Clockwerk/Guide

Gameplay
is a tanky initiator and ganker built to isolate and separate enemies. His array of disables and nukes provide strong crowd control in any situation, allowing him to greatly disrupt the enemy. provides distant scouting vision, and allows Clockwerk to initiate from extreme distances. He specializes in trapping and zoning out enemies with, allowing him and his team to pick off single heroes. With, his core item, Clockwerk reflects damage and forces enemies to risk their lives by attacking him, or entering deeper into his team formation to find different targets. His abilities require good positioning and aim, which can be daunting for newer players. Clockwerk's damage scales badly into the late game, where his purpose will be limited to initiation.

General

 * Clockwerk's main purpose is to force enemies to fight him one on one inside his Power Cogs, where and  gives him an advantage.
 * Clockwerk has very strong initiation abilities, but his damage scale off greatly the longer a game goes due to enemies' mana and HP pools getting larger. As such, he is most effective in the early- and mid-game where he can get ganks off and secure map control for his team to gain an early advantage.
 * While he has good base strength and impressive strength growth, Clockwerk suffers from poor base agility, meaning that he is quite vulnerable to physical damage if he does not get any armor items.
 * Clockwerk's caster-oriented skill set means that he needs a source of mana regeneration in order to be effective. Due to all this and his strong initiation spells, Clockwerk benefits most from building items that give him survivability, mobility and mana.
 * Clockwerk can be effective in the early to mid-game even without many items.
 * In most cases, Clockwerk is played as an off-laner, as his spells allow him to harass the enemy while also providing a measure of survivability. As well, he can be very powerful with early levels, becoming a strong roamer and ganker once he hits level 6.


 * Battery Assault works best if Clockwerk can single out and lock a lone enemy inside Power Cogs. As the shrapnel hits random targets within a certain radius of Clockwerk, removing random targets from the equation allows Clockwerk to inflict all of the damage on a single enemy, often resulting in a kill.
 * Activate Battery Assault before initiating with Hookshot or Power Cogs to save time and maximize damage.
 * Battery Assault is a very strong chasing spell that works best if Clockwerk has more movement speed than his target. The mini-stun from the shrapnel will force enemies to stop each time they are hit, drastically impeding their attempts to flee. This allows Clockwerk to guaranteed slow an enemy down for the full duration of the spell after getting within range to land one mini-stun, and gives any nearby allies time to catch up.
 * Never underestimate the amount of damage that Battery Assault can deal to a lone target in the early game. With just two levels in the ability, it is possible to run down and kill enemies by yourself in the laning stage if you can catch them away from other units.
 * Battery Assault will not hit invisible units. Therefore, it is highly recommended to carry or s if you are ganking a hero with invisibility spells or items.
 * Heroes with long cast or attack animations (over 0.6 seconds), will be continuously interrupted by Battery Assault, assuming there are no other units in range.
 * To interrupt a channeling enemy, simply walk next to them while Battery Assault is active.


