Shawn
12-23-2005, 02:49 PM
~Originally posted by Ant
Hihi. This would be the idiot's guide to last hitting!
Okay, simple stuff first. Position yourself next to the creep you think is going to die first, wait till creep is going to die. Gauge your attack animation time, projectile speed (if ranged), and turn around time (yes some heroes take damn long to turn around), as well as the amount of damage the creep is receiving at the current moment (since some heroes have so long delay between animation and damage times that creeps can get a lot of extra whacks between the start of the attack and time the damage is dealt). Tada, you've just last hit a creep.
If only things were that simple.
See, the problem with this is that there are other enemy heroes on your lane who most likely don't want you to last hit. So let's cover a few basic last hitting tips then get specifically down to how to last hit in different matchups.
The Ring of Regeneration
Or ring of health. If you're hoping to stay in lane and last hit, you're going to need this in order to take the punishment you're probably going to get from the enemy hero or the ranged creep when you go in to last hit. Exceptions are healers, who should get mana regen. This includes bloodseeker, necrolic, necrolyte, and omniknight, who should get mana regeneration to heal themselves. Rings are optional for them.
Creep targeting
It is important to keep in mind the piorities of creeps when last hitting. Creeps will attack with higher piority units that are attacking them creeps. This includes units that are ORDERED to attack even if they have not attacked yet. So try to move next to a unit before ordering the last hit. As you should know, if you want to harrass heroes, don't right click the hero until you're next to him or you'll suffer a lot of damage from creeps.
Next, ranged creeps usually aren't being attacked, so most of the time they attack the lowest health unit or the closest unit. That means if you have something along the lines of 200 health, stay away from the ranged creep because most likely it'll go after you once you're in range. Also, when trying to keep other heroes away from gaining XP or last hitting, put yourself further from the ranged creep than the ranged creep is from your own creep.
Now for specific matchups.
To make it simpler, I'll classify heroes in to 3 categories. Melee, ranged, and ranged harrasser. The difference between ranged heroes and ranged harrassers are that harrassers have a means to well, harrass. Usually this is in the form of a nuking spell or a spell that does a lot of damage, so a harrasser is able to do a lot of damage to someone who attempts to last hit. Note that the difference between a harrasser and a non-harrasser is sometimes more of how the player plays than what spells the hero has. Clinks can be built as a ranged harrasser, and silencer is only good for harrassing some heroes.
Melee vs Melee
First, does your opponent have a nuking spell or regen or a disabler? How much damage will the nuke/disabler do? In most melee vs melee fights, you should be able to get away with last hitting. Just make sure you do so in the midst of your own creeps. If the opponent hero tries to disable you, at the lower levels, he'll most likely suffer the wrath of your creeps.
At the same time, try to gain the upper hand. When he has few creeps, and you have a disabler, you can get off with disabling him and giving him a few good whacks. The fun thing about melee vs melee is, usually once you get a hit point advantage, you keep that advantage. Gaining a hit point advantage means that you can stand in front of his creep wave and threaten him, basically preventing him from ever going in to last hit lest he suffer your wrath and since you do have higher hit points than him, you will be able to do more damage to him than he can do to you.
Melee vs Ranged
This should be the same as melee vs melee, except that you should run considerably behind your creep wave so that the ranged hero at best only gets one shot at you when you run in to last hit the creep, and run out. If you have a disabler, and you spot the opportunity, you can run up, disable the ranged hero, and whack him. Usually melee heroes will own range heroes early game in a damage fight. Like melee heroes, you can actually stand in front of his creepwave when you have much more hp than him. The only difference is that when he comes to last hit, you have to actively chase him away to show that you mean business (instead of lurking around the creepwave and letting him get free hits off you).
Melee vs Ranged harrasser
If the harrasser isn't too good, you might want to go in and risk a few last hits. Most of the time though, you'll have to stay back. If the harrasser is good, you have to hide and be content gaining XP and not last hitting. If you can't take it, switch lanes.
Ranged vs Melee
From the start, stand at the side of the creep wave, and check the other side hero's items. If he has puny regeneration, then just whack him everytime he comes near you, and drive him back. If he has gosu healing, then you might not want to risk it standing near his creepwave, and go further back. However, if there is nothing to last hit, and he is in range, you should whack him, just to take him down a little bit.
Ranged vs Ranged
Farm as per normal. If he sticks to your side, and you stick to your side, unless you have a disabler of some sort or a nuking spell, you aren't going to be able to get off lightly harrassing him.
Ranged vs Harrassing Range
Stay away while farming. Since you're ranged, you can whack the creeps from a side that is far from the side where the harrassing hero is standing. If he stands on the left of the wave, move to the right and hit. If he stands on the back, stay in front and hit. If he moves to the front, you either circle around or just don't farm.
Harrassing Range vs everything
Stand near the creepwave, nuke every hero that comes to you. You'll pwn them. Haha.
Last but not least....
Another important aspect... the TK! If you're feeling evil in pubbies, last hit your own creeps (in clan matches, doesn't matter whether you're feeling evil or not, you have to try to do it). This has a 4 uses. Wow! 4!
1) You prevent the enemy hero from getting XP
2) You prevent the enemy hero from last hitting your creep by throwing off his timing (even when you don't manage to successfully kill your own creep)
3) You prevent your side from pushing by countering last hits on the enemy creeps with last hits on your own creeps.
4) You piss your opponent off. This is important. If you TK in a public game, you run the risk of getting flamed, driving him away from the game, etc.
Well, to summarise the rules of last hitting:
- Ring of Regeneration!
- Move before attacking
- Harrass the enemy when you can
- Don't get harrassed
- Don't last hit when it is dangerous to do so
- Creeps do a lot of damage. Don't get whacked by them.
