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Gameplay[]

Playstyle
Necrophos minimap icon Necrophos is a strong nuker and tanky hero who is capable of surviving long teamfights and picking off key enemy heroes with Reaper's Scythe icon Reaper's Scythe. His Death Pulse icon Death Pulse is able to heal/damage allies/enemies, Ghost Shroud icon Ghost Shroud is able to chase fleeing heroes, and Heartstopper Aura icon Heartstopper Aura helps harrass enemies in early game. Depending on the build, Necrophos can be either heavy nuker, or durable caster.
Pros Cons
  • Strong early-mid game.
  • Good strength gain.
  • Powerful nuke in Reaper's Scythe, especially against heroes below 40% hp.
  • Strong in long teamfights.
  • Strong against high hp hero like Pudge minimap icon Pudge and Axe minimap icon Axe
  • Item dependent.
  • Low agility gain and armor.
  • Low mobility.
  • No escape mechanism.
  • Less effective against heroes with Spell Immunity, Magic Resistance and Silence.

Offlane (Durable)[]

Necrophos is effective when he stands in the middle of a fight. The focus of the build is to spam Death Pulse and help teammates to stay alive. Mekansm icon Mekansm and Arcane Boots icon Arcane Boots are common items for offlane Necrophos. Necrophos should never be the center of attention as he is naturally squishy and can only out survive his opponents when a fight is dragged long enough. The build is effective for early 4-5 man pushing. Durable Caster is standard build for Necrophos and should be used as the first step of playing Necrophos before considering other styles.

Midlane (Nuker)[]

Necrophos can sometimes be played as a nuker, starting in midlane and building item like Dagon icon Dagon and Ethereal Blade icon Ethereal Blade. Necrophos can nuke an important target with Reaper's Scythe > Ethereal Blade icon Ethereal Blade > Dagon icon Dagon > Death Pulse combo (Note: Reaper's Scythe has 1.5 second delay before damaging the target. Thus, all abilities cast after Reaper's Scythe must be fit within this time window). A Heavy Nuker Necrophos can be very aggressive but also extremely squishy as his only way to survive is to make use of Death Pulse by killing his opponents as fast as he can.

Ability Builds[]

Generic Necrophos
1234567891011121314151617182025
Death Pulse iconHeartstopper Aura iconDeath Pulse iconGhost Shroud iconDeath Pulse iconReaper's Scythe iconDeath Pulse iconGhost Shroud iconGhost Shroud iconGhost Shroud iconTalent iconReaper's Scythe iconHeartstopper Aura iconHeartstopper Aura iconTalent iconHeartstopper Aura iconUnknown iconReaper's Scythe iconTalent iconTalent icon

Talents[]

Hero Talents
-2.5s Death Pulse icon Death Pulse Cooldown25+0.5% Heartstopper Aura icon Heartstopper Aura Damage
+25% Heartstopper Aura icon Heartstopper Regen Reduction20+15% Ghost Shroud icon Ghost Shroud Self Restoration Amp
+40 Death Pulse icon Death Pulse Heal15+20% Ghost Shroud icon Ghost Shroud Movement Slow
+2s Heartstopper Aura icon Heartstopper Aura Stack Duration10+100 Reaper's Scythe icon Reaper's Scythe Cast Range

Tips & Tactics[]

General[]

  • Necrophos can thrive in all three lanes, but is most commonly played as a midlaner, where it is safer to push the lane with Death Pulse and he can secure many levels and farm. The offlane can work if the matchup is highly favorable, or with an aggressive support. Safelane Necrophos is a niche pick that typically works well with early game deathball pushes but is perfectly viable if your other lanes can compensate for other damage types.
  • Necrophos is strong in laning stage because of his Death Pulse and Heartstopper Aura passives. Successfully denying or last hitting to accrue Heartstopper Aura stacks while keeping the enemy in range of Heartstopper will gradually swing the lane in your favor.
  • Necrophos is prone to ganks. Make sure not to overextend, and avoid prematurely using Ghost Shroud against magical nukers.
  • Prioritize the enemy carry or mid when using Reaper's Scythe.
  • When teamfighting as Necrophos, you should aim to gradually swing the teamfight in your favor. After shutting out key enemy heroes with your Scythe, use your powerful regeneration (from Death Pulse stacks and Ghost Shroud) to surprise your enemies with a large heal. Your goal is to stay alive for as long as possible, in order to maximize Heartstopper, gather Heartstopper aura stacks, and heal your allies. This is also why your late game itemisation should include ample survivability.

