General DiscussionLycan help: Guides, strategy, etc.

Jungling from level 1 is a bit harder now because you have to tank with your hero or your wolves die. If you stack and pull to a creep camp 2 times first you can get to level 3... have level 2 wolves and speed up your farm a lot. But if you want to level 1 jungle you still can, just start with stout shield and salves, clarities. Let your hero tank so your wolves stay alive and its fine.

Get vlads and medallion and you can take roshan... again if you micro and tank correctly. Lycan gets treads. If you want to push towers its best to get necro book next, then desolater. Then AC.

If you want to kill heroes then you want basher into abyssal blade and desolater is still great as is AC. BKB +abyssal is the hero killing build.

If you are getting stunned and killed you may want to get heart rather than bkb. 75% of Lycan's dps comes from wolves + Necros who are all max speed and all get HUGE dps buffs from howl and feral impulse. If your main hero is stunned the summons still kill everything. If you have deso, necros, and AC you can take towers and rax so fast ppl will fail to click fortification before its gone. The announcer will not finish saying you are attacking before a tower dies.

Get BoTs +Necro if you can splitpush
You should ALWAYS buy a bkb on lycan and a basher is all the dmg you need

safe lane is better
and albino I prefer AC than basher, maybe basher as a second DPS item

also always go MoC b4 vlads it speeds ur farm by a lot, tired of seeing lycans rushing vlads without MoC

Try check out this guy's replays.

http://dotabuff.com/players/120715076/matches?hero=lycan&game_mode=&match_type=real

Randomly queued with this guy two games in a row and we won in 22 and 24 minutes. I guess that's the timing you have to hit with vlads/bots/necro3. 3.8-4.1k MMR range.

atum is right, medallion is cheaper AND does a bigger increase to dps than Vlads.

The disadvantage is that vlads requires absolutely no skill since its an aura. And you have to keep using medallion intentionally while you farm, while you attack, while you chase. You should get both and get medallion first...but if you don't actually use medallion correctly it does very little. Bad use of medallion is probably why Lycan's tend to get Vlads first. They don't see the impact because they fail to use the medallion.

No. Medallion doesn't allow you to solo Roshan, Vlads does. The pure DPS doesn't matter.

@ Relentless

Yeah I know it's been since the old patch since I picked Lycan.

So Stack/pull small camp @ Lvl 1 twice to get lvl 3. So I'll be killing dbl small stacks @ 2:00 and 4:00. Am I pulling my creeps to help me kill them or am I soloing them? Also after the 2:00 minute kill do I just go to lane and absorb XP and attempt a last hit or two until I pull stack @ ~3:53? (Depending on if there is a troll healer there, i can't pull with troll healer)

Alright vlads/medallion so vlads first, then medallion. No brown boots before I go in?

I'll probably go tower pusher so necro/deso to round it out.

Alright Sano/relentless,

So What lvl do i rosh, and should or shouldn't i go medallion. I get casting it on rosh will remove 6 armor, and I do like the idea of smoking him fast, but on top of this question, what LVL/time should I be shooting for for my 1st rosh kill?

Well Sano is right you can't roshan with just medallion and can with just Vlads... but I just recommend waiting until you have both.

I think its too risky to try it with just vlads.

If you get the medallion first and jungle, you will reach vlads +medallion faster than if you go for vlads first. If you get vlads first and try to rosh and someone stops you well now you are slowed down a lot. So I just think going medallion first is most reliable and waiting to take roshan until after its easier and faster.

Getting a vlads rush and taking an early roshan is nice because the xp boost at that point is huge. But its a risk.

Well of course the faster you kill Rosh the better but what I mean it's that you need your vlads ASAP because you will kill Roshan as soon as you think it's safe to do so. About Medallion, it delays your Vlads, and I think it's better to leave it to a support.

sano with MoC you get way faster to vlads than if u go vlads first then buy medallion, rosh without MoC is too slow and will get u killed

edit: not by rosh but some1 will find out as it ll take a long time to finish it!

