Necrophos Guide

Items

Starting items:

• Iron Branch Improves Necrophos`s early stats as well as damage and can be built into Magic Wand or a Mekansm   Item   Old Abilities   Changelogs     MekansmB A glowing jewel formed out of assorted parts that somehow fit together perfectly. Cost2375 (900) Bought FromSupport Active Restore Passive Mekansm Aura Bonus +5 Strength+5 later on.
• Clarity to keep being able to cast Death Pulse when needed.
• Mantle of Intelligence gives a little boost to Necrophos` mana pool and damage.
• Tango helps Necrophos stay in the lane.
• Healing Salve for quick regeneration.
• Faerie Fire helps Necrophos` somewhat low base damage and clutch heal if running mid.

Early game:

• Magic Wand is needed in emergencies or for a clutch Death Pulse or Reaper`s Scythe.
• Power Treads for more damage output and faster attack speed.
• Arcane Boots   Item   Changelogs     Arcane BootsL Magi equipped with these boots are valued in battle. Cost1300 Bought FromSupport Active Replenish Mana Bonus +250 Mana+50 Movement speed Disassemble? Yes Alert allies? Yes Recipe The for extra mana pool.
• Buckler for extra armor.
• Infused Raindrop for extra magic resistance and mana regeneration.
• Wind Lace if extra mobility is needed.
• Bottle if running Mid Necrophos.

Core items:

• Aghanim`s Scepter reduces the cooldown of Reaper`s Scythe dramatically, while giving nice attributes, health, and mana.
• Blink Dagger will solve his mobility problem and great chasing/initiating item.
• Mekansm   Item   Old Abilities   Changelogs     MekansmB A glowing jewel formed out of assorted parts that somehow fit together perfectly. Cost2375 (900) Bought FromSupport Active Restore Passive Mekansm Aura Bonus +5 Strength+5 for extra heal and an upgrade from Buckler.

Situational items:

• Force Staff is an alternative for Blink Dagger, as it gives Intelligence, health regeneration, and gives a quick method of movement while under attack. Use it to save allies or push enemy heroes.
• Rod of Atos is also highly viable for Necrophos. It gives Health, Intelligence, and a long range slow with a short cooldown, Use it to chase hero or escape from ganks.
• Blade Mail If you get focused on very often.
• Guardian Greaves would be the better choice for supporting your team since you would have already built a Mekansm   Item   Old Abilities   Changelogs     MekansmB A glowing jewel formed out of assorted parts that somehow fit together perfectly. Cost2375 (900) Bought FromSupport Active Restore Passive Mekansm Aura Bonus +5 Strength+5 . Consider building Arcane Boots   Item   Changelogs     Arcane BootsL Magi equipped with these boots are valued in battle. Cost1300 Bought FromSupport Active Replenish Mana Bonus +250 Mana+50 Movement speed Disassemble? Yes Alert allies? Yes Recipe The instead of Power Treads if you are planning to build this.
• Bloodstone makes you tankier and gives much more mana, making you almost unkillable and able to spam your Death Pulse if you stay behind your allies, thanks to the regeneration it provides.
• Scythe of Vyse gives good attributes and mana regeneration. Its disable makes it easier to kill a powerful carry or an annoying support/initiator.
• Shiva`s Guard the armor and the aura will slow the enemy carry`s attack, while its active ability places a slowing debuff on enemies.
• Pipe of Insight gives much more health regeneration and increases your magic resistance.
• Heart of Tarrasque makes you a lot more tanky. A very important item to obtain if the enemy has highly mobile heroes who deal high damage.
• Radiance synergizes well with Heartstopper Aura. Acquiring this will make your presence very strong during teamfights and help keep your lanes clear of enemy creeps.
• Boots of Travel can be bought to make you faster and able to push the lanes more effectively and present in teamfights.
• Octarine Core lowers the cooldown of Necrophos` abilities, allowing him to spam Reaper`s Scythe and Death Pulse. If purchased with Radiance, you will heal every second.
• Lotus Orb if Necrophos finds himself to be a high priority target for the enemy.

