Vengeful Spirit/Guide

General

 * Because of her combination of disables and debuffs, Vengeful Spirit is an excellent roaming partner, as she can reliably stun an enemy and reduce their armor, setting them up for being finished off by teammates. Her lack of meaningful damage output and more than one disable means that she must rely on her teammates to land follow-up stuns and kill the target, however.
 * Unlike most casting-focused supports, Vengeful Spirit benefits from an innately high strength and agility growth, giving her plenty of HP and armor. This means that, despite her sacrificial nature, she is very resilient against all types of damage, and under unusual circumstances can transition into playing as a semi-carry.
 * Vengeful Spirit is a very item-independent hero, and can greatly contribute to fights and ganks even with only a few basic items. Combined with her strong ganking prowess, she should focus on constantly roaming and engaging the enemy, singling out key targets for elimination to buy time and space for her team.
 * Due to her skill set, Vengeful Spirit benefits from building support utility items that grant her team an advantage in fights. Her ability to displace heroes with Nether Swap means that she benefits greatly from building mobility items that help her initiate, and her low base intelligence ensures that she must purchase mana items to allow her to cast her spells more regularly.


 * Magic Missile is a basic unit-targeted nuke that stuns and deals damage to the target.
 * Because it is Vengeful Spirit's only damage nuke, Magic Missile is a good spell to max out first, as magic damage is more powerful in the early game when heroes have small HP pools.
 * Beware that Magic Missile has a very high mana cost relative to Shendelzare's mana pool, and will deplete more than half of it at level 1. The target for Magic Missile must be chosen with care, as wasting the spell on a failed gank will set her back greatly.
 * Magic Missile is a reliable stun since it will home in on its target, however it also has a very short disable duration that allows its target to act earlier. This makes Magic Missile a strong initiating stun, but also means that it requires follow-up disables from allies in order to ensure a successful kill.
 * Magic Missile is capable of piercing spell immunity if the Talent is chosen, giving it even greater utility by allowing Vengeful Spirit to truly interrupt any Heroes that happen to have both a and  in their inventory.


 * Wave of Terror is a long-ranged spell that debuffs enemy armor while dealing minor nuke damage.
 * Wave of Terror is a good candidate for maxing out early in a game, since its armor reduction can soften up enemies to weaken them against physical damage. It is a strong spell at all points in the game, since physical damage becomes a stronger factor in teamfights in the late game.
 * Combined with Magic Missile, Wave of Terror is a strong set-up ability that damages and debuffs a gank target after they are stunned. The combination of stun, damage and armor reduction from both abilities will greatly weaken an enemy, making them much easier to kill by Vengeful Spirit's roaming ganking partner(s).
 * Despite its narrow width, Wave of Terror has an extremely long cast range, capable of inflicting its debuff on targets from far away. This allows Vengeful Spirit to get off the debuff very reliably, inflicting multiple enemies with armor reduction before the start of a teamfight.
 * While it deals a very small amount of damage, Wave of Terror's long cast range allows it to be used to deal player-based damage at long range. This allows the spell to be used to put an enemy Blink Dagger on cooldown, burn their Healing Salve or Clarity, and numerous other effects.
 * Wave of Terror provides vision over its travel path, allowing the spell to be used to scout enemies in the fog of war. Combined with its ability to put Blink Dagger on cooldown, Vengeful Spirit can use it to scout out hidden initiators and foul their attempts to initiate on her team. As well, the vision and damage can be used to reveal enemies inside of treelines, particularly useful for hunting down split-pushers like, and


 * Vengeance Aura is a strong attack damage aura that boosts all nearby allies' physical damage, and inflicts a negative aura upon enemies when Vengeful Spirit is killed.
 * Because physical damage is very low in the early game, Vengeance Aura is best reserved to skill only after both Magic Missile and Wave of Terror are maxed out. The ability is not very strong in the early game, and is only truly effective once maxed out and teammates have enough attack speed to make use of the bonus damage.
 * Combined with Wave of Terror, Vengeance Aura can greatly amplify the amount of damage that allies deal with their right-clicks in ganks and teamfights.
 * Remember that when Vengeful Spirit is killed, the negative Vengeance Aura is transferred to the enemy hero who made the kill and centered on them. While it isn't possible to control who kills Vengeful Spirit, placing the debuff on their strongest physical damage carry can severely hinder their entire team.
 * Beware that the negative Vengeance Aura is only transferred upon a hero landing the killing blow. Try to avoid situations where it is possible to be killed by summons, creeps or towers, as that will prevent the aura from transferring.


