Windranger · Soft Support (pos. 4)
Windranger 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 Windranger aggressively. Aggressive support means harassing from level one, rotating early and turning every Shackleshot into a kill. Your spikes are level 6, when Focus Fire comes online, and your core items: Maelstrom and then Mjollnir. This patch, Windranger wins 48.4% of the 623,745 public matches we measured (D tier on our ladder).
Strengths
- Reliable stun: Shackleshot sets up kills and interrupts enemy channels.
- Long attack range (600) to harass and last hit safely.
- Heavy magical burst: Valve lists it as a Nuker.
Weaknesses
- Low base armor (0): vulnerable to physical harass early on.
- Plays on little gold: expensive items arrive late.
- 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 — Maelstrom and Mjollnir — to the front. Choose it when your lane went well and you can afford to be greedy. Built from what Windranger 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 — Maelstrom and Mjollnir — to the front. Choose it when your lane went well and you can afford to be greedy. Built from what Windranger players buy in the public matches we measured.
Where it's played
Picked before the game: the main lane first, then the alternatives.
324%238%139%- OfflaneMain39% of matchesOff lane next to your offlaner, as Soft Support (pos. 4).
- Safe lanePriority 238% of matchesSafe lane next to your carry, as Hard Support (pos. 5).
- MidPriority 324% of matchesMid lane, one against one (pos. 2).
Starting items
Core items
- 1Maelstrom+25 Damage, +25 Attack Speed.
- 2Mjollnir+25 Damage, +90 Attack Speed. Active: Static Charge.
- 3Crystalys+32 Damage.
- 4Vladmir's Offering+1 Armor, +0.75 Mana Regeneration.
Boots
Late game
Skill order
Max order:Powershot›Windrun›Shackleshot
| 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
- Powershot Executes Enemy Heroes Under 16% Max HPFocus Fire Kills Advance Cooldown by 16s25
- +0.75s Shackleshot Duration-10% Focus Fire Damage Reduction20
- -15% Powershot Reduction+40 Tailwind Max Movespeed15
- +0.75s Windrun Duration+1s Powershot Slow 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.
324%238%139%- OfflaneMain39% of matchesOff lane next to your offlaner, as Soft Support (pos. 4).
- Safe lanePriority 238% of matchesSafe lane next to your carry, as Hard Support (pos. 5).
- MidPriority 324% of matchesMid lane, one against one (pos. 2).
Core items
- 1Maelstrom
- 2Mjollnir
Situational
Skill order
Max order:Powershot›Windrun›Shackleshot
| Ability | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ● | · | ● | · | ● | · | ● | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · |
| · | ● | · | · | · | · | · | ● | ● | ● | · | · | · | · | · | · | · |
| · | · | · | ● | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | ● | · | ● | ● | · | · |
| · | · | · | · | · | ● | · | · | · | · | · | · | ● | · | · | · | ● |
Talents by level
- Powershot Executes Enemy Heroes Under 16% Max HPFocus Fire Kills Advance Cooldown by 16s25
- +0.75s Shackleshot Duration-10% Focus Fire Damage Reduction20
- -15% Powershot Reduction+40 Tailwind Max Movespeed15
- +0.75s Windrun Duration+1s Powershot Slow Duration10
Abilities
- Shackleshot16 / 14 / 12 / 10s70 / 80 / 90 / 100 mpShackles the target to an enemy unit or tree in a line directly behind it. If no unit or tree is present, the stun duration is reduced to 0.6.
- Shackle duration
- 1.75·2.25·2.75·3.25
- Powershot12 / 11 / 10 / 9s90 / 100 / 110 / 120 mpCHANNELED - Windranger charges her bow for up to 1 second for a single powerful shot, which deals more damage the longer it is charged. The arrow damages and slows enemies' movement speed along its path. For each enemy that Powershot hits, its damage and slow is reduced.
- Damage
- 170·270·370·470
- Slow
- 22%·28%·34%·40%
- Slow duration
- 3
- Reduction per unit
- 15%
- Range
- 3000
- Windrun14 / 13 / 12 / 11s50 mpIncreases movement speed and adds evasion from all physical attacks.
- Move speed bonus
- 50%
- Evasion
- 100%
Gale Force25s125 mpVector Targeted. Summons a strong wind that pushes all enemies in the target area towards the target direction.- Duration
- 3
- Wind speed
- 240
- Radius
- 900
Focus Fire CancelEnd your Focus Fire early.- Focus Fire50 / 40 / 30s75 / 100 / 125 mpWindranger channels the wind to gain 0 additional attack speed against a single enemy unit or structure, though with a reduction to her attack damage. Extra damage from secondary item effects is not reduced.
- Duration
- 20
- Bonus attack speed
- 350·425·500
- Damage reduction
- -25%
- Bonus attack range
- 0
TailwindPassiveUsing an ability conjures a stacking Tailwind that gives Windranger a brief burst of movement speed. Movement speed bonus gradually starts fading halfway through the Tailwind duration.
Passively increases Windranger's max movement speed.- Move speed bonus per stack
- 35%
- Duration
- 2.5
- Max movespeed
- 600
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:Powershot›Windrun›Shackleshot
| 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 Focus Fire comes online, and your core items: Maelstrom and then Mjollnir. Aggressive support means harassing from level one, rotating early and turning every Shackleshot into a kill.
2Picking your targets
Stay behind your cores and use Shackleshot on whoever jumps on your carry. 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. Early, your objectives are a winning off lane, the power runes with your mid and the first rotations for kills.
4When to back off
Safe support means warding ahead of danger, staying out of the enemy's reach and saving spells to protect your cores. 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 Maelstrom, look for the next fight instead of farming.
- Look for kills when Focus Fire is ready and the enemy's key ability is not.
- Use Shackleshot to start the fight, then commit your damage.
- 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
- Necrophos61.3%win rate in the matchup
Windranger wins 61.3% of the 119 games measured against Necrophos this patch.
119 matches
- Zeus59.3%win rate in the matchup
Windranger wins 59.3% of the 118 games measured against Zeus this patch.
118 matches
- Viper58.5%win rate in the matchup
Windranger wins 58.5% of the 205 games measured against Viper this patch.
205 matches
- Bristleback58.2%win rate in the matchup
Windranger wins 58.2% of the 110 games measured against Bristleback this patch.
110 matches
- Templar Assassin57.8%win rate in the matchup
Windranger wins 57.8% of the 192 games measured against Templar Assassin this patch.
192 matches
Changelog
- Guide created for patch 7.41.
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