Dota 2/Items

Dota 2 has a very vast selection of items, each having their own effects. Most items can be bought from the Main Shop by the fountain, but some items can only be bought from the Secret Shop.

Basics

These items will grant basic effects and usually serve as components for better, more expensive items.

Consumables

Name	Picture	Cost	Effect	Use
Clarity		50	Restores 100 mana over 30 seconds. Effect stops if user is attacked	A good starting item for mana-heavy heroes, especially if you will be spamming abilities in lane.
Tango		90	Eat Tree - Consume a tree to restore 115 hp over 16 seconds. Comes with 3 charges.	A good starting health regen item for any hero. It isn't interrupted by attacks or cost as much as a Healing Salve, but takes longer to heal and heals less.
Healing Salve		100	Regenerate - Restores 400 hp over 10 seconds. The effect will be lost if the user is attacked.	Another starting health regen item. Heals more health quickly than the tangos, but the effect can be easily cancelled. It's usually a good idea to buy one of both at the start to get some versatility in health regen.
Smoke of Deceit		100	Makes the user and every nearby allied heroes will become invisible as well as gaining 15% movement speed for 40 seconds. Moving within 1025 range of an enemy hero or tower will drop the invisibility. Has a cooldown of 90 seconds.	An item usually picked up by gankers to slip by Observer Wards and gain the element of surprise when ganking. Also commonly used on the whole team when trying to force a teamfight or eliminate an important hero like the enemy carry.
Town Portal Scroll		135	Teleport - Teleports the user to a targeted friendly building. Has a cooldown of 65 seconds and costs 75 mana.	It's a good idea to always carry a TPS wherever you are, as it reduces the time taken to go back to the fountain to heal then returning to the lane. You can also switch lanes at a moment's notice, either to farm or push an undefended lane or to help defend a tower.
Dust of Appearance		180	Reveal - Reveals invisible heroes in a 1050 radius AoE for 12 seconds. Has a cooldown of 60 seconds and costs 5 mana.	Usually bought by supports to counter an enemy hero that relies on invisibility, like Bounty Hunter or Riki. Also bought if you suspect the enemy is going for a smoke gank.
Animal Courier		150	Carries items from your base to you and your allies. It also has an inventory of 6 slots and can use some items that don't require mana like Healing Salves on enemy heroes. It is magic immune, but only has 45 hp. If it dies, it will give an 175 gold to every enemy hero. It will respawn in 3 minutes, during which your team cannot access the items that the courier was carrying.	The courier is one of those items your team simply can't do without. The trip from a lane to the fountain's main shop or the secret shop is very long, so running all the way back to buy something will mean you are missing a lot of farm in the lane. If you're a support buy either this or wards at the start of the game.
Flying Courier		220	Upgrades an existing Animal Courier. The courier can now fly across terrain and trees, letting it reach your allies faster. It also gains a new ability called Speed Burst which makes it move at the maximum movement speed for 20 seconds, but has a cooldown of 40 seconds.	It's recommended to get a Flying Courier after the game has progressed for some time as the reduced time for the courier to travel between the fountain and your team is very helpful.
Observer Ward		200	Places a ward that grants vision of a 1600 radius of area. These wards last for 6 minutes, have invisibility and has a restock time of 6 minutes in the shop. Comes in pairs.	The Observer Ward is absolutely crucial to victory. Vision of an area is an extremely powerful tool as it can detect enemy heroes entering your jungle going for a gank. It can also be used to guard rune spots or block neutral creep camps. If you are playing the support, either get this at the start or the courier, and always remember to buy a new pair of wards once the previous one expires.
Sentry Ward		200	Places a Sentry Ward that grants true sight, which reveals invisible units, in a 950 radius area around it. They are invisible, lasts only 3 minutes but doesn't have a limited stock.	Sentry Wards are usually used for counter-warding, which is the tactic of revealing enemy Observer Wards so your team can destroy them. Since vision is so important for either team, denying them vision by taking out their Observer Wards can give your team an immense advantage. While it can also be used to reveal invisible enemies, usually a Dust of Appearance will be enough.
Bottle		600	Regenerate - Refills 135 hp and 70 mana in 3 seconds. Comes with 3 charges which can be replenished when near a fountain. It can also be used to store runes for later use, which will also fully replenish the charges in the bottle.	Almost always picked up for the hero soloing mid. It helps them stay in lane against constant harssment as well as granting your team rune control, which a solo mid hero can easily do as they are close to both rune spots. Bottled up runes can come into handy when going for a gank or a push.

Attributes

Attributes are items that increase your Strength, Agility and Intelligence. They are also components for stronger items.

