Guide to Rexxar - The Beastmaster

Table of Contents

1. Concerning Rexxar
   • Biography
   • Statistics
2. Driving Rexxar
   • Skill Descriptions
   • Item Descriptions
   • Strategy | Levels 1-7
   • Strategy | Levels 8-11
   • Strategy | Levels 12-16
   • Strategy | Levels 17-25
3. Supporting Rexxar
   • Heroes
4. Countering Rexxar
   • Heroes
5. Validating Rexxar
   • Frequently Asked Questions
   • Download Replay

Concerning Rexxar

Biography



A wandering vagrant of the Mok'nathal, the fabled half orc-half ogres of legend, Rexxar and his mighty blades have joined the cause of the Sentinel to better protect the natural world around him. A friend of beasts, Rexxar flails and tears at his enemies with unsettling savagery, even going as far as hurling his axes in the manner of boomerangs at his enemies to better his chance at victory. Truly a warrior of the living planet that thrives around him, the Beastmaster is an ally to be counted on when he is needed the most.

Statistics



Driving Rexxar

Skill Descriptions



Wild Axes | Rexxar hurls two axes outwards, which then intersect and return to him. Each axe can only damage a unit once. 1300 Range. Costs 120 Mana. 13 Second Cooldown.

Level 1 | Each Axe Deals 90 Damage.
Level 2 | Each Axe Deals 120 Damage.
Level 3 | Each Axe Deals 150 Damage.
Level 4 | Each Axe Deals 180 Damage.



Call of the Wild | Rexxar calls upon wild beasts to aid him. Previous summons are removed upon casting. Costs 50 Mana. 45 Second Cooldown.

Level 1 | Summons a Scout Hawk for 60 seconds.
Level 2 | Summons a Scout Hawk and a Quilbeast for 70 seconds.
Level 3 | Summons a Greater Hawk and a Quilbeast for 80 seconds.
Level 4 | Summons a Greater Hawk and a Greater Quilbeast for 90 seconds.

Scout Hawk (300 Hit Points, 0 Armor, 1600 Sight Range During the Day, 1200 Sight Range During the Night)

Quilbeast (400 Hit Points, 0 Armor, 23-29 Damage)
Passive: Quilbeast Poison (Each Attack Slows the Target’s Movement and Attack Speed by 20% for 3 Seconds)

Greater Hawk (875 Hit Points, 5 Armor, 1600 Sight Range During the Day, 1200 Sight Range During the Night)
Passive: Permanent Invisibility

Greater Quilbeast (700 Hit Points, 0 Armor, 43-49 Damage)
Passive: Quilbeast Poison (Each Attack Slows the Target’s Movement and Attack Speed by 35% for 3 Seconds)



Beast Rage | When Rexxar engages an opponent, his animalistic nature grants him even greater proficiency in single combat. With each continuous blow on the same target, Rexxar gains understanding of the prey’s defenses, and guides each strike with greater ease than the last. Maximum of 100% increased attack speed. If Rexxar changes targets, his attack speed returns to normal.

Level 1 | Every 4 Continuous Attacks Gives Rexxar 10% Bonus Attack Speed.
Level 2 | Every 3 Continuous Attacks Gives Rexxar 10% Bonus Attack Speed.
Level 3 | Every 2 Continuous Attacks Gives Rexxar 10% Bonus Attack Speed.
Level 4 | Every Continuous Attack Gives Rexxar 10% Bonus Attack Speed.



Primal Roar | The Beastmaster looses a deafening roar which deals damage and stuns its target. Enemy units near the roar wave take minor damage and have their movement and attack rate reduced. Due to the force of the roar, all units between the Beastmaster and his prey are shoved aside, creating an open path. 600 Cast Range. 180 Second Cooldown.

Level 1 | 200 Primary Damage, 2 Second Stun. 100 Side Damage, 2 Second Slow. Costs 175 Mana.
Level 2 | 250 Primary Damage, 2.75 Second Stun. 200 Side Damage, 3 Second Slow. Costs 250 Mana.
Level 3 | 300 Primary Damage, 3.5 Second Stun. 300 Side Damage, 4 Second Slow. Costs 325 Mana.

