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Very often novice players do not take into account the value of defense or magic resistance. Thus, using for example a skill, the player simply does not understand why the enemy received less damage than it is written in the description of the skill. In order to avoid such a situation, we will take a closer look at what physical protection and magical resistance are.
Each hero in Dota 2 has a certain amount of defense at the start. Someone has a lot of protection, and someone even has to buy more items in order to at least slightly increase this indicator. The hero’s defense is indicated in the hero’s information box. If you move the mouse over the armor indicator, you can see not only a numerical value, but also a percentage.
Physical protection allows you to reduce damage from normal attacks of enemy heroes, creeps, neutral monsters and some skills. Physical defense can be increased in various ways, such as items or skills. In this case, protection is displayed as a total figure, and damage is reduced as a percentage.
You can increase physical defense with the help of artifacts, skills, or an increase in dexterity. For every 7 points of dexterity, your hero gains 1 point of defense. As a rule, heroes with the main characteristic dexterity (mostly carry) rarely buy artifacts for defense. They simply buy artifacts for dexterity and thereby increase both damage and defense at the same time.
The hero has the highest initial defense value (7.96 defense), and the hero has the highest defense at level 25 (21 defense).
Of course, do not forget that this defense will only help you against physical damage and your hero can die very quickly from magical or pure damage.
Very often, a hero’s survivability is calculated depending on the hero’s defense and his health pool. Increasing only one indicator of protection is not entirely correct and not profitable. It is necessary, as it were, to balance between increasing protection and increasing maximum health. If we allow to compare all heroes only by their health indicator and defense indicator, then the hero will withstand the most physical damage. This hero has the main characteristic of intelligence, but at the same time he has a good indicator of health and defense, which allows him to withstand 4755 points of physical damage.
Damage reduction is based on the following formula:
100 * ((0.06 * defense points) / (1 + 0.06 * defense points))
It is important to understand that protection can be not only zero, but even negative due to the action of various artifacts and skills. In the case of negative protection, physical damage to your hero will increase.
The table of the ratio of protection and reduction (increase) in damage is presented below.
It is important to note that when increasing defense, the damage reduction does not occur evenly. When you increase defense from 0 to 1, then you reduce incoming physical damage by 5.7%, when you increase defense from 9 to 10, for example, then the damage reduction will be only 2.4% per unit of defense. Thus, we get the maximum increase in physical damage reduction with an initial increase in protection. The more protection becomes, the smaller and smaller the gain becomes. The most optimal defense indicator is +25 defense and, accordingly, 60% reduction in physical damage. A further increase in protection will be less effective. If there are heroes in the enemy team that can reduce armor, it may be necessary to increase the armor a little more in order to have a good percentage of protection all the time.
Pay attention to the fact that with negative protection, damage to your hero increases quite significantly. Even with -1 defense, your hero will take 6% more physical damage. The maximum armor can be reduced to -20, in which case the hero will receive 71% more physical damage, but such a figure can not always be achieved and not against all heroes. If your hero has the ability to reduce armor using his skills, then very often such a hero is also bought the corresponding artifacts in order to increase the effect of armor reduction and deal more damage to the enemy.
Speaking of defense, it is definitely worth mentioning the different types of attacks. Each unit in Dota 2 has its own type of attack and its own type of armor. You will not see this data anywhere in the game interface, so in this paragraph we will consider in detail all types of attacks. In total, there are five types of attack in the game: heroic, piercing, siege, chaos and normal.
Heroic Attack
All Dota heroes have this type of attack. Note that heroes only deal 50% damage to enemy structures. Thus, don’t rely solely on physical damage when pushing enemy towers early in the game. In a sense, it will be much more efficient to use certain skills, such as or .
Normal attack
Creeps in the melee lane have this type of attack. It is worth noting that creeps deal good damage to neutral monsters from the middle camp. Thus, by making withdrawals, you can kill neutrals very quickly and quickly farm experience and gold.
Stab Attack
This type of attack is possessed by ranged creeps, as well as summoned poisonous snakes. From the data listed above, it becomes clear that ranged creeps will be most effective against enemy creeps. Ranged creeps are especially weak against enemy structures, as they deal only 35% damage.
Siege Attack
Siege creeps (catapults) have siege attack. The main advantage of siege creeps is that they deal 150% damage to enemy structures. This unit is ideal for pushing and sometimes it makes sense to wait for your catapult and break the structure with its support.
