads (+55 ms) and Haste (+18% ms), you've hit maximum movespeed! 208.8 extra damage!

Lifesteal 17% = 16.7 - 18.4 HP per attack.

Melee bashes = Magical Damage, and hence do NOT contribute to lifesteal, unless target is suffering from Open Wounds.

So, summary.

You attack at 1.33 attacks per second.
You have 17% chance to bash for ~300 damage, before damage reduction.
You have a minimum stun time of 4 seconds from Charge and Nether Strike, and each bash adds 1.6 seconds.

However.

Enemies will be hitting you for approximately 90 damage after reduction, and you lifesteal only 18HP per attack.
MoM lasts 12 seconds, so your total lifesteal is 270.
2 people autoattack during 12 seconds at 1 per second = 24 attacks x 90 damage after reduction = 2160 damage.

People will auto attack you, and you will die.

BUT HEY, double attack speed right? 17% chance for 200 extra damage, right?
oh wait, armor.
oh wait, magic.
oh wait, death.

I will agree that if it was 1v1, Mask of Madness is a very cheap item for increasing your IAS, and getting kills easily.
But it's not 1v1, is it.
It's DOTA.
A TEAM GAME.

DON'T ****ING BUY MASK.


EDIT: calculations at lvl 7, when you will be ganking the most.
Lina with max Dragon Slave combo damage:
150 + 280 + 450 = 880
-> 1144
-> 858 hp

Spirit Breaker, lvl 7 base HP = 825 HP
Magic Wand adds 57 HP, and Bracer adds 114 HP so theoretical maximum = 996, leaving you with 138 HP - effective HP (armor calculations) being 180. That's 2 tower hits, or 4 attacks from Lina.

Point stands.

and before you say "but you can kill lina before she does her combo"
It could go either way. If she sees you coming, she will stun your *** and ulti your face. Stun duration - 1.6 seconds, so you're gonna eat everything.

MORE EDITS:
I would say Mask of Madness is better on Sven, because of God's Strength - deals double damage. Therefore, partnered with your AoE stun and cleave, you will be able to inflict a tonne of damage - and get some lifesteal back. This strategy of keeping yourself alive with attacks isn't viable on Breaker because he just doesn't do enough damage. Breaker needs to 1) stun lock with bash and 2) survive. Fulfilling only one of these categories isn't enough. Also, I've listed Lina twice - but replace with Lion, Zeus, Witch Doctor... anyone that can cancel your charge and inflict damage on you. Remember, they only have to do about 800-850 magic damage at level 7 before you're in the red.

Gameplay

Early Game

Farm. You need to get your treads as soon as possible, and start on your Maelstrom. Maelstrom makes ganks more likely to succeed, but feel free to charge people in lanes where you know you'll get help.

Mid Game

This is your playground. Charge any heroes alone, but BE VERY CAREFUL of baits. The entire team could be waiting in the woods, or smoked up beside the squishy that you want to kill.
Get either Helm or BKB, then finish Mjollnir. Make them fear you, and have your team take towers while you're out terrorizing.
If you had a hard carry, tell him sorry for hogging the spotlight before killing the ancient and charging off into the sunset.


*CREDITS ROLL*

Late Game

wait, what?

if you end up here, then there's not much to say. Farm for an AC if your carry doesn't already have one, otherwise go for Aghanim's and play more of a disable/tank role rather than the one that gets the kills. NO MORE CHARGING FOR YOU. Play it safe. One hero down at this point can mean rax or roshan, and you cannot give those up so easily.

YES PLEASE

• Squishy carries e.g. Drow Ranger Sniper
  
  
• Squishy supports with no insta-disable e.g. Dazzle
  
  
• Invis heroes

NO GOE AWAE

• Lifestealer
  
  
• Disabling supports e.g. Shadow Shaman, Lion / Scythe of Vyse
  
  
• Attack speed/movespeed slow. e.g. Enchantress Beastmaster

Credits

Man, this took a while!

Hope you guys didn't find it too confusing, talkin about armor and IAS and all that. It's good to know, but it's not essential, until you have more of a grasp on the game. Then you can get into EHP and shiz.

Anywho, thanks to the usual people, please give feedback on this and other guides! :)

Version

• 1.0.0 - Guide published
• 1.0.1 - added lvl 7 Lina calculations
• 1.0.2 - added Sven comparison