Item Descriptions



Ring of Basilius | 500 Gold
+6 Damage
Passive: Brilliance Aura (+65% Mana Regeneration to Hero and Nearby Allies)
Passive: Devotion Aura (+3 Armor to Hero and Nearby Allies)



Power Treads | 1530 Gold
+60 Movement Speed
+30% Attack Speed



Helm of the Dominator | 1850 Gold
+10 Damage
+5 Armor
Passive: 15% Life Steal (Orb)
Active: Dominate (Take Control of Target Creep for 20 Minutes. Costs 200 Mana. 5 Minute Cooldown.)



Necronomicon 1 | 2750 Gold
+6 Strength
+14 Intelligence
Active: Demonic Summoning (Summons a Necronomicon Warrior and an Necronomicon Archer for 35 seconds. Costs 50 Mana. 90 Second Cooldown.)

Necronomicon Warrior 1 (400 Hit Points, 21 Damage, 6 Armor)
Passive: Mana Break (Burns Away 25 Mana per Attack)
Passive: Last Will (Deals 200 Damage to the Unit that Kills it)

Necronomicon Archer 1 (400 Hit Points, 31 Damage, 6 Armor)
Active: Mana Burn (Burns 200 Mana from Target Unit)
Passive: Endurance Aura (Increases Nearby Allies’ Movement Speed by 3% and Attack Rate by 3%)



Necronomicon 2 | 4050 Gold
+10 Strength
+21 Intelligence
Active: Demonic Summoning (Summons a Necronomicon Warrior and an Necronomicon Archer for 35 seconds. Costs 50 Mana. 90 Second Cooldown.)

Necronomicon Warrior 2 (600 Hit Points, 41 Damage, 8 Armor)
Passive: Mana Break (Burns Away 50 Mana per Attack)
Passive: Last Will (Deals 400 Damage to the Unit that Kills it)

Necronomicon Archer 2 (600 Hit Points, 61 Damage, 8 Armor)
Active: Mana Burn (Burns 250 Mana from Target Unit)
Passive: Endurance Aura (Increases Nearby Allies’ Movement Speed by 6% and Attack Rate by 6%)



Necronomicon 3 | 5350 Gold
+14 Strength
+24 Intelligence
Active: Demonic Summoning (Summons a Necronomicon Warrior and an Necronomicon Archer for 35 seconds. Costs 50 Mana. 90 Second Cooldown.)

Necronomicon Warrior 3 (800 Hit Points, 61 Damage, 10 Armor)
Passive: Mana Break (Burns Away 75 Mana per Attack)
Passive: Last Will (Deals 600 Damage to the Unit that Kills it)
Passive: Magic Sentry (Increased Vision Range. Also Reveals Nearby Invisible Units)

Necronomicon Archer 3 (800 hit points, 91 damage, 10 armor)
Active: Mana Burn (Burns 300 Mana from Target Unit)
Passive: Endurance Aura (Increases Nearby Allies’ Movement Speed by 9% and Attack Rate by 9%)



Cranium Basher | 3200 Gold
+30 Damage
+3 Strength
Passive: 15% Chance to Bash, Dealing 25 Damage and Stunning for 1.1 Seconds



Hyperstone | 2450 Gold
+55% Attack Speed



Satanic | 6150 Gold
+25 Strength
+5 Armor
Passive: 23% Life Steal (Orb)
Active: Death Pact (Converts 85% of Target Allied Creep’s Life into Hit Points and 15% of Target Allied Creep’s Life into Mana. Costs 100 Mana. 60 Second Cooldown.)



Radiance | 5325 Gold
+70 Damage
+8% Chance to Evade
Passive: Immolation (40 Damage Per Second. 550 Radius.)

Strategy | Levels 1-7



Skill Order

Level 1 | Wild Axes
Level 2 | Attribute Bonus
Level 3 | Wild Axes
Level 4 | Call of the Wild
Level 5 | Wild Axes
Level 6 | Primal Roar
Level 7 | Wild Axes

Item Order

Sobi Mask (325)
Ring of Protection (175)
Ring of Basilius (0)

Gauntlets of Strength (150)

Belt of Giant Strength (450)

Boots of Speed (500)

Staff of Wizardry (1000)

Game Play

The first thing you should do when the game starts is buy a Ring of Basilius and learn Level 1 Wild Axes. If you have enough gold, then buy Gauntlets of Ogre Strength, otherwise buy them on your first trip back to the fountain. Though you will not be making a Cranium Basher for a while, the Gauntlets of Ogre Strength help you early game by giving your hit points and damage a tiny boost. Besides, you have the inventory space and they are inexpensive. Choose the top lane if you are on Sentinel, or the bottom lane if you are on Scourge, so you can hide in the woods and snipe enemy heroes with Wild Axes. Try to share a lane with an ally that has a Headdress of Rejuvenation, because both of you will benefit from sharing auras. Switch lanes if you are against heroes that can drain your mana pool, because you need all of your mana available to farm and harass heroes with Wild Axes.

