Steelb_l_ade
07-04-2008, 13:31
~Dark Rider Powers~
Death Wave Information
Death Wave gives the Dark Rider the ability to unleash an unholy swarm of energy in a chosen direction. The swarm travels in a straight line from the Dark Rider with a fairly small but deadly Area of Effect. Any unit caught in this area will take damage as the swarm passes. The longer a unit is kept under the Death Wave the more damage it will take and if timed correctly Death Wave can deal heavy amounts of damage to single units. Death Wave does not damage allied units which makes it very beneficial to have in team games. The damage dealt by the Death Wave and its range increases with levels which at level four is a powerful weapon to have in your arsenal. Death Wave can be difficult to target as it travels fairly slowly and it takes practice to use it to its maximum effect. It works best to cast at short range rather than clicking a long distance away as this leads to mis-targetting, instead target just in front of your hero in the direction you want the wave to go.
As Death Wave travels in a straight line it is best when targeting multiple units to try and cast the ability with the targets in a line as close to you as possible to achieve the maximum effect. This can be used to great effect with creeping if sufficient skill points are placed in it and the creeps are lead away from the spawn points (to get them in a line) and then the spell is cast to hit all the oncoming units as they approach.
Counters
Death Wave itself has no direct counter. An effective way to avoid taking damage when confronted with Death Wave is to move from side to side in respect to the Dark Rider whenever possible and to not travel in straight lines. This will make him more likely to miss-cast if targeting you. When he does cast it be sure not to run in a direct line following the path of the wave or you are likely to receive high damage. The damage dealt by Death Wave can be reduced by having items that reduce magic damage such as the Silver Seal, Blessed Armour, Talisman of Obsidian or magic armour with the Magical Resistance Upgrade. Since Death Wave is not directly targeted at a unit it cannot be blocked completely with Spellshatter Armour.
Consume Magic Information
Consume Magic allows the Dark Rider to drain the magic energy in a targeted area. This removes all positive and negative buff spells and deals heavy damage to summoned units. To add insult to injury it will also burn off mana from any enemy units in the area. Consume Magic is not a very effective spell against creeps as early creeps will have few caster abilities or mana making it a bad early choice. It is advisable to start pumping skill points into it just before heavy Player vs Player combat begins. (Prior to attacking a Titan or just before the Ritual mini-game) Consume Magic is a great spell for the Ritual of the Gods mini-game or titan battles where there are likely to be groups of enemy units tightly grouped. Try and single out the better buffs to consume or the heroes more dependant on mana and remember damage will be dealt to any enemy summoned units in the target area. The damage dealt to summoned units and mana burned will increase dramatically with higher levels so if you are against a summoner hero like the Death Mage or Arcane Summoner be sure to boost its level to increase its effectiveness.
Counters
Consume Magic's mana burning effect can be blocked by Spellshatter Armour and the Disruptor's Magic Resistance ability. If your team depends heavily on summoned units or mana based abilities be sure to keep as much distance between you and any allied units as possible without sacrificing too much of your position. The same goes for any summoned units, spread out your forces and leave the Dark Rider no choice but a single target.
For summoning heroes summon your weakest summons first and as a team don't activate all buffs at once. By staggering the use of summons and buffs it drastically reduces the effectiveness of Consume Magic. Consume Magic's mana cost is very high meaning the Dark Rider will not be able to cast it many times without sacrificing his other high damage powers. As the Dark Rider relies heavily on having plenty of mana to be effective in battle this will render him far less dangerous. If he is forced to use his Consume on a single target it will drain more of the Dark Rider's mana than the target making it a non-viable choice.
Unholy Sustenance Information
Unholy Sustenance converts mana from the Dark Rider into health. This is a channelling spell which will completely immobilise the Dark Rider when activated until it is deactivated. If the Dark Rider is stunned or moves or attacks it will interrupt this spell. Though this would make it seemingly useless while in a close quarter fight there are still good uses for it. A powerful combo for Unholy Sustenance can be to cast the Curse of Doom on an enemy hero in a duel or single combat situation and if he is closer to killing you than the Curse is from counting down then Unholy Sustenance can be used to keep you alive those vital few seconds longer and in turn allow you to win you the fight by killing them with the Curse. Another good use for this spell is to use it to top up health between fights and when creeping so less trips back to base to heal are necessary allowing you to creep faster and remain on the Ritual Altar longer. It also allows you to effectively convert Potions of Mana into extra health when needed.
Counters
Unholy Sustenance can be interrupted by other spells that stun or immobilise the Dark Rider. Another useful tip against this spell is to simply be doing more damage to the Rider than he is recovering, forcing him into a losing situation. Always be sure to pursue a Dark Rider when he has relatively low health in the hope you will catch him in his immobilised state or at least prevent him using it effectively to return to the fight.
