Invoker is incredibly fun to play despite being one of the most complex heroes in Dota 2. If you want to try out this hero, here’s a guide that can help.
Invoker is one of the most popular Dota 2 heroes, mainly due to his immense complexity. A lot of players can only dream of mastering the Invoker and achieving pianist-level expertise - but everyone starts somewhere. So in this guide, we present to you an explanation of the Invoker’s playstyle, all of his spells, and the best beginner combos!
How to play the Invoker
The way to play this hero is to mix the elements (his abilities) to create unique spells. If played properly, Invoker can achieve a very high potential in-game. This is because the hero can cast a variety of spells with different functions which include stuns, slows, AoE, pure damage, summons, and plenty more.
The Invoker controls 3 orbs, which you can see floating around his body. These 3 orbs allow him to control elements which consist of Quas (Ice), Wex (Storm), and Exort (Fire). The different orbs also contribute separately to Invoker’s stats.
- Quas: Passively grants +2 Strength per level. Each Quas instance provides increased health regeneration.
- Wex: Passively grants +2 Agility per level. Each Wex instance provides increased attack speed and movement speed.
- Exort: Passively grants +2 Intelligence per level. Each Exort instance provides increased attack damage.
To invoke a spell, you must make a combination of Invoker’s 3 elements, Quas, Wex, and Exort. For example, Sun Strike is invoked by pressing Exort [E] three times. Meanwhile, Deafening Blast is a mix of Quas [Q], Wex [W], and Exort [E].
But that’s not all. Players can also change the orbs or the elements that they are holding according to the situation. For instance, if you are at low HP change your orbs to Quas for increased HP regeneration. If you want to be aggressive and harass your enemy, change your orbs to Wex for increased attack speed.
If that doesn’t sound complex enough, his spells have different skill sets that you need to understand. For instance, Forged Spirit requires a level of micro and Sun Strike tests your ability to predict movement.
In summary, playing Invoker requires you to endlessly press buttons - from spell casting to orb changing all of that on top of pressing items and microing your summons. Hence, the name "pianist" for Invoker experts.
How many spells does the Invoker have?
Invoker has a total of 10 spells: Cold Snap, Ghost Walk, Ice Wall, E.M.P, Tornado, Alacrity, Sun Strike, Forge Spirit, Chaos Meteor, and Deafening Blast.
Here are quick descriptions of Invoker's spells and their hotkeys:
- Cold Snap [QQQ]: Damages and briefly freezes the enemy.
- Ghost Walk [QQW]: Makes him invisible. Walking near enemies will slow both Invoker and his enemies.
- Ice Wall [QQE]: Generates an ice wall that massively slows down enemies walking through it.
- E.M.P [WWW]: Creates an explosion around an area that drains the mana of enemies. It also deals damage to the enemy based on the amount of mana drained.
- Tornado [WWQ]: Unleashes a tornado that lifts all enemies and units for a duration. They take damage once the land.
- Alacrity [WWE]: Applies increased attack speed and attack damage to a target ally.
- Sun Strike [EEE]: Sends a pure damage burst at a target location (global).
- Forge Spirit [EEQ]: Summons a maximum of two vulnerable spirits that can attack and provide vision.
- Chaos Meteor [EEW]: Lands a burning meteor at a target location from where it will roll forward. Enemies in its path will take damage over time.
- Deafening Blast [QWE]: Unleashes a strong knockback in an area that disarms and damages enemies.
You can check more details for his spells here.
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Invoker Spell Sheet
The very first step of playing the Invoker is to memorize his spells and how to invoke them. You'd want to be able to cast spells by muscle memory and so, we have made a spell sheet to make it easier.
Best spell combos for beginners
To give you a headstart, we'll list down the best combos for beginner players to execute.
During the laning phase, Invoker usually doesn't have enough mana to cast multiple spells. Your best bet to finish off the enemy is to exert decent harass and execute a spell combo when the enemy has lowered HP. The E.M.P [WWW] + Tornado [WWQ] combo is very practical and you can even add a Cold Snap [QQQ] on top of it.
Many players love using the Forge Spirit [EEQ] during the laning phase because it uses low mana, lasts long, and can help you last hit and harass. This spell combined with Alacrity [WWE] and Cold Snap [QQQ] can be a lane stomper with colossal right-click damage.
Another popular pick for beginners is the Tornado [WWQ] + Sun Strike [EEE] combo. However, if you don't have a good read at the spells' timing, it is not recommended to use this combo.
A classic combo that is often used in the late game is the Tornado [WWQ] + Chaos Meteor [EEW] + Deafening Blast [QWE] combo. You can also opt for a slow and painful kill combo such as Ice Wall [QQE] + Forge Spirit [EEQ] + Cold Snap [QQQ].
Spells that slow or stun enemies are a perfect match for Sun Strike which is a spell that requires precision. Use Cold Snap [QQQ] or Ice Wall [QQE] to land a Sun Strike [EEE] that can instantly wipe a large portion of the enemy's HP. Tornado is a powerful spell used in most combos. This is because Tornado is good for setting up spells, buying time for you to position, interrupting the enemy's teleport, and more.
You can try out most of these combos in Dota 2's demo mode. You can even come up with your own spell order that you feel most comfortable with.
Hopefully, with this guide, you've gained some confidence to begin your Invoker journey in pubs. Remember, practice makes perfect. Once these spells are embedded in your muscle memory, you'll be a pianist in no time!
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