Once the first allied creep wave arrives and engages the enemy creep wave, hold down the ALT key to monitor the health of both allied and enemy creeps. Hold position or pace back and forth behind allied creeps, staying out of the range of enemy heroes, but close enough to gain experience. You gain experience when you are close enough to an enemy creep or hero when it dies, and you also earn gold if you deliver the fatal blow. You can also deny the enemy experience by delivering the fatal blow to allied creeps. Remember that you only have to get close to battle when an enemy creep dies, and you should only run into battle when you can deliver the fatal blow to an allied or enemy creep. The less you attack enemy creeps, the closer the fight will be to your tower, and it is much easier to defend your own tower than to attack the enemy tower.

Expect to be harassed by enemy heroes whenever you run into battle, so exercise caution when you are trying to deliver the fatal blow to an allied or enemy creep. You need to stay in your lane as long as you can to take advantage of every opportunity to get creep kills and to gain experience. Always use your mini-map to monitor the locations of enemy heroes. If you do not see an enemy hero on the mini-map, then assume they are going to ambush you and retreat to your tower until you locate all enemy heroes. Only return to the fountain if you have enough gold to buy two or three items at a time in addition to needing to heal both hit points and mana. Try to use up your mana by throwing a Wild Axes at enemy heroes or creep camps on your way back. If you have any gold left over after buying items, then save time by using a Scroll of Town Portal to teleport back to your lane.

Your best early game allies are heroes that can deal damage to an area, preferably from a distance and hopefully with a stun (such as Earthshaker, Stone Giant, Slayer, and Tormented Soul). Heroes will all or some of these abilities (such as Keeper of the Light, Dwarven Sniper, and Shadow Shaman) will have greater synergy with Wild Axes, your primary method of dealing damage early game, than other heroes. You will be using Wild Axes to farm and to harass heroes from extremely far away (maximum of 1300 range). Aiming Wild Axes is similar to aiming Fissure and Hook, but keep in mind the return to you like boomerangs. Anything they (yes, you cast two at a time) do not hit on their way out, they will hit on their way back to you. There are two things to remember when throwing Wild Axes: (1) try to throw them as far as possible and (2) try to hit as many targets as possible.



You can use Wild Axes for other things besides farming and harassing/killing heroes, such as assassinating chickens and escaping/pursuing enemy heroes. Use your Scout Hawk to watch the supply route (usually in between enemy towers), then track an enemy chicken until it is close enough to hit Wild Axes. If you can intercept the supply chicken with Wild Axes before it reaches the enemy hero, then you might have enough time to pick up any items that drop. You can also cut down trees with Wild Axes (direct counter to Sprout and Eyes in the Forest), which gives you the ability to cut paths through trees when you or allies need to chase after or run from enemy heroes. Think how annoyed and frustrated the enemy team will be when they try to intercept you or a teammate by traveling down known escape routes, only to find out you cut a path and escaped in a different direction.

One reason to learn Level 1 Call of the Wild early game is to track enemy chicken movement, but other reasons include tracking enemy hero movement and scouting river runes. Though your Scout Hawk is weak with 400 hit points and 0 armor and is not invisible, you might want to keep it above the trees so enemies cannot attack it. Since you should already be using your minimap to keep track of enemy hero movement, you should only need to use your Scout Hawk when enemy heroes are missing (unless you are using it to hunt chickens or scout runes). When deciding where to position your Scout Hawk, think about where you would wait to gank you if you were on the other team. When heroes get to level 6, then tend to get hungry to use their ultimate. If you notice an enemy hero missing, or and enemy hero getting ready to gank your teammate, then warn your allies.

You have an awesome ultimate, Primal Roar, that has great synergy with Wild Axes because both skills deal damage to an area. Since it has a 3 minute cooldown, you should only use it when you will get the kill or when it will save your life or the life of an ally. Alone, Primal Roar does not deal much damage, but it does stun the target and slow nearby enemies. This skill is designed to be used in large crowds (usually a waste against one hero out in the open), as are Wild Axes, but is best utilized in combination with another ultimate (usually after) that stuns and/or slows nearby enemies (such as Epicenter, Echo Slam, Reverse Polarity, Ravage). Throw Wild Axes before Sand King, Earthshaker, Magnataur, or Tidehunter using their ultimate, then use Primal Roar immediately after. Then you can take out the hero you stunned and your team can take out the rest of the enemy heroes while they are slowed.

