Items
Starting Items:
- Quelling Blade Item Changelogs Quelling BladeBL The axe of a fallen gnome, it allows you to effectively maneuver the forest. Cost200 Bought FromArmaments Active Chop Tree or Ward Passive Quell Disassemble? No Alert helps Lycan farm, especially if he starts in the jungle.
- Ring of Protection gives some early durability upgrades into Ring of Basilius Item Changelogs Ring of BasiliusB Ring given as a reward to the greatest mages. Cost500 Bought FromSupport Passive Basilius Aura Bonus +7 Attack damage Disassemble? Yes Alert allies? No Recipe The .
- Tangos are always good to have, as is an Iron Branch or two since you`ll need one anyway for your Vlad`s.
Early Game:
- Power Treads Item Changelogs Power TreadsBL A pair of tough-skinned boots that change to meet the demands of the wearer. Cost1350 Bought FromCommon Active Switch Attribute Bonus +25 Attack speed+45 Movement speed Disassemble? gives you movement speed, attack speed, and some extra damage and durability while set on strength.
- Ring of Basilius Item Changelogs Ring of BasiliusB Ring given as a reward to the greatest mages. Cost500 Bought FromSupport Passive Basilius Aura Bonus +7 Attack damage Disassemble? Yes Alert allies? No Recipe The gives extra armor to your wolves, extra mana regeneration for yourself, and later builds into Vladmir`s Offering Item Changelogs Vladmir s OfferingB An eerie mask that is haunted with the malice of a fallen vampire. Cost2275 Bought FromSupport Passive Vladmir s Aura Bonus +2 Strength+2 Agility+2 Intelligence Disassemble? No Alert .
- Blight Stone Item Changelogs Blight StoneB An unnerving stone unearthed beneath the Fields of Endless Carnage. Cost300 Bought FromArmaments Passive Lesser Corruption Disassemble? No Alert allies? No Recipe The Blight Stone is an is the cheapest item that will improve your wolves` damage output by reducing your targets` armor. It can be upgraded into a Medallion of Courage Item Changelogs Medallion of CourageB The bearer has no fear of combat. Cost1175 Bought FromSupport Active Valor Bonus +7 Armor+50% Mana regeneration Disassemble? No Alert allies? No Recipe The Medallion of or a Desolator Item Changelogs DesolatorB A wicked weapon, used in torturing political criminals. Cost3500 Bought FromArtifacts Passive Corruption Bonus +50 Attack damage Disassemble? No Alert allies? No Recipe The Desolator is an Item .
Core Items:
- Vladmir`s Offering Item Changelogs Vladmir s OfferingB An eerie mask that is haunted with the malice of a fallen vampire. Cost2275 Bought FromSupport Passive Vladmir s Aura Bonus +2 Strength+2 Agility+2 Intelligence Disassemble? No Alert gives lifesteal, damage, and armor in an aura, so his wolves get more powerful as well. The mana regeneration also helps with his small mana pool.
- Necronomicon 3 is the default option on Lycan. The extra strength and intelligence is always nice too.
- Black King Bar is useful on many melee heroes. Lycan is no exception as more strength and temporary magic immunity let him get to his target and deal more damage when he gets there.
Situational Items:
- Soul Ring is an alternative source of mana in the early game, which can be useful considering Summon Wolves`s high mana cost of 145.
- Medallion of Courage Item Changelogs Medallion of CourageB The bearer has no fear of combat. Cost1175 Bought FromSupport Active Valor Bonus +7 Armor+50% Mana regeneration Disassemble? No Alert allies? No Recipe The Medallion of is usually the better choice over Soul Ring, as it enables you to take out Roshan by your lonesome self. It can also be upgraded into a Solar Crest. It can be difficult to properly micro-manage your minions while using your items` abilities so you can also skip it if you don`t feel like doing too many things at once.
- Skull Basher is a reliable-ish way to add a disable to your arsenal and stop someone. It can be upgraded later to an Abyssal Blade through purchase of a Vanguard, which has some benefit to Lycan on its own.
- Heaven`s Halberd gives Lycan`s attacks a chance to lesser maim; slowing opponents attack and move speed helping him chase them down, with additional evasion.
