How Warlock's Fatal Bonds Actually Works

In this video I take a deeper look at Warlock's Fatal Bonds to better understand some of its mechanics.
Check out my previous video where I did a similar type of dive into Crystal Maiden's Freezing Field - • How Crystal Maiden's F...
If you enjoyed the video consider giving it a thumbs up as I hear that's quite helpful when trying to gain recognition from the KZbin algorithm gods. Also, if you learned anything new, or have any questions then leave a comment! Thanks :3

[@VickyKujikawa]

This and CM's ult video are super interesting! Would love to see more of this video series

[@zzadrianzz]

Thanks a bunch! It's motivating to see comments like this :3

[@staryskies]

@@zzadrianzz very intresting video,can you take a look at Shadow Demon skills,very interesting intercations

[@ericwtfsky]

@@zzadrianzz love it too since I'm noob

[@vittorio6117]

@@zzadrianzz bery good video sir

[@stfu-pi-ddk1ddo891]

@@Define_Insane what's complicated about visage? The e? Just curious

[@PurpleOkayTurtle]

Fatal bonds adds an “affected by fatal bonds” flag for targeting purposes. This isn’t removed when the ability is purged and lasts for the whole duration

[@zzadrianzz]

Ooooh, is that confirmed? Very interesting if that's the case, but that could definitely add some explanation to the inconsistencies. Just curious, where did you find that info? I haven't noticed it anywhere.

[@aweeladdie]

@@zzadrianzz it definitely explains the pattern, if they are all flagged it would act as if none of them are, reverting to normal behavior.

[@primodial_potatolord]

To test his theory, you can make two scenarios. One is when the bond buff is still there and you apply the bond again. Another is when the bond completely disappear by itself and try the bond again to see the pattern.

[@LCCD1143]

​@@zzadrianzz lurk more

[@q_taipan]

@@zzadrianzz some abilities in dota 2 have invisible debuffs that are used for the sake of bouncing mechanic, the same thing happens to Leshrac's lightning: It debuffs enemies with a "strike 1; strike 2; strike 3". This is also the same case with Zeus's Arc Lightning. It seems very much that Fatal Bonds's invisible debuff works the same way Fatal Bonds's bouncing mechanic works, but it's not dispellable at all because of the nature of invisible debuffs ( you can't unmark the next target of Leshrac's lightning ), so when you purged all CMs and tried to reapply the bonds ( invisible debuff was still there ) instead of reapplying Bonds to CM 4 because she had none while 2 did, it instead applied another Bonds to 2 because 2 was closer than 4.

[@oldben444]

honestly one of the most underrated abilities in terms of lethality

[@ojcubz]

People be maxing w on laning. Meanwhile there's me who maxes q and e and just infinitely annoy the enemy for the entire laning stage. People don't realize how much damage upheaval actually does, the slow is enough to drive anyone laning crazy.

[@rahmathiroyuki5302]

@@ojcubz God, why I never meet warlock player like you. Nobody use warlock e, EVER.

[@ojcubz]

@@rahmathiroyuki5302 check demo on a wave+ a hero. Its so cancer. What I usually do is hide in trees or a safe darks spot then just spam that endlessly, sometimes I rush into aether lense just for it (manaboots second)

[@bayumahendra1797]

Yeah and thats how i got kill using warlock, keep burst his hp till half and just cast it+shadow world while chaining 5creep and watching them die(make sure they dont tp out)

[@ronin2033]

@@ojcubz Maxing fatal bonds early on is so bad. Even if you annoy the enemy you just going to push the lane and make your cores life miserable to cs. If you don't go shadow sword you also have no sustainability to keep regen for your core. Which this current patch having a hero to sustain regen in lane in nuts because of how much valve nerfed healing salves and tangos compare to prev patches. So if you play support warlock and you go your build in lane you are lowkey griefing your core. Maxing UPHEAVAL in lane again is super bad as it is a Aoe dmg and slow spell which again is just going to result in pushing your wave away from your tower and making csing for you core harder. Not to mention UPHEAVAL in lane is so easy to escape. You can also do the same if not more dmg by just harassing with right click in lane without doing dmg to the enemy creeps and pushing the lane.

[@killoherz5277]

keep going mate, add more data and examples to your research and put your video edit to next level. see you soon at 10k subscribers

[@zzadrianzz]

Thank you!

