Hella Hades - Solo Lane Bully

Welcome!

Hades was my 2nd character bought, and now he is rank 10. Hades is rarely played in the support role due to the fact that he is a lackluster tank. Ladies and gentlemen, Hades is a mage!! However, Hades has one of the highest win percentages in ranked play. Why? Because a skilled Hades player will bully opponents and eat all minions that get in his way. This guide will hopefully show you how to dominate the opposition.

NOTE: If you are new to Hades and desperately looking for a build while your match loads, use the Health Bruiser Build above. The Lifesteal Bruiser is an aggressive and risky start, but can be rewarding if you get far ahead of your opponent.

Some Hades stats: http://tiermonster.com/god/14/hades

Questions? Suggestions? Please comment and favorite, and I'll help out however I can!

PROS -Some of best laning in game, because you clear, heal your own wave, and deal massive damage all at the same time -Very good self-healing -Laning bully, if he is in a lane you have to kill him to win -Incredibly dangerous to any mages, hunters, or assassins -CC on 3 out of 4 abilities -Great damage

CONS -Long cooldowns -Somewhat bursty -Neutered without mana -Players with knowledge of Hades can counter you by hanging back and waiting for the right moment to attack

Warriors
In general, warriors are a stalemate against Hades. Sometimes it is possible to outplay them, but they are usually to tough to kill. However, very few warriors are actually a threat because you can heal yourself and your wave.

Biggest Threats: Sun Wukong, Vamana


Mages
Mages are a mixed bag when it comes to laning. Some are easliy bullied out of farm and killed, like Change and Zhong Kui. Others have safe clear and healing, like Ra and Aphrodite. One or two are a pain in the @ss to deal with, like Posiedon and Isis. The best way to fight them is to know how they work and how they clear waves.

Biggest Threats: Aphrodite, Poseidon(why isnt Poseidon in the mid? Who knows, but if he is solo its gonna be a long game)


Assasins
Assasins are usually a free kill every once in a while, but you have to know how they work, just like mages. As an example, fighting a Loki is different than fighting a Bakasura. Learn it, live it, kill it.

Biggest Threat: Loki (You might think you are out laning him, but he can shred you easily)


Hunters
There are a few hunters that Hades cannot deal with, mostly the ones with good waveclear (duh you say, those are the solo ones). The reason for this is because they clear from a distance, keep at a distance, and deal damage from a distance. A smart Ullr will shut Hades down completely, so be wary of hunters in general until you know that you can outpoke them.

Biggest Threat: Ullr


Other Guardians
These lane matchups are just slapfights, plain and simple. Both of you will do some damage, you will heal back up and they will mitigate it. It is likely that you will not get a 1v1 kill against another guardian for the entire game.

Biggest Threat: Hades


This is as of the beginning of Season 2, things might change in the future.

Starting Items:
Vampiric Shroud (Conquest only)
Hand of the Gods Rank 1
Shoes of Focus Rank 1
Mana Potion
Ward (Conquest only)

Build
Shoes of Focus
This item gives early game mana ,CDR, and power. Pretty simple.

Your second item is a bit flexible...

Obsidian Shard
This will give you a boost in damage in early/midgame. It will also let you deal significant damage outside of Pillar of Agony.

Breastplate of Valor
This is proably my most favorite item in the game. Cooldowns, mana, and some pretty decent physical protections. 3 things Hades needs all in one.

Bulwark of Hope
I really wish there were more magic defense items in the game, and hopefully season 3 will give us some. Until then, Ill use Bulwark of Hope for lots of health and high magic defense. Of course, if you need more physical protection instead of magical you can always get midguardian mail.

Etherial Staff
Another high health item that gives a decent amount of power. Get this for a crazy amount of health, but only build if you have Warlock's sash. Ive heard rumors that season 3 will nerf it, so we will have to see if it will be worth it.


Situational Items
Soul Reaver
This is a beautiful item for several reasons. It will allow you to deal more damage because of its power, add to your potential damage with mana, and scare the **** out of people with burst damage. You will most likely activate the 15% damage with your Death from Below.

