Troll Warlord: A Comprehensive Guide

Jah’rakal, the Troll Warlord, is an agility hero with the unique ability to switch between ranged and melee attacks at will.

Abilities

• Berserker’s Rage: Activatable at any time, this ability allows Troll Warlord to switch from ranged to melee attacks. In melee form, he gains increased movement speed, armor, and attack speed, with a small chance to ensnare targets upon landing an attack[1][2].

• Whirling Axes (Ranged): Troll Warlord throws five axes in a cone-shaped area, dealing 75 magic damage and slowing enemy units by 40%[1][5].

• Whirling Axes (Melee): He spins two axes around him, dealing up to 225 magic damage and blinding enemies for five seconds, causing them to miss 60% of their attacks[1][5].

• Fervor: This passive ability grants Troll Warlord increasing attack speed with each continuous blow on the same target, stacking up to twelve times. The effect resets if he changes targets[1][5].

• Battle Trance: Troll Warlord enters an uncontrollable frenzy, continuously attacking the closest enemy hero within 900 units. During this period, he gains bonus attack speed, movement speed, and lifesteal, but cannot control whom he attacks[1][5].

Skill Build

To maximize Troll Warlord’s effectiveness, focus on the following skill build:

1. Whirling Axes
2. Berserker’s Rage
3. Whirling Axes
4. Fervor
5. Whirling Axes
6. Battle Trance
7. Whirling Axes
8. Berserker’s Rage
9. Berserker’s Rage
10. Level 10 Talent: +10 Agility
11. Berserker’s Rage
12. Battle Trance
13. Fervor
14. Fervor
15. Level 15 Talent: +3 Max Fervor Stacks
16. Fervor
17. Battle Trance
18. Level 20 Talent: +50 Damage
19. Level 25 Talent: -6s Whirling Axes Cooldown

Item Build

Troll Warlord’s item build focuses on lifesteal, protection, movement speed, and attack speed:

1. Early Game:

   • Power Treads: For attack speed.
   • Morbid Mask: For lifesteal.

2. Mid Game:

   • Black King Bar (BKB): To prevent stuns and disables during Battle Trance.
   • Butterfly: For evasion and agility.
   • Basher into Abyssal Blade: For locking down fast-moving targets.
   • Diffusal Blade: For slowing down heroes without hard escape mechanisms.

3. Late Game:

• Daedalus or Monkey King Bar: For burst damage and evasion-based carries.

Combo and Counter

Combo:

1. Use Whirling Axes (ranged) to initiate.
2. Switch to melee with Berserker’s Rage.
3. Activate Battle Trance.
4. Repeat the process as needed.

Counter:

Troll Warlord struggles against heroes that can prevent him from close combat, such as:

• Axe: Can use Berserker’s Call to force Troll Warlord to attack him instead of teammates.
• Bane: Can use Enfeeble to lower Troll Warlord’s attack speed.
• Illusion heroes: Whirling Axes is insufficient for clearing illusions, making it difficult for Troll Warlord to deal significant damage.

Image via Valve