Bristleback is an incredibly tanky hero who reduces incoming damage from the back and sides. His skill-set has a lot of synergy as it allows him to stay alive for very long in team-fights and potentially deal a massive amount of damage.
Most of his damage comes from Quill Spray, but it Viscous Nasal Goo and Warpath also make him a capable right-clicker in the mid and late game, provided he doesn’t need to be running away. His strength gain is quite low for a strength hero, but the Bristleback passive allows him to negate a lot of the incoming damage which makes up for this.
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[/column]Full Bristleback Skill Build
- Quill Spray
- Bristleback
- Quill Spray
- Bristleback
- Quill Spray
- Warpath
- Quill Spray
- Bristleback
- Bristleback
- Talent
- Viscous Nasal Goo
- Warpath
- Viscous Nasal Goo
- Viscous Nasal Goo
- Talent
- Viscous Nasal Goo
- –
- Warpath
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Bristleback covers the target enemy in goo, reducing their armor and movement speed. Each successive cast increases the slow and minus-armor effects and refreshes the duration of the spell on the target. Aghanim’s Scepter makes this spell affect all nearby enemies. This spell is usually skilled and maxed lastly because your other spells are simply more valuable. You get more damage from maxing Quill Spray and Bristleback helps to tank you up which is more important also. If you have very few disables or slows on your team and/or you have lots of physical damage, it may be good to get one or two points in Goo early. Try to use this spell to deter enemies from chasing you, as they will take more damage from your quills and will be slowed. You should also consider using it on creeps to farm faster.
Bristleback impales all nearby enemies with quills, dealing increasing amounts of damage each time they are hit within 14 seconds of the prior cast. The stacks are not refreshed when being hit by the spell, however. This spell is skilled and maxed firstly, as it gives you a lot of kill potential and thereby a lot of survivability. The threat of being able to kill enemies who pursue you is almost always enough to make them stop chasing you, and as such it should be maxed first.
You can use this spell to contest last-hits in lane, as they can be used at the same time as you attack to deal a bit more damage. If enemies are contesting your Bounty Rune at the beginning of the game, try to get some stacks up on Quills, as they can deal a lot of damage to squishier heroes with low armor. This can potentially lead to an early kill. In team-fights you should more-or-less constantly be using this spell to get stacks of Warpath and Quills up.
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Bristleback takes reduced damage from the rear and sides. Damage taken from the rear is reduced more than damage from the sides, and every time he takes 210 damage from behind, he releases an automatic Quill Spray of the current level. The damage counter does not reset from time, only upon meeting the threshold. This spell is maxed secondly because it allow you to block a massive amount of damage throughout the game. This in turn makes you very tanky, allowing you to survive for longer and thereby getting more stacks of Quill Spray and Goo off on enemies. Try to turn your back to any significant incoming damage sources, as you can potentially block 40% of the damage from the spell, whatever the damage type. Note that the damage reduction does not work against towers.
Bristleback gains increased damage and movement speed every time he uses a spell. Each stack of Warpath is independent from other stacks. Warpath allows Bristleback to deal a surprising amount of physical damage in team-fights and makes him quite hard to lockdown, as he can potentially move very fast. In team-fights, try to use Nasal Goo and Quill Spray whenever possible to build up your stacks of Warpath. You’ll often see Bristleback wreak havoc with these abilities in Dota 2 The International matches.
Generally, the extra mana regeneration is a stronger talent at level 10. Bristleback quite often suffers from mana issues, as casting Quill Spray and Nasal Goo in team-fights a lot can be costly. Bristleback’s intelligence gain is quite high for a strength hero, although his starting intelligence is quite low. In general, he doesn’t always get items which help very much with his mana-pool, and an extra 2 mana regeneration can be very helpful. The extra 20 movement speed can be nice, but it’s generally not as valuable as the mana regeneration, especially since Bristleback is usually quite capable of gaining high movement speed from Warpath.
The extra health is always the better option here. This is because Bristleback has relatively low strength gain for a strength hero, and the extra health really helps him to tank a lot more damage, especially since he mitigates a large portion of it. The extra health in turn allows him to survive longer in fights and deal more damage through his Quills and Goo. The extra Goo stacks aren’t really that effective because most of Bristleback’s damage comes from his Quills. The Goo only really helps with dealing with high armor enemies, as the slow if enough with only fewer stacks. However, the extra Goo stacks are almost never more valuable than the extra health.
In general, the extra health regen is a safer option. This is because it helps to tank you up quite significantly, and by extension, you’ll be able to deal more damage with Quills and Goo. However, if you are quite far ahead and are managing to survive in team-fights as is, then the extra Quill damage can be very helpful. It can also be good if you just need more damage, as it can potentially very quickly stack up to deal a large amount of damage.
In almost every situation, the extra spell lifesteal is a stronger talent choice. This is because Bristleback’s main priority is to stay alive in team-fights, and the spell lifesteal allows you to heal up every time your Quills go off. You will also heal an increasing amount as fights go on, as the enemies will gain more stacks of Quills and take more damage. This can make you very hard to take down, especially when you are low on health, as you’ll have fired off many Quills to nearby enemies leading up to that point. The spell lifesteal will only heal you for 3% against creeps and creep-heroes, but it stacks additively with the spell lifesteal from Octarine Core. This means that you can potentially be healing for 40% of the Quill damage you deal to enemy heroes.
