Master the whimsical maneuvers of the Faerie Dragon and embrace the chaotic magic with our Dota 2 Puck Guide
Despite Puck’s unassuming appearance, this Faerie Dragon is a creature of deceptive power and cunning. It can unleash an array of disruptive spells that confound enemies and leave them vulnerable to further attacks. This is a Hero whose mischievous façade belies a cunning and strategic mind, primed for orchestrating powerful offensive and defensive plays on the battlefield.
Puck is a ranged Intelligence Hero with an average HP of 494 and a generous Mana pool of 351. Its base attack damage of 45-53 is relatively moderate and has a base movement speed of 290. The Faerie Dragon’s base armor is very low at only 0.7, which is somewhat offset by its elusive abilities.
Despite its playful nature, Puck requires precision timing and exceptional map awareness to maximize its potential. It’s a highly mobile Hero with escape mechanisms, making it a slippery target and an excellent initiator. When played correctly, it can control the flow of team fights, confusing and disrupting enemy Heroes.
Abilities
Here’s a look at Puck’s spell arsenal.
- Illusory Orb – Puck releases a magical orb that travels quickly, damaging every enemy it crosses. Upon casting the ability again or upon reaching the maximum range, it teleports to the orb’s location. This is an essential tool for initiating fights, escaping danger, and farming. Illusory Orb can travel a maximum distance of 1950 and deals 75 damage at level 1, which increases to 300 damage at max level.
- Waning Rift – Puck emits a burst of faerie dust that deals damage and silences enemies in a vast radius. The silence duration and damage increase with each level, making it a crucial skill to disrupt enemy Heroes during team fights. Warning Rift has a radius of 400, and the silence lasts for 3.5 seconds at max level. It also deals 60 damage at level 1 and 240 damage at max level.
- Phase Shift – Puck briefly shifts into another dimension where it is immune from harm. This ability is what makes it an elusive Hero, capable of dodging attacks and spells when timed correctly. Phase Shift lasts for 1 second at level 1 and 3.3 seconds at level 4.
- Aghanim’s Shard Upgrade – Puck’s attacks provide additional magical damage. Every time it uses phase shifts, it attacks all enemies within its attack range + 200.
- Dream Coil (ultimate) – Releases a coil of volatile magic tethering enemy Heroes around. If the tethered enemies stretch the coil by moving too far away, they are stunned and take additional damage. This is a powerful crowd-control tool and sets the stage for successful team fights. Dream Coil lasts for 6 seconds. It also deals initial damage of 310 and break damage of 400 at max level. The break stun duration increases from 1.4 seconds to 2.4 seconds as you level up the ability.
- Aghanim’s Scepter Upgrade – Every 0.6 seconds, all enemies affected by Dream Coil are attacked.
Talents
- Level 10 – +0.75s Waning Rift Silence Duration or +50 Illusory Orb Damage
- Level 15 – +75 Waning Rift Damage or -10s Dream Coil Cooldown
- Level 20 – +150 Initial/Break Dream Coil Damage or -4s Waning Rift Cooldown
- Level 25 – +250 Waning Rift Radius/Max Distance or Dream Coil Pierces Debuff Immunity
Dota 2 Puck Guide – Tips
Puck’s elusive nature and rich set of magical abilities make him a formidable spell caster. With Illusory Orb, you can nimbly navigate through the battlefield, dealing damage to enemies while staying out of harm’s way. Waning Rift offers a well-rounded offensive and defensive tool, providing you with a silencing mechanism. The Hero’s Phase Shift allows him to dodge incoming attacks and spells. Finally, Dream Coil is a powerful lockdown tool, especially effective against enemies with high mobility.
Puck is mostly played as a mid-laner, utilizing its high mobility and burst damage to dominate the lane. The Hero’s excellent rune control and the ability to farm rapidly can create considerable advantages for the team. With its high burst damage and control, the Hero can easily harass the enemy mid-laner, secure kills, and even execute successful ganks on other lanes.
Farming is essential for the Faerie Dragon, not just to gain levels but also to acquire key items that increase its effectiveness. Its farming speed is decent with Illusory Orb and Waning Rift, which can efficiently clear creep waves and neutral camps. Empty lanes and jungle farming can provide you with the necessary gold and experience. However, remember that your goal is not just to farm but also to create space, apply pressure, and control the game’s tempo by making calculated, aggressive moves and rotations.
