Troll Warlord

Jah'rakal the Troll Warlord is a ranged Agility hero able to output mighty damage competitively at range and in melee. His Berserker's Rage gives him the unique ability to change his attack position from ranged to melee and back at will as the situation prefers. When in close combat, his stats are increased accordingly: he gains bonus damage, armor, movement speed, health, reduced base attack time, and the ability to Bash. Not only does this greatly improve the Troll Warlord, but it allows him to survive against and match other melee fighters. The Troll Warlord is an axe specialist, using them in his unique Whirling Axes. Whirling Axes has two variations: the first is available to his ranged form wherein he throws five axes in a cone formation to damage and slow enemies down. The second is available to his melee form, unleashing axes around himself in a small radius to damage and blind nearby enemies. In keeping with his savage nature, Fervor builds up the Warlord's momentum. With each consecutive hit on the same target, he gains increased attack speed, up to a maximum of 4 stacks. His Ultimate, Battle Trance, increases the attack speed of all of his allies globally, making it useful both for teamfights and to shred towers down quickly. Notorious for his superbly fast attack speed that can be matched by few, Jah'rakal is truly a force to be reckoned with.

Tips

 * The ability to switch between ranged and melee is very useful in the initial laning phase of the game. Ranged form can be used to harass enemies and last hit from afar to avoid being harassed, and melee form's bonus damage makes getting last hits and denies much easier.
 * Heroes who mainly auto-attack benefit greatly from Battle Trance. Keep this in mind when picking allies, but make sure not to have a bad team composition.
 * Battle Trance can be used to siege towers effectively, especially if you have numerous damage-boosting items. If he has enough attack damage, Troll Warlord can auto-attack to the point that he can beat backdoor protection from buildings.
 * You can aid allies from across the map thanks to Battle Trance's global range. Cast it when your allies are in enemy engagements, especially if they rely on auto-attacks.
 * The melee and ranged versions of whirling Axes have separate cooldowns. Keep this in mind when in battle, so that you can output more damage with them.
 * When your target enemy is starting to become harder to chase in melee form, keep in mind that you still have a Ranged form. Ranged Whirling Axes can aid in crippling them, so that you can revert back to melee form to finish them off.
 * Augment Troll Warlord's power with damage-boosting items, since his power lies in his excellent attack speed.
 * Ally buffs such as Magnus's Empower can also be a good source of boosting damage.
 * Because of its instant boost to attack speed, Fervor is usually leveled up early. This can help him last-hit while laning, and also beat down his targets sooner.
 * Attack speed items such as Gloves of Haste or Hyperstone are not discouraged; having additional attack speed means Fervor can be built up much sooner.
 * If you're 6-slotted, sell any attack speed items for higher damage items. With all skills levelled, Troll Warlord easily achieves his maximum attack speed, so items like Mjollnir are much less useful.
 * It's better to focus on one target rather than switching from one to another, since Fervor makes him more dangerous the more he attacks the same target with each blow.
 * Drum of Endurance is a strong item coupled with the bonuses from Berserker's Rage, giving you even greater mobility and extra survivability.
 * Maelstrom, Mjollnir, Orb of Venom and Eye of Skadi are the only few Unique Attack Modifiers that stack with the commonly opted HotD.
 * Maelstrom is an excellent source of early-game and mid-game damage, but upgrading to a Mjollnir is discouraged as Troll Warlord hardly benefits from the 80 attack speed it provides. Instead of upgrading your Maelstrom, sell it for higher damage items such as Daedalus, Butterfly or Monkey King Bar, or utility items such as Eye of Skadi, Black King Bar or Heaven's Halberd.

Trivia

 * Unlike in DotA, Troll Warlord cannot wield the Skull Basher in Dota 2. In DotA, though he can hold a Basher in his inventory, it still won't stack with his melee bash. It is still possible for him to get a Basher in Dota 2, but only through cheats or special game mode events (i.e. the Greeviling).
 * Jah'rakal's lore and certain dialogue lines make several references to Internet trolls, a type of identity or role assumed by certain Internet users.
 * Troll Warlord, along with Phantom Assassin, has the lowest intelligence growth in the game (+1 per level).
 * His skill set was completely changed by the time DotA went into version 6.60 and above. His abilities were either modified, or replaced. Some of these changes are as follows:
 * Berserker's Rage used to cost mana.
 * Blind was arguably his trademark ability, and the very reason why he was called the Blinding Axe in the lore of DotA. An intense light blinds his enemy, causing some of their attacks to miss.
 * Fervor used to be Beastmaster's recent Inner Beast, where it was an attack speed-enhancing aura.
 * Rampage, his old ultimate, is where he goes into animalistic berserk state, increasing his movement speed and boosting his attack speed to an ultimate level for a long period of time. This ability is able to give him instant blinding speed and the potential to wipe out five heroes separately, thus, it was the inspiration of the name of a five hero kill from a single hero "Rampage".