Introduction
“Knowledge is golden.”
Earth Spirit is a melee strength ganker and teamfight hero that is able to be played in one of a number of roles, from support, to offlane, to mid. Earth Spirit has a notoriously high skill ceiling, which perhaps explains his continued absence from Captain’s Mode, as although he has an abysmally low win rate in public matchmaking it is expected that he’ll be a very strong hero pick competitively.
Earth Spirit's complete character profile can be found here.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Versatile hero role and laning potential
- Amazing control – has a stun, silence, and a slow
- Good positioning capability
- Naturally quite tanky
- Can save allies
- Strong teamfighter
- Good burst damage
Cons
- Incredibly high skill ceiling – do not play Earth Spirit unless you’ve practiced him thoroughly!
- Complicated skill interactions
- Hard countered by spell immunity
- No farming mechanism
- Escape mechanism is unreliable (easily interrupted)
- Long recharge time on Stone Remnants will frustrate
- Mana issues early on
Item Build
Starting Items
Earth Spirit is currently most commonly laned in the offlane, but is also occasionally picked as a 4 position support or even as a mid laner. If you’re supporting you’ll need to start out by purchase the Courier and/or Observer Wards. If you’re in the offlane you may need to purchase your own Observer Wards, depending on the generosity of your supports. Otherwise, typical starting items for Earth Spirit are:
- A set of Tangos, Healing Salve, 3x Iron Branches, 2x Clarity.
This gives you enough health regeneration to see you through any early harassment, enough mana regeneration to be able to use your abilities fairly liberally, and some solid starting stats.
Early Game & Core
Early on you should grab some basic Boots of Speed and a Magic Stick, which you can upgrade into a Magic Wand using the Iron Branches you bought at the start. After that you can get straight to work on your core, which consists of:
Arcane Boots – Apart from his innate Stone Remnant ability, all of Earth Spirit’s abilities cost mana to cast. The individual mana costs are fairly low – 100, 50, 75, and 100 respectively – but Earth Spirit is a strength caster. His mana pool is inherently low and his abilities often need to be chained together in order for him to have an impact in any given engagement. Each of his non-ultimate abilities also has a low cooldown, making them pretty mana-intensive.
Finally, Earth Spirit is a prime candidate to purchase a Mekanism or Pipe of Insight for the team, which makes even greater demands on his small mana pool. So, for all of these reasons, Arcane Boots are the upgraded boots of choice for Earth Spirit.
Earth Spirit is a great Mekanism purchaser. In the offlane or mid lane he should farm sufficiently to be able to purchase it early on, and as he has no rigid set of core item purchases he absolutely has to make this frees him up to spend his gold getting the team an early Mekanism.
If your team has the Mekanism advantage it can push towers or force fights straight away – if the other team lacks a Mek they’re likely to lose such engagements (250 burst heal for 5 heroes is incredibly powerful in teamfights), or at the very least be forced to play on the defensive, allowing you to claim towers.
On top of that Mekanism gives you some small stat gain and a good armor boost, making Earth Spirit even tankier than he already is as a strength hero with fairly high base armor.
Luxury Items
Aghanim's Scepter - The highest priority luxury item for Earth Spirit. On top of the solid stat gain it also grants you access a new ability called Enchant Remnant. This ability, which allows you to converts an allied or enemy hero into an invulnerable Stone Remnant for 3 seconds is highly versatile and makes Scepter well worth purchasing on him.
Force Staff – A fantastic all-round utility item. It’s an amazing escape tool, and can be used on allies and enemies, making it a great play-making item for clutch saves or to Force an enemy into bad positioning.
Scythe of Vyse - 3.5 seconds of lockdown on a key enemy hero is the reason Scythe is considered one of the most powerful items in the game. Earth Spirit is a solid candidate for purchasing it because the mana regeneration is especially useful on a strength caster with a low base mana pool but very spammable abilities. It also gives you some nice extra stats.
Heaven’s Halberd - A fantastic anti-carry item, thanks to the ability to disarm an enemy core for 3.0-4.5 seconds, Halberd will also give you a much-welcome chunk of health an evasion and health, making you even tankier.
Crimson Guard – A good defensive/utility item. If you decide to opt for an early-ish Vanguard then later upgrading it into a Crimson Guard is a good way of buffing your inventory in the late game when Vanguard’s usefulness tapers off and inventory slots are at a premium.
So you get a nice chunk of flat health (250), +2 all stats, +5 armor and 6 health regeneration. On top of that you gain a passive Damage Block ability, which gives an 80% chance to block 20-40 damage, and an active Guard ability, which allows you to create a shield which applies to yourself and allies in a 750 unit radius that grants everyone affected by it +2 armor and a 100% chance to block 50 damage.
Crimson Guard is somewhat comparable to Mekanism, but more suited to heroes with low mana pools (following Patch 6.82’s hefty increase in Mekanism’s mana cost). It performs a similar protective and +armor role (albeit granting damage block rather than direct health). If you fear being unable to sustain a mana pool for Mekanism but want to add utility/tankiness to your teamfight then a Crimson Guard is a great option.