The extra warpath damage is generally overlooked, since the spell lifesteal is so strong. If your team lacks a strong carry in the late game or if you need be dealing more physical damage to enemies, it can be good, but arguably, the ability to stay alive for longer will allow you to deal more damage to enemies anyway.
Bristleback should almost always lane in the offlane, as he is very hard to kill even with only one level in his Bristleback passive. As a tanky offlaner, a Stout Shield is very important on him as well as enough health regen as you may need against the level of harass the enemies have. Enchanted Mangos are very good on him because they are a very effective source of health regeneration and can be used in fights to replace mana which may be critical in early fights to secure kills or to save yourself. Each Mango will allow you to use Quill Spray 3 more times.
A Vanguard is generally the go-to early game item on Bristleback. This is because it provides another source of damage block which works very well with his passive to reduce incoming physical damage. Vanguard will reduce damage before his passive. Unless you are playing against a lineup where almost all of the damage is magical, a Vanguard should be picked up, as it can later be built into a Crimson Guard to provide your team with lots of utility and will keep them alive for a lot longer. This item turns Bristleback into one of the hardest Dota 2 heroes to kill in early game.
A Hood of Defiance is a great item against line-ups with lots of magical damage. It can be gotten in replacement for a Vanguard if they have very little physical damage and almost entirely magical damage. However, it is usually gotten in addition to the Vanguard. It can later be built into a Pipe of Insight, which is a great utility item for your team.
A Magic Wand can be good against teams with lots of spells if you expect to be fighting quite a lot in the early-to-mid game. However, Bristleback doesn’t usually gank very much in the early game, and instead tries to pressure the enemy team in such a way that requires them to give attention to him. As such, it may not be a worthwhile investment every game. Consider simply purchasing a Magic Stick and leaving it at that, or leaving it out completely.
Power Treads are almost always the best boots to get on the hero as he is a tanky strength hero. The extra strength and attack speed allow you a bit more power in the early game to stay alive and deal a bit more damage. In most games, you can simply rush a Vanguard and/or Hood of Defiance and get the Treads later, but if your game looks like it may be quite hard, then getting them earlier may give you an early power spike to help you out.
A Soul Ring is a great regenerative mana item on Bristleback. This is because the health sacrifice from the active isn’t as big a deal on a hero who buys items which add HP regen, such as Vanguard and Hood of Defiance. It also provides more strength which is very useful for Bristleback in particular since his strength gain is quite low. If you find yourself harassing the enemies with Quill Spray then consider purchasing a Soul Ring, as it can greatly help with any mana issues. Note that the self damage does not count towards the damage trigger of Bristleback.
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A Solar Crest is a great mid-game item on Bristleback, especially if your team or the enemies have lots of physical damage, or if you’re dealing with an enemy who has or usually buys evasion items. Bristleback’s armor isn’t necessarily the best, and the armor and evasion from Solar Crest is very helpful in keeping you alive against physical damage.
A Crimson Guard effectively allows you an active which gives you and all of your allies an upgraded Vanguard passive for several seconds. It’s a relatively cheap item which you with a very strong utility spell in the mid game.
A Heaven’s Halberd is a great mid game item against physical damage dealers who can potentially burst down you or your allies. It’s typically very strong against heroes such as Huskar, Ursa or Templar Assassin. It provides you with a lot more survivability, a strong active and even a crippling passive which makes it even easier to chase enemies down.
A Sange and Yasha is a bit less of a common pickup, but is nonetheless quite strong in many situations. All of the stats from the item make you an all-around more effective mid game fighter, which is perfect if you find yourself fighting a lot in the mid game. It doesn’t help to tank you up as much as many other items in the game, but it will allow you to deal a lot more physical damage which is great if you aren’t getting dangerously low on health every fight.
A Blade Mail can be a great item against heroes who can burst you down with either magical or physical damage. While Blade Mail is active, you need not necessarily run away, since the enemies will only be damaging themselves. It’s almost always a strong item on Bristleback as it can greatly increase your damage output and will do a lot of work to keep you alive during team-fights.
A Lotus Orb is a great item for Bristleback because it provides lots of armor and a powerful defensive active spell. It can be used to purge yourself or an ally of debuffs as well as to protect from single-target spells. If you’re playing against several single-target spells, it can help you to survive on the front lines of your team for longer, and you can also use it on allies to keep them alive.
A Shiva’s Guard is a very strong late game item on Bristleback in almost every game. This is because it provides a massive amount of armor and intelligence and strong area of effect passives. The active slow can be used to chase enemies and deter pursuers, and the attack speed slow will make it harder for physical damage dealers to bring you down. The intelligence will help a lot to keep you casting your Quills and Goo in fights, and overall the item suits Bristleback very well.
