 | Late Game:BEFORE WE BEGIN: The great thing about Huskar is that two (three, if you include IAS from Berzerk) of his abilities are based on a percentage of various attributes - this means he only gets stronger as the game progresses, unlike nukers or even DPS characters. If you are having a good early/mid game, chances are you'll have a great late game. Of course, the opposite is also quite true... Levels 17-25 TEAM Huskar is one of the most team-friendly hunters in the game, as he naturally progresses from being an above average hunter into one of the most stalwart tanks in the game. He has a nuke that can easily take more than 1500 HP off fat tanks, and a heal that makes him, or anyone on your team for that matter, nearly invincible against any one hero, with one major exception. I will go straight into the item build to demonstrate how this is possible: No, I don't expect you to get this in most games, but it is easily possible if the game goes past 60 minutes. Skadi and Satanic combined give you an extra 50 STR...more than enough to compensate not getting HoTs (yet). This build gives you one tremendous benefit - you can now be very, very conservative in using your ultimate. You don't need the slow to kill, since you have Skadi, and you can keep at high health because you don't have to rely on the ultimate's 5 second window to get kills. Furthermore, you can tank damage like no tomorrow, as Vitality will return around 80 HP/sec without even getting HoTs. And, the 40% lifesteal from Satanic, coupled with Buriza's critical, will keep you alive much, much longer than with HoTs, as long as you're not permastunned. Skadi also minimizes damage dealt to you, as your target will be attacking 20% slower than normal. The only drawback of this build is the absurd cost, but again, I am constantly amazed at how much you can farm mid-game with Berzerk and Midas. I'd consider Assault or a HoT for the last item. This gives you the benefit of choosing when to ultimate, whereas in mid-game, you will probably ultimate every chance you get. Late game, disposing of that mega-tank on the opponent's team is a matter of life or death, so using Life Break to make this possible becomes ever-important. Save it for these special occasions. This item build makes that possible. Skadi is the key. Get it first before Satanic or Burize. You don't immediately need the lifesteal, because Vitality is simply that good. And, damage is covered by your innate Hyperstone/Relic (Berzerk), so Burize is also not an immediate priority. Skadi is, however, because it gives you more time to kill as your opponents get fatter (no more 5 second window to worry about), and allows you to be less reliant on Berzerk, which is what prevented you from appearing too often in mid-game. It also gives you 700 HP, 500 mana, 25% IAS, and an extra 15 HP/sec heal with Vitality. Truly, this is the perfect item for Huskar. Having a large mana pool is important at this stage, because your teammates will begin to be able to benefit from Vitality almost as much as you can. You will be spamming Vitality, even though you personally may not need it with Skadi and eventually Satanic. This will help your team sustain a push far longer than if you did not have enough mana to spam Vitality. Putting points into stats largely makes this a non-issue, but in mid game, while you are still placing points into your primary skills, the Ultimate Orbs -> Skadi will give you that extra mana. Satanic will allow you to take on 2 DPS heroes at once. Think if N'aix had 3000 HP, a hyperstone, a Relic, and an EXTRA 80 HP/second passive heal ON TOP OF feast. And was ranged. And had a nuke that could take off 30% of an opponent's HP. My head is starting to hurt... 
This build also has the advantage of countering your own personal nightmare. You no longer have to be reliant on your ultimate and indirectly Berzerk, so you are now as suceptible to Scythe as any other DotA hero (as opposed to it being instant death to you). If you do not rely on Satanic, and recklessly Lifebreak and rely on Berzerk, Necro will own you over, and over, and over again. Unfortunately, without Skadi, you will have to do exactly that in order to get kills. Ah yes, the four HoT build. 5000-6000 HP, nearly 200 HP/sec regen with Vitality, and a decent +120 damage. It is hard to argue against this, except that you will not be killing a lot of heroes with this build (no chase skill/orb and low damage), and your contribution to the team (besides being the best damage sponge in the game) will be minimal. Basically, if you are masochistic, go for this build. Just remember - you are NOT Ursa - the HoTs do NOT give you a bonus 400 damage attack. And as stated before, the synergy with your ultimate is actually backwards - you will be doing far more damage to YOURSELF when you Life Break than against anyone else in the game using this build. Other items to consider: 
As mentioned before, Mek is fantastic on Huskar early-mid game. It also allows you to become more team-centered earlier, rather than waiting for all of the luxury items I have prepared for you. However, that is also the drawback - you'll be pushing and teaming up far earlier in the game with Mek, and thereby concentrating less on farming. Just something to keep in mind - I think it's not the best for a carry build. 
