Pudge the butcher

Showing the power of Death in brute force, Pudge roams the battlefield searching for flesh to assimilate to this own gruesome body. Over the years, his skin has toughened to resist magic, while developing a stench potent enough to kill the bravest of heroes. With his hook he can drag enemies to their demise by his great maw in a matter of seconds. The Butcher is a monstrosity feared by enemies and allies alike.
Pros
1. Fabulous hero-killing combination of abilities
2. High strength, and able to gain more with Flesh Heap
3. Abilities are useful in team situations
4. Simultaneously a tank and an assassin

Cons
1. Unimpressive agility and intelligence
2. Low armor
3. Low movement speed and attack rate
4. Melee hero
5. Can become weaker towards the late game

Hero Attributes

Strength: 25 + 3.2
Agility: 14 + 1.5
Intelligence: 14 + 1.5

625 hp
182 mana
52-58 damage
1 armor

285 movespeed
1.46 base attack time
Attack range of 128 (melee)


Hero Skills

Mea[t] Hook [T]

Launches a bloody hook at a unit or location. The hook will snag the first target encounters, dealing damage then dragging the victim back tothe Butcher.

Level 1 - 400 range, 100 damage.
Level 2 - 600 range, 200 damage.
Level 3 - 800 range, 300 damage.
Level 4 - 1000 range, 400 damage.

Meat Hook was stealth nerfed in 6.46 and now deals physical damage. This means it is reduced by armor, and will deal considerably less damage in the later stages of thegame.


Rot [R]

Pudge releases the disease and filth inside of him, dealing intense damage to and slowing surrounding enemies while hurting Pudge as well.

Level 1 - 25 damage/second.
Level 2 - 50 damage/second.
Level 3 - 75 damage/second.
Level 4 - 100 damage/second.


Flesh Heap [F]

Pudge is made of innumerable rotting corpses, giving him extra protection against spells as well as the chance to add more to his bulk. Adds 10 times as much "bulk" if the kill is a Hero kill.

Level 1 - 4% magic reduction, .03 Str bonus per kill.
Level 2 - 8% magic reduction, .06 Str bonus per kill.
Level 3 - 12% magic reduction, .09 Str bonus per kill.
Level 4 - 16% magic reduction, .12 Str bonus per kill.


Dismember [D]

Chows down on a target, causing excruciating pain.
Lasts 3 seconds (on heroes) at all levels.
Channeling.

Level 1 - 75 damage/second.
Level 2 - 125 damage/second.
Level 3 - 175 damage/second.

NOTE:
-> Able to Disable units Casting Spells
-> Dismember goes through Avater or Rage but deals no damage

Skill Build


Build 1 (W/O Hood of Defiance) Build 2 (W/ Hood of Defiance)

Level 1 - Rot Level 1 - Rot
Level 2 - Meat Hook Level 2 - Meat Hook
Level 3 - Meat Hook Level 3 - Meat Hook
Level 4 - Rot Level 4 - Rot
Level 5 - Meat Hook Level 5 - Meat Hook
Level 6 - Dismember Level 6 - Dismember
Level 7 - Meat Hook Level 7 - Meat Hook
Level 8 - Flesh Heap Level 8 - Rot
Level 9 - Rot Level 9 - Rot
Level 10 - Rot Level 10 - Flesh Heap
Level 11 - Dismember Level 11 - Dismember
Level 12 - Flesh Heap Level 12 - Flesh Heap
Level 13 - Flesh Heap Level 13 - Flesh Heap
Level 14 - Flesh Heap Level 14 - Flesh Heap
Level 15 - Stats Level 15 - Stats
Level 16 - Dismember Level 16 - Dismember
Level 17-25 - Stats Level 17-25 - Stats

NOTE: Skill build 1 is recommended if you do NOT plan to buy Hood of Defiance. Skill Build 2 is ideal for Pudge who plans to buy HoD (if you are dealing with heavy magic nukers). However the adding of Flesh Heap may be delayed, if the HoD isn't fully assembled - go for Stats first. Read topic about Flesh Heap under Strategy for more details

