Contents
He's back, and he's as ugly and fat as ever.
Strength: 25 + 3.2
Agility: 14 + 1.5
Intelligence: 14 + 1.5
625 hp
182 mana
52-58 damage
1 armor
285 movespeed
1.7 base attack time
Attack range of 128 (melee)
Pudge's Hero Page
Pros
So, you may be thinking, Pudge has a lot of downsides. Am I sure I want to play him? I'm not going to lie. Pudge isn't a top pick in leagues, and he isn't easy. But he remains one of the most satisfying heroes to play, and I believe he still can fill a role in anything less than the most competitive matches.
2. Abilities
Meat Hook [T]
Launches a bloody hook at a unit or location. The hook will snag the first target encounters, dealing damage then dragging the victim back to the Butcher. Costs 110/120/130/140 mana, cooldown of 14/13/12/11.
Level 1 - 550 range, 90 damage.
Level 2 - 700 range, 180 damage.
Level 3 - 850 range, 270 damage.
Level 4 - 1000 range, 360 damage.
Notes:
- pure damage type
- Inflicts a mini-stun on enemies
- Passes through trees, cliffs, buildings and siege creeps
- Can hit allies; allies will not be damaged or stunned, only pulled by the hook
- Hits invisible units
Rot [R]
Pudge releases the disease and filth inside of him, dealing intense damage to and slowing surrounding enemies while hurting Pudge as well.
Level 1 - 25 damage/second.
Level 2 - 50 damage/second.
Level 3 - 75 damage/second.
Level 4 - 100 damage/second.
Notes:
- Magical damage type
- Can be turned on mid-Dismember
- Can't be turned off if you are silenced!
- You can kill yourself with this ability
- Hits invisible units
Flesh Heap [F]
Pudge is made of innumerable rotting corpses, giving him extra protection against spells as well as adding more to his bulk based on hero kills occurring around him (450 AoE).
Level 1 - 4% magic reduction, 0.9 Str bonus per kill.
Level 2 - 8% magic reduction, 1.2 Str bonus per kill.
Level 3 - 12% magic reduction, 1.5 Str bonus per kill.
Level 4 - 16% magic reduction, 1.8 Str bonus per kill.
Notes:
- Spell resistance stacks with items
- Pudge gains strength from his hero kills, and from any hero that dies within 450 AoE
- Now works retroactively
Dismember [D]
Chows down on a target, causing excruciating pain.
Lasts 3 seconds (on heroes) at all levels.
Channeling.
Level 1 - 75 (75 + 0.75 * strength) damage/second.
Level 2 - 125 (125 + 0.75 * strength) damage/second.
Level 3 - 175 (175 + 0.75 * strength) damage/second.
Notes:
- Magical damage type
- Disable works on magic immune heroes (damage does not)
- Will continue to hold + damage a hero if they become invisible mid-spell
- Requires channeling
- Upgradeable with Aghanim's Scepter to increase damage (upgrade values shown in parentheses)
- Scepter upgrade causes Dismember to heal Pudge for an equal amount
- Mana cost of 100/130/170, cooldown of 30 seconds
3. Skill Build
4. Item Build
Basic start
Ancient Tango of Essifation x2
Gauntlet of Strength x2
Ironwood Branch x2
This is a solid start. Tangos give you the ability to stay in lane long enough to get your Bottle (hopefully). Gauntlets and Branches help you last hit, and the Gauntlets can either be sold later or used for an Urn of Shadows (or a Bracer if you prefer).
You can get extra Branches instead of one of the Gauntlets (i.e. if you think you will go Magic Wand).
You can also replace one set of Tangos with a Healing Flask if you prefer (I do this for solo middle).
I choose not to open with Bottle because a naked Bottle is inferior. You don't need the mana it provides early on, and if you don't leave lane to get Runes it will only provide 405 hit points versus 690 on the Tangos. The Gauntlets add survivability as well, and more importantly damage for last hits, and will be used in Bracers eventually so the starting build isn't a total waste.
If you buy a Chicken (or Crow recipe for an ally's Chicken), get a Tango, a Flask and either 3-4 Branches or a Gauntlet and a Branch.
If you're soloing mid and no one on your team has a Chicken, you will need to buy one.
Core Items
Empty Bottle
Boots of Speed
(Optional Magic Wand)
(Optional Urn of Shadows)
(Very Optional Bracer)
Hood of Defiance
Observer Wards
Khadgar's Pipe of Insight
Shiva's Guard
Aghanim's Scepter
These are outside the realm of what you will be able to farm in most games, but are worth mentioning just in case. Pudge isn't a carry hero and shouldn't try to be one, but I guess anything's possible in public games, right?
Khadgar's Pipe is a great addition against caster teams. It can really turn the tide of a team fight, giving Pudge a great way to contribute.
Shiva's is a sensible choice but very difficult to farm. You have Hood + Heap for magic resistance, and you'll get raw hit points from the strength gained with Heap, so getting armor and an anti-attacker aura is useful. You don't have a ton of mana to use Shiva's, but the item itself gives mana - 30 int, I believe, works out to 390 mana, enough to cast Shiva's twice without issue - this is plenty.
Aghanim's Scepter merits a mention here as well. It gives good survivability and mana, and of course adds some damage to your combo. Basically functions similarly to Shiva, but the heal and easier build-up makes it slightly superior for pubstomps or games where you can't save more than 1200 gold. (This means it's hard to find middle-ground games in which you can actually get a Shiva's, but I maintain that it's an excellent item in theory.)
Boots of Travel are also decent luxury now, if you think they will help. Depends on the game, really. Usually I don't find myself buying them.
Note for Aegis - If your team kills Roshan, please let your carry hero have the Aegis. Don't take it.
Other Tank Items? Not Really...
Vanguard
Heart of Tarrasque
Vanguard is nice but often simply unnecessary. It was nerfed but is still a strong item - but you'd usually do better getting other items.
Heart has been added to this list as of the 6.63 patch, in which its regeneration was changed to only function out of combat. The item admittedly is still useful, but obviously less so, especially as you cannot use the regeneration to offset Rot's damage. Prefer a Scepter or Shiva's.
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Also, I guess I'll address a few other items. Dagon? Bad. What else would crazy people buy? Necrobook? Only in very rare cases. I shouldn't even need to explain these, although Necrobook could potentially be useful. I don't have a strong argument against the Book, other than it's kind of tricky to use and rather a situational item, so use at your own discretion. I think the luxury items I listed are just as effective.
I had a request for Arcane Ring, so...briefly...this item is not a good choice. If you have a team that would benefit greatly from the ring, one of them will farm it instead. You can't afford the high price on this item. Bottle provides plenty of mana. Arcane is rarely seen at any level of play, even on the heroes it's supposedly good on. Somehow it's just a lot better in theory than it is in practice. In short, you just don't need that much mana so it's not worth it.
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Spell resistance on items and Flesh Heap
Resistance with Planeswalker's Cloak - 36.25%
Resistance with Flesh Heap (max) - 37%
Resistance with Cloak and Flesh Heap - 46.4%
Resistance with only Hood - 47.25%
Resistance with Hood and Flesh Heap - 55.9%
5. Walkthrough Strategy:
Pudge's role is that of the assassin-support-tank, a rather unique role. He is a ganking predator for a large part of the game, then becomes an initiator support Hero that uses Hook to take out dangerous enemy Heroes before the team fights actually start. He can also help tank in a long game.
Early game ~ Levels 1-7
Depending on the enemy lineup, your lineup and your confidence, you may actually be able to solo mid. I've seen it done in high end games, and I do it all the time when I play nowadays. Having an early experience advantage is very helpful, and mid is a lane where you can usually compete by playing carefully and using your high base damage and decent attack animation to get last hits. However, there are better solo heroes than Pudge, and some enemies will present very challenging match-ups.