Abilities[]

Death Pulse icon Death Pulse[]

  • In laning stage, Death Pulse is good for both harassing enemy hero and securing last hits.
    • Try to get close to enemy hero when using the ability when lasthitting.
    • Make sure to take both last hits and denies, as Necrophos will benefit from Heartstopper Aura's passive.
    • Death Pulse has a very short casting animation, ideal for lasthitting.
      • Consider Death Pulse's slow projectile speed. Sometimes, Necrophos may miss getting the last hit.
  • Though Death Pulse has high mana cost, Necrophos can use it often in the early game to last hit and get mana regeneration from Heartstopper Aura.
  • Using Death Pulse will cancel Town Portal Scroll icon Town Portal Scroll channeling.
  • After obtaining a mana regeneration item, Death Pulse can keep your allies and creeps healthy, which is especially important for pushing with a group.
  • Remember that Death Pulse is able to target invisible units. If you believe you are near an unseen enemy, don't be afraid to use it, as its skulls may locate their position.
    • However, it will give away the position of an invisible ally, as the spell leads towards them. Consider using your Mekansm icon Mekansm or Guardian Greaves icon Guardian Greaves instead to heal them.

Ghost Shroud icon Ghost Shroud[]

  • Use Ghost Shroud when near death to amplify any healing, such as Death Pulse stacks and Mekansm icon Mekansm. It is extremely potent when combined with a Magic Wand, provided it has enough stacks.
  • When being ganked by the enemy, use your Magic Wand icon Magic Wand stacks right after activating Ghost Shroud to greatly amplify both the HP and mana you've received. This will allow to turn the tides of the battle.
    • Ghost Shroud also amplifies any mana received. Use it when Arcane Boots icon Arcane Boots is about to be used.
    • Use Ghost Shroud at the fountain to regenerate much faster.
  • Use Ghost Shroud to chase down enemy heroes, provided they won't turn around on you with burst magical damage.
  • As Ghost Shroud negates physical damage, use it when expecting physical burst damage, such as Boundless Strike icon Boundless Strike, or when diving towers.
  • Be sensible when using Ghost Shroud.
    • Be sure not to get nuked as Ghost Shroud also amplifies any magical damage received.
    • It has a long cooldown and can typically only be used, at most, twice in a teamfight.
    • Ghost Shroud does not dispel any effect Necrophos has.
    • Do not to stack Ghost Shroud with Black King Bar icon Black King Bar. Time it properly.
    • Do not use Ghost Shroud while using a Town Portal Scroll icon Town Portal Scroll as it will get canceled. Cast it before using TP.
  • If using Ghost Shroud purely to regenerate when not fighting, it takes 67 mana gained before Ghost Shroud's amplification to outweigh the manacost.
    • Based simply on mana regen, whether natural or from Heartstopper Aura, this amounts to 22.2/19/16.7/14.8 mana per second before the amplification. With Octarine core, Aghanims Scepter and Spell prism, you can keep this up almost forever, lotus orb urself constantly to reflect cc so they can't focus you when you're cc'd to have a hero nigh immune to physical attack damage at all times. -T

Heartstopper Aura icon Heartstopper Aura[]