Curse of Doom Information
The Curse of Doom certainly lives up to its name and has the power to instantly kill units. However like all truly powerful spells Curse of Doom has some major drawbacks and can backfire upon the caster's team horribly. Once the curse is targeted at a unit it has but little time to live. A timer will appear above its head showing how long until the curse takes effect, tearing its soul from it, killing it instantly regardless of factors. The Curse can however be passed on to other units in the game by the cursed unit simply attacking them including reflecting it back onto the Dark Rider's allies(!) which will free the initial target of it. There is no limit to the amount of time the curse can be passed backwards and forwards but the timer does not reset with each transfer and it cannot be transferred to titans, summonables, the Dark Rider or any other units the cursed unit has under his control such as skeleton summonables. So although this spell has the potential to be one of the most devastating ultimates the timing and surroundings you use it in are vital for it being effective. As the curse can be passed to creeps try and refrain from using it anywhere too near a creep camp or the target will simply pass it off to a creep and retreat. In Ritual games and battles over Titans try and cast it on slower moving melee attackers as this will give your allies the best chance to retreat before the hero can pass it on to one of them. As the Dark Rider himself is immune to the curse try and keep the cursed unit busy for as long as possible, slowing them with Gladiator's Nets and stunning them with items such as Storm Hammers. Combining curse with Cold or Bash enhanced weapons often works well to restrict your targets movements reducing their chances of making it to another unit and lowering their chances of passing the curse onto another target. For the ultimate effectiveness combine Curse of Doom with the Black Staff to minimise an enemies chance of survival. A particularly dirty trick is to cast the Curse of Doom upon an ally just before entering PvP combat, wait until the timer is on one or two seconds and then quickly transfer it to an enemy hero giving them only 1 or 2 seconds to get rid of it. This is of course very risky as if the enemy manages to stun or slow the cursed ally in time it will kill them instead!
Counters
The Curse of Doom's initial cast cannot be blocked. The Curse can however be passed on to other units in the game by the cursed unit simply attacking them including reflecting it back onto the Dark Rider's allies(!) which will free the initial target of it. There is no limit to the amount of time the curse can be passed backwards and forwards but the timer does not reset with each transfer and it cannot be transferred to titans, summons, the Dark Rider or any other units the coursed unit has under his control such as skeleton summonables so if you are unfortunate enough to be cursed react quickly and make a dash for the nearest non-summoned unit and attack it. This will pass the curse on to that unit and you will no longer be effected when the timer depletes. If the choice presents itself pass the curse to a melee unit rather than a ranged one as this will give you more chance of retreating and prevent you being re-cursed. Another method of surviving the curse is to simply kill the Dark Rider. If he dies before the curse expires it ends with no effect. With careful planning and some skilful countering the Curse of Doom can be as devastating against its own team than the enemies.
Death Wave Information
Death Wave gives the Dark Rider the ability to unleash an unholy swarm of energy in a chosen direction. The swarm travels in a straight line from the Dark Rider with a fairly small but deadly Area of Effect. Any unit caught in this area will take damage as the swarm passes. The longer a unit is kept under the Death Wave the more damage it will take and if timed correctly Death Wave can deal heavy amounts of damage to single units. Death Wave does not damage allied units which makes it very beneficial to have in team games. The damage dealt by the Death Wave and its range increases with levels which at level four is a powerful weapon to have in your arsenal. Death Wave can be difficult to target as it travels fairly slowly and it takes practice to use it to its maximum effect. It works best to cast at short range rather than clicking a long distance away as this leads to mis-targetting, instead target just in front of your hero in the direction you want the wave to go.
As Death Wave travels in a straight line it is best when targeting multiple units to try and cast the ability with the targets in a line as close to you as possible to achieve the maximum effect. This can be used to great effect with creeping if sufficient skill points are placed in it and the creeps are lead away from the spawn points (to get them in a line) and then the spell is cast to hit all the oncoming units as they approach.
Counters
Death Wave itself has no direct counter. An effective way to avoid taking damage when confronted with Death Wave is to move from side to side in respect to the Dark Rider whenever possible and to not travel in straight lines. This will make him more likely to miss-cast if targeting you. When he does cast it be sure not to run in a direct line following the path of the wave or you are likely to receive high damage. The damage dealt by Death Wave can be reduced by having items that reduce magic damage such as the Silver Seal, Blessed Armour, Talisman of Obsidian or magic armour with the Magical Resistance Upgrade. Since Death Wave is not directly targeted at a unit it cannot be blocked completely with Spellshatter Armour.
Consume Magic Information
Consume Magic allows the Dark Rider to drain the magic energy in a targeted area. This removes all positive and negative buff spells and deals heavy damage to summoned units. To add insult to injury it will also burn off mana from any enemy units in the area. Consume Magic is not a very effective spell against creeps as early creeps will have few caster abilities or mana making it a bad early choice. It is advisable to start pumping skill points into it just before heavy Player vs Player combat begins. (Prior to attacking a Titan or just before the Ritual mini-game) Consume Magic is a great spell for the Ritual of the Gods mini-game or titan battles where there are likely to be groups of enemy units tightly grouped. Try and single out the better buffs to consume or the heroes more dependant on mana and remember damage will be dealt to any enemy summoned units in the target area. The damage dealt to summoned units and mana burned will increase dramatically with higher levels so if you are against a summoner hero like the Death Mage or Arcane Summoner be sure to boost its level to increase its effectiveness.