 * Power Cogs is a powerful harass and escape spell in the laning stage. Against melee carries, Clockwerk can easily get within range to shock them with the cogs when they approach the creeps to get a last-hit, destroying their HP and mana at little cost to himself.
 * Erect Power Cogs as a defensive barrier when being ganked. The pushback will give Clockwerk enough time to get away.
 * Power Cogs together with Battery Assault can be thought of as a way to disable dangerous enemies. By pinning down a target inside the barrier with Clockwerk, Battery Assault can mini-stun and damage on the target for several seconds.
 * Power Cogs can be destroyed in two enemy attacks unless they are level 4. If you are attempting to lock down an enemy and don't have level 4 cogs, it can be beneficial to simply block the enemy's path with the cogs from outside rather than locking them in, as the shock can provide additional damage and stun, and the enemy will be forced to destroy at least two cogs in order to go in the direction they wish to.
 * Used as an initiating tool, Power Cogs can greatly impede enemies' movements whether they are outside or within the barrier.
 * Placing the cogs in a certain area can inflict several of the enemy with the shock and prevent them from moving in that direction, which can be used to cut off escapes or deter advance.
 * Locking down targets within the barrier allows your team to hit them with AoE nukes like, , , , and so on.
 * Beware that the same vulnerability applies to Clockwerk. Even though Clockwerk can destroy his own cogs, the time it takes to do so will also allow enemy nukers to deal much damage to him.
 * This can be countered if Clockwerk uses at the right time.
 * Remember that Power Cogs can be destroyed by Clockwerk in one hit, which is useful for escape when a gank or initiation goes wrong.
 * When ganking lone targets from behind, it can be useful to utilize Power Cogs' shock rather than locking down an enemy inside. The cogs can deal additional damage and reduce the enemy's mana, and block off the enemy's retreat. The shock can also be used as an additional disable to stun the enemy for a short amount of time.
 * The pushback can be used to displace enemies over impassable terrain, such as pushing them onto or over a cliff. This is especially common when used in and around the Roshan Pit.
 * The pushback stuns enemies, which will interrupt channeling spells or items if Battery Assault and Hookshot are on cooldown.
 * Be very careful about when and where you use Power Cogs, as they will impede allied movement as well as that of enemies. Deploying Power Cogs at the wrong moment or place can trap teammates or hinder pursuit against enemies.
 * One point in Power Cogs is usually enough for the early game, and can be leveled last after that.


 * Rocket Flare can be used to last hit creeps in lane, and to break and  on enemy heroes from long range.
 * Use Rocket Flare's global range to pick off retreating enemies.
 * Use Rocket Flare to give Clockwerk vision for Hookshot.
 * During the early game, your skill points are better spent on your other spells, so one or two levels of Rocket Flare is enough.
 * Try to use Rocket Flare where your team has little or no vision.
 * Rocket Flare's area damage is useful for pushing lanes across the map.
 * If you have advance notice that your team intends to gank in another lane, try to send a rocket at the enemy to add your own nuke damage as well.
 * Besides the lingering flying vision given over its destination, it also provides vision as it travels, so overshooting the rocket can allow you to scout out more area.
 * Never hesitate to use your rocket to check behind treelines where you suspect the enemy may be, and be sure to occasionally check Roshan Pit if the entire enemy team is missing.


 * Hookshot is the longest ranged initiating ability in the game, allowing Clockwerk to almost instantly stun and close the distance with any enemy that he has a clear line of engagement towards.
 * Be wary of obstructions in Hookshot's path. Make sure Clockwerk is not behind any allies, and that there are no neutral creep camps in its path.
 * Keep your finger on the Stop hotkey (S by default) to immediately cancel Hookshot's cast animation if it looks like you're going to miss.
 * Take advantage of Hookshot's long cast range to initiate on an enemy who doesn't even know that you're in the same part of the map.
 * Use Power Cogs immediately after Hookshot to lock the enemy in place.
 * The stun duration allows Clockwerk to even move a short distance away before dropping the Power Cogs if he chooses to block off their escape route and push them back with the shock.
 * While Hookshot is very powerful for initiating on lone enemies, its long cast range also allows Clockwerk to jump on enemies in the rear line of teamfights. This can be useful for disrupting the enemy's supports and preventing them from effectively participating, as well as for getting in position to split the battlefield with Power Cogs.
 * Hookshot to allied heroes, creeps, and neutral creeps to quickly escape a bad situation.
 * Hookshot can stun enemies through spell immunity. As such, it can be used as a last resort if an enemy has activated spell immunity and is trying to teleport away.
 * If you suspect the enemy is in the Roshan Pit, a Hookshot will usually hit a target in the cramped space, surprising the enemy team without giving away your intentions with Rocket Flare.
 * In the late game with, players with good aim can use Hookshot as a method of travel, jumping across the map constantly.