Dota 2: How to Play Storm Spirit (Best Items, and Playstyle)

Dota 2: How to Play Storm Spirit (Best Items, and Playstyle)

As a seasoned Dota 2 player who’s spent countless hours mastering the cosmic storm that is Storm Spirit, let me tell you, this hero is a real mind-bender! If you’re looking for an unconventional playstyle with a side of interdimensional travel, Stormy Boy here is your man.


In the game Dota 2, the character Storm Spirit has undergone numerous transformations. Initially, he was overpowered and dominated every match, but later on, he was significantly weakened and experienced one of the lowest success rates. Currently, though, in this latest update, Storm Spirit is doing well, maintaining a fair win rate and popularity, even in professional play.

The special abilities that Storm Spirit possesses in Dota 2 make him one of the most potent heroes for snowballing victories. If he excels during the early game and accumulates a decent amount of resources from farming, he can dominate the game independently. For those interested in mastering this formidable Midlane hero, our comprehensive Storm Spirit build guide will streamline your learning process.

Dota 2 Storm Spirit Hero Overview

Dota 2: How to Play Storm Spirit (Best Items, and Playstyle)

Storm Spirit is a ranged character who specializes in intelligence, boasting four skills including an ability unlocked at Level 6 as his ultimate. He excels in intelligence gain, making him one of the top performers in this category, and while he’s an intelligence hero, his basic stats are impressive too. Storm Spirit has a modest attack range and his movement speed is relatively slow, which can make his early laning stage challenging.

Here’s a quick breakdown of his abilities:

Ability NameHow it Works
Static RemnantStorm Spirit creates a replica of himself that explodes in proximity to an enemy unit. The Static Remnant lasts 12 seconds if no enemies are nearby, providing flying vision in an AOE around it.
Electric VortexStorm Spirit pulls a targeted unit towards him, disabling the enemy hero for a specific duration.
OverloadAny time Storm Spirit uses one of his abilities, his next attack gets imbued with energy that deals bonus magical damage and applies an AOE slow around the target that he hits.
Ball LightningStorm Spirit turns into a ball of energy and travels to the targeted location. During the Ball Lightning, Storm Spirit can’t be targeted or damaged. Storm Spirit continues towards the targeted point until he reaches the destination or his mana is drained.

In addition to his four skills, the recent Crownfall update for Dota 2 added two aspects that players need to pick prior to starting a game for each hero. For Storm Spirit, these aspects are as follows:

  • Shock Collar: Adds a secondary effect to the Electric Vortex. The spell now also applies a debuff on the targeted enemy that causes their next attack to hit themselves and also proc an Overload Charge. The debuff lasts for 5 seconds.
  • Static Slide: Static Remnant becomes a ground-targeted ability and now moves to a target location instead after spawning from Storm Spirit.

Instead, it’s important to note that what truly amplifies Storm Spirit’s snowball potential isn’t his spells or Facets, but rather his Innate ability. With every kill made by the hero, a Galvanized charge is acquired, providing 0.2 Mana regeneration. Once Ball Lightning is unlocked, an additional three bonus charges are granted. Furthermore, each time a charge is gained, there’s a permanent increase of 0.1 Mana regeneration on the hero.

Each death results in losing 3 Galvanized charges.

Dota 2 Storm Spirit Build Guide

Dota 2: How to Play Storm Spirit (Best Items, and Playstyle)

In the popular game Dota 2, Storm Spirit is often chosen as the Position 2 character within a team. This character thrives best in the middle lane and performs optimally when given a strong early game. Storm Spirit typically prefers not to fall behind but rather to maintain an advantage, and with a few levels and essential items, it can pose a significant threat to opposing teams, particularly squishy supports who tend to stay at the backline.

Here’s a full breakdown of how you’ll want to build the hero:

Abilities and Talent Build

Dota 2: How to Play Storm Spirit (Best Items, and Playstyle)

In Dota 2, Storm Spirit’s skill and build process for his Static Remnant ability is quite simple and beneficial. This spell allows you to push your minion wave towards the enemy tower effectively, which can be very useful in offensive strategies. Furthermore, it enables you to swiftly clear a camp filled with neutral creeps in the jungle. Hence, this is an ability you’d want to prioritize and level up as quickly as possible.

As a storm-wielding gamer, I’ll be pouring one skill point into Overcharge at level 2 and another into Electric Vortex at level 4. I’ll snag my ultimate at level 6. Once Static Remnant is maxed out, focus on upgrading Overload to amp up my overall damage output. With a bit of mana management, I can make these abilities trigger endlessly with Ball Lightning. Remember to always upgrade my ultimate and grab talents whenever they’re available. After my other spells reach their max level, it’s time to start investing in Electric Vortex again.

