Farming

Farming
'Farming' is the term used to describe the actions undertaken by a player with the goal being the acquisition of gold. It is most commonly used to describe a hero that is killing jungle or lane creeps, however the role of a ganker can be described as 'Farming heroes' as that is their main form of gold gain. Farming is most often done by core heroes, but also other roles to a lesser extent. Despite this it is important to consistently farm throughout a game of DotA 2.

Requirements for Farming
Often in the earlier phases of the game, an effective jungling ability is needed to sustainably kill jungle creeps, for example Lifestealer's Feast or Enigma's Demonic Conversion, but when laning, no specific criteria is needed for a hero to effectively farm lane creeps. The same mostly applies in the late-game to jungling also, meaning cores can often sustainably kill jungle creeps as they have high enough health regeneration and health.

Carries such as Anti-Mage or Medusa who have 'farming mechanisms' to aid them (Anti-Mage has blink to manoeuvre around the map and Medusa has Split Shot to quickly kill multiple creeps). However, some supports also have abilities that allow them to farm jungle creeps, for example Crystal Maiden or Witch Doctor with Frostbite and Paralysing Cask respectively.

Farming Considerations
Core players will often use farming patterns to allow them to farm areas of the map efficiently. Consider loosely using a farming pattern when playing a core, and consider keeping track of the enemy core's movements for successful ganks. As a core you need to keep a balance of farming and fighting, so do not stick too strictly to a pattern as it will be too predictable and may leave you too far away from your team to help them if you do not have a TP scroll.

Consider whether you or anyone on your team should buy a 'farming item'. These items allow a hero to more effectively farm creeps if their skillset does not allow them to do so quickly enough to stay relevant in the game. Often these items may slightly hinder the effectiveness of the hero earlier in the game, so be mindful of that. If you are the carry, be sure to play more passively if you go for a farming item that potentially hinders your power. If you are against a player that opts for a farming item, take it as a cue to be more aggressive. With that item they will be able to gain an advantage later on, so you have to exploit their temporary weakness (due to not buying combat items) to delay them enough to win the game, or counter their hero in some way.

Farming Items

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Itemisation
During the early stages of the game, it is important to quickly figure out which farming item you should buy (if any) depending on how well you think your laning phase will go, whether you are able to out-carry opponents in the late game and whether the game will actually reach the point at which you will out-carry your opponents along with many other factors. However, you may need to change your choice of farming item if the game is turning out differently to your expectations. For example, Anti-Mage is likely to opt for a Battle Fury if his lane is going well and he is able to get an advantage over an opposing carry, allowing him to overpower them. However, if he needs to fight earlier on in the game to finish quickly and does not have a good laning phase, it is viable to go for more mid-game orientated items such as Drum of Endurance and/or Ring of Aquila over a farming item.

Generally, Battle Fury is bought by melee core heroes that are able to take advantage of the farming speed it provides (and often possess a skill that synergises with cleave such as Ember Spirit's Sleight of Fist), as well as the regeneration of mana and health. Examples are Anti-Mage and Ember Spirit. However, many other heroes can make use of these traits and players should not be afraid to purchase this item on unconventional heroes if it suites the situation of the game.

Maelstrom is an item that is usually used by core heroes with some way of sustainably farming already (long range, inert tankiness) and would like to increase that speed as well as not hinder their fighting power. It is the most expensive of the items in the above list when upgraded to Mjollnir because it is not only good for farming but fighting too. Sniper and Faceless Void both fit this criteria and benefit greatly from the item, along with many other heroes.

If a core (or even support in some cases) is in need of a level advantage to be powerful and have a very easy lane, a Hand of Midas is likely to be the choice. If buying this as a core you usually want to be a hero that is able to use the attack speed effectively, but are more level-dependent than gold-dependent. Examples of heroes that fit this criteria are Invoker or Doom. However, it can also be purchased on supports that have good attribute gains and highly scaling abilities, therefore appreciating extra levels such as Ancient Apparition.

Mask of Madness is usually an item for heroes without a Unique Attack Modifier as a skill or core item that need to be able to deal high DPS early in the game with auto-attacks while also improving farming speed and sustainability. It also helps if the hero is someone who is at the back of a fight or has a big disable so they are not hindered by the 30% damage amplification too severely. Sniper and Faceless Void are good examples again and fit this criteria well.

A Manta Style is mostly for heroes which have good spells or attributes which transfer to illusions and/or already have an illusion-summoning spell. It is often bought in combination with Radiance to allow the player to farm multiple areas of the map as the burn damage effect is given to illusions, or Diffusal Blade to allow for mana burning. Heroes such as Naga Siren or Anti-Mage pick up this item.

As previously mentioned, Radiance is arguably the most effective farming item in combination with Manta Style. Radiance is usually bought by illusion-based heroes that have reasonable attributes without other items, or tanky heroes that are snowballing but lack AoE for fights. It is the most versatile in a sense too, since it deals consistent damage within a larger radius than Battle Fury and doesn't work on high attack speed to get procs like Maelstrom, meaning ranged or melee core heroes can buy it and get reasonable use out of it. Anyone from Enigma to Spectre to Bristleback can make reasonable use of this item. Its main downside is that the damage you receive from it is highly inefficient, and a lot of heroes need other items early instead.