Witch Doctor Guide

Items

Starting:

• Tango   Item   Tango (Shared)   Changelogs     TangoB Forage to survive on the battlefield. Cost125 Bought FromConsumables Active Eat a Tree or Ward Charges 4 Disassemble? No Alert allies? No Recipe The Tango , Clarity   Item   Changelogs     ClarityB Clear water that enhances the ability to meditate. Cost50 Bought FromConsumables Active Regenerate Mana Charges 1 Disassemble? No Alert allies? No Recipe The Clarity is an item purchasable and Healing Salve   Item   Changelogs     Healing SalveB A magical salve that can quickly mend even the deepest of wounds. Cost110 Bought FromConsumables Active Regenerate Health Charges 1 Disassemble? No Alert allies? No Recipe The are all regeneration items such and are strong choices to stay in the lane.
• Gauntlets of Strength   Item   Changelogs     Gauntlets of StrengthB Studded leather gloves that add brute strength. Cost150 Bought FromAttributes Bonus +3 Strength Disassemble? No Alert allies? No Recipe The Gauntlets of Strength are an item gives Witch Doctor extra health for survivability, and can later be upgraded to a Bracer   Item   Changelogs     BracerB The bracer is a common choice to toughen up defenses and increase longevity. Cost490 (175) Bought FromCommon Bonus +6 Strength+3 Agility+3 Intelligence+3 Attack damage Disassemble? No Alert allies? .
• Animal Courier   Item   Old Abilities   Changelogs     Animal CourierB Losing the courier is punishable by death. Cost100 Bought FromConsumables Active Deploy Courier Charges 1 Disassemble? No Alert allies? No Recipe The Animal Courier is a good choice for Witch Doctor as he is a support and is not heavily item-dependent.

Early:

• Magic Stick   Item   Changelogs     Magic StickBL A simple wand used to channel magic energies, it is favored by apprentice wizards and great warlocks alike. Cost200 Bought FromArcane Active Energy Charge Charges 0 Disassemble? is a useful health/mana restoring item if the enemies in lane are casting many spells. It can later be built into a Magic Wand   Item   Changelogs     Magic WandB A simple wand used to channel magic energies, it is favored by apprentice wizards and great warlocks alike. Cost465 Bought FromCommon Active Energy Charge Charges 0 Bonus .
• Boots of Speed   Item   Changelogs     Boots of SpeedBL Fleet footwear, increasing movement. Cost400 Bought FromArcane Bonus +45 Movement speed Disassemble? No Alert allies? No Recipe The Boots of Speed are an item purchasable at give a speed boost, offering better escape and catch-up. They can later be built into Arcane Boots.
• Bracer   Item   Changelogs     BracerB The bracer is a common choice to toughen up defenses and increase longevity. Cost490 (175) Bought FromCommon Bonus +6 Strength+3 Agility+3 Intelligence+3 Attack damage Disassemble? No Alert allies? provides extra attributes that can help keep Witch Doctor alive in fights.

Core:

• Magic Wand   Item   Changelogs     Magic WandB A simple wand used to channel magic energies, it is favored by apprentice wizards and great warlocks alike. Cost465 Bought FromCommon Active Energy Charge Charges 0 Bonus is good for burst healing and mana while providing bonus attributes compared to the Magic Stick   Item   Changelogs     Magic StickBL A simple wand used to channel magic energies, it is favored by apprentice wizards and great warlocks alike. Cost200 Bought FromArcane Active Energy Charge Charges 0 Disassemble? .
• Arcane Boots provides Witch Doctor with an increased mana pool, as well as the ability to supply himself and nearby allies with mana.