I used to do this. very common and maybe most standard jungle lycan. yes level 1 jungle is nice.

start : qb 175ring tango

->Vlad-> tread boots -> necro1 -> necro2 -> necro3

do roshan some time after the tread boots. or after necro1 if you have bad micro control.

after that is up to you as the game already quite easy for you now. bkb. deso. ac. travel boots split push.

now I try to play MoC -> Vlad -> boots... not a huge advantage early game imo. (vs. faster vlad + tread boots)
but killing roshan is way faster.

Safelane till lvl 3rd wolves, get vlads medallion (smoke) and go rosh solo. Then max Necronomicon till level 3 asap. If you cant push Tier 3 you should consider farming AC (every failed push costs ALOT and if you pushed outer towers the rest of the team is usually good at starving enemy out). Get AC win game.

Sidenote: get BKB if you must but not before vlads and medallion

Alright so.... still confused. Should I go MoC first or Vlads? Should I get brown boots too before going in there? Farming MoC/Vlads sounds like it will take me over 15 minutes to get in jungle. I t

Again whats the lowest lvl I can rosh with just vlads if I decide to get sneaky and pop a smoke of deceit? What lvl and time am I looking at to hit par for rosh kill?

question.

if the enemy team has a jungle ursa. what to do ? who will roshan first ?
I had the awkward moment that a smoke ursa coming in when i was roshan ing.

@ Whoji

I like your lvl 1 jungle build. I'll have to throw a few practice runs on bots before I try it. If I fail I may default to safe lane for a bit.
P.S. If enemy team has a jungle ursa I imagine he can rosh before me. I will probably keep farming lanes and jungle/ancients and grab a MoC to plow through creeps fast.

@ Deadshot

I would side lane until LVL 3 wolves = LVL 5 Lycan? Or LvL 2 Wolves=LVL 3 Lycan?

again whats a good time for farming this gear? Am I shooting for 10~12 min roshan folks?

Also for everyone:

If I build a split push lycan and do for late game the following:
VLADS/NECROLVL3/DESO for tower crushing, what is my escape mechanism? Do I need a blink dagger as the game gets late, so I can hold the blink, and blink into trees then TP out? Or am I saving my ULT (R) for when I see the enemy on the mini-map advance on me then escape with the Lycan ULT? I had plans at first using it for crushing towers but this part worries me about escaping after a push.

If you are comitting you can bkb tp out, blink is a waste of money since that hero has 522 ms with his ulti that lasts about 20 seconds. A fun way to play is to play a zoo strat. Aka beastmaster/enigma/lycta etc etc :D The sheer spam of units will win you the game.

You should use your ulti during the push but within reason as I mentioned its about 20 sek so leave at least about 6 sek to get away ofc it will depend from hero to hero.

You need 15 min to farm Treads + Vlads in safe lane? If you're not facing aggressive tri you should be able to farm this in under 10 min easily

Hey guys,

Thanks for the input. I decided to go necro LVL 3 lycan last night and won 3/4 out of it:

http://dotabuff.com/players/13692031/matches

This game though.....

http://dotabuff.com/matches/539085087

I think our team had 23 deaths in 15 minutes and Mirana decided to let Ursa draw first blood before the bell rang for the 0:00 minute mark. I had a feeling after I heard Ursa yell at me "FIRST BLOOD" it was not going to be a good game.

Ended up roshing around 9~11 minute mark with going following items:

Starting items:

1x tangos
1x quelling blade
1x protection ring

Then for rosh I did:

Vlads
Brown boots
MoC

For end game I ended up doing this in this order:

Vlads
MoC
Necro lvl 3
Boots of travel
BKB
Desolator

Seemed to work pretty well. Escape was ez with BoT and Wolf ult and BKB to back out. Rotated towers with BoT for tower crushing. Not much I could do about that one game though. I think I was 1/1 up to the 20 minute mark then my deaths snowballed out of control after that. so 3 wins out of 4 with Lycan not bad!

Thanks guys!

I hate lvl 1 jungle lycan. Maybe you can work it but I always end up needing to go heal. I like to rotate into jungle once I have level 2 or 3 wolves, when I am level 4 or 5, but it depends. Sometimes as safe lane carry you get more farm in lane and the support in lane doesn't need solo xp. I always get quell blade in lane.

