Dota 2: How to play Ringmaster (Item Build and Playstyle)

Dota 2: How to play Ringmaster (Item Build and Playstyle)

As a seasoned Dota 2 player with over a decade of gaming under my belt, I must say that Ringmaster is one of the most intriguing supports to emerge from the game recently. With his unique abilities and decent starting stats for an Intelligence hero, he offers a fresh take on the traditional support role.


The new addition to the Dota 2 lineup of characters is known as the Ringmaster. This ranged support hero comes equipped with useful disables, damages, and an escape mechanism. Many players prefer to play this character in Position 4 due to its impressive base statistics and kill potential. Once it reaches a few levels, the hero becomes capable of roaming across the map, providing aid wherever necessary.

Curious about diving into Ringmaster in Dota 2? Here’s a handy guide I put together, breaking down every one of his abilities, talents, and suggested items to help simplify the process for you. Happy gaming!

Dota 2 Ringmaster Hero Overview

Dota 2: How to play Ringmaster (Item Build and Playstyle)

In the game Dota 2, the Ringmaster is a hero who operates primarily at a distance and relies on Intelligence to excel. He boasts a total of four skill enhancements for three of his abilities and three levels of improvement for his ultimate ability.

Here’s how they work:

Ability Name How it Works
Tame the Beasts (Q) A channeling ability where Ringmaster Twirls his whip for up to 1 second and cracks it, damaging enemies caught in its AOE. The enemies damaged by it also become feared. The total damage and fear duration depends on the channeling duration.
Escape Act (W) An ally-targeted spell that turns the unit into an untargetable box while increasing its movement speed and magic resistance. The transformed unit is silenced, muted, and disarmed for the duration. Can be cast on Ringmaster.
Impalent Arts (E) Throws an enchanted dagger in a target direction that attaches to enemy units dealing damage over time. If it hits an enemy hero, the hero takes a percentage of their maximum health as damage and also gets slowed. It has four charges.
Wheel of Wonder (R) The ringmaster throws out a wheel in a target location. Enemies facing the wheel for more than 0.5 seconds get taunted and pulled in towards the center of the wheel. The wheel explodes after a certain duration.

The Ringmaster, known as the Dark Carnival Breaker, inherently gains a special skill whenever an adversary’s hero dies within a range of about 925 units. This additional skill can be activated from the Souvanair Slot D.

There are three abilities that he can gain this way:

  • Funhouse Mirror: Creates an imperfect illusion of Ringmaster for 18 seconds. It takes 300% damage and deals 28% damage. Casting it makes you invulnerable for 0.2 seconds.
  • Strongman Tonic: Somewhat similar to Alchemist’s Berserk Potion, the Ringmaster chucks a potion at an ally or himself to temporarily increase his strength. The effect lasts for four seconds and fades away over the duration.
  • Whoopee Cushion: Leap forward 400 units and leave a toxic pool behind you for 3 seconds that slows enemies. You can use it to jump across cliffs.

In the game Souvanair Slot, the special abilities you acquire from kills or assists are purely chance-based. Each ability has a 3-second cooling period before it can be activated again.

Acquiring Aghanim’s Shard bestows Ringmaster with a novel ability called “Spotlight.” This is an area-focused spell that projects a vibrant, moving beam of light around the designated area. Any adversaries ensnared within this illumination will miss approximately 30% of their attacks, and moreover, hidden enemies will become visible when they’re under the spotlight.

Ringmaster doesn’t have an Aghanim’s Scepter upgrade or any Facets right now.

Dota 2 Ringmaster Build Guide

Dota 2: How to play Ringmaster (Item Build and Playstyle)

Since the introduction of Ringmaster, gamers are experimenting with this new character, trying to understand his full potential. In many games, players have been utilizing him as a Position 4 Support, but attempts to play him as a Midlaner haven’t yielded significant results. Here’s how you might effectively construct your Ringmaster:

Abilities and Talent Build

The Role of Ringmaster in the Support position is quite clear-cut. His skill set for construction follows a common pattern, yet his talents can be customized based on the specifics of the match or the evolving circumstances of the game.

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

Dota 2: How to play Ringmaster (Item Build and Playstyle)

As you can see, the first spell that you’ll want to max out is Impalent Arts. This is your main damage-dealing spell, and this ability’s cast range allows you to play from a distance. Pick up one point of Tame the Beast and Escape Act in levels 2 and 4, respectively.

At level 10, I’d recommend opting for the expanded Area of Effect (AOE) on Tame the Beast if you’re feeling up to a more aggressive playstyle. But by level 25, the Escape Act talent becomes incredibly potent, making it a strong choice as well.

Item Progression

Dota 2: How to play Ringmaster (Item Build and Playstyle)

The Ringmaster boasts respectable initial stats for an Intelligence-based Support hero. A couple of Tangos, some basic stat items, and a set of Observer and Sentry Wards would make suitable starting items. Additionally, consider carrying a Magic Stick if you’re venturing into a lane with high harass potential.

For heroes who primarily rely on their own abilities, which tend to consume a significant amount of Mana, Arcane Boots is an essential item. Additionally, opt for a Null Talisman, enhancing your overall stats with the Circlet. Aether Lens allows for casting spells from afar, and given its affordability, aim to acquire it as soon as possible.

For your essential items, you have two choices:

For the Ringmaster character, it can be beneficial to consider acquiring either a Spirit Vessel or an Eul’s Scepter of Divinity depending on specific matchups. The Spirit Vessel makes it easier to defeat tanky heroes with high health regeneration like Huskar, while the Eul’s Scepter offers another defensive advantage when facing opponents with excessive silence abilities.

Should your team require an extra disable, Scythe of Vyse could be a beneficial choice towards the end of the game. Lotus Orb is excellent for removing debuffs and ensures your Carry stays secure during skirmishes. If you’re not required to assist your team, opting for an Octarine Core later in the game will allow you to cast spells more frequently.

How to Play Ringmaster in Dota 2

Dota 2: How to play Ringmaster (Item Build and Playstyle)

As the Ringmaster, you’d prefer to team up with your Position 3 ally in the Offlane while taking on the role of Position 4 Support. Your character has a robust health pool and good strength growth, making them tougher than the enemy Position 5 early in the game. Leverage this advantage by adopting an aggressive playstyle in the lane.

Utilize the third skill of your hero to persistently pressure and lower the health of the enemy duo. This relentless assault will compel them to focus on regeneration, thereby providing you and your teammate with an economic advantage in gold. The level 3 is a significant power surge for you; invest one point into your initial ability and two points into your second. If your ally has a stun ability, employ it as a precursor for your first skill.

During the laning phase, Tame the Beasts is a fantastic skill to use; however, it’s essential not to overuse it during team fights in the mid-game. Instead, roam around the map, keeping an eye on vision and hunting down your opponents’ jungle camps with bonuses. When a fight erupts, aim to position near the backline for optimal results.

As a die-hard fan, I’d advise utilizing your Escape Art skill defensively to assist your core in dodging crucial enemy spells. When deploying your ultimate, strive to ensnare as many adversaries as feasible. Lastly, don’t forget to repeatedly use your third ability from afar to maintain draining the health of the enemy hero.

Essentially, mastering the role of Ringmaster in Dota 2 isn’t overly complex, and it’s not as game-breaking as some other heroes initially were when they were released. For instance, Winter Wyvern was a nightmare to face when it was first introduced, but Ringmaster is relatively well-balanced.

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2024-08-24 21:03