Learn how to dominate with Spectre in our latest Dota 2 hero guide.
Many Dota 2 heroes have the needed firepower to carry their team to victory, but only a few can become almost unkillable, and Spectre is among them. Even though the hero has some counters, she is regarded as one of the best late-game heroes in Dota 2. Unsurprisingly, this makes her a popular pick among pub players.
Considering that Spectre is one of the most successful heroes in the current patch, this Dota 2 Spectre guide will walk you through everything you should be aware of regarding the hero. Who knows, this might become your new main and your ticket to your desired MMR bracket.
Overview
Spectre is a melee Agility hero that can only be played as a position 1 carry. There have been instances where people go in the offlane, but this hero can’t do much against aggressive lanes. What’s more, Spectre is a hero who requires many farms to be effective, so getting levels early won’t do much.
Since she is a hard carry that is ineffective early on, Spectre needs solid lane support to help her. In fact, this is one of the heroes that benefit a lot from a “babysitter” because she needs to get as many last hits as possible. As you can imagine, this is not that easy when you have to lane against aggressive heroes.
Speaking of laning, the team that has to go up against Spectre will do everything in their power to stop her. Usually, this involves picking really strong heroes that can kill her at least a few times in the laning stage. Leaving Spectre free farm is never a good idea because the hero will become too hard to kill.
The hero’s role in the early, mid and late game
Spectre is a late-game monster, but before she gets the chance to shine, she has to survive. To do that, she needs to farm as fast as possible and get at least one or two items that would allow her to take part in fights. Sadly, she is not the fastest farmer in Dota 2, so she can’t just go into the Jungle and recover.
That said, Spectre’s ultimate allows her to farm wherever she wants because she can always use it and join a team fight. This is something you need to take into account and use while playing. There is no reason not to farm all the time when you have an active ultimate because you can use it and jump into a fight.
After reading the Dota 2 Spectre guide, one thing you should remember is that the hero can have a very active role in the mid-game. There was a meta many years ago with Zeus and Spectre where the latter purchased items that allowed her to take fights. It all depends on the lineup you have and the heroes you have to play against, so keep that in mind.
Assuming you’ve prepared for the late-game and things are going as planned, it is time to win the game for your team. Most Spectre players will be 6-slotted around 50 to 60 minutes into the game, meaning they will become almost unstoppable. Unlike other hard carries who might have a harder time taking fights, Spectre can pop Haunt and bring low the entire team (she might even kill the supports). Needless to say, you have to use this to your advantage.
Spectre’s counters
To be fair, Specter doesn’t really have that many counters compared to other heroes. In fact, there isn’t a single hero that she can’t go up against. However, many options work well against her because they prevent her from farming or do tons of magical damage that can rip through her until the late game arrives.
For example, Undying is not really a counter and yet he is one of the best heroes you can get against Spectre. Undying is extremely aggressive in the early game and can annihilate Spectre with little to no effort. Unsurprisingly, he is a common pick against this late-game monster.
Speaking of counters, we have to include Meepo. Despite the fact that he can’t do much in the late-game when Spectre has 4k+ HP, before that, he can kill her almost every time. Meepo is exceptionally strong in many scenarios, so if you want to pick Spectre against him, make sure someone from your team has a counter.
Last but not least, we have to include Necrophos. The latter is not the best right-clicker, but he has one of the best ultimates in Dota 2 that can kill any hero, including Spectre. The late-game monster deals tons of damage, but he is also the focus of the enemy team. So, if someone manages to burst him down, Necro can simply use his ult and land a kill.
The best items for Spectre
One of the key aspects you need to take into account when you start playing is the items you will go for. Spectre is a hero that only gives you a few options to choose from because players focus on a few alternatives.
Generally speaking, there are 2 popular item builds you can go for. The first requires you to buy Radiance as soon as possible, whereas the second one focuses on Aganim’s Scepter.
People who choose the first option have problems in the early game because they focus on getting Radiance before the 16th-minute mark. Once that happens, Spectre becomes way stronger because she can farm faster and do insane amounts of damage with Haunt very early on.
That said, the Aghanim’s Scepter build that became popular in the last couple of months also has a lot of fans. If you decide to get this item, you will receive a new ability called Shadow Step, which is basically a one-target Haunt. When used, the hero will automatically cast Spectral Dagger and the illusion itself will deal up to 112% of the hero’s damage with the talent.
In addition to everything mentioned so far, Spectre usually gets things like Manta Style, HoT, Butterfly, and Skadi. Some people also go for Abyssal Blade, as well as Blade Mail. The latter is extremely strong in the current meta because the item received substantial buffs.