Gameplay

Playstyle
Witch Doctor   Hero   Strategy   Counters   Equipment   Gear   Responses   Sounds   Lore   Old Abilities   Changelogs     Witch Doctor 16 + 2.1 13 + 1.4 24 + 2.9 Level is a strong support that scales well throughout the game. If well positioned can change the flow of battle with his ultimate.
Pros	Cons
Ultimate is very damaging with a short cooldown Maledict is very damaging Paralyzing cask can stun groups of enemies for long amounts of time	Dies very easily Ultimate can be disrupted by stun Maledict is hard to cast

Videos

Info

Hero

Strategy

Counters Play “Many hands make light work.” This article is badly written or needs more information. Please help the community by updating it. Read this formatting guide first.   Hero   Strategy   Counters   Equipment

Equipment   Hero   Strategy   Counters   Equipment   Gear   Responses   Sounds   Lore   Old Abilities   Changelogs     v • d • e Witch Doctor Equipment (collapse sets)Sets Bearer of the Arkturan Talon Foreteller s Oath Garments

Gear   Hero   Strategy   Counters   Equipment   Gear   Responses   Sounds   Lore   Old Abilities   Changelogs     This is a list of cosmetic items that reflects Witch Doctor s design

Responses   Hero   Strategy   Counters   Equipment   Gear   Responses   Sounds   Lore   Old Abilities   Changelogs     v • d • e  Voice responses Hero responses Abaddon Alchemist Ancient Apparition Anti-Mage Arc Warden Axe Bane

Sounds   Hero   Strategy   Counters   Equipment   Gear   Responses   Sounds   Lore   Old Abilities   Changelogs     v • d • e  Dota 2 Sounds Hero Sounds Abaddon Alchemist Ancient Apparition Anti-Mage Arc Warden Axe

Lore   Hero   Strategy   Counters   Equipment   Gear   Responses   Sounds   Lore   Old Abilities   Changelogs     Zharvakko, the Witch Doctor A wiry silhouette hitches forward—uneven of featureSpecial attraction and

Old Abilities   Hero   Strategy   Counters   Equipment   Gear   Responses   Sounds   Lore   Old Abilities   Changelogs     No records NewPP limit report Cached time: 20170623193932 Cache expiry: 86400 Dynamic

Changelogs   Hero   Strategy   Counters   Equipment   Gear   Responses   Sounds   Lore   Old Abilities   Changelogs     Contents 1 Version history 2 Patch history Version history edit] Version Description

Ability Builds

Talents

Hero Talents   Main   Table of Gained Bonuses     The Talent Selection interface. Talents are traits unique to each hero. They are chosen every 5th level starting at level 10, offering a permanent choice between
+20 Voodoo Restoration Heal	25	+175 Death Ward Attack Range
+15% Magic Resistance	20	+8 Armor
+2 Cask Bounces	15	+90 Damage
+25% XP Gain	10	+200 Health

Notes:

• Upgrading health increases maximum health capacity and keeps the current health percentage.

• The armor and attack damage are added as bonus armor and bonus attack damage, and therefore do not benefit illusions.

• The magic resistance stacks multiplicatively with other sources of magic resistance.

General

• Witch Doctor   Hero   Strategy   Counters   Equipment   Gear   Responses   Sounds   Lore   Old Abilities   Changelogs     Witch Doctor 16 + 2.1 13 + 1.4 24 + 2.9 Level is great with Blink Dagger For the cosmetic item equipped by Axe, see Little Blink Dagger.   Item   Changelogs     Blink DaggerBL The fabled dagger used by the fastest assassin ever to walk the lands. Cost2250 Bought FromArcane for fast positioning as allows you to blink in between trees as well on top of cliffs to channel Death Ward safely. Also, it makes up for the short casting range of Maledict.
• It can be a good idea to build a Shadow Blade For the cosmetic item equipped by Kunkka, see Kunkka s Shadow Blade.   Item   Changelogs   Known Bugs     Shadow BladeB The blade of a fallen king, it allows you to move unseen and and use it exactly after casting Death Ward. Activating Shadow Blade For the cosmetic item equipped by Kunkka, see Kunkka s Shadow Blade.   Item   Changelogs   Known Bugs     Shadow BladeB The blade of a fallen king, it allows you to move unseen and does not interrupt Death Ward`s channeling and makes it harder for the enemy team to interrupt your channeling. Be that as it may, be cautious about enemies buying Dust of Appearance, Gem of True Sight, Necronomicon, or AoE stuns such as Warlock`s Chaotic Offering.
  • Alternatively you can save gold by simply buying the Shadow Amulet alone. During the 1.5 second fade time you are able to issue any orders without hindering the invisibility from occurring. This is easily achieved with the double tap to cast on self option. When you are ready to place the ward, double tap the hotkey for your amulet, as you are about to fade place the Death Ward. Soon after, you turn invisible while still channeling the spell. It is best to practice this technique with Maledict before attempting in a proper fight.
• Consider getting an Orchid Malevolence   Item   Changelogs     Orchid MalevolenceB A garnet rod constructed from the essence of a fire demon. Cost4075 (775) Bought FromCaster Active Soul Burn Bonus +25 Intelligence+30 Attack speed+150% Mana regeneration+30 Attack damage as it combined with Maledict can bring any damage done to the affected enemy to massive proportions.
• The Witch Doctor`s early game damage and utility from Paralyzing Cask and Maledict are extremely strong in the laning phase. Consider skipping points in Voodoo Restoration until you reach level 10 to maximize lane pressure and damage output. Having Maledict at maximum level as soon as possible allows you to pull off shorter duration Death Wards to secure important kills.