Name	Picture	Cost	Effect	Use
Iron Branches		53	+1 to all attributes	Iron Branches is a very cost-effecient item. 3 branches give the same effect as a gauntlet, a slipper and a mantle for only about a third of the price. It gives you a good mix of survivability and damage. If you bought all your starting items and have leftover gold, and don't plan to save for any items, get iron branches. It is also a required component for making a Magic Wand or a Mekansm, the former a staple item for almost all heroes while the latter a very good support item. There's a reason it's nicknamed the GG branches.
Gauntlets of Strength		150	+3 strength	Usually picked up by fragile heroes for more survivability or strength carries for damage. It can then be upgraded into a Bracer or an Urn of Shadows, both of which are items that increase your survivability.
Slippers of Agility		150	+3 agility	A starting item for carries, especially agility carries. It can be used to make early-game carry items like a Poor Man's Shield or Wraith Bands.
Mantle of Intelligence		150	+3 intelligence	Less common than other starting attribute items, it's usually picked up by mana-starved heroes or ability-reliant spellcasters. It can be used to make a Null Talisman, a common early game item for spellcasters.
Circlet		185	+2 to all attributes	Usually picked up to finish a Bracer, a Wraith Band and a Null Talisman.
Belt of Strength		450	+6 strength	Can be made into Power Treads which is a common boot upgrade or into powerful late-game items Sange, Necronomicon or Skull Basher.
Band of Elevenskin		450	+6 agility	Can be made into Power Treads or into a Yasha.
Robe of the Magi		450	+6 intelligence	Part of Power Treads recipe. Can also be made into a drum, a blademail, a diffusal blade, an oblivion staff or a veil of discord.
Ogre Club		1000	+10 strength	Used to make the powerful late-game items Aghanim's Scepter, BKB or Sange.
Blade of Alacrity		1000	+10 agility	Used to make an Aghanim's, a Diffusal Blade or a Yasha.
Staff of Wizardry		1000	+10 intelligence	Used for making a variety of items, which are an Aghanim's, a Dagon, an Eul's, a Force Staff, a Necrobook or a Rod.
Ultimate Orb		2100	+10 to all attributes	Used to make the potent late-game items Eye of Skadi, Scythe of Vyse, Linken's Sphere and Manta Style

Arnaments

Arnaments grant the user slight boosts in offense and defense, but is mostly used as components of other items.

Name	Picture	Cost	Effect	Use
Ring of Protection		175	+2 armor	Picked up early by anyone who needs the armor, especially some junglers. Can be made into a Ring of Brassilius or Tranquil Boots.
Quelling Blade		225	Active: Destroy Tree - Cuts down a targeted tree. Has a 5 second cooldown. Passive: Quell - Gives the wielder bonus damage when attacking non-hero units. 32% for melee heroes and 12% for ranged heroes.	Bought by carries and junglers early on to help with creep killing. Junglers can also use this to take shortcuts while in the jungle.
Stout Shield		250	Passive: Damage Block - Gives you a 60% chance to block damage depending on your attack type. Blocks 20 damage fore melee heroes and 10 damage for ranged heroes.	Bought by carries to withstand harassment and also by anyone who needs survivability against physical attacks. Can be built into a Vanguard or a Poor Man's Shield.
Blades of Attack		450	+9 damage	Can be used to make a Crystalys, an Armlet of Mordiggian or Phase Boots.
Chainmail		550	+5 armor	Used to make an Assault Cuirass, a Blademail, a Medallion of Courage or a Buckler
Helm of Iron Will		950	+5 armor, +3 hp regeneration	Gives a nice mix of stats. Used to make an Armlet of Mordiggian, a Helm of the Dominator or a Veil of Discord.
Broadsword		1200	+18 damage	Can be used to make a Crystalys, a Battle Fury or a Blade Mail.
Quarterstaff		900	+10 damage, +10 attack speed	Can be used to make a Force Staff, an Oblivion Staff, a Shadow Blade or a Butterfly.
Claymore		1400	+21 damage	Used to make a Battle Fury or a Shadow Blade.
Javelin		1500	+21 damage Passive: Pierce - Grants a 20% chance to do 40 bonus damage	Only 100 gold more expensive than the Claymore and it gives you a passive critical chance ability as well as the +10 damage. Used to make a Skull Basher or a Monkey King Bar.
Platemail		1400	+10 armor	Used to make an Assault Cuirass or a Shiva's Guard.
Mithril Hammer		1600	+24 damage	Used to make a Black King Bar, a Maelstrom or a Desolator.

Arcane

Items in the Arcane category grants bonuses related to health, mana and speed, with some items giving you special abilities. They are also used as components for better items.

