Faceless Void/Guide

General

 * The unique nature of Faceless Void's ultimate means that, unlike other agility-based carries, he does not farm many survivability items. Rather, Faceless Void builds for as much damage output as possible, and then casts Chronosphere to immobilize multiple enemies at once, so that he can kill numerous foes during a fight while they are unable to retaliate at all. As well, Faceless Void benefits greatly from having teammates with strong ranged damage output who can also take advantage of Chronosphere to blow up the enemy team before they can respond.
 * Faceless Void is almost always played in the safe lane as the team's core farmer. His job is to farm as safely as possible, and take kill opportunities if they come, in order to build the early-game items he needs to be able to farm without support.


 * Time Walk is a Pseudo Blink ability that renders Faceless Void invulnerable as he quickly jumps to the target location.
 * The most general use for Time Walk is to allow Faceless Void to close the distance to an enemy, either to attack them or to cast Chronosphere. As such, it can be important to get many early levels in this ability to maximize Darkterror's initiation potential.
 * In a pinch, Time Walk can be used as an escape spell to put distance between Faceless Void and any incoming attackers. However, beware that it does not disjoint projectiles, so attacks that follow him to his destination can still hit him.
 * Evasion can be useful to build on Faceless Void in order to augment his survivability further. The evasion will prevent secondary effects of physical attacks from proccing, since the attack itself does not count as landing. This can allow Faceless Void to ignore the secondary effects of attacks like, , bashes, and so on.


 * Time Dilation provides a considerable move and attack speed slow to the debuffed targets, but mostly hinders the opponent's ability to spam spells. Thus, it is best used against heroes that have quick, spammable spells with low cooldowns, such as 's, 's or 's  and.
 * It remains potent against enemies with moderate cds, since time dilation's duration may prevent them from casting their spell a second time during an engagement.
 * If you're fighting an enemy one-on-one, use it when Chronosphere is about to expire instead of at the start, to waste no time on the debuff's duration.


 * Time Lock is a powerful bash-type passive ability that allows Faceless Void's attacks to stun enemies and deal bonus damage.
 * Time Lock allows Faceless Void's damage and disable potential to scale tremendously with attack speed, as each proc instance of Time Lock will stun and deal bonus magical damage. With enough attack speed, Faceless Void can keep an enemy almost permanently disabled through repeated bashes, and deal large amounts of damage with those bashes.
 * Getting several levels in Time Lock, alongside increasing Faceless Void's attack speed, will greatly boost the amount of damage he deals.
 * Time Lock pierces spell immunity, allowing it to stun enemies who have activated Black King Bar, as well as siege creeps. The former case can be a powerful use of crowd control to disable enemies through spell immunity, while the latter case can be helpful for stopping pushes by removing a siege creep's damage output for a short duration if it is attacking a tower.


