WarBeast

Skill Build:

1 - Summon Hellhounds
2 - Battle Cry
3 - Summon Hellhounds
4 - Battle Cry
5 - Battle Cry
6 - Metamorphosis
7 - Battle Cry
8 - Summon Hellhounds
9 - Summon Hellhounds
10 - Primal Rage
11 - Metamorphosis
12 - Primal Rage
13 - Primal Rage
14 - Primal Rage
15 - Stats
16 - Metamorphosis
17 - Stats+

Justification / Modifications:

With the addition of Chalice to the game and Battle Cry's mana costs, this is the best build for Warbeast. Battle Cry gives +44 damage to all heroes on the map when used, and +16 to all owned minions.
Battle Cry actually gives more damage than Primal Rage when it is up, and with its diminishing mana cost (15/10/5/0), it should always be up whenever off cd. This aids your sidelanes greatly, especially the solo in the lane next to the jungle where you are.
2 level of Summon Hellhounds are taken initially as level 2 Hellhounds gain crit, and boosts their potential damage through the roof initially.

Starting Items:

(Monkey Courier), Crushing Claw, Mark of the Novice, Runes of the Blight

ONLY buy one if your team is too incompetent to buy one for you. Don't bother sharing it with them initially if you have to buy it.

Core:

Chalice >> Alchemist Bones >> Puzzlebox >> Steamboots

Farm your initial 325g for a Scarab and rush it to you on the courier asap.
Chalice is the way a Warbeast jungles effectively. He does not take much damage from neutrals with proper micro and Chalice allows him to always keep up Hellhounds. Ring of the Teacher first up is inferior now to Chalice on him with a Battle Cry build.
Alchemist Bones is now even better for you with charges, and since you spend a lot of time in the jungle, rushing this will pay off for you very quickly.
Puzzlebox is the single-best DPS item in the game for Warbeast. Puzzlebox minions with additional attack speed, MORE damage, 522ms and unitwalking.
Quite frankly, it's almost always worth rushing BEFORE boots. It's that good. Your ult gives you max movement speed anyway, and you should not be caught out without it with Hellhounds being able to scout for you.

After Core:

(Shrunken Head >>) Abyssal Skull >> Daemonic Breastplate >> Behemoth's Heart >> Frostwolf Skull

Shrunken Head is optional, yes. Get it if you feel you really need it. It is not uncommon to have 4k HP and a veritable ton of armour with a full kit of items 40min in, and as such, can laugh at disables as they simply can't burn you down in the disable time.
Abyssal Skull is still good on him as it is lifesteal, and not an Attack Modifier. The auras also help you and your creeps. It's just simply not worth getting before a Puzzlebox, as the Hounds don't need lifesteal to farm early on, or when they reach level 4. Daemonic Breastplate has the best synergy with your high HP and pushing ability, giving you a ton of armour and lowering armour on everything INCLUDING buildings. Best pickup for him after his core. Behemoth's Heart simply makes you more of a nightmare to kill. Frostwolf Skull tops this off for more HP, damage and a superior slow.
Sell your Chalice and then Alchemist Bones to make room as needed.

Information:

Roles: Hard Carry
Preferred Lane: Jungle
Difficulty: 4/5 (microing hounds properly to scout; farming efficiently past 20min when you're pushing as well)
Farming capabilities: 5/5 (Level 4 hounds can solo 2 neutral camps without you anywhere on the map)
Item dependent? Yes, very.
Power:
- Early Game / Lane Control: Jungler (has extremely strong presence for your lanes with Battle Cry constantly)
- Mid Game / Ganks: 4/5 (****ing scary to see barreling down at you with 4 minions all at 522ms. The living definition of PAIN TRAIN)
- Late Game / Team Fights: 5/5 (Losing a teamfight against a Warbeast ensures that you've lost 2 raxes. Inbuilt crit, lowered BAT and extremely high damage make him extremely scary as a carry)

30-Seconds-Guide:

- Soloing Kongor at level 9 is still a trash idea. Get some help to do it from 1-2 others if you want to do it so bad.
- Battle Cry has a pitiful mana cost and should always be used constantly early on. Timing for things like after Tempest's Elementals split up is also useful when pushing.
- Hellhounds can solo 2 neutral camps at level 9 with Battle Cry or with level 4 Primal Rage. Use them to do so constantly to keep yourself raking in the gold.
- Hellhounds are also invisible at level 4 and can pull neutral camps for you, scout and even deny runes from the other mid player. They are among the most versatile skills in the game. The difference between a mediocre War Beast and a decent one is all in Hellhound usage.
- With even Puzzlebox 1, you should be knocking down 1st and 2nd tier towers VERY quickly. Charge at the tower irrespective of where the creep line is (without drawing enemy creep sight preferably), Summon Hellhounds and Puzzlebox minions just out of range, ult and rightclick the tower. Repeat. You can leave the minions there for a little bit if they are tping in, and the tower is nearly dead. All of the minions have a 925 leash range in which they can attack.
- Using the minions to block while you run away can mean the difference between getting away from a gank and dying. This obviously becomes less effective if the Hellhounds gain unitwalking from Metamorphosis, but leaving the minions behind to just attack someone while you run away is always more effective. Who cares if the Hellhounds or Puzzlebox minions live or not as long as you do?
- As of some questions raised, I'll post some sample camp times (in seconds taken to kill them) to show the viability of a 2/4/0/1 vs a 4/2/0/1 build:
4/2 vs 2/4
wild hunters - 13/11
mino - 18/14
catman - 17/18
vulture - 13/11

As you can see, the extra points in Battle Cry actually shave 1-2 seconds off all of the decent camps except Catmen (stomp dominates your lower HP Hounds), as well as offering superior benefits to your team for most likely screwing up their pub lanes :P

Counters:

- He has high physical damage and will most likely carry a Shrunken Head. Void Talisman is the most optimal counter to that. Armor Stacking will help too.
- Stormspirit serves a similar purpose as Void Talisman in being to save you or even team mates from his fury. If you can make use of them, get both items!
- Warbeast will most of the time be jungling. Make sure you pay him a visit from time to time as uninterrupted farming will make him a War BEAST faster than you might think.
- Make use of the fact that most Warbeast players will be almost completely useless before the 20-30 minute mark turning it into a 5vs4 in your favor. Push hard if you can.
- A Warbeast without Puzzlebox (usually Shieldbreaker like a tard) is easily outcarried.