Hmm, I feel like radiance is just that much stronger then a Diffusal. You will often times just need to turn on your ult and it will take care of supports in teamfights without you having to worry about them. It also lets you farm at a ridicolous speed once you got it.
As far as drums go, if I am freefarming and the game is going well (my mid has some kills, offlane not giving kills to the enemy carry...) I just like to go bracer. Its really greedy but if you get that Radiance those 3 minutes earlier, you can deal a lot more damage.
I also hate picking up a vanguard on Spectre since just the casual vit. booster which turns into a heart in combination with a PMS gives you almost the same survivability.
Just my 2 cents :P
gj, formatting goes a long way. Your guide looked horrible less than a hour ago now it looks good lol :P
@KappaOpinion that's true, the problem is a lot of people try rushing radi and end up dying and losing the gold before even getting the 3800g, that's why I kinda hate radi first item. And yeah I totally forgot about the casual vit booster, such a good thing to mention!
@Sampson I'm kinda new around editing but I'm trying really hard believe me hahah
dont forget buy magic stick in early game, that item really solve spectre lack of mana :3
love the day in wc3 back then using spectre, zeus, prophet, spiritbreaker, tinker luuulz
I STRONGLY disagree with people who pick the extra level of Haunt at 11.
Take a look at how the Ult scales. You're spend a skill point for 1 extra second duration - that's it!
Extra points in Dispersion (which should always be maxed 3rd) does so much more for your general fighting and farming capabilities, and even stats at level 14 (ult at 15 and 16) is frequently a better choice.
Also, the best reason for quelling blade isn't last hitting (you're getting Phase boots anyways...), it's to cut your way out of trees after using Dagger so u don't have to burn a TP.
You mentioned SKADI, but Orb of Venom deserves a mention as a really strong, cheap slow with your dagger slow
this guide makes my guide look like crap, i'm just too lazy to add images and cool things.
But on a better note, nice guide.
It's rare that Spectre can be played as a "super-late-game carry", unless you are Burning in 4-protect-1 game or in the trenches where opponents are mentally challenged.
The meta has changed, Spectre is useless against strong 6.80 pushing heroes like Necrolyte, DP, Pugna and Shadow Shaman if she gets vanguard and works towards big items. Damage block don't block spell damage and are useless against exorcism/veno wards/SS wards.
I think Spectre should be built as mid-game fighter with PMS->Phase->drums->vit booster. Spectre's best strategy seems to be picking on weak supports quickly through R, and hoping to turn the fight into a 5vs3.
@Concede size 26 on the topic titles
@CT It depends on which item build you're doing to be honest, if you get an early radi it's better to get level 2 Haunt for the plus 1 sec of burning.. but still a very good point, it's just an extra second if you don't build radi it's useless(I guess). And I disagree about the queeling blade, at least for me it's hard to last hit until lvl 5~ Of course there's the thing about cutting the trees but you can use tangos or in this situation it's even better to use a tp and get back to exp as soon as possible than waste 20s cutting trees
Anyway Horiny, I think this is wrong "When using Haunt on teamfights, try to hold off casting Reality until the very last second of its duration. It will maximize the damage of an illusion hitting and burning(in case you built Radi)".
One of the recent changes to Spectre is that all illusions will stay until end of Haunt, even if you use Reality early. Have you been playing Spectre recently?
Don't waste money on a QB. Spectre is pretty slow and can't juke too well. Use your Spectral Dagger to escape at low levels. As long as you don't use it to harass enemies, you'll always be able to escape by moving over cliffs and through other objects. You don't need it to last hit because Spectre's attack animation is very good.
Vanguard is dumb too. I don't understand why people buy it on other illusion based heroes like Phantom Lancer.
Here is my guide:
http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=230389005
@crimsonSoldier
Haunt illusions do stay until their duration expires! Therefore I argue you should take it at 6/11/16.
@crimsonSoldier still I don't take off my opinion about pressing Reality on the last second of the teamfight, even with the recent changes. It's always good to have an illusion taking damage for you and only giving your face when they are already focusing on another person
@Stinkoman Well that's my style of playing and I'm pretty sure a lot of people "waste" money on a qb and Vanguard is dumb? if you finish vanguard+another item ofc before the 15min mark it's impossible to die and you keep getting kills
Yes Vanguard is dumb. Your illusions can't block. A Poor Man's Shield gives you a guaranteed 20 damage block 24/7 whereas a Vanguard will block 27 damage on average. (40 * 66.7% = 26.67) Is that worth an extra 1675 gold? No.
That extra gold could go a long way to building Drums, Yasha or Diffusal Blade.
Save a Vitality Booster for a Heart.
Vanguard is such a dead end item and will continue to be until Valve lets people disassemble it.
Only use it on real tanks like Bristleback.
The extra second of Haunt isn't useless, it's just not enough of a benefit over an extra level in Dispersion or something else. Your own build mentions radiance hesitently. But if you get Radiance and the enemy is bad, it doesn't matter that they're scattering and giving you free extra DPS - you're a Spectre with radiance, you're on the fast track to victory.