Name	Picture	Cost	Effect	Use
Magic Stick		200	Active: Energy Charge - Gains up to 10 charges everytime an enemy nearby uses an ability. Restores 15 health and mana for each charge when activated. Has a cooldown of 13 seconds.	A good early game pickup on almost every hero. It helps you keep your mana up while withstanding harassment from enemies. You can also make a Magic Wand if it if you want an improved Energy Charge.
Sage's Mask		325	+50% mana regeneration	Called Sobi Mask in DotA. Gives you good mana regeneration. It is also a component for an Eul's Scepter, a Medallion, an Oblivion Staff, a Ring of Basilius, a Soul Ring or an Urn.
Ring of Regen		350	+2 hp regeneration	Bought for the slight increase in survivability it gives. Also used to make a Headdress, a Hood of Defiance, Tranquil Boots, a Soul Ring or a Vladmir's Offering.
Boots of Speed		500	+55 movement speed. Doesn't stack with the passive movement speed bonus from other boots.	Almost always a necessary early game item for most heroes, but don't make the mistake of most new players and buy it at the start. The movement speed it gives is very helpful for chasing or fleeing, especially since everyone else will also be getting a pair. Even if for some reason you don't need the bonus speed, the fact that it is a required component to make the other boots should be enough reason to get it.
Gloves of Haste		500	+15 attack speed	Good item for carries. It is used to make an Armlet, a Hand of Midas, a Maelstrom or Power Treads.
Cloak		550	+15% spell resistance. Doesn't stack with other magic-resistance items.	Bought if there are powerful spellcasters on the enemy team. It can be used to make a Hood of Defiance which can be upgraded to a Pipe of Insight if you need more protection.
Gem of True Sight		700	Passive: True Sight - Grants the ability to see invisible units and wards. Drops when the holder dies and can be picked up by other heroes or destroyed.	Getting this makes you a walking Sentry Ward, letting you spot and destroy enemy wards as well as reveal invisible enemies. However, it needs 8 minutes to restock in the shop and costs 700 gold, so dying will mean you just wasted all that gold without the ability to buy it back and possibly giving the enemy the advantage of True Sight. And once an enemy realises you have a gem, they will be trying to kill you to drop it.
Morbid Mask		900	Passive: Lifesteal - Grants 15% lifesteal for every attack. It's a Unique Attack Modifier that doesn't stack with other Unique Attack Modifiers.	Picked up by carries and junglers for extra survivability. If you want a better lifesteal effect, you can upgrade it into a Helm of the Dominator, a Mask of Madness or a Vladmir's Offering.
Ghost Scepter		1600	+7 to all attributes Active: Ghost Form - Enters ghost form for 4 seconds, during which the user cannot use his rightclick attacks or be harmed by physical damage, but take 40% more damage from magical damage. Using a channeled teleport ability will cancel it. Has a cooldown of 30 seconds.	Usually bought during the mid-late game by supports who can't survive many hits from carries. It can be upgraded into an Ethereal Blade.
Talisman of Evasion		1800	+25% evasion	Bought by carries to make them harder to take down. It can be made into a Butterfly or a Heaven's Halberd.
Blink Dagger		2150	Active: Blink - Instantly teleport to an area up to 1200 units away. Cannot be used if the user has taken damage in the past 3 seconds. Costs 75 mana and has a cooldown of 14 seconds.	A good item for almost any hero, and an almost necessary item for initiators. Blink can surprise enemies as you begin a teamfight, or to escape pursuing enemies.

Upgrades

These items are usually combinations of basic items. Some of them require you to purchase a recipe to complete the item.

Common

Common items are upgrades that don't fit in any category.