 * Nether Swap, Vengeful Spirit's signature ability, allows her to immediately re-position herself and a target hero, enemy or ally.
 * Despite its simple mechanic, Nether Swap is an extremely flexible spell, allowing Shendel to use it for a variety of purposes. Good use of Nether Swap requires impeccable positioning on Vengeful Spirit's part, but can make or break crucial teamfights and engagements, and in the right circumstances can outright win a match.
 * The most basic use of Nether Swap is to displace an important enemy hero, immediately placing them in the middle of Vengeful Spirit's allies and effectively securing a guaranteed kill in the right circumstances. Similarly, it can be cast on an ally who has been caught by the enemy team, bringing them to immediate safety at the cost of her own life (albeit also inflicting the enemy with the negative Vengeance Aura).
 * In the early game, try to utilize the environment and architecture to your advantage, when allies alone cannot guarantee a kill. For instance, positioning Vengeful Spirit within attack range of an allied tower before swapping with an enemy will bring them inside of the tower's range, which can be followed up with by Magic Missile to increase the number of tower attacks they are forced to take.
 * Nether Swap pierces spell immunity and interrupts channeling abilities, making it a strong spell even if it is not used to explicitly gank an enemy or save a teammate. For instance, an who is channeling  can be immediately interrupted from a distance even if he has an active BKB. The same applies to, , and so on. Additionally, Nether Swap can be cast to immediately break  if cast from a great enough distance.
 * Beware that while Nether Swap has a very long cast range, it does not deal any damage to enemy targets, which can allow players with a Blink Dagger to simply jump away after the swap. If ganking an enemy with a Blink Dagger, try to disable it with Wave of Terror first, then target them with Magic Missile after the swap.
 * Keep in mind that Nether Swap can be combined with other forced movement items and abilities. For instance, Force Staff can be used to push Shendel back to safety after swapping out an enemy, and similar results can be obtained with an allied and.
 * Nether Swap can also make unreliable disables and nukes easier to land by allies, with good communication and timing. For instance, standing on top of a large trap or in the path of an allied  or  can allow allies to instantly secure kills using Nether Swap.
 * Be extremely careful about Vengeful Spirit's positioning prior to casting Nether Swap, and which heroes to cast it on. Placing an enemy initiator or disabler in the middle of Vengeful Spirit's team can allow them to initiate on them with abilities like or . Pick your target with care, and always be sure that Shendel herself is in a position that allies are capable of exploiting prior to swapping an enemy in.
 * If being pursued by multiple heroes, Nether Swap can be used as a juking spell. By targeting it on the furthest enemy hero, Vengeful Spirit can cause the nearest pursuers to overshoot due to a sudden change in direction, giving her extra time to escape in a different direction.
 * With, the cooldown on Nether Swap decreases drastically, and a Vengeance Illusion spawns upon her death.
 * Because Vengeance Aura is possessed by the Vengeance Illusion, both the negative and positive auras can be simultaneously active, the negative centered on Shendel's killer and the positive centered on her illusion. This can provide a strong teamfight advantage for as long as the illusion is alive.
 * The Vengeance Illusion spawns with all of its abilities off cooldown, meaning that it is immediately able to cast spells. Use this to get off an immediate round of spells if possible, as the enemy may attempt to focus down and destroy the illusion before it causes too much damage.
 * Be mindful that as it possesses the properties of an illusion, the Vengeance Illusion can still be instantly destroyed by the right abilities., , Hex type abilities, and so on, can immediately remove the illusion from the field, so beware of the enemy's lineup and what items they possess.

Items
Starting items:
 * and help Vengeful Spirit sustain during the laning phase, preventing her from returning to base due to enemy harassment.
 * is crucial for replenishing Vengeful Spirit's mana from casting during early ganks, as her small base mana pool means that she will run completely out after one or two casts.
 * is a cheap way to improve Vengeful Spirit's attributes, particularly her HP and mana, both of which are lacking in the early game. It can be used either to build a Ring of Aquila or Magic Wand later.
 * is an important item for support heroes to purchase at the start of the match. Shendel's low reliance on items makes her a good candidate for purchasing it.