  • An early point in Heartstopper Aura will help with the laning stage.
    • Investing another point in it may not be worth it, as it deals damage based on health percentage.
    • Make sure enemy heroes are within the Heartstopper Aura radius.
    • A creep on low health will likely die to Heartstopper Aura if Necrophos misses the last hit.
  • Consider leveling up Heartstopper Aura after both Death Pulse and Ghost Shroud, as it is more effective later in the game when your adversaries have higher amounts of health. If your enemy's line-up has many naturally high health targets (e.g. strength heroes like Pudge minimap icon Pudge or Centaur Warrunner minimap icon Centaur Warrunner), you can level it up earlier on.
  • The damage of Heartstopper Aura pierces spell immunity, while your other damaging abilities do not. Consider staying near and right-clicking enemies with Black King Bar icon Black King Bar activated to assist your team during a fight if the fight is in your team's favor.

Reaper's Scythe icon Reaper's Scythe[]

  • At level 3, Reaper's Scythe will probably kill targets at 40% or less health. Remember to factor in magic resistance from items and abilities before you attempt to execute an enemy hero with it.
  • Any kill under Reaper's Scythe will be credited to Necrophos, replenishing his mana and health.
  • Reaper's Scythe is not a channeling ability, meaning you can move the moment you have cast it.
  • Secured kills from Reaper's Scythe will grant you enough Death Pulse stacks to turn around an unfavorable fight, especially in combination with Ghost Shroud.

Items[]

Starting items:

  • Iron Branch icon Iron Branch improves Necrophos's early stats as well as damage and can be built into a Magic Wand icon Magic Wand later on.
  • Clarity icon Clarity to keep being able to cast Death Pulse when needed.
  • Mantle of Intelligence icon Mantle of Intelligence gives a little boost to Necrophos' mana pool and damage.
  • Tango icon Tango helps Necrophos stay in the lane.
  • Healing Salve icon Healing Salve for quick regeneration of health.
  • Faerie Fire icon Faerie Fire helps Necrophos' somewhat low base damage and clutch heal if running mid.
  • Bracer icon Bracer is an alternative early stat item that makes Necrophos hardier, letting him survive longer to chip away at enemies.
  • Null Talisman icon Null Talisman gives cheap attributes and a bit of extra damage output to give Necrophos an edge in lane.

Early game:

  • Arcane Boots icon Arcane Boots will allow Necrophos to replenish his mana in conjunction with his innate regen, as well as replenishing the mana of nearby allies. Later it can be upgraded into Guardian Greaves icon Guardian Greaves that can do the same, and which can also heal nearby allies and apply a basic dispel on Necrophos.
  • Veil of Discord icon Veil of Discord is a good early-mid game item, and will amplify Necrophos's spell damage, as well as increasing armor for durability. Later it can be upgraded into Shiva's Guard icon Shiva's Guard that can do the same while also allowing Necrophos to reduce heals, lifesteal and attack speed of enemy heroes.
  • Blade Mail icon Blade Mail punishes enemies for focusing on Necrophos, pairing well with his regeneration and Death Pulse to outlast enemies.

Mid game:

  • Boots of Travel icon Boots of Travel gives excellent mobility to help maneuver through fights and farm or push multiple lanes.
  • Radiance icon Radiance synergizes well with Heartstopper Aura. Acquiring it will strengthen Necrophos's presence during teamfights and help keep your lanes clear of enemy creeps.
  • Dagon icon Dagon provides good stats and spell lifesteal to keep Necrophos in the fight. Energy Burst can either lower a target's health for a Reaper's Scythe kill or deal a finishing blow when Reaper's Scythe is on cooldown, while also being a burst heal. Dagon icon Dagon combined with the Radiance icon Radiance can allow Necrophos to rapidly heal himself while damaging enemies around himself. Dagon icon Dagon can also help Necrophos pop Linken's Sphere icon Linken's Sphere, and put it on a cooldown before using Reaper's Scythe icon Reaper's Scythe.
  • Aghanim's Shard icon Aghanim's Shard will give Necrophos access to Death Seeker icon Death Seeker, that can allow Necrophos to close the gap on enemies by turning into a large Death Pulse that can spread towards nearby enemies and allies once it arrives to the targeted location.

