Khanda is the new cheese.

If you play Dota 2 often, you might've noticed the trend of rushing this new late-game item called Khanda. You'll see it on a Vengeful Spirit mid, on a Bounty Hunter carry, and even on greedy supports. So what is going on and why is everyone purchasing Khanda in Dota 2?

Let's walk back a few steps. Valve introduced Khanda in December 2023 alongside the massive Patch 7.35. Immediately, this pink enigma trended in pubs with many players experimenting builds and combos surrounding Khanda.

What is Khanda in Dota 2

Khanda is a late-game item (at least for most scenarios) which costs 5000 gold. It comprises a combination of Crystalys (2000 gold), Phylactery (2400 gold), and a 600 gold recipe.

(Image via DotaBuff)
(Image via DotaBuff)

Khanda provides decent stats and bonuses. You'll get +8 Strength, +8 Agility and +8 Intelligence in attributes. This item also provides additional 200 Health and 200 Mana, on top of a solid +50 attack damage. But these stats are puny compared to Khanda's real features which are its rich passives.

Khanda first provides the Empower Spell passive, which is its strongest feature. This passive buffs your next Unit Target spell, making you deal 100 + 75% of your attack damage as bonus damage to the target. It also slows down the targeted enemy by 50% for 1.5 seconds. This passive has a quick 6 seconds cooldown.

The second passive is called the Critical Strike. It grants each attack a 30% chance to deal 160% damage. This passive does not work on buildings and allied units.

Khanda's biggest strength lies in its packed passive. It has a ridiculous amount of bonus physical damage that is a guaranteed proc on a Unit Target spell (from the Empower Spell passive). This allows heroes with a target spell and a high attack damage such as Morphling, Sniper, Spirit Breaker and more, to deal a huge amount of burst damage with just one spell.

To make it simple, Khanda allows you to easily one-shot an enemy hero. It is an extremely cheesy item and that's exactly why Khanda has been making waves in your pub matches.

This wave of Khanda hype also sprouted from content creators in Dota 2 showcasing their cheesy plays with this item. You'll see endless videos and content showing you the power of Khanda with piles of Divine Rapiers.

Here's an explanation as to why this item build is going ham: Khanda's passive gives 100 + 75% of your attack damage as bonus damage. Divine Rapier is THE item for attack damage. A combination of Khanda and tons of Divine Rapier is like a wet dream for cheesy one-shotters.

With this Khanda + Rapier hype, a lot of people want to replicate this build. It has an easy execution and it also works on support heroes! Who doesn't want easy one-shots?

It's no wonder why Khanda is trending. But alongside cheesy wins that players get with Khanda purchases, there are also disastrous fails. Make sure you pursue this build, or any Khanda build, at your own risk. You don't want to be in the headline of the next Reddit thread complaining about Khanda buyers..

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