Strategy | Levels 8-11



Skill Order

Level 8 | Call of the Wild
Level 9 | Call of the Wild
Level 10 | Call of the Wild
Level 11 | Primal Roar

Item Order

Necronomicon 1 (1300)

Gloves of Haste (610)
Power Treads (420)

Game Play

You are ready to start spamming Wild Axes and killing heroes once you get to Level 7 with Gauntlets of Ogre Strength, Ring of Basilius, Belt of Giant Strength, Boots of Speed, and Staff of Wizardry. You should have enough mana and mana regeneration with Ring of Basilius, Staff of Wizardry, and Level 1 Attribute Bonus to cast Wild Axes enough to prime most heroes for a kill with Primal Roar. By now you should have learned enough about how the heroes in your lane move, specifically if/how they dodge your Wild Axes. Now that you have learned Level 4 Wild Axes, you should know that two axes deal enough damage to kill a ranged enemy creep (Necromancer/Druid of the Talon) if you have not lost a barracks or the creep is not affected by an armor aura (Devotion or Toughness). When harassing an enemy hero with Wild Axes, try to hit the Necromancers/Druids of the Talon with both axes.

You might have to come up with creative ways to hit your enemies with Wild Axes, since they should be expecting them by now. Try throwing them from behind trees and from elevated terrain, though it might be harder to hit a moving target with both axes. When throwing axes at a hero that is running away from you, try to predict where they will be when you axes arrive. This usually requires throwing the axes much farther ahead of a hero so they get there in time. This is similar to aiming Hook, and like good Hooks make or break a good Pudge, good Wild Axes make or break a good Rexxar. For all you new players out there, try practicing aiming Wild Axes in single player against enemy creep waves with fog of war turned off. When you get the hang of it, then turn fog of war back on and try again. Then try using your Scout/Greater Hawk to track moving targets and hit them with Wild Axes.

Eventually, with enough practice, you will hit your target almost every time with both axes. The fun starts when you can get double kills from throwing Wild Axes blindly into the fog. This stage of the game is usually where you start getting consecutive kills by using the Wild Axes and Primal Roar combination. You want to finish your Necronomicon as soon as possible so you can become a one-man-gank with Call of the Wild and Necronomicon summons. Then you should finish your Power Treads increase the number of hits you can get in before your target starts running, and to increase your chasing ability. Most heroes in Defense of the Ancients (DotA) have slower movement speed than Rexxar, which means you will be faster than most heroes with Power Treads and the Endurance Aura from Necronomicon. Now account for the 35% slow from your Quilbeast and no one should escape.

Even though, in theory, no one can escape from your Quilbeast’s 35% slow, many heroes still escape. The problem with the Quilbeast resides with his movement pathing and collision size. When he encounters obstacles, or areas of the map where he cannot fit, then he gets all retarded and runs around the long way. When your adrenaline is pumping during a hero chase, it is easy to lose track of your summons. Then, suddenly, you cannot catch up your target fast enough and you start looking for summons to blame. You find your Quilbeast is actually trying to solo Roshan instead of chasing the hero that just got away. QUILBEAST, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!? One reason you have Wild Axes and Primal Roar is to clear a path for your Quilbeast, but then you summon your Quilbeast while your target is stunned and the Quilbeast auto-targets a nearby creep while your target gets away.

This the primary reason why chasing heroes with Rexxar is harder than it seems. When you have to chase them long distances they have a higher chance of getting away. How do we fix this problem? Kill them quickly before they have a chance to escape, which is why you should get a Necronomicon so early. Having two additional summons increases your damage output, especially when considering mana break and mana burn. The Endurance Aura from Necronomicon also helps your Quilbeast keep up with your target out in the open. When you are ready to kill a hero, the first thing you want to do is cast Call of the Wild and use your Greater Hawk to scout the area to make sure there are no enemy heroes lurking nearby. Position your Quilbeast in the woods or the river where you want your target to run. Then command your Greater Hawk to guard (follow) your target.