Veil of Discord - Veil gives decent all-round stats - +6 all stats, +6 health regeneration, +6 damage, and +6 armour, but the main reason it’s purchased is for its active, Magic Weakness. Magic Weakness increases the magic damage taken by an enemy caught within its 600 unit radius by 25%, which augments your abilities superbly (all of them deal magic damage).
It lasts for a lengthy 25 seconds, making it a great active for teamfights, and won’t just buff your own magic damage output either - it will also increase the potency of any other magic damage spells your teammates cast on affected enemies in that time frame too.
Ghost Scepter - The go-to luxury pick-up if you find the enemy team is able to bring you down quickly with physical damage (typically in the form of right-clicks). Most often this will be the enemy carry taking you out of the fight by focussing you with auto-attacks. Ghost Scepter will buy you a clutch 4 seconds of physical immunity, which gives you time to create distance between yourself and the enemy carry or at the very least buys your team 4 seconds of distraction time.
Shiva’s Guard - Shiva’s makes for a good late-late game item on Earth Spirit. By this stage you’re likely 4 or 5 slotted, and so it becomes a contender for one of your final item slots. The armour will go a good way to making you tankier, while the aura is great to have for your team. You also gain a nice chunk of intelligence.
You can also use the Arctic Blast AoE nuke to damage and slow creeps and heroes in a large AoE, further augmenting your initiation power.
Situational Items
Bottle – If you lane Earth Spirit mid you’ll need a Bottle in order to make effective use of your rune control, which Earth Spirit is good at maintaining thanks to Rolling Boulder. The regeneration it provides will allow you to more credibly lane mid, where you’ll often be against a ranged hero with good harassment potential.
Bottle is also optional if you’re offlaning. Although you’ll less frequently secure runes from your position as an offlaning (your mid should be given priority), the regen is great for allowing you to make early rotations, fully exploiting the level advantage it’s possible to accrue in the offlane.
Boots of Travel - The best late-late game boots. It combines your TP Scroll slot with your boot slot, freeing up room in your inventory for an extra item when you’re starting to get maxed out. Also always reassuring to have in the late-late game when an enemy team can quickly break the base – if they catch you by surprise in a base rush you will always be able to TP back.
Pipe of Insight - If you didn't buy the team's Mekanism earlier on then consider getting a Pipe as a luxury item for your team. If you did buy the Mekanism then it's very risky getting Pipe as well - it's inadvisable and risky to have both on one hero, but is viable if you find you’re able to survive teamfights.
Necronomicon - Great if you’re part of a pushing line-up or your team is struggling to break the base. Also a great item for teamfights and for countering any invis enemy heroes. Useful stat gain as well.
Blade Mail - Blade Mail is also situational. If you have a poor game it can sometimes be the most cost-effective item to get which helps prevent you feeding.
It's also a great pick up if the enemy team consists of fairly squishy heroes with high damage output (such as Phantom Assassin, or Skywrath Mage).
Skill Build
Stone Remnant is an innate ability which does not need to be skilled. It allows Earth Spirit to spawn a Stone Remnant at a target location (cast range 1000 units). These Remnants are invulnerable structures that last for up to 120 seconds and are used to interact with his other abilities, making them more powerful. Earth Spirit has access to up to 6 ‘charges’ of these Remnants at any one time, and a ‘charge’ is restored every 30 seconds.
Boulder Smash is magic damage nuke and stun. It is usually skilled last but maxed second. This ability allows Earth Spirit to kick a target enemy, ally, or Stone Remnant in a chosen direction. The target that is knocked back deals a flat 125 magic damage to all units it hits along the way and travels at 1200 move speed and for 500/600/700/800 units distance.
If the target you use Boulder Smash on is one of your Stone Remnants then the distance it travels is increased from 500/600/700/800 units to 2000 units. It also stuns any targets it hits whilst traveling, for a total duration of 0.75/1.25/1.75/2.25 seconds.
Rolling Boulder is a positional ability which deals minor magic damage and slows targets. It is maxed last but is often skilled once early on for use as an escape mechanism/positioning tool. After a brief 0.6 second delay, Rolling Boulder causes Earth Spirit to roll in the direction he is facing. He travels 800 units and deals a flat 100 magic damage to enemy units he hits on the way. If he hits an enemy hero he stops rolling and is placed behind the enemy.
If Earth Spirit uses a Stone Remnant when using Rolling Boulder then the travel range increases from 800 units to 1600 units, the roll speed is doubled, and he deals an 80% move speed slow for 2 seconds.
Geomagnetic Grip is a magic damage nuke and silence if used on a Stone Remnant or a positional ability if used on allies. It is maxed first. Geomagnetic Grip allows you to pull an allied unit or a Stone Remnant towards you. It has a 1100 unit range and a pull speed of 600.
