Lycan/Guide

General

 * When taking on Roshan, it is advised to use a to avoid being spotted by enemy observer wards. Teams facing a Lycan will do their best to prevent early Roshan kills by planting observer wards near the pit; given that a detected Lycan is easy prey while doing battle with Roshan, slipping past those wards will do wonders for his lifespan.
 * At level 7, with items like and  or, Lycan can solo Roshan. Summon your Wolves and tank them alternately with the hero, but not let them die until re-summon is ready. Keep Shapeshift just in case the enemy comes for you, so you can escape.
 * Nature's Prophet has great synergy with Lycan, for several reasons. Howl can drastically increase the combat effectiveness of Treants by boosting their damage potential. This same advantage can also aid in handling Roshan, allowing boosted Treants to tank him instead of Lycan. Nature's Prophet is (like Lycan) a jungling and laning hero, so his absence while fighting Roshan is not a great concern for his teammates. Finally, the Prophet's ability to teleport directly into Roshan's pit is also useful for avoiding enemy wards (using in Roshan's Pit with Sprout is advised, however, in order to remain undetected by said wards).
 * Any item that provides armor reduction (Desolator, Medallion, Assault Cuirass) or an aura benefits both the wolves and the Necronomicon units. Keep in mind that the melee Necronomicon Warrior has the lowest Base Attack Time of the game of 0.75 seconds, which makes him scale really well with Howl's flat damage bonus. Adding reduced armor to the mix will considerably increase your total DPS.


 * Wolves can be used to scout runes at the beginning of the match and during the laning phase to avoid losing gold and experience.
 * Always Summon Wolves in the base when going out to jungle for the first time (at about the 0-10 second mark) since the wolves are fast enough that you can get a creep camp killed without using any mana.
 * Wolves' invisibility at level 3, very low base attack time and quick movement make them great deniers. Use them to destroy runes, aegis and allied towers with all impunity if the situation is too risky, or too far away for you to go there in person. The most talented players will even manage to entirely body-block a hero in a narrow path with both wolves, and possibly deny yourself if certain debuffs are placed on Lycan.
 * Wolves can also be used to scout and keep tabs on particular heroes without them knowing. Select your wolf and hit M (default) and then click an enemy hero; the wolf will follow the hero but will not attack, so it will remain invisible. Do this with each wolf and you can get constant vision of two enemy heroes. This is great for setting up ganks or for evaluating whether to take a team fight in a particular area. Keep in mind that if your wolves lose vision of who they are following for too long, they stop following.


 * Always keep an eye on the minimap. Save Howl to give teammates a decent damage boost, aiding them in fighting and securing kills.


 * Shapeshift is a very strong and versatile Ultimate to use. When activated, it gives Lycan hasted movement speed, allowing a great deal of maneuverability in battle to chase down fleeing heroes or to escape from potentially dangerous areas. The 650 movement speed is shared with units under his control allowing the wolf and Necronomicon to constantly right click (and burn the mana of the target). While Shapeshifted, you are immune to every Slow, including Hex, Purge and Slow Ultimates like, , and (though if directly targeted by Primal Roar, the stun is still applied).

Items
Starting Items:
 * helps Lycan farm, especially if he starts in the jungle.
 * gives some early durability and eventually builds into Vladmir's Offering

Early Game:
 * gives lifesteal, damage, and armor in an aura, so his wolves get more powerful as well. The mana regeneration also helps with his small mana pool.
 * give you movement speed, attack speed, and some extra damage and durability if you set them to give strength.

Core Items:
 * is useful on many melee heroes. Lycan is no exception as more strength and temporary magic immunity let him get to his target and deal more damage when he gets there.
 * is an amazing item for pushing and paired up with Howl, Feral Impulse, and Vladimir's Offering, it actually provides more DPS than any other item that Lycan can get - provided the Necronomicon units do not get killed.
 * gives armor, attack speed to Lycan and his allies (including his wolves), and reduces opponents' armor.

Situational Items:
 * Since Lycan has no disable Abilities, basher can be the only way to stop someone, can be upgraded Later to a.
 * helps push down buildings, as well as amplify the damage done by wolves.
 * gives Lycan's attacks a chance to lesser maim; slowing opponents attack and move speed helping him chase them down, with additional evasion.
 * provides some health, armor ,greater maim, damage , attack and move speed.
 * greatly increases health and health regeneration allowing Lycan to tank more effectively. The damage gained from it is also entirely from strength, which is amplified by both Feral Impulse and Vladmir's Offering. It is especially strong on Lycan thanks to his slipperiness - Lycan can run out of a fight at very low HP and come back into the fight after a short rest.
 * gives a reliable stun as well as good survivability from damage block.
 * due his high damage and critical chance on wolf form, echo sabre can be a aditional in his build.
 * can be helpful in certain situations, as it provides good DPS for low cost and as well as some survivability. The HP drain is partially negated by the Lifesteal of.
 * are highly recommended late game, or when the enemies tier 3 tower or barracks are vulnerable. Whenever the enemy tries to push, go to a lone lane and split push as much as you can. Lycan is arguably one of the best heroes at taking down towers fast, due to this enemies will have to send someone back to deal with you. However, if a teamfight starts anyways, you can teleport back to aid the fight.