DOTA Hero Tips: Silencer

Hailing from the magical community of Quel’Thalas, Nortrom is one of the strongest Elven warriors defending the integrity of the lands. Mastering the ancient art of glaive-throwing, and combining it with the volatile nature of the Blood Elve’s arcane magic, he is able to disrupt the magical energies in his enemies. By binding his magical powers to his glaive, he is able to cause damage beyond devastation, gaining intelligence from every kill. Concentrating all his energies he can cause chaos within his enemies ‘magical pools, making them unable to cast spells. He is determined to fend off the Scourge and their demon magic until he has breathed his last.

Curse of the Silent

Afflicts a target with the Curse of the Silent. The target will lose hp and mana per second until it casts a spell.

Level 1- Lasts 5 seconds. 20hp/ 10mp per second.

Level 2- Lasts 6 seconds. 30hp/ 15mp per second.

Level 3- Lasts 7 seconds. 40hp/ 20mp per second.

Level 4- Lasts 8 seconds. 50hp/ 25mp per second.

Cooldown: 20/18/16/14

Glaives of Wisdom

Nortrom’s Glaives are enchanted by his experience in magic. Damage type is pure.

Level 1- Deals 30% of your intelligence in bonus damage.

Level 2- Deals 45% of your intelligence in bonus damage.

Level 3- Deals 60% of your intelligence in bonus damage.

Level 4- Deals 75% of your intelligence in bonus damage.

Cooldown: 0

Orb effects do not stack

Buff placers do not stack

Last Word

Causes any unit under the effect of this aura to become silenced after it finishes casting a spell. If an enemy hero dies when under this aura, Nortrom will permanently steal 1 intelligence from it, 2 if he lands the killing blow. Has a 750 AOE.

Level 1- 0.75 seconds

Level 2- 1.5 seconds

Level 3- 2.25 seconds

Level 4- 3 seconds

Global Silence

Stops all enemies on the map from casting spells.

Level 1- Lasts 3 seconds.

Level 2- Lasts 4 seconds

Level 3- Lasts 5 seconds

Cooldown: 160 seconds.

Early Game:

Silencer usually has a very slow start. Though you can gain lane advantage by harassing enemy heroes with your first skill, his low hit points and slow movement speed made him very vulnerable to a rush kill. If you are not wary enough, you’ll surely end up as a feeder. To prevent this situation from happening, spend more time looking at the minimap. Position yourself well on the lane so enemy heroes will find it hard to bully you. Purchasing defensive items early on is a good idea as well since his lack of escaping skills or anything that can help him survive enemy onslaught is the only problem of Silencer. Nevertheless, Silencer can be a team’s carry with his first second skill. It has pure bonus damage so enemies with high amount of defense or magic resistance won’t be a problem. All you need to do is boost Silencer’s damage and attack speed. This is the main reason why your main objective during the early part of the game is to farm. Don’t concentrate on bullying enemies on your lane especially if they can simply cast a weak spell to negate your first skill’s effect. Focus on last hitting enemy creeps. If a few heroes are missing in the minimap, be extra cautious. To be safer, kill a couple of neutral creeps until you see all the enemy heroes on their respective lanes. Such kind of technique may be very tedious but it assures safety from ganking while earning more gold.

Mid Game:

Silencer is not a ganker so he should farm more during this part of the game. Nonetheless, he can greatly help his teammates during mini clashes with his ultimate skill. Before the team’s initiator does his part, Silencer can cast his ultimate skill to stop all enemy heroes from using any of their skills. This will provide the initiator with more room to cast his spells and let other team members do their part in an ambush. With Silencer’s ultimate skill, a kill, while ganking, is almost guaranteed. If enemy heroes consist of assassins and heroes who have excellent slowing and disabling skills, be sure to purchase a Force Staff or a Lothar’s Edge. These items are not only good defensively but offensively as well. Force Staff in particular can be used to an ally or enemy making it a great item during important clashes as can take enemy heroes away from their comfort zones. Nonetheless, your main goal must be to grab luxurious items such as Assault Cuirass, Guinsoo’s Scythe, and Orchid of Malevolence as soon as possible.

Late Game:

Silencer can be a killing machine during the late game if you managed to collect the right items. With a Guinsoo’s Scythe and other mana-supporting items, you can auto-cast your second skill without worrying about mana depletion. Enemy heroes with high defense or magic resistance will be squishy in front of a well farmed Silencer. You should focus on eliminating the easiest target then proceed with the remaining enemy heroes. However, this battle strategy is not applicable if the enemy carry managed to purchase strong items. Focus on him first. Without him, the remaining enemy heroes are easy to kill. Good skill coordination is a must to effectively use Silencer. You must work well with your team’s initiator as well so you’ll know when to cast your ultimate skill.