Late game:

  • Shiva's Guard icon Shiva's Guard's aura will slow the enemy's attack, while its active ability places a slowing debuff on enemies.
  • Scythe of Vyse icon Scythe of Vyse gives good attributes and mana regeneration. Its disable makes it easier to kill a powerful carry or an annoying support/initiator.
  • Black King Bar icon Black King Bar blocks incoming disables to let Necrophos stay in the fight for longer and spam his abilities.
  • Aghanim's Scepter icon Aghanim's Scepter will give Necrophos nice attributes, and will also greatly increase the impact of Heartstopper Aura icon Heartstopper Aura for 50% of Necrophos's current health regeneration.
  • Eternal Shroud icon Eternal Shroud is an alternative upgrade for Cloak that sustains Necrophos' mana pool against spell damage, if your team already has a Pipe of Insight holder.

Situational items:

  • Guardian Greaves icon Guardian Greaves gives Necrophos a powerful burst heal, mana restoration and a basic dispel, especially when paired with Ghost Shroud, which can help him stay alive for longer and allow him to support his team further.
  • Force Staff icon Force Staff is usually passed up in favor of Aghanim's Shard, which does not occupy an inventory slot, but can be used as an escape tool for yourself or allies if needed against high-mobility foes.
  • Blink Dagger icon Blink Dagger is useful for Necrophos when he wants to initiate on enemies or chase down fleeing foes. Later it can be upgraded either into Arcane Blink icon Arcane Blink in the late game for extra teamfight impact, heal and mana restoration, or into Overwhelming Blink icon Overwhelming Blink that can damage and severely slow down enemy heroes.
  • Ethereal Blade icon Ethereal Blade will give Necrophos good attributes, mana regeneration and extra cast range, allowing him to use his abilities from further distances. And it will also allow Necrophos to disarm enemy heroes and make them more vulnerable to his magical damage output, as well as giving him another way to defend himself against enemy heroes who rely on direct attacks to be effective.
  • Revenant's Brooch icon Revenant's Brooch will give Necrophos spell lifesteal with which he can heal himself by damaging enemies with his abilities, very good damage output. And will also allow Necrophos's attacks to deal magical damage that can ignore armor and attack ethereal units, giving Necrophos another way of dealing damage to Ethereal units.
  • Rod of Atos icon Rod of Atos wille give Necrophos health, intelligence, and a long-range root with a short cooldown, all valuable assets for Necrophos. Later it can be upgraded into Gleipnir icon Gleipnir that can give Necrophos a good group disable and Chain Lightning allows you to clear creep waves and neutral camps extremely fast with Death Pulse.
  • Spirit Vessel icon Spirit Vessel is also a nice item choice. It gives increased health, some extra stats, and mana regeneration; the active Soul Release has really good synergy with Necrophos's skillset since it deals damage based on current health and reduces enemy regeneration and healing, paired with death pulse and Hearthstoper Aura, you can bring down a hero to the Reaper's Scythe threshold in a few seconds. The item also can be used to heal yourself or allies.
  • Pipe of Insight icon Pipe of Insight gives much more health regeneration and increases magic resistance, most especially to counter the magic vulnerability while under the effects of Ghost Shroud.
  • Eul's Scepter of Divinity icon Eul's Scepter of Divinity can be used both defensively and as a disable, while giving good mana regeneration and movement speed. Later it can be upgraded into Wind Waker icon Wind Waker, a very strong defensive and escaping item that can also be used to save allies.
  • Octarine Core icon Octarine Core shortens the cooldowns of Necrophos's abilities, allowing him to spam Death Pulse and Death Seeker to heal allies and damage enemies more often.
  • Kaya and Sange icon Kaya and Sange improves Necrophos's teamfight presence by amplifying his considerable regeneration while giving extra health, debuff resistance, and spell damage.
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