The Earth Shaker strikes fear in an enemy. Perhaps one of the most versatile heroes to grace dota, the Earth Shaker alters the very form of the Earth creating barriers that none may pass.
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+ 4.75 second AOE stun. (one of the longer combination stuns per individual hero) + Great pusher/anti pusher + Fissure is a very versatile skill. + Item independent to a degree. + Excellent roamer. Can gank from level 1 if need be.
- Poorly placed fissures can block kills/kill allies. - Poor stats - Poses absolutely no threat without mana - Requires blink to unleash full potential - Don't get too attached. Frequent ban. - Difficult to use
Now that were past the intro, if this is a conversation you like hearing, pick an ES.
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Embrace death. Most of Earth Shaker's skills have long relatively long cool downs. His role as a disabler is complete once his combo is cast. Try to soak up as much damage as much damage as you can (though rarely will enemy heroes hesitate to do so). An initiator is prone to dying.
This hero guide extensively uses video tutorials. They say a picture is worth a thousand words but nothing beats a goddamn video showing you how its done. The videos are just from random games so the ideal scenario is not sometimes met but the concept is conveyed. Remember ES can be as effective as your imagination is vivid so go wild and take some risks. They might pay off in the long haul. Just don't go ahead and condemn your ally to death via a fissure trap. Bait for instant flaming. Also take note this guide is in NO WAY 56k friendly. Come bearing decent internet speeds.
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Stacking stuns! ES can disable for a long while. But the aim is to maximize his stuns. Wait till the stuns are on the verge of finishing before setting forth another one. This can be hard to time but practice makes perfect!
Fissure is ES's early game weapon of choice. Remember fissures aoe stun and damage is only half the beauty of this skill. From blocking enemies to saving his allies, Fissure can do it all and leave you feeling warm inside. Enemies downing a tower? Isolate one while your teammates beat down on him. Ally being chased down? Create a fissure between them!
Remember fissure has a slight cast time. Keep that in mind while trying to pull of those precise timing stuns. Some people argue that one level of fissure can suffice and to a degree they have a valid point. But nothing else ES can provide is more useful then leveling his stun.
ES is also an ideal roamer. Fissure is unique from most disables in the sense that a lot of its practicality can be obtained from just one point in the skill. A fissure block at level one can be just as useful as at level 4. This is in no way an advocacy for you to just get one point in fissure. The damage increase is a boon, its just a way of saying that ES is useful from the get go.
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Aim fissure on the ground. I say this from ages of experience. Fog of war can and will cause you to lose targeted fissures. A ground fissure not only will land every single time, you can fissure block far better when aiming at the ground.
Enchant Totem is a very solid skill, though for reasons other than expected. While the damage bonus can seem like a lot, ES is not a physical dps machine. A single point will suffice to give you its valuable stun via aftershock. Thus only one point of enchant totem will be skilled until level 23 and the fact that stats will help you far more then a measly one hit with plus damage.
Furthermore as Enchant Totems damage is only enhanced by +stats items (i.e Heart which doesn't come till much later if at all) there is no real benefit to getting more than one point in this skill. Another problem with enchant totem is that it is hard to place without a blink dagger. No ones just gonna let you wade up to them and enchant totem. Once blink dagger is purchased this becomes a staple move in your combo.
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Totem has a slight casting time. People with sufficient move speed will move out of it if you are standing next to the hero. Always anticipate movement and stun there. Blink about where the enemy would be in the next .25 or so seconds and stun there. A well place totem with blink can easily allow you to set up a great fissure block.
Aftershock is the skills that gives ES his "perma-stun" reputation. All skills cast by ES now have an AOE around him to disable and damage the enemy. This gives totem and Echo Slam 1.5 second stuns and is integral to the disabling ES. As we are delaying leveling up totem we can skip out on taking this for a while. At level 10 ES has plenty of mana and possibly nearing blink thus making it a logical step to get that level in blink.
Echo slam. Your trademark ultra kill granting skill. Seeing a huge enemy push makes ES cry tears of joy. Blink in and let the magic begin. Echo slam generates damage from how many enemy units are in a close proximity. The greater the amount the higher the damage. This is what makes ES viable past early game and is skilled at 6, 11 and 16.