I have never tried going medallion before vlad's but vlad's first has some big advantages in granting you sustain power with ring of bas for mana and armor and the small regen ring. Going medallion first can you stay in jungle non stop at lvl 4-5? I'm not sure.

Grab a brown boots then go rosh with those two items. Smoke in. Roshing before having medallion and vlads is a risk. I guess you can kill him with only vlads but it's hard and a bad bash might mess up your micro and kill a wolf.

After that I finish treads and go bkb right away. Then depending on enemy team I build basher, ac or halberd. AC might give you more dmg reduction than halberd but being able to disarm carries and snare supports has value. Your ult + bkb won't last forever so halberd is nice for that.

He's really a pretty easy hero to play, just don't dive for kills however tempting it may be. Your main role is a pusher, a lot of times my ult ends up being my escape mechanism or just for better BAT on towers.

lel why go heal just die to neutrals while spending gold on basi/xtra tango/ tp

wuuu lycan :3 using that hero is like smoking, addicted.

@captain caveman
this is my experience based on playing lycan since one month ago :

1. Before you pick lycan, see the enemy heroes first. Try to not pick lycan if enemy have clockwerk (that hero is a jerk when you using lycan).

2. I always pick medallion first, so what i can tell you is first item you pick will make the way you play a little bit different. I'll The advantage of medallion later.

If you want to rush medallion first, I usually build sobi mask, 2 branch, 1 clarity, and tango. As the people already said here, level 1 jungle is not efficient. So, try to get at least level 2 by pulling, or just stay near the safe lane.

3. You get level 2 at minute 2-3, at that time u go jungle with your wolf and you will get medallion around minute 4-5. As long as there are no enemies who disturbing your jungle, you will get vladmir around minute 8-9. The worst is 10-11.
One note is: if u rush medallion first, there will be a time that you must go to fountain to regen your hp and mana. Usually only once.
Use wolf at that time to stack or just attacking the big camp.

So why medallion first? You dont need vlad to jungle, you only need vlad to roshan. Thats it. Once you get ring of regen, its already more than enough to stay at jungle with your wolf and medallion. minus 6 armor is so great when jungling with lycan (wolf crit etc)

4. You have Vladmir and Medallion right now, look at the map, Are the enemy busy? if yes, always buy a smoke to go roshan to anticipating the worst idea (ward,sentry etc.) as a lycan. Right now you probable have around 3,4-3,6 net worth at the moment, you will get around 600 hundred from roshan +800 gold for your team, which mean more fast you go roshan the more advantage that your team have.
Noted :
-Dont go smoke around 09.50-10.00, or 07.50-08.00, or 11.50-12.00. There will be enemies looking for rune, and u really dont to messed up with them.
- With medallion and vladmir, u only need 30 seconds to kill roshan.

5. Pick brown boots and because u have two branch, u can make it as magic wand( This item will help you so much either in push or kill, lycan is really mana dependent hero) . You will get both of item once u finished killing roshan.

6. Always use medallion everytime, i dont know u use it to enemy heroes or enemy units, but just use it.Because thats the purpose u bought medallion, fast push, and kill. Minus 6 armor, plus that your necro and your wolf get buffed from wolf, medallion really help to kill enemies.

7. Rush micon 3 asap, since this item will help u so much. Dont forget to microing your micon with your wolf. So with one button u can directly control them to attack one enemy hero.
Once you have micon, and vladmir + howl level 4. Destroying tower is so easy.

8. What you need is throne, not kill. So boots of travel is the answer, no need for rushing bkb or ac. Considering that you can tele to your wolf make this is item is really good choice. With this item, u can split push every map using your wolf and micon.

9. Using howl : Not many enemies know, I think even your teammate didnt know. Howl is super ultra imba skill. its like an angel from heaven, Buffing +50 damage to alies hero for 12 second. 50 x 5 = 250 damage for 12 second. Wtf?
Buffing +20 damage to unit for 12 second, Triple micon from your teammate, forge spirit from invoker, treant from prophet. And u will get auto win. But this is a skill that need momentum, dont just spamming this skill without no purpose. Use is if your team and yourself really need it.