Paralyzing Cask

• Paralyzing Cask can be used to continuously stun two heroes with 200 distance to each other.
• Paralyzing Cask is most effective when there are just two enemies close together. Under ideal conditions you can stun two enemies for up to 4 seconds each with this ability.
• Paralyzing Cask stuns jungle creeps for five seconds, allowing the Witch Doctor to jungle effectively from around level 7 onwards. This is especially useful if you are falling behind or need to speed up a key item such as your Black King Bar   Item   Changelogs     Black King BarB A powerful staff imbued with the strength of giants. Cost3975 (1375) Bought FromArmor Active Avatar Bonus +10 Strength+24 Attack damage Disassemble? No Alert allies? No Recipe or Aghanim`s Scepter   Item   Upgraded Abilities   Old Abilities   Lore   Changelogs     Aghanim s Scepter The scepter of a wizard with demigod-like powers. Cost4200 Bought FromCaster Passive Ultimate Upgrade Bonus +10 Strength+10 Agility+10 Intelligence+175 .
• Paralyzing Cask stuns units in the fog of war, meaning if you use a high enough level Cask on foes nearby jungle camps, there is a good chance it will bounce back to your enemies.

Voodoo Restoration

• At level 1, Voodoo Restoration is one of the most efficient AoE heals in the game based on mana-spent-per-hitpoints-gained. It is often a good idea to invest a single point into this ability during early laning and then max it later after your other abilities once you have the mana regen to support the higher cost.
• If there is a Rubick   Hero   Strategy   Counters   Equipment   Gear   Responses   Sounds   Lore   Spell Steal Interactions   Old Abilities   Changelogs   Known Bugs     Rubick 19 + 1.8 14 on the enemy team, keep in mind that you can cast Voodoo Restoration even while channeling, which prevents him from stealing death ward.
• If you plan to pick up an early level in Voodoo Restoration, it is often more effective to buy additional Clarity Potions instead of a set of Tangos or a Healing Salve.

Maledict

• Casting Maledict on opponents often immediately forces them to retreat for fear of taking crippling damage while under its effects. You can use this to make enemies flee who would otherwise easily kill you or your allies. If they do not flee, then at best they`re trading themselves for you.
• Maledict is a very weak and expensive spell at level 1, and its damage only starts to kick in once you get it to at least level 2 or 3. In very early game fights, do not worry about landing a level 1 Maledict unless you`re sure you can curse multiple enemies or you have enough burst to follow up.

Death Ward

• Casting Death Ward from a hidden position such as the trees, or uphill in the fog, makes it much harder to disrupt.
• Try to wait on casting Death Ward in teamfights until the enemies have already used some of their stuns, making it less likely you will be interrupted.
• Death Ward is an extremely effective spell against carries that typically rely on Magic Immunity to stay relevant in teamfights, such as Luna, Gyrocopter, Lifestealer, Sven, or Dragon Knight.
• Although Death Ward is easily interrupted, it is an effective zoning tool in teamfights that either draw immediate attention from foes with important crowd control spells or forces enemies to retreat from the area which the Death Ward resides in.