Faceless Void · Carry (pos. 1)
Faceless Void Aggressive Guide
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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 is about playing Faceless Void aggressively. Aggression as a carry means fighting the moment you hit a spike — right after Battle Fury — while the enemy cores are still farming theirs. Your spikes are level 6, when Chronosphere comes online, and your core items: Battle Fury and then Manta Style. This patch, Faceless Void wins 48.6% of the 300,758 public matches we measured (C tier on our ladder).
Strengths
- Scales into a late-game threat as the items come in.
- Invisibility with Chronosphere to scout, escape or set up ganks.
- Valve tags Faceless Void as Durable: it stays in fights longer than most heroes.
Weaknesses
- Low base armor (0): vulnerable to physical harass early on.
- Melee: has to walk up to its target, which makes the lane harder against ranged heroes.
- Every death while playing aggressively hands the tempo back to the enemy.
Build cheat sheet
Pick the build that fits what you want to do this game.
- Damage buildOffensiveRecommendedMoves the popular items that add damage — Battle Fury and Maelstrom — to the front. Choose it when your lane went well and you can afford to be greedy. Built from what Faceless Void players buy in the public matches we measured.
- Against magic damageDefensiveSituationalFor games where the enemy kills with spells: keep your first two core items and add magic resistance or spell immunity.
Builds
Damage build
When to use it
Moves the popular items that add damage — Battle Fury and Maelstrom — to the front. Choose it when your lane went well and you can afford to be greedy. Built from what Faceless Void players buy in the public matches we measured.
Where it's played
Picked before the game: the main lane first, then the alternatives.
194%- Safe laneMain94% of matchesSafe lane as the farming core (pos. 1).
Starting items
Core items
- 1Battle Fury+50 Damage, +7.5 Health Regeneration, +2.75 Mana Regeneration. Active: Chop Tree.
- 2Maelstrom+25 Damage, +25 Attack Speed.
- 3Mask of Madness+20 Damage, +22% Lifesteal. Active: Berserk.
- 4Mjollnir+25 Damage, +90 Attack Speed. Active: Static Charge.
Boots
Late game
Skill order
Max order:Time Walk›Time Lock›Time Dilation
| Ability | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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 | · | ● | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | ● | · | ● | ● | · | · |
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Talents by level
- +20% Backtrack Chance+140 Chronosphere AoE25
- -1.0s Time Walk Cooldown+80 Attack Speed during Chronosphere20
- +35 Time Lock Damage+125 Time Walk Range15
- +6 Time Dilation DPS Per Cooldown+0.5s Time Walk Backtrack Duration10
Against magic damage
When to use it
For games where the enemy kills with spells: keep your first two core items and add magic resistance or spell immunity.
Where it's played
Picked before the game: the main lane first, then the alternatives.
194%- Safe laneMain94% of matchesSafe lane as the farming core (pos. 1).
Core items
- 1Battle Fury
- 2Manta Style
Situational
Skill order
Max order:Time Walk›Time Lock›Time Dilation
| Ability | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ● | · | ● | · | ● | · | ● | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · |
| · | ● | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | ● | · | ● | ● | · | · |
| · | · | · | ● | · | · | · | ● | ● | ● | · | · | · | · | · | · | · |
| · | · | · | · | · | ● | · | · | · | · | · | · | ● | · | · | · | ● |
Talents by level
- +20% Backtrack Chance+140 Chronosphere AoE25
- -1.0s Time Walk Cooldown+80 Attack Speed during Chronosphere20
- +35 Time Lock Damage+125 Time Walk Range15
- +6 Time Dilation DPS Per Cooldown+0.5s Time Walk Backtrack Duration10
Abilities
- Time Walk21 / 16 / 11 / 6s40 mpRushes to a target location while backtracking any damage taken the last 2 seconds.
