Strategy
Gameplay
| Playstyle | |
|---|---|
| Beastmaster is a utility hero that brings many benefits to his team, such as clearing trees with Wild Axes. His scouting Hawk functions like a moving ward, and his Boar slows down enemies with ranged attacks. Inner Beast speeds up allied attacks, and Primal Roar is the best single-target stun in the game. That said, Beastmaster does not excel at any one particular role and is usually played as a semi-support or initiator. His summons require a modest amount of micromanagement, which can be intimidating to new players. Beastmaster can pick off supports with ease, but cannot go head-to-head against heavier heroes. Depending on the situation, players can build Beastmaster as an initiator, pusher, or an armor/strength based brawler. | |
| Pros | Cons |
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Ability Builds
| Pusher Beastmaster | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 20 | 25 | |||||
 |  | | | |  | | | |  |  | | | | | |  | | | | |||||
Talents
| Hero Talents | ||
|---|---|---|
| -30s Primal Roar Cooldown | 25 | -5 Wild Axes Cooldown |
| +250 Max Max Health Aura to Beastmaster and his units | 20 | +30 Boar and Hawk Damage |
| +10 Inner Beast Attack Speed | 15 | +20 Movespeed Aura to Beastmaster and his units |
| +2.5% Wild Axes Damage Amp Per Stack | 10 | +30 Damage |
Notes:
- Both the health and movement speed bonus
talents are provided by two different auras.
- Grants bonus attack damage.
- Does not benefit illusions and is not affected by most percentage-based damage increasing or reducing effects.
Tips & Tactics
General
- Beastmaster is usually played solo in the offlane, but also sometimes in the mid lane.
- Some enemy setups can shut down Beastmaster in lane. If needed, ask a support to join you.
- Micromanaging Beastmaster's summons, especially his Boar, is important to winning games.
- Beastmaster has no escape mechanisms. Engage carefully.
Abilities
Wild Axes
- Wild Axes has a very long range, and has decent damage to pick off fleeing enemies.
- Wild Axes cuts down trees over a wide area to reveal juking enemies.
- Use Wild Axes to stop an enemy from regenerating with Clarity or Healing Salve.
- Use Wild Axes to stack and farm ancient creeps; this can be effective when used in the bottom offlane, as Beastmaster doesn't need to leave the lane to hit the creep camp.
- Be careful not to undercast Wild Axes. Always target the space behind the enemy.
- Use Wild Axes to cut down trees next to lanes, giving better vision and could save Beastmaster from ganks.
- Wild Axes stacks to amplify damage of Beastmaster and units under his control; use it before going on the offensive.
- Wild Axes gives up to two stacks for each cast since Beastmaster is throwing out two axes.
- Beastmaster may prioritize Wild Axes to increase damage output and his ability to clear waves for farm and push in the early to mid game.
Call of the Wild Boar
- Assign control groups to Boar for easier microing.
- In teamfights, target enemy carries with Boar to slow them down, making it easier for teammates to kite them.
- Use Boar to stack jungle camps for your team.
- Use Boar to block camps against the enemy team.
- Target Boar on a pursuing enemies to slow them down.
- With very good timing, use Boar to deny Beastmaster (or any other ally/building).
- Boars give considerable experience when killed. In the laning phase, they will quickly give a level advantage to your opponent if they keep dying.
- Deny Boars in lane or send them far behind the tower to prevent the opponent from gaining its experience bounty when it dies.
Call of the Wild Hawk
- The Hawk provides a large vision advantage for his team, so always have one on the map.
- Send a Hawk to scout ahead before a potential engagement. Even if it dies, it's well worth the sacrifice.
- Keep in mind that the Hawk cannot see enemies under Smoke of Deceit.
- Move and place Hawks over trees. This makes them harder to detect or kill.
- Hawks are good at scouting areas where wards are seldomly placed, like the forested edges of the map.
- Most players will instinctively try to kill a Hawk. If seen, move the Hawk to trees or to bait enemies into Beastmaster's team.
- Hawks can be used as a target unit for Boots of Travel. Strategic placement will allow teammates to teleport to it for split pushing or ganking.
