Dota 2: How to Play Winter Wyvern (Items and Abilities Guide)

Dota 2: How to Play Winter Wyvern (Items and Abilities Guide)

As a seasoned Dota 2 player with countless hours under my belt, I can confidently say that playing Winter Wyvern as a Position 5 support is a delightful challenge. The key to success lies not in the items you wield, but in your ability to read the battlefield and protect your precious cores.


In the game Dota 2, Winter Wyvern is known for her remarkable versatility among the current roster of heroes. Initially, she was perceived as a support character due to her robust healing capabilities, potent damaging spell, and two distinct disabling abilities. However, over time, players have experimented with running her in the middle lane as a core hero.

Advance to Dota 2 update 7.37, and Winter Wyvern is predominantly selected as a Support hero, typically as Position 5. While it’s still possible to use her in the mid lane, she’s currently achieving the most success in this role. In this write-up, we’ll explore her spell setup, item choices, and overall play strategy.

Dota 2 Winter Wyvern Hero Overview

Dota 2: How to Play Winter Wyvern (Items and Abilities Guide)

Similar to many Dota 2 characters, Winter Wyvern possesses four unique skills, one of which serves as her Ultimate. Her inherent ability, Eldwurm Scholar, which was introduced during the Crownfall event patch, allows her to distribute the experience gained from the Wisdom rune among three teammates who wouldn’t typically receive it. Given the significant role hero level plays in the game currently, this is a particularly beneficial innate ability for your team.

Here’s a table showcasing her spells:

Ability Name How it Works
Arctic Burn (Q) Modifies Winter Wyvern’s attacks for a short duration, causing it to deal damage based on a percentage of the enemy’s health while slowing their move speed for 5 seconds. It also grants Winter Wyvern a bonus attack range.
Splinter Blast (W) Launches a projectile on a target unit (enemy or ally), which explodes and hurls smaller projectiles on enemy units around it, damaging and slowing them. The primary target of the ability isn’t damaged or affected by the slow.
Cold Embrace (E) An ally-target ability that covers a single unit in a block of ice, giving them health regeneration and turning them invulnerable to physical attacks. However, the target can still be damaged by magical attacks and spells.
Winter’s Curse (R) Dispels an enemy target and forces his allies within a certain radius to attack them. The units affected by Winter’s Curse don’t take damage from their enemies, but Winter Wyvern can still deal Magic damage to the target.

In the beginning of the game, you get to pick between two different aspects for Winter Wyvern. Let me briefly explain them:

  • Essence of the Blueheart: Heals from Winter Wyvern’s items and abilities also restore mana.
  • Dragon Heart: Winter Wyvern gets bonus damage when her attack range exceeds 400.

1. Acquiring Aghanim’s Scepter on Winter Wyvern eliminates the cooldown for Arctic Burn, transforming it into a toggle feature that depletes mana as it is activated for a longer period. On the other hand, obtaining Aghanim’s Shard enhances her Winter’s Embrace ability so that when its duration ends, it splinters like Splinter Blast.

Dota 2 Winter Wyvern Build Guide

Dota 2: How to Play Winter Wyvern (Items and Abilities Guide)

For beginners, the Winter Wyvern in the Position 5 role is not overly challenging to learn how to play effectively. Here’s a suggested build for her:

Ability and Talent Build

In most cases, characters in Dota 2 generally specialize in one particular aspect that’s deemed beneficial. Unlike other heroes, Winter Wyvern offers two viable aspects: Dragon Heart and Essence of the Blueheart. When playing her as a core on the Middle Lane, the Dragon Heart Facet shines. However, for those filling the Position 5 role, we suggest focusing on the Essence of the Blueheart aspect instead.