[@shooby9496]

Seeing a video like this which is a 4 minute explanation of how one skill of a single hero works makes me feel stupid for ever feeling like a day would come where I would know everything there was to know about this game.

[@jostein2869]

The last point explains why being fatal bonded to a pudge always gets me killed lol.

[@Shouyin]

The weird occurence where Fatal Bonds somehow managed to connect CM1, 2 and 3 is something I call 'The Gaben Effect', if it happens, it happens. I just assume there's that little 'angle' the Warlock is facing somehow managed to trigger a 3-man bounce, though it's just speculation. Considering how the skill works, it seems your positioning plays a role in getting the best link. It's not much of a complex task unless your opponents are social distancing. But if you're up against an enemy Warlock your positioning may affect the outcome of the fight. Negating fatal bond damage has some interesting interaction as well. That would mean Lich's Frost Shield, Bristleback's... Bristleback, Mars' Bulwark and Tidehunter's Kraken Shell (Though not effective in the long run) will prevent your team from getting Fatal Bonded to oblivion, with the condition that these heroes are the ones getting targeted. Item such as Wraith Pact can at further minimize the linked damage as well, as long as the totem is within range. Now why didn't I mention Spectre and Morphling? Those two are double edged swords. The longer they last the worst it becomes. Only those two are terrifying to play with when facing an enemy Warlock. "Oooh, they tanked a lot of damag-- Why is my support dead?"

[@zzadrianzz]

"The Gaben Effect", I like that lol. That really seems to be how Dota is sometimes. Also, really good points about the specific hero interactions, thanks.

[@Mivla12]

I play Windranger? Cant shackle 2 units together even standing right next to each other. Enemy plays windranger? Shackles me onto a tree in another server

[@dasphantom8874]

@@Mivla12 Just pay more for the battle pass and your next shakle shot might hit two units lmao

[@Define_Insane]

I love this explanation 😂

[@rbalvedi282]

@@Mivla12 Nah man, enemy windranger shackles a teammate onto me THROUGH a tree standing between us, killing us both

[@niiruno277]

If you change the name of your video to dota for dummies or something like that, But with the word dota on it, The algorithm will pick up super quick and you will get more views. I hope your channel grow big.

[@sandman9014]

Love the content so much! I suggest Oracle's ult to be explained next, especially the part when it glowing or not! P.s. maybe it's just me who does not know how it works

[@zzadrianzz]

Good idea, making a note of it

[@seowth]

If you're gonna cover Oracle ulti, make sure to cover important spell interactions with it like Culling Blade and Ice Blast

[@ezalor9555]

"game still in beta and made by an indie developer" 💀💀💀💀💀💀 Great video, keep making these

[@orelmaliach2692]

I have a feeling that the weird linking (which is not according to description), is due to how the check for whether or not a target is already afflicted by fatal bonds is implemented. I don't wanna go into technical details, but let's assume the check is more like "has fatal bonds linked to this target in the last X seconds" rather than "does the target have fatal bonds right now". In your example, Crystal Maiden 4 is "still afflicted" by fatal bonds, because X seconds have not passed yet (you purged it instead), hence the bounce goes to the nearest enemy instead (actually according to description). I suspect if you were to let the fatal bonds wear out naturally, this would not happen.

[@zzadrianzz]

Yeah I was also wondering if it had something to do with the timings, but wasn't able to find a definite answer. Waiting for Icefrog to give some explanation to this. I'll probably be waiting forever..

[@NoNTr1v1aL]

Could you please do a video on Chain Frost? Great video btw 👍

[@Chuwaca]

Good info to Warlock players, keep testing sir.

[@alial-kateeb5267]

It is very hard to find this kind of informative content anywhere I always struggled with warlock because of fatal bond this is extremely helpful

[@Pibox]

Tbh after they patch warlocks 1st with what type of damage the receiver or linked did... He died... But back in the old it was pure damage and cannot be dispelled lol

[@thisizmonster]

3:47 Until now I didn't know that debuff indicator above head had shadow.

[@zzadrianzz]

Yeah I thought that was interesting.

[@credmlai2867]

4:00 I highly suspect this incosisntent result have similar tricks that in Elden Ring's zipping. This occur when one action while looping and another action force to run. End up 2 actions' loop overlapping and occur unexpected result. Try do it slow and steady maybe it gives the (search) looping have enough frame to finish it before another looping.

