DOTA Hero Tips: Ancient Apparition

Ancient Apparition is one of the newest heroes of DOTA. Many DOTA Players even experienced ones underestimate this hero. Most of them believe that he lacks the ability to be effective especially during the end game. I strongly disapprove to such claim. In fact, I’ve seen pro DOTA players own the entire game with the proper usage of Ancient Apparition. Like any other hero in DOTA, Ancient Apparition can grab several kills and render enemy heroes useless given he has the right skill and item build. Are you interested about unleashing the true power of this mysterious intelligence type hero? You don’t need to play DOTA for years to fully understand the potentials of Ancient Apparition. To make it easier for you, here are some tips that can help anyone own a DOTA game through the might of Kaldr the Ancient Apparition.

Cold Feet

This skill made Ancient Apparition an excellent ambusher. He can pop out from nowhere and cast this skill to immobilize an unfortunate enemy hero. Nevertheless, it’s important to note that having a hero partner with a reliable disabling skill such as Rogue Knight, Dragon Knight, and Skeleton King, is the only way to achieve the full effectiveness of this skill. The trick is to cast this spell and letting your partner disable the target. This will stop the target from fleeing away before the stunning effect of this skill is applied. With a very low cooldown time, Ancient Apparition can cast this spell almost any time making it much more devastating.

Ice Vortex

With this skill at hand, Ancient Apparition can slow down enemy heroes in a certain area and make them more vulnerable to spells. This is highly effective during late game clashes. Keep in mind that this skill can be casted up to two times so be sure to get the most out of it. This skill is one of the main reasons why most Ancient Apparition users rush a Dagon Scepter since the item’s passive burst damage will be boosted by this skill’s effect as well. Buying a Shiva’s Guard and casting it together with this skill will definitely make life harder for the team enemy as their movement speeds are greatly reduced.

Chilling Touch

Be careful while using this skill. Keep in mind that aside from boosting ally spell damage in a certain area, this skill reduces their attack speed as well. This skill should be abruptly upgraded if most of your allies rely on skill to damage enemy heroes. Otherwise, focus on Ancient Apparition’s first and second skill. The effect of this skill is highly appreciated during late game clashes as it can turn even weak spells to devastating ones. Enemy heroes will surely find it hard to escape and survive from your team’s skill combination with Ancient Apparition’s second and third skill activated.

Ice Blast

Escape is almost impossible for enemy heroes if Ancient Apparition is around. This skill clips and instantly eliminates a target having below 12% health points. The most exciting part is that Ice Blast stops its affected units from regenerating. This effect made Ancient Apparition the perfect counter of Blood Seeker, Sacred Warrior, Lord of Avernus, and other heroes who rely on skills which greatly boosts their health point’s regeneration in a certain period of time. The low cooldown time of this skill and its global range made it even more lethal. Ancient Apparition can help in mid game ambushes even without physical involvement because of this skill.

Early Game

Like any other intelligence type heroes, Ancient Apparition is deadly during the early and mid part of the game so maximize on this advantage. Your main role is to harass enemy heroes particularly agility types. They’ll be invincible during the late game if given the chance to farm so don’t hesitate to challenge them every time they approach your creeps to land a killing blow. Deny your creeps and cast normal hits to keep them at bay. You can also use your first and second skill combination to grab a few early kills. Doing so will not only control the enemy carry but also provide you with bonus experience and gold. Is it advisable to rush for a Dagon Scepter? The answer to this question is situational. If you are confident about finishing the game early on, aim to purchase a Dagon Scepter before the mid game approaches and put an end to it quickly. Always remember that the effectiveness of Ancient Apparition’s spells including the burst damage of Dagon Scepter will decrease in the late game as most enemy heroes already build up their magical defense.

Mid Game

Roam the map once you reach level six! Like what I’ve said earlier, Ancient Apparition is an effective ganker. If paired with a good disabler, killing even the toughest heroes in DOTA like Centaur Warchief or Bristleback won’t be a big deal. As long as you cast your second and first skill with perfect timing, a kill is almost assured. However, don’t come out of the shadows carelessly. Don’t forget that Ancient Apparition lacks health points. A Force Staff or Kelen’s Dagger can increase your survivability and turn you into an unstoppable ganker. You can also increase your defense by purchasing a Vanguard or Hood of Defiance. Don’t worry about earning gold and experience since you’ll grab a bunch through hero kills.

Late Game

Don’t expect Ancient Apparition to be the best late game hero in DOTA. Nevertheless, this doesn’t mean he is useless. In fact, his second and third skill can decide an important team clash. Just cast them at once during a team clash before you die. In most cases, enemy heroes will first target squishy members of your team which of course includes you. You can purchase a Lothar’s Edge to somehow leave them second thoughts whether to target you first or not. Survival is not important for Ancient Apparition. As long as you cast all your skills, most importantly your ultimate, it will be easier for your allies to do their part and annihilate the entire enemy team. Guinsoo Scythe is also a great item for Ancient Apparition especially if the enemy team’s carry managed to farm and he needs to be disabled at all cost.