Early game:
 * is a useful pickup when in a lane against heroes who have low mana cost spells, and are harassing you with those. The burst HP and mana regen allows Vengeful Spirit to survive slightly longer and cast at least one more spell in an engagement, which can make or break a fight.
 * are essential early on for Vengeful Spirit, as the improved speed will allow her to escape deadly situations, as well as quickly get within range to stun them with Magic Missile
 * gives Vengeful Spirit many strong bonuses. It provides all-around attributes, particularly to her agility, and the increased armor makes her more survivable against physical damage. The Aquila Aura provides even more armor, and its flat mana regen is very helpful in the early game when Vengeful Spirit's intelligence is low. The aura can provide allies with more armor, and can be useful for pushing lanes to take map objectives after securing kills. Later on, Ring of Aquila can be disassembled to recycle its components.

Core items:
 * is a useful pick up for the same reasons as the Magic Stick. Its attribute bonuses are very useful on low-farm supports, and the increased charge storage allows Vengeful Spirit to instantly replenish a large fraction of her HP and mana, enough to stay in a fight long enough to make a greater difference.
 * increase Vengeful Spirit's attack speed, which synergizes well with, greatly increasing her physical damage output. The ability to switch attributes allows her to either give herself more HP for survivability, more mana for casting her powerful spells, or more damage and attack speed for damage output.
 * synergizes well with, combining to reduce a target enemy's armor by 13 at its highest level; cast on an ally, it can help keep them alive for longer in fights. The bonuses on Vengeful Spirit herself give her increased armor for survivability against physical damage, and scaling mana regen that helps to maintain her mana pool.
 * are crucial for purchasing regularly as a support hero. Map vision provides intelligence about enemy movements, and is particularly useful for Vengeful Spirit given her ability to roam and get kills on lone enemies.
 * are essential for cross-map transportation. Shendel's powerful abilities make her a crucial ally to have in any engagement, whether it's to save an ally who is being ganked, or to get to a gank opportunity to kill an enemy.