Gameplay

Playstyle
Necrophos   Hero   Strategy   Counters   Equipment   Gear   Responses   Sounds   Lore   Old Abilities   Changelogs     Necrophos 16 + 2.3 15 + 1.2 22 + 2.5 Level Base is a strong nuker and tanky hero who is capable of surviving long teamfights and picking off key enemy heroes with Reaper`s Scythe. His Death Pulse is able to heal/damage allies/enemies, Ghost Shroud is able to chase fleeing heroes, and Heartstopper Aura helps harrass enemies in early game. Depending on the build, Necrophos   Hero   Strategy   Counters   Equipment   Gear   Responses   Sounds   Lore   Old Abilities   Changelogs     Necrophos 16 + 2.3 15 + 1.2 22 + 2.5 Level Base can be either heavy nuker, or durable caster.
Pros	Cons
Strong early-mid game Good Str gain Powerful Reaper`s Scythe against Str, low hp and key heroes Strong in long teamfights	Item dependent Low Agi gain and armor Low mobility No escape mechanism

Videos

Info

Hero

Strategy

Counters Play “Many hands make light work.” This article is badly written or needs more information. Please help the community by updating it. Read this formatting guide first.   Hero   Strategy   Counters   Equipment

Equipment   Hero   Strategy   Counters   Equipment   Gear   Responses   Sounds   Lore   Old Abilities   Changelogs     v • d • e Necrophos Equipment (collapse sets)Sets Apostle of Decay Immemorial Emperor Set Lich Master Necromancer Master

Gear   Hero   Strategy   Counters   Equipment   Gear   Responses   Sounds   Lore   Old Abilities   Changelogs     This is a list of cosmetic items that reflects Necrophos s design aesthetics.

Responses   Hero   Strategy   Counters   Equipment   Gear   Responses   Sounds   Lore   Old Abilities   Changelogs     v • d • e  Voice responses Hero responses Abaddon Alchemist Ancient Apparition Anti-Mage Arc Warden Axe Bane

Sounds   Hero   Strategy   Counters   Equipment   Gear   Responses   Sounds   Lore   Old Abilities   Changelogs     v • d • e  Dota 2 Sounds Hero Sounds Abaddon Alchemist Ancient Apparition Anti-Mage Arc Warden Axe

Lore   Hero   Strategy   Counters   Equipment   Gear   Responses   Sounds   Lore   Old Abilities   Changelogs     Rotund jere, the Necrophos In a time of great plague, an obscure monk

Old Abilities   Hero   Strategy   Counters   Equipment   Gear   Responses   Sounds   Lore   Old Abilities   Changelogs     Sadist (6.75–6.88f) EI AbilityPassive AffectsSelf Necrophos gains health and mana regeneration for

Changelogs   Hero   Strategy   Counters   Equipment   Gear   Responses   Sounds   Lore   Old Abilities   Changelogs     Contents 1 Version history 2 Patch history Version history edit] Version Description

Durable Caster

Necrophos is effective when he stands in the middle of a fight. The focus of the build is to spam Death Pulse and help teammates to stay alive. Mekansm   Item   Old Abilities   Changelogs     MekansmB A glowing jewel formed out of assorted parts that somehow fit together perfectly. Cost2375 (900) Bought FromSupport Active Restore Passive Mekansm Aura Bonus +5 Strength+5 and Arcane Boots   Item   Changelogs     Arcane BootsL Magi equipped with these boots are valued in battle. Cost1300 Bought FromSupport Active Replenish Mana Bonus +250 Mana+50 Movement speed Disassemble? Yes Alert allies? Yes Recipe The are common items for Offlane Necrophos. Necrophos should never be the center of attention as he is naturally squishy and can only out survived his opponents when a fight is dragged long enough. The bulid is effective for early 4-5 man pushing. Durable Caster is standard bulid for Necrophos and should be used as the first step of playing Necrophos before considering other styles.