If they're smart and keep their cool though, they'll stay close together and weather the burn damage so they don't take Desolate dmg on top of it all. That means when you DO Haunt in, they'll be right in range of your Radiance because they decided to clump to negate Diesolate dmg.
That's the power of Spectre w/ Radiance - if they clump they die. If they scatter they die faster. You can't run!
Re: QB, if you can't last hit with Phase Boots by level 5, or farm Phase by level 5, there are more fundamental issues with your mechanics/lane that need to be addressed. Burning a TP to port to base, then walk all the way back instead of spending 20 seconds to cut a path is ONLY worth it if you're extremely low on mana/HP anyways. Wasting 4 tangos on a hero that already has regen issues is unwise. Then again you recommend Vanguard which solves regen issues, but you have to spend money on an expensive item to survive while you farm more useful items is incredibly greedy on a hero that already puts a large burden on her team to give her space (even when you go combat Spectre, which is my typical build)
Well, many guys buy Vanguard for Spec because it provides regen for them to stay at lane. But with the current meta, I think Stinkoman's build is better. I tend to get Phase Boot, Drums and a Vitality Booster for Spec recently (before rushing my Rad), and it turned out to be good: it significantly increases your role in gank/team clash (other than just press R and "wait for it").
But QB is good on Spec u know, it helps a lot with early last hitting (unless you have 2 supports babysitting you all day so you dont have to worry about enimies denying creeps, or you are VERY CONFIDENT with your last hit skill).
Monkey King Bar – Highly recommended if you have the butterfly ready, you and your illusions will attack fast and will deal a huge amount of damage.
Wtf did i just read ?
man, mkb is almost as useless on illusion than mjolnir. the only real difference is truestrike on illusion
@Horiny
You need to add the buy back haunt strategy. In late game scenario where you are pushing with your team rather than farming (you already have buy back and adequate items at this stage of the game). Fight with your team and do as much DPS as you can before your die.(think wraith king) Don't try to escape. Just DPS as much as possible. As soon as you die, haunt. You will likely be able to clean up and get multiple kills on the heroes you and your team already severally damaged in the initial altercation.
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[size=26][color=#cf85ff]Introduction[/color][/size]
Spectre is a melee agility hero, mostly played on the safe lane as hard carry. A hero that in the first step of the game lacks lane presence, but is one of the strongest hard carry(if not the hardest) in the game. [color=#ee0033]Spectre is not only adept at dealing pure damage to lone targets[/color], but with the right build she’s able to [color=#ee0033]tank(and reflect) large amounts of damage.[/color]
[size=26][color=#cf85ff]Pros and Cons[/color][/size]
[color=#6936ff]+[/color] Spectral Dagger allows her to escape and phase through units, trees and cliffs. Not the best escape mechanism but makes it easier to tp out when needed.
[color=#6936ff]+[/color] She is able to participate in teamfights from anywhere on the map using her ability Haunt.
[color=#6936ff]+[/color] Deals bonus pure damage when attacks an enemy alone.
[color=#ffc2cc]-[/color] Has a weak early game, very dependent on the rest of the team in the early-mid game.
[color=#ffc2cc]-[/color] No lane presence, very dependent on supports’ performance in the early game.
[color=#ffc2cc]-[/color] Not recommended to newer players for being such immensely farm and level dependent hero.
[size=26][color=#cf85ff]Skill Build[/color][/size]
As said before, Spectre is a very late game carry, it’s recommended to play safe until you have enough items to join teamfights and acutally farm kills. Building right skills and items is essential if you want to prorogue the game and triumph in the late game.
Q – Spectral Dagger
W - Desolate
E - Dispersion
R – Haunt
(D – Reality)
[color=#9900db]Defensive Skill Build:[/color]
This build is recommended when you’re playing under the tower. Mostly used when you’re in a trilane with a support stacking and pulling the small camp. If you keep up the farm going and use Haunt to participate on early kills, you have great chances of carrying late game. Make sure you get at least one level of Dispersion before level 6 if you follow this building.
Q E W E W R E Q W E R W Q Q + R ...
[color=#9900db]Agressive Skill Build:[/color]
If you’re playing against an offlaner without a good escape mechanism, build this aggressive skill build. It’s a good way to get early kills and getting early good items before everyone. Leveling Dispersion like this is also perfect for the early teamfights.
Q W E W Q R W Q E W R Q E E + R ...