 * Chronosphere is one of the most powerful and most feared area disables in the game, capable of stopping entire teams in their tracks regardless of spell immunity. Used wisely, it can allow Faceless Void and his allies to kill numerous enemy players with little to no resistance.
 * Due to its extremely long cooldown, Chronosphere must be used wisely, as Faceless Void is very weak without it. As teamfights do not happen regularly in the early game, Chronosphere can be used to secure kills in the laning phase, however once teamfights start becoming more frequent the spell must be kept in reserve until the right moment.
 * Faceless Void (as well as any units under his control) gains 1000 movement speed and phase movement inside his own Chronosphere, allowing him to attack any targets within as needed. Try to catch enemies in Chronosphere first, and then select targets once they are disabled. As well, remember that Faceless Void will never be disabled by a Chronosphere, even one cast by an enemy, though he will not gain the movement bonuses inside a Chronosphere that he does not own.
 * However, be very wary if there is a on the enemy team. While Faceless Void can still move inside of Rubick's Chronosphere, his teammates cannot. Fortunately, Faceless Void can easily avoid  since he is able to cast  in order to have it as his last cast spell, but of course, be sure to catch Rubick inside of Chronosphere to ensure that he does not steal it and use it against your teammates.
 * Take special care when casting Chronosphere; unlike other disables in the game, it is capable of freezing allies in place, not just enemies. Avoid trapping teammates inside a Chronosphere unless a decisive advantage can be secured, and try to place the Chronosphere such that it does not impede allies' movements as they attempt to assist in a teamfight.
 * It can be useful to target Chronosphere such that part of it can deny terrain to the enemy. Placing the sphere such that the enemy cannot assist without entering the sphere can help ensure that they will not be able to interfere as much, if at all, in a teamfight.
 * Remember that Chronosphere will freeze buildings as well, not just units; this includes fountains, friendly or enemy. This makes Chronosphere very strong for diving enemy towers and even their fountain, as Faceless Void can prevent them from attacking him and take advantage of the boosted movement speed to enter and leave at high speed.
 * The key to utilizing Chronosphere properly is target prioritization. Be sure to coordinate with teammates to kill important targets during the Chronosphere, which may not always be the enemy's carry. If Chronosphere can catch supports with powerful spells and teamfight items, killing them first can remove those abilities and items from the field, making the remainder of the fight much harder for the enemy.
 * As well, Chronosphere's disable potential can be greatly augmented by additional crowd control from teammates. Spells such as, , can clump the enemy up together to allow Faceless Void to trap several of them at once. Once clumped together, the enemy becomes extremely vulnerable to area-of-effect nukes such as , , , and so on.
 * It is important to remember that while enemies inside of Chronosphere are helpless, those outside can still hinder Faceless Void's attempts to kill their teammates. This means that spells such as, and  can foil attempts at getting kills, and disables can still be targeted on Faceless Void to render him unable to act during Chronosphere. This further emphasizes the importance of target prioritization, as it may be necessary to target Chronosphere on supports over carries, or it may be necessary to kill targets outside of the Chronosphere first.
 * Chronosphere will reveal invisible enemies within the sphere, making it powerful against certain spells like and.
 * Keep in mind that Faceless Void's longer-than-normal cast animation, combined with the travel time of Time Walk, can allow alert enemies to completely dodge Chronosphere if they react quickly enough. As such, try to cast Chronosphere immediately upon emerging from Time Walk, and try to target it on enemies that do not have the ability to instantly re-position themselves to evade it.
 * If enemies become invulnerable before Chronosphere is cast, they will not be affected by it, whether it is an ally or enemy. This means that a can continue hitting targets inside with,  can travel through with , and so on.

Items
Starting items:
 * greatly increases Faceless Void's ability to last-hit creeps, which is important for ensuring that he farms well in the early game. By augmenting his already formidable attack damage, Faceless Void can ensure that the enemy has a hard time denying him even if they are in a position to.
 * and are important for ensuring that Faceless Void remains in-lane despite enemy attempts to harass him. Because Darkterror is a melee hero, he must get closer to the creep wave in order to last-hit and thus exposes himself to harassment.
 * provides Faceless Void with increased base damage as well as a small amount of armor, giving him better farming power and a little physical survivability.
 * can be a very strong starting item to purchase on Faceless Void, as it provides him with damage block from the start, ensuring that he has survival against harass damage.

Early game:
 * can be useful to get on Faceless Void given his small base HP and mana pool. The burst regen can give him more survivability and the ability to cast his spells if he finds himself in lots of early engagements.
 * give Darkterror more movement speed, important in the early game since he is a melee hero who must be able to position himself quickly for last-hitting and avoiding harass.
 * is useful for providing Darkterror with damage block as well as additional armor and base damage. Increasing his survivability in the early game is important for ensuring that he can transition past the laning stage and become a threat later in the game.
 * allows Faceless Void to lifesteal, important for ensuring that his HP remains topped off, especially while farming in the jungle. As well, the lifesteal still applies during procs, and it builds into a Mask of Madness, which is a very important item to get.
 * helps Faceless Void get extra farm. Use it to clear out the side camp next to the off-lane.

Core items:
 * is useful for providing Faceless Void with early attributes and mana regen. The all-around stats give him more base damage, HP and mana, the armor gives him increased survivability and helps reduce damage taken from creeps while farming, and the mana regen greatly helps to replenish his mana given his poor base intelligence and intelligence growth.
 * can give Faceless Void increased stats, and provides even more burst HP and mana regen than Magic Stick.
 * provides bonus attack speed and the ability to switch attributes, useful for giving Faceless Void more HP for survivability, more mana for casting spells on his limited mana pool, or more attack speed and base damage for dealing damage.
 * is important to have on all heroes. The immense initiating and disabling power of Chronosphere means that Faceless Void's presence in any teamfight can assure victory if he initiates properly.

