Exploring And Mastering Tier 3 Neutral Items – Patch 7.34b

Diving into the game-changing potential of every Dota 2 Tier 3 Neutral Items 

Step into Dota 2‘s world of enigmatic neutral items. In this series, we decode the transformative potential of Tier 3 Neutral Items, offering insights into how they shape battles for heroes.

Tier 3 Neutral Item Drop Mechanics and Timing

In Dota 2, neutral items add depth to the game. Hidden in neutral camps across the map, these special items can change the course of battles. Grasping their mechanics and timing is vital for strategic success.

In Dota 2, Tier 3 items are a critical juncture that ushers in the mid to late game transition. Appearing between the 27:00 to 36:40-minute mark, these items wield a substantial influence on gameplay dynamics. They present a balanced blend of potency and adaptability, pivotal in shaping strategic approaches during this phase of the match.

Tier 3 items have far-reaching implications, offering a wide range of unique benefits. They equip teams with tools for engaging in pivotal teamfights, introducing AoE debuffs, damage amplification, and magic resistance reduction. These items cater to diverse roles, such as bolstering the frontlines with defensive attributes and magic damage mitigation, while also empowering agility-based Heroes through evasion, attack speed, and mobility bonuses.

These artifacts serve as key enablers, strengthening spellcasters with abilities to reposition to optimize their abilities' line-ups and amplify the frequency of spellcasting. Additionally, Tier 3 items cater to initiators, offering mobility, crowd control, and durability. Acquiring these items leads to crucial moments that dictate the outcome of engagements, control of the map and the general direction of the game. 

• Color: Blue
• Drop Mechanics: Between 27:00 – 36:40 minutes (13:30 – 18:20 minutes in Turbo)
• Drop Chance: 10% drop rate (30% at Ancient Camps)
• Items: A mix of power and versatility influencing late-mid to early-late game

Tier 3 Neutral Items Explained:

Understanding Tier 3 Neutral Items' timings and significance empowers teams to strategize around these mid to late-game transitionary artifacts. 

Ceremonial Robe – Preparing For Annihilation 

This item is usually picked up by  front-liners or aura carriers in order to amplify teamfights with AoE debuffs against the enemy team.  

• Passive: Lower enemies’ Status Resistance and Magic Resistance by 10% in a 1200 radius
• Bonuses: +300 Mana
• 6 Highest Win Rate Heroes: Witch Doctor, Tinker, Lion, Skywrath Mage, Earthshaker, Jakiro

Cloak of Flames – Blazing Heat

This item is usually picked up by tanky frontliner Heroes who like to get into the middle of frays and up-close and personal with enemies. 

• Passive: Burns enemies in a 375 radius for 45 damage/second 
• Bonuses: +4 Armor and +10% Magic Resistance
• Note: Illusions deal 30 damage/second
• Top 6 Highest Win Rate Heroes: Pudge, Axe, Necrophos, Bristleback, Sand King, Spectre

Dandelion Amulet – Outsmarting Magic

This item provides Mana, Movement Speed and Magic Damage Block, so Heroes that are squishy casters or tankers usually prefer picking this item.

• Passive: Blocks up to 300 magic damage from instances over 75 damage 
• Bonuses: +300 Mana and + 25 Movement Speed
• Note: Does not stack with Infused Raindrop
• Top 6 Highest Win Rate Heroes: Witch Doctor, Lion, Spirit Breaker, Pudge, Invoker, Jakiro

Defiant Shell – Palpable Counter

This item is perfect on Heroes that are tanky or frontlines with high physical damage, as their counters will hit harder. 

• Passive: When attacked, the user counter-attacks a target for 100% of their attack damage within their attack range
• Bonuses: +7 Strength, +7 Agility, +7 Intelligence, +7 Armor
• Note: Fully works on buildings
• Top 6 Highest Win Rate Heroes: Legion Commander, Axe, Phantom Assassin, Pudge, Wraith King, Slardar

Elven Tunic – Untouchable Apparel

This item’s Evasion, Movement and Attack Speed is like a small-scale Butterfly and is incredibly beneficial to Agility core Heroes. 

