No matter how long you’ve been playing Dota 2, there will always be heroes that you may struggle to master. Meepo will potentially be the top entry on that list alongside Chen and Invoker, but these heroes are also as rewarding as how complex they are.
A decent Meepo player can single-handedly dominate a match by themselves. While it may sound unfair for a single hero to have that kind of impact, Meepo is far from being a “solo” hero. His ability to clone himself up to four times makes him one of the game’s most unique heroes.
Each of Meepo’s clones can cast abilities and gain experience, allowing Meepo to out-level anyone on the map. Meepo’s whole objective is to out-farm everyone in the shortest time frame possible. When he accomplishes this, his enemies will be too weak to counter him, and he’ll keep swinging his shovel to victory.
If Meepo fails to end a game in a timely fashion, his enemies may catch up on farm and even counter him completely. Itemizing and skilling your Meepo in the most optimized way possible will allow you to withstand pressure in the late game. Meepo, with the right items, can still bring a game home even in the late-game.
Your gold influx as a Meepo is likely to be higher than any other hero on the map besides Alchemist, so you’ll be making the game-changing item decisions before anybody else. Sometimes you may need to rethink an item pickup later into a match, but you can always sell it to replace it with something stronger.
Here’s how you should skill Meepo to unlock his true potential and the items you’ll need to bring that tasty +25 MMR home.
Meepo’s skill build
| Level one | Poof |
| Level two | Ransack |
| Level three | Poof |
| Level four | Divided We Stand |
| Level five | Poof |
| Level six | Earthbind |
| Level seven | Poof |
| Level eight | Ransack |
| Level nine | Earthbind |
| Level 10 | First talent upgrade: +6 Strength |
| Level 11 | Divided We Stand |
| Level 12 | Earthbind |
| Level 13 | Earthbind |
| Level 14 | Ransack |
| Level 15 | Second talent upgrade: +15 percent evasion |
| Level 16 | Ransack |
| Level 17 | Divided We Stand |
| Level 20 | Third talent upgrade: -3s Earthbind Cooldown |
| Level 25 | Fourth talent upgrade: +1 Divided We Stand clone |
Meepo’s talents are relatively dull compared to other heroes. It’s mostly because he doesn’t need them, and he would get completely out of control with game-changing talents since he usually hits the maximum level cap before anyone else.
If you have a free farm during the early game and your team is holding out okay with your help, you can delay skilling Earthbind even further to maximize your farm. This will ultimately reduce your effectiveness in chase or Town Portal Scroll to save situations, but the extra farm boost should make up for it.
Meepo’s item build
Though Meepo can be played in the safe lane as a carry, he desperately needs the solo experience. Easier access to the jungle from the middle is what he needs, and he’ll come online sooner than you think with a couple of jungle camp stacks.
Starting items
Quelling Blade + Circlet + Slippers of Agility + Iron Branch + Faerie Fire
You’ll notice that Meepo’s starting backpack is missing regeneration items. You’ll need to ask your supports for two Tangoes since you’ll be focusing on completing your first base stat items. Almost all supporters in all MMR brackets are familiar with regeneration sharing due to how common it is in the competitive Dota 2 scene.
Don’t buy your items until you secure your Tangoes, however. In any case where you can’t seem to get extra regen from your teammates, you’ll need to adjust your build. We recommend getting rid of the Slippers of Agility to buy yourself a single set of Tango, but you can also get more creative to top it off with a Healing Salve.
Quelling Blade makes last-hitting relatively easier, but you can also replace it with a couple of Faerie Fires if you’re looking for that extra safety.
Early-game
Two-to-three Wraith Bands, Boots of Speed
You already start the game with two pieces of a Wraith Band, and since it’s one of the most valuable items based on the stats it provides, it doesn’t hurt to buy one or two more of them.
This will inevitably delay your Power Treads, but the Wraith Bands will make you even tankier than rushing for Power Treads.
Mid-game
Meepo should slowly start becoming a threat around the map. He can start using Town Portal Scrolls to help his team through this stage of the game and instantly kill almost anyone on the map.
Power Treads
Power Treads requires almost no explanation since it’s the perfect pair of boots for Meepo. He desperately needs the stats since other Meepo clones benefit from them as well. There aren’t any boots in the game that increase base stats.
Don’t get too attached to your Power Treads, though, since you’ll need to swap them for Boots of Travel toward the late game for mobility around the map.
