Dota 2 Heroes For Beginners: Push Without Skill-Adding Items
Alright, Dota 2 newbies, welcome to the wild world of hero pushing! You're probably here because you're looking for heroes that focus on straight-up, no-frills tower destruction, right? Maybe you're not quite ready to deal with the complexities of items like Refresher Orb or Aghanim's Scepter that fundamentally change how a hero plays. Don't sweat it, guys! This guide is tailor-made for you. We're going to dive into some fantastic Dota 2 heroes that excel at pushing lanes and taking down enemy structures, all while sticking to the basics. No need to worry about complex item builds that introduce new skills – these heroes get the job done with their core abilities and a few essential items. So, buckle up, and let's get started on your journey to becoming a formidable lane pusher!
Understanding the Pushing Strategy in Dota 2
Before we jump into the heroes, let's quickly touch on the concept of pushing in Dota 2. Pushing is all about applying pressure to the enemy lanes and objectives, particularly towers. A good push can force the enemy team to react, create space for your team to farm, and ultimately open up opportunities to take down the enemy's base. It's a fundamental part of the game and a crucial skill to master if you want to climb the ranks. The key elements of a successful push include:
- Wave Clearing: The ability to quickly eliminate creep waves to advance into the enemy territory. Strong wave clear ensures you can safely push and reduces the risk of being counter-pushed.
- Tower Damage: Heroes should be able to deal significant damage to towers, allowing them to be taken down swiftly.
- Survival: Staying alive during a push is paramount. Heroes need the ability to survive ganks and skirmishes, ensuring the push can continue uninterrupted.
- Team Coordination: While these heroes can be effective solo, coordinating with your team can greatly enhance the effectiveness of your pushes. Grouping up with allies amplifies your pressure and allows for safer tower sieges.
Now that you've got a grasp of the fundamentals, let's explore some heroes that make pushing a breeze. Keep in mind that while some items can enhance these heroes' pushing capabilities, we're sticking to the core strategy of using abilities without the complexity of skill-altering items.
Hero Spotlight: Nature's Prophet
Let's kick things off with a classic: Nature's Prophet! This hero is the poster child for pushing in Dota 2, and for good reason. His abilities are perfectly designed to control lanes and relentlessly pressure towers. The ability to summon Treants allows Nature's Prophet to constantly put pressure on lanes. This allows him to split-push effectively and forces the enemy to react to the presence of the Treants, drawing their attention and potentially resources away from other areas of the map. This can create opportunities for your team to farm or take objectives elsewhere.
- Sprout: This ability traps enemies, making it useful for both escaping and setting up kills. In the context of pushing, it can be used to isolate enemies defending a tower, making them vulnerable.
- Teleportation: This ultimate ability gives Nature's Prophet unmatched map presence. He can instantly teleport to any point on the map, allowing him to join team fights, defend towers, or initiate pushes on the opposite side of the map. This makes him incredibly versatile and hard to track.
- Nature's Call: Summons a group of Treants to fight for him. These Treants are crucial for pushing, as they deal damage to towers and can soak up tower hits. A large group of Treants can quickly melt a tower, especially when combined with Nature's Prophet's attack.
- Ultimate - Global Presence: Wrath of Nature is a global spell which allows Nature's Prophet to deal damage to enemies across the map. This is useful for securing kills and applying pressure to lanes. Furthermore, the passive ability to summon the Treants around the map and use them to defend or push, makes Nature's Prophet an excellent split pusher.
Nature's Prophet's typical item build focuses on maximizing his pushing and farming potential. Common items include the Aghanim's Scepter and Boots of Travel which further enhance his ability to split-push and apply map-wide pressure. However, you don't need these items to be effective. Early game items like Power Treads for increased attack speed and damage, and Maelstrom or Mjollnir to enhance wave clear, complement the Treants' pushing capabilities. Even without skill-altering items, Nature's Prophet is a pushing powerhouse.
Hero Spotlight: Death Prophet
Next up, we have Death Prophet, a formidable lane pusher with a knack for taking down towers with her ultimate ability. Death Prophet is a high-damage hero who excels at team fights and pushing lanes effectively. Her combination of spells and abilities allows her to quickly eliminate creep waves and deal considerable damage to enemy structures. Death Prophet is a great choice for players who enjoy a balance of pushing and team fighting.
- Silence: This ability silences enemies, preventing them from using spells. During a push, it can be used to shut down enemy heroes defending the tower and make them vulnerable to attacks.
- Spirit Siphon: Creates a siphon that drains the life of nearby enemies and slows them down, while healing Death Prophet. This ability offers survivability and can be used to hinder opponents trying to defend a tower during a push.
- Exorcism: Death Prophet's ultimate ability summons spirits that attack nearby enemies and structures. These spirits deal massive damage to towers, making her an exceptionally powerful pusher. The continuous damage from the spirits can quickly decimate enemy structures, making Death Prophet a constant threat.
