Comments are in curly braces, {}. The comment after the hero name is my general item suggestions.
Hero names preceded with a “?” means I don't have a lot of experience playing them.
This has been up-to-date with version 1.17b2.
Changelog
9/22/14
Updated to 1.17b2.
2/18/2014
- Changed AA, Swash, Tact, TC, Defiler, Lich
- Other minor changes that involve switching skill order
- Scattered more comments around
Elven Battalion
Aeromancess/Aero:
{Survivability and Int/Evoc}
- Tempest = 6
- Hold Person = 6
- Mana Storm = 3
- Maelstrom = 1
- Soar = 1 {possibly best one-point skill in EotA, favor over getting Maelstrom as a one point}
Arcane Archer/AA:
{Survivability, Int/Evoc, Mana Regen}
- Meteor Swarm = 6
- Mass Haste = 6
- Ice Wall = 3 {0 if Candle}
- Ethereal Heal = 2 {5 if Candle}
Put 4 points into Familiar only if the other team lacks good AoE and to get roots. Favor it over Mass Haste.}
?Blazing Priest/BP:
{Survivability, Str, and Attack damage}
- Skeletons = 0 (6 if Stormwail or Gloom)
- Chasten = 6 (1 if Stormwail or Gloom)
- Healing Fire = 6
- Firestorm = 3
- Kindle Faith = 2 (1 if Stormwail or Gloom)
{Survivability and Int/Evoc}
- Holy Strike = 6
- Empower = 6 {later on, it makes DW's auto attack scary}
- Vengeance = 3
- Energy Drain = 1
- Stun Rune = 1 {great one-point skill}
Infiltrator/Inf:
{Dryad's Gift, Temporal Buckler, Nets, Attack Damage, Agi}
- Attack of Opportunity = 6
- Explosives = 6
- Sabotage = 3
- Smoke Cloud = 1
- Blink = 1 {only one point}
?Mystic Swashbuckler/Swashy:
{Int, Agi, and Attack damage}
- Demoralizing Blow = 6
- Dash = 6
- Keen Blade = 3 {makes his attack damage scarier}
- Mockery = 1 {Scaling against heroes isn't that great though it can be very useful as a CC against normal units}
- Pilfer = 1 {Scaling is rather horrid in my opinion and you won't necessarily get the good items}
?Rune Knight/RK:
{Int and Attack Damage}
- Catapult Sigil = 6
- Shield = 6
- Grand Rune = 3
- Hazard Slash = 2
{Survivability and Int/Evoc}
- Incinerate = 6
- Decoy = 6 {having the decoy be able to cast Entrap Souls helps a lot early-game to get mana} {can leave behind to destroy a base with Incinerate while going somewhere else}
- Throw Corpses = 3
- Mend = 2
Tactician/Tact:
{Attack damage and Talisman for buff overwriting}
- Neutralize = 6 {has a rather long delay, but also a long cast range so it's useful against unaware players. Scaling is great for the increase in AoE}
- Blast Arrow = 6 {rather good way to get enemies stuck; just be aware of the delay}
- Promote = 3
- Banner = 1
- Flank = 1
{Mana regen, Attack damage, and Int}
- Echo Strike = 6 {note level 6 echo duration lasts long enough to get triggered by Degen's damage} {Forks are better at using this than Degen}
- Rapid Heal = 6
- Fork = 3 (1 if the other team is good at killing Forks)
- Ebb and Flow = 2 (4 if the other team is good at killing Forks)
United Creeps
?Acid Reaver/Bane:
{Str/Evoc and Mana regen}
- Breath = 6
- Charge = 6 {Stun scaling is pretty useful.}
- Acid Rain = 3
- Acid Sheath = 1
- Impale = 1 {Range gets longer even without further investment in the skill} {In chasing an enemy hero, it's easier to land a stun by innate or Charge and then Impale before the stun disappears}
Arboreal Crusader/AC/Dryad:
{Survivability, Mana Regen, and Int/Evoc}
- Gale = 6 {Combined with Geomancy movespeed + Wisp makes it hard for an enemy to escape}
- Geomancy = 6 {mainly for Stoneskin, movespeed, and water elementals. Do not invest more in it if it starts snowing.}
- Wisp = 3
- Cure Wounds = 1
- Tangleweed = 1 {facing an enemy hero, cast behind AC; else cast on creep waves}
{Attack damage and Agi/Int}
