Invoker

Invoker is a ranged intelligence Hero who is considered one of the most difficult heroes in the game to master. He is unique in that he possesses a total of 14 abilities in his arsenal; three of them - Quas, Wex, and Exort - are reagents and one is his special ultimate Invoke. The three abilities he learns throughout leveling up can have three instances, which serve as the basic ingredients or components for him to create a new ability using his ultimate. Once the reagents or elements are combined, he can invoke one out of ten different abilities. All of his invoked abilities are capable of a multitude of actions, from damaging enemies to aiding his allies, and even saving himself from danger. His three reagents can be upgraded up to level 7 which determines the power and potency of his invoked abilities, making it more powerful than an ordinary spell. Because of this, he can be played in almost any role possible. Invoker can be a carry, semi-carry, ganker, pusher, initiator or even support. He is also the only hero who doesn't have Attribute Bonuses, thus he has average attributes. However, his three reagents provide passive attributes with each level, and each instance of his reagents provides a passive bonus, allowing for specialization at early levels and situational boosts at later levels. His extremely flexible nature allows him to use many different combinations of items effectively but also make him dependent on solid builds and a good gold advantage.

Gameplay
The Invoker is the most well-rounded spellcasting hero, due to his massive array of spells. Using his three elemental reagents and his Invoke ability, the Invoker can utilize a total of 10 different spells. Due to his complexity and fragility, the Invoker is a bad choice for newer players. With some experience, however, he becomes a force to be reckoned with. The Invoker is capable of massive area of effect damage, powerful disabling spells, very strong summons, and potent enchantments. While other spellcasters tend to be focused in one area, the Invoker has the ability to change his role at will. His spells tend to start out weaker than comparable abilities, but since his reagents have 7 levels each his potential spell power is very high. Although mastering his spells takes perhaps the most practice of any hero, he is definitely worth the time.

At level 25, Invoker has 7 points each towards Quas, Wex, and Exort, and 4 points towards Invoke. Uniquely among heroes, Invoker does not possess the Attribute Bonus ability (i.e., he cannot put points towards "Stats"). Instead, he gains a permanent attribute bonus to one of his stats each time he levels up Quas, Wex, or Exort.