[@apollorainer1991]

hey mate, great video! Your introduction seems quite stiff tho. If it's part of your script try to maybe exclude it and just wing the living fuck out of it. Just record a few and take the one you like the best. Much love and to many more really insightful videos like these!

[@fongl3067]

How fatal bond shares damage in terms of aoe spells? Eg, 5 person in aoe of tidebringer, how the damage are calculated? Issit 5 X 24% of fatal bond damage?

[@ODAALx]

i love these vids. keep making them!

[@haschwalt.]

This is what I always tell my friend when I'm using warlock, he always wonder why It takes me some time to throw my fatal bonds, it's because I always try to figure out the 1st target of FB and the enemy positioning. Well I can choose to throw it randomly but it's better if I use my FB as effective and effecient as possible tho it's a miniscule advantage but damage is damage.

[@michaelyt799]

It depends...if you think your team has the positioning and time to take their time for the best result, than sure. If not, getting bonds off early is better than not at all or too late, especially if the fight initates before bonds is applied. Remember, later in the game you can get off bonds early, and it will finish cooldown and you can even double bond them for a few seconds on the second bond. If you bond early, you can always bond them again right away. And sometimes just bonding them early will scare them off from initiating.

[@xFlazz]

This information is completely worthless, but I'm glad I learned it.

[@jogabz1904]

Yow!! This is the reason why I sucked using this hero, man! thanks for this vid, its my first time seeing this. Carry on!

[@Jakob.Hamburg]

I paly Warlock alot. Thank you for the video and the informations. : )

[@fourtimingtarantula3561]

Subscribed for the information. Keep it up. Can you do Doom or Axe pls?

[@Maroonskeleton]

Nice video. This skill is one of the reasons why my husband hates to go against warlock so much.

[@bbear0_o]

fucken hell. im using this wrong. i just cast it to my main guy and dont care who else gets it with. thank you!

[@Youmu_Konpaku_]

Gane is still beta and it's made by an indie developer I can't xD

[@SuperrrSid]

wait dota 2 is still in beta? and nice job on explaining. over 10 years of dota experience under my belt, and I didn't know that it worked like witch doctor's stun. I am also quite a huge mechanics fan myself, so I know a lotta stuff. The unexplainable phenomenon you are talking about is probably due to the fact that you are refreshing your ability. Try a test with a 5th maiden and try to reproduce your test with just one cast instead of 2 casts. Place the 5 maidens in a circle and keep testing to see if they work as how you would expect in a single cast repeatedly. It probably will work exactly as what you would expect. The recast with refresher can be weird, so I wouldn't fret about it too much.

[@zzadrianzz]

Hmm interesting, I'll test this out and see if it helps make any sense of this. Thanks!

[@H2SO4__]

The inconsistency might be because of an internal flag that marks the enemy affected by fatal bonds not being cleared

[@DotaDump]

New video! Poggies! Let me be done with my stream and I will watch :)

[@zzadrianzz]

Ayy thanks! I'll have to check out your stream some time.

[@DotaDump]

@@zzadrianzz That would be awesome! Keep up the great work. I was truly happy to see you make another one! - and thanks, I don't mind some company!

[@plazamiserere]

"I know the game is still in beta and it's an indie developer" win the internet today aksdjaksjd

[@zod3632]

maybe maledict next, because that shit goes through almost everything

[@bscrubber]

so basically fatal bond 5 heroes and witch doc maledict and ulti wow...

[@11phoenix69]

You sound exactly like Brad Hall. Love the videos

[@adhiee1911]

im pretty sure baumi would love this kind of content.

[@bogos.binted]

Respect man, high quality work for just starting out 👏👏

[@zzadrianzz]

🙌

[@chalempoy1905]

after watching cm now this. u need to make more of this contents. Auto subs

[@ggame3987]

I am also waiting for the day that I would hit Fatal Bonds on 6 enemy heroes out of 5 haha

[@friendscollector1040]

Knowing how it bounces is very usefull thanks

[@JohnPaulBuce]

wow im casting this ability wrong all the time

[@cw9706]

Wow. Immortal player here and I never knew I learn something new

[@milkmahtitty]

it’s kinda fun and ironic that you would create these 2 well done and very informative videos, after xqc farting for 3:27 straight 😂 enjoying the content btw, keep it up!! xcqL

[@zzadrianzz]

Loool, don't expose me. Thanks xqcL

[@MuhammadRizky-mq8bp]

Its hard when in game, but if we can manage this trick it give great advantage

[@liquidfire0]

You should make another video about Lich ulti. We tried it with friends on different distances between heroes and that shit sometimes bounces 0 times and sometimes 10 times at the same distance lol. I guess it was the furthest point from the lich i don't really remember

[@oscargonzalez3599]

Dude this is so....interesting, wow, didn't know it work like this X,D very useful information. I mean from affecting only two to five is a big thing

[@zzadrianzz]

Thanks! Glad you found it useful.

