Viper build for dota

The netherdrake is a powerful, swift hero who can disable someone and keep them permanently slowed. He's a favorite of people who like to run around ganking heroes and excels in single fights. This dota hero doesn't have much to contribute in a team battle though unless you play the game with strategy.

I'm going to assume you're the typical player and give you a build that'll work for most situations. Remember to concentrate on the highest damaging target during team fights. Your viper strike ability can easily knock them out of the picture. It significantly reduces both the attack speed and movement speed of your target. Someone like Naix or the Tidehunter would be a fantastic choice of people to use your ultimate on.

Your first skill should be poison attack. Viper can use this to harrass enemy heroes who try to melee creeps without being in danger of them attacking you. It's an advanced dota strategy called orbwalking. Use your skill on the hero to hit them, not an attack command.

The other two skills you can pick from at this level are both decent, but situational. If you're having trouble in your lane Corrosive Skin might help. Nethertoxin will make your attacks a bit more lethal if you're not. One nice trick with nethertoxin is that it affects your enemy before they actually hit you, much like the Enchantress' ability (You can see what I wrote about her here). Focus on bringing both your main skills up in levels for now, and grab viper strike as soon as possible.

For items you should always have some form of health regeneration. Viper is also one of the rare few heroes where rushing a Boots of Speed isn't a bad idea. His poison strike will cripple someone enough that they won't be able to outrun you. It's often a good idea to try to gank enemy heroes at level 1 if you have a good hiding spot and reliable teammate.

If you don't like boots, think about what items you may end up purchasing later. Orb effects will not stack properly with the poison attack ability this dota hero can have on each strike. Many netherdrakes like to rush for either a Lothar's Edge or a Butterfly. Both of these use smaller items as recipe components which will still help you early in the game.

Later on, you can just go for the typical DPS build (high agility/damage per second carry) if your viper won't be too fragile fighting the heroes you're up against. Popular items for these are the Butterfly, Buriza, and Monkey King Bar. It's unlikely you can afford anything more than that unless you're playing in an easy mode game of dota and well fed.