Earthshaker/Guide

Gameplay
is a powerful spellcaster designed to repeatedly stun enemies. However, his naturally low mana requires careful management and selective use, especially during the early game. His allows him to wipe out large groups of enemies, making him an ideal pick against heroes like, , , or. Compared to intelligence supports, Earthshaker has a sizeable health pool. But compared to most strength heroes, Earthshaker is fairly vulnerable and can be easily killed if caught out of position.

Initiator/Support
Earthshaker is mostly played as an initiator. With the help of, his role is to jump into enemy clusters and chain stun opponents with >  >. A fully executed sequence will deal very significant damage, even if no allies are around to follow up. New players may find it hard to farm a quick, and should thus play conservatively to avoid early game deaths (and therefore gold loss). Once a Blink Dagger has been obtained, Earthshaker is no longer heavily item-dependent, and can transition into buying support items if needed.

Brawler
Earthshaker can sometimes be played as a brawler, building items like to make the tripled damage from  more effective. Players who go this route require significant farm, and therefore often start in the Mid Lane. A is also recommended for this build. Keep in mind that a brawler Earthshaker must rely on abilities to deal damage in bursts, and should avoid damage in between cooldowns. He will not be able to stand toe-to-toe against a real carry. Players should discuss with their team prior to choosing this build, as most teams expect Earthshaker to be played as an initiator/support.

General

 * Due to his costly abilities, Earthshaker needs good timing and game sense to be effective.
 * In the early game, Earthshaker is very easy to harass in lane. Players should play conservatively except when setting up a gank with his allies.


 * Use Fissure to block off enemy retreat or reinforcements.
 * Earthshaker is exceptional at ganking the mid lane, because at a good angle, can completely block the enemy midlaner from running back to their tower.
 * Keep your finger on the Stop hotkey (S by default) to immediately cancel the cast animation if it looks like you're going to miss.
 * Fissure can split two adjacent heroes, which is useful for separating a fleeing ally from a pursuing enemy. This requires practice, as it is quite common to misclick and wall off both heroes on the same side.
 * Fissure's long range can be used to snipe off retreating enemies.
 * Fissure has a long cast animation and may be interrupted in a hectic fight.


 * Enchant Totem has a very low cooldown, allowing Earthshaker to repeatedly return to the fight during long engagements.
 * Once is leveled, Enchant Totem can be used as a mini-initiation ability with  or its  upgrade.
 * Enchant Totem is useful for last hitting buildings. However, if the team's carry is around, Earthshaker should yield the last hit (and therefore extra gold) to him or her.
 * Enchant Totem has a very long cast animation and can be easily interrupted.


 * For maximum damage, use Echo Slam around as many enemy units as possible.
 * Use the stun duration from Echo Slam to follow up with other abilities.
 * Echo Slam is an excellent ability to defend the base with, especially at the high ground around Tier 3 Towers where enemies will funnel into a small space.
 * A well placed Echo Slam is one of the few abilities that can turn around a badly losing game.
 * It is not always best to use Echo Slam to initiate. Experienced players often stay back during fights, waiting until enemies are grouped up before jumping in.
 * That said, some team compositions are very dependent on Earthshaker to initiate. Use sensible judgment.
 * A group of enemies ganging up on a teammate is a good opportunity for Echo Slam. This tactic can also be used to lure enemies into favorable positions.
 * An enemy team grouped up while fighting Roshan presents a very juicy target for Echo Slam.