Do you want to know how to play and dominate games with Visage in Dota 2?
One of the most technical heroes with one of the lowest pick rates is Visage. Being one of the most efficient split pushers in the game allows it to dominate the game singlehandedly completely. An extremely potent Early to Midgame presence is another reason to learn how to play Visage in Dota 2.
With almost everything one could need in a hero, Visage is an extremely technical and extremely balanced core hero. While playing Visage, common game sense becomes almost as important as one’s game mechanics. However, when one has command over its abilities, there are almost no heroes that can match its potential.
Apart from its insane lane domination and pushing abilities, he also possesses a stun, burst damage, and slow. Tit makes Visage a menace for any heroes who can easily burst or get caught in team fights. Furthermore, its slowing ability demolishes enemies in duels and is a further reason to play Visage in Dota 2.
Visage, with its versatile abilities, can work well with many heroes in all lanes and most roles. However, some of its favorite allies are Slardar and Beastmaster due to their stuns and damage amplification abilities. In contrast, the heroes he works well against including Techies and Mars, as they have no inherent defenses against Visage.
Visage’s Abilities
The first of Visage’s spells allows it to slow enemy attacks and movement speed by massive amounts. Not only this but the speed that Visage drains, it and its nearby familiars also gain. For around six seconds, enemy heroes lose almost a quarter of both their movement and attack speed, rendering them useless.
With Soul Assumption, Visage gets a potential for burst damage like no other. Every time someone around it takes more than 100 damage, Visage gains a charge of Soul Assumption. These charges add 70 damage each to a base damage that culminates and releases once one uses the ability.
Next is another incredible spell that adds to his defensive capabilities. Gravekeeper’s Cloak has a max of four charges, and with each charge, he gets a damage reduction of twenty percent. Receiving as little as 40 damage will invoke one of these charges, and it takes six seconds to recover.
His iconic ability, Summon Familiars, grants him the power to control two blind Familiars. These familiars have a max of 75 damage, and when both of them attack together, the damage can be overwhelming. They also travel quite fast and are insanely useful as split-pushing tools and scouting units.
Though not a standalone ability, Stone Form is another aspect of Visage’s familiars. The stun one gets will this ability is a prominent reason to learn how to play Visage in Dota 2. With this ability, the Familiars drop down to the ground, stunning enemies and becoming invulnerable. In their stone form, they also heal up back to full health.
How to Utilize its Abilities
Due to its low scaling for every level that it gains, just one level in the early stages works well. Visage is an excellent ganker, and one reason for this attribute is the slow that Grave Chill provides. Moreover, the added movement and attack speed his familiars gain is an excellent step in taking objectives like towers efficiently.
An extremely potent burst damage spell at all points in the game, Soul Assumption makes Visage terrifying in the Sidelanes. Especially in a Trilane, many more heroes become a part of fights, and as a result, Visage gains charges much faster. The charges are also of use for a minimal time, making it useful in quick pickoffs or short engagements.
Most are not aware of the fact that Gravekeeper’s Cloak also takes effect on Visage’s Familiars. Consequently, whenever one has a maximum of four possible charges, it is beneficial to charge in with the familiars. Moreover, it is also important to know that each charge has an independent recharge timer, which makes it an extremely efficient defense.
With good micro-control, there is no limit to the potential of what Visage can do with its familiars. Apart from not only dealing insane damage over a long time, they are also useful in demolishing supports. Moreover, their ability to fly up over the ground makes them excellent scouts and stacking tools.
Stone Form is a vastly useful ability as it makes familiars invulnerable, and heals them all while stunning enemies. Perhaps the best way to use this ability is to layer the stun by using it one after another. Resultantly, Visage can easily stun multiple enemies for a maximum of three seconds, which is often, enough to kill enemies.
Item Build
Visage is quite weak in the early game before he has the appropriate levels to level up his abilities. As a result, items that boost stats and healing are the best way to guarantee a successful laning stage. Under these categories, Circlets, Tangoes, Healing Salves, Enchanted Mangoes, and a Magic Stick are among the best choices.
Once Visage has a few levels, he can get Gravekeeper’s Cloak which aids his durability immensely. As a result, items that provide him with an offensive advantage are of great importance. Such items can be a Drum of Endurance to boost mobility or Vladimir’s Offering to help with continuous fighting.
In the midgame, as per the meta, the most effective item by far is Aghanim’s Sceptre. With its Aghanim’s Sceptre upgrade, Visage gains another familiar, which boosts all aspects of his fighting prowess. With another Familiar, not only can he stun for up to 4.5 seconds, but his damage also increases by a massive percentage.
In the Late game, though Visage drops off quite a bit, he can still continue the lead he establishes. To achieve this, other items that boost his fighting prowess or inhibit the fighting potential of others are a must. For this, the Assault Cuirass is an amazing item, boosting both ally armor while reducing enemy armor.
For a more defensive approach, one can progress Vladimir’s Offering further to make the Wraith Pact. This item suppresses the enemy damage output to the extent that no other item can. Moreover, players can get a Shiva’s Guard to slow their speed further and amplify Grave Chill’s effect.
Laning Stage and Gameplay
Before level six, there are few things that Visage can accomplish successfully. However with his familiars, and he is without rival. Resultantly, one should be relatively passive in the lane while occasionally using Soul Assumption to harass enemies. Visage also has quite a long attack range, making it easy for him to get the last hits in the lane.
After Visage has successfully secured level six, he unlocks his familiars, and the game accelerates. This immense power spike is extremely useful in getting towers, and with the Siege creep, it is almost effortless. After quickly pushing either one’s own lane or moving to another lane to secure the tower, farming becomes a priority.
Quickly clearing lane creeps is Visage’s specialty; with this, he can always maintain lane pressure. His familiars also fly right over high ground, granting him every opportunity to scout the enemy jungle. Smoking to use these opportunities to find easy kills is the best way to establish and continue an XP lead.
Visage, though one of the least picked heroes of all time, is mechanic-heavy and has a high return on investment. The amazing potential to destroy the enemies and end the game in record time is what makes Visage so special. These exact attributes are what make learning how to play Visage in Dota 2 so lucrative.