Situational items:
 * greatly reduces the cooldown on, allowing Vengeful Spirit to use it repeatedly in engagements, and gives her access to the Vengeance Illusion sub-ability. With a reduced cooldown, Vengeful Spirit can swap enemies repeatedly, preventing them from easily escaping so long as she is nearby, and the Vengeance Illusion spawning upon her death allows her to continue to contribute to fights even after death. The item itself also greatly improves her HP and mana, making her more resilient and improving her mana pool to reduce the strain that repeated casting of her ultimate will induce.
 * is a cheap support item that is very useful on Vengeful Spirit. It can be used to re-position her in order to cast her abilities particularly Magic Missile and Nether Swap. It can also be used to escape from failed fights or ganks as well as save nearby allies, or push enemies into your grasp. It also improves her mana pool, allowing her to cast her spells more often in fights.
 * is extremely strong in the hands of Vengeful Spirit. While it cannot be used to trap enemies on unpathable terrain with Nether Swap, it greatly increases her mobility and lets her quickly get in position to stun an enemy or swap a key target. It also greatly improves her roaming potential as she can traverse over cliffs and trees while hunting for targets.
 * is a powerful semi-carry item that boosts Vengeful Spirit's damage output. Combining the attack modifier with Wave of Terror and Medallion of Courage can reduce a target's armor by up to 19, which can be enough to bring down even the tankiest heroes.
 * is an expensive but strong luxury item for a semi-carry build. The item drastically increases Shendel's physical damage output, particularly when combined with Vengeance Aura and Wave of Terror, and provides evasion to make her harder to focus down in engagements. Its active can temporarily boost her movement speed, increasing her ability to roam the battlefield and chase down enemies.
 * increases Vengeful Spirit's semi-carry potential further. It improves her overall attributes, particularly her agility, and improves her movement speed for better mobility. The active allows her to remove debuffs from herself while also creating illusions to confuse the enemy; as well, the illusions can carry Vengeance Aura to benefit her team even while she herself is not within range, and can even be used to provide allies with the positive aura after Shendel's death, meaning that both the positive and negative auras can be simultaneously active.
 * will massively increase Vengeful Spirit's survivability, granting her a much larger HP pool and the ability to quickly regenerate between fights. This survivability gives Vengeful Spirit a much higher chance of survival when swapping herself into a group of enemy heroes, and forces them to expend more time and spells in order to bring her down.
 * gives Vengeful Spirit all-around attributes for a cheap price, and the aura provides increased movement and attack speed for both herself and nearby allies. The increased mobility, especially with the active, allows Vengeful Spirit and her team to quickly chase down enemies during ganks, or escape from pursuers.
 * is as essential as Animal Courier, and should be purchased at the earliest opportunity. Vengeful Spirit's low reliance on items means that she can purchase it for her team more easily than can most of her teammates.
 * is a strong upgrade to that further augments the bonuses it brings to the field. The increased armor shift allows Vengeful Spirit to make an even bigger dent in the enemy's armor, or provide even more protection to a target ally in combination with the bonus evasion. The additional mana regen also helps to better sustain her mana pool for casting spells.
 * is a strong utility item on any support hero. Vengeful Spirit can use it in conjunction with Nether Swap to help ensure that an endangered ally survives, and cast on herself can improve her ganking ability as she can approach targets invisibly before disabling them with Magic Missile.
 * is a cheap mana item that improves Vengeful Spirit's ability to roam independently. It gives her HP and mana regen, allowing her to sustain her HP and mana more easily without going back to base. The active allows her to draw on her HP pool for immediate mana, useful for getting the mana she needs to cast and.
 * is a useful roaming item that gives Vengeful Spirit many powerful benefits. The bonus strength and mana regen give her more HP and help to maintain her mana pool. Charges can be easily obtained through successful ganks, and the charges can be used to heal herself or allies, synergizing with Nether Swap in keeping teammates alive, or can be used to add additional Pure damage in a gank, increasing the odds of success.
 * are a powerful alternative option for a roaming Vengeful Spirit. The increased movement speed allows her to roam more effectively, chasing down enemies more quickly to stun them, while the armor helps her to survive more easily after a successful Nether Swap. The passive HP regen can replenish any HP lost during an engagement, allowing Vengeful Spirit to be ready for another gank shortly afterward.
 * is a good support item that helps Vengeful Spirit and any roaming partners to cast their spells. Increasing the size of Shendel's mana pool reduces the strain of casting Magic Missile and Nether Swap, and the active can allow her to replenish her own mana pool and that of teammates, whether they need their spells to function in teamfights or to kill gank targets.
 * is a utility item that increases Vengeful Spirit's teamfight presence. The aura's damage bonus stacks alongside that of Vengeance Aura, further increasing the physical damage output of nearby teammates. It also provides armor to protect Vengeful Spirit and her teammates from physical damage, and HP and mana regen to keep them topped up outside of fights.
 * greatly improves the utility of all of Shendel's spells. It increases the size of her meager mana pool, allowing her to cast her spells more easily, and provides HP regen for improved survivability. Boosting the cast range on all of her spells allows her to stun enemies with Magic Missile from farther away, and debuff more enemies with Wave of Terror. But most importantly, it increases the cast range of Nether Swap, allowing her to displace enemies from extremely long distances.
 * can be a cheap utility item that serves multiple purposes, both in teamfights and ganks. The intelligence and mana regen bonuses will solve all of Vengeful Spirit's casting problems, and its movement speed boost allows her to position herself for casting spells or chasing down enemies more easily. The active can be used to temporarily disable secondary enemy targets while her team focuses down the primary target, or can be cast on herself to provide temporary invulnerability after a successful Nether Swap while also purging debuffs.
 * is a very strong semi-carry item that drastically boosts Vengeful Spirit's damage output. The increased armor will make her extremely resilient against physical damage, while the attack speed bonus allows her and nearby allies to further capitalize on Vengeance Aura's bonus damage. The enemy armor reduction can further reduce their resistance to physical damage alongside Wave of Terror.
 * is a powerful ganking item that can help to secure guaranteed kills. While expensive, Scythe of Vyse provides an instant hard-disable that can be combined with Magic Missile to pin down gank targets reliably. The increased intelligence and mana regen also solve all of Vengeful Spirit's mana issues.