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Skills

Each player generally starts with 9-13 skill points, although it's possible to have as few as 5 or as many as 19 in a large game, and sometimes even more if your team is outnumbered.

Each hero is also limited to purchasing 7 active skills, since this is all that will fit onto the command card. Players can purchase as many passive skills as they have skill points for.  They will not appear on the command card, but you can use the chat command "-passives" to see a list of your current passive skills.

Skills are purchasable from four buildings, and are organized by category:

• Combat Skills
• Magical Skills
• Movement Skills
• Special Skills

Combat Skills

Harrowing Hit (1 pt.) 8 Mana Adds 10 bonus damage to an attack against enemies while active, but drains mana with each attack.

Providing a moderate bonus to your attack damage, Harrowing Hit can give you the edge you need to turn a close fight in your favor.  Though it drains your mana pretty quickly, since it only costs 1 skill point, this skill is a good way to convert otherwise unused mana into a combat advantage.

Shield of Regeneration (2 pts.) 30 Mana (15 sec cooldown) Increases the user's armor by 6 and health regeneration by 4 HP/sec, but reduces his attack damage by 40%.  Lasts 15 seconds. Heroes with Titan's Blood gain the bonus armor, but not the bonus regeneration.

Shield of Regeneration provides both protection and healing, but since it also lowers your damage output, it is best used in situations where you don't plan on attacking much anyway.  Use Shield of Regeneration for between-battle healing, to escape from battle, while carrying a Rune, or when taking the brunt of the enemy's damage in a large engagement.  You can also use offensive skills like Rain of Fire or Serpent Wards to deal damage while using Shield of Regeneration.

Berzerk (2 pts.) 15 Mana (8 sec cooldown) Increases the user's attack speed by 50%, but also makes him take 75% increased damage from all attacks.  Lasts 8 seconds.

Since it makes you more vulnerable, Berzerk is best used in situations where you're not under attack, such as when supporting an ally, attacking from outside enemy range, or attacking the enemy altar.  Unless you've taken Sidhe Blood, you can regenerate the full mana cost of Berzerk during the 8 seconds of its duration, so it is possible to use this ability continuously if you aren't paying mana for any other abilities.

Deathblow (4 pts.) 70 Mana (9 sec cooldown) Deals 100 damage to one enemy, and stuns the target for 3 seconds. Short range.

Though very expensive to acquire, Deathblow is generally a very healthy way to finish a fight, and can really take an opponent by surprise. If you use Deathblow when your enemy is at about half health, you can get full effectiveness from the damage and finish off the target while he's still stunned, giving him no chance to react. However, you must be within melee range to use Deathblow, so it is best used on a Brawler.

Critical Strike (2 pts.) Passive Gives a 75% chance to deal 125% of your rated damage with each attack.

Critical Strike is an effective way to increase your combat damage without sacrificing mana or command card slots.

Slow Poison (2 pts.) Passive Adds a poison to your attacks that slows the target's movement by 40% and inflicts 3 damage per second for 5 seconds.

Although the added damage from the poison is nothing to write home about, Slow Poison can be an effective means of hindering an opponent trying to run away, or keeping shorter-range opponents out of range while you score some extra hits.

Feedback (2 pts.) Passive Causes each of your attacks to burn up to 5 of the target's mana, causing 1 damage for each point of mana burnt.

Although this won't instantly take out the target's ability to use mana-costing skills, the mana burn from Feedback can add up fairly quickly and prevent your opponent from using critical abilities late in a battle, like Holy Light or Deathblow. Feedback is most effective on units with fast attacks, but can be used by anyone except Supporters.

Haste (2 pts.) Passive Adds 10 dexterity, thereby increasing attack speed by 20%

Although Haste won't increase your average damage as much on its own as Critical Strike would, Haste is valuable because it combos effectively with other skills that take effect on each attack, such as Harrowing Hit and Feedback.  Haste can also be useful if you already have Critical Strike and want to further boost your damage output. Remember that Haste will have the greatest relative impact on heroes that would otherwise have low dexterity, making it most effective on Snipers, or heroes who also purchase Sylph's Blood.

