Lycan/Guide

Generic Lycan

 * Lycan will most commonly be played in the safelane. With a starting point in, you should have around 70 damage which should make last hits a breeze, especially if you add a on top of that. It won't be wasted since you will eventually transition to the jungle where there is little incentive not to get one. The reasoning with skipping  at level 1 is that your mana pool is disastrous so you'll hardly summon them more than once, and level 1 wolves don't do much, especially without a point in your passive
 * With level 2 wolves however, consider harassing the offlaner. Focus on your last hits with the hero, and try to zone out the offlaner with the wolves. Unlike 's summons, your wolves give only a small bounty when killed, so it's not too bad if a couple die during the process.
 * Once you've farmed a, and a , you should consider going to the jungle and leaving the lane to your supports. The reason for this is you won't waste any farm in the jungle as you farm it extremely fast with wolves and your passive, which your supports probably don't, therefore giving your team a considerable edge in experience.
 * There are plenty of reasons however to not go to the jungle:
 * Maybe your mid lane requires constant protection from your supports, and it is usually a bad idea to abandon entirely a lane. In this case you might as well alternate between the lane and the closest big camp and try to farm both.
 * Maybe the enemy offlaner got a considerable amount of exp, and they could kill your supports if you leave them alone.
 * Maybe your supports are already farming the jungle, like a with  or a  with an.
 * Maybe the jungle is unsafe because the enemies have a roamer or two like and/or  and you have no vision to see them coming, and you'd rather stay safe with your supports. You should probably consider taking down the enemies' tower as fast as possible to get an edge in map-control in this scenario.
 * Once you've finished your, figure out whether you need to upgrade your boots into or you can them as is until you require . Similarly, if you're confident in your ability to use a  on the appropriate target (Roshan, or the enemy you're chasing), go for it. Else you can skip it, or simply keep a casual.
 * Lycan is probably the hero that benefits the most from a since the summons will benefit from  and  (critical strike and 650 movement speed), AND their aura will also make your own wolves stronger... There are few scenarios where you want to skip it. Although they can be inefficient in a fight, they'll always be great to take down towers. For your final items, you will either want something to take down towers even quicker ( and ) or to start properly fighting your enemies ( and )

5-man push Lycan

 * is actually a great ability. It's so good we even chose to max it out before the final point in on the generic build (Feral Impulse scales linearly whereas extra points in Howl also comes with cooldown reduction). If your team has a couple of summons and auras of its own ( and  for the obvious examples), and the opposition lacks methods to clear creep waves and summons, you can force all outer towers very early in the game. With the map-control advantage, you should be able to take down Roshan and possibly push for high ground and/or the throne before the twenty-minute mark.
 * Since Lycan will still require a decent amount of experience to be effective, you may consider putting him in the mid lane to get his levels. As mentioned previously, his huge base damage should allow him to get his last hits (you can even use howl to secure them further) and perhaps some denies, and he can possibly harass the enemy mid laner with his wolves.
 * In this scenario, you'll still want to rush except if someone else on your team is better suited for it. You probably won't want to skip  since you'll want to finish the game as soon as possible so you'll need mid game items. Maybe a level 1  will be more than enough and before upgrading it you can get an  or a  to tank some tower shots at little cost.

General

 * When taking on Roshan, it is advised to use a to avoid being spotted by enemy observer wards. Teams facing a Lycan will do their best to prevent early Roshan kills by planting observer wards near the pit; given that a detected Lycan is easy prey while doing battle with Roshan, slipping past those wards will do wonders for his lifespan.
 * At level 7, with items like and  or, Lycan can solo Roshan. Summon your Wolves and tank them alternately with the hero, but do not let them die until the re-summon is ready. Keep Shapeshift just in case the enemy comes for you, so you can escape.
 * Any item that provides armor reduction (Desolator, Medallion, Assault Cuirass) or an aura benefits both the wolves and the Necronomicon units. Keep in mind that the melee Necronomicon Warrior has the lowest Base Attack Time of the game of 0.75 seconds, which makes him scale really well with Howl's flat damage bonus. Adding reduced armor to the mix will considerably increase your total DPS.

Jungling

 * Be sure to try and keep your wolves alive as long as possible, do not use them to tank damage unless their timer is low.
 * Be wary of centaurs in the jungle, if you and both of your wolves are near to the large blue centaur, it will use a stun. Avoid this by having one wolf wait away from the centaur and bringing it in after the large centaur is dead.
 * After reaching level 6, keep an eye on the other lanes, if an opportunity presents itself, don't be afraid to activate and go for a gank.
 * If the enemy middle player is a squishy hero like, you can typically kill them even if they are on full health while affected by.