[@zeernebooch]

Thanks for this content. Can you explain us Kunkka Ghostship next time? Definitely gonna hit the ring for this channel.

[@zzadrianzz]

Ahh, good idea, definitely making a note of this. Thanks for the support!

[@yeah5874]

Great video! When's your next xqc fart compilation?

[@zzadrianzz]

Bruh lol, probably not for a while haha

[@mumenraider]

Could you do a video on abilities of Shadow demon

[@yayamoygeneral]

Good channel, keep doing supps bro

[@alexandrepalmatrindade6798]

Hey sir, these videos are really good quality and useful! Subscribed!

[@zzadrianzz]

Thanks a bunch! Very appreciated.

[@mariuspantazi7683]

Hello, your series is cool and intereseting. Keep it up.

[@zzadrianzz]

Thanks! I definitely plan to, its been very fun.

[@lukthere2]

Remember that it stacks, so if you have refresher - always throw bonds, ult, bonds and ult again. Or bonds, ult, ult and bonds again. Giga damage. Nice video, super interesting👍

[@cowpolk5763]

Ult doesnt do damage anymore so there's not much pressure to try and squeeze them in like a combo. You can comfortably ult to start the fight, bonds, ult again once the stun ends then bonds again. Take it a tad slower to get the most use out of the disable. Being a bkb piercing disable, you can afford to space the stuns out slightly because people cant react by bkb'ing between the disables to nullify the second one. Giving you time to pick a good bonds target.

[@wisestump211]

Wanna know more tricks or mechanics?

[@i.p.t7166]

What?!!! Thanks I didnt notice

[@rashid411]

Keep up the good work.

[@gotrendsexplore9214]

make more bro i subscribe

[@liamschmidt2612]

I tried to work out the jank of double bonds, but I found no consistencies. The only thing I can contribute to the conversation is confirmation that using fatal bonds on a target effected by fatal bonds works inconsistently. in my client as well. The strangest occurrence was pressing bonds twice on CM 2 and ending up with cm 2, 3, 4 with 1 debuff and cm 1 with 2 debuffs: somehow the hero I targeted twice only got bonded once.

[@samuelelliott8453]

Considering LS ult piercing linkens was a bug that didnt get patched until 7.32d, I'ma say this is probably a bug cuz no one really casts fatal bonds 2 times in a row with everyone in the same positions as before. Either that, or the way/order you dispel the CMs affects something that causes the redirect.

[@MrPheonix1ful]

Ty❤ make more videos plz

[@casIIsac]

Love these. Subscribed.

[@ixurt234]

Helps a lot man

[@credmlai2867]

Holy shit, finally someone in YT make details about the unwritten rules and secrets about this spell. Do more this kind of video, there is alot spells is not clear enough by the description itself.

[@Khalilhaidarr]

Keep the vids coming!

[@wynderlacunae268]

Thanks for this. Very educational

[@zzadrianzz]

Thank you!

[@memelordozai8553]

To put it simply, fatal bonds target logic works exactly like Mystic Snake, but instant

[@rykb]

Your videos giving me TF2 brotherhood vibes, please, keep uploading

[@marghoobahmad5542]

bruh, you share so detailed video. playing for so many years but I sill learn something new from your video.

[@rezarifaldi6617]

well made, well edited, well explain good stuf bro..

[@zzadrianzz]

Thanks!

[@cucciologotico]

It's steam valve logic

[@confus.d]

I needed you ten years ago 😔

[@iverson1194]

Need more of this maan❤

[@ikazooie]

good content. keep doing it!

[@vvg1077]

I guess you need to create a playlist with name "How skill realy works" or something like this. It will be greate

[@hudumannaia]

4:05 i LOVE that meme 🤣🤣

[@spiritdiana5004]

Thanks this is what I need

[@Captain1nsaneo]

I can now correctly rewrite the part of my brain that deals with how bonds targets units. Thanks!

