This guide is not complete yet. I'm tired and dont feel like doing anymore tonight. I'll finish it later.
Things to do:
-Formatting fonts and colors
-Play style guide of some sort
-Replacing the top picture with something pretty
-Replacing the puke green bars without something less shitty.
-Potentially a enemy/friends list, but i generally find those stupid and its already long enough as is.
-a word about blademail (i dont like it...)
-Add Blood stone variant from Standard build (Fuzzy input)
-outro
-and finally Taking feedback. If you don't like something, disagree with something, or want something added, post so (nicely) and i'll read it.
Also, i'm aware this guide is too late to for submission. I was too busy during the weekend to do any of this, and to be honest I already have the Blade of Voth Domosh and the Stonehall Royal Guard Set, so it would be kinda shitty were I to win the contest. Besides there are some awesome guides out there that are better than this one anyway :).
@concede
-Remember that after your reach 32 Int, your Ring of Basilius will be giving you less mana regeneration than a naked Sage's Mask.
what does it mean?
It means that ring of basilius gives a flat 0.65 mana regen per second. Sage's Mask increases your current mana regeneration by 50%.
If you have 32 intelligence, 50% of your base mana regeneration is more than 0.65 mana regen, and thus Sage's mask gives more mana per second.
@Concede - excellent insight on the Ring of Basilius. No matter how proud I am about my own theoretical knowledge in D2, that was very new to me)
No blademail? Still viable, even though bristle takes damage to do damage. He still needs to take hits.
Also I've gone Pipe+Vang many times and significantly boosts your capacity to tank, though the games I've bought it in had a fair share of both magical/physical type heroes.
I think you can leave in some tips of how you can attack and then turn your back towards the enemy to make use of your 3rd spell. Some bristles just good head-straight and take damage in the front.
Last but not least... radiance if you absolutely think you can do it. Works great with his tanky presence but severely undercuts the ability to tank, depending on when you purchase it.
@flop
also good to know that the more mana / health pool you have the more % is effective. if... no one else knew, which I'm probably everyone does ^-^
Well, I had quite a lot of success with this hero. What can I say, bristle is one of the most powerful early-mid game heroes. I play him only in an ultra-aggressive style.
This guide does not mention radiance, basher (abyssal), vlads, SnY.
Pipe is included in situational.
I dislike blademail but do plan on adding something to it.
Radiance is a bad idea in most if not all situations. I wont say it cant work out, but i wouldn't want to put it in a guide. basher are shit on BB. Vlads is i suppose situationaly ok, but someone else should be purchasing it.
SNY i suppose is worth mentioning. I have seen 2-3 palyers do this before. Frankly though, i think Halbred is just better in almost all situations.
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Skills
Visual representation of BristleBack damage mitigation angles
_____Skill progressions for Bristleback______
Standard: w/e/w/q/w/r/w/e/e/e/r/q/q/s/s/r
Offlane: w/e/w/e/w/r/w/q/e/e/e/r/q/q/s/s/r
Safelane: q/w/w/e/w/r/w/e/e/e/r/q/q/s/s/r
_____________________________________
-The important thing to remember is you are going to be maxing your Quill Spray first in almost all situations.
-When playing safe lane solo against a dual or tri-lane, you may want to consider not investing any points into Nasal Goo till level 7 or 8. The reason for this is that your mana is limited and you want to save that mana for Quill Sprays. Quill Spray mana should be used for last hitting and for harassing and zoning your opponent. If you want to commit for a kill, it will be more important for you to have mana for additional Quill sprays since the damage stacks. This also applies to when you are being ganked and are attempting to apply damage
while returning to your tower. In extreme cases, prioritizing bristleback over quill spray may be appropriate to mitigate damage, but you will still want to max Quill Spray first.
-When playing Safelane (or doing an early rosh) 1 point in Nasal Goo is taken first, as you will have 1-2 allies helping you.
Remember that level 1 Quill Spray is very weak, and should be used sparingly until you have 2-3 points into it.
Starting Items:
-This is arguably the best starting loadout for a Bristleback to begin the game with. Even if you opt not to build a vanguard, a stout shield will serve you well as a stand alone item into the mid game. If you choose not to buy a stout shield, i would suggest purchasing a ring of protect and an extra gg branch, clarity, or salve.
Standard Core Build
-This is the standard starting item load out for BristleBack and will be highly effective in most games.
-Your progression will vary depending on the game. In most games, i would suggest first purchasing a Sage's Mask, then purchasing a Ring of Health, followed by the completion of your Vanguard. Most games I feel it is better to rush a vanguard before purchasing boots.
