Hoodwink/Guide

Hero

 

Strategy

 

Equipment

 

Gear

 

Talents

 

Relics

 

Responses

 

Sounds

 

Animations

 

Lore

 

Old Abilities

 

Changelogs

 

Known Bugs

 

Gameplay

Playstyle
Hoodwink is a mobile but fragile hero that relies on the chaos her kit provides to disorient and distract enemies. She is a medium carry capable of dishing out substantial damage, relying heavily on trees for disables and escape. Her ultimate Sharpshooter is excellent for initiating fights from long range, though it takes significant time to wind up.
Pros	Cons
Excellent when played near trees. Strong wave clear and split pushing potential using Acorn Shot and Scurry. Can be played in many different roles. Is mostly item independent, but is able to scale extremely well with items due to Acorn Shot and Scurry. Strong long range engage with Bushwhack's stun and Sharpshooter's slow and break.	Low base strength. Requires positioning and timing due to her often reliance on trees. Cannot reliably carry even when fully farmed unlike other traditional carries.

Offlane

Hoodwink can be played reliably in the offlane as a solid splitpusher due to her kit being extremely slippery because of Scurry's active and Bushwhack's stun. An Offlane Hoodwink can build normal damage items such as desolator and maelstrom to further enhance her splitpushing power or she can transition into a semi-support by building mekanism and playing around her team more often using Acorn Shot + Bushwhack to initiate or counter-initiate for her team.

Mid

• Start with a Blades of Attack and 3 Iron Branches or 1 Iron Branch and 1 Faerie Fire to get your damage above 60 to better contest last hits. Build into Falcon Blade as it gives you the same amount of damage as 2 Wraith bands would and your Acorn Shot does not scale with attack speed. Buy the Sage's Mask first as it gives almost the same mana regeneration as 1 Null Talisman, then the Fluffy Hat as it gives 25 more hp than 1 bracer. (You start with Blades of Attack, because they give you last-hitting power and are the most expensive component of Falcon Blade)
• Hoodwink has a huge power spike at lvl 6 with Sharpshooter, with which she can gank side lanes. Often she can kill unsuspecting enemies farming at 70% HP solely with her fully charged ult.
• With the movement speed bonus from Scurry, the wave clear from Acorn Shot, and the low cooldown on Sharpshooter she can often make rotations to the sidelanes. Get a lot of Clarities to keep up the constant ganks.
• As soon as you damage is above 62 you can contest almost every last hit against anybody with your superior attack animation. Secure ranged creeps with Acorn Shot, by pulling the the melee creeps way from the ranged so you get bounces on the enemy mid.
• Buy Maelstrom to clear waves quickly. With Maelstrom and Crystalys you can clear Ancient Creep Camps real fast. Boots of Travel allow you to depush and split push yourself and they synergize well with Scurry.

Ability Builds

• If you are against gap closing mid heroes like Lycan or Phantom Assassin get 1 point in Bushwhack at lvl 2 or 4 to tie them to a tree to run away when they man up on you.
• 2 points in Scurry are good value as the evasion next to trees is doubled.

Ganking Mid Hoodwink
1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	20	25

Talents

Hero Talents
+135 Bushwhack Radius	25	2 Acorn Shot Charges
-4 Armor Corruption	20	+125 Sharpshooter Max Damage
+2 Acorn Shot Bounces	15	+60 Bushwhack Damage
-2s Bushwhack Cooldown	10	+40% Scurry Evasion When Active

Notes:

• Armor Corruption from talents is not disabled by Break.
  • The armor corruption lasts 10 seconds, and stacks with the Armor Corruption talents of other heroes.

Tips & Tactics

General

• When you have solo kill potential (with Hunter's Boomerang for example) and your team does not really want to fight, start pushing the side lanes and finish any lone target that comes to defend.

