If you're one of those people who pick up a pair of Steamboots then "set it and forget it", unfortunately, you are missing out on a lot of the advantages that can be gained by switching your Steamboots' stats at the correct times. A lot of people shy away from doing this because it can feel very clunky at first. In all likelihood, this will be the case for you as well. Don't be discouraged when you look down and realize you've had Intelligence treads on Pestilence for the last 5 minutes. With a little practice it will become a second nature and you will be reaping the benefits of crafty "steam dancing".
Inventory Placement
Put your Steamboots in the same inventory slot on every hero. This will help switches to become a second nature.
When in Doubt
If you are ever in doubt of what your boots should be set to, your best bet is to go with Strength. With a few exceptions, which will be discussed below, any time you are likely to engage an enemy hero your boots should be set to Strength. The extra 190 hp you gain is vital, many times winning you a fight where you emerge victorious leaving the other team asking you, "How much HP?!". For this reason it is best to think of Strength as the default setting.
Regen Maximization
In Heroes of Newerth when you gain or lose stats, your new hp and mana values are based off percentages. For example, if you had 90/100 hp and gain 100 hp, you will then have 180/200 hp. This mechanic allows for some interesting opportunities when combining regeneration items and Steamboots.
With Bottle:
+
If you get into the situation where you have a Bottle and Steamboots, you can use your Steamboots to more efficiently regeneration from your Bottle charges. Next time you are about to start sipping on your Bottle, switch your boots to Agility. Since Bottle restores a fixed amount, with a lower hp and mana value you will be gaining a larger percentage of your stats back. When you switch your boots back to Strength/Intelligence you will have a larger net gain from each Bottle charge.
This line of thinking can be extended to other items as well. This includes Health Potions, Mana Potions, Lifetube, Mana Battery/Power Supply, or any other item that regenerates at a constant rate.
Situational Switches
Farming a Lane:
Whenever you're in a lane and have an opportunity to safely farm, it can make your farming go a little more smoothly if you have the extra 10 damage granted from switching your Steamboots to your primary attribute. Be careful though because when you are farming a lane it is rare that you are truly safe. This is best done if you have Wards protecting you.
Chasing:
Everyone has been in the situation where you are chasing someone down and they get away with just one hit left. If you are in a spot where you know you will be chasing someone down, a quick switch of your Steamboots to your primary attribute can put you over the top and just barely get you that last hit. A word of caution though, be careful not to switch out of Strength and start tower diving.
Out of Mana:
Nothing is worse than being just short of mana for a spell you desperately need to cast. If this is the situation you find yourself in a quick switch to Intelligence Steamboots can give you the mana you need for the job.
Portal Key Rush
This is especially useful with heroes that you rush a Portal Key on, but have a low mana pool. For example, Pestilence or Kraken.
Hero Specific Exceptions
+
Night Hound is a hero that is very often hidden and only pops out to do damage, then returns to the shadows. For this reason, the added hp from Strength treads isn't as valuable to him. Add the fact that Agility increases his damage through his Backstab ability, and you will want to change his default setting to Agility, only switching to Strength if you know you are about to take damage.
+
Chronos is unique because of his ultimate. When his ultimate is up you will most likely not be taking much damage. For this reason switch to Agility Steamboots right before using his ultimate to up your damage and attack speed.
+
Madman is a very mana-intensive hero that can avoid a lot of damage because of the maneuverability he gets from stalk. For this reason it is to your advantage to keep your Steamboots set to Intelligence, again only switching them to Strength if you are anticipating incoming damage.
+
With the power of Slither's Wards, setting your Steamboots to Intelligence can help you spam them early on. This can cause a lot of problems for the other team when you start pushing towers early with your massive amounts of Wards gained from your larger mana pool.
+
When farming with Soulstealer, because of Demon Hand, your Steamboots should be set to Intelligence instead of Agility. The extra Demon Hand casts you will gain from a larger mana pool outweigh the extra damage you will gain from switching your boots to Agility.
+
Fayde is in a situation similar to Madman. She is very mana-intensive, especially early in the game, and can gain a lot from the extra mana given by Intelligence Steamboots. Paired with her stealth ability, Intelligence is the stat of choice.
The advantages that can be gained by a knowledge of how to use your Steamboots most effectively can seem small for each instance, but if you add it all up there is a big advantage to be had. So don't wait, pick a slot to designate for Steamboots and start practicing today.