Dagon is also very alluring. Most hunters benefit disproportionally from Dagon, and Huskar, with Lifebreak, is no exception. Just like Mek, however, it slows your Skadi build, and Skadi is one of the best items for him, considering he is ranged. It's also more or less useless late game, so you'll be pumping a LOT of money into this, only to have to sell it later. As effective as Huskar can be mid-game, it is end game where he really becomes totally imbalanced. So, I'd recommend gunning for late game with Satanic, Skadi, and Burize. 
Yet another great item for Huskar. His attack range fits neatly into Radiance's AOE, and he has a lot of HP to benefit from just sitting there and tanking. However, as DPS, Burize is far superior, and Skadi and Satanic are simply too good on Huskar; by the time you complete Skadi, Satanic, and Burize, the sparkle from this will become negligible. Else, not a bad choice at all. Just remember that Huskar has a built-in Relic with Berzerk, so skipping this is not such a sin as it may seem at first. You CANNOT afford to skip major STR items like Skadi and Satanic. 
HoTs are always something to consider for Huskar, given the synergy with Vitality. I don't like it too much, because I play Huskar with more focus on DPS and killing skills than just soaking damage. Skadi allows him to chase and kill, and Satanic actually gives a lot more regen than HoT. Burize then adds that invaluable damage, which leaves HoT someone on the periphery of your choice of core items. Probably good for that last slot. 
Yet another great item for Huskar. This is a tank's answer to Butterfly, so consider this if no one else on your team has it. 
Good against TPers. There are so many options for Huskar, but Skadi, Satanic and Burize are just too good to ignore. So, this fights for that last slot with HoT, Assault, and Radiance.   
The hood is good on anyone when facing a LOT of nukers. However, there is no offensive use for this, so be selective in getting it. Ditto for Vanguard against normal attackers - I'd much rather get ultimate orbs or save for the Reaver than get Vanguard. Linkens may sound great, but is too defensive for Huskar. He already has that covered with Vitality, so the great regen with Linkens is not needed. Furthermore, you already have a huge mana boost with Skadi... 
A weak alternative to Skadi. This will help you kill in 5 seconds or less, and the True sight with level 3 is priceless. Still, with Skadi, you'll need a lot less help in any endeavor you choose to undertake, so think hard before gunning for this. This cannot replace the utility of Satanic or Burize, so more than likely, this will also fight for that last slot. 
This is also not a very good alternative, IMO. You are quite hard to kill, and 10 seconds of spell immunity is just not that valuable, considering you can soak up most of the damage from spells with Vitality and your 3000 HP. Good in mid-game I suppose, but Skadi and Satanic just offer so much more... 
I started out getting this, believing that Huskar didn't need the mana from Skadi. Boy was I wrong. This is good, except for that. The MS and orb are fantastic, but you really do need the extra mana from Skadi, IMO, at least in mid game. Spamming Vitality is incredibly potent, given that most people think Huskar is imba solely because of that one skill. Skadi also boosts everything by a LOT more than SnY. Lastly, and most importantly, SnY's orb is negated by Satanic, but you have no such problem if you get Skadi instead. So, this is good, but Skadi/Satanic is much, much better.  