In any event, get last hits whenever you can. That's how early game works, kids.
You (and your ally, if sharing a lane) should feel free to get aggressive if you feel you have the advantage or have a strong lane ally to help you. Chase with Rot, whack them when ally stuns, hit a short-range lower-level Hook, try for a kill. Simple stuff. Since 6.65, lower-level Hook is better (thank you, IceFrog) so you can actually be slightly better than useless in a dual lane.
If you're soloing mid, try to use the positioning to your advantage and you may be able to do some harassment and eventual kill with a good Hook or at least gain enough advantage that you can run up with Rot for harassment effect. The key to a good solo mid lane is blocking the creeps in the beginning to keep the fighting near your tower, where you want it.
Mid game ~ Levels 7-14
I usually leave my lane at level 6 or 7. I really prefer to have Hook maxed out, but sometimes you have to leave early and try for a kill somewhere. If there's free farm to be had, though, I'll stay through level 7 for sure until an ally can pick up the lane.
Now run around the map ganking enemies. You aren't the king of the world, though, so make sure you involve your allies. Pudge can solo kill if you execute it perfectly on a low-hp hero or a non-strength hero who didn't buy Bracers, but it's just much, much easier to bring your allies. If they get the kill, that's fine. You don't need the extra cash.
(If your enemies are lower level, it's a lot easier to get solo kills. That's why solo is nice on Pudge if you can pull it off. Otherwise you need to do ganks which is a pain.)
Don't sit in a lane after this point. Carry TP scrolls and save towers / farm waves that way, or do a neutral camp if it's nearby and you have a Rune to waste, but remember that farming is NOT a priority for you.
Also, make sure to repeatedly kill a dangerous late-game hero that quietly farms - i.e. the other team's carry. It's often easy to overlook these heroes and you'll pay later on for ignoring them.
Support your allies. Use Hook + Dismember to instantly take out the most dangerous enemy before a team fight starts (it's hard to expect your combo alone to kill them at this point in the game, but your allies can pound the enemy hero during the 3 second Dismember), giving you a quick advantage. It's important to know who that is. It can often be someone with an AoE ulti or AoE disable, like Enigma or CM. Or, it could be the enemy team's carry hero - the Clinkz/Viper/whoever that spent all game farming and deals 500 damage per hit. He's a terrific choice because, like the name suggests, he's supposed to be carrying his team. If he's dead right off the bat, the enemy team will lose. Another way to think about it is to imagine all possible groups of 4 enemy heroes and leave the least dangerous foursome alone.
The most important thing is to Hook SOMEONE, though, if the positioning is advantageous for your team. Sometimes you will only have an opportunity to Hook one Hero who is NOT the carry or anything, but do it anyway. 5v4 is really good. Ater you do this Hook and quick kill, the enemy team will often not sit back and defend at a tower, but charge in to try to save their ally. This is to your advantage; your team should win the fight unless you have been outfarmed / outplayed prior to this point.
Incidentally, you often won't level past 18 or so. Hence the 14-18. If you level more, then good for you. Have a cookie. Unless you're playing -em.
In a very long game, you may be able to tank for your team. Tanking is really easy because you don't have to do any work, so I won't talk about it. Use Rot if you can, but it has a small radius so don't get in too far trying to get yourself in melee range of enemies.
Moving on.
6. Specific Strategy:
This is where you find out exactly how to kill a hero, as well as use your skills more effectively.
Chasing - As mentioned in the Early Game section, Rot can be used to chase a running hero while causing damage. There is an excellent tactic you can use when doing this. Rot slows by 20%, so you can quickly run next to or slightly ahead of the running hero and attack them once. During this time they will push back in front, but will still be under the effects of Rot. Do not attack a second time, but instead continue chasing until you are level with them again and can attack again. This is an easy way of increasing overall chase damage dealt.
Ganking - Rot is also very good for ganking enemies. You can continually slow the target hero while your allies pound him. Just remember not to attack unless you've moved slightly AHEAD of the enemy hero (or unless you have Phase Boots and he's slow), or else he might get out of range. It may be best to just run level with him to keep him slowed for your team.
Farming - Rot SHOULD be used to farm. I didn't think it was worthwhile in the past, but it is, especially with the advent of LC and lag-free games. It can give your last-hitting that little extra punch early on. Just tap it on right BEFORE you attack, then tap it off when your attack lands.
You can also counter-push a lane with some quick Rot action to defend a tower and make some quick cash if your carry hero can't make it there at the time. (Don't steal creeps from your carry unless you absolutely need that creep to finish an item.)
With Hood, you can go nuts with the Rot-farm if you want. Really nice on neutrals; frequently I'll go up to a Centaur camp, turn on Rot, and Dismember the big guy. They both die.
Suiciding - Rot can also be used to Suicide. If you're in trouble and think you're going to die, try turning on Rot, timing it just right so that Rot kills you instead of the enemy. This denies them gold and experience and also frustrates them. Plus, it maintains any kill streak you had.
Caution - Doom and Silence prevent you from turning off Rot. If you are caught with Rot on when one of these skills is cast upon you, it can mean taking a LOT of extra damage and dying in a situation in which you would otherwise have easily lived. I recommend not using Rot at all when fighting a Doombringer with his ulti up, unless you are sure he is going to be silenced or disabled and unable to Doom you.
It's Not Difficult To Use A Passive
Combination - Dismember is a basic element in your bread-and-butter combo of Meat Hook + Rot + Dismember. While chasing with Rot, you can Dismember for bonus damage, making your kill easier and, if used to finish them off, can deny the chance to stun you or Sunder you or something awful. Dismember is also terrific in team situations, providing 3 full seconds for your allies to beat up on the unfortunate hero.
Pierces Magic Immune - Dismember goes through magic immunity. It doesn't deal damage, but it does hold the hero for 3 seconds. Extremely useful in team situations when an enemy has magic immunity.
Casting Range - Dismember's casting range isn't actually melee. It's slightly longer. Why is this important? Well, it means you can Dismember a hero that isn't RIGHT next to you. This can be useful if you're trying to land Dismember for allies or something, but it can also be very bad if you are trying to hurt them with Rot because they will be out of range. If you do Dismember them out of Rot range, please notice that they aren't being hurt by Rot and turn Rot off to save yourself some hit points. But it would be better if you didn't Dismember them out of Rot range in the first place. So, try to chase a little extra with Rot before Dismembering so they will definitely be in proper range. Also, if you Hook an enemy (and they don't have Blink or a disable of some kind) give an order to chase for a second with Rot just to make sure you stay close to them while you are hitting the hotkey for Dismember.
Caution - Don't Dismember Roshan. It does practically nothing to him. And "Mmm, Fresh Meat" can actually be a tip-off to the other team and they will be there before your allies even get a chance to yell at you for being so foolish. That really happened to me once. It was unpleasant.
I will break down this section into subsections for easy reference.
Basic Hook Combo
You need fast fingers to pull off your combination. After you Hook, while the Hook is coming back to you, turn on Rot. This is important. Turn on Rot before Hook is done. After the enemy Hero is reeled in, chase him for a second with Rot on to make sure he'll be in Rot's range for the whole Dismember (assuming he won't blink away or anything). Then, Dismember the (probably disoriented) hero. If it doesn't kill him, you can chase with Rot for the finish. If the enemy has a disable and a decent amount of hit points and is likely to survive Dismember, stun you and escape, bring an ally along or be prepared to Hook a second time.