Dota 2 Puck – Pros and Cons
Here are some key strengths and weaknesses of this wily Faerie Dragon.
Pros
- High mobility
- Strong area of effect control
- Great escape mechanisms
- Effective in all stages of the game
Cons
- Fragile Hero with low armor
- Requires precise timing
- Dependent on Mana
- Requires high skills to play effectively
How to play Puck
Understanding how to play Puck in different stages of the game is crucial for maximizing its impact. Here’s a more detailed rundown.
Starting Items
You’ll want to begin with a couple of Tangoes for HP regeneration, which will help you sustain in the mid-lane against enemy harass. Also, purchase a few Iron Branches to give a cheap, immediate boost to your attributes. A Mantle of Intelligence can be added for an extra bit of Mana. Lastly, a Faerie Fire is an excellent choice to have in your inventory as it provides an instant heal that can be the difference between life and death in clutch moments.
Early Game
The early game is all about securing last hits and denying creeps to gain a level and gold advantage over your adversary. Your Illusory Orb should be used smartly, both as a tool for harassing the enemy mid-laner and securing those hard-to-reach last hits. Once you hit level 6 and gain access to your ultimate, Dream Coil, you can start looking for ganking opportunities in other lanes. Remember to communicate with your team and coordinate these ganks for maximum effectiveness.
In terms of items, your first major purchase should be the Bottle for constant regeneration and rune control. Next, you can upgrade the Mantle Of Intelligence to Null Talisman. The next step would be Boots of Speed, which you will later upgrade to either Arcane Boots for additional Mana or Power Treads for versatility and stats.
Mid Game
Moving into the mid game, your primary role evolves into being an initiator and crowd controller in team fights. Use your superior mobility from Illusory Orb and Blink Dagger (which should be your first core item, around the 10-15 minute mark) to dart in and out of fights, initiate engagements, and provide invaluable crowd control with Waning Rift and Dream Coil. Also, use your spells to push lanes, secure runes, and provide assistance in killing Roshan.
A Witch Blade is useful at this stage to deal some extra damage. Completing Eul’s Scepter is crucial as it provides a valuable survival mechanism, Mana regeneration, and setup for your spell combo. You can also look to buy a Kaya And Yasha to boost your magic damage output.
Late Game
Even in the late game, your high-impact spells stay relevant, and your focus shifts to disabling as many enemies as possible in fights. Prioritize high-value targets with your spells, especially enemy carries or key supports.
In terms of items, you’ll want to start building towards luxury items like Dagon for increased burst damage, Scythe of Vyse for its powerful hex ability, or Octarine Core to reduce the cooldown of your spells. Alternatively, consider purchasing Linken’s Sphere, Aeon Disk, or Black King Bar if you’re getting focused down often in fights. These items enhance your ability to take down enemies swiftly, provide additional crowd control in fights, and increase your survival chance if you get caught in a vulnerable position.
Dota 2 Puck Counters
Here are some Heroes that always seem to have the upper hand against the Faerie Dragon and his elusive abilities.
- Doom – Doom’s namesake ultimate, Doom, is an enormous threat to Puck. Being hit by Doom effectively takes it out of a fight, preventing it from using its core abilities to dodge attacks and control fights.
- Skywrath Mage – This Hero can be a nightmare for the Faerie Dragon due to his Ancient Seal and high magical burst damage. Skywrath Mage’s combination of silence and Mystic Flare can catch it off guard and kill it before there’s even a chance to use Phase Shift or Illusory Orb.
- Anti-Mage – Anti-Mage’s Mana Break ability can drain Puck’s Mana pool quickly, while his Spell Shield ability offers significant resistance to its magic damage. Anit-Mage’s Mana Void can destroy the Faerie Dragon because of its high Mana pool.
- Nyx Assassin – Nyx Assassin’s Spike Carapace can stun Puck if it tries to initiate with its AoE damage. Furthermore, his Mana Burn can cripple its ability to spam spells by draining its Mana and dealing significant damage. Nyx Assasin’s Vendetta also can be a threat to the Faerie Dragon.
Conclusion
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