Ethereal Blade
Ethereal Blade instantly doubles Meepo’s solo kill potential. The item’s active ability increases your target’s magic damage intake by 40 percent and slows them down by 80 percent while also dealing 1.5 times your primary attribute + 125 magic damage.
It’s not a proper lockdown tool, but it’s enough for Meepo to land an Earthbind and start going berserk with the follow-up Poofs. You could buy the Eaglesong part of the item first if you’re having a great game, but getting the Ghost Scepter first will be the key to survive in more challenging games.
Eye of Skadi
If Ethereal Blade was Meepo’s bread, Eye of Skadi would be his butter during the mid game. There will be games in which you’ll need to buy the Skadi before Ethereal Blade, but you should still be able to get both of them in a timely manner no matter the order.
Eye of Skadi is packed with powerful base stats that increase Meepo’s tankiness. The on-hit slow effect is also just what Meepo needs since he’ll effectively be chasing enemies with three-to-four extra units.
Late-game
Blink Dagger
Though we’ve categorized Blink Dagger as a late-game item, picking it up during the mid-game can also let you secure more kill opportunities around the map. The main reason why Blink Dagger is categorized as a late-game item is because Meepo’s more likely to secure solo kills after completing the Ethereal Blade and Eye of Skadi.
This item allows Meepo to jump on any enemy, and he can easily Earthbind them from a short distance to nuke them down with Poofs.
Blink Dagger also increases his farming rate, meaning picking up the following items can only take a few minutes when you’re on a farming spree.
Aghanim’s Shard
Meepo runs out of slots quite fast. Any items that gives you a useful buff and doesn’t take space in your inventory will always fit perfectly into your build.
Introduced with the Mistwood patch, Meepo’s Aghanim’s Shard upgrades his third spell, Ransack. The ability gains a 30 percent chance to apply a Geostrike debuff on target that Meepo hits.
This debuff slows them by 20 percent and deals 20 damage over time for four seconds. Effects from other Meepo clones will also stack, making this Aghanim’s Shard upgrade even more worth it.
Scythe of Vyse
It’s time to give something back to your team, and it’s through providing a second lockdown tool. A team that knows how to play against Meepo won’t send any of their own to the darkness alone. Once you blink to kill someone, there will be others to ambush you. Scythe of Vyse will allow you to get rid of the most impactful enemy hero that can make Meepo’s job difficult for 3.5 seconds, which is more than enough to give yourself some time to shine.
Besides securing your position in the fight, it can also be used on targets with a Black King Bar. Anyone affected by Scythe of Vyse won’t be able to cast spells or use items, allowing Meepo to go to town with Poofs.
Boots of Travel
As the game goes by, Meepo will need to be in all parts of the map. He may need to push two to three lanes simultaneously, and he’ll need a tool to transition between them quickly or join his team. Boots of Travel does just that.
You can even go ahead and buy Boots of Travel 2. The upgraded version of the item will allow you to Teleport on teammates, which will increase your team’s kill potential by a considerable margin.
If you have a hero like Beastmaster or Magnus who can capitalize on mistakes with a blink of an eye, you’ll need to have your teleporting finger ready to wreak havoc.
Situational items
Unlike other heroes, Meepo doesn’t really have that many situational items he can pick up. He collects all the best all-rounder items throughout the game, and anything else that’s left out are stuff that he wouldn’t have used in the first place.
Some professional players even pick up the second Eye of Skadi since it’s just a good item on him based on pure base stats.
Butterfly
Compared to Eye of Skadi or Scythe of Vyse, Butterfly is too one dimensional for Meepo. Other Meepos won’t gain the extra attack speed or the evasion since they can only benefit from pure stats.
If you’re swimming in gold, however, it’s still an okay item to pick up based on farming speed and the agility it offers. Your main Meepo will be more resistant to auto-attacks as well, which can open some play opportunities if used correctly.
Silver Edge
While the Blink Dagger pick-up will be enough to cover most of Meepo’s mobility needs, there will be times that you’ll need to hunt solo.
Picking up a Shadow Blade and building it into a Silver Edge will give you the freedom of taking down enemies before they even notice that you’re closing in on them.
Silver Edge is also quite a valuable item against heroes that have powerful passive abilities. Landing a single hit on them while you’re shrouded by Silver Edge will disable their passive abilities for four seconds, more than enough for Meepo to his magic.