Now you need to decide your angle of attack. You want the target to run into your Quilbeast, so your Quilbeast only has one target to focus on and no obstacles to prevent chasing. Think about if you were on the other team, and a Rexxar came out from behind you with Quilbeast and Necronomicon summons, wouldn’t you run in the opposite direction? As Rexxar, you have to think about these things and get the enemy to go where you want them to go. Pretend you are on Scourge and your target is in the bottom lane attacking your tower. Position your Quilbeast in the river and attack them from behind with your Wild Axes and Necronomicon summons (Mana Burn should be the first thing you do). They will probably run into the river if you are between them and their tower. Then they will run right into your Quilbeast, giving you and your summons enough time to catch up.

You can finish them with Primal Roar if they run past your Quilbeast. Remember that Level 4 Call of the Wild’s duration is twice as long as its cooldown, which means you will probably be able to cast it again after Primal Roar, so your new Quilbeast can continue to slow your target if necessary. Yes, it can be tricky using all of these summons together, but practice makes perfect (just like Wild Axes). Rexxar is one of the heroes in DotA that is easy to learn but hard to master (similar to Pudge, Oblivion, and Holy Knight). Since your Greater Hawk is permanently invisible, you can use it to keep track of enemies without them knowing. This makes Rexxar an important asset to any team, because you can use Greater Hawk to gank the enemy team while they are farming or waiting to gank you. Great Hawk can save your teammates lives if you use him appropriately.

Strategy | Levels 12-16



Skill Order

Level 12 | Beast Rage
Level 13 | Beast Rage
Level 14 | Beast Rage
Level 15 | Beast Rage
Level 16 | Primal Roar

Item Order

Mask of Death (900)
Helm of Iron Will (950)
Helm of the Dominator (0)

Necronomicon 2 (1300)
Necronomicon 3 (1300)

Game Play

Now that you are entering middle game, you will need to increase your survivability during team battles. This is one reason you should get a Helm of the Dominator, because it gives armor and Life Steal. Another reason to get Helm of the Dominator is so you can start dominating a Polar Furbolg Ursa Warrior, Centaur Khan, or an Ogre Magi. The Polar Furbolg Ursa Warrior (1100 Hit Points, 200 Mana, 49-55 Chaos Damage) has a passive Command Aura and an active War Stomp that stuns for 3 seconds and deals 25 damage. The Centaur Khan (1100 Hit Points, 200 Mana, 49-55 Chaos Damage) has a passive Endurance Aura and active War Stomp that stuns for 3 seconds and deals 25 damage. The Ogre Magi (600 Hit Points, 400 Mana, 24-27 Normal Damage) can auto-cast Frost Armor (45 Second Duration, Costs 40 Mana) on allies that gives +8 armor and slows melee units that attack it for 5 seconds.

Basically, you want to dominate allied creeps (1) based on (1) what creeps would help you the most and (2) what creeps are available to dominate. If you do not find any useful creeps while scouting the creep camps, then wipe out all the creep camps and wait for more to respawn. Usually the best two creeps to dominate are the Polar Furbolg Ursa Warrior and Centaur Khan (in that order) because they both have a stun that affects multiple units and you benefit more from Command Aura (steal more life on each attack) since you already get Endurance Aura from Necronomicon (auras do not stack). Both the Polar Furbolg Ursa Warrior and Centaur Khan should travel with you to help you fight any enemy heroes that you encounter. Though Ogre Magi can cast Frost Armor, which is really good in combat melee heroes, keep Ogre Magi at the fountain or a tower because he is too weak to use in battle.

Try to control your dominated creeps by assigning them to groups. Pretend you have dominated a Polar Furbolg Ursa Warrior, Centaur Khan, and an Ogre Magi. Select your Polar Furbolg Ursa Warrior, hold down the “Control” key, and press the number “5” to assign it to group 5. Now, you can automatically select your Polar Furbolg Ursa Warrior by pressing the number 5. “T” is the hotkey for War Stomp, so just type “5 T” in battle for your Polar Furbolg Ursa Warrior to activate War Stomp. Now assign your Centaur Khan to group 6. Typing “5 T” or “6 T” is much quicker (5 and 6 are right above T) than finding your Polar Furbolg Ursa Warrior or Centaur Khan, clicking on him with your mouse, then clicking War Stomp. Assign Rexxar, your Polar Furbolg Ursa Warrior(s), and your Centaur Khan(s) to group 1 (or other number) to use when you need to focus all firepower on one target.