Heavy Nuker

Necrophos can sometimes be played as Heavy Nuker, starting in midlane and building item like Dagon For the cosmetic item equipped by Nyx Assassin, see Nyx Assassin s Dagon.   Item   Changelogs     DagonB A lesser wand that grows in power the longer it is used, it brings magic to and Ethereal Blade   Item   Changelogs     Ethereal Blade A flickering blade of a ghastly nature, it is capable of dealing damage in both magical and physical planes. Cost4700 Bought FromWeapons Active Ether Blast Bonus +10 . Necrophos can nuke an important target with Reaper`s Scythe > Ethereal Blade   Item   Changelogs     Ethereal Blade A flickering blade of a ghastly nature, it is capable of dealing damage in both magical and physical planes. Cost4700 Bought FromWeapons Active Ether Blast Bonus +10 > Dagon For the cosmetic item equipped by Nyx Assassin, see Nyx Assassin s Dagon.   Item   Changelogs     DagonB A lesser wand that grows in power the longer it is used, it brings magic to > Death Pulse combo (Note: Reaper`s Scythe has 1.5 second delay before damaging the target. Thus, all abilities cast after Reaper`s Scythe must be fit within this time window). Heavy Nuker Necrophos can be very aggressive but also extremely squishy as his only way to survive is to make use of Death Pulse by killing his opponents as fast as he can.

Ability Builds

Talents

Hero Talents   Main   Table of Gained Bonuses     The Talent Selection interface. Talents are traits unique to each hero. They are chosen every 5th level starting at level 10, offering a permanent choice between
-1s Death Pulse Cooldown	25	+400 Health
+10% Magic Resistance	20	+5% Spell Amplification
+20 Movement Speed	15	+6 All Stats
+8 Strength Strength is the attribute that grants health and health regeneration. For each point of strength a hero gets: 20 Health 0.06 Health regeneration Additionally, strength heroes also get 1 attack damage per strength point. To	10	+40 Damage

Notes:

• The attack damage is added as bonus attack damage, and therefore does not benefit illusions.

• The magic resistance stacks multiplicatively with other sources of magic resistance.

• Upgrading health increases maximum health capacity and keeps the current health percentage.

General

• Necrophos usually plays as off-lane durable hero.
• Mid Necrophos will turn him into nuker.
• Necrophos is strong in laning stage because of Death Pulse and Heartstopper Aura passives.
• Necrophos is prone to ganks. Make sure not to overextend.
• Prioritize enemy carry or mid when using Reaper`s Scythe.

Death Pulse

• In laning stage, Death Pulse is good for both harrassing enemy hero and getting last hits.
  • Try to get close to enemy hero when using the ability when lasthitting.
  • Make sure to take both last hits and denies, as Necrophos will benefit from Death Pulse`s passive.
  • Death Pulse have a very short casting animation, ideal for lasthitting.
    • consider the Death Pulse 400 projectile speed. Sometimes, Necrophos may miss getting the last hit.
  • In early to mid game, try to conserve using this ability as it will deplete Necrophos` mana very quickly
• Do not use Death Pulse while using Town Portal Scroll   Item   Changelogs     Town Portal ScrollBL What a hero truly needs. Cost50 Bought FromConsumables Active Teleport Charges 1 Disassemble? No Alert allies? No Recipe The Town Portal Scroll is an item purchasable .
• Be sure to heal your allies too using the ability.
• After getting regeneration item, try spamming Death Pulse for its heal to help allies stay alive in teamfight
• More Tips needed

Ghost Shroud

• Use Ghost Shroud when near death to amplify any healing, such as Death Pulse and Mekansm   Item   Old Abilities   Changelogs     MekansmB A glowing jewel formed out of assorted parts that somehow fit together perfectly. Cost2375 (900) Bought FromSupport Active Restore Passive Mekansm Aura Bonus +5 Strength+5 .
  • Ghost Shroud also amplifies any mana recieved. Use it when Arcane Boots   Item   Changelogs     Arcane BootsL Magi equipped with these boots are valued in battle. Cost1300 Bought FromSupport Active Replenish Mana Bonus +250 Mana+50 Movement speed Disassemble? Yes Alert allies? Yes Recipe The is about to be used.
• Use Ghost Shroud to chase down enemy heroes.
• Use Ghost Shroud to dive tower, as it negates physical damages.
• Use Ghost Shroud when expecting physical burst damages, such as Monkey King For the in-game item, see Monkey King Bar.   Hero   Strategy   Counters   Equipment   Gear   Responses   Sounds   Lore   Old Abilities   Changelogs   Known Bugs     Monkey `s Boundless Strike
• Be mindful of Ghost Shroud`s long cooldown.
• Be sensible when using Ghost Shroud.
  • Be sure not to get nuked as Ghost Shroud also amplify any magic damages recieved.
  • Ghost Shroud does not purge any effect Necrophos has.
  • Do not to stack Ghost Shroud with Black King Bar. Time it properly.
  • Do not use Ghost Shroud while using Town Portal Scroll   Item   Changelogs     Town Portal ScrollBL What a hero truly needs. Cost50 Bought FromConsumables Active Teleport Charges 1 Disassemble? No Alert allies? No Recipe The Town Portal Scroll is an item purchasable as it will get canceled. Cast it before using TP.
• More tips needed