Chaos Attack
This type of attack is possessed by Roshan, a fountain, some neutral monsters and summoned creatures, for example, such as or the hero’s Forged Spirits . The main advantage of chaos attack is that it deals 100% damage to enemy heroes. This type of attack is least effective against enemy structures.
Separately, it is worth answering two neutral monsters: Owl (big bird) and the blue Ogre mage. Both of these neutrals can be intercepted by the heroes and use their skills to increase defense.
Let me remind you that every 7 dexterity gives 1 point of armor. Accordingly, all artefacts for dexterity will also increase protection.
Almost all skills of Dota 2 heroes have magical damage. First of all, it is worth noting that all heroes initially have the same magic resistance, namely 25%. The exceptions are heroes (10% initial resistance) and (35% initial resistance). Thus, if you let’s say you use a skill that deals 400 damage, then the enemy will only take 300 damage. First of all, it is this resistance of the enemy that must be taken into account, and when attacking, always take into account the fact that a quarter of the damage will be blocked by the natural defense of the enemy. It is also worth considering that the game has artifacts and skills that can provide complete immunity to magic. For example, invulnerability can be obtained through the item Black King Bar or skill.
Magic resistance can be increased with various enemy skills or artifacts. It is important to note that items that increase magic resistance do not stack. Only the artifact with the highest resistance bonus counts. So, if you let’s say you buy Hood of Defiance as well, then the resistance will only increase by 30% due to Hood of Defiance.
It is also worth noting the skill that increases magic damage to the hero himself.
Separately, it is worth noting the Mask of Madness artifact, which, when activated, increases damage to the owner of the item. It is also worth paying attention to items and (mana burn of one of the Necrons), which can be used as a way to deal additional magic damage.
Finally, I would like to touch on such a topic as pure damage. The fact is that pure damage completely ignores the physical defense or magical resistance of the target. Pure damage is very effective against heroes who are starting to increase their survivability through armor or resistances. Pure damage is dealt by some hero skills. An example of such skills are:
One of the hero’s skills, or rather Sun Strike, deals pure damage.
Dota 2 — Venomancer (Lesail) Hero Guide
is commonly referred to as «Venomancer» or even more briefly «Broom». This article will mainly use these names.
Pros
If you start the game as a support, then in this case, first of all, you should take care of your team, that is, buy a courier and wards. At the initial purchase, Venomancer is not particularly picky about items, so he can easily afford such purchases. You should definitely take simple health regen consumables, or. Health on the line in any case will be lost. I would also advise you to take something for mana regen, for example or . Venomancer’s mana regen is weak, but you still have to use skills. The remaining money is better spent on. In the future, the branches will come in handy for receiving. If you start the game in the jungle or on the hard lane, then there is already a huge number of options for initial items and we will not focus on them, since the main article is about Venomancer as a support.
Main subjects
— Arcana are used mainly for Venomancer. The fact is that the hero constantly needs mana, and his own mana regen is weak. In addition, boots increase your maximum mana, which is also important if you want to use your ult a lot. If you are in a key support role, then the Arcana can be progressively upgraded and thus you will have an incredibly useful team artifact. If you are paired with a second support and plan to start moving between lanes very early, then in this case it is good to use . These boots will significantly increase health regen and give good movement speed. The last choice of boots are. These boots are also used quite often and with the right switching of stats can be very useful and effective.
Ring of Aquila is an inexpensive but extremely effective ring that is used very often for Venomancer. The advantage of the ring is that it significantly increases the damage of the hero and gives additional mana regen, which is simply necessary for Venik. A ring is assembled from inexpensive and convenient items, that is, you do not need to save up for something for a long time.
Veil of Discord — the main purpose of this item is that Discord increases magic damage on enemies in a decent radius. The increase in magic damage lasts for a very long time and thus the item is very good to use in combination with the ult. In addition, the artifact increases the main characteristics quite well and significantly increases the maximum mana and regen due to a good intelligence bonus.
— a magic wand is not a completely mandatory item, but I would advise you to learn how to use this item and use it as often as possible. In some cases, actively using an item can save a life or restore some mana to use a skill.
— Aghanim, as we said earlier, is used quite often, as it significantly increases the damage of the ult and reduces the cooldown at the last level of pumping. In addition, Aghanim is also good in that it increases the main characteristics and significantly increases the maximum supply of health and mana, and this certainly will not be superfluous.
Situational Items
— this item is remarkable in that it simultaneously increases the overall damage of the hero and increases survivability by summoning illusions. The damage is increased by the agility bonus and the speed bonus. Survival is given to us by illusions, since the enemy will not be able to quickly determine where the real hero is. Also, activating an artifact allows you to avoid hitting some skills and removes many negative effects.