Hooking Stationary Enemies
This is relatively easy to do. The enemy isn't moving! They need to be unsuspecting for this to happen, so usually you need to sneak up on them through the forest when they're in a lane to get one of these, although it can also work if they are distracted by, say, an ally of yours that they are fighting.
Hooking Moving Enemies
This is why Pudge is especially fun to play. Hooking moving enemies requires you to THINK, and I love thinking.
7. Screenshots
Contents of Screenshots Section
1. Hook Mechanics - Moving Heroes
2. Lane Positions - Mid lane
3. Lane Positions - Bottom lane
4. Lane Positions - Top lane
5. Hook Information - What is the Maximum Range? How much is 1000 units?
6. Hook Information - Small AoE on Hook
7. Hook Mechanics - Blind Hooks
8. Hook Utility - Saving Allies
It's in a spoiler for now...clean up the guide's appearance a bit if you don't want to see them...if you can't read the spoilers, find the thread for the guide.
1. Moving Heroes
I'm going to start the Screenshot section with a perfect segue from my discussion of Meat Hook. I have assembled a few screenshots related to a particular Hook I made on a particular Spectre who was chasing a particularly Lich-like ally of mine. I did a little work in Paint and I think the results will be pleasant.
Spectre is chasing my allied Lich into the tower. Lich is moving slowly and Spectre is moving quickly because she has used Spectral Dagger, and another hit or two will finish off the Lich.
I am in position to Hook, and I have some options. Here is what some people would do:
Notice that I have drawn Spectre's movement arrow. She is moving. This potential Hook is aimed at her current location, but by the time it gets there she will be farther along and it will miss.
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This is a better guess.
It looks good, but it's still not far enough ahead of the Hero. Don't forget that Spectre is moving especially quickly because of her Dagger, so this Hook will definitely miss.
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This is the correct place to aim Hook:
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And here is the actual Hook, for comparison.
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Here's another example of this.
Notice how I aimed my hook at the red circle ahead of the Dragon Knight.
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2. Mid Lane Positions
Here are a few spots I like to hook from in the mid lane.
This one is probably the most common Sentinel hooking spot ever. Notice the easy hook on Spirit Breaker in the middle lane. It's a great spot, but people will probably expect it - so you should move around to different angles in the middle lane. However, if you're on Scourge, people will expect it less. I recommend using it more often when playing as Scourge.
If you need other spots, though, you could go from the cliffs on the left side instead of the right side. Or you could go from the little alcove area around the Gnolls. (This one is tricky because you don't have sight on the heroes in the lane. You'll want to put an Observer Ward in the lane to remedy that.) You don't need screenshots to show you which spots I'm talking about.
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Here's another good spot in mid lane. This one is while I was playing as Scourge, but it works just as easily as Sentinel. The enemy heroes will simply be facing the other way. It's a little harder as Sentinel just because the enemy hero's allies could pin you in because you're on the wrong side of the river and you'll have trouble escaping back to base. Not a huge worry for the most part, though.
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3. Bottom Lane Positions
Here are a few spots I like to hook from in the bottom lane.
This is a great side lane spot. Notice how my ally chases NA, distracting him from the thought of a possible hook and making him run in a straight line. A little timing, and an easy kill.
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Here's another from the same general area. Notice the view from my point of view, and notice the view from Sniper's point of view. He actually can't see me, so that Hook is a total surprise. Look carefully at my location. I'm sort of behind a tree. Take full advantage of that tree when you're in bottom lane.
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4. Top Lane Positions
Here are a few spots I like to hook from in the top lane.
The above is a good way to kill someone tower-hugging on Scourge. Or someone near the tower at all. They do not necessarily have to be hugging the tower. This hook is a good one to use because the enemy feels more secure by their tower and is less likely to expect a hook.
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And here's how to kill someone tower-hugging or near the tower on the Sentinel side. Go to the Sentinel shop. There isn't actually a hero shown in this one, but you can see how the Hook is aimed at the exact spot someone would be if they were tower-hugging. The Hook shown is at MAXIMUM RANGE. Look closely. That's 1000 range. It's important to know the maximum range of Hook.
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5. Maximum Range of Hook - 1000 range
Here's another shot showing a Hook at maximum range. I missed Sniper, but you can still get an idea of how far Hook stretches.
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6. Small AoE on Hook
Hook has a little AoE to it. About 100 units. The next Screenshot shows this.
I aimed my hook at the red dot, but it still hit Spirit Breaker. However, do not get in the habit of relying on this AoE to make your Hooks connect. Always assume that your Hook will miss if it is not spot on. This will improve your accuracy.
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7. Blind Hooks
Hook can hit even if you can't see your enemy. Just figure out where they're going to be and time it. In this shot, Sniper is running up the hill. My hook connects, even though I can't see him, and I get a kill.
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In the next series, I get a kill on Axe. Watch as he starts to run:
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Now a Hook shoots out. Here's my view:
That's right. I can't see him. I'm guessing where he's going to be by timing it in my head.
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And here's his view of the same shot:
Delicious.
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8. Saving Allies
Ursa is in trouble. He's been Purged by Siren and has 4 images hot on his tail. Here comes my Hook to save him. It looks like it's going to miss, but it just barely gets him. In the lower half, he is shown on the other side of the trees, out of danger.
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One more ally saving Hook for good measure; same heroes in the same game, but so what?
Ursa is netted by the Siren, but a rescue Hook is on the way and he is pulled out of trouble.
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8. Observer Ward Placement
It depends how many Wards you buy. The most important spots to Ward are the Runes. Watch league replays or read a Guide to Using Wards for more information.
My take on the other wards:
You're going to want to place one Ward near the river slope (on high ground) by the enemy's first middle tower. Often ranged heroes will sit on the hill and attack creeps in the middle lane's river. Put another one behind the first middle tower if it hasn't fallen yet. Between the first two middle towers, that is. That lets you sneak through the woods and time a Hook to catch a fleeing hero who thinks he's safe. Do the same thing to side towers if you are spending a lot of time in side lanes. I kind of prefer middle myself, but it all works. Also put Wards by the Runes, and in key areas in the woods where fighting is likely to happen. The neutrals are also a good place to put Wards, because you can catch VERY unsuspecting heroes farming neutrals. They're afraid to be in a lane because of you, most likely, so by paying some attention to the neutrals you can cut down almost any attempt they might make at farming.
Also put wards in their base towards the end of the game - outside of the sight radius of the towers. That will let you Hook up into their base and kill a camping defender.
Let me reiterate, ever since the release of 6.38, the importance of placing Wards on the Runes. Bottle is refilled completely after a Rune is used, so find and use those Runes.
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9. Best Allies and so forth
Best Allies
Goblin Techies - Hook an enemy through a minefield. Plus, Dismember gives the Techies plenty of time to get an accurate Suicide.
Blood Seeker - Rupture and Hook work together really well. Have the Blood Seeker Rupture an enemy. The enemy is now basically prevented from moving or else they will take large amounts of damage. This makes it easier to get an accurate Hook, and once you connect you will drag them 1000 units to your location, causing them to take damage from Rupture as if they had run across that area. Ouch!
Omniknight / Abbadon - Repel stops you from taking damage from Rot, so you can keep Rot on for up to 20 seconds without receiving any damage yourself. 100 x 20 = 2000 potential AoE damage you could deal in that time. Aphotic is nice for similar reasons, naturally.
Dark Seer - Ion Shell (on you) + Rot is huge AoE damage. With his Speed Boost move, you'll be easily able to keep pace with an enemy hero, who will take tons of damage.
Heroes with vision - Scarabs give sight on heroes to set up a Hook, and scout for Runes that you can load into your Bottle. Beastmaster's Hawk is good for the same reason. Lanaya's Traps, ditto. You could add Tree to the list and so forth.
