Ash Legion Shield Is The Best Neutral Item In Dota 2

Dota 2 patch 7.40 brought many big changes to the game. Roaming is easier now, multiple heroes have been reworked, several facets were removed and much more. Among those changes, Valve introduced new Neutral Items. Ash Legion Shield is among those additions and it is absolutely broken.

In this article, we will go through the mechanics of the new neutral item, and discuss why you should be picking it up every game.

How does Ash Legion Shield work in Dota 2?

That shield pattern looks familiar. (Credit: Valve)

The new item comes with an active ability called Shield Wall. When activated, the user's movement speed is reduced by 12, in return they and all allies in an 800 radius gain a 140 physical damage barrier. This barrier works on ally heroes and their summons with health pools such as Lone Druid and Beastmaster. It does not work on Ward type units (Tombstone, Plague Wards, Nether Ward).

If multiple heroes us Shield Wall, the barrier is refreshed. It does not stack with each other. Barriers last for 6 seconds with a 40 second cooldown.

How good is the new neutral item?

Mother comes. And she has a battalion of children to feed on your hero. - Credit: blix.gg

Ash Legion Shield is unbelievably strong. To the point that I am shocked this is a tier one item and not tier three. It not only blocks physical damage for the user, it also protects allies. And any summon creeps anyone has. How is that balanced?

The item comes with no mana cost. You can use it even if Anti-mage drains you in the lane. Ash Legion Shield gets stronger as the game progresses. As players stack more armor, the physical barrier gets harder to break.

Useful on all heroes, Shield Wall shines even brighter on a few specific choices. Broodmother, Chen, Lycan, Meepo, and Beastmaster are the biggest beneficiaries. These heroes often work with several summons, or in Meepo's case, clones.

While some heroes benefit from the Shield more than others, there is no doubt that stacking it on as many players as possible is the best way to play the early game. There is no alternative that comes close to how useful Ash Legion Shield is in Dota 2.

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Featured Image Source: Valve