 * Wolves can be used to scout runes at the beginning of the match and during the laning phase to avoid losing gold and experience.
 * Always Summon Wolves in the base when going out to jungle for the first time (at about the 0-10 second mark) since the wolves are fast enough that you can get a creep camp killed without using any mana.
 * Wolves' invisibility at level 3, very low base attack time and quick movement make them great deniers. Use them to destroy runes, aegis and allied towers with all impunity if the situation is too risky, or too far away for you to go there in person. The most talented players will even manage to entirely body-block a hero in a narrow path with both wolves, and possibly deny yourself if certain debuffs are placed on Lycan.
 * Wolves can also be used to scout and keep tabs on particular heroes without them knowing. Select your wolf and hit M (default) and then click an enemy hero; the wolf will follow the hero but will not attack, so it will remain invisible. Do this with each wolf and you can get constant vision of two enemy heroes. This is great for setting up ganks or for evaluating whether to take a team fight in a particular area. Keep in mind that if your wolves lose vision of who they are following for too long, they stop following.
 * You can also use the wolves' invisibility to sneak past the enemy lines and teleport to them using, hitting one tier 3 while allied creeps disabled Backdoor Protection on another.
 * With a and another big item such as, you probably have enough DPS to even go through backdoor protection, as a last resort while the enemy is somehow distracted.


 * Always keep an eye on the minimap. Save Howl to give teammates a decent damage boost, aiding them in fighting and securing kills.
 * If the enemy somehow denies plenty of their creeps, the +14 damage from a level 1 one Howl will go a long way to help you securing them.


 * As the description says, the aura is applied to every unit under Lycan's control. This includes his wolves obviously, his units and any unit he might have under control through purchase of one or more (s)
 * You can control even more units with Ability Draft shenanigans.


 * Shapeshift is a very strong and versatile Ultimate to use. When activated, it gives Lycan hasted movement speed, allowing a great deal of maneuverability in battle to chase down fleeing heroes or to escape from potentially dangerous areas. While Shapeshifted, you are immune to every kind of Slow, including hexes, purges and powerful slowing ultimates like,.
 * Up to a certain extent, once you start relying on your fast movement speed, you are more vulnerable to root effects like or, especially since Lycan seldom builds a.
 * Shapeshift is an aura and the 650 movement speed is shared with units under his control allowing the wolves and Necronomicon units to chase as well. Unlike Feral Impulse, the aura is global; if you're desperate to get a bit of damage on a building (to finish it off?) you can always use Shapeshift and only send your summons in.

Items
Starting Items:
 * helps Lycan farm, especially if he starts in the jungle.
 * gives some early durability upgrades into.
 * s are always good to have, as is an or two since you'll need one anyway for your Vlad's.

Early Game:
 * gives you movement speed, attack speed, and some extra damage and durability while set on strength.
 * gives extra armor to your wolves, extra mana regeneration for yourself, and later builds into.
 * is the cheapest item that will improve your wolves' damage output by reducing your targets' armor. It can be upgraded into a or a.

Core Items:
 * gives lifesteal, damage, and armor in an aura, so his wolves get more powerful as well. The mana regeneration also helps with his small mana pool.
 * is the default option on Lycan. The extra strength and intelligence is always nice too.
 * is useful on many melee heroes. Lycan is no exception as more strength and temporary magic immunity let him get to his target and deal more damage when he gets there.

Situational Items:
 * is an alternative source of mana in the early game, which can be useful considering 's high mana cost of 145.
 * is usually the better choice over Soul Ring, as it enables you to take out Roshan by your lonesome self. It can also be upgraded into a . It can be difficult to properly micro-manage your minions while using your items' abilities so you can also skip it if you don't feel like doing too many things at once.
 * is a reliable-ish way to add a disable to your arsenal and stop someone. It can be upgraded later to an through purchase of a  which isn't the worse either on Lycan.
 * gives Lycan's attacks a chance to lesser maim; slowing opponents attack and move speed helping him chase them down, with additional evasion.
 * greatly increases health and health regeneration allowing Lycan to tank more effectively. The damage gained from it is also entirely from strength, which is amplified by both Feral Impulse and Vladmir's Offering. Lycan can also run out of a fight with at very low HP and come right back into it after a short rest.
 * are highly recommended late game, or when the enemies tier 3 tower or barracks are vulnerable. Whenever the enemy tries to push, go to a lone lane and split push as much as you can. Lycan is arguably one of the best heroes at taking down towers fast, due to this enemies will have to send someone back to deal with you. However, if a teamfight starts anyways, you can teleport back to help your allies instead.
 * improves Lycan's tower pushing and increases his damage. It also synergizes with an pickup and creates a huge armor disparity.
 * gives armor, attack speed to Lycan and his allies (including his minions), and reduces the opponents' armor (including their towers').
 * is an interesting choice on Lycan. Many players love to split-push and avoid fights while playing Lycan. Few items will help you take down towers faster than a Moon Shard, but it gives no other benefit except a bit of extra night vision (but you don't need any other benefits if you're avoiding fights and only hitting buildings).
 * gives you a good chance to cancel the enemies channeled abilities including s. It can be necessary when facing tons of evasion or blind effects such as 's or 's . It's one of the few scenarios where you may opt to skip entirely.
 * gives good an extra tool for initiation or escape, and is a favourite for ganking players. The bonus damage coming out of stealth is always helpful. It can be further upgraded into a.