Situational items:
 * is a situational item to pick up on Faceless Void. As the item provides survivability and not increased damage output, it does not greatly assist Faceless Void in killing enemies during . However, the greatly decreased cooldown allows Chronosphere to be used tactically, getting guaranteed pick-offs against lone enemies and then coming off cooldown in time for the next engagement. As well, the bonus mana and intelligence decrease the strain that Chronosphere's high mana cost places on Faceless Void's mana pool.
 * massively enhances Faceless Void's initiation factor. With its range almost double that of Time Walk, it's an important item for catching multiple enemy heroes.
 * is a very powerful item in the hands of Faceless Void, as the active can give him a tremendous amount of attack speed for dealing damage during, which can also prevent enemies from taking advantage of the 25% increased damage vulnerability. As well, the attack speed increases the chances of proccing Time Lock, resulting in even more damage output. The item also serves as a powerful farming tool, as Faceless Void can farm creep camps very effectively with the lifesteal and attack speed, while the movement speed bonus allows him to travel between neutral camps faster.
 * is a very powerful item to have on Faceless Void. The evasion gives him survivability against physical attacks, increasing his ability to ignore enemy attacks while the increased agility, damage and attack speed greatly increase his ability to deal damage with his attacks.
 * is one of the best damage boosting items Faceless Void can pick up. The added damage and 2.4x crit will boost your physical damage output immensely. When coupled with some attack speed boosting items, Faceless Void becomes a very fearsome threat against enemies.
 * grants True Strike, some attack speed and a significant increase in attack damage. It can be a necessary item to get in order to deal damage to enemies that have evasion.
 * is always useful in any low-HP hero. The gigantic HP increase will allow Faceless Void to better weather attacks, especially from damage nukes that may be targeted on him from outside of a Chronosphere. The HP regen outside of battle can also allow him to become a bigger threat against the enemy team if he manages to slip away temporarily, as he can return shortly after with a full HP bar that the enemy must chip away at all over again.
 * can be a strong damage item for Faceless Void. The greatly increased attack speed can allow him to proc Time Lock and certain items much more often, greatly increasing his DPS. The increased night vision range can give him a strong vision advantage at night which in turn can allow him to initiate good fights he otherwise could not have seen. Consuming the item can free up an inventory slot for a permanent attack speed bonus, clearing up the item slot for an extra lategame item.
 * can be a powerful defensive item if the enemy has ranged disablers nukers that can position themselves to avoid being caught by Chronosphere. Activating spell immunity during Chronosphere allows Faceless Void to avoid being disabled or nuked down from outside the sphere, which lets him focus his undivided attention on targets inside. The item also provides Faceless Void with more HP and attack damage, giving him increased survivability and damage output.
 * is a well-balanced farming item that provides Faceless Void with self-sustain as well as attack damage. The HP and mana regen let Faceless Void farm for extended periods of time without returning to base, while the cleave, bonus creep damage and additional attack damage allow him to farm creeps more quickly. As well, the cleave allows Faceless Void to spread physical damage around inside of Chronosphere, useful if he can catch multiple enemies in close proximity.
 * is a strong farming and attack damage item that greatly increases Faceless Void's damage output during Chronosphere. The increased attack speed and Unique Attack Modifier allow Faceless Void to farm creeps more quickly, and the Chain Lightning can proc multiple times during a Chronosphere to spread magical damage around to all caught enemies. As well, the active can allow Faceless Void to punish enemies if they try to attack him, whether he is inside a Chronosphere or not.
 * is a risky but strong utility item that allows Faceless Void to cast Chronosphere twice in a teamfight. While purchasing a Refresher Orb will reduce Faceless Void's carry potential as it does not provide him with increased damage output, doubling up on Chronosphere's disable duration can give Faceless Void's team an additional window with which to focus and burst down enemy heroes, which can be necessary for winning fights.
 * is a safer alternative to trading away the attack speed and added damage in exchange for more well rounded stats and an aura that affects your team.
 * is commonly built as a means to increase Faceless Void's survivability in conjunction with . It prevents single target disables or silences from disrupting his initiation with and can save his life in a gank.
 * is a solid damage increasing pick up that also allows Faceless Void to remove silences, slows, and several other sorts of debuffs, potentially saving his life or preventing his initiation from being disrupted. As well, it's a good item to pick up if against enemies who are weak to losing their mana, such as to prevent him from reencarnating, or  to prevent him from escaping using his various escaping tools or gaining a lot of strength through.
 * is another potential pick up if the user needs to burn the enemy's mana pool, and it's much more efficient at it than Diffusal Blade while also granting Void stronger pushing potential which is otherwise very weak. However, a level 3 Necronomicon is also far more costly than Diffusal Blade (Even taking into account the need to eventually buy another recipe) and offers nothing to Void if the summons are killed, making it a highly situational pick up.