Tips

 * Learning the combinations for Invoker's spells is essential for success.
 * Invoker is a prime candidate for mid lane; however, due to his flexibility he can also take other lane positions. Safe lane solo vs another solo laner or as the farmer with supports also allow Invoker to get the gold and EXP he needs to be strong.
 * What orb you should start with can sometimes be decided once you see your lane matchup, but often needs to be decided when you buy your items.
 * Starting with Quas is the most durable starting build, giving you +3 hp/s with 3 orbs, but leaves you with very low damage, which can make it hard to lasthit without being denied. Your starting build should probably be high on stats and low on regen to compensate. At level 2, you get access to Cold Snap with Invoke, which is an amazing spell to fight back in lane. This start is strong for lanes that are strong against you and can harass you down.
 * Starting with Exort gives you the strongest lasthitting potential, giving you +11 damage with 3 exort orbs (+3 per orb and +2 from the intelligence gain). This gives you much easier lasthitting. Against melee lanes or other weak lanes, you can start with a high stat build to dominate lane, but against laners that can fight you, you'll need a high amount of regen to stay in lane. At level 2, you can take Invoke to get access to Sun Strike or take a point in Quas and delay Invoke to level 3. If the other lanes are high in stuns, Sun Strike allows you to help get kills, but it isn't very strong without team coordination.
 * Starting with Wex is not recommended. However, in niche cases, it can work. Starting with boots and wex, if you're going offlane against a strong dual-lane or tri-lane can allow you to escape with your life intact, but both that starting item choice and starting skill choice are for players experienced with offlaning and Invoker.
 * There are three primary skill builds for Invoker, though Quas-Wex and Quas-Exort are the more common and generally stronger choices.
 * A Quas-Wex build is primarily about disabling your opponents, while making you a bit more durable; its main drawback is that without items you will be in need of Intelligence or mana regeneration. This is usually fixed with a Eul's Scepter or Scythe of Vyse. In the early game, you should try to use Cold Snap to scare enemies and maybe kill them, while your main combo in the mid game will be Tornado followed by EMP, with it, you'll deal a lot of damage and will drain most of your enemies' mana, but you have to time it well, since EMP won't work on cycloned units. In the late game, try to use Alacrity on yourself or the main carry if you're able to; use your main combo and/or Deafening Blast to disable enemies.
 * A Quas-Exort build is focused primarily on damage, from both your spell combos and right-click. Your skill goal in the early game is 4 points in Exort followed by 4 points in Quas to get two Forge Spirits, achievable at level 9. Forge Spirits in combination with Cold Snap is great for kill potential and Forge Spirits are great for pushing down towers or clearing jungle camps. Your primary spell combo is Chaos Meteor followed by Deafening Blast.
 * An Exort or Wex-Exort oriented build gives a lot of Intelligence, but leaves you with less HP. In the early game you'll have global presence thanks to your Sun Strike which, if timed well, can deal huge damage. In mid and late game, try to initiate with your Chaos Meteor, followed by Deafening Blast. You can also add Tornado before the two skills if you have enough mana, which will make it harder for the enemies to escape or flee. Use Alacrity on the main damage dealer if you're able to.
 * While your orbs are primarily thought about for what ability they invoke, having the right orbs for your situation is also important for strong Invoker play. If you're lasthitting, having 3 Exort orbs out is best. If you're not at max HP, having 3 Quas orbs out is best. If you're moving around the map, having 3 Wex orbs out is best. The tough part becomes rapidly switching between the orbs, eg. pulling out 3 Exort orbs, immediately throwing out an attack to get a last hit, then swapping back to Quas orbs, and repeating for every last hit when not at max HP.
 * As Invoker is one of the most level-dependent heroes in the game, and also scales well with gold, a Hand of Midas can be a very strong pickup. Be careful, however, as getting a Midas too late into the game or against heroes that are strong in the early game can be a bad idea, as buying a Midas leaves you weaker than buying other items in the immediate future.
 * For Quas, the highest level you will usually need is 2-4, as higher levels are generally not useful; Level 4 is only useful in that it allows you to have 2 forge spirits.
 * All of Invoker's spells have fairly long cooldowns and are individually fairly complex, while also having strong synergy with each other. Understanding how to use his spells effectively and how to combo them is key to playing Invoker well.
 * Cold Snap is, in most cases, your first and main ability in the early portion of the game. Use it to scare and harass enemies, especially when they are among allied creeps. To make better use of this skill, activate it right after right clicking on the enemy Hero, then keep attacking him whenever possible, without putting yourself in danger.
 * Ghost Walk is your most reliable escape mechanism. It makes you invisible with no fade time, and also slows enemies. Be careful when Invoking it, as it costs 200 mana to activate. Be careful about walking through opponents that have detection or spells that hit invisible units, however, as it reveals your position.
 * Ice Wall is perfect for teamfights as well as for 1 vs 1 fights. You need good positioning to use it, so it's preferable to have Phase Boots, Force Staff or even Blink Dagger to help you use this skill effectively. It damages and greatly slows enemies, making it perfect in combination with Cold Snap, Sun Strike, Chaos Meteor, EMP and Deafening Blast. You can cast Tornado right before it to make positioning easier.
 * EMP is an AoE nuke that drains the enemies' mana, while damaging them. Use it in combination with Tornado to guarantee mana drain and damage. It's a nice nuke for mid game teamfights, but it becomes less efficient as the game progresses.
 * Tornado is a useful ability that can be used to save teammates, damage enemies or even chase them, thanks to its enormous range. It can be a great setup for EMP, Chaos Meteor, Sunstrike, and Ice Wall, just be mindful that your opponents are invulnerable while in air. This spell is also great for clearing out creep waves, though be mindful about using it for that, as it does have a lengthy cooldown.
 * Alacrity is a great pushing ability, which is especially useful in late game. Use it on yourself, on your allies or even on your Spirits to take down towers with ease. Cast it on your team's carry to help him deal even more damage.
 * Sun Strike is a deadly nuke with global range, which is perfect to kill fleeing Heroes. It has a little delay, so time it well. Avoid hitting more than one enemy, otherwise it will deal less damage, since it's spread evenly between targets in its area of effect. This includes creeps, so aiming for heroes in creep waves will also greatly reduce the damage.
 * Forge Spirit lets you summon one or two Spirits that will reduce the enemy Heroes' armor while attacking. It can be used to harass, scout or push. Use it with Cold Snap, Alacrity or Ice Wall to inflict constant damage over time.
 * Chaos Meteor is a powerful nuke, capable of hitting many units at once. It rolls forward and, much like Sun Strike, it has a little delay, so you have to take positioning into account while using it. It can be used with Deafening Blast to initiate a battle and deal colossal damage if executed correctly, especially in the mid and late game. You can cast Tornado before using your Chaos Meteor to make positioning easier, and to make sure that the enemies can't escape. This spell is also great for clearing out creep waves, though be mindful about using it for that, as it does have a lengthy cooldown.
 * Deafening Blast has many uses, slightly depending on your skill build. It's mainly used to disable enemies, so that they can't run away or an ally of yours (or even yourself) can escape. If going for an Exort oriented build, it is best used in combination with Chaos Meteor to keep your opponents under the meteor for longer, increasing the combo's damage. If going for a Quas-Wex oriented build, its damage will be greatly reduced, but on the other hand its disabling power will make it easier to win teamfights or to save allies, while pushing back enemy Heroes.
 * Refresher Orb is a very useful item on Invoker since his invoked skills have rather high cooldowns. There are some occasions you find yourself waiting for your cooldowns, such as lengthy team fights.

