The following is a list of Barrow-wights abilities as well as a rough guide to leveling each one.

Ability 1 - Barrow’s Torment (level at 3, 7, 9)
Ability Damage plus life-steal to one target at medium range. Leveling increased Damage and life-steal.

Ability 2 - Drain the Soul (level at 2, 4, 6)
Ability damage initially, and ability DOT (damage over time) to one target at medium range. Leveling increase damage per second.

Ability 3 - Chilling Touch (level at 11, 13, 14)
Slows one target’s movement and attack speed at medium range. Also increases Barrow’s attack and movement speed. Leveling increase effects of each effect.

Ability 4 (Ult.) - Undeath (level at 5, 8, 10, 12)
Upon death, become undead for 5 seconds. Teleport to one target at long range and do ability damage upon arrival. Cannot use ability until death (hp at 0). Leveling increases damage done.

Passive -
Reduces enemy ability damage resistance with each basic attack.


Note: Barrow has a small amount of ability lifesteal in addition to basic damage with each strike.

I have two builds for Barrow-wight, both effective depending on team needs and prefered playing style. Both take advantage of Barrows Ult and passive abilities.

The first is one I suggest for players new to Barrow. Winding Stair (Your Ability Power is increased by 3 for each 1% of Health you are missing), Sight of Seeing(For every Sapphire in your Belt, you get +14 Ability Power), Orthanc (For every Sapphire in your Belt, you get +5 Ability Penetration). A simple build, but also quite effective. You will get your first relic just as you get your Ult, and the two together make a lethal combo. Stay on the skirts of battle until the perfect time to strike. Ability Power Gems, and Ability Resistance

The second one I use more often. It is a lot more fun to play, but honestly carries huge risk, especially against good teams with a lot of CC (crowd control ie fear, root, stun et al). Red Book (For every Ruby in your Belt, get +3% Critical Chance), White Tree (Basic Attacks deal +1 damage for each 1% of Health you are missing), Fell Winter (Your Basic Attacks deal an extra 60 damage over 5 seconds. Does not stack). Critical chance gems and basic damage resistance gems. He hits very hard, and can turn team fights around almost by himself. If you don’t do good damage, though, your team is likely to get swept. Basically, for the build to be effective, you must get kills in the team fights and minimize mistakes. Also keep in mind you will not be nearly as effective until reaching level 10, so a little patience and commitment to leveling is required for this build. I try my best not to die until I have the White Tree relic active, which can be a struggle against tough teams.

With both builds, Barrow will get stronger the closer to death he is, so don’t be scared to do a little fighting below full health. Barrow is meant to die, and dies often. As long as you can get compensation for your deaths, don’t be to worried about being one of the first to die in team fights.

Potions
Take two xp potions, one healing potion, and one invisibility potion. Use xp pots early as levels are extremely important for Barrow, use the healing to stay in lane longer early, and the invisibility potion can be used upon death to confuse the other team before you pounch. It will also prevent the opposition from using controlling effects on you, so use it wisely and during an important engagement.
Commands
Tier One- Heal - stay in lane early
Tier Two- Healing totem - You should not be fighting alone, and this will help early as Barrow can play rather squishy at times.
Tier Three - Archers - Great extra support in team fights and taking towers.
Tier Four- Flash of Light - Use after death for best results. Will prevent controlling effects and slows all enemies, making cleanup much easier.

Unlike most enchanters, Barrow should not ever be sent mid-lane solo. He can play rather weak early, and plays better with support. Try your best to get as many levels before dying as possible. You should have your Ult. before your first death. The higher the level, the better Barrow becomes. True of all guardians, but with Barrow most of all.

Early in the match, play with enemies just on the edge of your ability range, and only use basic damage for creep. One of the better things about Barrow-Wight early is his mobility. Use it to your advantage. Grab shrines and bluff lane crosses. Slow enemies that want to fight and stay out of petty engagements.

Once you have some levels under your belt, and have your Ult, it is time to start ramping up your play. Support the lanes that are being pushed, always calling out movements to your team-mates so they can refill lanes properly. Play to harass and take minor damage. If you can pull one or more guardians away from the lane fight, all the better. Again, make sure you don’t over-commit to any petty fights with strong damage dealers or guardians with CC. Once all the enemies in your lane are all below half health, dive in and try to do as much basic and ability damage as possible. Call out you plans to dive so your teammates can help. Generally I save his Ult until the very end, but if you are spaced to far away, use it to teleport to the nearest enemy and finish the kill. Don’t waste damage on tanks unless you know for certain you can get the kill. Focus on strikers and enchanters if possible.

Team fights are basically the same idea. Wait on the skirts of battle. Don’t commit too early; wait for the enemies health to start dropping to at least half before fully committing. Dive in and cause as much mayhem as possible while you can. Teammates should have an easier time once Barrow dives in, as many players will tend to focus Barrow until he is on respawn. The closer you are to death, the further you should push for space. Once dead you have limited time to make something happen and the closer you are to the enemy the better chance of making it work.

If you’re struggling with the one big dive, or your team is struggling to do enough damage before you arrive in the fight, I suggest making two pushes. One to do as much damage without dying as possible, and the second as a suicide mission and clean up duty. This way you can always choose to disengage in the enemy seems to strong to wipe.

Don’t not try to initiate team fights with Barrow. He simply doesn’t do enough damage to be effective by himself against a group and will be controlled and focused down quickly. Play along side tanks and warriors to maximise effectiveness, and remember your most basic role as support and clean-up. Barrow can also be played as a carry (damage dealer, typically top kills), but requires a strong player with an advanced knowledge of spacing.

Happy Hunting - Ledzep

Feel free to comment, ask questions, and add me on Steam at LedzepIV