Hello everyone, I am Nshek. When I initially played Vainglory, Ringo was the first character I used, and since then, he has remained as one of my top and best heroes. Today, I present to you my guide on my favorite hero of Vainglory, The Hardcore Sniper Guide.

Ringo Difficulty: Low Ringo is often played as the primary damage dealer for his team. He can shoot at blinding speeds and finish off fleeing enemies with an epic fireball that follows foes across the battlefield. Because Ringo is incredibly weak during the early stages of a game, Ringo players should focus on earning as much gold as possible before picking big fights.

Ringo is a ranged, agile carry with extremely high damage potential. When it comes to fights, Ringo is a specialist in locking down a single enemy, but has some of the lowest survivability & must rely on mobility to stay alive. Ringo is incredibly weak during early game, with his only viable role being in the lane. Thankfully, Ringo is great at last-hitting and can do so safely and alone. Once Ringo gains enough gold in the lane, he can become a formidable foe for his opponents. Though Ringo is an easy character to use, he is no doubt hard to master.

Damage Specialist

Single Target

Gold-Reliant

Double Down Slot: Heroic Perk Ringo's next basic attack after killing anything will be a critical strike.

Achilles Shot Slot: A Ringo fires a trick shot at his target's heel (or whatever lower extremity exists), slowing the target & dealing damage.

Twirling Silver Slot: B Ringo slings bullets at his target in a mad flurry, dramatically increasing his attack speed and move speed for a duration. Activating this ability resets Ringo's basic-attack cooldown.

• When activated, you are granted both attack and movement speed. Utilise that extra movement speed!

Hellfire Brew Slot: C Ringo takes a long swig from his gourd, then spits out a scorching fireball at his target. The explosion deals splash damage on impact and sets the target on fire, burning it & nearby enemies for 4s. The fire pierces all shield on impact.

• It can be used as a finisher. The continuous burn will stop enemies from retreating.
• It can be used as an initiator. The DoT will really help as the fight lingers.
• The burn after the initial impact lasts for 7 seconds.
• Hellfire Brew does true damage. True damage is unaffected by armour or shield.

Laning

• Ringo's farming position should always the lane; Never in the jungle. You can chose to do so, but I do not recommend it. In the lane, you'll have an easier time to clear up these creeps. As a ranged character, it will be easier to get the last hits to gather the gold and you will be safe from your distance. Moreover, Ringo is quite good at poking the enemy.

• After killing a troop and gaining the Double Down effect, immediately hit your enemy, followed by your first ability. The sudden spike of damage plays a psychological role on intimidating the enemy. If the enemy decides to run, attack them further before falling back. If they chose to retaliate instead, trade blows if you know you'll win the fight, otherwise return to your previous position.

Last-Hitting

• The creeps coming your way is not your dummy for shooting practice, but for an important source of gold. Practice interchanging movements, but most importantly, make those last hits count!

Kite All Day

• For beginners, Kiting refers to attacking an enemy with ranged attacks or abilities while maintaining a safe distance. This term originated from the analogy of flying a kite, where the attacking hero (the person) holds the target (the kite) at a safe distance (the string). This feat is often performed by ranged characters against enemy melee heroes. While kiting, the ranged hero makes use of their superior range, mobility and/or abilities to damage the enemy hero without taking damage themselves.

Preserving Energy

• During the early period of the game, Ringo must preserve as much energy as possible to sustain on the lane. His Achilles shot is essential for ganking and should NOT be mistakened or misused as a farming tool. Instead, keep it in your arsenal until you're ready to gank an enemy hero. Wasting the ability on killing creeps on the lane can prove to be dangerous due to the fact that Achilles Shotuses up a high percentage of your total energy, potentially leaving you with none left to use Twirling Silvershould you be ambushed.

Baiting

• Ringo has a natural tendency to attract enemy heroes due to his low base health. This is particularly annoying because Ringo starts off incredibly weak in the early stages of a game. With the enemy stronger and capable of ganking you, you are less likely to gain gold as you have a poorer chance of getting the minion kills. To make things even worse, Laners Petaland Adagiocan recover and self-sustain from your retaliations.
  
  
• There isn't much you can do about this, but if you can manage to bait the enemy into your turret range, the enemy will at least take as much punishment as you do. But for the sake of stating the obvious, experienced players won't fall for this trick, but even some people can't resist the urge to get overconfident and cocky. On a personal side note, having Glaiveon your team is ideal if the enemy is constantly overextending. An Afterburnand Achilles Shotis all it takes to get the victim exposed to the turret long enough to get killed.