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Try to aim echo slam in the center of the battle. That way all opponents are bound to take damage. Also remember that echo slam gets a stun added via aftershock, so blink towards the opponents you definitely want disabled.
For more on the exact mechanics of how Echo Slam works click here.
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If enemies heroes are scattered that does not mean you can't still pull off a good ult. Even a few units clumped boosts echo slams damage by a fair bit. Pick key opponents and echo slam! 9/10 times this is your enemy carry. However, a carry can do little on his own. If an enemy disabler seems like the more important threat take them out first!
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Apart from creating impassable terrain, one of fissures greatest strengths is that it has a casting range of 1200. 1200 is HUGE. The below image shows exactly how far 1200 range can be.
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Fissure can "miss" but still stun. Sometimes what looks like you might have not made contact with the enemy hero can still result in a stun. Make sure to understand the "true" range on his skills. It is 250 aoe just in case anyone was wondering. ~_^
Fissure Blocking is an integral part of playing ES. An isolated/trapped enemy is usually a dead enemy.
Likewise fissure can be used to save your allies.
Since Fissure is an integral part of ES actually being effective here are some videos showing some ways to fissure trap. Click here to access themAgain just watching the videos isn't enough. Open up dota in a single player match and practice with creeps. Get the feel of the skill as it is one of the most effective skills in dota.
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ES makes a very valid candidate for runes due to his roaming nature. Since bottle is an excellent source of regeneration, he can lane hop causing much mayhem. ES makes decent use of most runes but particularly craves the haste and invisibility runes. Both allow him to place good echo slams or fissures prior to having purchased a blink dagger. While this information may be elementary for most, runes spawn at 2 minutes. Here are some pretty comprehensive guides to warding spots for rune sight as well as other high useful spots. Kaiser Leon DotA Strategy #3: Warding Fundamentals, Heldarions Guide To Total Warding and Eumellein's Ward Position Guide
As I have mentioned time and time again, ES is relatively item independent. A well placed fissure can net you an easy first blood. So don't sit there and rice a blink dagger. Be aggressive and don't hesitate to roam. However, don't leave your teammate alone to die though! The 2 clarities make sure you have a constant stream of mana so you can pull of that fissure whenever you need it.
The early game stats are taken for a very specific reason. ES is highly mana dependent and chances are that youre role in the team may include warding/purchasing a chicken. This leaves you with a relatively lackluster mana pool. Furthermore Fissure and Echo Slam are relatively high mana skill costs thus posing even greater problems for Earth Shakers small base mana. The stats in combination with the 3 stats gained from the iron wood branches will help make you substantially sturdier while also giving you the ever important larger mana pool. In conjunction with clarities you can easily maintain sufficient mana levels for at least one fissure and possibly two fissures if you're a bit more defensive.
Also remember to keep an eye out for angles! As an Earth Shaker you have to start creating angles with fissure. A blocked enemy has to either stand and take punishment or walk around the fissure. Creating sharper angles creates not only less movement place but makes walking around the fissure less appealing. Restricting enemy movement is paramount. You want an enemy to be stuck there taking hits from the tower. Take note that creating wide angles is easier, but a block is still a block. Don't miss out on blocking the enemy because you wanted to get in that perfect fissure.
Right of the bat you have to make multiple decisions regarding ES. Are you a roamer or a laner? ES can fulfill both roles with great ease. He can skill fissure and run around the map making life difficult for his enemies (and himself) or lane for a bit and then start roaming like mad. ES makes an excellent lane partner, so don't underestimate how much a good ES in conjunction with an ally can fuck up a lane. Pairs like Puck, CM, (any stunners really), Orb Walkers all make excellent lane partners for ES. ES should ideally be laned with a strong lane partner so that they can devastate the opponents lane. We don't want ES' potential going to waste.
Roaming can begin whenever, you feel comfortable enough to do it without feeding like a mad man. Since ES is on the move a lot he can be caught with his pants down. Try to avoid the very commonly warded rivers and take side paths that aren't warded as often. Learn to love invisibility runes and haste runes. They make getting those kills for your team a lot easier. Roaming is incredibly rewarding and fun, but it has some drawbacks. Roaming can leave you underleveled and underfarmed. Always remember that.