Also, any disabler, solid carry hero (NOT DROW OR CLINKZ NOT DROW OR CLINKZ) or general league-worthy pick should be an asset to your team. Anyone who ganks well will support Pudge nicely!
Weakest Enemies - any Agility or Intelligence hero, preferably ranged, should fall easily to Pudge's powerful combo, but Strength heroes will also fall if you chase with Rot. My personal favorites? Lich and Sniper. Lots of fun to kill, and relatively helpless once Hooked.
Worst Enemies
Tanks. Centaur/Rooftrellen/Leviathan. There are more, but I don't want to bore you with tons of pictures and explanations because the principle is the same. These guys have so many hit points that your combo will be fairly ineffective, and they all have powerful spells of their own (Stomp, Overgrowth, Gush/Ravage) so they can often defeat you in a fight. Against Rooftrellen, you can Dismember him when he uses Overgrowth to basically negate it (provided he's alone) but he can cast Invisibility on himself when you attempt to chase with Rot, so it's unlikely you'll do much to him, either.
Blinkers. There are very few things more annoying than Hooking a hero only to have them Blink away quickly.
Carry heroes that you don't properly deal with early on. If an agility hero farms, you're probably toast. Pudge can be kind of fat late game, but he just doesn't compare to heroes that were meant to win late game fights. Make sure you keep the enemy's threat heroes from farming. I didn't put pictures, but you can figure out who is likely to be a problem late-game.
Silence. If you are Silenced with Rot on, you can't turn Rot off. That will hurt a LOT. Heroes that are likely to silence you include Doombringer, Drow Ranger, Death Prophet, Silencer and Bloodseeker, although in the last case you'll be dishing out some serious damage with Bloodrage. Doombringer is the most dangerous - his Silence is targeted right on the Hero, so you can't dodge it, and it lasts the longest. Plus Doom does additional damage to you. Be very careful against Doombringer; I would avoid Rotting if you know his Ulti is up and he won't be permadisabled. This threat is reduced if you have Hood, but still be wary.
Observer Wards. Not a hero, but a common counter to Pudge. The wards let the enemy see you coming in advance and they will run before you can pick them off.
Combating the problem heroes
Silence - Don't get caught with Rot on. Figure out when they're going to Silence you, and turn Rot off. Against Doombringer, don't use it at all unless he's disabled or his ulti isn't up.
Also, with Silencer, his Last Word can interrupt your combination, so I recommend turning on Rot beforehand, then Hooking and chasing until Last Word wears off, at which point you can Dismember.
Blinkers - Two options. One, Hook them when they aren't expecting it and Dismember them before they figure out what's going on. Or, start the fight by chasing with Rot and Hook them back after they Blink.
Agility heroes you didn't deal with early on - Self-explanatory. You didn't shut them down early. Figure out which heroes are going to be late-game threats and hunt them down to make sure they can't farm up good gear.
Tanks - Whatever, it's a tank. Ignore him and kill his carry hero, or start a 2 or 3-man gank if you want to take him out.
Observer Wards - Buy Sentry Wards and kill the Observer Wards. My build has a pretty inexpensive early game (once you have Boots and Bottle you can kind of rock and roll) so you should be able to afford some. One kill that you otherwise wouldn't have gotten almost pays for it right there, once you factor in the enemy losing gold and so forth. Be aggressive with Wards unless your team has a Ward Bitch.
1. Description1. Description
2. Overview of Abilities
3. Skill build
4. Item build
5. Overall Strategy
6. Specific Strategy
7. Screenshots
8. Placing Observer Wards
9. Best Allies, Weakest Enemies and Toughest Enemies
10. Replays and the Practice Your Pudge map
He's back, and he's as ugly and fat as ever.
Strength: 25 + 3.2
Agility: 14 + 1.5
Intelligence: 14 + 1.5
625 hp
182 mana
52-58 damage
1 armor
285 movespeed
1.7 base attack time
Attack range of 128 (melee)
Pudge's Hero Page
Pros
1. Good hero-killing combination of abilitiesCons
2. High strength, and able to gain more with Flesh Heap
3. Abilities are useful in team situations
4. Hook can win games by initiating fights
1. Unimpressive agility and intelligence
2. Low armor
3. Low movement speed and attack rate
4. Melee hero
5. Weaker towards the late game
6. Abilities are often not enough to kill an enemy without help
So, you may be thinking, Pudge has a lot of downsides. Am I sure I want to play him? I'm not going to lie. Pudge isn't a top pick in leagues, and he isn't easy. But he remains one of the most satisfying heroes to play, and I believe he still can fill a role in anything less than the most competitive matches.
2. Abilities
Meat Hook [T]Launches a bloody hook at a unit or location. The hook will snag the first target encounters, dealing damage then dragging the victim back to the Butcher. Costs 110/120/130/140 mana, cooldown of 14/13/12/11.
Level 1 - 550 range, 90 damage.
Level 2 - 700 range, 180 damage.
Level 3 - 850 range, 270 damage.
Level 4 - 1000 range, 360 damage.
Notes:
- pure damage type
- Inflicts a mini-stun on enemies
- Passes through trees, cliffs, buildings and siege creeps
- Can hit allies; allies will not be damaged or stunned, only pulled by the hook
- Hits invisible units
Rot [R]Pudge releases the disease and filth inside of him, dealing intense damage to and slowing surrounding enemies while hurting Pudge as well.
Level 1 - 25 damage/second.
Level 2 - 50 damage/second.
Level 3 - 75 damage/second.
Level 4 - 100 damage/second.
Notes:
- Magical damage type
- Can be turned on mid-Dismember
- Can't be turned off if you are silenced!
- You can kill yourself with this ability
- Hits invisible units
Flesh Heap [F]Pudge is made of innumerable rotting corpses, giving him extra protection against spells as well as adding more to his bulk based on hero kills occurring around him (450 AoE).
Level 1 - 4% magic reduction, 0.9 Str bonus per kill.
Level 2 - 8% magic reduction, 1.2 Str bonus per kill.
Level 3 - 12% magic reduction, 1.5 Str bonus per kill.
Level 4 - 16% magic reduction, 1.8 Str bonus per kill.
Notes:
- Spell resistance stacks with items
- Pudge gains strength from his hero kills, and from any hero that dies within 450 AoE
- Now works retroactively
Dismember [D]Chows down on a target, causing excruciating pain.
Lasts 3 seconds (on heroes) at all levels.
Channeling.
Level 1 - 75 (75 + 0.75 * strength) damage/second.
Level 2 - 125 (125 + 0.75 * strength) damage/second.
Level 3 - 175 (175 + 0.75 * strength) damage/second.
Notes:
- Magical damage type
- Disable works on magic immune heroes (damage does not)
- Will continue to hold + damage a hero if they become invisible mid-spell
- Requires channeling
- Upgradeable with Aghanim's Scepter to increase damage (upgrade values shown in parentheses)
- Scepter upgrade causes Dismember to heal Pudge for an equal amount
- Mana cost of 100/130/170, cooldown of 30 seconds
3. Skill Build
1. RotI think the build order is pretty clear and intuitive. You need Hook and Rot maxed to be effective early. Then get Flesh Heap after.