Explanations:
- The Ring of Regeneration is perfect for early game regen that will make you stay longer in the battlefield thus you level up more and farm better. The Ring of regeneration is also a pre-requisite item for your late game item upgrades.
- The Boots of Speed is definitely a must have item for Pudge early game. This allows you to keep track with enemy heroes while rotting them.
- The Bracer will be sufficient enough to boost your HP pool so you can rot the hell out of your oponent and not get yourself killed. Plus it will also be enough boost to increase your maximum mana pool as well.
- Early game, carrying some Lesser Clarity Potion is very useful for Pudge especially when you are using your hook frequently.
- The Empty Bottle is one of the best item for Pudge early game. This is definitely what Pudge needs after hook+rot combo to kill enemy hero, after pulling that combo - your HP and Sp (Mana) is either halved or lower. So using the Empty bottle to refresh your Hp and Sp will give Pudge more opportunity to pull off the combo from time to time.

Mid Game ( levels 9 - 16 )

Optional Item:

Hood of Defiance

Explanations:
- Go for Hood of Defiance when facing against Heroes dealing with heavy magic nukes. Combined with his Flesh Heap, Pudge can resist anything even the ultimates of Lina, Lion and the likes.

NOTE: If there is no need to buy this item, skip Hood of Defiance and go to the next item.
Boots of Travel

Explanations:
- Boots of Travel is the next thing you need to purchase. Not only will it increase your movement speed for chasing enemy heroes, but this also will allow you to teleport from one place to the other for faster farming production. Note that you will need plenty of gold to get your primary items for lategame.

Late Game ( levels 17 - 25 )

Alternatives:

Option 1 Option 2


Explanations:
- Go for Heart of Tarrasque first if you feel that your HP is not sufficient enough to tank the team or to absorb the fire powers of the opposing team. Getting HoT will greatly boost up your HP pool plus it will significantly increase your HP regeneration.
- Go for Assault Cuirass first if you think that your HP is good enough to survive and that you are capable of tanking already. Going for Cuirass will greatly help your team as everyone in the team gets bonusattack speed plus armor. Not to forget that Pudge really need those as well.

If you went for HoT first, next item will be Assault Cuirass. On the other hand, if you take Cuirass first, go for HoT next. Then you can go for an upgrade of your items, you can replace the two bracers with higher level items after you have completed the basic items stated above.

Luxury Items

After getting your core items and late game items, you can now spend your income on these luxury items:


Black King Bar - This will give you more than just magic resistance - spell immunity is definitely something pudge needs especially when using Dismember (to avoid getting the channelling skill disrupted) and when tanking against heavy nukers. Aside from the spell immunity it gives, the extra str and damage will prove very useful for Pudge.


Linken Sphere - Similar to the effect of BKB, Linken is also one good item to prevent dismember from being cancelled. Plus the +15 to all stats and the hp/sp regen bonus is something Pudge needs.

Items NOT to Get:



Perseverance and Ring of Basilus are definitely not the answer for Pudge's mana problem. Pudge needs higher maximum mana pool, not faster mana regeneration.



The Vanguard is not advisable for pudge to get since this is costly for an early game item and is useless for a late game item. Bracers would be a better substitute to this for HP boosting.



This is definitely a big NO NO for pudge, S&Y is very costly and is not that effective for Pudge. Always go for HoT (HP boost) and Boots of Travel (movement speed boost)


Battle fury or Radiance? None of the above! Pudge does not need any harvesting type of items. With his Rot, he can easily wipe an entire wave of creeps in an instance



Dagon? What for? Damage? This is a total waste of money and adds up to Pudge's misery for his poor mana pool. Pudge has all the damage he needs with his infinity strength points.



Power Threads may work wonders for most heroes, but Pudge needs faster movement speed and gets it from Boots of Travel, then Assault Cuirass will more than compensate the attack speed for not having power threads.