- Infernal Binding = 6 {Strong hero nuke early-game}
- Necrotic Shot = 6
- Wail = 3
- Mind Fog = 1 {remember this counters certain spells like Corona}
- Haunt = 1 {Talent and a hold can make the damage skyrocket even at Level 1}
Another build could work with Haunt being invested in if your team is siege-oriented. Choose it over Necrotic Shot or IB depending on how defensive the other team plays}
?Colossus/Gravel:
{Mana Regen, Str, and Attack damage}
- Rockslide = 6 {Use while sieging}
- Smash = 6 {the slow is very disjointed and large}
- Heart of the Mountain = 3 {Get healing talent as soon as possible.}
- Enrage = 1 {mindlessly spamming with the mana talent seems to work well for infinite mana}
- Golem Stampede = 1 {Only spend more points if you're impatient to have the duration be shorter, otherwise stay away since it's scaling is horrid.}
Once you grab the Enrage mana talent, you shouldn't need to have mana regen items anymore.}
?Crest Witch/Murloc:
{Survivability and Int/Evoc}
- Rogue Wave = 6 {cast against a line of units to make better use of its effect}
- Coral Sanctum = 6
- Drown = 3
- Murloc Rampage = 1 {could be taken as a one point early-game since it's more overwhelming then}
- Tidal Curse = 1 {Seems like level 1 is just as annoying as level 6 even if it deals less damage. The scaling for the murlocs don't really matter since they tend to die quickly.}
Dread Shaman/DS:
{Survivability, Int, Mana Regen, Attack Damage}
- Totems = 6 {only one that won't get much use is probably shadow. Dispel is very useful when innate is activated}
- Mass Healing = 6
- Twist of Fate = 3 {pretty easy to keep a hero stuck in this longer by using expunge, cyclone totem, and slow totem}
- Expunge = 2
?Elder Treant/Tree:
{Survivability and Attack Damage}
- Tree Hug = 6
- Tree Curse = 6 {great at making enemy towers useless} {Try to lower the need to spam this since it does have a rather high mana cost and long duration.}
- Tree Revival = 3
- Tree of all Trees = 2 {You're basically set if you just use this for pixies. The only other notable effect is the slow aura.}
Grim Hag/Harpy:
{Mana Ward, Attack Damage, and Agi}
- Swoop = 6 {A mapwide cast is the best way to take advantage of this especially in Storm. You might have to right-click spam on a target for it to hit sometimes though.}
- Blade Rain = 6
- Chaos Rift = 3
- Killing Fields = 1
- Featherfall = 1 {Careful spamming can make this skill deadly}
{Survivability and Int/Evoc}
- Ice Lance = 6 {Make use of the knockback talent both offensively and defensively.}
- Frost Spire = 6
- Blizzard = 3
- Glaciate = 1 {great to get rid of debuffs from IS}
- Brain Freeze = 1 {great utility in interrupt/silence}
?Master of the Hunt/Fenny:
{Helm of Champions, Attack damage, Str, and Agi}
- Lunge = 6
- Hamstring = 6
- Furor = 3
- Dream Run = 1
- Dire Howl = 1
{Mana Regen, Survivability, and Int/Evoc}
- Smite = 6
- Life Wave = 6 {3 if Stormwail or in need of a disable}
- Retribution = 1 {Use to relieve pressure on you especially if you get ganked.}
- Penance = 3 {6 if Stormwail or in need of a disable}
- Indignation = 1 {one point is great for restoring mana on attacks. Notice that it doesn't scale that well.}
Grim Brigade
?Ascendant/Garg:
{Mana Ward, Attack Speed, and Str}
- Stonegaze = 6 {since this can be hard to land by itself, I usually start with Terra Smash, then Ravenous Dive, and then cast it on the enemy hero}
- Terra Smash = 6
- Red Thunder = 3
- Abberate = 1 {Might be taken earlier to overwhelm early on.}
- Ravenous Dive = 1 {can interrupt heroes even if they can't be picked up}
{Mana Regen and Str}
- Maw of Death = 6
- Brainlust = 6 {ridiculous scaling}