Early Invades

• As you start ranking higher, these types of early game invades became more frequent. As a fragile (and rather weak) early game carry, it should not be in your nature to facecheck or lead your team into the enemy brush, regardless if you're moving faster than your team. Stay in your side of the brush and well behind your tank to make sure you're not the one taking damage.

	Hybrid Burst Sniper PROS: + High overall damage output + Strong balance between weapon, crystal & defence items. + Atlas Pauldron resistance + Pushing capability + High burst damage + Hard to counter build CONS: - Low energy sustain - Burst effectiveness falls short during long fights HIGH RESISTANCE AGAINST:
	The Hardcore Sniper PROS: + Very high overall damage output + Strong balance of both weapon and crystal + Atlas Pauldron resistance + Pushing capability + Extremely high burst damage + Hard to counter build CONS: - Low energy sustain - No defence items forces you to be less involved in fights - Burst effectiveness falls short during long fights

Early Game

Farm, Poke, Harass & Gank

In the early stages of the game, your prime focus should be farming. Ringo is not the strongest hero at level 1, but he can really pack a punch when he gains enough gold. Always keep your distance and anticipate for ganks and harassments, especially in higher skill tiers. If the opportunity is granted, you should attempt to aggravate and poke the enemy when they are trying to last hit. This way you'll be effectively using your abilities whilst also slowing the enemy's progress down.

If a fight breaks out in the jungle, consider the distance between you and the skirmish. If the battle is nearby, you should immediately head towards the fray and lend your team a helping hand. If the distance is unexpectedly far, you should instead concentrate on stopping the opposing laner from helping their team.

Mid Game

Building up & Getting Kills

When you're ready and all farmed up, accompany your team in the jungle if need be. Ringo's presence on the battlefield is much needed when you can help delay the enemy from getting away or closing in on an ally. Keep in mind that you will be at a disadvantage if you fight close-up, especially if your target can snare you. If your team is behind kill points, use scout traps effectively to avoid falling for ganks and ambushes.

Late Game

Co-ordination & Locking Down Prime Targets

Co-ordination is a must. With your team, target the deadliest (or squishiest) enemy on the opposing team.

STARTER ITEMS

Energy Battery Halcyon Potion Halycon Potion

OR

Weapon Blade Halcyon Potion Halycon Potion

EARLY GAME ITEMS

Sprint Boots OR Travel Boots

+

Tension Bow Reflex Block

MID GAME ITEMS

Travel Boots Tension Bow Halycon Potion

+

Sorrowblade Aftershock OR Aftershock Alternating Current

5

5

5

Level 1 - Twirling Silver
Either if you're starting in the lane or invading in the jungle, there is no exception in not getting this ability at level 1. Twirling Silver is an extremely versatile ability, and its effects should not be underestimated. It increases movement speed and has an overall higher damage output than Achilles Shot. But most importantly, it allows you to kite and stutter-step. It's better than some measly snare in every regard.

Level 6 - Hellfire Brew
When you reach level 6, I recommend you always take the ultimate, regardless of whether you're choosing to go weapon, crystal or hybrid. It deals true damage and will allow you to finish off fleeing enemies that are out of your short basic-attack range. When playing as weapon Ringo, consider applying your skill points into and maxing out Twirling Silver first as opposed to upgrading Hellfire Brew to level 2. Although the ultimate deals guaranteed damage and applies a nice burn, a few extra auto-attacks created by Twirling Silver, may be a better option.

Order of Skill Activation
The order of skill deployment is important for any character. As scenarios differ from one another, activating the right skills at the right time and place is essential to stay alive and well ahead of your enemy.

Solo Ambush When ambushing, initiate with Hellfire Brewin the brush, followed by Achilles Shotand Twirling Silver. By doing so, the enemy can neither cancel your ultimate nor be ready to use a Reflex Blockto avoid it's devastating effects. In addition to this, the enemy is unprepared and is likely to begin to panic. Continue to pursue and burst them down while you still hold the upper hand.

Early Game / Exposed Battle In an exposed battle with very little hiding terrain, avoid using Hellfire Brewunless the enemy has already used their Reflex Block. Being exposed usually means you are likely to get targeted more often. Stay behind your team, minions or turret, and hop in and out of fights when needed.

Teamfight Ambush During a co-ordinated team ambush, you either chose to: 1) initiate fights with Hellfire Brewand temporarily back away... OR 2) cast Hellfire Brewwhen another teammate chooses to initiate for you. I personally found both methods to work just as great, but the main goal of a carry never changes: Killing the enemy carry before they kill yours.

Only upgrade to Journey Boots when you have maxed every other item.