Gameplay Walkthrough

Pudge, The Butcher is a unique hero that has the ability to tank-support-assassinate. He has a huge HP pool that allows him to tank, he can be very deadly in early-mid games and can take every enemy down while hiding behind the Forest. He uses Hook to save his allies from the enemy and able to disable his enemy.


Early game

It is important that you choose the lane you are most comfortable and familiar with. Using Pudge requires a lot of maneuvering and some tactical plans that require near-perfect execution. So a good lane to setup your tricks is a big plus. Recommended lanes for Pudge is bottom lane for Sentinels and top lane for Scourge.

The early plan is to stay close to the tower and let the enemy push to as close to the tower as possible. It is much safer for you to have the battle close to your tower and it is more dangerous for the enemy since they are a long way from safety. Play neutral at first and don’t be aggressive, the element of surprise is one of the best weapon you have. You can act as if you are not going to be aggressive on the hero and just focus on the creeps, then when the enemy heroes come close to you – that’s when you start releasing that poisonous gas from within and chase-hit the enemy hero to death. Remember that he is very far away from safety, meaning he has a long way crawling home while breathing that deadly air. Another reason why it is good to stay as close to the tower as possible is that you can hook the enemy hero towards your tower, the hero will definitely feel sorry that he was pushing the lane.

Another important thing to consider early game is farming. Pudge needs all the penny he can get to make him the monster that many fears! Last hitting creeps is easy when timed properly, Pudge has a decent damage plus the aid of Rot can make last hitting the creep easier for him. It is very advantageous to turn Rot on and off from time to time as a mean to farm.

Mid Game

This is where the fun starts! With the ideal items and skill build, Pudge can begin the slaughter. By this time, you must be roaming around looking for fresh meat already – victims are best hunted when they least expect it. So make sure to be familiar with some of the ideal hook spot (see details below), the Meat Hook is Pudge's biggest asset – giving enemy heroes the biggest surprise in their life. But hooking is never easy, you need to have a perfect set up, good instinct, lots of practices and above all – luck. It is always ideal to go hunt enemy heroes with a partner or two. It will not only make the massacre faster and easier, but it will also give you the assurance that you wont get ganked incase you went on a bad turn where enemy heroes were assembling.

If the enemy heroes are very cautious, don’t panic and don’t get too impatient. There is always time for dinner, when they are hiding and not leveling up because they fear you then that’s a good sign that they are no longer harvesting well. So instead of wasting your time on hunting them when they are hiding in bases, go earn yourself some more gold – farm more and be more fierce! Farming and killing more creeps leads to greater Strength gain and by the time they come out, you are really the gruesome monster.

Late Game

By this time, your Pudge probably has that 130 base strength or maybe more! With that amount of HP, you certainly can tank with no problems at all. But don't get too cocky about your big HP, a wise man would always stay cautious and always rely on a good plan than using brute force to win. Hooking is still one of your primary asset as it can easily drag one enemy to a trap then that's minus one from their team. Do not use dismember in that situation as you can easily kill the "hooked" hero with a gank, you can save the dismember later on when the two teams clash. Dismember the enemy hero that has most value to their team, or the hero that causes most problem against your team.

Don't forget that you are the tanker of the team plus you are also the main pusher with your rotting skill. Use this advantage to set the tone for your team offense. With the creeps marching towards enemy base, enemy heroes will feel the pressure to defend and that's when you can find your sweet spot and go fishing with some enemy heroes.

Strategy



Using [R]ot the Right Way

Getting Rot at level 1 is usually ideal for any type of Pudge build.The slow effect plus the damage per second dealt to probably any hero at level 1 is fatal to them. Pudge can definitely endure the rot with his high HP pool coupled with some HP boosting items. And this is certainly most useful when Pudge has an allied hero on the same lane which can deal damage to the slowed hero while pudge rots his way through. Rot is certainly one of the best chasing mechanism there is in DotA.

