Encountering the true master of Puck, the Faerie Dragon, is one of the most exhilarating challenges in Dota 2. This elusive hero is armed with a plethora of escape mechanisms and has the potential for overwhelming burst damage. A skilled Puck player can control the game from the laning phase right up until the opponent’s Ancient is destroyed.
Nevertheless, mastering Puck is no small feat. Although the hero’s item build may seem straightforward, achieving proficiency requires dedication, patience, and extensive practice. This guide will provide a clear outline of optimal ability order and item progression to facilitate your journey in mastering Puck.
Overview of Puck in Dota 2
Puck is classified as a ranged Intelligence hero, boasting a complexity rating of two stars. While it possesses decent primary stats, its notably low base Strength and Strength growth make it an easy target for elimination. However, Puck’s incredible mobility skills allow it to evade danger and remain viable in battles.
Standard Abilities and Ultimate Skill
|
Ability Name |
Functionality |
|---|---|
|
Illusory Orb |
Puck casts a magical orb that travels in a straight line, inflicting damage to enemy units along its path. |
|
Waning Rift |
Puck teleports to a targeted location, dealing area damage and silencing enemies for a brief duration. |
|
Phase Shift |
This is a channeled ability that shifts Puck into an ethereal realm, rendering it invulnerable to attacks and spells. |
|
Ethereal Jaunt |
Available only during the flight of an Illusory Orb, allowing Puck to teleport directly to it. |
|
Dream Coil |
This ability leashes enemies in an area, dealing damage. If they break the leash by moving away, they are stunned and suffer significant damage. |
The recent Patch 7.36, known as the Crownfall update, included an Innate Ability along with two Facets for Puck to choose at the game’s onset:
- Innate Ability (Puckish): Grants health and mana restoration upon disjointing attack or spell projectiles.
- Facet 1 (Jostling Rift): Allows Waning Rift to be Alt-Cast, drawing enemies towards its center.
- Facet 2 (Curveball): Converts Illusory Orb into a vector-targeted spell that can be curved, improving its speed and travel duration.
The health and mana restoration provided by Puckish is enhanced when disjointing a spell projectile.
Puck can also enhance its abilities through the purchase of Aghanim’s Shard and Aghanim’s Scepter:
- Aghanim’s Shard: Upgrades Phase Shift, allowing Puck to deal damage to all nearby enemies when activated.
- Aghanim’s Scepter: Enhances Dream Coil, causing Puck to automatically attack enemies ensnared by it.
With Aghanim’s Scepter, Dream Coil continues to damage enemies, even if they break free from its grasp.
Optimal Puck Build in Dota 2
Puck can be played in two primary styles: as a physical damage dealer or as a spell-caster. Although both builds are viable, players in high MMR matches often prefer the spell-casting build. This style emphasizes survivability and enables Puck to maximize damage output using its abilities.
This guide will concentrate on the spell-casting build, capitalizing on Puck’s remarkable elusiveness. This approach allows you to maintain distance while using your abilities to impact team fights significantly, giving you the opportunity to target enemy backliners when the moment is right.
Puck typically fills the role of Position 2 midlaner within the team.
Facets, Talents, and Ability Order
To enhance Puck’s effectiveness, many players opt for the Jostling Rift Facet. This option provides additional control during chases, as Waning Rift has a short cooldown, enabling multiple uses to hinder enemies effectively. Furthermore, you can disable Auto-Cast to reposition enemies or dispel coils.
When it comes to Puck’s abilities, the strategy usually involves prioritizing and maxing out its two primary damage-dealing spells during the laning phase. Begin with Illusory Orb to harass your opponent safely while clearing creep waves. If facing a burst hero like Lina, invest a point in Phase Shift to dodge spells. Alternate points between Phase Shift and Waning Rift, putting your ultimate into play upon reaching level 6.
Recommended Talents for Puck include:
- Level 10: +40 Illusory Orb Damage
- Level 15: +60 Waning Rift Damage
- Level 20: -3s Waning Rift Cooldown
- Level 25: Dream Coil Pierces Debuff Immunity
Item Progression
Puck typically avoids building damage-focused items, particularly in the spell-casting role. Instead, prioritize mobility items that afford survivability in team fights and facilitate constant ability usage to create disruption within enemy ranks. Below are key items that synergize well with Puck:
Initial Itemization
As a solo mid, focus less on regeneration compared to a position 1 carry. Acquire a mixture including Tango, a Faerie Fire, and four Iron Branches to maintain lane presence until you secure a Bottle. Don’t forget to place an Observer Ward at the rune spot to prevent surprise ganks.
Early Game Strategy
The initial creep waves are crucial for midlane success. Use your spells to harass and secure last hits to purchase your Bottle. Upon obtaining your Bottle, prioritize collecting Water and Bounty Runes for consistent regeneration throughout the laning phase.
Following the acquisition of your Bottle, grab a Null Talisman for added stats, a Magic Wand for extra sustain, and Boots of Speed. Upgrade those Boots to Power Treads as soon as you accumulate sufficient gold.
Core Items
Your primary power spike in the early game occurs when you secure a Witch Blade. This item amplifies your projectile speed and grants additional DOT damage, enhancing your ability to eliminate enemy heroes. If your teammates are faring well, focus on farming until reaching this critical item.
Once you’ve obtained the Witch Blade, start becoming more active in the game by rotating to side lanes and aiding your offlaner in securing kills against enemy heroes. Following this, aim for a Blink Dagger to serve as your primary initiation tool. Acquiring Aghanim’s Shard soon after will build on your damage potential.
Situational Items
Given the dynamic nature of Dota 2, adapting your item choices to the current gameplay situation is vital. If you face numerous disables, consider acquiring a Black King Bar to counteract incoming threats. In scenarios with one or two sources of silences, Eul’s Scepter of Divinity can be sufficient, and you may choose to upgrade it to Wind Waker in the late game. When pitted against strong initiators like Storm Spirit, opting for a Linken’s Sphere can be advantageous for disjointing initial disable attempts.
For more aggressive strategies, options like upgrading your Witch Blade to Parasma can maximize space in your inventory while enhancing damage output. Additionally, Aghanim’s Scepter is excellent for augmenting the Dream Coil capability.
Consider also the Octarine Core to further reduce spell cooldowns, allowing for increased casting frequency during fights.
Mastering Puck requires a comprehensive understanding of engagement timing with spells and knowing when to retreat. Despite the hero’s low health and minimal Strength growth making it susceptible to stuns, with refined positioning, swift reflexes, and expertly-timed spell casting, Puck can evolve into an untouchable force within Dota 2, turning the tide of battles in favor of your team.
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