Counters
Consume Magic's mana burning effect can be blocked by Spellshatter Armour and the Disruptor's Magic Resistance ability. If your team depends heavily on summoned units or mana based abilities be sure to keep as much distance between you and any allied units as possible without sacrificing too much of your position. The same goes for any summoned units, spread out your forces and leave the Dark Rider no choice but a single target.
For summoning heroes summon your weakest summons first and as a team don't activate all buffs at once. By staggering the use of summons and buffs it drastically reduces the effectiveness of Consume Magic. Consume Magic's mana cost is very high meaning the Dark Rider will not be able to cast it many times without sacrificing his other high damage powers. As the Dark Rider relies heavily on having plenty of mana to be effective in battle this will render him far less dangerous. If he is forced to use his Consume on a single target it will drain more of the Dark Rider's mana than the target making it a non-viable choice.
Unholy Sustenance Information
Unholy Sustenance converts mana from the Dark Rider into health. This is a channelling spell which will completely immobilise the Dark Rider when activated until it is deactivated. If the Dark Rider is stunned or moves or attacks it will interrupt this spell. Though this would make it seemingly useless while in a close quarter fight there are still good uses for it. A powerful combo for Unholy Sustenance can be to cast the Curse of Doom on an enemy hero in a duel or single combat situation and if he is closer to killing you than the Curse is from counting down then Unholy Sustenance can be used to keep you alive those vital few seconds longer and in turn allow you to win you the fight by killing them with the Curse. Another good use for this spell is to use it to top up health between fights and when creeping so less trips back to base to heal are necessary allowing you to creep faster and remain on the Ritual Altar longer. It also allows you to effectively convert Potions of Mana into extra health when needed.
Counters
Unholy Sustenance can be interrupted by other spells that stun or immobilise the Dark Rider. Another useful tip against this spell is to simply be doing more damage to the Rider than he is recovering, forcing him into a losing situation. Always be sure to pursue a Dark Rider when he has relatively low health in the hope you will catch him in his immobilised state or at least prevent him using it effectively to return to the fight.
Curse of Doom Information
The Curse of Doom certainly lives up to its name and has the power to instantly kill units. However like all truly powerful spells Curse of Doom has some major drawbacks and can backfire upon the caster's team horribly. Once the curse is targeted at a unit it has but little time to live. A timer will appear above its head showing how long until the curse takes effect, tearing its soul from it, killing it instantly regardless of factors. The Curse can however be passed on to other units in the game by the cursed unit simply attacking them including reflecting it back onto the Dark Rider's allies(!) which will free the initial target of it. There is no limit to the amount of time the curse can be passed backwards and forwards but the timer does not reset with each transfer and it cannot be transferred to titans, summonables, the Dark Rider or any other units the cursed unit has under his control such as skeleton summonables. So although this spell has the potential to be one of the most devastating ultimates the timing and surroundings you use it in are vital for it being effective. As the curse can be passed to creeps try and refrain from using it anywhere too near a creep camp or the target will simply pass it off to a creep and retreat. In Ritual games and battles over Titans try and cast it on slower moving melee attackers as this will give your allies the best chance to retreat before the hero can pass it on to one of them. As the Dark Rider himself is immune to the curse try and keep the cursed unit busy for as long as possible, slowing them with Gladiator's Nets and stunning them with items such as Storm Hammers. Combining curse with Cold or Bash enhanced weapons often works well to restrict your targets movements reducing their chances of making it to another unit and lowering their chances of passing the curse onto another target. For the ultimate effectiveness combine Curse of Doom with the Black Staff to minimise an enemies chance of survival. A particularly dirty trick is to cast the Curse of Doom upon an ally just before entering PvP combat, wait until the timer is on one or two seconds and then quickly transfer it to an enemy hero giving them only 1 or 2 seconds to get rid of it. This is of course very risky as if the enemy manages to stun or slow the cursed ally in time it will kill them instead!
Counters
The Curse of Doom's initial cast cannot be blocked. The Curse can however be passed on to other units in the game by the cursed unit simply attacking them including reflecting it back onto the Dark Rider's allies(!) which will free the initial target of it. There is no limit to the amount of time the curse can be passed backwards and forwards but the timer does not reset with each transfer and it cannot be transferred to titans, summons, the Dark Rider or any other units the coursed unit has under his control such as skeleton summonables so if you are unfortunate enough to be cursed react quickly and make a dash for the nearest non-summoned unit and attack it. This will pass the curse on to that unit and you will no longer be effected when the timer depletes. If the choice presents itself pass the curse to a melee unit rather than a ranged one as this will give you more chance of retreating and prevent you being re-cursed. Another method of surviving the curse is to simply kill the Dark Rider. If he dies before the curse expires it ends with no effect. With careful planning and some skilful countering the Curse of Doom can be as devastating against its own team than the enemies.