2. Meat Hook
3. Meat Hook
4. Rot
5. Meat Hook
6. Dismember
7. Meat Hook
8. Rot
9. Rot
10. Flesh Heap
11. Dismember
12. Flesh Heap
13. Flesh Heap
14. Flesh Heap
15. Stats
16. Dismember
17. Stats
18. Stats
19. Stats
20. Stats
21. Stats
22. Stats
23. Stats
24. Stats
25. Stats
4. Item Build
Basic start
Ancient Tango of Essifation x2 Gauntlet of Strength x2 Ironwood Branch x2This is a solid start. Tangos give you the ability to stay in lane long enough to get your Bottle (hopefully). Gauntlets and Branches help you last hit, and the Gauntlets can either be sold later or used for an Urn of Shadows (or a Bracer if you prefer).
You can get extra Branches instead of one of the Gauntlets (i.e. if you think you will go Magic Wand).
You can also replace one set of Tangos with a Healing Flask if you prefer (I do this for solo middle).
I choose not to open with Bottle because a naked Bottle is inferior. You don't need the mana it provides early on, and if you don't leave lane to get Runes it will only provide 405 hit points versus 690 on the Tangos. The Gauntlets add survivability as well, and more importantly damage for last hits, and will be used in Bracers eventually so the starting build isn't a total waste.
If you buy a Chicken (or Crow recipe for an ally's Chicken), get a Tango, a Flask and either 3-4 Branches or a Gauntlet and a Branch.
If you're soloing mid and no one on your team has a Chicken, you will need to buy one.
Core Items
Empty Bottle Boots of Speed (Optional Magic Wand) (Optional Urn of Shadows) (Very Optional Bracer)- Empty Bottle is the most important part of the Pudge build. Use it to monopolize runes and keep your health and mana up for frequent ganks.
- Optional: - Urn of Shadows provides a nice heal for yourself or allies in between ganks, or a little extra nuke damage to finish an enemy hero. It may seem like a no-brainer, and I agree that it's a good item on Pudge, but I do find that it slows down my Hood rather significantly. I'm not that great at finding uses for my Urn (and it's actually somewhat rare that I need the extra 200 damage to finish a hero) so I tend to skip it. I consider it a useful but quite optional item for Pudge.
- Optional: - Magic Wand. Absolutely essential in league or advanced play. Optional but highly recommended, and cheaper than Urn.
Also, you may want to consider a Soul Ring. Please tell me in the comments if the mana you get back with Soul Ring is permanent (assuming the mana fits in your mana pool). This is important.
Hood of Defiance Observer Wards- Hood of Defiance - I finally broke down and decided to give Hood a serious chance - and it's awesome. The damage reduction in Rot and life regeneration is really noticeable, and you can use Rot as a farming tool almost at will. Additionally, the current meta-game is quite spell-dependent, meaning your Hood will go a long way towards saving your life in a hairy situation.
- Observer Wards are extremely useful because they can spot unsuspecting heroes for your hooks and Runes for your Bottle. They can also see ganks on you or allies, and are just generally very useful items. You always see them in league games, and there's a reason for it. Knowing the enemy's location and the location of Runes are two very powerful things. Make sure to Ward the Runes so you can keep refilling your Bottle. Use Sentries if the enemy has Wards that you'd like to take out.
Khadgar's Pipe of Insight Shiva's Guard Aghanim's ScepterThese are outside the realm of what you will be able to farm in most games, but are worth mentioning just in case. Pudge isn't a carry hero and shouldn't try to be one, but I guess anything's possible in public games, right?
Khadgar's Pipe is a great addition against caster teams. It can really turn the tide of a team fight, giving Pudge a great way to contribute.
Shiva's is a sensible choice but very difficult to farm. You have Hood + Heap for magic resistance, and you'll get raw hit points from the strength gained with Heap, so getting armor and an anti-attacker aura is useful. You don't have a ton of mana to use Shiva's, but the item itself gives mana - 30 int, I believe, works out to 390 mana, enough to cast Shiva's twice without issue - this is plenty.
Aghanim's Scepter merits a mention here as well. It gives good survivability and mana, and of course adds some damage to your combo. Basically functions similarly to Shiva, but the heal and easier build-up makes it slightly superior for pubstomps or games where you can't save more than 1200 gold. (This means it's hard to find middle-ground games in which you can actually get a Shiva's, but I maintain that it's an excellent item in theory.)
Boots of Travel are also decent luxury now, if you think they will help. Depends on the game, really. Usually I don't find myself buying them.
Note for Aegis - If your team kills Roshan, please let your carry hero have the Aegis. Don't take it.
Other Tank Items? Not Really...
Vanguard Heart of TarrasqueVanguard is nice but often simply unnecessary. It was nerfed but is still a strong item - but you'd usually do better getting other items.
Heart has been added to this list as of the 6.63 patch, in which its regeneration was changed to only function out of combat. The item admittedly is still useful, but obviously less so, especially as you cannot use the regeneration to offset Rot's damage. Prefer a Scepter or Shiva's.
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Also, I guess I'll address a few other items. Dagon? Bad. What else would crazy people buy? Necrobook? Only in very rare cases. I shouldn't even need to explain these, although Necrobook could potentially be useful. I don't have a strong argument against the Book, other than it's kind of tricky to use and rather a situational item, so use at your own discretion. I think the luxury items I listed are just as effective.
I had a request for Arcane Ring, so...briefly...this item is not a good choice. If you have a team that would benefit greatly from the ring, one of them will farm it instead. You can't afford the high price on this item. Bottle provides plenty of mana. Arcane is rarely seen at any level of play, even on the heroes it's supposedly good on. Somehow it's just a lot better in theory than it is in practice. In short, you just don't need that much mana so it's not worth it.
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Spell resistance on items and Flesh Heap
Resistance with Planeswalker's Cloak - 36.25%
Resistance with Flesh Heap (max) - 37%
Resistance with Cloak and Flesh Heap - 46.4%
Resistance with only Hood - 47.25%
Resistance with Hood and Flesh Heap - 55.9%
5. Walkthrough Strategy:
Pudge's role is that of the assassin-support-tank, a rather unique role. He is a ganking predator for a large part of the game, then becomes an initiator support Hero that uses Hook to take out dangerous enemy Heroes before the team fights actually start. He can also help tank in a long game.
Early game ~ Levels 1-7
Depending on the enemy lineup, your lineup and your confidence, you may actually be able to solo mid. I've seen it done in high end games, and I do it all the time when I play nowadays. Having an early experience advantage is very helpful, and mid is a lane where you can usually compete by playing carefully and using your high base damage and decent attack animation to get last hits. However, there are better solo heroes than Pudge, and some enemies will present very challenging match-ups.
In any event, get last hits whenever you can. That's how early game works, kids.
You (and your ally, if sharing a lane) should feel free to get aggressive if you feel you have the advantage or have a strong lane ally to help you. Chase with Rot, whack them when ally stuns, hit a short-range lower-level Hook, try for a kill. Simple stuff. Since 6.65, lower-level Hook is better (thank you, IceFrog) so you can actually be slightly better than useless in a dual lane.
If you're soloing mid, try to use the positioning to your advantage and you may be able to do some harassment and eventual kill with a good Hook or at least gain enough advantage that you can run up with Rot for harassment effect. The key to a good solo mid lane is blocking the creeps in the beginning to keep the fighting near your tower, where you want it.
Mid game ~ Levels 7-14
I usually leave my lane at level 6 or 7. I really prefer to have Hook maxed out, but sometimes you have to leave early and try for a kill somewhere. If there's free farm to be had, though, I'll stay through level 7 for sure until an ally can pick up the lane.
Now run around the map ganking enemies. You aren't the king of the world, though, so make sure you involve your allies. Pudge can solo kill if you execute it perfectly on a low-hp hero or a non-strength hero who didn't buy Bracers, but it's just much, much easier to bring your allies. If they get the kill, that's fine. You don't need the extra cash.
(If your enemies are lower level, it's a lot easier to get solo kills. That's why solo is nice on Pudge if you can pull it off. Otherwise you need to do ganks which is a pain.)