If you pull a Stone Remnant then any enemy units it hits along the way are dealt 50/125/200/275 magic damage and are silenced for 2.5/3/3.5/4 seconds.
Magnetize is Earth Spirit’s ultimate and it is always skilled (levels 6, 11 and 16). It Magnetizes enemy units within a 400 radius, causing them to take 50/75/100 magic damage per second for 6 seconds. Additionally, Magnetized units cause any Stone Remnants within a 600 unit AoE to explode, which refreshes the magnetize effect on all enemy units within range of the Stone Remnant at the cost of destroying the Stone Remnant in question.
On top of that, if the enemy hero who causes a Stone Remnant to explode is still under the effects of silences or slows from Geomagnetic Grip or Rolling Boulder then all magnetized heroes will also come under the influence of these effects.
Enchant Remnant is an additional ability which Earth Spirit gains access to if you purchase an Aghanim's Scepter. It allows you to converts an allied or enemy hero into an invulnerable Stone Remnant for 3 seconds at the cost of 150 mana. When the duration ends, the Remnant shatters, releasing the hero and dealing 300 damage in a 300 unit radius.
The Enchanted Remnant acts just like Earth Spirit's other Remnants, so they cannot do anything on their own, they are invulnerable, and they can be used with his skills.
Gameplay Tips
As Earth Spirit has one of the highest skill ceilings in Dota 2 it is highly advised you both learn all of his skill interactions (and the various combinations) as well as practice how to execute them before picking him in a game against other players.
One of the key things to learn is how Stone Remnants interact with and augment his other abilities:
- Boulder Smash travels over double the usual distance if used in conjunction with a Stone, travelling up to 2000 units, and stuns any enemy units it hits along the way or 0.75/1.25/1.75/2.25 seconds. In short, Boulder Smash will only stun enemies if you use it on a Stone!
- Rolling Boulder’s travel distance is doubled (from 800 to 1600), the travel speed is doubled, and it applies and move speed slow for 2 seconds. It only slows if you use a Stone!
- Geomagnetic Grip only deals damage (50/125/200/275) if you use it on a Stone Remnant!
- Finally, Magnetize’s duration is only refreshed if the enemy hero(es) come within 600 units of a Stone Remnant, and can only spread to heroes you initially missed via Stone Remnants.
The moral of the story is that it is vital you use Stone Remnants to augment your abilities; his abilities are otherwise underwhelming and you lose a lot of your utility if you fail to utilise the Stones properly. The stun from Boulder Smash is particularly important to utilise.
Boulder Smash knocks back an enemy unit, allied unit, or Stone Remnant in the direction you’re facing, so it is vital you position yourself correctly so that the object in question travels in the direction you wish it to go. You can actually target this ability on the ground to send a nearby Stone Remnant in the chosen direction.
Boulder Smash is used in a number of different ways, including:
- To stun enemies from long range
- To knock an allied unit to safety, away from pursuing enemy heroes
- To knock an allied unit into the enemy team as a form of initiation (if they are looking to initiate but lack a Blink Dagger, for example)
- To knock an enemy hero back into your team (typically following on from your own initiation)
| Note: The knockback from Boulder Smash itself does not stun and does not interrupt channelled abilities (or TP Scrolls), so if you’re using it with the intention of interrupting you will need to use it on a Stone Remnant, so that the ability turns into a stun. |
Rolling Boulder also travels in the direction you’re facing, although this time it is Earth Spirit himself which travels, so it is even more vital that you ensure you’re facing in the correct direction prior to using it.
Rolling Boulder is usually used as a form of initiation, launching Earth Spirit at an enemy hero, damaging them, and positioning him behind them. He can then use Boulder Smash on them to force them out of position and into the claws of your waiting teammates.
Rolling Boulder can also be used as an escape mechanism, allowing Earth Spirit to travel 800-1600 units away from his pursuers. However, be warned: not only does it have a slight cast delay of 0.6 seconds, it can be interrupted at any point, making you vulnerable to stuns and various disables.
| Tip: Earth Spirit can use abilities (including planting a Stone Remnant ahead of him) and items during the Rolling Boulder animation. |
Geomagnetic Grip has two main uses: 1) As a magic damage nuke and silence, and 2) As a means of saving allies and pulling them out of trouble.
Magnetize deals a total of 300/450/600 magic damage to enemies initially affected by it, however you can place down additional Stone Remnants next to enemies to refresh the duration and deal more damage.
When a Stone Remnant is within range of Magnetize, it doesn't immediately disappear and get consumed even though it refreshes the ability’s duration, so you can actually continue to use the Stone Remnant for up to 8 seconds afterwards.
Enchant Remnant is a very powerful bonus ability which by itself makes an Aghanim's Scepter purchase viable on Earth Spirit. The ability to turn an ally or enemy into a Stone Remnant for 3 seconds makes it highly versatile - you can use it to save and then kick away an allied hero, for example, or to prevent an enemy carry from attacking your team, or even to isolate an enemy and push him into the clutches of your waiting teammates.
Last Updated - Patch 6.83.
