DOTA Hero Tips: Luna Moonfang the Moon Rider

Moon Rider is a hero of grace and power. Only a few can out battle her during the late game particularly if she managed to gather strong items. Farming is not a problem with Moonrider especially during the mid and late game with her third skill. Her first and last skill can easily eliminate heroes that wanders alone or those that have very low hit points and magic resistance. Her innate high physical attack damage is even made greater by her third skill which grants bonus damage not only to her but to nearby allies as well. With these skills at hand, Moonrider vanquishes the mightiest foes with ease. Nevertheless, this hero is not for DOTA beginners. You need excellent map awareness and last hitting skills to make it through the late game while gathering all the essential items needed to unleash Moonrider’s true capabilities. This article can serve as your complete guide on how to efficiently use this hero and eventually win every DOTA game you play with Luna Moonfang the Moon Rider.

Lucent Beam

This is Luna’s bread and butter skill. Without this her last skill won’t have any damage at all so be sure to upgrade this if possible. This skill also comes with a mini-stun effect which is perfect for chasing enemy heroes or stopping them from teleporting away. Experienced Luna Moonfang uses this skill to harass enemy heroes early on and it’s not a bad idea. Nevertheless, be sure you have the right items to cope with his need for mana. A Bottle and Crow combination is a good pick particularly if you are assigned on the mid lane.

Moon Glaive

Luna Moonfang is hindered from acquiring items with Orb effects because of this skill. If you insist, you’ll lose the ability to attack. Good news is that you lifesteal is still possible with Luna. A lot of DOTA player disregard the importance of this skill. However, you’ll find it very handy especially during the mid and late game where your damage is considerably higher. This skill allows you to farm easily and bring upon physical damage on several enemies during a team clash. Rushing a Helm of Dominator is a good move as it provides Luna Moonfang with higher survivability and the ability to gain a certain amount of health points for every attack.

Lunar Blessing

Aside from granting Luna more damage. This skill also provides her and allies unobstructed vision during the night. This means you’ll gain your full vision even if you’re surrounded with trees. This is one of the main reasons why Luna Moonfang often hunts during the night as he can easily detect nearby enemy heroes who are farming in the jungle. It stacks with other damage boosting AOE skills making Drow Ranger and Vengeful Spirit a great ally of Luna Moonfang.

Eclipse

Confronting Luna Moonfang in the jungle, while this skill is ready, is probably one of the worst situations you’ll be into. Only a few heroes can survive the full damage of Luna Moonfang’s Eclipse. This skill is also important during team clashes and can cause absurd amount of damage to enemy ranks if casted on the right time. If possible, wait for enemy creeps to die during a team clash before you cast this skill so all the damage will be directed to the heroes. Buying an Aghanim’s Scepter greatly improves the effect of this skill so be sure to consider it especially if you managed to gain a lot of gold during the early and mid part of the game.

Early Game:

This part of the game is nightmare for Luna Moonfang. He is very prone to harassment. She’s not a melee hero but her range is inferior compared to most ranged heroes. She needs to get near first to land a hit on enemy creeps. Another factor which made the early game hard for Luna Moonfang is her low health points. A skill combination from two enemy heroes could instantly kill Moon Rider on this stage of the game. Excellent positioning is a must for Luna Moonfang to survive. Buying the right starting items is also important as well as having a supportive hero partner. It’s best that you go with an ally who can dominate a lane even on his own such as Sacred Warrior and Viper. Omniknight is also a good choice as he can save you from impending danger through his support and healing spells.

Mid Game:

If you successfully survived the early part of the game without being killed often, mid game won’t be hard. Stay on your lane and farm. If the situation seems to be very dangerous as most enemy heroes are good gankers, gain experience and gold by killing neutral creeps. Farming won’t be so hard for you by now due to your second and third skill. Just focus on being safe and earning as much gold as you can. Nonetheless, if your team has the advantage, farm on the enemy’s jungle. The enemy team’s carry will definitely farm there. Once you meet him, cast your ultimate skill and he’ll be a goner for sure especially if he lacks an escape skill or item.

Late Game:

Now is your time to show the real power of Luna Moonfang the Moon Rider. This hero can be unstoppable during this part of the game with the right items. During decisive team clashes, be sure to target the weakest enemy hero first. You can finish him off in an instant with your first and last skill. Eliminating the rest won’t be a problem with their carry out of the picture. However, the enemy team will attack you first for sure as you can bring upon high amounts of damage while having low hit points. Purchasing a Lothar’s Edge is a must so you won’t die easily. If they decided to bring a Gem of True Sight, simply work with your team to eliminate the holder as soon as possible and break the gem once on the ground. Don’t forget that excellent positioning is vital for Luna Moonfang’s survival and to unleash her true power so study the situation carefully and react with haste.