Hihi. This would be the idiot's guide to last hitting!
Okay, simple stuff first. Position yourself next to the creep you think is going to die first, wait till creep is going to die. Gauge your attack animation time, projectile speed (if ranged), and turn around time (yes some heroes take damn long to turn around), as well as the amount of damage the creep is receiving at the current moment (since some heroes have so long delay between animation and damage times that creeps can get a lot of extra whacks between the start of the attack and time the damage is dealt). Tada, you've just last hit a creep.
If only things were that simple.
See, the problem with this is that there are other enemy heroes on your lane who most likely don't want you to last hit. So let's cover a few basic last hitting tips then get specifically down to how to last hit in different matchups.
The Ring of Regeneration
Or ring of health. If you're hoping to stay in lane and last hit, you're going to need this in order to take the punishment you're probably going to get from the enemy hero or the ranged creep when you go in to last hit. Exceptions are healers, who should get mana regen. This includes bloodseeker, necrolic, necrolyte, and omniknight, who should get mana regeneration to heal themselves. Rings are optional for them.
Creep targeting
It is important to keep in mind the piorities of creeps when last hitting. Creeps will attack with higher piority units that are attacking them creeps. This includes units that are ORDERED to attack even if they have not attacked yet. So try to move next to a unit before ordering the last hit. As you should know, if you want to harrass heroes, don't right click the hero until you're next to him or you'll suffer a lot of damage from creeps.
Next, ranged creeps usually aren't being attacked, so most of the time they attack the lowest health unit or the closest unit. That means if you have something along the lines of 200 health, stay away from the ranged creep because most likely it'll go after you once you're in range. Also, when trying to keep other heroes away from gaining XP or last hitting, put yourself further from the ranged creep than the ranged creep is from your own creep.
Now for specific matchups.
To make it simpler, I'll classify heroes in to 3 categories. Melee, ranged, and ranged harrasser. The difference between ranged heroes and ranged harrassers are that harrassers have a means to well, harrass. Usually this is in the form of a nuking spell or a spell that does a lot of damage, so a harrasser is able to do a lot of damage to someone who attempts to last hit. Note that the difference between a harrasser and a non-harrasser is sometimes more of how the player plays than what spells the hero has. Clinks can be built as a ranged harrasser, and silencer is only good for harrassing some heroes.
Melee vs Melee
First, does your opponent have a nuking spell or regen or a disabler? How much damage will the nuke/disabler do? In most melee vs melee fights, you should be able to get away with last hitting. Just make sure you do so in the midst of your own creeps. If the opponent hero tries to disable you, at the lower levels, he'll most likely suffer the wrath of your creeps.
At the same time, try to gain the upper hand. When he has few creeps, and you have a disabler, you can get off with disabling him and giving him a few good whacks. The fun thing about melee vs melee is, usually once you get a hit point advantage, you keep that advantage. Gaining a hit point advantage means that you can stand in front of his creep wave and threaten him, basically preventing him from ever going in to last hit lest he suffer your wrath and since you do have higher hit points than him, you will be able to do more damage to him than he can do to you.
Melee vs Ranged
This should be the same as melee vs melee, except that you should run considerably behind your creep wave so that the ranged hero at best only gets one shot at you when you run in to last hit the creep, and run out. If you have a disabler, and you spot the opportunity, you can run up, disable the ranged hero, and whack him. Usually melee heroes will own range heroes early game in a damage fight. Like melee heroes, you can actually stand in front of his creepwave when you have much more hp than him. The only difference is that when he comes to last hit, you have to actively chase him away to show that you mean business (instead of lurking around the creepwave and letting him get free hits off you).
Melee vs Ranged harrasser
If the harrasser isn't too good, you might want to go in and risk a few last hits. Most of the time though, you'll have to stay back. If the harrasser is good, you have to hide and be content gaining XP and not last hitting. If you can't take it, switch lanes.
Ranged vs Melee
From the start, stand at the side of the creep wave, and check the other side hero's items. If he has puny regeneration, then just whack him everytime he comes near you, and drive him back. If he has gosu healing, then you might not want to risk it standing near his creepwave, and go further back. However, if there is nothing to last hit, and he is in range, you should whack him, just to take him down a little bit.
Ranged vs Ranged
Farm as per normal. If he sticks to your side, and you stick to your side, unless you have a disabler of some sort or a nuking spell, you aren't going to be able to get off lightly harrassing him.
Ranged vs Harrassing Range
Stay away while farming. Since you're ranged, you can whack the creeps from a side that is far from the side where the harrassing hero is standing. If he stands on the left of the wave, move to the right and hit. If he stands on the back, stay in front and hit. If he moves to the front, you either circle around or just don't farm.
Harrassing Range vs everything
Stand near the creepwave, nuke every hero that comes to you. You'll pwn them. Haha.
Last but not least....
Another important aspect... the TK! If you're feeling evil in pubbies, last hit your own creeps (in clan matches, doesn't matter whether you're feeling evil or not, you have to try to do it). This has a 4 uses. Wow! 4!
1) You prevent the enemy hero from getting XP
2) You prevent the enemy hero from last hitting your creep by throwing off his timing (even when you don't manage to successfully kill your own creep)
3) You prevent your side from pushing by countering last hits on the enemy creeps with last hits on your own creeps.
4) You piss your opponent off. This is important. If you TK in a public game, you run the risk of getting flamed, driving him away from the game, etc.
Well, to summarise the rules of last hitting:
- Ring of Regeneration!
- Move before attacking
- Harrass the enemy when you can
- Don't get harrassed
- Don't last hit when it is dangerous to do so
- Creeps do a lot of damage. Don't get whacked by them.