Titan's Blood (1 pt.) Passive Increases maximum hit points by 120, but also makes the user immune to healing magic.

Titan's Blood provides a cheap way to increase your combat-survival time, but it will make you unable to draw healing from either the Holy Light spell or from Healing Wards. Remember that even if you cannot afford these spells, your allies may have them, and they won't be able to provide you a timely heal if you take this skill.  If you decide to use Titan's Blood, you may also want to purchase Regeneration to help you recover after taking damage. Also consider taking Spirit of the Phoenix, so that you will start with max HP after reviving.

Regeneration (1 pt.) Passive Adds 20 vigor, thereby increasing health regeneration by 2 HP/sec.

If you can't afford healing, or are taking Titan's Blood, Regeneration can be a cheap way to help you recover after a battle, or after reviving, so that you'll be back to combat-readiness more quickly.

Stone Skin (2 pts.) Passive Reduces damage received by 20%.

Stone Skin can make you significantly harder to kill, and is an excellent skill for those expecting to bear the brunt of enemy attacks.

Magical Skills

Faerie Fire (1 pt.) 15 Mana (1 sec cooldown) Reduces the armor of the target unit by 3, and grants vision of that unit for 45 seconds.

A difference of three armor is not a huge swing for purposes of combat, but it can be a noticeable help, allowing you to kill the target with perhaps two or three fewer attacks. The main purpose of Faerie Fire, however, is to track the target, ensuring that he cannot hide, and that if he gets away you will still be able to observe his actions. Consider casting Faerie Fire on enemies who you do not wish to engage.

Rain of Fire (2 pts.) 35 Mana (5 sec cooldown) Calls down 6 waves of fire on the target area over a period of 3 seconds. Each wave deals 20 damage and sets the target on fire, causing 10 damage per second for 3 seconds. Deals reduced damage against the altar.

A potent offensive spell, Rain of Fire can usually deal damage faster than a conventional attack, and even if the target moves out of the way before the spell reaches its full effect, they still suffer the burning damage. As a spell, Rain of Fire also ignores enemy armor, but can be rendered ineffective by Spell Immunity. Note that Rain of Fire is not very effective against the enemy altar; you'll probably want to rely on a conventional attack for that.

Serpent Wards (3 pts.) 50 Mana (1 sec cooldown) Creates an immobile ward that attacks nearby enemies for 11-15 damage every 1.8 seconds. Has 60 hit points, lasts 40 seconds.

Serpent Wards are designed to serve as semi-static defenses, providing combat support or harassing enemy units in the area. You can't count on Serpent Wards to hold off a determined opponent, but they can buy time and provide some extra damage. Serpent Wards aren't as effective a combat spell as Rain of Fire, but if you take Sidhe Blood so you can put 3 or 4 of them up in rapid succession they may very well turn the tide of a battle. Note that Serpent Wards' attacks deal significantly less damage against the altar.

Cripple (3 pts.) 50 Mana (10 sec cooldown) Reduces a target enemy's attack speed and damage by 50% for 10 seconds.

Reducing the effective damage output of the target's attack by about 75%, Cripple can weaken a deadly opponent to the point where he is no longer a significant threat. Though it won't do anything to prevent your target from running away, Cripple can still turn a fight in your favor just as effectively as Deathblow.

Mana Shield (1 pt.) Toggleable While active, absorbs 80% of damage taken to mana, consuming 1 mana for each point of damage absorbed.

Another cheap-and-easy way to put otherwise unused mana to combat use, Mana Shield will extend your life by using your mana as hit points. Note that this will also increase your effective HP regeneration rate, since mana regeneration can be harnessed as well.  If combined with both Regeneration and Clarity, you can get a very substantial combined regeneration rate.

Holy Light (2 pts.) 25 Mana (8 sec cooldown) Instantly restores 75 health to the target.