-If you are not comfortable with your positioning, are in a dual/tri lane chasing killings with goo, or are solo against a tri-lane, purchasing boots first is appropriate.
-If you are facing opponents that are spamming spells, purchasing a magic stick first is a smart idea.
-Once you have completely your vaguard and purchased boots of speed, you should next finish your Ring of Basilius and your Magic Wand. Do not skip the wand. I wont go into details on how amazing Magic Wand is, however I will say that Bristleback thrives on long and drawn-out engagements, and you will always be collecting charges.
-Remember that after your reach 32 Int, your Ring of Basilius will be giving you less mana regeneration than a naked Sage's Mask. If your teammates also have Basilius aura, or you are satisfied with your armor value, consider disassembling your Basilius, selling the ring, and keeping the mask.
-If you don't carry a Town Portal scroll, you are a bad person.
Concede's Meka-Soulbooster Build
-This is my personal item build for Bristleback that I tend to follow when I build Mekansm as my first major item, or when I am facing against mana-burn heroes like Anti-mage or diffusal blade builders like Phantom lancers.
-The idea behind this build is that Bristleback does not have enough mana on his own in the early to mid game to support a Mekansm. Though Bristleback has amazing Int gain, that gain wont kick in fast enough to support his Mekansm early. Often times you will see pro players make sure to draft crystal maiden or Outworld Destroyer in order address this issue. If these heroes are not on your team however, your best option is to build arcane boots. Arcane boots are fantastic on Bristleback early game, but are generally not purchased because treads are better in the mid and late game. With a Mekansm, Arcane boots will ensure that Bristleback has the mana to cast his spells and be ready to use his 150 mana cost heal.
-Skip the ring of Basilius. Your Arcane boots will cover your mana issues. It is still a good idea to purchase a Magic Wand after you complete your Mekansm
-Once you reach the mid game, this build transitions into a Soulbooster by breaking your arcane boots, and replacing those boots with Power Treads. With 100% mana regeneration, you will be able to spam your spells constantly and not run out of mana.
-Think of it this way: For cost of 3250 gold (or 2750 gold if you include the 500 saved by not purchasing a basilius) you are gaining 450 health 150 mana (you had 250 already with arcanes), 4 HP regen, 100% Mana regen, 30 attack speed, and +8 Str.
-If you choose to do this build, remember that it is important to utilize the mana regen you now have. You should be using your Quill Spray to farm jungle creeps, ancients, and before fights so that you have Warpath stacks already active. You can even use goo on creeps to speed up your farm. Not using your mana regen from Soulbooster with this build to spam your skills is the equivalent of not using a battlefury to speed up the farm of a carry.
Medalion-Sange-Halberd build
-This is an alternate build that I see some players use, but I don't personally like to use it. Regardless, the idea is to use Medallion for extreme early aggression, and to transition into Sange and then Halbred to increase your right click damage.
-When using this build, it is usually a good idea to pick up an early Orb of Venom
Situational Early Game Items
-Orb of Venom is great when you are 1v1 against a melee hero in lane.
-Cloak is fantastic against heavy magic damage team lineups and can build into a Hood and Pipe if necessary. Generally purchase this item after your Vanguard.
-Drums of Endurance are built when you are getting stomped. If you cant hope to complete a vanguard, build Bracers and then continue into Drums.
Situational Mid to Late Game Items
-Heart of Tarrasque: A solid item to build into after you complete your mid game core. This item can be viewed in a similar light as Vanguard, in that the sooner you get it, the better. Ideally, you want to have your Reaver purchased between 23-27 minutes into the game. If you are having trouble saving up 3200 during that time period, consider a BkB, Sange or Platemail instead.
-Heaven's Halberd: Fantastic item for shutting down right click carries, provides good stats, and gives evasion. It is never to late to buy a Halberd.
-Assault Cuirass and Shiva's Guard: I'm discussing these at the same time because when you will almost always choose one or the other. Buy your platemail first and then decide what the team needs more, rather than what you need more.
-Pipe of Insight: Protects your team from magic damage. Do not underestimate its importance, but if a support can buy it, there are better items for you to carry into the late game.
-Black King Bar: This is always a "situational" item, but for some heroes there is always a reason to get it. Bristleback is not one of those heroes. You get this item to avoid extreme lockdown, however if you can survive without it, you are better off purchasing other items. In most fights, its better if you are being attacked than your teammates, but when your BKB is up, you are not a prime target during the duration. Ask yourself if you are dying because you aren't tanky enough or because of lockdown, and buy BKB if its the latter.
Good Luck