Aside from that, Rot can also be used as a very effective means to farming. Turning rot on when a creep is almost killed then turning it off afterwards will make Pudge rich very fast. Perfect timing is necessary to maximize this tactic. The damage dealt to yourself from rot isn't that big since it is only activated for a very short duration once in a while.

Rot can also be used for Suiciding. If you are in a critical situation, endangered and is sure that the enemy will kill you. You may use Rot to deny your self. If you died from Rot, you will get the bonus Str gain from your Flesh Heap skill plus the enemy won't get the kill!


When to Add [F]lesh Heap ?

Determining on when to add this skill depends on your item build. Usually it is added around level 8 when you don't plan to buy Hood of Defiance. Putting it as early as level 8 is ideal because you can start gaining the extra str bonus around this time since your hook and dismember is good enough to kill some heroes already. However, if you intend to buy Hood of Defiance since you are facing some heavy magic nukers, you will have to purchase Plane walker's cloak first and do NOT add Flesh Heap skill until you have fully assembled the Hood of Defiance. This way, the magic resistance from HoD will stack with the skill. When you go straight to buying HoD before reaching level 10, then you can add Flesh Heap skill as early as level 10. But if the item isn't assembled completely, go for Stats first and wait for the HoD to be asembled before adding Flesh Heap. With flesh heap maxed out plus HoD, any magic damage dealt to pudge is like a pinch from an old grany.

Aside from that, Pudge being a good farmer with his rotting ability, he will gain extra str points for certain amount of creeps/enemy heroes killed. Thus the earlier to have flesh heap, the more str bonuses pudge gains. Level 8 is usually ideal to add a level 1 Flesh Heap if there is no actual magic nuke threat.

Note that denying units also adds to the "bulk" of Pudge's flesh heap. So if you're pretty good at last hitting creeps, Pudge is one of the few heroes in DotA that rewards you with something (bonus str) for creep killing/denying.


[D]ismember - Uhhh... Fresh Meat..

This skill is really needed when you are playing with Pudge, using its special combo Meat Hook + Rot + Dismember and you can really own from early to mid game. But dismember's purpose doesn't end there, dismember still plays a crucial role in late game by disabling the oponent's best champion. It is always smart to use dismember wisely, when you can kill your opponent with hook and rot alone, do not use dismember anymore. Although dismember may have a very fast cooldown period, but in a team battle saving it for the best time really counts. Dismember is the ultimate disable that deals damage to the victim for a period of time.


Learn How to Mea[t] Hook

With a maximum damage of 400 at Level 4, the Meat hook is surely one of the deadliest weapon Pudge has. But using the hook is never easy and it requires some tactical execution to maximize its potential. Aside from the high damage it deals, the hook can be used as a mean to pull over enemy heroes into a trap and it can as well be a means to save allied heroes from danger. Timing and precision is critical. Maxing out Meat Hook as soon as possible is a good move.

Before hooking around, I would like to give some important notice on how to get a better chance of landing a successful hook. Again, I will repeat that hooking requires good positioning, killer instinct, lots of practice and definitely you need some LUCK as well. So don't get easily disappointed when you missed your first few tries, and don't get too fired up when you hit your first couple of tries. Stay focused !

Hooking Tips:
Never target the Hero.

Hooking a Hero by targeting on ground, in front of, at the back or the sides of the Hero depending on the scenario.
Look for the perfect hook spot to trap or catch your enemy by surprise.
Must be Imaginative and have anticipation to know where the Heroes will go or move.

Hooking Stationary Heroes

This is the easy part when the enemy hero is unaware that you are already hiding in your hookspot and is stationary while creep killing, you can look for the best angle to hook him for a surprise. Remember that Meat Hook has a maximum range of 1000 so make good use of its range. Usually finding a 'good spot' is critical to land successful hooks.

Enemy is busy focusing on creep killing and the next thing he knows, Pudge is eating him alive...

TY