An excellent spell in general, Holy Light can be used to keep both yourself and allies alive in combat.  With several allies together all casting Holy Light on each other, you can become very difficult to kill.  Holy Light is also very helpful for restoring health after reviving, bringing you back to combat-readiness more quickly.

Healing Ward (2 pts.) 30 Mana (3 sec cooldown) Creates an immobile ward that heals all nearby allies 3% of their maximum health each second for 120 seconds.

Though not generally as useful for combat-healing as the Holy Light spell, Healing Wards are still a great help in combat, and are useful for their ability to heal many allies simultaneously and at low cost.  You can set up Healing Wards in places where allies may need frequent or sustained healing, such as at Resurrection Stones (to heal recently-revived allies), along the path of an ally capturing a Rune of Power, or at the altars--anywhere that injured allies will tend to be.

Invisibility (2 pts.) 25 Mana (No cooldown) Makes the target ally invisible for 30 seconds. Breaks if target attacks, casts a spell, or picks up a Rune.

Invisibility can be used for scouting, planning ambushes, and allowing yourself or allies to escape quickly from combat. The potential for making hit-and-run attacks by becoming invisible when it's time to go should not be underestimated, and you can cause the enemy team serious defensive problems if they never know where you are.  Remember that it is not possible to be invisible while carrying a Rune of Power.

Might to Magic (1 pt.) Toggleable Converts 4 of your health into 4 mana every second while active.

If you just can't seem to get enough mana, Might to Magic may be the skill you need.  Since it lowers your health, it's best used outside of combat, to recover mana after a draining fight or to help pay the mana cost of non-combat spells like Invisibility, Blink, and the various Ward skills.  Might to Magic cannot kill you, but it can weaken you to the point where enemy attacks will kill you easily, so use it carefully.  You might consider combining Might to Magic with Regeneration to help keep your health up.

Sidhe Blood (1 pt.) Passive Increases maximum mana by 120, but also lowers spirit by 10 (lowering mana regeneration by 1 mana/sec).

Sidhe Blood lowers your mana regeneration, preventing you from casting as often on average, but it more than doubles your maximum mana, allowing you to cast many more spells in succession.  The increased maximum mana also has the beneficial side-effect of causing you to start with more mana when you revive, since you start with 50% of your maximum (or 100% with Spirit of the Phoenix). This skill is a must for people who want to use high-cost skills in rapid succession; try using it to cast many Wards in succession, or to use Cripple and Deathblow in the same battle, for example. Remember that you can use Clarity or Might to Magic to help restore your mana if you find your regeneration isn't enough, and if your team can capture the Rune of Energy, that will help a lot as well.

Clarity (2 pts.) Passive Increases spirit by 25, thereby increasing mana regeneration by 2.5 mana/sec.

If you're heavily dependent on spells, and especially if you seem to get into combat constantly, Clarity can be a big help by allowing you to cast more often.  Clarity is a must-buy for anyone who wants to use mana-intensive skills on a regular basis.

Movement Skills

Sprint (1 pt.) 10 Mana (25 sec cooldown) Increases the user's movement speed by 75% for 5 seconds.  Cannot be used while carrying a Rune.

A handy skill both for shortening travel time and outrunning opponents, the Sprint skill is a cheap way to get a quick burst of speed every now and then.  Sprint is not very useful for capturing Runes of Power, since you cannot Sprint while carrying one, but it is very helpful for capturing Resurrection Stones or getting anywhere in a hurry.

Return (1 pt.) 40 Mana (10 sec cooldown) Instantly teleports the user to his team's altar.  Cannot be used while carrying a Rune.

The Return skill allows you to defend your team's altar without the need for staying near it all the time.  Any time you hear a base-under-attack message, just activate Return and you're instantly in place to defend it.  Return can also be useful for escaping from potentially deadly situations, or just for travel, if your destination happens to be near your team's base.

Teleport (2 pts.) 50 Mana (5 sec cooldown) Teleports the user to the location of an allied hero.  Cannot be used while carrying a Rune.