Manta is good, but it loses focus on Huskar's primary skills, which tend to be slowing, healing (or lifestealing), and damaging. The damage from feedback is good, but Skadi is much, much better at killing. You don't need the extra INT from anything else once you get Skadi - Manta is no exception. And the AGI is useless for you. Assault is better than Butterfly on Huskar for that reason as well, although the evasion is good against permabash... OMG, I can keep going, but suffice it to say, Skadi, Satanic and Burize are what I consider core. HoT, Radiance, MKB, and Assault are so compelling as the 4th and possibly 5th item after selling Midas that discussing even more items after them seems tedious to me. I think the reason I am dwelling so much on them is because Huskar is the first ranged STR hero, and as such is probably the first hero where getting Skadi and Satanic is incredibly potent (Skadi has always been an orb on STR heroes). 
After thinking long and hard, I believe this item is the bane of Huskar, at least during mid-game. Not play-tested yet (Medusa too), but if it dispels Vitality, you have a serious problem. Just like how some people buy this or pick Medusa just to counter Sven or the Warlock, they may do the same to counter you as well. Luckily, Skadi/Satanic is so potent, I rarely have the need to cast Vitality on Huskar late game...maybe IceFrog will consider banning Satanic or life-steal in general on Huskar - it is that potent. Huskar's unique abilities give him some startling synergies with popular DotA heroes: 
Synergy with Axe is incredible, with the carry item build. You will almost without exception be casting Vitality on Axe in nearly every battle. Axe is a much better candidate than you to get 3 or 4 HoTs, since he is the most masochistic hero in DotA, and is only missing an uber heal to become the most frightening hero in DotA. You will be able to heal quite well yourself, as most of your enemies' attention will be forcibly focused on Axe, and you have Satanic. Skadi will ensure that at least one hero will die to you or Axe. Congratulations, it is GG if you get to late game with a good Axe.
If Necro is on your team, then 1) you have eliminated the strongest counter to Huskar, and 2) you have a perfect setup with Life Break and Scythe. This is almost an instant kill late game every 80 seconds against even heroes with 4000+ HP. The contribution to the team is, well, obvious. 
Lifebreak someone, and more than likely, the Bloodseeker on your team will immediately cease whatever he was doing and arrive at the scene in 5 seconds or less. This is great if something goes wrong during your 5 second engagement, i.e., another enemy hero shows up. He can then rupture the new arrival, and help you dispose of the original target. You can then retreat w/o fear of chase (since the ruptured hero will either move or die), and then the Bloodseeker can rage and own the second hero. The two of you travelling together can make quite a team, as long as you coordinate who is going to use their ultimate - the two ultimates on these heroes have the worst synergy in the game, but just one of them can synergize with your other combined skills quite well. The advantage here lies in that instead of hunting every 45 seconds (or 100 seconds for the Bloodseeker), you can constantly hunt without waiting for one's ultimate cooldown. And, both of these heroes are able to heal very well throughout the game. In that sense, Bloodbath and Vitality have very good synergy, and can result in some very terrifying, lightning-quick hunting expeditions (since both of you do not need to go to the fountain to heal). In general, you synergize very well with other hunters, so accompanying them on an expedition is almost always a good idea. Furthermore, the stronger you get, the stronger your team gets, since unlike other hunters, you easily can become the cornerstone of the team with Vitality. 
Another way you contribute to your team is spamming Vitality. As mentioned before, this becomes possible with Skadi. So, who benefits from this best?  
These two heroes benefit greatly by pumping up their main attribute. Remember, STR is your main attribute, but INT is OD's, and AGI for Riki's. So, even though these guys are not that fat, they can benefit enormously from a well-timed Vitality (usually BEFORE, not during, an engagement). Keep this in mind, if you don't need it yourself.  