- Heart of Tarrasque greatly increases health and health regeneration allowing Lycan to tank more effectively. The damage gained from it is also entirely from strength, which is amplified by both Feral Impulse and Vladmir`s Offering. Lycan can also run out of a fight with Shapeshift at very low HPTechnology company and come right back into it after a short rest.
- Boots of Travel Item Changelogs Boots of TravelB Winged boots that grant omnipresence. Cost2400 (2000) Bought FromCommon Active Teleport Bonus +100 Movement speed Disassemble? No Alert allies? No Recipe The Boots of Travel are are highly recommended late game, or when the enemies tier 3 tower or barracks are vulnerable. Whenever the enemy tries to push, go to a lone lane and split push as much as you can. Lycan is arguably one of the best heroes at taking down towers fast, due to this enemies will have to send someone back to deal with you. Be that as it may, if a teamfight starts anyways, you can teleport back to help your allies instead.
- Desolator Item Changelogs DesolatorB A wicked weapon, used in torturing political criminals. Cost3500 Bought FromArtifacts Passive Corruption Bonus +50 Attack damage Disassemble? No Alert allies? No Recipe The Desolator is an Item improves Lycan`s tower pushing and increases his damage. It also synergizes with an Assault Cuirass pickup and creates a huge armor disparity.
- Assault Cuirass gives armor, attack speed to Lycan and his allies (including his minions), and reduces the opponents` armor (including their towers`).
- Moon Shard is an interesting choice on Lycan. Many players love to split-push and avoid fights while playing Lycan. Few items will help you take down towers faster than a Moon Shard, but it gives no other benefit except
Gameplay
Playstyle | |
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Lycan Hero Strategy Counters Equipment Gear Responses Sounds Lore Old Abilities Changelogs Lycan 25 + 3.3 16 + 1 17 + 1.55 Level Base is a remarkable pusher and split-pusher that can wear down the enemies and force them to react quickly to his regular tower onslaughts; as towers melt incredibly fast under his and his minions` pressure, boosted by their canine Feral Impulse. His only contribution to full-on team fights will be the bonus damage he grants with Howl to his allies, his allies` summons, his owns summons and himself... And his formidable right-click power. Else he can surge out of the woods for a quick gank or push after he transformed with Shapeshift, moving at a speed of 650. At long last, good players will make the best usage of his Summon Wolves ability and scout the enemies` position while remaining undetected since they`re invisible when maxed out. | |
Pros | Cons |
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Videos
Info
Ability Builds
Generic Lycan | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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5-man push Lycan | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Generic Lycan
- Lycan will most commonly be played in the safelane. With a starting point in Feral Impulse, you should have around 70 damage which should make last hits a breeze, especially if you add a Quelling Blade Item Changelogs Quelling BladeBL The axe of a fallen gnome, it allows you to effectively maneuver the forest. Cost200 Bought FromArmaments Active Chop Tree or Ward Passive Quell Disassemble? No Alert on top of that. It won`t be wasted since you will eventually transition to the jungle where there is little incentive not to get one. The reasoning with skipping Summon Wolves at level 1 is that your mana pool is disastrous so you`ll hardly summon them more than once, and level 1 wolves don`t do much, especially without a point in your passive
- With level 2 wolves be that as it may, consider harassing the offlaner. Focus on your last hits with the hero, and try to zone out the offlaner with the wolves. Unlike Beastmaster Hero Strategy Counters Equipment Gear Responses Sounds Lore Old Abilities Changelogs Known Bugs Beastmaster 23 + 2.5 18 + 1.6 16 + `s summons, your wolves give only a small bounty when killed, so it`s not too bad if a couple die during the process.
- Once you`ve farmed a Ring of Basilius Item Changelogs Ring of BasiliusB Ring given as a reward to the greatest mages. Cost500 Bought FromSupport Passive Basilius Aura Bonus +7 Attack damage Disassemble? Yes Alert allies? No Recipe The , Boots of Speed Item Changelogs Boots of SpeedBL Fleet footwear, increasing movement. Cost400 Bought FromArcane Bonus +45 Movement speed Disassemble? No Alert allies? No Recipe The Boots of Speed are an item purchasable at and a Morbid Mask Item Changelogs Morbid MaskBL A mask that drains the energy of those caught in its gaze. Cost1100 Bought FromArcane Passive Lifesteal Bonus +10 Attack damage Disassemble? No Alert allies? No Recipe , you should consider going to the jungle and leaving the lane to your supports. The reason for this is you won`t waste any farm in the jungle as you farm it extremely fast with wolves and your passive, which your supports probably don`t, therefore giving your team a considerable edge in experience.
