Night Stalker · Offlane (pos. 3)
Night Stalker Laning 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
You usually play outnumbered, so experience matters more than last hits. Stay alive, keep the enemy carry busy and punish them whenever their support leaves. Early, aim to reach level six without dying and to make the enemy carry miss last hits.
Strengths
- Reliable stun: Void sets up kills and interrupts enemy channels.
- Valve tags Night Stalker as Durable: it stays in fights longer than most heroes.
- 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.
- Laning itemsBalancedRecommendedWhat leaves the fountain and what lands in the first ten minutes, with what each item gives you.
- Most-played buildBalancedAdvancedThe items most bought with this hero, phase by phase. Pick it when you don't have a clear reason to deviate. Built from what Night Stalker players buy in the public matches we measured.
Builds
Laning items
When to use it
What leaves the fountain and what lands in the first ten minutes, with what each item gives you.
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
Early game
Core items
- 1Blink Dagger
Boots
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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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
Most-played 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 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
Early game
Core items
- 1Blink Dagger
- 2Aghanim's Shard
- 3Black King Bar
- 4Drum of Endurance
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
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
1Starting and early items
The first items decide how comfortable the lane is. The lane build below lists them with what each one gives you.
- Key early items: Bracer and Soul Ring.
2Trading
Trade when the enemy support uses their mana or leaves the lane; a level up is worth more than a kill here. The kit brings crowd control (stun) with Void.
3Wave management
Keep the creep equilibrium close to your tower when you're weaker, deny to cut the enemy's experience and pull the jungle camp to reset a lane that's pushing too far.
4Early objectives
Early, aim to reach level six without dying and to make the enemy carry miss last hits. Your spikes are level 6, when Dark Ascension comes online, and your core items: Blink Dagger and then Aghanim's Shard.
Tips
- Trade when the enemy support uses their mana or leaves the lane; a level up is worth more than a kill here.
- Bracer is your first purchase that changes the lane: get it early.
- Use Void in lane only when your partner or jungler can follow.
- Early, aim to reach level six without dying and to make the enemy carry miss last hits.
Matchups
Strong against
- Puck57.7%win rate in the matchup
Night Stalker wins 57.7% of the 137 games measured against Puck this patch.
137 matches
- Mars54.9%win rate in the matchup
Night Stalker wins 54.9% of the 102 games measured against Mars this patch.
102 matches
- Snapfire54.8%win rate in the matchup
Night Stalker wins 54.8% of the 126 games measured against Snapfire this patch.
126 matches
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
Changelog
- Guide created for patch 7.41.
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