You do not need to assign Ogre Magi to a group because you will usually not use him in battle since Frost Armor lasts for a whopping 45 seconds. If you only have one Polar Furbolg Ursa Warrior and Centaur Khan, then you can group them together if you want. Hit the “Tab” key to switch between then two. In battle, you would hit “5 T” then “Tab T” for both of your creeps to activate War Stomp or hit the number 5 to send them back to the fountain if they get low on health or run out of mana. Sometimes you will end up dominating two Polar Furbolg Ursa Warriors and one Centaur Khan or one Polar Furbolg Ursa Warrior and two Centaur Khans. In this case, you should group your Polar Furbolg Ursa Warriors together and your Centaur Khans together. This way you could hit “5 T” then “Tab T” for your Polar Furbolg Ursa Warrior(s) to stomp and “6 T” then “Tab T” for your Centaur Khan(s).

Dominating creeps should be done on an as-needed basis, especially considering the variety of enemies you could be up against. If you are against Earthshaker, for example, having more creeps around you would actually hurt you more than help you. Dominated creeps will get killed quickly against heroes that can quickly deal large amounts of damage to a large area, such as Crystal Maiden, Death Prophet, or Sand King. Dominate takes 5 minutes to cool down, and dominated creeps have a timed life of 20 minutes, so you do not want your dominated creeps to die needlessly because they take a long time for you to acquire. Regardless, the main reason for getting Helm of the Dominator is to turn it into Satanic later in the game. So if you are not comfortable with micro-managing so many creeps, then just dominate as many high-hit point creeps as you can find so you can Death Pact them later.

Strategy | Levels 17-25



Skill Order

Level 17 | Attribute Bonus
Level 18 | Attribute Bonus
Level 19 | Attribute Bonus
Level 20 | Attribute Bonus
Level 21 | Attribute Bonus
Level 22 | Attribute Bonus
Level 23 | Attribute Bonus
Level 24 | Attribute Bonus
Level 25 | Attribute Bonus

Item Order

Mithril Hammer (1610)
Cranium Basher (1460)

Hyperstone (2450)

Messerschmidt’s Reaver (3200)
Satanic (1100)

Sacred Relic (3800)
Radiance (1525)

Game Play

At this point in the game, dominated creeps will be better to save for Death Pact than use in battle and Necronomicon will start to have diminishing returns against certain heroes (such as Naix, Spirit Breaker, Phantom Assassin, and Broodmother). By now you will have learned Level 4 Beast Rage, which is the reason Life Steal is the best Orb for Rexxar. In order to increase the effectiveness of the Beast Rage and Life Steal combination, you should immediately go for a Cranium Basher and Hyperstone. These items will help you fight the heroes that Necronomicon might not help so much against. If you happen to have a dominated Polar Furbolg Ursa Warrior or Centaur Khan, then keep them with you when you move around the map alone. They will help if you run into a lone enemy hero, but keep them away from team battles cause they will die quickly otherwise.

Rexxar is a strength hero, which means he is stronger later in the game. However, you made him a strong early/middle game hero with the early Necronomicon and Helm of the Dominator. Some heroes spend all early/middle game focusing on one expensive item, which is not the case at all with this build. Buying smaller items along the way constantly increases Rexxar’s presence on the battlefield. This build works because some of the weaker items are upgraded to stronger items later in the game, such as Gauntlets of Ogre Strength, Helm of the Dominator and Necronomicon 1. This strategy keeps Rexxar balanced throughout the game, and increases different areas at different times: mana early game for Wild Axes, beast-ability middle game for team pushing and one-man-ganks, and finally damage/survivability/attack speed late game for hero killing.

Once you finish your Cranium Basher and Hyperstone, you will finally have a full inventory. You might or might not have noticed that you have not needed a chicken to drop your items on when making recipes so you can actually use every item you buy when you buy it. Now, however, you will either need to buy a chicken or save up more gold before buying your Satanic. If you can save up 4300 gold for your Satanic, then that is the best option so you do not have drop your Ring of Basilius. If you cannot for whatever reason, then put your Ring of Basilius on a chicken while you farm your Satanic recipe. Once you get your Satanic, you give Rexxar a huge survivability boost in battle. Not only do you get a bunch of hit points, some more damage and Life Steal, but you can Death Pact creeps. Death Pact your dominated creeps if they are about to expire, otherwise use your Greater Hawk.