- There are plenty of reasons however to not go to the jungle:
- Maybe your mid lane requires constant protection from your supports, and it is usually a bad idea to abandon entirely a lane. In this case you might as well alternate between the lane and the closest big camp and try to farm both.
- Maybe the enemy offlaner got a considerable amount of exp, and they could kill your supports if you leave them alone.
- Maybe your supports are already farming the jungle, like a Crystal Maiden Hero Strategy Counters Equipment Gear Responses Sounds Lore Old Abilities Changelogs Crystal Maiden 16 + 2 16 + 1.6 16 + 2.9 Level with Frostbite or a Treant Protector For Nature s Prophet s summons, see Treant. For the race in Dota 2 lore, see Treant Protectors. Hero Strategy Counters Equipment Gear Responses Sounds Lore Old Abilities with an Iron Talon Item Changelogs Iron TalonB A simple but effective weapon devised to quell a great Hellbear uprising. Cost500 (125) Bought FromSupport Active Chop Passive Quell Bonus +2 Armor Disassemble? No Alert allies? .
- Maybe the jungle is unsafe because the enemies have a roamer or two like Bounty Hunter "Bounty" redirects here. For the reward earned from last-hits, see Gold. Hero Strategy Counters Equipment Gear Responses Sounds Lore Old Abilities Changelogs Known Bugs and/or Pudge Hero Strategy Counters Equipment Gear Responses Sounds Lore Old Abilities Changelogs Pudge 25 + 3.5 14 + 1.5 14 + 1.5 Level Base and you have no vision to see them coming, and you`d rather stay safe with your supports. You should probably consider taking down the enemies` tower as fast as possible to get an edge in map-control in this scenario.
- There are plenty of reasons however to not go to the jungle:
- Once you`ve finished your Vladmir`s Offering Item Changelogs Vladmir s OfferingB An eerie mask that is haunted with the malice of a fallen vampire. Cost2275 Bought FromSupport Passive Vladmir s Aura Bonus +2 Strength+2 Agility+2 Intelligence Disassemble? No Alert , figure out whether you need to upgrade your boots into Power Treads Item Changelogs Power TreadsBL A pair of tough-skinned boots that change to meet the demands of the wearer. Cost1350 Bought FromCommon Active Switch Attribute Bonus +25 Attack speed+45 Movement speed Disassemble? or you can them as is until you require Boots of Travel Item Changelogs Boots of TravelB Winged boots that grant omnipresence. Cost2400 (2000) Bought FromCommon Active Teleport Bonus +100 Movement speed Disassemble? No Alert allies? No Recipe The Boots of Travel are . Similarly, if you`re confident in your ability to use a Medallion of Courage Item Changelogs Medallion of CourageB The bearer has no fear of combat. Cost1175 Bought FromSupport Active Valor Bonus +7 Armor+50% Mana regeneration Disassemble? No Alert allies? No Recipe The Medallion of on the appropriate target (Roshan, or the enemy you`re chasing), go for it. Else you can skip it, or simply keep a casual Blight Stone Item Changelogs Blight StoneB An unnerving stone unearthed beneath the Fields of Endless Carnage. Cost300 Bought FromArmaments Passive Lesser Corruption Disassemble? No Alert allies? No Recipe The Blight Stone is an .
- Lycan is probably the hero that benefits the most from a Necronomicon Item Old Abilities Changelogs NecronomiconB Considered the ultimate in necromancy and demonology, a powerful malefic force is locked within its pages. Cost2650 (1200) Bought FromCaster Active Demonic Summoning Bonus +8/12/16 since the summons will benefit from Feral Impulse and Shapeshift (critical strike and 650 movement speed), AND their aura will also make your own wolves stronger... There are few scenarios where you want to skip it. Although they can be inefficient in a fight, they`ll always be great to take down towers. For your final items, you will either want something to take down towers even quicker ( Desolator Item Changelogs DesolatorB A wicked weapon, used in torturing political criminals. Cost3500 Bought FromArtifacts Passive Corruption Bonus +50 Attack damage Disassemble? No Alert allies? No Recipe The Desolator is an Item and Assault Cuirass) or to start properly fighting your enemies ( Skull Basher and Black King Bar)
5-man push Lycan
- Howl is actually a great ability. It`s so good we even choose to max it out before the final point in Feral Impulse on the generic build (Feral Impulse scales linearly whereas extra points in Howl also comes with cooldown reduction). If your team has a couple of summons and auras of its own ( Chen and Beastmaster Hero Strategy Counters Equipment Gear Responses Sounds Lore Old Abilities Changelogs Known Bugs Beastmaster 23 + 2.5 18 + 1.6 16 + for the obvious examples), and the opposition lacks methods to clear creep waves and summons, you can force all outer towers very early in the game. With the map-control advantage, you should be able to take down Roshan and possibly push for high ground and/or the throne before the twenty-minute mark.