Abilities

Acorn Shot

• During the laning phase, try aggro-ing the enemy melee creeps so that the enemy hero will be left alone with their ranged creep, then use Acorn Shot to secure the ranged creep and harass enemy hero.
• Acorn Shot allows you throw an acorn that bounces through each enemies while also creating a tree if ground-targeted.
• Use Bushwack after a point-targeted Acorn Shot to stun all enemies in the tree you've just created.
• Attack modifiers such as Maelstrom or Ballista will proc on Acorn Shot.
• Acorn Shot will seek out targets in the fog of war.
• Acorn Shot, when ground targeted, spawns an Ironwood Tree.
  • Enemy heroes can also benefit from consuming the Ironwood Tree.
• As each bounce performs an instant attack, you get revealed on each bounce.
  • This means Scurry Camouflage will not activate during the bounce duration, and other invisibility from items like Shadow Blade will be instantly broken on bounce.
• If you go a damage build with Daedalus, consider buying Black King Bar or Mage Slayer to mitigate the returned damage from Blade Mail.
• You can scout for enemies on high ground and in trees with the ability, but be wary that it will reveal your position too.

Bushwhack

• The stun status is tied to the tree; destroying the tree will end the stun immediately.
  • Addtionally, forced movements will end the stun (for example: Reality Rift, Skewer, Force Staff).
• Bushwhack can be used as an escape tool, by slipping away as stunned enemies lose their vision.
• Bushwhack can be cast in conjunction with acorn shot, a well-timed acorn shot can create a tree before bushwhack lands.
• You can tie enemies to trees while you charge Sharpshooter, as the ability is not considered a channel.
• The ability gives vision, you can use it to scout for enemies that follow you into the trees without revealing your position.
• Combined with Acorn Shot you can trap enemies on places such as Ward cliffs.

Scurry

• Unlike other abilities that destroy trees upon losing their free movement, Hoodwink can potentially get stuck in the trees.
• Use the ability to gain distance during bounces from Acorn Shot as the ability will reveal your position.
• Be wary of so-called Tinker Wards while split pushing, because they can still spot you in the trees, while split pushing.
• Together with the bonus range from Acorn Shot you can push out the dangerous lane quite far out with out being caught as long as you have trees nearby.
• This ability grants passive physical evasion, so it helps engaging in combat whilst nearby a tree.
• Camouflage activates passively, with a very fast triggering time. It can help if Hoodwink is being chased or started upon. Just by standing still may evade a follow up from an enemy gank.

Sharpshooter

• Camouflage from Scurry will hide you while charging Sharpshooter preventing enemies from knowing where Hoodwink is going to target.
• Sharpshooter can be heard from the fog of war.
• If you are confident that your Bushwhack is going to land, you can benefit from the extra charge time by casting this spell immediately after Hoodwink has casted the Bushwhack projectile.
• Targeted abilities and items can be used while charging, as long as Hoodwink does not have to turn to cast them, including mobility items such as Blink Dagger, Force Staff and Wind Waker.
• If Hoodwink has to turn to use a targeted ability, the action will be queued, effectively preventing aiming or manually releasing Sharpshooter and using other abilities.
• Sharpshooter will push Hoodwink in the opposite direction after channeling, this can be used to traverse impassable terrain or as an escape.
• Hoodwink will shoot even if hexed, stunned, silenced or teleporting away. She'll immediately shoot if killed.
• If hexed, stunned or silenced, Hoodwink cannot adjust aim or shoot freely.
• It applies Break on the target, helping immensely taking down enemies with powerful passive abilities, such as Bristleback, Spectre, Phantom Assassin or Slark.

Hunter's Boomerang

• Best to target the farest enemy, because the boomerang damages all targets in its path until reaching its targeted unit, and back to Hoodwink.
• It follows Hoodwink current position after reaching the target. So use it to try and nuke other units in its returning path.
• Whenever possible, use this ability before casting all other abilities, specially Sharpshooter, because it increases considerably the magical damage output.
• With Acorn Shot, this ability helps clearing creep waves much faster.
• Can be combined with a previous Veil of Discord casting for additional damage output.

Decoy

• Powerful ability combined with Scurry Camouflage, specially if used as soon as getting ouf of sight.
• Can be used as a set up or even in the middle of a chaotic fight, as the enemy can attack it and trigger the lesser Bushwhack, bringing their action to a full stop.

Items

Starting items:

• Iron Branch provides cheap attributes and can combine with Tango for the extra heal. Or use with Bushwhack, if necessary.

• Tango helps keep you in lane. The tree planted by Acorn Shot provides double heal for Hoodwink.

• Healing Salve restores health to stay in lane.
• Circlet provides cheap attributes that can be crafted for a Wraith Band.