Death Prophet's item build focuses on maximizing her damage output and survivability. Common items include Ethereal Blade to amplify her damage, and Black King Bar to protect her from crowd control. However, even without these items, Death Prophet is an excellent pusher. Early game items like Arcane Boots provide mana regeneration, and Aether Lens extends her spell range, enhancing her pushing abilities. Death Prophet's core kit makes her a potent pushing force, even without skill-altering items, and provides the necessary tools to destroy towers and win games.
Hero Spotlight: Luna
Luna is a fantastic choice for those who love dealing physical damage while pushing. She's all about sustained damage and benefits immensely from items that enhance her attack speed and damage output. Luna's damage output is exceptionally high, which is why she is excellent for pushing lanes and taking down towers. Her abilities and itemization are geared toward dealing maximum damage to both heroes and structures, making her a versatile choice for both team fights and pushing objectives.
- Lucent Beam: This ability deals damage to a target and can be used to harass enemies and clear creep waves quickly.
- Moon Glaive: This ability allows Luna's attacks to bounce to nearby targets, including towers. With high attack speed, Luna can quickly shred towers with Moon Glaive bouncing off the main target.
- Ultimate - Eclipse: Calls down beams of lunar energy that deals high damage to enemies in an area. Eclipse adds considerable damage and can be used to quickly destroy towers or obliterate enemy heroes who try to defend. Luna's ultimate can be used to quickly push lanes and take down towers, making her an excellent choice for a pushing strategy.
Luna's item build focuses on maximizing her attack speed and damage output. Items like Manta Style and Butterfly can enhance her pushing capabilities, but even without them, her core abilities are enough to do the job. Early game items like Power Treads, Dragon Lance, and Hurricane Pike will provide Luna with extra damage and pushing capabilities.
Hero Spotlight: Shadow Shaman
Shadow Shaman is a fantastic choice for beginner pushers due to his unique combination of crowd control, pushing abilities, and tower-shredding potential. Shadow Shaman is often overlooked, but he is a versatile hero who excels at pushing lanes and controlling enemies. His ability to disable enemies with spells and deal significant damage to structures makes him an excellent choice for pushing and team fighting.
- Ether Shock: Deals damage to an enemy and can be used to harass enemies and clear creep waves quickly.
- Hex: This ability turns an enemy into a harmless creature, making them vulnerable to attacks. During a push, hex can be used to isolate and eliminate enemy heroes defending the tower.
- Shackles: Channels a beam that locks down an enemy unit for a duration, dealing damage over time. This ability is incredibly effective at immobilizing enemy heroes, making them easy targets for your team during a push.
- Ultimate - Serpent Wards: Summons a number of Serpent Wards that attack nearby enemies and structures. The wards deal considerable damage to towers, making Shadow Shaman an exceptional pusher. The wards can quickly decimate enemy structures, allowing Shadow Shaman to destroy towers and win games.
Shadow Shaman's item build focuses on maximizing his mana pool and utility. Items like Aether Lens and Force Staff will enhance his spell casting range and mobility. However, Shadow Shaman does not need any skill-altering items to be an effective pusher. Items like Arcane Boots and Aghanim's Shard complement his pushing capabilities, by providing mana regeneration and extra wards for pushing. Even without skill-altering items, Shadow Shaman provides enough pushing potential to make him a great pick for beginner players.
Itemization for Pushers: Building the Basics
While this guide emphasizes heroes that push without skill-altering items, let's look at some essential items that will still help you out. Remember, this is not a comprehensive guide, just a basic introduction for beginners!
- Power Treads: These boots provide a good mix of attack speed, damage, and attributes. Switch between agility, strength, or intelligence depending on what your hero needs.
- Phase Boots: These boots give you increased movement speed and let you walk through units. This can be great for chasing down enemies or getting out of sticky situations.
- Drum of Endurance: This item gives a nice boost to attributes, mana, and attack speed for a short duration. It's a great choice for team fights and pushes.
- Magic Wand: A cheap and effective item that can provide health and mana regeneration. It is a good item for surviving engagements and pushing lanes.
- Maelstrom/Mjollnir: Excellent for wave clear and can damage multiple towers simultaneously. This item is excellent for heroes like Luna and Nature's Prophet to enhance pushing capabilities.
- Desolator: This item reduces the enemy's armor, making your attacks do more damage to both heroes and structures. This item is an excellent choice for heroes like Luna.
Conclusion: Mastering the Push
So there you have it, folks! Several great Dota 2 heroes that can take down towers with their base abilities and a few key items. Remember that practice is key, and the more you play these heroes, the better you'll get at pushing lanes, making smart decisions, and ultimately, winning games. Good luck, and have fun storming those enemy bases! Keep in mind that pushing is a team effort. Coordinate with your allies, be aware of the enemy's position, and make sure your team is ready to capitalize on the opportunities that arise. Enjoy your journey in Dota 2, and get ready to have a blast pushing those towers down!