Items have gotten better. Levels have been gained. ES is all guns ho with a bottle, a few nulls/bracers/magic stick and his trusted boots. Nulls provide you with a cheap source of mana and allow your presence on the battlefield to be felt for greater periods of time. Usually one null and a magic stick is enough since ES has item slots problems in between boots, magic stick, null, tp, bottle and one miscellaneous item.
Bracers can substitute nulls in case a beefier ES is required. Sometimes the goings are tough and that extra hp can come in handy. ES does not have the best of hp pools and heavy nukers can make short work of you. A lina who unleashes her full combo on you can easily kill you or leave you on the verge of death.
We skipped out on enchant totem till level 10 for a very specific reason. ES is a heavily mana dependent hero as mentioned countless time. No mana = no fissure = no presence. Early points in aftershock and enchant totem provide measly improved dps output and are a drain on your mana pool. Furthermore an effective enchant totem is hard to pull of unless a hero is in melee range. And why does an orb walker or a ranged hero ever need to come into your melee range? S/He never will. Only heroes that can be disabled via early enchant are melee heroes. Considering most higher level games are quite devoid of melee heroes it seems an unnecessary investment.
Furthermore enchant totem is absolutely useless without at least 2 points in aftershock, there is absolutely no need to get it before aftershock. The first level of aftershock is gotten late because aftershocks affects can only truly be felt within near melee range.
Again since this cow is a sniper of sorts, you won't find yourself in melee range all too often. Aftershock and enchant are started leveling past 7 because that's a reasonable time frame to start expecting blink within a the next 4-5 levels. That is when aftershock and enchant totem truly become efficient and are thus gotten at that point. The reason for getting to points of aftershock before enchant totem is because the mini-stun is near useless and at level 2 it becomes .7 seconds thus gaining some substance.
The laning phase is over by all means and essentially you should be in roam mode. The only time you really need to sit down in your lane and farm is if you're right on the verge of blink. Fissure can be used to hasten farming but TAKE CARE! Fissure is your only efficient disable and if its on cool down and you get ganked, you're fucked. Not only do you die but all that farming was wasted. Be careful with fissure farming!
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This is the shifting point in Earth shakers game. Teams start roaming together with greater frequency and in larger numbers. Creep waves are getting consistently larger as well. That's good news because you've hopefully picked up a blink dagger by now. Bigger groups mean bigger echo slams and as a result Raigors true damage potential is unleashed. Whole team downing your tower?? Blink, echo slam, totem, fissure block, ultra kill.Of course not all scenarios are ideal but even if you see two heroes clumped together with a few creeps blink the fuck in! 2 dead heroes are still better then waiting for that team wipe that might never come.
For best results always bring allies. Very often what happens is that ES can devastate enemy teams but not quite do the job on his own. That's why Earth Shaker is a relatively uncommon sight in pubs. Bring the clean up crew.
Remember in clashes to initiate with echo slam. Both fissure and totem have slight casting times. Quick fingers can and will leave you disabled. You don't want that happening. A disabled hero is a dead hero. ES initiating is even more important due to the changes brought about by 6.63. Since echo damage is reduced by half of corpse, this makes it a necessity that ES be the first to initiate! Make sure your teammates don't clear creep waves prior to a clash. That is tremendously reducing your dps output.
While ES is still booming in strength, due to increasing creep waves, Earth Shakers power in comparison to the hard carries is waning fast. You don't want to be in this stage for long. However, you are still incredibly dangerous. 4.75 seconds of disable is tremendous and your role changes little overall. Stick around with allies permanently. An alone hero especially a fragile one is a dead one.Items wise you have already attained your core. You can delegate all funds to warding. Should you happen to have access to excess money I would recommend a guinsoo. Guinsoo is the ultimate support item. Dunno what to make with any hero? Make a guinsoo. Just fucking do it.
Optional builds include refresher for the massive aoe damage, blood for survivability, necro for added dps and invis counter, shiva for support auras and spamming and of course heart when you need to step up the tanking. Refresher is less and less important considering the recent nerf ES received. Corpses only transfer half the echo damage thus making Refreshers damage output by almost half considering all the creep waves probably died in the first echo slam.
Just finish already!
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This is your staple bread and butter item. While not necessary to play a good ES early game, it is a must come mid game. No opponent is going to let an ES waddle up to them and unleash the detestation that is Echo Slam. ES needs to be able to enter the fray at a moments notice and unleash all of his combo. This item needs no explanation. The videos in the echo slam section should suffice to show why it is indeed made for the Earth Shaker. Blink can also serve as an escape mechanism.