Hide of the Urchin
This is a go-to item for any bruiser, and Hades is no exception. Mana and health are very imortant, and building stacks will not be a problem, since kills happen when Hades is around. If you decide to build this make sure you have enough time to build stacks, consider building this as your 2nd or 3rd item, or last just to get a bit more tanky.

Chronos' Pendant
Pretty straightforward. This will let you support your team and defend yourself more because of reduced cooldowns. I usually dont ever build this, but every now and then if i cant build Breastplate of Valor I use this to get to max CDR.


Actives
Improved Teleport
This is a less popular solo item because it forces you to not have any other actives. That being said, it is still useful for outfarming enemies and getting around the map. Upgrading to Shielded Teleport will give you even more mobility, while Teleport to Gods will let you help teammates out more.

Shield of the Underworld
This is an amazing item that gives both defense and offense. Use this right before you use your ulti, or during a fight with a high damage/lifesteal god (including other Hades!) for best results. Buy this early in the game, and use it often.

Greater Aegis
Pretty simple, this is for defense. Use it to negate high damage ultimates or to survive longer against groups of enemies.

Weakening Curse
This is a double purpose item. It negates all healing on enemies, and slows them significantly. Use this whenever you want to do high damage to enemy healers, or when chasing down enemies.

Auto Attacks: (*pew*... *pew*... *pew*) Auto Attacks aren't an ability, but they are just as important as his other skills. These are one of the most important ways to spread Blight. You should always be spreading Blight to minions and enemies so that your abilities do more. Auto Attacks are also good for poking someone while they are under their own tower, fighting your minions.

Blight: (The Purple Herpes) This is the foundation of ALL your attacks. When playing as Hades, you must spread Blight whenever possible. This means using Death from Below, Shrould of Darkness, and Autoattacks at the ready. Even if you arent sure if they will be attacking, hit enemies with Blight whenever possible.

Death from Below: (Enter From Behind ;D) This is a pretty straightforward skill. Death From Below allows you to innitiate, escape, or chase down excaping enemies. If Blight is applied to enemies hit they are slowed, but this is not a common use for Death From Below. It can also be used as a source of damage (especially with Soul Reaver), but only use it if you are sure you need to because it is also your escape. Max this last.

Shroud of Darkness: ("FEAR ME!") While his 3rd ability is his bread and butter, Shroud of Darkness is the knife you use to spread it. This is your mains source of CC, and its cooldown allows you to use it several times in a fight. If enemies arent Blighted, then this is a useful 2s silence useful for interupting fights and saving teamates ***es. If the target is Blighted they turn into a punching bag for 2s, allowing you to open up with AAs and abilities. When supporting as a tank -or when your abilties are on cooldown- this is one of the best ways to set up a kill. Max this 2nd to last.

Devour Souls: (The Ground Pound) Bread and butter. Meat and potatoes. Lennin and McCartney. This is your best ability. When you use this ability, damage is dealt to everyone nearby. If they are Blighted, then they take additional damage and deal damage to everyone around them. Blighted enemies also heal you for a certian amount. This has several uses. First off, it is your waveclear. When at full build, you dont even have to blight a wave to kill it. This is also your main source of damage in fights, and should always be used on enemies with Blight on them. Dont forget that lifesteal items add onto the healing from this ability. A well placed Devour Souls can heal you completely. Max first.

Pillar of Agony: (Give Hades a Hug!) This is Hades' most well known ability. Everyone and their mother knows of the horrors of being sucked closer to the scary purple dude. This ability is a wonderful teamfight ability for the obvious reason: it stops enemies in their tracks, allowing for allies to attack them. However, when fighting by yourself this should not be your opening move. Pillar of Agony is your finisher or mid fight damage bomb. Most of the time, enemies will try to escape from Pillar of Agony before they realize they dont have a chance. Some of the smarter ones will turn and fight, but they arent long for this world. It is VERY important that you know your limits with this ability. Do not be scared to cancel it and use Aegis or escape if the fight isnt in your favor. Max this 2nd. NOTE: In order for Pillar of Agony to be an effective damage ability, targets MUST have Blight on them. This is a very common mistake for players to make. Without the debuff on them, they can outdamage you or escape before they die.