• Slippers of Agility gives you cheap agility early in the game.

• Blades of Attack gives you last hitting power in lane and builds into Falcon Blade.

Early game:

• Magic Stick is useful with Hoodwink's constant mana problems in the early game.

• Boots of Speed synergizes well with Scurry's movement speed bonus and an important early game item in order to escape or pursue enemies easily.

• Wraith Band gives good agility and attributes in the early game.

• Falcon Blade gives bonus health, damage, and mana regeneration. Can be bought instead of 2 Wraith Bands.

• Veil of Discord boosts all magical output for Hoowink, even in mid-late game, when combined with Hunter's Boomerang, not to mention helping the overall magic damage for all allies.

Mid game:

• Magic Wand gives cheap attributes and an easier way to replenish health and mana.

• Power Treads increases Hoodwink's attack speed and provides good attributes. Can be switched for health or mana boost to survive team fights.

• Dragon Lance gives overall attack range increase. It also lets Hoodwink cast Acorn Shot much further.

• Maelstrom provides easier wave clear for Hoodwink. Its passive can be procced by Acorn Shot.

• Boots of Travel synergizes the best with Scurry's movement speed bonus as it is flat movement speed. Allows Hoodwink to split push with her Acorn Shot and flash farm this way.

Late game:

• Hurricane Pike, upgraded from Dragon Lance will not only give you bonus attack range that increases the range of Acorn Shot and nice attributes growth, but also an active ability which you can use to position yourself or an enemy against trees to make the most of your abilities. Keep in mind that the active destroys trees. It can also be used to distance herself from closing in enemies during Sharpshooter, or close in the gap to enemies moving away from maximum range.

• Yasha and Kaya is perhaps an answer to Hoodwink's low intelligence with its mana regeneration amplification. The spell amplification bonus also makes her skills hurt more.

• Linken's Sphere can be a defensive item, protecting Hoodwink from getting disabled. The item also provides her with bonus attributes and much needed mana regeneration.
• Eye of Skadi is the best stats-providing item for Hoodwink. The passive can also be procced by Acorn Shot.

• Mjollnir which is an upgraded Maelstrom gives you bonus attack speed. The active and passive is great for clearing waves of creeps and great to be used on your frontline.

• Gleipnir retains Maelstrom's bonuses, and the area root is perfect for setting up her abilities. Gives more damage insted of attack speed what synegizes better with Acorn Shot.

• Daedalus bolsters Acorn Shot with a chance to crit for heavy damage.

• Monkey King Bar allows you to pierce through evasion with your Acorn Shot.

Situational items:

• Blink Dagger helps Hoodwink's capability of either chasing enemies, evading dangerous situations or engage and disengage in long brawls. It is also possible using Blink Dagger while charing Sharpshooter. But only forward. It might be a good way to snipe someone who is going beyong the max reach, or to avoid another enemy flanking her.

• Desolator ups Hoodwink's damage output, and the debuff can be spread across multiple enemies with Acorn Shot.

• Mage Slayer gives you good agility boost along with magic resistance. Its passive is formidable against spellcasters. Reduces the damage of Blade Mail.

• Black King Bar is important for helping a carry Hoodwink survive against heavy nukes and disables. Allows you to use your abilities despite Blade Mail.

• Monkey King Bar allows Acorn Shot bounces to deal bonus damage, and can help deal with enemies that have evasion.

• Eul's Scepter of Divinity provides Hoodwink with much-needed mana regeneration, and holds enemies in place while charging Sharpshooter. Upgrading it to Wind Waker is valid on late game, because you can actually play safe while charging Sharpshooter: as Sharpshooter is not cancelled by Cyclone, Hoodwink will shot even in the air to the direction she was facing before cycloning (if timed right). You can also move around and change your line of fire matching a target's position or get to a safer position if someone is closing in or trying to move behind her.

• Refresher Orb is underrated, but it can be very effective on teamfights, especially if Hoodwink catches multiple targets in Bushwhack, granting the possibility to damage all of them with Acorn Shot, all of the with Hunter's Boomerang, snipe one of them with Sharpshooter, then repeat. And given her abilities do not consume a lot of mana, you can try and use Gleipnir after the first Sharpshooter, to allow her to reposition herself closer to enemy targets and reset the combo.