One of the most difficult and incomprehensible things for all newcomers is the selection of artifacts for the characters they play. Such players often ask the question of what to buy and why they need it. They often do not understand why other teammates get angry when they have purchased an item or, on the contrary, have not purchased it, which causes team dismay and loss.
Even those who have been playing for a long time but do not analyze their games and do not work on their mistakes have a problem with item selection. In this guide, we will try to convey the ideas and principles that beginners should follow when choosing artifacts for characters and different game situations.
Understanding of items in Dota 2
To begin with, it is advisable to familiarize yourself with the entire list of items that exist in Dota 2. The list is impressive, and you will not be able to memorize everything at first, but it is not necessary. The main thing is to review the artifacts and their descriptions, what they do, what they are called, and memorize visually how they look in the store and what category they belong to. This will make it easier for you to navigate the game store during the match. You can do this directly in the game, in the "Learn" menu, in the "Items" section. All items in Dota 2 can be grouped in different ways, but we will divide them into the following categories:
- Consumables — items that disappear from your inventory after you use up all your charges. These include health and mana recovery items (Tango, Healing Salve, Clarity), wards, teleportation scrolls, etc.
- Attribute items are those that give certain additional stats to your character's characteristics. They can be intermediate, i.e., used at the beginning of the game, without the possibility of further improvement, but necessary for a comfortable game. For example, it can be Null Talisman, Orb of Corrosion, Falcon Blade. And some can be improved and can be upgraded to create a completely different strong item that will retain the attribute bonus — Buckler in Assault Cuirass, Pavise in Solar Crest, Soul Booster in Bloodstone, etc.
- Active Action Items — items that can be activated and used on a team or an opponent, and this is their main or secondary strength: Silver Edge, Bloodthorn, Manta Style, Blade Mail, etc.
- Passive items are artifacts that provide various attribute values (strength, intelligence, dexterity), secondary (movement speed, attacks, damage, regeneration), and passive effects of strong action (piercing the target, stunning, mana burn, double strike, armor reduction).
- Neutral items — these items are inherent in the above categories, but they cannot be bought, but only found in the forest by killing neutral creeps.
Item guide
To facilitate the selection of items for each character, you can use the recommendations of the game itself. When you open the store, you will see a window with the recommended items, and they are divided into captions indicating at what stage of the game you should buy them. You can also use the guide from other players by clicking the appropriate button and choosing the most relevant option for you.
However, let's be honest, blindly buying items won't teach you anything, as you won't have an understanding of why you are buying this item, what it does, and what value it has. And in general, not always an item from the manual will be appropriate in a given situation, you may need an alternative. Dota 2 is a non-universal game, it's a game where each scenario is unique and depends on many factors: heroes, their abilities, characteristics, playing style, etc. And it is precisely in these different situations that the purchase of certain items should be adapted. However, it's not all bad, as some items remain unchanged for heroes, while others are situational. Often you have to read updates and learn new effects and parameters of items because they can either lose their relevance because they have become less profitable, or vice versa, they now look more interesting on other characters.
The logic of itemization
First, let's look at the general features of the approach to item selection. You need to determine what your current goal is, what you lack, and what you are going to do. First of all, the set of items depends on the role in the game.
If you are a first, second, or third position hero, then you need to collect items that speed up your farming, as well as add characteristics that will increase your combat potential: damage, attack speed, critical damage, armor reduction for enemies, increased survivability, etc.
If you play as a support character, you need artifacts that work for the team, give auras, health and mana regeneration, armor increase, or reduce enemy magic resistance. These can be items to save or control enemies.
Consumables
At the beginning of the game, players always take some healing supplies. This will help you stay on the line longer and restore your health if enemies attack you frequently. At the same time, you don't have to constantly run to the base, wasting time going to and from the base, or losing teleportation scrolls.
Carries are heroes whose main task is to farm early and for a long time to gain an advantage in gold and quickly get the necessary items and be able to defeat enemies. You don't need to take a lot of consumables for heroes of this role, a pack of Tango and Healing Salve should be enough.
If you need additional supplies, support should provide you with them. If this does not happen, then act according to the situation: ask or buy them yourself if you really need them. But you don't need to spend all of your initial funds on consumables. Buy Clarity or Mango according to the situation if you have expensive abilities. If there is an enemy hero on the line who often uses his abilities, it is best to buy a Regular Stick.
Experienced midlane players rarely buy consumables, they are provided with support when they come to the rescue. Hardliners, on the other hand, can take a few more of these items to restore resources, as they often have to stand alone and in difficult conditions.
Attributes
As for the other items, you need to collect those that will allow you to increase your attack, survivability, or mana. This can be a Null Talisman, Wraith Band, or Bracer, depending on your main attribute. However, you don't have to be tied to a particular parameter. For example, characters with low health, such as Crystal Maiden (intelligence), can take Bracers (strength attribute).