Death From Below- Devour Souls
Basic waveclear, leaves you without escape. If Death From Below hits an enemy god, then minions will attack you instead, clustering up and making Devour Souls more effective.

Shroud of Darkness- Devour Souls
Waveclear that saves your escape, use when outmatched or playing safe.

Auto Attacks- Shroud of Darkness
Simple CC. applies fear and lets you manhandle them.

Death From Below- Shroud of Darkness- Devour Souls
Use this to bully an enemy out of a waveclear or poke them. Same as first combo, but fearing/silencing them inbetween.

Death From Below- Shroud of Darkness
Best way to set up kills or start a fight. use Death From Below and come up behind them, then quickly fear them.

Death From Below- Shroud of Darkness- Devour Souls-Auto Attacks- Pillar of Agony:
GG. Use Death From Below and come up behind them, then quickly fear them. Devour souls will do damage and heal you. Auto Attack to apply Blight again, then use ulti to finish them off.

Conquest Solo
Early Game:
The first 5 minutes of a game are your most passive play. During this time your first priority is to stay alive and clear waves (simple but important). You should level your 3rd ability as soon as possible in order to clear waves. The faster you clear waves the faster you heal and get a leg up on your opponent. When wave clearing, give your opponent hell by healing your own wave. This will force them to use more mana and burn through their cooldowns.

Mid Game:
After you are fed, and have your first three items you are a threat to anyone. You do not have enough damage to gank someone from full health in most situations, but you are still dangerous. Hades ganks always lead to a kill if you initiate at the right time and set up the kill for your mid/ADC teammates. DO NOT forget to farm. Do not fall behind by ganking to much.

Late Game:
This is where Hades starts to see good and bad things. The good is that you can kill anyone on the other team. The bad is that you are the center of attention. Pick your battles, and do not be afraid to play a support role in a teamfight, setting up kills for your teammates.

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Arena
This build works in arena, however it requires much more passive play. Hades is NOT a true support in arena. Wait for teamfights to start, then quickly take out the back line of the enemy team. This is where Hades shines, killing the squishy enemies before they can do damage. If you feel like you are to squishy, build Hide of the Urchin first. Better safe than sorry.

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Joust
This build in joust allows you to be the initiator and damage dealer for your team. However, your main goal is to set up kills for your allies. They will have more early game damage than you, and you can heal easily after a fight.

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Seige
Hades loves Siege! Siege is gank heaven for Hades, but dont forget to farm. The downside to Siege is that enemies are never far away, so when fighting be careful you dont burn all of your abilities and then not have them when the enemy gets backup.

Of course you cant always play Hades, so here are a few tips for when you are playing against him.

-Hades is all about ability damage, so the cooldown in-between abilities is when he is weakest. The best time to poke or attack Hades is after he uses Devour Souls to heal himself.

-Hades has a somewhat predictable initiate. In lane, he will always try to be in and among the minions, since Devour Souls does more damage there. DO NOT stand in your minion wave while fighting Hades.

-I mentioned that Shield of the Underworld is amazing on Hades. It is also good against him. Use Shield of the Underworld against damage Hades while he is using Pillar of Agony for best results.

-Hades is a self healer, so he is vulnerable to anti healing items and actives like Brawler's Beat Stick, Divine Ruin, Pestilence, and Weakening Curse. Be careful! He is still dangerous, just easier to kill.

2/2/15: Added changes, added notes on waveclear in conquest section, added details to Pros.
2/4/15: Fixed typo in Combos section
2/15/15: Added Active items and their descriptions
3/11/15: Added Book of Thoth, Warlock's Sash, Wrath of Gods, And Shielded Teleport/Teleport to Gods
4/8/15: Added tank build as per CarmelitaFoxy request, go get 'em buddy
4/14/15: Added "Other Player" builds
4/27/15: Fixed problem that made Actives and 2 build tabs unviewable.
10/2015: Began the process of updating the guide...
1/29/16: Tons of changes! This guide is now "Hella Hades: Solo Lane Bully" instead of "Hella Hades: Solo Lane Lifesteal"
9/14/16: Swapped spear of magus for Obsidian Shard, updated relics