Don't sit in a lane after this point. Carry TP scrolls and save towers / farm waves that way, or do a neutral camp if it's nearby and you have a Rune to waste, but remember that farming is NOT a priority for you.
Also, make sure to repeatedly kill a dangerous late-game hero that quietly farms - i.e. the other team's carry. It's often easy to overlook these heroes and you'll pay later on for ignoring them.
What if they have wards?Late game ~ Levels 14-18
Buy some fucking counter-Wards, you dweeb.
Abuse the runes
This is a good time to reiterate that you should be taking full advantage of your Bottle. In between ganks, travel via the rivers and pick up ALL runes you see with your Bottle (unless a nearby ally could put it to better use, in which case notify him of it). Consider putting Wards on the runes to constantly be aware of which runes are where (they spawn every multiple of 2:00 on the game clock). With runes returning a full Bottle after being used, you may not need to fountain trip for quite a while. (And if you do fountain trip, refill your Bottle, then use it immediately and it will refill itself. That heals you faster and cuts down your fountain trip time.)
Support your allies. Use Hook + Dismember to instantly take out the most dangerous enemy before a team fight starts (it's hard to expect your combo alone to kill them at this point in the game, but your allies can pound the enemy hero during the 3 second Dismember), giving you a quick advantage. It's important to know who that is. It can often be someone with an AoE ulti or AoE disable, like Enigma or CM. Or, it could be the enemy team's carry hero - the Clinkz/Viper/whoever that spent all game farming and deals 500 damage per hit. He's a terrific choice because, like the name suggests, he's supposed to be carrying his team. If he's dead right off the bat, the enemy team will lose. Another way to think about it is to imagine all possible groups of 4 enemy heroes and leave the least dangerous foursome alone.
The most important thing is to Hook SOMEONE, though, if the positioning is advantageous for your team. Sometimes you will only have an opportunity to Hook one Hero who is NOT the carry or anything, but do it anyway. 5v4 is really good. Ater you do this Hook and quick kill, the enemy team will often not sit back and defend at a tower, but charge in to try to save their ally. This is to your advantage; your team should win the fight unless you have been outfarmed / outplayed prior to this point.
Incidentally, you often won't level past 18 or so. Hence the 14-18. If you level more, then good for you. Have a cookie. Unless you're playing -em.
In a very long game, you may be able to tank for your team. Tanking is really easy because you don't have to do any work, so I won't talk about it. Use Rot if you can, but it has a small radius so don't get in too far trying to get yourself in melee range of enemies.
Moving on.
6. Specific Strategy:
This is where you find out exactly how to kill a hero, as well as use your skills more effectively.
Rot
Chasing - As mentioned in the Early Game section, Rot can be used to chase a running hero while causing damage. There is an excellent tactic you can use when doing this. Rot slows by 20%, so you can quickly run next to or slightly ahead of the running hero and attack them once. During this time they will push back in front, but will still be under the effects of Rot. Do not attack a second time, but instead continue chasing until you are level with them again and can attack again. This is an easy way of increasing overall chase damage dealt.
Ganking - Rot is also very good for ganking enemies. You can continually slow the target hero while your allies pound him. Just remember not to attack unless you've moved slightly AHEAD of the enemy hero (or unless you have Phase Boots and he's slow), or else he might get out of range. It may be best to just run level with him to keep him slowed for your team.
Farming - Rot SHOULD be used to farm. I didn't think it was worthwhile in the past, but it is, especially with the advent of LC and lag-free games. It can give your last-hitting that little extra punch early on. Just tap it on right BEFORE you attack, then tap it off when your attack lands.
You can also counter-push a lane with some quick Rot action to defend a tower and make some quick cash if your carry hero can't make it there at the time. (Don't steal creeps from your carry unless you absolutely need that creep to finish an item.)
With Hood, you can go nuts with the Rot-farm if you want. Really nice on neutrals; frequently I'll go up to a Centaur camp, turn on Rot, and Dismember the big guy. They both die.
Suiciding - Rot can also be used to Suicide. If you're in trouble and think you're going to die, try turning on Rot, timing it just right so that Rot kills you instead of the enemy. This denies them gold and experience and also frustrates them. Plus, it maintains any kill streak you had.
Caution - Doom and Silence prevent you from turning off Rot. If you are caught with Rot on when one of these skills is cast upon you, it can mean taking a LOT of extra damage and dying in a situation in which you would otherwise have easily lived. I recommend not using Rot at all when fighting a Doombringer with his ulti up, unless you are sure he is going to be silenced or disabled and unable to Doom you.
Flesh Heap
It's Not Difficult To Use A Passive
Dismember
Combination - Dismember is a basic element in your bread-and-butter combo of Meat Hook + Rot + Dismember. While chasing with Rot, you can Dismember for bonus damage, making your kill easier and, if used to finish them off, can deny the chance to stun you or Sunder you or something awful. Dismember is also terrific in team situations, providing 3 full seconds for your allies to beat up on the unfortunate hero.
Pierces Magic Immune - Dismember goes through magic immunity. It doesn't deal damage, but it does hold the hero for 3 seconds. Extremely useful in team situations when an enemy has magic immunity.
Casting Range - Dismember's casting range isn't actually melee. It's slightly longer. Why is this important? Well, it means you can Dismember a hero that isn't RIGHT next to you. This can be useful if you're trying to land Dismember for allies or something, but it can also be very bad if you are trying to hurt them with Rot because they will be out of range. If you do Dismember them out of Rot range, please notice that they aren't being hurt by Rot and turn Rot off to save yourself some hit points. But it would be better if you didn't Dismember them out of Rot range in the first place. So, try to chase a little extra with Rot before Dismembering so they will definitely be in proper range. Also, if you Hook an enemy (and they don't have Blink or a disable of some kind) give an order to chase for a second with Rot just to make sure you stay close to them while you are hitting the hotkey for Dismember.
Caution - Don't Dismember Roshan. It does practically nothing to him. And "Mmm, Fresh Meat" can actually be a tip-off to the other team and they will be there before your allies even get a chance to yell at you for being so foolish. That really happened to me once. It was unpleasant.
Meat Hook
I will break down this section into subsections for easy reference.
Basic Hook Combo
You need fast fingers to pull off your combination. After you Hook, while the Hook is coming back to you, turn on Rot. This is important. Turn on Rot before Hook is done. After the enemy Hero is reeled in, chase him for a second with Rot on to make sure he'll be in Rot's range for the whole Dismember (assuming he won't blink away or anything). Then, Dismember the (probably disoriented) hero. If it doesn't kill him, you can chase with Rot for the finish. If the enemy has a disable and a decent amount of hit points and is likely to survive Dismember, stun you and escape, bring an ally along or be prepared to Hook a second time.
Hooking Stationary Enemies
This is relatively easy to do. The enemy isn't moving! They need to be unsuspecting for this to happen, so usually you need to sneak up on them through the forest when they're in a lane to get one of these, although it can also work if they are distracted by, say, an ally of yours that they are fighting.
Hooking Moving Enemies
This is why Pudge is especially fun to play. Hooking moving enemies requires you to THINK, and I love thinking.
