DarkChrono

I can see where you're going. But remember that its not a bad idea to have your tank go neutral creep farming so that he can get his big items faster (being that he can farm almost indefinently). IMO, a lot of times theres too much emphasis on hero vs hero. People forget about the real objective of the game. Naturally early+mid game, you don't want to get hit be creep. The helm gives you the option to put yourself infront of your creep to take hits so that you can get a good push on one lane at mid-game. Plus most of the game not everyone on the opposing side is going on a ganking fest, thats straight out silly. Thats why constantly checking your mini-map and keeping track of the "MIA's" is extremely important. Having that type of intel can let you predict if a gank is coming, and whether you should pull back. Hack and Slash would be more ideal for a tank. I forgot to mention that. Since tanks are meant to take damage, they're more available to straight out and run in to chase down a running hero. If the slow procs, then its almost like a guarenteed kill. For melee agi heroes who are having trouble chasing, then the obvious pick would be Skull of the Frostwolf, or hope one of your teammates has a snare/disable of some sort. (And IMO, I wouldn't use Arachna as an example anymore. Shes straight out OP ). As for Puppet Master, overpowered IMO. Practically 3 disables. Get the hex staff and the cyclone staff. 'Nuff said.

Bottles are good, unless everyone has one. Not everyone needs to have a bottle. If you get a bottle, tell your teammates. Your job in having a bottle is to stay in one lane and constantly check for runes and grabbing them in your bottle so that it refills it. It is essentially a great solo item. Especially for certain heroes like Pestilence or Pudge(Didn't bother to remember HoN's name), the bottle is useful because of their lack of natural MP regeneration. @Tensei - You underestimate the usefulness of Helm of the Black Legion and Hack and Slash. Helm of the Black Legion is a superior tanking item because 1. Iron Buckler costs 250, a great beginning game item. The +6 HP/Sec regen is enough for you go creep farming for a decent amount of time. And the 70% chance to black 40 damage explains itself enough. And guess what, it only costs 2225 to make. Hack and Slash is great because the 12% movement speed STACKS with your boots. Yes, it STACKS. It also has a 15% chance of proccing a slow effect; -30% movement speed + -15% attack speed. What makes Hack and Slash? A great chaser item. Oh, and reason why Wingbow is not vastly superior. Unless they changed it in HoN, Savage Mace (MKB in DoTA) has Truestrike passive, meaning 100% chance of hitting. That cancels out all evasion effects. If they changed it, then Wingbow is then really good, but it shouldn't be a super high priority item. It's always good, at every game you play, to look at the 3 stages of the game: Early-game, Mid-game, and Late-game. And also make note of how many people are playing. Obviously the more people the less gold you'll start with. And in 5v5, the less gold you'll most likely be getting (unless you're the solo lane). And while you're playing, somewhat plan what items you want to get. Its nice and all to look at the big, explensive powerful items. But its a good idea to look at the mid-tier items. They're really good if you utilize them properly. Oh, and a little friendly tip for those who get steamboots, start taking a look at phase boots . They're very good.