More versatile than Return, Teleport will allow you to teleport anywhere on the map--as long as an ally's already there.  Generally not as useful for saving your base, but Teleport can be very effective for saving your allies, getting yourself out of trouble, or general travel.  However, the ally you teleport to will be briefly disabled when you cast this spell, so exercise a little bit of care about when exactly you Teleport in.

Blink (3 pts.) 30 Mana (10 sec cooldown) Teleports the user a short distance.  Cannot be used while carrying a Rune.

Blink is a very powerful spell, effective both for bypassing obstacles and simply covering distance more quickly, but you will deplete your mana rather quickly if you use it too much.  Blink is also extremely helpful for getting away from enemies, or making hit-and-run attacks.  Watch out for enemies with Flux Cage.

Slow (2 pts.) 20 Mana (1 sec cooldown) Slows the movement speed of an enemy by 50% for 15 seconds.

In terms of sheer annoyance value, Slow is tough to beat.  Fifteen seconds seems like an eternity when you're moving at half your normal speed, and getting Slowed will make it almost impossible either to get away or to chase someone who's running.  Use Slow when you don't want an enemy running off, or cast Slow and then leave yourself--if there's no target within range, your opponent will be forced to move towards some objective, and he'll really feel the pain of his reduced movement.

Ensnare (2 pts.) 45 Mana (1 sec cooldown) Immobilizes one enemy for 4 seconds.

When it's really important to you that an enemy stay exactly where he is, Ensnare is the ability you need.  This is excellent for bombarding an enemy with Rain of Fire, making sure that he can't get within range, or preventing him from fleeing.  It's essentially a more effective version of Slow, but at a greater mana cost for a shorter duration.  Note that Ensnare will still work on opponents with Spell Immunity.

Slow Ward (2 pts.) 35 Mana (3 sec cooldown) Creates an immobile ward which slows the movement of nearby enemies by 35% for 120 seconds.

Slow Wards won't slow enemies as much as the Slow spell, but the two stack quite nicely, and Slow Wards can be used to hinder a whole group of enemies at once.  Placing Slow Wards at bottlenecks all over the map can also seriously hamper the mobility of the enemy team, making it difficult for them to control Resurrection Stones or respond to your team's hit-and-run attacks.

Flux Cage (1 pt.) Passive Prevents nearby enemy units from using any sort of teleportation (1000 range).

Flux Cage is an invaluable spell if your opponents are using Return, Teleport, or Blink more effectively than you'd like. Flux Cage is inexpensive and will disable all forms of teleportation for all nearby enemies, preventing the target from making a quick escape if you want to finish him off.

Race the Hare (2 pts.) Toggleable While active, drains 5 mana/sec and increases movement speed by 35%

This is an excellent way to increase your overall mobility, and is a good way to utilize any extra mana regeneration left in your build.  Race the Hare is particularly useful for carrying the Runes of Power back to your Altar, when most movement skills (sprint and the teleportation skills) are disabled.  Since Race the Hare increases your movement speed by a percentage, it also stacks nicely with Agility and/or Sylph's Blood.

Agility (3 pts.) Passive Increases movement speed by 60.

Agility can be very helpful for providing you that extra edge in mobility to outmaneuver your opponent.  Snipers, in particular, may benefit from it, since it provides the greatest relative increase to their naturally slow speed, and it will allow them to keep up with other heroes who expect to outrun them.  For comparison, +60 movement speed is equivalent to a 20% increase on the Skirmisher or Supporter.  If you want to move really fast, you can take both Agility and Sylph's Blood together.

Sylph's Blood (2 pts.) Passive Increases movement speed by 75, but also decreases dexterity by 10 (lowering attack speed by 20%).

Sylph's Blood provides a significant movement speed boost, and is an excellent skill for anyone not planning to rely much on their attack.  The increased movement speed is extremely helpful for capturing both Resurrection Stones and Runes of Power.  Supporters should almost always buy this skill, since they don't have an attack anyway.  If you really need the movement speed but still want a decent attack speed, you can buy both Sylph's Blood and Haste, but you're probably better off sticking with Agility.