- Riptide = 3 {don't bother using this against main halls since it won't damage them. You must get the talent to make this scary against heroes.}
- Miasma = 1
- Anchor = 1 {really annoying as a one-point skill}
{Survivability and Int}
- Exhaustion = 6 {1 if enemy team seems to dispel}
- Pestilence = 1 {6 if enemy team dispels}
- Vile Infusion = 6
- Flesh-Eating Cloud = 3
- Blight = 1 {I might invest in this earlier if I can get crystal for the mana talent}
{Str/Evoc, Mana Regen, and Attack Damage}
- Pyroclasm = 6
- Cinderfury = 6 {The best use for this seems to be nuking an enemy hero with that long range, though the self-heal gives Ember more staying power. Don't bother throwing it against creeps.}
- Corona = 1
- Slag Spray = 3 {Grabbing it early as a one point can still be beneficial since a 25% slow is nothing to scoff at.}
- Erupt = 1 {mostly because of talent}
{Agi/Int and Tiara}
- Whirl = 6 {hit-and-run for clearing creep waves, great Agi Boost}
- Ion Surge = 6
- Streak = 3 {allows hit-and-run tactics}
- Thunderstrike = 1 {necessary one-point early-game for PKing}
- Polarize = 1 {invested early} {more to just be a nuisance against enemy heroes rather than to clear out waves}
High Oracle/Oracle:
{Int}
- Mindstab = 6
- Ki Blitz = 6
- Geyser = 3
- Zen Archery = 2 {Should invest once early on to get an interrupt/panic button}
Incarnation/Lich:
{Raider's Orb, Int/Evoc, and Attack Damage}
- Rend Soul = 6
- Gravebind = 6
- Moratorium = 4 {Use sparingly to save allies or mess with the enemy.}
- Dark Altar = 1
Invest in Bonestorm or Dark Altar over Gravebind if combat seems to be more macro-oriented}
Nephilim/Neph:
{Orb of Falling Ash, Survivability and Str/Int}
- Living Longer
- Blood = 6
- War = 6
- Power = 3
- Fire = 1
- Shadow = 1
OR
Nuke and Gets Nuked - Shadow = 6
- Fire = 6
- Power = 3
- War = 1
- Blood = 1
?Putrid Eidolon/Eido:
{Survivability and Int}
- Wilting = 6
- Shield = 6
- Rotting Tree = 3 {1 if unable to siege well}
- Spore Cloud = 1 {great one point.}
- Seed = 1 {3 if unable to siege well}
{Attack Damage and Str/Survivability}
- Mortal Strike = 6
- Guard = 6
- Auras = 4
- Despair = 1
Fel Horde
?Crimson Squall/CS:
{Glacial Wall, Attack damage}
- Dominant Blow = 6
- Surge = 6
- Overwhelm = 3
- Crash = 1
- Duel = 1 {can be useful in defending. Scaling is not too significant.}
{Mana regen, Int/Str}
- Arctic Cataclysm = 6
- Ice Shield = 6
- Deep Freeze = 3
- Shatter = 1
- Ice Trap = 1
{Attack Damage}
- Mesmerize = 6
- Maiden Strike = 6
- Fluster = 3
- Soulmate = 1 {may be taken earlier as one-point to give infinite mana to allies.}
- Embrace = 1 {avoid using when enemy heroes are present unless they can't interrupt it}
?Blackguard/Dwarf:
{Attack damage and Str}
- Shadowclap = 6
- Doom Hammer = 6
- Shadowstride = 3
- Unwilling Sacrifice = 1
- Life Drain = 1 {best to use this when you can heal from Unwilling Sacrifice}
{Str/Int and Attack Damage}
- Phoenix Strike = 6 {beware of creeps blocking this}
- Inferno = 6
- Mindburst = 3 {best used when enemy is running away. Would only bother with this against unaware players or AI.}
- Shield = 1
- Dash = 1
{Survivability and Int/Evoc}
- Tether = 6 {Innate is useful to chase enemy heroes with Tether active.}
- Snowblast = 6 {best use seems to be spamming right-click against enemy heroes}
- Storm = 3 {usually used against a fleeing enemy hero with Tether active}
- Twister = 1 {2 if healing is easy to access.}
- Healing Rain = 1 {0 if healing is easy to access.}
?Wretched Chef/Tony
{Mana Regen and Str}
- Slice = 6
- Feast = 6
- Potluck = 3
- Chili = 1 {will help give lane control early on as a one-point}
- Nausea = 1 {useful one-point against enemy heroes}