Definitive Howitzer Guide: Howitzer build by panagiotisbrovan | predecessor.pro (2024)

Welcome to panagiotisbrovan's Howitzer guide.

STARTER CREST

I always choose Wizard Crest as my starter crest, but the final evolution depends on the enemy heroes. I chose Soulbearer because it's the one I find myself using the most. You should always decide on which one to pick depending on the matchup. There is not a flat out better choice here.

ABILITY UNLOCK ORDER

Abilities unlock priority: You should always prioritize your missile shot. After that you can go for either the mine or the grenades, depending on if you want to apply more Slow on the enemies or utilize the Mine primarily as a damage dealer.

ITEMS

For the first item, I always go for Combustion prioritizing Diffusal Cane on the build tree.

In the mid-game category I placed situational items, fully depending on the matchup.

If I´m finding myself vey ahead in the game, I go for Megacosm as my second item.

For the third item: Tainted Scepter against Khaimera or any other healing dependent enemy hero. Spellbreaker if enemy team has many AP heroes, or you're having a hard time in mid lane against an AP enemy hero. If you're not that ahead in the game, you should prioritize one of these instead of Megacosm , otherwise go for either Tainted Scepter or Spellbreaker .

Fourth item: Most of the time I'm going for Caustica , but Wraith Leggings , Astral Catalyst and Timewarp are all very viable choices. Again, depending on your status in the game.

Final item: Oblivion Crown is probably the best choice here, but you can always switch it up with any one item of the aforementioned.

DIFFICULT MATCHUPS

The most difficult mid matchup for Howitzer is probably Gideon . You should be very careful once he has his ultimate ready and not engage him directly, unless you know for sure that you can kill him. Even if he cacsts his ultimate, he's still very vulnerable and you should be able to kill him if you're outputting more damage than him. Always stay far behind in fights in order to avoid his ultimate. If the enemy team also has a Kallari in jungle, things start to get pretty messy. You shouldn't play Howitzer against this matchup,these two can completely put you out of the game if paired effectively. There are still some ways to deal with them, though you should really count on your teammates coming to your aid a lot.

MOVEMENT

Howitzer has great mobility and you can easily flank other lanes and pick out retreating enemies, or aid your teammates in a fight. You should also try taking early river-buffs as soon as they're available. Late game, Howitzer has great wave clear and you can opt to split-push or defend your lanes easily, though you might be much more useful in a fight.Always have an escape plan and pay attention to the enemies' movements. Your Land Mine and Slow Grenades can both act as tools to get away from pursuing enemies and you should always consider having them ready for an escape instead of using them to clear waves of minions. If you find yourself in a hard position, remember that your ultimate can be better than a teleport in means of escape, especially in some parts of the jungle.

Suggestions are welcome and I will be updating the guide with more information on matchups and items.