Simple Questions, Simple Answers - Page 57

On December 26 2011 10:50 TheYango wrote:

This is a very broad topic, seeing as Windrunner can be played a lot of ways. I'll try to miniguide what I can, but many others I'm sure will correct me.

General Playstyle: Broadly speaking (and this is extremely broad, as covering the nuances of all the ways to play Windrunner is very hard), you are what, in the words of 2009 could be best translated as a midgame, "tempo-carrying hero". While she does have moderate lategame DPS, particularly when itemized for it, this is ultimately not her forte. As a semi-carry, she excels in the early- and midgame because she has a very dominant laning presence that transitions into a strong map-wide presence, as every aspect of her kit excels in ganks as well as teamfights.

Windrunner is playable in virtually every lane. She is a strong solo, and has reasonable ability to farm even in the long lane (though 1v2s and 1v3s are, as with any hero, quite unforgiving). She also has very reasonable protective/supportive power (600 autoattack range, reasonable base damage, and a stun), so she can also babysit either sidelane.

Skilling: Skilling is very fluid on Windrunner--all of her skills are extremely powerful (as such, you probably shouldn't get stats till all 3 core skills are maxed), and it is important to try and judge which skill is most effective for you at a given point in time. That said, there are a few guidelines to follow:
- You generally take Windrunner or Shackleshot at level 1, and try not to skill until you are sure which one you need. Shackleshot can net you a level 1 FB in the right situations, and Windrunner will let you cheat death. Windrunner is also the king of level 1 exchanges in lane, as 2.5 seconds of total evasion lets you crush people in autoattack trades while also not giving a fuck about creep aggro.
- Have a point in all 3 skills by level 4. They're all good to have at least a rank of.
- Ult is situational and playstyle-dependent. Oftentimes you won't get a single rank of it till the other 3 core skills are maxed. Occasionally, if it happens to let me clean up a tower, I'll get it, but again that's very situational.
- As a semi-carry, I would prioritize Powershot over Shackleshot, maxing Windrunner last. Powershot has very respectable base damage, which is a great asset if you are gaining levels quickly early on.
- As a support, I would prioritize Shackleshot more than I would as a semi-carry, while still maxing Windrunner last. It's hard to suggest ditching Powershot entirely until after Shackle is maxed, but certainly, having 0.75 more stun duration on Shackle is often more useful than +80 damage on Powershot if you're filling a more supportive role.

Items: Oh god, this is going to be a beast to tackle. People build a million fucking things on Windrunner, and it's hard to say they're wrong, again, because of how flexible she is. I'll tackle this as best I can, but I'm 100% sure people will disagree with me.

Starting items - same as starting items you'd expect from other heroes in whatever role you're playing Windrunner in--some combination of consumables/wards/chicken/branches/smoke/etc. as a support, and some combination of consumables/tangoes/mantles as a semi-carry. Even if you're playing a solo, for the love of god buy the chicken if your team needs it.

Bottle, Basilius, Null Talisman, Magic Wand -- stock early-game stuff. Not much to say, as your judgment on these items for other heroes should apply here--get 'em if you need 'em.

Phases vs. Treads -- Usually Phases. The MS boost has a lot of synergy with Windrunner (especially since being able to Windrunner through creeps can both net you kills and save your hide).

Midgame Core -- Lots of people will deviate here, but IMO there are two main approaches to your midgame core: Mekansm/Force Staff/Janggo (usually getting just 2 of the 3), or Orchid Malevolence.

Mek/Force/Janggo uses your early gold to very quickly fill the midgame supportive necessities, while also keeping your own stat gains covered. You probably won't get all 3 of these before moving on (especially since some of your teammates will hopefully cover some bases here), but 2/3 is very reasonable, as none of these items are terribly expensive. They all add substantially to your supportive team-fighting power, while also giving you a very comfortable boost to your own stats. Note that getting a supportive midgame core does not invalidate the possibility of buying damage later.

Orchid Malevolence is your most likely midgame core if you want to be a damage-dealer. You sacrifice the utility/supportive power of Mek/Force/Janggo, and don't get as well-rounded stat gains, but you benefit from the very cost-effective midgame itemization of Oblivion Staves, and get a solid DPS source that synergizes quite well with your hero kit. It's also particularly useful to have against certain heroes that you want the silence against, such as Weaver. I expect this option to get more popular once the 6.73 changes go live also, as the buff to Orchid is fairly significant.

I do not recommend getting Orchid if you are playing a support role, or if the rest of your team is not adequately covering the supportive items (as is the case in the majority of pub games). You can always get damage later, but having Mekansm/Force Staff/Janggo is hugely game-changing for your team, without significantly hurting your personal stats itemization.

Other stuff to get:
Sheepstick, Pipe -- Lategame supportive stuff. Always good to have if your team needs it.
Vanguard, Blademail, BKB, Heart -- (Pipe sort of counts here too) Survivability. Not much to say, get what you feel you need. Linken is hard to recommend right now, as Medallion and Urn fuck with the spellblock's practical usability, but after the 6.73 changes go live, it might be worth using again.
MKB, Mjollnir -- These are usually my damage items of choice. They're cost-effective DPS items that give you a rounded mix of both attack speed and damage. Situationally, I'll consider other stuff, but 90% of the time, one of these 2 end up being the most reasonable choice, IMO.
Gem - Don't forget about gem! Windrunner can be a great hero to bring Gem on, whether as a way to counter an invis hero, or just to de-ward when you're at an advantage.