• Bonuses: +16 Evasion, +7% Movement Speed and +26 Attack Speed 
• Top 6 Highest Win Rate Heroes: Phantom Assassin, Juggernaut, Sniper, Slark, Drow Ranger, Shadow Fiend

Enchanted Quiver – Aiming True

This item is for core ranged Heroes that have high physical damage who benefit from more attack range and true strike.

• Passive: Every 4 seconds, the user’s next attack deals +250 magical damage and true strike. Ranged attackers also have +350 bonus attack range for the attack
• Bonus: +75 Attack Range
• Note: The attack range bonus is only for ranged Heroes
• Top 6 Highest Win Rate Heroes: Sniper, Nature’s Prophet, Drow Ranger, Silencer, Shadow Fiend, Outworld Destroyer

Ogre Seal Totem – Big Flop

This item synergizes well with initiators who are naturally tanky and the 2 bounces can be used to move in to slow enemies and then out to safety. 

• Ability: Flops 400 distance forward twice, dealing 150 damage and slowing enemies in a 275 target radius by 100% for 1.5 second each time
• Bonuses: +10 Strength
• Top 6 Highest Win Rate Heroes: Pudge, Earthshaker, Ogre Magi, Axe, Witch Doctor, Undying

Paladin Sword – Healing Swings

The lifesteal, damage and heal amplifications work perfectly with physical damage dealing cores who also have powerful abilities. 

• Passive: Amplifies user’s Health Regen, Lifesteal and Spell Lifesteal Amp by 14%
• Bonuses: +16 Attack Damage, 16% Lifesteal (8% for creeps) and 8% Spell Lifesteal (1.6% for creeps)
• Top 6 Highest Win Rate Heroes: Phantom Assassin, Gyrocopter, Sniper, Juggernaut, Legion Commander, Shadow Fiend

Psychic Headband – Wielding Wisdom

This item is for squishy spellcasting Heroes that need proper positioning and disjointing abilities to survive through teamfights

• Ability: Pushes enemy target away from you 400 distance
• Passive: Grants 15% Intelligence Bonus
• Bonuses: +100 Cast Range
• Note: Increases total Intelligence (base and bonus) by 15%
• Top 6 Highest Win Rate Heroes: Witch Doctor, Lion, Rubick, Shadow Shaman, Jakiro, Skywrath Mage

Quickening Charm – Speedy Thinking

This item is perfect for spellcasters who have spammable or impactful spells and items that can highly benefit from even more shortened cooldowns.

• Passive: Reduces the cooldown time of all spells and items by 10%.
• Bonuses: +10 Health Regeneration
• Note: Stacks multiplicatively with other sources of cooldown reduction
• Top 6 Highest Win Rate Heroes: Witch Doctor, Invoker, Earthshaker, Lion, Warlock, Rubick

Titan Sliver – Highly Resistant

This item is perfect for initiators and frontlining cores, aiding them from getting nuked down or stunlocked, and amplifying their damage so they can dish more out.

• Bonuses: +16% Magic Resistance, +10% Status Resistance and + 20% Attack Damage
• Note: Grants flat bonus attack damage of user’s main attack damage
• Top 6 Highest Win Rate Heroes: Phantom Assassin, Legion Commander, Earthshaker, Wraith King, Juggernaut, Slark

Vindicator’s Axe – Unrelenting Foe

This item is mainly picked up by physical damage dealing core Heroes in need for some durability during engagements. 

• Ability: Provides +30 damage if the user is silenced and +20 armor if the user is stunned
• Bonuses: +20% Slow Resistance and +35 Attack Speed
• Note: Stacks will all slow resistance sources
• Top 6 Highest Win Rate Heroes: Legion Commander, Phantom Assassin, Sniper, Juggernaut, Slark, Wraith King

As we wrap up our exploration of Tier 3 Neutral Items, we're excited to continue unraveling the mysteries across the tiers. Join us in the upcoming chapters as we journey through Dota 2's neutral item landscape, gaining a deeper understanding of their competitive significance and strategic value.