Before using Death Pact, think about how it works. You must target an allied creep, and you will get 85% of its life and 15% of its mana. Obviously, you want to find the nearest creep with the most life. This is where your dominated creeps come in handy, if you have any left alive. Best case scenario is to Death Pact a dominated Polar Furbolg Ursa Warrior or Centaur Khan with full hit points that is about to expire (20 minutes almost up). Since they will die anyway, why not end their misery (giving you 935 hit points and 165 mana in the process)? If you do not have a dominated creep to Death Pact, then use your Greater Hawk (giving you 743 hit points and 131 mana). Obviously your Greater Hawk is a better long-term solution because you can cast it whenever you need free hit points and mana. When you have enough gold, sell your Ring of Basilius for Sacred Relic and finish your Radiance.

Choosing Radiance as your final item really helps tie this whole build together. The primary reason to choose Radiance is boost the amount of damage you deal, not only to one single target but to multiple targets. Two of your skills deal damage to multiples targets, so getting an item that does the same (40 damage per second, not too shabby) will increase the effectiveness of those skills. The +70 damage and +8% chance to evade will help Rexxar survive longer in battles against the same heroes that you got the Cranium Basher and Hyperstone to fight. You devour creep waves of any size with Radiance/Wild Axes, and Satanic/Death Pact helps your tank more damage without fear. Radiance is the best high-damage item for Rexxar because it has great synergy with his skills. Once you finish Radiance, start buying items for your teammates with your excess gold.



Supporting Rexxar

Both Rexxar’s skills and this item build allow him to work well with most heroes. Wild Axes, Primal Roar, and Radiance deal damage to a large area, so good allies would include heroes with skills that also deal damage to a large area (such as Earthshaker and Death Prophet). Call of the Wild, Ring of Basilius, Helm of the Dominator and Necronomicon all deal with summons, so good allies would include other heroes with summons or Mekansm to heal yours (such as Holy Knight and Keeper of the Light). Call of the Wild slows, so good allies would include other heroes with slow (such as Venomancer and Omniknight). Beast Rage, Cranium Basher, and Hyperstone can keep most heroes stunned long enough to kill, so good allies would include other heroes with bash (such as Lycanthrope and Slardar). The top four heroes for team Rexxar would probably be Earthshaker, Sand King, Stone Giant, and Magnataur.

Countering Rexxar

Rexxar cannot cast anything without mana, so use heroes such as Nerubian Assassin (Mana Burn), Silencer (Curse of the Silent), Keeper of the Light (Mana Leak), Demon Witch (Mana Drain), and Anti-Mage (Mana Break) to drain his mana. Beast Rage is easily countered by Troll (Blind), Pandaren Battlemaster (Drunken Haze), Stone Giant (Craggy Exterior), Enchantress (Untouchable), and Nerubian Assassin (Spiked Carapace). Dominated creeps, Necronomicon summons, and Call of the Wild summons are easily countered by heroes such as Sand King (Epicenter, Caustic Finale, Burrowstrike, Sand Storm), Tormented Soul (Split Earth, Diabolic Edict, Lightning Storm, Pulse Nova), and Death Prophet (Carrion Swarm, Exorcism). Wild Axes can be countered to some extent by Avatar of Vengeance (Vengeance), but only if Rexxar is close enough to the creeps when they die.

Validating Rexxar

Frequently Asked Questions

How do Wild Axes work?

When you cast Wild Axes, Rexxar throws two axes at the target. Both axes travel slowly on different paths that arc outwards from Rexxar and then accelerate inwards as they reach the target. You can target a hero or land with Wild Axes, but land is recommended as the best target because heroes tend to move and you do not want to risk missing them. However, each axe travels the opposite arc path on the way back to Rexxar from the target. The axe that Rexxar threw with his right hand, he will catch with his left hand. The axe that Rexxar threw with his left hand, he will catch with his right hand. Each axe can only damage each enemy unit once, but they will hit every unit between Rexxar and the target, much like Fissure. Wild Axes deal physical damage, not magic damage, so they will go through Bladefury and Repel. However, likes Rexxar's normal attack, they will not hit invisible targets. This is crucial to remember when aiming your axes. Before casting Wild Axes, you have to predict where the target will be, much like Hook.

The following animation and graphic are examples of a basic throwing technique, showing you how to hit two stationary targets with both axes through the element of surprise. Look how, before Rexxar throws Wild Axes, you cannot see him hidden in the trees. Throwing axes while hidden behind trees can be a great way to catch the enemy off guard.