- Hawk's flying vision helps deward when working with True Sight like Necronomicon 3.
- Hawk can block neutral camps from spawning.
Inner Beast
- Inner Beast is an excellent passive for pushing. With several teammates nearby, buildings will fall quickly.
- Inner Beast synergizes well with Boar, creeps, as well as units from Necronomicon. This ability gives Beastmaster significant pushing ability.
- After the early game, Beastmaster should try to stay near allied carries so they benefit from Inner Beast.
Primal Roar
- Primal Roar has the longest unconditional stun duration in the game.
- Primal Roar is one of few stuns that goes through spell immunity, making it ideal for stopping a carry who just activated a Black King Bar.
- With Blink Dagger, Beastmaster can jump in to initiate with Primal Roar to quickly eliminate one hero, giving your team a numerical advantage if the enemy chooses to engage.
- Make sure teammates are around to follow up though, as Beastmaster cannot kill tougher heroes alone.
- If initiating, try to stun the enemy carry or initiator. This ensures they don't counter-initiate.
- Try to use Primal Roar on target further away in teamfights because enemies in-between will take damage and slow.
- Aghanim's Scepter makes Primal Roar significantly more powerful, allowing Beastmaster to initiate every seconds from a solid range.
Items
Starting items:
- Stout Shield allows you to take more harassment in lane.
- Tango allow you to stay longer in lane without having to return to the fountain.
- Iron Branch is a very cheap item that provides a bit of attributes; use with Tango for more heal.
- Healing Salve heals Beastmaster to keep him in lane.
Early game:
- Magic Stick provides burst health and mana, useful to sustain Beastmaster.
- Boots of Speed offers additional movement speed to get Beastmaster in cast range of his abilities.
Mid game:
- Magic Wand grants some attributes and even more burst health and mana than Magic Stick.
- Tranquil Boots gives health regeneration and large movement speed bonus, easing Beastmaster's initiation with Primal Roar.
- Necronomicon has natural synergy with Inner Beast and is a great item to quickly take towers and add additional damage to target hit by Primal Roar, draining their mana and making the enemy hard to retaliate after.
- Blink Dagger adds mobility and allows Beastmaster to engage on slippery targets to cast Primal Roar.
Late game:
- Refresher Orb allows you to use Primal Roar two times in quick succession. It will also allow you to summon an extra boar and hawk.
- Black King Bar increases survivability of Beastmaster with spell immunity and strength, so he can contribute with Wild Axes and Inner Beast which improve overall damage output during fights.
Situational items:
- Quelling Blade grants bonus damage against creeps so Beastmaster can last hit easier.
- Soul Ring sustains Beastmaster with strength and health regeneration, as well as providing mana to use abilities.
- Drum of Endurance provides health, gives you much needed mana, and increases your ability to get in range to use Primal Roar on enemies. It also further increases the attack speed of your Boar.
- Helm of the Dominator helps with pushes due to its aura that grants attack speed and health regeneration, as well as the abilitiy control a creep that comes with their own abilities and auras.
- Vladmir's Offering synergizes well with Inner Beast, since it boost your teams's damage as well as survivability. Also, Beastmaster is able to stay outside of base thanks to the lifesteal.
- Solar Crest gives additional armor, attributes, and mana regeneration. Together with Inner Beast and summons, you can help teammates bring down Roshan earlier in the game.
- Heaven's Halberd disarms enemy heroes and has a chance to maim them upon attacks. It also gives some extra health, status resistance, and evasion.
- Pipe of Insight is another strong aura item for your team and helps with pushing. It counters team with strong magical damage lineup.
- Aghanim's Scepter further increases the power of Primal Roar, giving it extreme range and a cooldown low enough to use it twice in protracted engagements.
- Assault Cuirass stacks with Inner Beast, granting aura of armor and attack speed to friendly units.
- Heart of Tarrasque makes you extremely tanky, but be wary of getting it too early as you have less utility than with other item choices.
- Boots of Travel can be bought in the late game, powerful when teleporting to the Hawk to kill lone target or push buildings.