- Since Lycan will still require a decent amount of experience to be effective, you may consider putting him in the mid lane to get his levels. As mentioned previously, his huge base damage should allow him to get his last hits (you can even use howl to secure them further) and perhaps some denies, and he can possibly harass the enemy mid laner with his wolves.
- In this scenario , you`ll still want to rush Vladmir`s Offering Item Changelogs Vladmir s OfferingB An eerie mask that is haunted with the malice of a fallen vampire. Cost2275 Bought FromSupport Passive Vladmir s Aura Bonus +2 Strength+2 Agility+2 Intelligence Disassemble? No Alert except if someone else on your team is better suited for it. You probably won`t want to skip Power Treads Item Changelogs Power TreadsBL A pair of tough-skinned boots that change to meet the demands of the wearer. Cost1350 Bought FromCommon Active Switch Attribute Bonus +25 Attack speed+45 Movement speed Disassemble? since you`ll want to finish the game as soon as possible so you`ll need mid game items. Maybe a level 1 Necronomicon Item Old Abilities Changelogs NecronomiconB Considered the ultimate in necromancy and demonology, a powerful malefic force is locked within its pages. Cost2650 (1200) Bought FromCaster Active Demonic Summoning Bonus +8/12/16 will be more than enough and before upgrading it you can get an Armlet of Mordiggian or a Crimson Guard to tank some tower shots at little cost.
Talents
Hero Talents | ||
+2 Wolves Summoned | 25 | +15s Shapeshift Duration |
15% Cooldown Reduction | 20 | 15% Evasion |
+12 Strength | 15 | +12 Feral @@@#@@@HP(hp.com)###@### Regen |
+200 Health | 10 | +15 Damage |
Notes:
- The attack damage is added as bonus attack damage, and therefore does not benefit illusions.
- Upgrading health increases maximum health capacity and keeps the current health percentage.
- The evasion stacks multiplicatively with other sources of evasion.
- Cooldown reduction affects abilities and items. Stacks multiplicatively with Octarine Core and additively with Arcane Rune.
General
- Because your Howl immobilize Lycan use it just before Shapeshift.
- When taking on Roshan, it is advised to use a Smoke of Deceit to avoid being spotted by enemy observer wards. Teams facing a Lycan will do their best to prevent early Roshan kills by planting observer wards near the pit; given that a detected Lycan is easy prey while doing battle with Roshan, slipping past those wards will do wonders for his lifespan.
- At level 7, with items like Vladmir`s Offering Item Changelogs Vladmir s OfferingB An eerie mask that is haunted with the malice of a fallen vampire. Cost2275 Bought FromSupport Passive Vladmir s Aura Bonus +2 Strength+2 Agility+2 Intelligence Disassemble? No Alert and Power Treads Item Changelogs Power TreadsBL A pair of tough-skinned boots that change to meet the demands of the wearer. Cost1350 Bought FromCommon Active Switch Attribute Bonus +25 Attack speed+45 Movement speed Disassemble? or Medallion of Courage Item Changelogs Medallion of CourageB The bearer has no fear of combat. Cost1175 Bought FromSupport Active Valor Bonus +7 Armor+50% Mana regeneration Disassemble? No Alert allies? No Recipe The Medallion of , Lycan can solo Roshan. Summon your Wolves and tank them alternately with the hero, but do not let them die until the re-summon is ready. Keep Shapeshift just in case the enemy comes for you, so you can escape.