Name	Picture	Cost	Components	Effect	Use
Wraith Band		485 (150)	1 Circlet + 1 Slippers of Agility + 1 Wraith Band Recipe	+3 strength, +6 agility, +3 intelligence, +3 damage	Placeholder
Null Talisman		505 (170)	1 Circlet + 1 Mantle of Intelligence + 1 Null Talisman Recipe	+3 strength, +3 agility, +6 intelligence, +3 damage	Placeholder
Magic Wand		509 (150)	3 Iron Branches + 1 Magic Stick + 1 Magic Wand Recipe	+3 to all attributes Active: Energy Charge - Gain a charge every time an enemy uses an ability, up to 15 charges. When activated, restores 15 health and mana per charge. Has a 13 second cooldown.	Placeholder
Bracer		525 (190)	1 Circlet + 1 Gauntlets of Strength + 1 Bracer Recipe	+6 strength, +3 agility, +3 intelligence, +3 damage	Placeholder
Poor Man's Shield		550	1 Stout Shield + 2 Slippers of Agility	+6 ability Passive: Damage Block: - Blocks damage from physical attacks. Will block 20 damage for melee heroes and 10 for ranged heroes. Will always block damage from heroes but has a 60% chance of blocking damage from creeps.	Placeholder
Soul Ring		800 (125)	1 Ring of Regen + 1 Sage's Mask + 1 Soul Ring Recipe	+3 HP Regeneration, +50% mana regeneration Active: Sacrifice - Exchange 150 for 150 mana for 10 seconds. If your mana pool cannot contain the extra mana it will not be lost. The hp lost cannot kill you. Has a cooldown of 25 seconds.	Placeholder
Phase Boots		1400	1 Boots of Speed + 2 Blades of Attack	+60 movement speed, +24 damage. The passive movement speed bonus will not stack with other boots. Active: Phase - Increases your movement speed by 16% and allows you to move through units for 4 seconds. It will be canceled when using another item or ability. Has a cooldown of 8 seconds.	Placeholder
Power Treads		1450	1 Gloves of Haste + 1 Boots of Speed + 1 Belt of Strength/Band of Elevenskin/Robe of the Magi	+60 movement speed, +8 selected attribute, +25 attack speed. The movement speed bonus it grants does not stack with other boots. Active: Switch Attribute - The bonus attribute Power Treads initially grants is based on the attribute item used in the recipe. Using it will change the attribute bonus to other attributes. The order of the selected attributes are Strength to Agility to Intelligence.	Placeholder
Oblivion Staff		1675	1 Quarterstaff + 1 Sage's Mask + 1 Robe of the Magi	+6 intelligence, +10 attack speed, +15 damage, +75% mana regeneration	Placeholder
Perseverance		1750	1 Ring of Health + 1 Void Stone	+10 damage, +5 hp regeneration, +125% mana regeneration	Placeholder
Hand of Midas		1900 (1400)	1 Gloves of Haste + 1 Hand of Midas Recipe	+30 attack speed Active: Transmute - Kills a non-hero target for an extra 190 reliable gold and 2.5x the normal xp. Cannot be used on ancients. Has a cooldown of 100 seconds	Placeholder
Boots of Travel		2500 (2000)	1 Boots of Speed + 1 Boots of Travel Recipe	+100 movement speed. The bonus movement speed does not stack with other boots. Active: Teleport - Teleports to an allied building or non-hero unit after a short channeling time. Has a cooldown of 60 and costs 75 mana.	Placeholder

Secret Shop Items

These items can only be gotten at the secret shop, and are components for making powerful late-game items.

Name	Picture	Cost	Effect	Use
Demon Edge		2400	+46 damage	Usually bought as a component for a Daedalus, a Divine Rapier or a Monkey King Bar, all of which increases your damage output.
Eaglesong		3300	+25 agility	A good pickup for agility carries. It is also a component for an Ethereal Blade or a Butterfly, both of which are good agility carry items.
Reaver		3200	+25 strength	Increases your durability. Also required to make a Heart of Tarrasque or a Satanic, both of which improves your survivabiliy.
Sacred Relic		3800	+60 damage	The most expensive item that's not made from a recipe, it is used for making a Divine Rapier, a Radiance and an Abyssal Blade, all of which are powerful late game weapons.
Hyperstone		2100	+55 attack speed	Bought by carries to increase their damage per second. It's also a component for an Assault Cuirass or a Mjollnir.
Ring of Health		875	+5 hp regeneration	The regen it gives could be useful for heroes needing some more survivability, but is usually bought as a component for a Hood of Defiance, a Perseverance or a Vanguard.
Void Stone		875	+100% mana rageneration	Picked up by heroes that already has good mana regen with their intelligence stat, as Void Stone is better the higher your normal mana regen is. Usually bought when going for a Eul's Scepter, a Scythe of Vyse or a Perseverance.
Mystic Staff		2700	+25 intelligence	Bought as a component for a Scythe of Vyse or a Shiva's Guard.
Energy Booster		1000	+250 mana	The raw mana it gives you is useful for ability-reliant heroes. It's usually only bought when going for an Arcane Boots and is a component for making a Soul Booster.
Point Booster		1200	+150 mana, +200 health	Point Booster is a mix of an Energy Booster and a Vitality Booster, and all three are required for a Soul Booster. It's also needed to make powerful offensive items like an Eye of Skadi and an Aghanim's Scepter.
Vitality Booster		1100	+250 health	For heroes that simply want more durability. It's used for making other tanky items like the Heart of Tarrasque and Vanguard. Also a component for a Rod of Atos or a Soul Booster.
Orb of Venom		350	Poison Attack - Wielders attacks passively poisons their target, dealing 3 damage over 4 seconds as well as slowing enemies by 4% for ranged heroes and 12% for melee heroes. Poison Attack is a Unique Attack Modifier, and doesn't stack with other Unique Attack Modifiers.	Usually picked up to be built into an Eye of Skadi. It is a pretty cheap item that gives you a slow, though it's almost worthless for ranged heroes.