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Always initiate clash with echo slam. Fissure and totem have casting delays and thus quick fingers can disable ES. A disabled hero is a useless hero. On occasional scenarios fissure can be used to be initate as well. Snipe them into impassable terrain and blink in. They won't get a chance to scatter.
While quite dangerous in the correct hands, Forcestaff is no replacement for blink. Blink still offers greater mobility which is vital for that perfect echo slam. Forcestaff can be a fun item to mess around with, but this cow wont switch brands.
Sure a lothars ult can be great fun. But lets look at it logically. Blink gives you an instant echo slam advantage. Lothars forces you to wade through enemy forces. Secondly a lothars ES can be put too halt far more easily than a blinking ES. Once this has been pulled off competent opponents will react with wards or even preempt this. An instant blink is far harder to counter. Last but not least you're paying far more and for components you don't need. I mentioned I'm not a fan of purchasing items you don't utilize effectively. ES is not an efficient physical damager. Don't try to make him one.
This being the era of the magic stick I thought a special note about it ought to be written. I find myself with great frequency building a magic wand for almost all heroes. This can be skipped in some pubs where lopsided teams of 5 agility carries are present. However, in competitive/semi-competitive environment this is becoming a must have item due to heavy and frequent casters being in vogue. Since ES tends to find himself in the middle of the battlefield and clashes rack up charges this is an ideal item to have. The burst hp/mana always helps.
Arcane Ring Staple pub build for ES. The added mana is a great boon and is an excellent item for the team. Then why is not our core? Because arcane is shit for value on ES. ES needs to save his money for blink dagger not an arcane. The early mid game combo I recommend costs approximately 2000 gold whereas an arcane ring costs 1700. For 300 more gold my build makes you bulkier, more mobile, capable of roaming more efficiently earlier and gives you more then enough mana. I fear an ES with my build far more then just a measly arcane ring. All that arcane ring provides you is with a constant stream of mana and no real survivability. Again it can have its situational uses, but rarely will that situation arrive.
Treads are the new boots of choice for ES. While the phase effect was indeed valuable, the plus 16 intelligence (and lowered cost) make int treads incredibly attractive. Furthermore treads can be changed to strength if ES feels that he is rather vulnerable and doesn't need the mana.
Phase boots is an ideal boot upgrade for ES. Being the cheapest of the 3 upgrades, providing the highest potential ms, the invaluable phase and the armor is only the icing on the caked. Phase boots are the most logical extension for ES.Phase Boots have been totally revamped. As of now the only thing that ES desires from phase boots is the phase effect. However, that alone is not enough for ES to purchase phase boots. Treads fulfill his need much more.
Copy pasted from an other post of mine
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I think that most people who tend to rush travels are thinking far to ahead of themselves. "Oh ill need it later on", but what if the game doesn't last that long? You have to a degree wasted 2200.
Travels imo should really only be "aimed" for by support heroes if a games gone on for too long. Travels are integral when towers are down and creeps rule the game. However since games end earlier nowadays, phase and power treads fill out both needs of dps and support heroes at a lower cost (though admittedly with limited benefits).
Yes, yes BoT is better. It provides the highest ms output and provides the invaluable tp to creeps, but good luck rushing it and not gimping yourself or your team.
Edit* Furthermore travels with its outrageous recipe cost just further indicates that it was something that is meant to be gotten when money flow becomes more steady (aka late game). So it is most effective late game when pushes are everywhere, towers are down and tps start to have limited use, and money becomes less of a concern. Clearly you can see im not a big fan of rushing bot. =D
Treads is a waste of money. While the +10 str/ +10 int can be very useful, the gloves of haste you purchase are wasted. I'm not an advocate of purchasing useless components and added IAS is useless for ES. ES is not a physical attacker, lets not make him one.
Treads has been revamped and thus is useful.
Travels have received a 5 ms buff in 6.63 and while a good buff its not ground breaking.
Guinsoo is the ultimate item in the game. 3.5 seconds of disable is HUGE. Every hero in a quandary as to what to purchase can do wrong getting this. As ES is an initatior and a disabler, we wish to accentuate his strengths late game. Guinsoo is a logical extension.
