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Dota 2 Witch Doctor Guide To Cursing Your Enemies
Witch Doctor is one of the most popular heroes in Dota 2 patch 7.40b. He is a strong laner, deals fantastic damage all game, and sustains his team. In the hands of a beginner and expert, Zharvakko is a powerful pick.
In this guide, we will discuss how to play Witch Doctor, the best builds and facet choices, and how to remain relevant late-game.
What is the best facet for Witch Doctor?
The first choice people make is which facet to pick, Malpractice or Cleft Death. Both have the same win rate, so it comes down to player preference.
Malpractice causes enemies who die under the effect of Maledict to explode and damage other enemies in an 800 radius. The damage is 75% of the next burst. Cleft Death allows Death Ward to hit two targets. The main has a penalty of 5 damage, while the secondary target receives 65% of Death Ward Damage.
Of the two facets, Malpractice feels significantly more conditional. It requires enemies to die to actually do anything, which isn't always guaranteed. It also is less useful late game. Maledict has a fairly short cast range, and landing it later on isn't a high priority for Witch Doctor.
Cleft Death is what I typically go for. You deal very slightly less damage to one target, but you deal way more overall. The clincher here is that Aghanim's Scepter causes both Death Ward attacks to bounce, which is incredible damage late game.
What is the best skill build for Witch Doctor?
The most effective skill build this guide recommends for Witch Doctor is to max Maledict by level seven, with two points in Cask and one point in Death Ward. Players can then finish maxing Cask or start investing in Voodoo Restoration.
I prefer maxing out Voodoo Restoration early. The heal AoE and amount increases per level, and 50 HP per second is huge in the mid game. But there is no wrong choices here and Witch Doctor has a versatile skill build.
What are the best talent choices for Witch Doctor?
While his skill build my be flexible, his talent choices are not. Witch Doctor has clear better options at each talent choice, except level 10.
Reducing the mana cost on Voodoo Restoration goes a long way to maintaining it. The spell recently received a buff with 2 less at max level, but it's still expensive to keep on. The level 10 talent helps with that. However, if you're getting bursted down first in fights, then 200 health could be the better option here.
At 15, an extra proc of Maledict is a huge power spike. Maledict deals more damage with each burst, and adding an extra one greatly increases it's lethality. Two extra cask bounces looks very underwhelming compared to that.
At 20, an extra 1% max healing goes a long long way to keeping your team alive. It's unlikely Witch Doctor will die first in fights, so he can turn on his heal, stay a bit behind, and sustain his allies. The level 20 talent negates all damage over time abilities and makes the whole team more durable. Extra attack range on Death Ward....yeah, let's skip that.
At 25, more damage on Death Ward helps. As mentioned before, Cask is rarely worth upgrading, especially not at the cost of a talent point. At 25, Witch Doctor could have an Aghanim's Scepter, which further incentivizes this choice.
How do I build Witch Doctor?
There are two schools of though on how to play Witch Doctor in Dota 2. One prioritizes healing allies, the other on hurting enemies.
If you're looking to hunt enemies, then an Urn of Shadows is needed, with a possible Vessel Upgrade. Blink Dagger helps land your abilities and catch enemies off guard with Cask. Aghanim's Scepter and Shard are both mandatory. A Glimmer Cape or BKB is needed to ensure your ultimate isn't interrupted.
This is an aggressive play style, and requires consistent kills to make it work and aggression. I think it's fine but too conditional to work in some games.
If you are looking for a more stable approach, then you can go for aura items instead. Guardian Greaves is cheaper than ever and the dispell remains incredibly useful. You can then purchase a Holy Locket to further amplify your healing. Urn and Aghanim's upgrades remain worthwhile, but we delay scepter in favor of defensive options instead. The benefit of this build is that you can take objectives without worrying about losing health, as Witch Doctor keeps everyone max health.
Gameplay wise, both are relatively similar. You stay behind in fights and wait for enemies to approach for you to throw your stun-curse-ultimate combo. In the meantime you keep your healing turned on and try to keep as many allies alive as possible. If you are more aggressive, you'll generally jump second, after your main initiator catches a couple of enemies.
Witch Doctor is fairly simple in gameplay, but this guide aims to showcase some of the nuances in his skill choices and gameplay. Apart from casks, all his abilities are fairly straight forward and rely mostly on good positioning than anything else.
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