[size=26][color=#cf85ff]Item Build[/color][/size]
[color=#ff73d0]Starting Items[/color]
Stout Shield – Fits perfectly with dispersion
Quelling Blade – Her base damage is poor, make sure you leave the base with this to last hit
Healing Salve – Make sure you ask for tangos, holding back the harassment and staying in the lane to get levels is essential
[color=#ee00b3]Early/Mid game[/color]
Phase Boots – Some people prefer Treads but Phase makes you faster and that’s what you need to escape. And there’s the bonus damage which is awesome to help on last hits
Hand of Midas – Only –but just only – if you’re getting early kills and doing a very good job on last hitting. A great item to build BEFORE the 8 min mark
Vanguard – Makes you almost immortal to ganks if you carry a tp, can easily escape from ganks and also is a good way to reflect damage on team fights
Drums of Endurance – A good item but can be avoided if someone on your team builds it first, you can jump and build something else. Gives you extra speed, helps on escaping and tracking enemies down
Diffusal Blade – Not only increases her damage output by a ton on teamfights but also is a very good item to slow and kill solo pickoffs
Yasha – Increases speed and can be used to go Manta Style in late game
[color=#ff4712]Town of Portal Scroll[/color] – Make sure you carry at least one of those. Probably most important item and I’m not even kidding. It helps you to escape and jump to indented lanes to farm
[u]You can also build…[/u]
Radiance - I don’t really like building radi as a first item, but of course if you’re nonstop farming and enemies forget about you, you can rush a Radiance instead of going Diffusal and Yasha. It’s a very common pick among the people who play Spectre, but it depends a lot of the enemy team. Giving up on two items like Drums and Vanguard to build a late Radiance can really mess up your game.
[color=#8c001b]Late Game[/color]
Boots of Travel – You can also keep the Phase Boots, but in the very late game it’s good to change so you get an extra slot instead of always keeping one for the tp
Diffusal Blade Level 2 – It’s a good item if you’re farming fast, extra charges of slows is awesome
Radiance – It depends a lot, but a Radiance is always welcome since your illusions will deal the burning damage
Manta Style – If you went for Yasha, Manta is good not only for pushing, but on team fights you get extra three illusions hitting
Heart Of Tarrasque – Farewell to the old Vanguard, once you get enough farm trade this up
Butterfly – Gives you great damage, attack speed and the most important: evasion
Monkey King Bar – Highly recommended if you have the butterfly ready, you and your illusions will attack fast and will deal a huge amount of damage.
Daedalus – Illusions will benefit from the critical strike, such a good item for the late game
[u]Situational Item Builds[/u]
Sange and Yasha – Gives you extra STR and yasha can be used to build SY instead of Manta.
Eye of Skadi – Gives you general stats, also solves Spectre’s problems with mana and slows the target.
Mjollnir – Illusions get no benefit from this item, but it’s a good item to farm.
Armlet of Mordiggian – Haunt illusions get the extra HP and damage if you activate it before casting. Awesome situational item if you build Manta as well.
Assault Cuirass – Gives you extra armor, gives teammates in range extra armor and attack speed and makes -5 armor global for the Haunt illusions duration
Black King Bar – Not a good item on Spectre, to be honest, but if there’s too much burst and if you really can’t get around it, build it.
[size=26][color=#cf85ff]Playstyle[/color][/size]
First of all, you have to put in mind that you’re not playing the game alone. Of course you have to farm and of course you have to focus on your lane to get items and carry the late game, but it’s a common mistake people do nowadays. After having your basic items done you must keep an eye on the map and don’t stay in the lane afk farming.
When picking Spectre on a pub you have to make sure your mid game performance will be faultless. You have to keep in mind that you must farm, but also pay attention on what is going on around so you get kills and extra experience. Try not to be caught by smoke ganks and always farm away from your teammates, use Haunt to participate on teamfights and Spectral Dagger to escape when they try to gank you. [color=#1e0074]Be patient.[/color]
[size=26][color=#cf85ff]Problems with counters/Tips[/color][/size]
People usually pick burst damage against Spectre, cause they know if they go for physical hits you will scare the shit out of them with Dispersion. Well, it is a common issue but you can counter this very easily: in instances like this, build [color=#d5e200]Radiance[/color].
- When using Haunt on teamfights, try to hold off casting Reality until the very last second of its duration. It will maximize the damage of an illusion hitting and burning(in case you built Radi)
- Burst damages heroes are usually int heroes, if you have radi you can easily kill them even before the team fight starts.
- To survive on the lane, always level the Spectral Dagger as the first skill no matter what, if you get killed before even hit level 2 it will delay your farm a lot.
- Communicate with teammates: talk to your teammates, ask them to scream on mic if there’s a teamfight going on, sometimes irl issues makes us forget about the game while farming, right?
- Try not to miss last hits.
- Always carry a Town of Portal Scroll. Always. I MEAN IT.
- Never forget about her main advantage: her global presence. But don’t think Spectre is a ganker. You get extra damage when you’re attacking a lone target, so make sure you don’t participate on smoke ganks etc, but cast Haunt if needed.
[size=26][color=#cf85ff]Suggested Material/Players to watch[/color][/size]
Countless awesome players including XBOCT(I know you thought of him) that play Spectre, but I couldn’t find any video of them.
Well, Spectre is not a very common pick nowadays but there’s a recent video of Fnatic.n0tail playing pub Spectre:
Some people claim this to be “nothing special” but this video shows exactly how a player must behavior when playing with Spectre on a pub.