📜 The Mages Guide

Mages rely on their abilities to deal AoE or single-target damage but must carefully manage mana and cooldowns to remain effective. Items also make a huge difference.

Example Mage build:

‣ Early Game

Start with Sticks (up to three) and a Wand upgrade (one recommended) for easier mana and health recovery.

Buy Orb of Venom and upgrade it to Orb of Corrosion for AoE damage over time. Blood Grenades can also assist with early wave clearing.

Your first core item should be Kaya to improve mana efficiency and ability power. Depending on your hero, you can start building Octarine Core, which can later be upgraded into Elysian Core for even better cooldown reduction.

Voodoo Mask provides spell lifesteal and can be upgraded later into Deathstone.

Boots of Intellect provide both a stat boost and an active ability that reduces enemy magic resistance. Alternatively, Arcane Blink Dagger offers mobility and an intelligence boost.

‣ Mid Game

For ability amplification, Magic Scepter significantly boosts spell power and effectiveness.

Aghanim’s Scepter and Aghanim’s Shard can be powerful additions - but only purchase them if your hero has abilities that benefit from them.

Bloodstone will provide some basic lifesteal. Can be activated to temporarily double the lifesteal.

Heroes with targeted spells benefit greatly from Astral Phylactery, which adds bonus damage to abilities.

Shiva’s Armaments adds both utility and AoE damage, providing strong mid-game control.

Mid to late game, Elysian Core becomes a must-have for cooldown management and (on ability) additional damage procs.

‣ Late Game

Trident is another valuable pickup, enhancing all stats and amplifying spell power.

Upgrade to Deathstone as soon as possible for better mana recovery, spell lifesteal and burst (Dagon) damage.

Upgrade your Magic Scepter to its Arcane version if possible, to even more boost your abilities.

Other optional items (for various builds)

Meteor Hammer gives intelligence, spell damage amplification and mana regeneration amplification. Can also summon a meteor to AoE stun enemies.

Cursed Rapier is a troll item that will make you do various undesired actions, however, on Mage heroes it can be used, but with great care. Use at your own risk.

Hallowed Chestguard, while unusual for mages, can be also used together with Heart of the Infested, both will make you much more durable. Use only if you know what you are doing.