As most players already know, Ringo relies on gold. It is important to buy crucial items for kills and damage in order to support the team as a carry. The journey boots' lack of purpose does not fulfil this role, and therefore it is best to only upgrade Travel boots to Journey boots when you have maxed out every other item.

Always tap Twirling Silverbefore leaving spawn.

The sanctuary's regeneration will tick once on the way out of spawn, so it's completely free and you'll have a bit of a speed boost on your way.

Always engage last in team-fights.

Don't expose yourself so early. If the enemy is smart, their carries or assassins will do the same and will take the opportunity to burst you down while you are distracted attacking someone else.

Keep yourself protected by surrounding your brush with plenty of Scout traps.

You're very prone to ambushes without necessary vision. If you don't have the benefit of having a friend to check bushes for you, buy a stack of scout traps and keep your side's brush well guarded. Scout traps can really mean the difference between potentially being dead or alive. On a side note, keep a few scout traps for unexpected close combat when venturing into the jungle.

And most importantly... don't play while drunk.

Catherine Diffculty: Low Catherine brings the most reliable stun and disruption skills to teamfights and ganks. Hard to kill and great at chasing, she can secure kills and turn around fights that would otherwise be lost. Catherine can soak up damage and strike fear on sight. She is best roaming between jungle and lane.

Scary as an enemy, best mates as friends. Catherine is a versatile melee hero who excels at being a mobile front line fighter. Her natural tankiness coupled with her abilities also makes her one of the best initiators in the game. She is a formidable foe who can turn the tide of battles and is always a great asset to any character.

Adagio Diffculty: Medium The master manipulator of large-scale battles, Adagio brings incredible teamfight presence with huge Area-of-effect damage and team-saving abilities. He almost seems too good: He can heal. He can amplify damage. He can stun and nuke the entire enemy team ... but none of these can be accomplished without team-wide co-ordination. Adagio is extremely flexible and can start laner, jungler or roamer.

Adagio is a tanky, burst hero, who excels in support with his heal, damage boosts and stuns. When returning to home base, Adagio can temporarily take over the lane for you. He can help you by bruising grouped minions with his signature Gift of Fire ability, allowing for easier (and quicker) one-shot minion kills.

Glaive Diffculty: Medium Glaive has one of the most feared abilities in the game: a jet-powered Afterburn strike that will slice through you and blast you back into a tactically fatal position. In teamfights, Glaive's Area-of-effect cleave and Bloodsong lifesteal makes him incredibly hard to bring down. Try Glaive first as a jungler, but roam into the lane rocket enemies toward your allies and turrets.

Glaive is a dangerous and intimidating frontline fighter who excels in multi-target damage and positioning opponents from where they want to be to where they don't want to be. He can be very essential in winning team fights as he can both tank for his team and deal massive critical damage at the same time.

Play Video

Hardcore Sniper Guide - Early Days Version 1.0 - 21st October 2014 - Guide published on VaingloryFire. Version 1.1 - 24th October 2014 - Final Polishing; Featured in In-App News Section. Version 1.2 - 29th October 2014 - Added Taka Threat, Minor Edits. Version 1.3 - 15th December 2014 - Added Skaarf Threat, Fixed Several Typographical Errors. Hardcore Sniper Guide v2 - Revamp Update Version 2.0 - 22nd January 2015 - Improved Aesthetics, Better Overall Layout, Additional Sections. Version 2.1 - 29th January 2015 - Added Ardan Threat, Minor Edits; Featured in In-App News Section. Version 2.2 - 1st March 2015 - Added Celeste Threat, Ability Tips. Version 2.3 - 3rd April 2015 - Added Vox Threat, Build Paths & Ability Discussion Section. Hardcore Sniper Guide v3 - TBA Update Version 3.0 - ??? 2016 - Layout Rework, Game Phase Sections, Tips v. Heroes & Custom Banner.

Thanks for checking out my guide. If you liked or perhaps enjoyed it, please do consider giving it an upvote. Leave any suggestions in the comment section and your thoughts will be taken into consideration for future edits. I'll be updating this guide as the game progresses with new heroes and existing character changes. I hope to see you on the Halcyon Fold.

Credentials Cooldude1223, for being there from the very start... even when you spawn so damn late. Zyronl, for always trying to defeat me whenever I'm close to reaching Vainglorious. shocker, for always being an awesome teammate and friend. Sixx, for providing some of the essential codes that started this very guide. PlayoffBeard, for featuring my guide twice: both in-game on the Vaingloryfire site. SEMC, for making such an awesome game and community. Everyone in Solo Queue, for instalocking and making my experience hell.