The following image showcases ability and talent build for the hero:

Dota 2: How to Play Winter Wyvern (Items and Abilities Guide)

Starting off by leveling up Arctic Burn early for Winter Wyvern, you’ll find she becomes one of the most powerful level 1 supports in the game. This ability allows you to significantly reduce an Off Lane enemy hero’s health. Upon reaching level 2, pick up Splinter Blast. This spell serves as both a potent attack and a tool for pushing the lane, enabling you to stack and pull the easy camp with ease. Prioritize maxing out Arctic Burn first as it forms the core of your strategy.

Consider choosing Winter’s Embrace at levels 3 or 4 beneficial, as it allows you to safeguard your primary carry if the opposing duo turns hostile. Aim to acquire the ultimate of Winter’s Curse at level 6. Regarding talent development, prioritize upgrades for Winter’s Embrace and Splinter Blast.

Item Progression

Dota 2: How to Play Winter Wyvern (Items and Abilities Guide)

As a Position 5 player, your focus isn’t primarily on acquiring items. Instead, you should concentrate on playing from the backline, maintaining a broad view of the game map, and preserving your essential abilities or “core.” However, it’s worth noting that Winter Wyvern performs exceptionally well with mobility-enhancing items.

  • Starting Items

As a gamer, I kick off every game with two Tango potions tucked in my inventory. Stat-wise, I prefer starting with a Circlet and three Iron Branches, which helps me level up faster. To add some zest to my early game, I pick up a Blood Grenade for that extra oomph when taking down opponents. Lastly, I always have two Sentry Wards on hand, ready to either block off the enemy’s hard camp or clear any obstacles in my safe camp, depending on the matchup.

  • Early Items

To start off, prioritize acquiring additional regeneration units (regens) to support your carry’s longevity in the lane. Strive to get Magic Wand and Boots of Speed at the earliest opportunity. This will empower you to adopt a slightly more aggressive playstyle.

  • Core Items

In a Winter Wyvern Position 5 role, focus on these essential items: Arcane Boots for managing high mana costs, Glimmer Cape as an affordable and complementary choice for her third ability, Aghanim’s Shard to enhance the hero, Blink Dagger for repositioning during fights to maximize Winter’s Curses, and Aether Lens for extended casting range since you primarily rely on your spells.

  • Situational Items

Winter Wyvern’s charm lies in her adaptability to various game scenarios. When facing opponents with numerous disables, Lotus Orb or Eul’s Scepter of Divinity can be ideal items to acquire. Mekansm and its Guardian Greaves upgrade offer additional healing capabilities for teammates. If you anticipate the match to extend and require scaling, building Aghanim’s Scepter and Bloodthorn on the hero is also a sound strategy.

How to Play Winter Wyvern in Dota 2

Dota 2: How to Play Winter Wyvern (Items and Abilities Guide)

In a supporting role, Winter Wyvern safeguards key characters during the laning phase by staying behind them. Her abilities, Splinter Blast and Arctic Burn, are perfect for thwarting enemy attacks on your carry. You can deploy the Splinter Blast to protect your ally, ensuring nearby enemies sustain damage and slow down.

When you arrive at the designated lane, your initial goal is to secure the difficult camp, which will hinder Position 4 from farming creep-monsters. This gives you an opportunity to control the easy camp and deprive experience points. Once you reach level 3 and invest two abilities into Splinter Blast, you’ll possess enough power to engage the enemy team effectively.

If you’re using a rapid-harvesting base, think about venturing into the forest to gather camps when the minions are close to your tower. Around the 6-minute point, you might want to move towards the center of the map to grab the power rune and ambush the enemy mid laner.

At the heart of the game, it’s crucial to focus on gaining a clear view of the map. Purchase Observer and Sentry Wards to establish visibility in key locations that align with your team’s strategy.

In team battles, cast your spells from a secure position. Splinter Blast is an effective option when things get really hectic. However, aim to use Winter’s Embrace on crucial teammates to keep them alive amidst the damage rush. If you have a blink dagger, feel free to play aggressively and initiate fights with a strategic Winter’s Curse. Otherwise, it’s wiser to reserve it for defensive purposes.

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2024-08-07 11:34