Point Blank Meat Hook - Okay, so this is the way to Hook a moving hero for someone who doesn't want to think. Not that that's necessarily bad, because if you miscalculate a long Hook you'll miss. This is often done while you are chasing with Rot and need an extra punch. Meat Hook is almost guaranteed to hit and makes for a nice finisher. This can be worth trying if you are having trouble landing longer-range Meat Hooks for whatever reason, but I find it to be a worse tactic overall. You don't get the surprise element and the enemy is likely to be near a creep wave, so he could certainly turn the tables on you. Worse, if he runs before you get close to him you have relinquished all advantage and must either give up on the kill or risk missing with Hook. He will be on the lookout and try to dodge, and if you miss then he may be able to really pound you. So, you may want to consider longer range hooks.Miscellaneous and USEFUL Advice about Hooking
Manipulating the Terrain - If you are worried about an enemy juking you, or simply that you will miss because there are several possible paths a Hero could take, wait to Hook until the enemy is at a point where he really only has one option for where to go. The narrow ramps all along the river are perfect. It becomes a lot easier to predict the enemy's exact path. However, it is not always possible to get a Hook at one of these locations. When it isn't possible, I recommend waiting until the last possible second to launch your Hook, unless you think you will have time to launch another after it cools down. Enemies often feel safe once they approach an allied tower and they do not think to juke. Furthermore, once they are in a sort of set path back to base along a lane, it is reasonable to assume that they will be running straight towards the base and have no reason to stop. This is even more true if there is an ally chasing them. Letting the enemy hero fall into a sort of "easy escape path" will allow you to land a Hook on them much more easily.
Also, position yourself to try to get the best angle possible when Hooking a moving Hero, especially if the enemy knows you are there and trying to Hook them. If an enemy Hero is running away and you are directly behind them, don't Hook straight in front of you. Small terrain deformations and kinks in the enemy Hero's path actually give your Hook a decent chance of missing. Step slightly to the side so you aren't running directly behind them but rather off to the side a little. Then you can Hook at a small angle. Even 15 degrees is enough to make a difference, and it really does increase the chance that you will connect.
The Ally-Saving Meat Hook - The good Pudge player is always prepared to rescue his ally from a dangerous situation. If there's only one enemy, pull the hero attacking your ally to you with a Meat Hook and turn your combo for a kill and a save. However, there may be multiple heroes attacking your ally, in which case your best bet is to hook your ally himself. He won't take any damage. While he's running, if you aren't scared of the ganking heroes, you can try to slow them down with Rot/Dismember and you may even score a kill. If you think they might kill you, though, you'd better do the same as your ally and run.
The Blind Hook - Meat Hook can hit a hero that you can't see due to invisibility or line of sight. It will still deal damage and bring the Hero to you. Trace the Hero's projected path in your head. It's the same sort of anticipation you would use to Hook any moving Hero, but taken to the next level because you can't actually see them. Aim Hook ahead of the Hero in his imagined path, so it will collide with him as he keeps moving and go for it. There are some screenshots demonstrating this in the Screenshots section. Being able to judge a Hero's path is something that you will simply get better at as you play more DotA and more Pudge.
Click on the ground, not the hero - Don't click on the hero, especially when trying to hit a moving target. This will result in a miss VERY often. ALMOST ALL THE TIME. Click on the ground near the hero, or if they are moving click on the ground in front of them. If they are very devious, they may try to run in zig-zags or other tricky patterns. There are several ways to deal with this. One, try to figure out where it looks like they're going to move, and then decide where they will deke to. Basically you are just staying one step ahead of them mentally. However, you can also run directly at them and turn on Rot as soon as you get close. Zig zags and fancy jukes take longer than a straight line, so often you can catch up to them and use Rot to chase for your kill. Plus you can then Hook at point blank range anyway if you need an extra punch.
Click a little short of where you want the Hook to hit - Another thing you should be careful of is clicking ~1000 range away. The Hook stretches that far, yes, but don't gamble. If you misjudge by a tiny bit and click 1100 units away, Pudge will have to move before throwing the Hook and it will ruin your angle, timing, etc. I usually click about 700 units away from Pudge on a maximum range Hook, or 300 units short of the place at which I want the Hook to connect. Don't worry if you don't know how much 300 units is (it's half of Pugna's attack range, if that helps). The specific amount isn't that important, though. Just do it a little short of where you want the Hook to hit and you should be fine. Not only does it prevent Pudge from having to move to make the Hook, it's also much easier to visualize the angles involved by giving your eye a point in space to use in mental calculations.
What doesn't Hook hit? - Hook will go across cliffs and through trees. You can't hook buildings, siege units, Roshan, [Syllabear's Spirit Bear or Chickens]. Use this to your advantage! The enemy may feel safe behind his tower, or "protected" by a siege unit.
Be aggressive! - If an enemy is stunned, immediately Hook them if you have a clear shot! And in general, when in doubt, throw a Hook unless you think you'll hit an ally. It's better than not trying, and you might get lucky - and besides, Hook's cooldown is only1411 seconds. It might come back up again.
7. Screenshots
Contents of Screenshots Section
1. Hook Mechanics - Moving Heroes
2. Lane Positions - Mid lane
3. Lane Positions - Bottom lane
4. Lane Positions - Top lane
5. Hook Information - What is the Maximum Range? How much is 1000 units?
6. Hook Information - Small AoE on Hook
7. Hook Mechanics - Blind Hooks
8. Hook Utility - Saving Allies
It's in a spoiler for now...clean up the guide's appearance a bit if you don't want to see them...if you can't read the spoilers, find the thread for the guide.
1. Moving Heroes
I'm going to start the Screenshot section with a perfect segue from my discussion of Meat Hook. I have assembled a few screenshots related to a particular Hook I made on a particular Spectre who was chasing a particularly Lich-like ally of mine. I did a little work in Paint and I think the results will be pleasant.
Spectre is chasing my allied Lich into the tower. Lich is moving slowly and Spectre is moving quickly because she has used Spectral Dagger, and another hit or two will finish off the Lich.
I am in position to Hook, and I have some options. Here is what some people would do:
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Notice that I have drawn Spectre's movement arrow. She is moving. This potential Hook is aimed at her current location, but by the time it gets there she will be farther along and it will miss.
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This is a better guess.
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It looks good, but it's still not far enough ahead of the Hero. Don't forget that Spectre is moving especially quickly because of her Dagger, so this Hook will definitely miss.
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This is the correct place to aim Hook:
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And here is the actual Hook, for comparison.
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Here's another example of this.
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Notice how I aimed my hook at the red circle ahead of the Dragon Knight.
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2. Mid Lane Positions
Here are a few spots I like to hook from in the mid lane.
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This one is probably the most common Sentinel hooking spot ever. Notice the easy hook on Spirit Breaker in the middle lane. It's a great spot, but people will probably expect it - so you should move around to different angles in the middle lane. However, if you're on Scourge, people will expect it less. I recommend using it more often when playing as Scourge.
If you need other spots, though, you could go from the cliffs on the left side instead of the right side. Or you could go from the little alcove area around the Gnolls. (This one is tricky because you don't have sight on the heroes in the lane. You'll want to put an Observer Ward in the lane to remedy that.) You don't need screenshots to show you which spots I'm talking about.
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Here's another good spot in mid lane. This one is while I was playing as Scourge, but it works just as easily as Sentinel. The enemy heroes will simply be facing the other way. It's a little harder as Sentinel just because the enemy hero's allies could pin you in because you're on the wrong side of the river and you'll have trouble escaping back to base. Not a huge worry for the most part, though.
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3. Bottom Lane Positions
Here are a few spots I like to hook from in the bottom lane.
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This is a great side lane spot. Notice how my ally chases NA, distracting him from the thought of a possible hook and making him run in a straight line. A little timing, and an easy kill.
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Here's another from the same general area. Notice the view from my point of view, and notice the view from Sniper's point of view. He actually can't see me, so that Hook is a total surprise. Look carefully at my location. I'm sort of behind a tree. Take full advantage of that tree when you're in bottom lane.