These two, and especially Ursa, pump up a secondary attribute to be successful. Although N'aix is a STR hero, his STR build-up is so abysmal that no amount of STR items can bring him to an adequate level, so I consider it secondary compared to his crazy AGI build-up. Ursa is an AGI hero that benefits enormously from pumping STR. So, keep this in mind when casting Vitality on them. Other than that, a general rule of thumb is to cast Vitality on anyone soaking more damage than you, and cast it on anyone who is running away from a chaser (like Slar or Bloodseeker). Then, chase the chaser, Lifebreak and own them yourself. INT heroes may seem like good candidates for Vitality, since most of them become support via INT items late game. But, their contribution to the team is more than likely minimal compared to the front-line fighters, and more than likely are receiving less damage than they are. So, I typically cast it on them only when they are at critical health, and are in danger of immediately dying. More than likely, other heroes are in much greater need for the heal, so be conservative in casting it on, say, Zeus. This may seem cruel, but c'est la vie. INT heroes had their chance early-mid game. TACTICS Tactics with Huskar change significantly late game if you follow this guide's build. Lifebreak is now a secondary hunting tool, to be used conservatively and typically only on tanks. Items (Skadi, Satanic, Burize) heavily compensate for this, and allow you to kill in any situation. Also, you no longer need to rely on Berzerk for kills, and thus become much less vulnerable to the opposition - indeed, this allows you to take full advantage of Vitality, and become nearly invulnerable. Tactics are actually much simpler in general late game. With Skadi, you simply have to be close to the front, and auto-attack. Once you find a nice, juicy target, right click on them. Done. You can do this almost all the time, because with Satanic and Vitality, you have very little to fear. Indeed, you are very, very good against a hero that is actually very similar to you:
You are N'aix's bane. Why? Skadi goes through Rage, and Berzerk and Vitality work in your favor during Rage as well. Satanic, too. This means that as the battle wears on between the two of you, you attack faster and faster, hitting harder and harder, while he hits 20% slower throughout the battle. Both of you lifesteal quite well, and you have that extra edge with Vitality, which will ensure your victory. Engage N'aix as often as possible. Just be aware that the battle will probably be very long and drawn out, so hopefully your team is quicker to rally to your cause than his. Finally, beware of permabash! It will own you even with the carry build, and I personally believe that bash is very good on N'aix...  
...which brings us to these two. These guys require team support, period. Engaging them 1v1 is suicide late game, Void with Chronosphere, and Troll with Blind. Troll may not even have to permabash you to own you. And unlike N'aix, permabash on you is not a good option...
Ursa is another hero that you are a good counter for. Once he appears, Lifebreak. Not only do you reduce his HP by a sizeable amount, you reduce his damage potential by a similar amount. You have basically made this bear 30% less effective on all fronts. Then, dispose as you would any other tank. You are beefy enough that his vaunted 5-hit kill method will not work on you.
As mentioned before, Necro is your bane. The main counter to him is having the carry item build, and to engage him at full health, like any other hero. With Skadi, you can ensure you kill him if you choose to engage him. Satanic will make you less vulnerable to Scythe.
Also mentioned before, the Bloodseeker is not that frightening to you. Vitality seems designed to counter Thirst, as it drastically improves in effectiveness up to 40% life, exactly when Thirst kicks in. This gives you the option to run and not be chased by him, if he has teammates hunting with him. Not only that, Thirst only grants him increased move speed, whereas what triggered the thirst (your low health) turns you into a crazed killer. Lifebreak evens the score. Vitality then ensures that your crazed spear-throwing madness properly impales this poor guy. Just remember, VITALITY FIRST! The Bloodseeker should be easier for you to handle than it may seem at first glance.  
I rarely see anyone playing Medusa, so it took me a while to even think about how Purge can affect you. It robs you of your imba Vitality, so be very cautious when she is around. She may actually take the crown as your bane as opposed to Necro. Luckily, Satanic and Skadi mitigate her potency against you in late game. I do not believe Doom dispels, so if you follow my advice and VITALITY FIRST before engaging, I think Doom's potency against you is mitigated as well. Haven't play-tested yet, though, so correct me if I'm wrong. |
