One Dota 2 hero is carving up the high-tier meta—but you aren’t using him correctly

Dota 2 Patch 7.35b has sunk in and the meta couldn’t be more diverse, but one offlaner who is rolling through the high-rank queue isn’t working out as well in the lower ranks as the higher ones due to the lack of a key item choice.

After what feels like an age of misery for one-tricks, Doom is back and better than ever. The hero pick currently sits above parity and is enjoying a spot as one of the most-picked and highest-win-rate heroes in Dota, according to stats site Dotabuff. However, his numbers differ heavily between those at the top of ranked and all others; Doom boasts a 53 percent win rate in the high bracket and only a 49.17 percent rate in normal.

Skill builds are identical—Doom players should immediately be maxing Scorched Earth for the movement speed bonus and AoE damage—but while normal-ranked players are sticking to the tried-and-tested Vanguard and Blink Dagger, top players are opting for a Veil of Discord first instead, according to Spectral. Veil received a slight change in Patch 7.35b in that it affects an area around the user instead of a targeted location, but uses a Helm of Iron Will and Crown as a build-up making the hero tankier.

To some, it’s all the tankiness Doom needs in the early game, with the Helm giving enough armor and health regen for the hero to survive. Throw on the magic resistance reduction from Veil’s active so Scorched Earth deals extra damage, and Doom becomes a walking Radiance. This combo only improves in the mid-game when the Veil is upgraded to a Shiva’s Guard, applying the slow as well as the magic resistance reduction.

Lower-ranked Doom players are picking up the Shiva’s but not before grabbing other items that don’t directly benefit the hero as much as the Veil does. A Hand of Midas is too greedy, especially for Doom who already has Devour, and Aghanim’s Scepter to upgrade his ultimate is very slow and more effective later on, so shouldn’t be a priority.

After the Shiva’s upgrade Doom then goes back for a Blink, Aghanim’s Shard, and a Black King Bar, but then choices are truly dependent on game state. Fighting a physical damage carry? Grab a Heaven’s Halberd. Need more uptime on your Scorched Earth? An Octarine Core it is.

Doom’s true strength lies in his versatility in the lategame, but you can’t make it far if you don’t spend your gold correctly early on. Grab that Veil first next time you’re piloting the towering offlaner and run down your Dota 2 foes with ease.