- Any item that provides armor reduction (Desolator, Medallion, Assault Cuirass) or an aura benefits both the wolves and the Necronomicon units. Keep in mind that the melee Necronomicon Warrior has the lowest Base Attack Time of the game of 0.75 seconds, which makes him scale really well with Howl`s flat damage bonus. Adding reduced armor to the mix will considerably increase your total DPS.
- You can buy a Scythe of Vyse to disable and slow your enemy from distance to hunt him.
Jungling
- Be sure to try and keep your wolves alive as long as possible, do not use them to tank damage unless their timer is low.
- Be wary of centaurs in the jungle, if you and both of your wolves are near to the large blue centaur, it will use a stun. Avoid this by having one wolf wait away from the centaur and bringing it in after the large centaur is dead.
- After reaching level 6, keep an eye on the other lanes, if an opportunity presents itself, don`t be afraid to activate Shapeshift and go for a gank, the 18 seconds duration allows you to cross more than half of the map.
- If the enemy middle player is a squishy hero like Sniper, you can typically kill them even if they are on full health while affected by Shapeshift.
Summon Wolves
- Wolves can be used to scout runes at the beginning of the match and during the laning phase to avoid losing gold and experience.
- Always Summon Wolves in the base when going out to jungle for the first time (at about the 0-10 second mark) since the wolves are fast enough that you can get a creep camp killed without using any mana.
- Wolves` invisibility at level 3, very low base attack time and quick movement make them great deniers. Use them to destroy runes, aegis and allied towers with all impunity if the situation is too risky, or too far away for you to go there in person. The most talented players will even manage to entirely body-block a hero in a narrow path with both wolves, and possibly deny yourself if certain debuffs are placed on Lycan.
- Wolves can also be used to scout and keep tabs on particular heroes without them knowing. Select your wolf and hit M (default) and then click an enemy hero; the wolf will follow the hero but will not attack, so it will remain invisible. Do this with each wolf and you can get constant vision of two enemy heroes. This is great for setting up ganks or for evaluating whether to take a team fight in a particular area. Keep in mind that if your wolves lose vision of who they are following for too long, they stop following.
- You can also use the wolves` invisibility to sneak past the enemy lines and teleport to them using Boots of Travel Item Changelogs Boots of TravelB Winged boots that grant omnipresence. Cost2400 (2000) Bought FromCommon Active Teleport Bonus +100 Movement speed Disassemble? No Alert allies? No Recipe The Boots of Travel are , hitting one tier 3 while allied creeps disabled Backdoor Protection on another.
- With a Necronomicon 3 and another big item such as Assault Cuirass, you probably have enough DPS to even go through backdoor protection, as a last resort while the enemy is somehow distracted.
- Use your wolves to stack two ancient camps at once. Then you can summon your necronomicon to take them down quickly.
Howl
- Always keep an eye on the minimap. Save Howl to give teammates a decent damage boost, aiding them in fighting and securing kills.
- If the enemy somehow denies plenty of their creeps, the +14 damage from a level 1 one Howl will go a long way to help you securing them.
Feral Impulse
- As the description says, the aura is applied to every unit under Lycan`s control. This includes his wolves obviously, his Necronomicon Item Old Abilities Changelogs NecronomiconB Considered the ultimate in necromancy and demonology, a powerful malefic force is locked within its pages. Cost2650 (1200) Bought FromCaster Active Demonic Summoning Bonus +8/12/16 units and any unit he might have under control through purchase of one or more Helm of the Dominator(s)
- You can control even more units with Ability Draft shenanigans.
Shapeshift
- Shapeshift is a very strong and versatile Ultimate to use. When activated, it gives Lycan hasted movement speed, allowing a great deal of maneuverability in battle to chase down fleeing heroes or to escape from potentially dangerous areas. While Shapeshifted, you are immune to every kind of Slow, including hexes, purges and powerful slowing ultimates like Epicenter, Freezing Field.
- Up to a certain extent, once you start relying on your fast movement speed, you are more vulnerable to root effects like Pit of Malice or Frostbite, especially since Lycan seldom builds a Manta Style.
- Shapeshift is an aura and the 650 movement speed is shared with units under his control allowing the wolves and Necronomicon units to chase as well. Unlike Feral Impulse, the aura is global; if you`re desperate to get a bit of damage on a building (to finish it off?) you can always use Shapeshift and only send your summons in.