For Talents, by level 10, opt for the +1.5 Mana Regeneration. The Storm Spirit is particularly mana-intensive, making the additional regeneration from this talent worth considering. At level 15, choose extra health and extended Electric Vortex duration at level 20, and lastly, select the 2x Overload Attack Bounce at level 25.

Item Progression

Dota 2: How to Play Storm Spirit (Best Items, and Playstyle)

To maximize your Gold at the beginning of the game using Storm Spirit, aim to acquire as much Gold as possible to obtain your Bottle swiftly. A combination of Tango and four Iron Branches offers sufficient stats for securing early last hits. In case the lane is challenging, consider swapping one Iron Branch for a Faerie Fire instead. Consider requesting an Observer Ward or purchasing one yourself to keep tabs on Runes and potential ganks from the enemy team.

In the lane, focus on quickly obtaining the Bottle item. After grabbing it, be alert for Rune spawns and utilize them to replenish your Bottle, which will help maintain both your health and Mana levels. This is a crucial method of regeneration for Storm Spirit during most of the early game. The next items on your list should be Null Talisman and Boots of Speed.

Enhance your Speed Boots as soon as you accumulate enough Gold. Subsequently, you’ll face a crucial decision. Witch Blade and Orchid Malevolence are both exceptional items for Storm Spirit, and the order in which you build them primarily depends on the composition of the opposing team. If you aim for an early active presence, leveraging the active Silence to secure kills, prioritize Orchid Malevolence. Witch Blade will also significantly boost your hero’s damage due to its high Intelligence scaling. If the enemy team has numerous disables, a Black King Bar build could be beneficial as well. A Kaya is also crucial for Storm Spirit as it streamlines your Mana management.

After acquiring the necessary items, you’ll find that there are numerous options for building Storm Spirit. This hero tends to prioritize Mana Regeneration, making items like Linken’s Sphere, Shiva’s Guard, Parasma, Bloodthorn, or Eul’s Scepter of Divinity suitable choices. However, it’s crucial to keep an eye on the enemy team composition as well. For instance, if your team lacks disables and an opposing Pos 1 hero is proving troublesome during team fights, a Scythe of Vyse could be a highly effective item to counter them with Storm Spirit.

The enhancements for a hero from Aghanim’s Shard and Aghanim’s Scepter are truly impressive. Activating Overload manually with Aghanim’s Shard not only empowers your hero but also extends its effect to nearby allies for three consecutive attacks. This, coupled with the level 25 talent from the hero, significantly boosts area-of-effect damage in team fights. Meanwhile, Aghanim’s Scepter transforms Electric Vortex into an area-of-effect ability, enabling you to incapacitate several heroes simultaneously on Storm Spirit. The choice between these items largely depends on the specific matchup in play.

How to Play Storm Spirit in Dota 2

Dota 2: How to Play Storm Spirit (Best Items, and Playstyle)

In Storm Spirit’s initial gameplay, you often switch between assisting in the lane and farming jungle camps to amass crucial items. The laning stage is when he’s at his most vulnerable. It’s better to prioritize safety, secure your attacks, and retreat to your tower if a potential ambush seems imminent.

After advancing a few stages and obtaining your Bottle, begin pushing back the wave of creepers and retreat to nearby jungle camps to boost your wealth. Be sure to inspect Rune locations to refill your Bottle. If the opposing team is heavily contending Runes, think about purchasing Clarity potions to maintain your Mana levels. Upon reaching level 6, you’ll experience a significant power increase. With Ball Lightning at your disposal, you can reach any hero on the map. When accompanied by another ally, you should be able to defeat most heroes. However, only engage in kills when it is safe to do so. While kills provide a substantial influx of Gold, avoid wasting time farming with this hero.

At level 6, you can call an ally hero to your lane to secure
kills on the enemy Midlaner
.

After gathering your essential items, feel free to play with more boldness. In team battles, focus on identifying and attacking squishy heroes at the backline, which you can easily reach using Ball Lightning. Storm Spirit is capable of dealing significant damage, but only if he has enough Mana. Therefore, be careful not to exhaust your Mana while farming. Remember, every bit of it will be crucial when a fight ensues.

While playing as Storm Spirit, make sure to prioritize defeating Roshan when possible. This hero excels at carrying Aegis in the game, and securing Roshan will empower you to play more offensively across the map. However, be mindful that Storm Spirit is vulnerable due to his heavy Mana dependency. Avoid getting caught with an empty Mana Pool as it won’t take much for the enemy team to overpower you.

Learning Storm Spirit in Dota 2 isn’t straightforward for beginners as it demands swift problem-solving and strategic thinking, which can be challenging initially. However, once you’ve overcome the initial hurdle, controlling the hero becomes smoother, and you may find it less difficult to progress up the MMR ladder with this character.

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2024-09-25 09:04