Special Skills

Sacrifice (1 pt.) 5 Mana (5 sec cooldown) Transfers 20 health per second from the caster to a friendly hero the Altar for 5 seconds.  If used on the Altar, the health gained is doubled.

Sacrifice can be used to heal your team's Altar while you are nearby.  It is best combined with other skills to heal yourself, such as Healing Wards, so you can use it more often.  It can also be used to heal an ally in a pinch, but that is generally less helpful.

Divine Location (1 pt.) 15 Mana (8 sec cooldown) Indicates the positions of enemy heroes on the minimap.

If you really want to out-maneuver your opponents, Divine Location is the perfect skill to use.  It will show you the location of every enemy hero on your minimap, allowing you to avoid groups, lay ambushes for opponents venturing alone, and conduct raids on unprotected targets.

Quell Casting (2 pts.) 30 Mana (5 sec cooldown) Prevents an enemy from casting any spells for 10 seconds.

Quell Casting is an excellent way to throw the battle tactics of many enemies into chaos.  Under its effects, enemies will be unable to heal themselves, use offensive magic to attack, or even use Sprint or teleportation to get away, giving you a golden opportunity to fight them without the inconveniences of their tricks.

Steal Power (2 pts.) 50 Mana (10 sec cooldown) Steals a Rune of Power from an enemy hero or base.

Steal Power will allow you to walk off with a rune the enemy was trying to take to their altar without the hassle of killing its current carrier.  More importantly, Steal Power is the only way to get your hands on a Rune after the enemy has returned it to their base, instantly depriving them of its bonuses and (if you can get it all the way back to your altar) bestowing them upon your own team.  Supporters are granted the Steal Power ability automatically, at no cost.

Sentry Ward (1 pt.) 15 Mana (No cooldown) Creates an invisible, immobile ward which grants vision of an area and reveals invisible units for 120 seconds.

Though useful for secretly keeping an eye on various locations of the map, the most important function of Sentry Wards is probably to detect invisible enemies.  Sentry Wards can give an enemy a serious fright when he thinks he can't be seen, and can allow you to make short work of any opponents trying to use invisibility to conduct hit-and-run attacks.  Since they're invisible themselves, enemies usually can't detect them to destroy them, so you can usually get the full duration out of Sentry Wards.

True Sight (1 pt.) Passive Allows you to see invisible enemies, at a distance of up to 900.

This can be very frustrating for enemies trying to use Shadow Dance.

Sniper's Sight (1 pt.) Passive Increases sight range by 400.

This is especially useful for Snipers, since their attack range is greater than their normal sight range.  This will allow Snipers to attack from maximum range without having an ally spot for them.

Shadow Dance (4 pts.) Passive Makes the user invisible at all times, except for 3 seconds after attacking or casting a spell, or while carrying a Rune.

If you plan on becoming Invisible a lot, it may not be worth paying the mana cost of the Invisibility spell.  Shadow Dance will cause you to become invisible automatically whenever you're not attacking or casting, making hit-and-run tactics extremely easy to execute.  Remember that you cannot be invisible while carrying a Rune of Power.

Vampire's Blood (2 pts.) Passive Causes you to revive after only half the usual delay, but the Resurrection Stone at which you revive is chosen randomly.

This can be helpful for anyone, but is especially helpful if you plan on making suicide charges, or if you use a skill like Teleport to move around, so that it doesn't matter where you revive  You might want to consider also purchasing Spirit of the Phoenix so that you won't need time to recover after your fast revive.

Spirit of the Phoenix (2 pts.) Passive Causes you to have full health and mana when you revive, rather than half.

This can be helpful for anyone, but is especially helpful if you plan on making suicide charges, or if you don't have much regeneration or healing.

Spell Immunity (4 pts.) Passive Renders you immune to all magic.

This renders you immune to beneficial spells as well as harmful ones, so it combos nicely with Titan's Blood.  Spell Immunity will protect you from a lot of nasty effects that your opponents can inflict on you, but it carries a hefty cost.