Shivas has a lot going for it. Tremendous boost in ehp, an aura and a nuke? Sadly enough it weren't for guinsoo and item superior in virtually every way, Shivas would surely be the core. Nukes don't scale late game, auras are situational at best, and ES while a secondary tank, is a primary disabler. Stick to disabling and get a guinsoo.
Bloodstone is a cheap and easy buildup for ES. Not only does it bulk him up, it also gives him a steady flow of mana. However, as ES is in the middle of the fray a lot, charges tend to come and go very quickly. Get it if farming is tough, or an early point booster is needed.
Linkins has always been a solid item to get. The block is valuable, though personally I feel linkins is far too defensive an item as an extension. If you've farmed that ultimate orb, hold for 600 more gold and get a mystic staff instead.
Necromicon is a great item on ES. It gives him a bit of surviability alongside a steady mana pool, epic summons and a very easy buildup. However, Necromicon should primarily be gotten if there are invisibility bastards on the enemy team or if the auras are desperately needed. Usually guinsoo will be a better item.
The poor mans disable. While good to have if one struggles with farming and its always fun to cyclone yourself or an enemy after initiating, ES has better items to farm. Cyclone can also be used to aid in fissure trapping and so on, but when you have blink enchant totem is more than enough to help you land good fissure traps.
A staple for many, refresher has some problems with it. The main strain on ES is tremendous if this is rushed without some int items prior to it and with the nerf on ES as of late, Refresher is a late luxury at best or when an enemy team is an image heavy team.
Heart gives ES great survivability. However, with its recent nerf Heart is no longer a great item. Get it when you need to step up the tanking.
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Disablers are excellent lane partners for ES. As we all know from countless dominating lanes in the form of dual stunners, two stunners are an incredibly strong lane. Furthermore the fact that ES is superior than your average stunner makes for one hell of a laning phase.
Nukers are great lane partners for ES. Considering the fact that ES can keep heroes in one position for extended periods of time via fissure trapping, nukers can finish the job off and get an easy first blood.
Undying and ES are a pair made in heaven. With Undyings massive damage application ES has a field day. Warlock also works similarly.
Orb walkers and perma slowers make decent lane partners for ES as well. Heroes like Viper can keep slowing the enemies and allow ES to pull of that perfect fissure trap.
Since ES can blink in and instantly cast echo slam and start his chain disabling enemies for extended periods of time, channelers love him. Usually the problem facing channelers is that they cannot keep their ult in place long enough for them to start their ultimtes. Those worries and the need for a bkb/blink are diminished when ES can keep them disabled.
These guys are a godsend for ES. Crystal Madiens aura can keep you roaming indefinitely and Ezalor can guarantee that you will never run out of mana in a lane.
Theres not much that counters ES. He is after all a bonafide top tier hero. However, certain measures can disable ES and we will discuss some of them.
The destroyer of all chain combos, Silencer's last word will not let you do your trusted combo. Best to take him out before a clash or deal with being relatively useless. Drow and Doom also have silencing skills.
The advent of pipe has been the bane of all AOE monsters and ES is no exception. Starting to dominate many builds, Pipe is a big albeit indirect nerf to heroes such as Earth Shaker. However, it still has to be cast and has a cooldown so its not an end all situation for you.
Wards are one of the most efficient counters to an ES. Warding will allow you to see that ES stalking you for that perfect blink echo slam. Take that COW OUT!
Global spells can not only give away your position but the also disable your blink! That can be devastating for an ES who needs to blink now but can't for the next 3 seconds. Undying and Doom also have skills that affect a wide aoe and thus can interrupt blinking.
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Here is a compilation of videos showing some of the methods to using fissure, enchant totem and echo slam effectively.
Fissure Videos
Enchant Totem Videos
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Echo Slam Videos
Heres a video showing how a blink dagger can be a great means to escaping.
Thanks to Deadlus, Gilrain and Saint for helping me with the screen shots. and thanks for DP and PD for allowing me to host and use their resources. Thanks to Kulot from devianart for making an epic Earth Shaker picture (used right at the start and the original can be accessed here at his deviantart account). Thanks to Phoenix for his detailed Echo Slam guide (which can be accessed here) and last but certainly not least thanks to demonictrashcan because he demanded it! =O