Boots of Travel — Travel is bought at the very end in order to increase the speed of the hero’s movement, give the opportunity to teleport to allied targets and free up one place in the inventory, which was previously occupied by the teleport scroll.
— this item is used most often in order to make the most of the ultimate. That is, under the cover of invisibility, we get as close as possible to the cluster of the enemy and calmly use the ult. The presence of this artifact also makes it possible to carry out ganks.
— Dagger, in principle, also serves to quickly break into a crowd of enemies and use the ult. Also, the artifact can significantly increase the mobility of the hero. Buying an artifact is worth it if you know how to use it competently and quickly.
Eul’s Scepter of Divinity — Eul is good because it gives a good bonus to movement speed and significantly increases mana regeneration. The active part of the skill can be used to, for example, more accurately use the Gel or the same ult. Also, the use of a tornado on Venomancer himself significantly increases the hero’s survival in battle, and, well, removes a number of negative effects.
— Force Staff is a great team artifact with which you can save the life of your allies or your own. In general, the presence of this artifact in the team is highly desirable, especially when the enemy team has too many control skills.
— The lens allows you to install magic snakes much further and Venomancer, even without risk to his own health, can safely scout the territory. In addition, the artifact increases magical damage, that is, the ult and other skills will deal more damage.
— Ghost is best used in cases where the enemy team has several heroes that deal high physical damage with normal attacks. In this case, Ghost will allow Venomancer to save his life for a while. The most important thing to remember is that under the influence of Ghost Venomancer becomes more vulnerable to magical damage.
Scythe of Vyse — Vyse is used very rarely, but still it is a great option when your team clearly lacks control, and the game has already dragged on long enough and you have accumulated money.
— Octarine almost completely solves the problem with the lack of mana and gives magic vampirism, which certainly will not be superfluous.
Examples of consecutive purchases of items
The first option is great for playing on the safe lane as a support. In the final version, we get a Venomancer with very good damage. It is understood that throughout the match, Venomancer is constantly buying artifacts for his team (wards, courier, etc.), so the lion’s share of the gold will be spent on this.
Starting purchase
If necessary, before Aghanim, you can still collect .
Option 2
I would recommend using the second option for a complex line. This option provides for a very mobile Venomancer, but this is only an option and, of course, some more standard assembly can be used for a complex line. Please note that this build is possible with a good initial farm. Against a tough trilane, chances are you won’t be able to farm that many items.
If the game is still going on, then Octarine can be added at the end. Once again, this option is possible if you can farm well on the hard lane and do it.
Option 3
Venomancer is able to start the game even from the forest. In this case, there may be quite a few options. With proper use of snakes, you can buy almost any artifact. The option below will include buying an early Midas. Next, some of the support items for the team are bought and then the hero’s combat potential is slightly increased with the help of certain artifacts.
In general, Venomancer does not need much to farm the forest, so for example, you can easily buy a courier at the beginning of the game. This option should be used only when you have already thoroughly mastered the Venomancer and learn how to farm the jungle with the help of snakes and use various chips using them.
At the end, we sell Midas and replace it with an artifact according to the situation.
It should be understood that no option is ideal and certainly not suitable for all occasions. For Venomancer, there are literally a few key artifacts, and all other items are bought solely by the situation. Even the main subjects in some cases can be excluded in exchange for something more relevant to the current situation.
I want to draw your attention to the skill. The fact is that snakes, installed on time and correctly, can not only act as an excellent ward, but can also disrupt the initiation of some heroes who actively use the artifact. In other words, even before the start of the battle, you can roughly determine the location of the enemy initiator and shoot down Dagger to him. Thus, the enemy will not be able to break into the battle and spend a huge amount of time running around. For example, Venomancer can quite well resist such heroes as: , (also Venomancer will quickly knock down the shield), , , , and the like.
In general, the set of Venomancer’s skills allows you to control the situation on the map well and makes it possible to resist the push of the enemy. Due to these and some other reasons, Venomancer can also be taken against heroes such as: , , , , , Keeper of the Light. With a competent game, Venomancer can normally resist many.
Now let’s talk about the most dangerous enemies Venomancer can face.
Most of Venomancer’s skills deal damage over time, and some heroes with healing and other properties can deal with such damage very well. For example, very problematic are: , , , .
By itself, Venomancer does not have any skills that increase mobility and, in general, the hero does not have the best survivability. Thus, heroes that can quickly close the distance and kill us or heroes that have good control and can also quickly kill us can be dangerous. Such heroes include: , , , , , , .