The following animation and graphic are examples of a more advanced throwing technique, showing you how to hit two targets with both axes as they move around a corner. Notice how Tiny it hit with both axes, but dies from the axe Rexxar threw with his left hand as it returns to his right hand.




If you still have questions about how to use Wild Axes, please PM me or reply to this thread.

How does Primal Roar work?

When you cast Primal Roar, you have to target an enemy unit. Since you can target any enemy unit, you should exercise care to insure you target a hero. Primal Roar has a 3 minute cooldown, so you do not want to waste it on a creep and you only want to use it when it counts (to get a kill or save an ally). Try using Primal Roar in combination with another ultimate if you can, such as Epicenter or Reverse Polarity. You will stun the target for 2-3.5 seconds and deal 200-300 damage. All other nearby units, both ally and enemy, will be pushed aside. This clears a path from Rexxar to his target. The enemy units that are pushed aside are slowed for 2-4 seconds after Rexxar casts Primal Roar. You want to cast Primal Roar in large crowds to get the maximum effect. This is illustrated in the animation below, which is a classic middle game team battle at the river.



The Scourge heroes involved are Rexxar, Chaos Knight, and Lion. The Sentinel heroes involved are Phantom Assassin, Dragon Knight, and Spiritbreaker. The following events are not shown in the animation, but help you understand what is going on before the animation begins. Rexxar instigates the battle by harassing Dragon Knight. The Sentinel heroes focus all fire on Rexxar: Dragon Knight uses Dragon Tail, Phantom Assassin uses Shadow Strike, and Spiritbreaker gets a lucky Greater Bash. Then Rexxar quickly blinks out of battle, momentarily confusing the Sentinel heroes while the Scourge heroes swoop into battle. While Lion works on disabling Phantom Assassin and Spiritbreaker, Chaos Knight focuses on Dragon Knight.

This is where the animation begins. Rexxar reengages the Sentinel heroes by opening with Primal Roar (targeting Phantom Assassin) and immediately throwing Wild Axes (finishing both Dragon Knight and Phantom Assassin for the double kill). Then the animation ends, and Rexxar moves onto finish a weakened Spiritbreaker (with help from his Quilbeast) for the triple kill. The reason I did not include all of this in the animation is because I just wanted to illustrate how to use Primal Roar in a team battle. The point is to use it when everyone is close together. Primal Roar, if timed correctly, can turn the tide in team battle. You should target the hero you intend to kill, and leave the nearby slowed enemies for your teammates to clean up.

Download Replay

noobasaurusREXxar.w3g (attached file below)

5v5 –AP -SM (v6.32b, 1.20d)

Sentinel

Blue – Phantom Assassin
Teal – Drow Ranger
Purple – Shadow Fiend
Yellow – Shadow Shaman
Orange – Earthshaker

Scourge

Pink – Necrolyte
Gray – Witch Doctor
Light Blue – Beastmaster (me)
Dark Green – Bloodseeker
Brown – Lich

Description

This game includes Beastmaster domination from the beginning to the end. Most of the concepts (including throwing Wild Axes, Greater Hawk scouting, using dominated creeps and summons) in this guide are clearly illustrated at some point in the replay. Since I got 2? kills, there are several fun battles to watch, even the ones where I die. I rather you watch the replay than just read this boring description, so below there are a few teaser screen captures to show you some in-game action on your way to downloading.

Screen Captures



Earthshaker cyclones Lich as I start to beat down on him with my Quilbeast, Polar Furbolg Ursa Warrior, and Necronomicon summons. Shadow Fiend and Phantom Assassin lurk in the background, and only one of them ends up escaping from this battle alive.



Rhasta dead after a quick one-man-gank with my Quilbeast, Polar Furbolg Ursa Warrior, and Necronomicon summons. In the replay you will see how I sent an illusion (rune) in first to test his reaction and how I killed him while the stun from War Stomp was wearing off.



This was a one-man gank out of invisibility (rune) on both Earthshaker and Phantom Assassin while they were focusing on Bloodseeker (who escapes). Phantom Assassin ends up dying to my summons (while I am in Earthshaker’s cyclone) because she made the fatal mistake of killing my Necronomicon Warrior (Last Will owns). When I come out of cyclone I finish off Earthshaker for the double kill.



This is not a screen capture from this replay, but rather a Rexxar family portrait included here just for kicks. The only difference between the Rexxar in this image and the Rexxar in this guide is a Mekansm instead of a Radiance. After all, he is the Beastmaster.