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Bristleback · Offlane (pos. 3)

Bristleback Abilities and Combos

Abilities & combosData-drivenMediumPatch 7.41
7.6KUpdated

More Bristleback guides

This guide is assembled by the site from match data and the game's own information — nobody wrote it by hand. Official and community guides appear alongside it when they exist.

Overview

This guide goes through Bristleback's kit ability by ability.

Strengths

  • Heavy magical burst: Valve lists it as a Nuker.
  • Valve tags Bristleback as Durable: it stays in fights longer than most heroes.
  • Clear job in the team: survive a hard lane, bother the enemy carry and start the fights.

Weaknesses

  • No escape in the kit: without good positioning and vision, Bristleback is easy to catch.
  • Low base armor (1): vulnerable to physical harass early on.

Build cheat sheet

Pick the build that fits what you want to do this game.

Builds

Most-played build

BalancedRecommended
Open build

When to use it

The items most bought with this hero, phase by phase. Pick it when you don't have a clear reason to deviate. Built from what Bristleback players buy in the public matches we measured.

Where it's played

Picked before the game: the main lane first, then the alternatives.

Seen from RadiantRadiant · bottom leftDire · top right
  1. OfflaneMain82% of matchesOff lane as the space-making core (pos. 3).
  2. MidPriority 210% of matchesMid lane, one against one (pos. 2).

Starting items

Iron BranchGauntlets of StrengthTangoCircletMagic StickQuelling Blade

Early game

BracerSoul RingVanguard

Core items

  1. 1Aghanim's Shard
  2. 2Lotus Orb
  3. 3Consecrated Wraps
  4. 4Sange and Yasha

Boots

Power Treads

Late game

Heart of TarrasqueBlack King BarAssault CuirassAghanim's Scepter

Skill order

Max order:Quill Spray›Bristleback›Viscous Nasal…

Ability1234567891011121314151617
●·●·●·●··········
·●·●···●●········
·····●······●···●
·········●·●·●●··

Talents by level

  1. +18 Warpath Damage Per Stack
    -30 Bristleback Damage Threshold
    25
  2. +25 Health Regen
    +20 Quill Stack Damage
    20
  3. +250 Goo Cast Range
    +8%/4% Bristleback Back/Side Damage Reduction
    15
  4. +1.5 Mana Regen
    +25 Attack Speed
    10

Abilities

  • Viscous Nasal Goo1.75s12 / 16 / 20 / 24 mpCovers a target in snot, causing it to have reduced armor and movement speed for 5 seconds. Multiple casts stack and refresh the duration.
    Base armor loss
    1.5·2·2.5·3
    Armor loss per stack
    2·2.5·3·3.5
    Base movement slow
    12%
    Move slow per stack
    3%·6%·9%·12%
    Stack limit
    6
    Basic ability. Part of your regular rotation.
  • Quill Spray3s35 mpSprays enemy units with quills dealing damage in an area of effect around Bristleback. Deals bonus damage for every time a unit was hit by Quill Spray in the last 14 seconds.
    Radius
    700
    Quill base damage
    25·45·65·85
    Quill stack damage
    30
    Stack duration
    14
    Max damage
    500
    Basic ability — hits an area. Part of your regular rotation.
  • BristlebackPassiveBristleback takes less damage if hit on the sides or rear. If Bristleback takes enough damage from the rear, he releases a Quill Spray of the current level.
    Side damage reduction
    8%·12%·16%·20%
    Back damage reduction
    16%·24%·32%·40%
    Damage threshold
    275·250·225·200
    Nasal goo radius
    0
    Passive. It works on its own: play around it.
  • Hairball15s60 mpCoughs a quill-packed hairball towards the target location. Erupts at the location, hitting enemies with Viscous Nasal Goo stacks and Quill Spray.
    Radius
    700
    Quill stacks
    1
    Goo stacks
    2
    Basic ability. Part of your regular rotation.
  • WarpathPassiveBristleback works himself up into a fury every time he casts a spell, increasing his movement speed and damage.
    Damage per stack
    12·16·20
    Movement per stack
    2%·2.5%·3%
    Stack duration
    16·18·20
    Max stacks
    8·10·12
    Passive. It works on its own: play around it.
  • PricklyPassiveBristleback has bonus damage and debuff duration amp against enemy heroes that are behind him.
    Damage and debuff duration amp
    4.5%
    Passive. It works on its own: play around it.

Most played skill order

The most played order in the last 73 professional matches with this hero. Highlighted levels are the points spent on talents.

Max order:Quill Spray›Bristleback›Viscous Nasal…

Ability1234567891011121314151617
●·●·●·●··········
·●·●···●●········
·····●······●···●
·········●·●·●●··

Strategy

1The kit

Bristleback's abilities, one by one:

  • Viscous Nasal Goo — Basic ability. Part of your regular rotation.
  • Quill Spray — Basic ability — hits an area. Part of your regular rotation.
  • Bristleback — Passive. It works on its own: play around it.
  • Hairball — Basic ability. Part of your regular rotation.
  • Warpath — Passive. It works on its own: play around it.
  • Prickly — Passive. It works on its own: play around it.

2Skill order

Take your ultimate at 6, 12 and 18.

3Combos

Without hard crowd control in the kit, your damage depends on positioning: land your abilities when the enemy is committed to something else.

4Using your ultimate

Your ultimate decides fights.

Tips

  • Practise the combo in a practice game before using it in ranked.
  • Count the enemy's key cooldowns: the best moment to use yours is right after they use theirs.
  • Before each fight, check which key abilities the enemy has available.
  • Look at the minimap every few seconds: most deaths come from enemies you didn't see.

Changelog

  1. Guide created for patch 7.41.

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