Heartstopper Aura

• Early point in Heartstopper Aura will help the laning stage.
  • Investing another point on it may not be worth it as it deals damage based on health Percentage.
  • Take Heartstopper Aura after Death Pulse because Necrophos will be benefitted by Death Pulse more than Heartstopper Aura.
  • Make sure enemy heroes are within the Heartstopper Aura 900 radius.
  • Low @@@#@@@HP(hp.com)###@### creep will likely die to Heartstopper Aura if Necrophos miss the last hit.
• Level up Heartstopper Aura after both Death Pulse and Ghost Shroud are maxed. At that stage of the game, the enemy will likely have larger health pool, making another point in it more effective.
• More tips needed

Reaper`s Scythe

• At level 3, Reaper`s Scythe will kill targets at 40% or less health. Remember to factor in magic resistance from items and abilities before you attempt to execute an enemy Hero with it.
  • The Reaper`s Scythe`s instant-kill health threshold, with the base 25% magic resist factored in, can be calculated by multiplying the enemy max health with the constants: 3/13, 9/29, or 27/67 for each respective level of the ultimate.
• Any kill under Reaper`s Scythe will be credited to Necrophos. Thus, replenishing his mana.
• Reaper`s Scythe`s stun goes through magic immunity, whereas the damage will not.
  • Sometimes you want to save Reaper`s Scythe to stop Channeling Abilities, sush as Enigma   Hero   Strategy   Counters   Equipment   Gear   Responses   Sounds   Lore   Old Abilities   Changelogs     Enigma 17 + 2.4 14 + 1 20 + 3.4 Level Base `s Black Hole 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 `s Dismember or stop enemy from using Town Portal Scroll   Item   Changelogs     Town Portal ScrollBL What a hero truly needs. Cost50 Bought FromConsumables Active Teleport Charges 1 Disassemble? No Alert allies? No Recipe The Town Portal Scroll is an item purchasable .
• Reaper`s Scythe is not a channeling ability, meaning you can move the moment you have cast it.
  • Use it to initiate on an enemy hero to keep them from escaping or using Black King Bar assuming you can cause enough damage in 1.5 seconds window using burst damages, such as Huskar`s Life Break, Lina`s Laguna Blade, Lion`s Finger of Death, Dagon For the cosmetic item equipped by Nyx Assassin, see Nyx Assassin s Dagon.   Item   Changelogs     DagonB A lesser wand that grows in power the longer it is used, it brings magic to or Ethereal Blade   Item   Changelogs     Ethereal Blade A flickering blade of a ghastly nature, it is capable of dealing damage in both magical and physical planes. Cost4700 Bought FromWeapons Active Ether Blast Bonus +10 .
• Cast Reaper`s Scythe on enemy key heroes.
  • Reaper`s Scythe adds additional time to its victim`s respawn timer. In later stages of the game this can prove very important in removing key enemy heroes from the fight for a very long time.
  • The extension of the respawn time will add up and will cause a significant reduction to the enemy`s farm. This will cause heroes who depend on snowballing early like Pudge   Hero   Strategy   Counters   Equipment   Gear   Responses   Sounds   Lore   Old Abilities   Changelogs     Pudge 25 + 3.5 14 + 1.5 14 + 1.5 Level Base or Spectre to become almost useless in mid to late game as their chance to snowball will be greatly reduced.
• More tips needed