[@doviid8520]

do shadow demon next please (also visage perhaps)

[@zzadrianzz]

Good ideas, thanks. Adding to the notes 📝

[@bramskirsten4970]

still in beta omegalul

[@AllenFuqua]

If you and your teammate are affected by fatal bonds, they get blasted by a magic nuke and you use ghost scepter, do you take more damage? I assume yes based on the end of the video but just would like verification.

[@knightguy2699]

Things I do when we party with friends, The most important part is pick a tanky hero with tanky item, Second tank it and taunt your opponent, And thirdly if they have warlock, try to make as many bonds as possible And last but not least, start your tower dive/any shenanigans you can come up with 🤣

[@DatPhatAsianBoi]

u r saving my brain as a new player trying to understand dota

[@zzadrianzz]

Thanks! Also, question for you as a new player. Would you prefer a bit more explanation on generally how the spell works, or do you think the general description given is good enough? I tried to make it a good general description for new and old players, but curious how you viewed it. Thanks again!

[@emersonfry1927]

Is the damage to the secondary unit calculated before or after damage reduction? For example, if an 100 dmg attack targets a unit with 40% magic damage reduction, Does a linked unit (with lvl 1 bonds) take 7.2 (100 * 0.4 * 0.12) or 12 (100 * 0.12)... assuming the secondary unit has no magic resist.

[@EebstertheGreat]

FWIW, once upon a time, both of these spells (Paralyzing Casks and Fatal Bonds) were based on the WC3 spell Chain Lightning. I can't remember what they were, but this spell had properties unsuitable to DotA, so it was eventually triggered, like most spells. If you still play DotA 1 today, Fatal Bonds won't work as described. Instead, the spell is "triggered," so each instance of its cast is treated separately. If you cast Fatal Bonds twice in a row, the second cast will not remember the first one. It will affect nearby units as if they had never been affected by Fatal Bonds. However, the bouncing logic is still correct (like with Rubick's Fade Bolt, which is literally just a Chain Lightning tied to a debuff). EDIT: WHAT DracoLich is still releasing new DotA 1 maps. Endless respect. I'll have to download those maps and find out what is in store for me.

[@vanxthenecron3059]

Great narration, visuals, preview, youre gonna get big with that quality, man

[@MarufHossain-ft5iv]

Big brain video❤

[@Square_nothing]

Oh boy, Some DoTA 2 content that isn't half baked memes and streamer X did Y thing! subscribed! Also, seeing that you're talking about fatal bonds made me immediately think of Grimstroke's ultimate if it has any weird or interesting interactions as well.

[@georgetorres882]

Amazing!! Keep doing this plz

[@zzadrianzz]

Thanks! Will do :>

[@-A.O-]

I think the condition for "nearest unit not affected" does include units that were affected by a previous cast since they aren't affected by the current cast. Though as to why it would choose the farther one in some cases, I don't really know.

[@ShubhamKumar-qz6yz]

I love warlock. Been playing this hero for as long as I can remember. But still had no idea this is how his q worked. I instinctly used to select the mid guy in the enemy bunch coz that would make sure everyone is bound. Thank you the explanation video

[@Filip1613]

If target A takes 100 physical dmg after armor reduction, does target B reduce the remaining 24 dmg yet again with their respective armor or take flat 24 physical dmg?

[@jackiehadi6410]

this type of content that make community still alive and much fun, subscribed

[@dharmarajbarse8855]

This is because when you cast bonds for the second time, that command will be run through the cache (game's programming) and results are different than previous scenario....

[@valeopvaleop]

At 2:43, you cast two instances of fatal bonds. Are these 4 enemies linked together (sharing the damage with all 4) or are they linked in pairs of 2?

[@heerakathakor6016]

Thank you!

[@kennethjudecarrera5955]

keep this up my dude, u gonna make it

[@pavansaik6939]

Can you do one for witch doctor's flask and ulti? Thanks for the video. Much appreciated.

[@Kankcun]

GOOD STUFF

[@DokieToy]

Plase keep doing them, there aro so many abilities that are not explained right, and like the cm ult, it gives me/us an in-depth look into it. Thank you!!

[@mattripodi6187]

Initially just wrote a comment to get your videos some attention. But I would love it if you could create more video's like this. WDs cask would be one, I assume its random bouncing but ye, this is GREAT stuff.

[@zzadrianzz]

Thanks for the support!