Assault Cuirass is another very strong late game item on Bristleback. It provides a large amount of armor to you and your nearby allies, as well as reducing the armor of nearby enemies. This works very well with Quill Spray, as it deals physical damage. Effectively, the damage your Quills deal will be amplified since the Assault Cuirass reduces their armor. The extra attack speed will also help you to deal more physical damage with your right clicks and allow you to take towers a bit faster.
A Radiance is an item which is commonly purchased in the mid or late game on Bristleback. It allows him to contribute a much larger amount of damage in team-fights, as he can be very hard to bring down. Radiance also provides some evasion against nearby enemies which effectively makes him a bit tankier against physical damage dealers. It doesn’t tank you up as much as many other items in the game do, however if you’re quite far ahead and the enemies are struggling to kill you, then a Radiance can be a great item to pick up. It’s most commonly purchased around the 30 minute mark after getting some early and mid game items to tank you up first.
A Pipe of Insight is a very strong item on Bristleback which is picked up in most games and is usually a necessity against line-ups with lots of magical damage. The magic resistance and magic damage block will tank you up considerably and the item provides great utility for your team. It can be gotten sooner in the game if you don’t need any other items or if the enemy team has a very large amount of magical damage.
A Heart of Tarrasque is one of the best late game items for Bristleback. It provides a massive increase to his health pool and the potential to regenerate a lot of his health very quickly. A larger health pool means that you can take more damage before you do and consequently are able to release more Quill Sprays, both through the spell itself and through the Bristleback passive. The health regen can also be incredibly helpful when fleeing, as it quite common for you to avoid taking damage for more than 5 seconds, especially as Bristleback’s mobility is usually quite low. The massive increase to your strength will also provide you with more status resistance and damage, which are also both very beneficial. Top-tier item pick for Bristleback that you’ll often see many of the best Dota 2 players building.
An Octarine Core is a very powerful late game item on Bristleback. Besides providing a large increase to your health, mana and intelligence, the item also provides spell lifesteal and cooldown reduction. The cooldown reduction isn’t very significant for your spells, as you only have 2 active spells and these are on 1.5s and 3s cooldowns, however, it does very much help with the cooldowns on items such as Pipe of Insight, Black King Bar or any other active item.
The most notable aspect of this item is the spell lifesteal which is incredibly valuable for Bristleback. It stacks additively with the 15% spell lifesteal from the level 25 talent, allowing you to potentially heal for 40% of the damage you deal with every Quill Spray. If you are able to get a high number of Quill Spray stacks on your enemies, it will become very hard for the enemies to kill you, as you will potentially be healing a massive amount for every nearby pursuer. Overall, this item provides a lot of survivability for your hero and is very valuable in the late game.
Guardian Greaves are a rather uncommon pickup on Bristleback, but they can theoretically be quite good. The reason they aren’t very popular is because they don’t necessarily tank him up the same way items such as Pipe of Insight of Crimson Guard do. Arcane Boots are quite uncommon on him because Power Treads or simply Boots of Speed are almost always better alternatives, and Mekansm isn’t a great solution for Bristleback. If your team needs a pair of Arcane Boots and intends to 5-man objectives in the mid game, it may be a good item, more so if you are playing against debuffs which you can purge with the active. Overall, they are not a very suitable item for Bristleback, but may not necessarily be the worst choice on him.
An Aghanim’s Scepter can be a good item if you have very little control or lockdown on your team. The area of effect Goo can be very strong if you are able to get in the middle of the enemy team, as you will usually be able to very quickly get lots of stacks onto nearby enemies. It doesn’t help to tank you up very much however, and it only provides a relatively small increase to your health pool when compared to what other items offer. Overall, it can be a strong offensive item, especially if you have lots of physical damage on your team, as you can take advantage of the minus armor which the Goo also provides.
A Scythe of Vyse can be a good item on Bristleback if you don’t need to tank up anymore. The item provides a powerful late game disable which can be valuable against heroes who are hard to lockdown, or if you need more control against farmed carries. Generally there are better items you can get on Bristleback, but if you really need to control a specific hero, then a Hex can be valuable.
A Black King Bar can be a great item for Bristleback if you’re playing against lots of magical damage spells or disables. It will make it much harder for the enemies to kite you around and can potentially give you a massive amount of survivability in team-fights. You won’t need it every game, but it can be very beneficial for the hero and is often a very strong item.
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Allies who have minus armor auras or spells are very helpful for Bristleback, as they will increase the damage dealt from Quill Spray.
The break from heroes such as Viper or items including Silver Edge are very powerful against Bristleback, as they prevent him from reducing damage with his passive and automatically releasing Quill Sprays as well as preventing the damage and movement speed buffs from Warpath. Overall, he is very counterable by heroes who typically buy Silver Edge or any other hero with an innate ability to Break passives.
Legion Commander is very strong against Bristleback, as she can force him to face him during Duel. This will make it very hard for you to block a large amount of damage, as your enemies will be able to move in front of you.
Batrider can massively reduce Bristleback’s turn rate, which can make it incredibly hard for you to kite enemies around. If they manage to get in front of you, it will be very hard for you to turn to your back or sides, which makes you much more vulnerable against all forms of damage.
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