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4. Top Lane Positions
Here are a few spots I like to hook from in the top lane.
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The above is a good way to kill someone tower-hugging on Scourge. Or someone near the tower at all. They do not necessarily have to be hugging the tower. This hook is a good one to use because the enemy feels more secure by their tower and is less likely to expect a hook.
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And here's how to kill someone tower-hugging or near the tower on the Sentinel side. Go to the Sentinel shop. There isn't actually a hero shown in this one, but you can see how the Hook is aimed at the exact spot someone would be if they were tower-hugging. The Hook shown is at MAXIMUM RANGE. Look closely. That's 1000 range. It's important to know the maximum range of Hook.
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5. Maximum Range of Hook - 1000 range
Here's another shot showing a Hook at maximum range. I missed Sniper, but you can still get an idea of how far Hook stretches.
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6. Small AoE on Hook
Hook has a little AoE to it. About 100 units. The next Screenshot shows this.
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I aimed my hook at the red dot, but it still hit Spirit Breaker. However, do not get in the habit of relying on this AoE to make your Hooks connect. Always assume that your Hook will miss if it is not spot on. This will improve your accuracy.
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7. Blind Hooks
Hook can hit even if you can't see your enemy. Just figure out where they're going to be and time it. In this shot, Sniper is running up the hill. My hook connects, even though I can't see him, and I get a kill.
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In the next series, I get a kill on Axe. Watch as he starts to run:
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Now a Hook shoots out. Here's my view:
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That's right. I can't see him. I'm guessing where he's going to be by timing it in my head.
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And here's his view of the same shot:
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Delicious.
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8. Saving Allies
Ursa is in trouble. He's been Purged by Siren and has 4 images hot on his tail. Here comes my Hook to save him. It looks like it's going to miss, but it just barely gets him. In the lower half, he is shown on the other side of the trees, out of danger.
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One more ally saving Hook for good measure; same heroes in the same game, but so what?
Ursa is netted by the Siren, but a rescue Hook is on the way and he is pulled out of trouble.
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8. Observer Ward Placement
It depends how many Wards you buy. The most important spots to Ward are the Runes. Watch league replays or read a Guide to Using Wards for more information.
My take on the other wards:
You're going to want to place one Ward near the river slope (on high ground) by the enemy's first middle tower. Often ranged heroes will sit on the hill and attack creeps in the middle lane's river. Put another one behind the first middle tower if it hasn't fallen yet. Between the first two middle towers, that is. That lets you sneak through the woods and time a Hook to catch a fleeing hero who thinks he's safe. Do the same thing to side towers if you are spending a lot of time in side lanes. I kind of prefer middle myself, but it all works. Also put Wards by the Runes, and in key areas in the woods where fighting is likely to happen. The neutrals are also a good place to put Wards, because you can catch VERY unsuspecting heroes farming neutrals. They're afraid to be in a lane because of you, most likely, so by paying some attention to the neutrals you can cut down almost any attempt they might make at farming.
Also put wards in their base towards the end of the game - outside of the sight radius of the towers. That will let you Hook up into their base and kill a camping defender.
Let me reiterate, ever since the release of 6.38, the importance of placing Wards on the Runes. Bottle is refilled completely after a Rune is used, so find and use those Runes.
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9. Best Allies and so forth
Best Allies
Goblin Techies - Hook an enemy through a minefield. Plus, Dismember gives the Techies plenty of time to get an accurate Suicide. Blood Seeker - Rupture and Hook work together really well. Have the Blood Seeker Rupture an enemy. The enemy is now basically prevented from moving or else they will take large amounts of damage. This makes it easier to get an accurate Hook, and once you connect you will drag them 1000 units to your location, causing them to take damage from Rupture as if they had run across that area. Ouch! Omniknight / Abbadon - Repel stops you from taking damage from Rot, so you can keep Rot on for up to 20 seconds without receiving any damage yourself. 100 x 20 = 2000 potential AoE damage you could deal in that time. Aphotic is nice for similar reasons, naturally. Dark Seer - Ion Shell (on you) + Rot is huge AoE damage. With his Speed Boost move, you'll be easily able to keep pace with an enemy hero, who will take tons of damage. Heroes with vision - Scarabs give sight on heroes to set up a Hook, and scout for Runes that you can load into your Bottle. Beastmaster's Hawk is good for the same reason. Lanaya's Traps, ditto. You could add Tree to the list and so forth.Also, any disabler, solid carry hero (NOT DROW OR CLINKZ NOT DROW OR CLINKZ) or general league-worthy pick should be an asset to your team. Anyone who ganks well will support Pudge nicely!
Weakest Enemies - any Agility or Intelligence hero, preferably ranged, should fall easily to Pudge's powerful combo, but Strength heroes will also fall if you chase with Rot. My personal favorites? Lich and Sniper. Lots of fun to kill, and relatively helpless once Hooked.
Worst Enemies
Tanks. Centaur/Rooftrellen/Leviathan. There are more, but I don't want to bore you with tons of pictures and explanations because the principle is the same. These guys have so many hit points that your combo will be fairly ineffective, and they all have powerful spells of their own (Stomp, Overgrowth, Gush/Ravage) so they can often defeat you in a fight. Against Rooftrellen, you can Dismember him when he uses Overgrowth to basically negate it (provided he's alone) but he can cast Invisibility on himself when you attempt to chase with Rot, so it's unlikely you'll do much to him, either.
Blinkers. There are very few things more annoying than Hooking a hero only to have them Blink away quickly.
Carry heroes that you don't properly deal with early on. If an agility hero farms, you're probably toast. Pudge can be kind of fat late game, but he just doesn't compare to heroes that were meant to win late game fights. Make sure you keep the enemy's threat heroes from farming. I didn't put pictures, but you can figure out who is likely to be a problem late-game.
Silence. If you are Silenced with Rot on, you can't turn Rot off. That will hurt a LOT. Heroes that are likely to silence you include Doombringer, Drow Ranger, Death Prophet, Silencer and Bloodseeker, although in the last case you'll be dishing out some serious damage with Bloodrage. Doombringer is the most dangerous - his Silence is targeted right on the Hero, so you can't dodge it, and it lasts the longest. Plus Doom does additional damage to you. Be very careful against Doombringer; I would avoid Rotting if you know his Ulti is up and he won't be permadisabled. This threat is reduced if you have Hood, but still be wary.
Observer Wards. Not a hero, but a common counter to Pudge. The wards let the enemy see you coming in advance and they will run before you can pick them off.
Combating the problem heroes
Silence - Don't get caught with Rot on. Figure out when they're going to Silence you, and turn Rot off. Against Doombringer, don't use it at all unless he's disabled or his ulti isn't up.
Also, with Silencer, his Last Word can interrupt your combination, so I recommend turning on Rot beforehand, then Hooking and chasing until Last Word wears off, at which point you can Dismember.
Blinkers - Two options. One, Hook them when they aren't expecting it and Dismember them before they figure out what's going on. Or, start the fight by chasing with Rot and Hook them back after they Blink.
Agility heroes you didn't deal with early on - Self-explanatory. You didn't shut them down early. Figure out which heroes are going to be late-game threats and hunt them down to make sure they can't farm up good gear.
Tanks - Whatever, it's a tank. Ignore him and kill his carry hero, or start a 2 or 3-man gank if you want to take him out.
Observer Wards - Buy Sentry Wards and kill the Observer Wards. My build has a pretty inexpensive early game (once you have Boots and Bottle you can kind of rock and roll) so you should be able to afford some. One kill that you otherwise wouldn't have gotten almost pays for it right there, once you factor in the enemy losing gold and so forth. Be aggressive with Wards unless your team has a Ward Bitch.
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