Night Stalker · Offlane (pos. 3)
Night Stalker Safe Play Guide
More Night Stalker 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 is about playing Night Stalker safely and consistently. Safe offlane means soaking experience from a distance, pulling the wave's attention and never dying for a last hit. The kit brings crowd control (stun) with Void.
Strengths
- Valve tags Night Stalker as Durable: it stays in fights longer than most heroes.
- Reliable stun: Void sets up kills and interrupts enemy channels.
- Heavy magical burst: Valve lists it as a Nuker.
Weaknesses
- Melee: has to walk up to its target, which makes the lane harder against ranged heroes.
- No escape in the kit: without good positioning and vision, Night Stalker is easy to catch.
Build cheat sheet
Pick the build that fits what you want to do this game.
- Survival buildDefensiveRecommendedPrioritises the popular items that keep you alive — Black King Bar and Drum of Endurance. Choose it against heavy disables or burst, or when you are the enemy's focus. Built from what Night Stalker players buy in the public matches we measured.
- Against physical damageDefensiveSituationalFor games against right-click carries: keep your first two core items and add armor, evasion or damage block.
Builds
Survival build
When to use it
Prioritises the popular items that keep you alive — Black King Bar and Drum of Endurance. Choose it against heavy disables or burst, or when you are the enemy's focus. Built from what Night Stalker players buy in the public matches we measured.
Where it's played
Picked before the game: the main lane first, then the alternatives.
191%- OfflaneMain91% of matchesOff lane as the space-making core (pos. 3).
Starting items
Core items
- 1Black King Bar+10 Strength, +24 Damage. Active: Avatar.
- 2Drum of Endurance+8 Strength. Active: Endurance.
- 3Echo Sabre+20 Damage, +15 Strength, +1.75 Mana Regeneration.
- 4Eul's Scepter of Divinity+10 Intelligence, +2.5 Mana Regeneration, +20 Movement Speed. Active: Cyclone.
Boots
Late game
Skill order
Max order:Void›Crippling Fear›Midnight Feast
| Ability | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ● | · | ● | · | ● | · | ● | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · |
 | · | ● | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | ● | · | ● | ● | · | · |
 | · | · | · | ● | · | · | · | ● | ● | ● | · | · | · | · | · | · | · |
 | · | · | · | · | · | ● | · | · | · | · | · | · | ● | · | · | · | ● |
Talents by level
- +100 Midnight Feast Lifesteal-35s Dark Ascension Cooldown25
- +75 Crippling Fear Radius+15 Strength20
- +25 Dark Ascension Damage20% Hunter in the Night Status Resistance15
- -1s Void Cooldown+10 Crippling Fear DPS10
Against physical damage
When to use it
For games against right-click carries: keep your first two core items and add armor, evasion or damage block.
Where it's played
Picked before the game: the main lane first, then the alternatives.
191%- OfflaneMain91% of matchesOff lane as the space-making core (pos. 3).
Core items
- 1Blink Dagger
- 2Aghanim's Shard
Situational
Skill order
Max order:Void›Crippling Fear›Midnight Feast
| Ability | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ● | · | ● | · | ● | · | ● | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · |
| · | ● | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | ● | · | ● | ● | · | · |
| · | · | · | ● | · | · | · | ● | ● | ● | · | · | · | · | · | · | · |
| · | · | · | · | · | ● | · | · | · | · | · | · | ● | · | · | · | ● |
Talents by level
- +100 Midnight Feast Lifesteal-35s Dark Ascension Cooldown25
- +75 Crippling Fear Radius+15 Strength20
- +25 Dark Ascension Damage20% Hunter in the Night Status Resistance15
- -1s Void Cooldown+10 Crippling Fear DPS10
Abilities
- Void11 / 10 / 9 / 8s90 / 95 / 100 / 105 mpCreates a damaging void that slows an enemy unit and deals damage. At night, Void also mini-stuns, interrupting channeling abilities, and its effects lasts longer.
- Damage
- 80·160·240·320
- Day duration
- 1.25
- Night duration
- 1.6·2.2·2.8·3.4
- Move slow
- 50%
- Attack slow
- 50
- Damage per second when not visible
- 0
- Crippling Fear30 / 25 / 20 / 15s50 mpNight Stalker horrifies all nearby enemies, causing them to become silenced and take damage over time while near him. The effect lasts longer at night.
- Day duration
- 3
- Night duration
- 4.5·5·5.5·6
- Mana cost
- 0%
- Aura radius
- 350
- Damage per second
- 25·30·35·40
- Midnight FeastPassive39 / 36 / 33 / 30s
Hunter in the NightPassiveNight Stalker is in his element at night, attacking and moving with great swiftness.- Move speed
- 24%
- Attack speed
- 38
- Dark Ascension140 / 135 / 130s125 / 175 / 225 mpNight Stalker smothers the sun and summons instant darkness, so that he might use his powers at their fullest. Night Stalker gains flight and bonus damage during this time. Has unobstructed vision.
- Duration
- 30
- Bonus damage
- 50·100·150
Most played skill order
The most played order in the last 100 professional matches with this hero. Highlighted levels are the points spent on talents.
Max order:Void›Crippling Fear›Midnight Feast
| Ability | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ● | · | ● | · | ● | · | ● | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · |
| · | ● | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | ● | · | ● | ● | · | · |
| · | · | · | ● | · | · | · | ● | ● | ● | · | · | · | · | · | · | · |
| · | · | · | · | · | ● | · | · | · | · | · | · | ● | · | · | · | ● |
Strategy
1Safe laning
Safe offlane means soaking experience from a distance, pulling the wave's attention and never dying for a last hit. Trade when the enemy support uses their mana or leaves the lane; a level up is worth more than a kill here.
2Surviving fights
You go in first: land Void on as many heroes as you can and soak the spells your carry fears. You have no escape in the kit, so your position is your defence: stay behind someone who can protect you.
3Positioning and peel
Stand where the enemy has to go through your team to reach you, and protect whoever the enemy focuses. Hold Void for the enemy diver.
4Playing from behind
When the game goes badly, farm what's safe, defend with your team and wait for the enemy to make a mistake: a single won fight can turn it around.
Tips
- Save Void for whoever jumps on your team.
- Go back when your key abilities are down: a reset costs less than a death.
- Never be the first to show on the map in the late game.
- If enemies are missing from the map, back off before they appear.
Matchups
Weak against
- Lifestealer40.7%win rate in the matchup
Night Stalker only wins 40.7% of the 54 games measured against Lifestealer this patch.
54 matches
- Shadow Fiend41.1%win rate in the matchup
Night Stalker only wins 41.1% of the 95 games measured against Shadow Fiend this patch.
95 matches
- Invoker41.5%win rate in the matchup
Night Stalker only wins 41.5% of the 65 games measured against Invoker this patch.
65 matches
- Jakiro42.9%win rate in the matchup
Night Stalker only wins 42.9% of the 77 games measured against Jakiro this patch.
77 matches
- Slardar43.5%win rate in the matchup
Night Stalker only wins 43.5% of the 69 games measured against Slardar this patch.
69 matches
Changelog
- Guide created for patch 7.41.
Was this helpful?
Your vote helps other players find the best guides.