10. Usually when you already have travel, book 3 , vlad, medallion, You already winning. But if you still dont, and get trouble with the tower 3, bkb or cuirras is the answer. You are the one who can decide which item is more better on that game u play.

11. Happy winning !

Everyone is happy until enemy gets bane, or they dont let you push with tinker, then everyone is sad.

tinker bane are still easy, clockwerk is a jerk.

@ wookie

Yeah lvl 1 lycan jungle what I would do to be most effective was:

Kill easy creep camp before 0:53 second mark, or stack it then.

If no neutral ez camp is available until the x:00 minute mark I would hop in lane or stay safe in the woods to absorb XP.

Wait for EZ camp again rinse and repeat until LVL 5 where I could take out a medium camp (non bird camp, or non-centaur camp). LvL 7 is where I would have Vlads/MoC/Brown boots (yes I bought smoke for rosh every time for first kill).

I didn't go basher at all and went for a straight push build instead of a hero dmg build seemed to work.

I also skipped POWER TREADS. I felt the 950 gold i saved for BoT was justified. I ended up getting vlads/MoC/LVL 3 Necromicon/BoT around 20/22 minutes. I noticed after killing rosh LVL 7~8 he really snowballed for cash.

Key was to keep my eye on the minimap and if the enemy team was visible in one lane (or a good majority of them) I would go to the furthest lane away from them and keep that up.

I mean, if this game gives you any idea the success I had:

http://dotabuff.com/matches/538997955

I ended up having to be AFK for about 7 to 10 minutes because my wife came home with groceries, so I tried to pause, but ended up not working. I queued up A+CLICK jungle areas before I left for groceries and came back and was still jungling. Gotta do what you gotta do when real life calls! Still won though even though our KDA was less than the other teams. Only thing that matters is getting those buildings apparently.

@ Flop

I read your guide and I went vlads first. I ended up with starting items:

2x clarities
1x ring of protection
1x tangos
1x quelling blade

I pulled ez creep camp lane continuously until hitting LvL 4 then I could take med. camps.

Building vlads first was what I ended up doing instead of MoC first. I didn't have to go back to base for heal so staying out in jungle the whole time due to some wolf/lycan micro management distributing dmg appropriately ended up allowing me not go back to base as much (rotate low health units in/out of fight on neutrals.)

It seemed going for vlads first and parts for it allowed me to stay in jungle without purchasing a salve and going MoC first. I like staying out of base as much as possible for more exp/gold.

I might try MoC first, but seems so far vlads parts (the rings) allows me to jungle more without going back to base.

I also late game like Deso first, then AC last for more tower crushing potential. -12 armor on buildings is huge when pushing though. I do not go skull basher though.

Agreed on rune timing/rosh pit smoking. Minimap awareness during jungle/rosh (well all the time) is crucial.

@caveman
with vlad first, what time u can go for roshan?
and at what time u got vladmir?

maybe ill try vlad first sometimes, idk why i really love moc first lol

@ Flop

I ended up with vlads around 6~8 min. in. How I could achieve this was once the ez camp was cleared, I would go out to lane and absorb XP and snag a last hit or two, then when the x:00 minute mark rolled around, I would clear the ez camp quickly, then go back out to lane until I was sure I could clear out some medium camps (LVL 4~5).

I didn't end up having to go back to base except my last game where we had some tower divers from the enemy and jungle harass from mid. Ended up in my favor so being near the enemy hero's deaths absorbed some more XP/GOLD. If they wouldn't of dove the tower and harassed jungle, I would of been OK to stay there without basing for a heal. I am going to do this again tonight and try and put in 2~3 games as lycan. I like it more than natures prophet for a RAT dota character. My Natures is atrocious.

@ Flop.
PS I get the MoC idea of nuking neutrals armor early, it does come in handy and I do spam it and seems to snowball my gold/xp greatly. To maintain the jungle without base though I feel the vlads is the way to go.