- Range
- 650·700·750·800
- Backtrack duration
- 2
- Time Dilation28 / 24 / 20 / 16s90 mpFaceless Void envelops nearby enemies with time dilating fields to slow cooldown progression of their abilities. Each enveloped enemy gains one Time Dilation stack when applied, and one stack per ability they have on cooldown. Each stack deals damage per second and slows movement and attack speed. The duration is paused while affected by Chronosphere.
- Radius
- 700
- Duration
- 7·8·9·10
- Movement slow per stack
- 4%·5%·6%·7%
- Attack slow per stack
- 4·5·6·7
- Cooldown progression slow
- 30%·40%·50%·60%
- Bonus dps per stack
- 4·6·8·10
- Time LockPassiveAdds the chance for an attack to lock an enemy unit in time while attacking it a second time.
- Duration
- 0.5
- Chance
- 12%·16%·20%·24%
- Bonus damage
- 18·22·26·30
Reverse Time Walk0.5sAvailable for 1.5 seconds after landing Time Walk. If used in this period, you will reverse your time walk back to your previous cast location. Does not affect health or proc scepter hits.
Distortion FieldPassiveEnemy Attack Projectiles targetting Faceless Void or allied heroes within a 1200 radius of him get slowed by 40%, when they get within 500 distance of their target.- Chronosphere155 / 145 / 135s125 / 200 / 275 mpCreates a blister in spacetime, trapping all units caught in its sphere of influence and causes you to move very quickly inside it. Only Faceless Void and any units he controls are unaffected. Invisible enemies in the sphere will be revealed.
- Radius
- 500
- Duration
- 3.75·4.25·4.75
Most played skill order
The most played order in the last 78 professional matches with this hero. Highlighted levels are the points spent on talents.
Max order:Time Walk›Time Lock›Time Dilation
| Ability | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ● | · | ● | · | ● | · | ● | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · |
| · | ● | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | ● | · | ● | ● | · | · |
| · | · | · | ● | · | · | · | ● | ● | ● | · | · | · | · | · | · | · |
| · | · | · | · | · | ● | · | · | · | · | · | · | ● | · | · | · | ● |
Strategy
1When to fight
Your spikes are level 6, when Chronosphere comes online, and your core items: Battle Fury and then Manta Style. Aggression as a carry means fighting the moment you hit a spike — right after Battle Fury — while the enemy cores are still farming theirs.
2Picking your targets
Walk in after the enemy has used their key disables, hit whatever you can reach safely and keep Chronosphere for getting out. The best target is the one your team can reach and kill before the enemy answers, not always the most valuable one.
3Snowballing a lead
After a won fight, take towers and Roshan before anything else: that's what turns kills into a lead the enemy can't erase. Your early goals are simple: a clean lane, your first core item on time and, if the lane is won, the enemy offlane tower.
4When to back off
Playing safe means farming behind your team's vision, never showing first on the map and letting someone else take the first contact. If your key abilities are on cooldown or the enemy is missing from the map, the aggressive play is to wait.
Tips
- Fight on your spikes: right after Battle Fury, look for the next fight instead of farming.
- Look for kills when Chronosphere is ready and the enemy's key ability is not.
- Track the enemy's key cooldowns and attack right after they use them.
- Turn every kill into towers and Roshan: a kill without an objective is a wasted lead.
- Push your lane before you roam so the aggression doesn't cost you resources.
Matchups
Strong against
- Dawnbreaker62.8%win rate in the matchup
Faceless Void wins 62.8% of the 94 games measured against Dawnbreaker this patch.
94 matches
- Ursa60.6%win rate in the matchup
Faceless Void wins 60.6% of the 66 games measured against Ursa this patch.
66 matches
- Dragon Knight60.0%win rate in the matchup
Faceless Void wins 60.0% of the 50 games measured against Dragon Knight this patch.
50 matches
- Disruptor58.0%win rate in the matchup
Faceless Void wins 58.0% of the 81 games measured against Disruptor this patch.
81 matches
- Primal Beast58.0%win rate in the matchup
Faceless Void wins 58.0% of the 50 games measured against Primal Beast this patch.
50 matches
Changelog
- Guide created for patch 7.41.
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