Name

 * In DotA, Invoker's name is Kael, based on the WarCraft Blood Elf Mage character, Kael'thas Sunstrider. His fun name is Kal-El, a pun conflating the name Kael with the birth name of Superman.


 * In April 2011, a leaked DotA 6.72 Chinese changelog referred to Invoker as "卡尔" ("Kael"). A PlayDota forum member translated the changelog with Google Translate, in an attempt to get a quick, rough translation. Google Translate mistakenly translated "卡尔" as "Carl". PlayDota forum members were at first confused, then entertained by the mistake. IceFrog, the lead developer of DotA and Dota 2, joked "Carl had it coming".


 * In December 2011, drafts of Invoker's Dota 2 lore referred to him as "Garral" twice, presumably a nod to "Carl". This name was excised upon Invoker's release in January 2012; the lore currently refers to him only as "the Invoker".


 * Invoker's voice lines include the name Carl three times. Invoker has a small chance to speak one of these lines when his model is selected:
 * invo_spawn_01.mp3 "Carl!"
 * invo_rare_04.mp3 "Throughout the eons I have been known by many names…but my true name of power…is Carl."
 * invo_rare_05.mp3 "Behold before you, the illustrious, the imperious, ingenious arch-mage… CARL."


 * Undying uses the name Carl once, when meeting an allied Invoker on the battlefield, and even then only 5% of the time:
 * undying_ally_10.mp3 "Carl, is that you?"


 * Mirana uses the name Carl once, when killing an enemy Invoker, and even then only 5% of the time:
 * mir_rival_16.mp3 "Carl, meet Sagan." A pun on Carl Sagan. (Mirana's feline mount is named Sagan.)


 * In summary, whether Invoker's "real" name is Carl appears to be a subject of humor and is intentionally ambiguous.

Trivia

 * In the earliest version of Invoker, the order of instances mattered when Invoke was cast. Invoker had access to 27 spells, including the 10 still in game.
 * Invoker is (or used to be) a Magus like Rubick, who calls him the Arsenal Magus.
 * When casting Deafening Blast, Invoker will sometimes say Sonic Boom; this is most likely a reference to the signature move of Guile from the Street Fighter franchise, or possibly just a literal discription.
 * One of Invoker's lines when purchasing a Blink Dagger, may be a reference to Shakespeare's play, Macbeth.
 * In DotA, Invoker and Skywrath Mage are cousins. It is possible that the latter's Meeting Ally response regarding invoker is a reference to this.
 * drag_ally_05.mp3 Invoker, do not pretend you have forgotten me, eh?