Positions of players who need to farm, such as carries, should take something that will make it easier for them to kill lane creeps. There is no need to buy Quelling Blade, as this item is now very weak compared to what it used to be. However, if you are going to buy Battle Fury, then such an investment will be appropriate at the beginning of the game. Battle Fury itself is an item useful for farming melee heroes whose abilities deal a lot of physical damage, including critical hits. But this item is necessary if you are aiming for a long farm. An alternative is Maelstrom, which can be upgraded to attack speed or control, depending on your needs and situation.
For a more active game, if you manage to farm gold quickly, you can buy Desolator, which will allow you to participate in early battles for stronger carry. This item will be useful if your opponents have heroes with high armor. It should also be understood that if you already have a hero with this item, you shouldn't buy it, and you shouldn't get two identical active/passive items, as the main ability of the two artifacts will not stack.
Adaptation to needs
Items should be chosen so that they enhance the hero's abilities and counteract enemy skills. Since you are playing a character whose main task is to deal damage and kill enemies, we need items for: attack power and speed, main attribute boosts, critical hits, piercing attacks, vampirism, etc. But items that are aimed at support (team health recovery, curses) do not make any sense.
You should also pay attention to the enemy's abilities and "feel" what you lack. If you are often killed, then first of all, play more cautiously, but you can also buy something that will make the hero more resistant. For example, you can take a Vanguard and then upgrade it. And here is the choice, where exactly to upgrade, to Crimson Guard or Abyssal Blade?
The first item is entirely aimed at increasing survivability and at the same time acts on the team. This option is not suitable for a hero whose goal is to kill. But for a conditional tank in your team, it is.
The second option is to upgrade the item to Abyssal Blade. After reading the description, we understand that this option is very beneficial to us, as it gives us additional damage, an active effect that stuns the enemy, and also gives a passive effect of damage from blows. That is, the faster the attack speed, the more likely the item will work on the enemy. However, this item is best suited for support and other heroes who have a low attack speed and a much lower chance of the item working during the battle. Also, reading the description, we can see that this item works worse if you equip it on a ranged hero. Since the effectiveness is lower, there is practically no need to buy the item.
Supporters should understand which auxiliary item will be useful in the current game and situation. For example, if the heroes have complex initiators, such as Axe, who burst into the crowd, then you need an item that can neutralize his abilities. If the team has little control, you can buy Eul's Sceptre, which will lift the enemy initiator into the air so that your team can retreat or regroup and take better positions. This item also dispels some effects.
Force Staff is a useful item that will allow you to push yourself or the enemy forward, which will again play in your favor to disrupt the enemy's position. An expensive, but also effective option is to buy Scythe of Vyse, which gives you more control over the target so that he cannot dispel this effect. If the team does not have a hero that can impose silencing on opponents (inability to cast spells), then you can buy Orchid Malevolence, which allows you to do so.
Examples of some subjects and their application
As you have already realized, each subject is situational and the choice of subject depends on many conditions. Below are a few examples of when and which item is appropriate.
- Blink Dagger — for heroes with low mobility who need to break into a crowd of enemies to use their abilities most effectively. Also, this item can be upgraded with the right attribute. Example: Crystal Maiden with her ultimates, Axe with its scream, Enigma and its Black Hole.
- Satanic — mainly for guilds that need fast and strong healing from damage during serious battles.
- Echo Sabre — if there is a need to strike two strikes in a row to benefit from stealing an attribute or applying an effect, for example: Faceless Void, Slark, Chaos Knight.
- Heaven's Halberd — gathers against heroes who need to be disarmed, as they are very unpleasant even in a one-on-one fight.
- Mjollnir/Battle Fury/Radiance — is taken depending on the type of attack of the hero, mainly for quick farming, as well as against heroes with controlled units, such as Nature's Prophet, and Broodmother.
- Divine Rapier — mostly bought at the late stage of the game, when there is not enough damage.
- Monkey King Bar — an item that gives you a chance to pierce effect, which allows you to hit heroes with high evasion rates.
- Silver Edge — under the influence of this item, heroes can impose an effect that "breaks" enemy passive abilities. It is also one of the situational items for the first three positions, which will help them with initiation or escape.
- Manta Style — creates the illusion of a hero and casts dispel on the wearer after activation. A useful artifact for heroes who already have illusions or have interesting effects that are better realized under the influence of illusions, such as Anti-Mage with its mana burn, or Naga Siren with her illusions and other abilities.
- Lotus Orb allows you to redirect a spell from the person who cast it. In large fights, when you need to protect a tank or a carry, it shows itself well, especially in combination with Linken's Sphere, which blocks the directed spell.
Conclusion
There are a lot of items in Dota 2 and each situation is unique, which can cause different needs for different items. Some basic items on each of the heroes remain the same as they unlock their power. While others may vary depending on the situation of the match, as well as the current patch, which could drastically change the item that became more appropriate for a particular hero. The main thing is to learn the items and what they give, and then you will have a better understanding of how to interact.
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