Troll Warlord is an agility carry who can switch between a ranged and a melee form. He farms quickly, fights well in a one-on-one, and gets stronger the longer he keeps hitting the same target. This guide covers his skills, a simple skill order, an item path, and the habits that separate a good Troll from one who dies early.
Note: exact numbers change between map versions. Check the in-game tooltips for values; the principles below hold across 6.8x versions.
Troll Warlord's four skills
- Berserker's Rage: Switches between ranged and melee form. Melee form gives more damage and sturdiness and lets his axes hit enemies close to him; ranged form lets him harass from a distance.
- Whirling Axes: In ranged form he throws axes in a spread that damage enemies. In melee form the axes spin around him and can slow or blind. Use it to start a fight or to stop a chase.
- Fervor: A passive that raises attack speed each time he hits the same target. It rewards staying on one enemy, so do not swap targets without a reason.
- Battle Trance (ultimate): A short burst of very fast attacks and healing from damage. It is strongest when you can attack one hero without being interrupted, so use it when the enemy has few stuns left.
Recommended skill order
- Level 1: Whirling Axes for farming and early harassment.
- Next points: Fervor and Berserker's Rage, with one more Whirling Axes if the lane needs it.
- Levels 6, 11 and 16: Battle Trance.
Item path
Start with boots and an item that gives attack speed or damage so you can farm the lane and jungle quickly. Then buy an item that lets you reach the enemy and stay alive during a fight. Troll has little control of his own, so one defensive or mobility item before your third damage item is usually worth it. Against teams with many stuns, buy an item that protects you from being locked down.
How to play him
- Use ranged form early to last-hit safely, then switch to melee when you want to trade or fight.
- Stick to one target. Fervor stacks only on that enemy, so choose the carry or the most dangerous hero and stay on them.
- Do not use Battle Trance on a target who can still be stunned or who can run behind their team.
- Farm until you have the key items, then group with your team and look for fights where they cannot split you from your allies.
Common mistakes
- Staying in ranged form in a close fight and losing the extra damage of melee.
- Switching targets so often that Fervor never builds.
- Using the ultimate too early, before the enemy's stuns are used.
Where to try him
Pick Troll Warlord against the AI in a custom game to practice target focus and form switching. Our 6.83 AI map guide explains how to set up that game.