If the enemy team has a lot of enforcers with a lot of health, then Venomancer may not be the best solution either. In addition, it should be understood that the strength of Venomancer lies in his skills, so any heroes with «silence» can completely deprive us of the opportunity to use skills in battle and there will be little use from Venomancer.
The most important and useful allies for Venomancer are good CC initiators who can get into the fight first and Venomancer can safely use his ult (on the sly). The most interesting allies in this case are: , , , or . If there are no such allies, then it’s okay.
Please note that Venomancer does not have hard control skills in his arsenal and it is desirable that your allies compensate for this lack.
Due to his set of abilities, Venomancer can be chosen for almost any position, but the most popular are the easy and hard lanes. We will mainly be looking at the safe lane and Venomancer as a support. If you are just starting to get acquainted with the hero, then I advise you to start with the support Venomancer, since this role is more obvious and easier for this hero to master. When playing on the line, Venomancer can equally well stand on the line or engage in taps. When playing in the lane, Venomancer, of course, cannot help his allied carry in any way, that is, we have no healing or any buffs, but we can very well harass the enemy in the lane. For effective harassment, it is enough to use only an auto attack and a passive skill. If the enemy is very carried away and takes a lot of damage, then you can try to use the skill and try to kill the enemy. At the initial stage of the game, this skill is much more useful than any stuns. Yes, the enemy can easily move, attack or use skills, but his movement speed will be noticeably reduced for a long period of time, and during this time you can safely lean on the enemy and kill him. It is the accuracy of use that will determine the success of the game at the beginning. It may seem that the skill works quickly, and in general it is, but it is very easy to miss the Gel. Try to use this skill while keeping the cursor as close to the enemy as possible, or even use the skill as if for the enemy. Thus, the chances of missing will be less. If the second support is better suited for the role of a nanny, then Venomancer can safely go to the forest. Here, Venomancer will be able to farm a bit in the early game, and will also be great to use as additional wards. At a minimum, you can place a snake in the rune area from time to time in order to slightly secure the approaches to the line and see more territory on the map. The exit from the forest to the lane must necessarily be accompanied by the use of a skill and an attempt to kill the enemy. Most players greatly underestimate Venomancer’s slow and often fall prey to slowly trying to run towards their tower but simply failing to do so. Too many artifacts are not required for Venomancer, so the whole beginning of the game is better spent on the most aggressive game and trying to kill the enemy. Of course, the presence of certain artifacts significantly increase the effectiveness of Venomancer, but farming should not be your primary goal. Remember, you are a support and you are working for your team, not lining your pockets with gold.
In terms of a ganger, Venomancer is far from the best hero. Of course, slowing down is good, but it may not be enough for a surprise attack on the enemy. In addition, Venomancer has a reduced movement speed and moves very slowly around the map. If you have already decided to gank, then you should do it only together with some specialized hero, for whom your slowdown will be enough.
By the middle of the game, Venomancer does not lose its relevance, but playing as a support becomes a little different. The fact is that even before the start of any battle, you need to learn how to correctly place snakes and thereby provide additional vision for your team. In some cases, one such, well-placed, snake can be more useful than some kind of slowdown. Knowing where the enemy is is a very big advantage. In the early game, it’s often better not to spam snakes, as killing them gives the enemy extra experience and gold, but in the middle of the game, this is no longer worth worrying about. During the fight itself, the main thing for Venomancer is to use his ult and Gel and hit the maximum number of enemies with this. Everything else will be done by your team. If at the same time the battle is stretched out, then for Venomancer it will only be at hand, since the poison will already deal a huge amount of damage and the enemies will not be able to do anything about it. Even the presence of BKB will only partially help the enemies, since the immunity to magic helps from the effect of the poison only while invulnerability is working.
From the outside it may seem that Venomancer is some kind of unremarkable hero, but in fact it is not. For a support, the hero has everything you need. There is a powerful slow, there are wards (which have a huge number of uses), there is a powerful AOE skill, there is good harass potential. If you do everything right, then Venomancer can crush the enemy from the very first minutes of the match. Unlike many supports, Venomancer does not lose its relevance, and with the presence of some artifacts, the hero can independently inflict a huge amount of damage. If you decide to try yourself in the role of a support, then Venomancer can be a good choice. For the initial understanding of the game for Venomancer will take a little time. Most of the skills are clear and easy to use. If you like the hero, then later on you can do all sorts of interesting tricks with him, and in general, a lot of interesting strategies are associated with Venomancer. In other words, there is room for improvement.
