Dota 2 Weaver Guide

Evade your foes by rewinding and weaving your path to certain victory with this Dota 2 Weaver Guide

One of the many masters of the fabric of creation, Weaver titters and tatters through spacetime undoing the enemies’ every victory and twisting the outcome of the battle to his whim.  

Weaver is a ranged Agility Hero that starts with a measly 472 HP but a decent 315 Mana. He is pretty slow, with a movement speed of only 275, but picks up with a good attack damage of 57 and base armor of 3.8. 

He can be pretty difficult to play, especially against other pro players. He is played as a core due to his ability to deal double damage every time his passive is off cooldown. Furthermore, his skill set allows him to strip away enemy armor and move invisibly with bonus speed, making him difficult to take down or escape from. He can also move backward in time to rewind any damage he faces, so with proper farm and items, he can take on the mightiest of foes and squish them like a bug. 

Abilities

Let’s learn about and weave together the fabric that makes Weaver’s ability kit that makes him such a potent Hero.

• The Swarm – Weaver sends forward a swarm of 2 beatles that latch onto enemies in their 3000 maximum travel distance. Latching on, they tear away at the enemy unit’s armor, dealing damage up to 24 per tick and reducing armor by 1 (1.5 with level 20 talent) per tick for 16 seconds. The beetles take up to 4 Hero attacks (6 with level 15 talent) or 8 non-Hero attacks (12 with level 15 talent) to kill.
  

• Shukuchi – He tears through spacetime, gaining phase, invisibility and max movement speed of 550 for 4 seconds. Any enemy he passes through is damaged for up to 175 (230 with level 10 talent). This ability can be upgraded by Aghanim’s Shard.
  • Aghanim’s Shard Upgrade: Enables him to mark every enemy he passes through for 12 seconds. He also procs Germinate Attack 0.2s on marked enemies in a 1200 radius after breaking Shukuchi invisibility and one more if the Level 25 Talent +1 Germinate Attack is chosen.
    

• Germinate Attack – He weaves an opponent’s deathly fate, dispatching two attacks simultaneously. With level 25 talent, the number of extra attacks per proc increases from one to two. He also gets an attack damage bonus of up to 60 (150 with level 20 talent). Getting Aghanim’s Shard lets him deal a secondary attack on every target marked by Shukuchi in a 1200 radius around him every time Germinate Attack is cast.
• Time Lapse – He warps back time by 5 seconds, returning to his previous state, regaining or losing his HP and Mana from that time, but does not affect his Gold, cooldowns or experience. This ability can be upgraded with Aghanim’s Scepter.
  • Aghanim’s Scepter Upgrade: Allows him to cast it upon his allied Heroes, granting them the exact time-reversing effect

Talents

• Level 10 – +9 Strength or +55 Shukuchi Damage
• Level 15 –  +2 Swarm Attacks to Kill or +20 Mana Break
• Level 20 – +0.5 Swarm Armor Reduction or +90 Germinate Atack Damage
• Level 25 – +1 Germinate Attack or -2.5 Shukuchi Cooldown

Dota 2 Weaver Guide – Tips 

Weaver is a carry who has the ability to dish out a ton of physical attack damage. His ability, The Swarm and Germinate attack, work as a perfect combo, with his swarm beetles stripping away enemy armor with damaging bites and his Germinate Attack doing double damage every few seconds. His Shukuchi ability lets him become invisible and move in and out of battle, disjointing projectiles and damaging opponents he phases through. His ultimate Time Lapse also works as a restart button, especially saving you from non-fatal ganks. With a few damage-boosting items, his attacks are nearly impossible to face, especially alone.  

Weaver is played mainly as a carry, as his potential damage output with proper farm is unmatched. His Shukuchi lets him damage units and clear waves and jungle camps with relative ease. Furthermore, his The Swarm also infects targets with beetles, taking the focus off of him and allowing him to farm the units suffering from reduced armor. His Germinate Attack also helps him dish out a ton of damage, like a free Double Damage rune always at your disposal.  

It is crucial to get farm with him, utilizing his Shukuchi’s incredible movement speed to travel between creep waves and the jungle quickly. Farming up some stats is crucial due to his poor starting stats, and picking up items like an early Power Treads and Linken’s Sphere is the way to go. Following up with damage items like Desolator for aggressive games or durability-boosting items like Black King Bar will ensure you close the mid to late-game with an imposing dominance. 

Dota 2 Weaver – Pros and Cons

Here is a short list of Weaver’s strengths and weaknesses to be aware of unless you want to get squashed. 

Pros:

• Super elusive and hard to hold down
• AoE armor reduction capability
• Good at pushing lanes
• One of the highest base damage for ranged Heroes.
• One of the best Aghanim Scepter upgrades 

Cons:

• Countered by true sight
• Vulnerable to silence and lockdown
• Low bases stats and attribute growth
• Incredibly dependent on items
• Dependent on an excellent early game.

How to play Weaver

With this short guide, you too, will become the master of your fate when playing Weaver. 

Starting Items

Move to the lane with a Tango and a Healing Salve, and if needed, a second Tango for some regeneration. One Clarity should be enough, and you should focus your money on getting Slippers of Agility and Circlet to help get the extra stats you desperately need early on.  

If you are babysitted throughout the laning phase, getting a full Wraith Band with your set of Tango and Healing Salve can be wise. 

Early Game

Focus the entire early-game in farm, as you are one of the most item-dependent late-game carries. Pick up a Wraith Band or Magic Stick if you do not have one, especially as the latter gives you much-needed burst regeneration. Due to your low base movement speed, get a Boots of Speed as soon as possible. 

One item that synergizes very well with jos The Swarm is Blight Stone, and it will make your every hit and Germinate Attacks hurt more. 

Mid Game

At this game phase, focus on participating in a few teamfights while maintaining your farm. A Power Treads and Magic Wand are the first two items you should pick up. Both will bolster you with much-needed attributes and enhance your farming ability as well. Remember to keep your Germinate Attack on auto-cast.  

One of the most bread-and-butter items for Weaver is the Linken’s Sphere. Throughout his existence in the game, the extra health and the spell block have always been loyal partners. Combined with your Shukuchi and Time Lapse abilities, opponents will have difficulty killing you. With Linken’s Sphere, you can easily skip out on getting a Black King Bar. 

Late Game

Now is your time to shine. With proper itemization, you are sure to hit like a truck and melt enemy supports at the backlines. With the slow from Diffusal Blade or the armor reduction of the Desolator boosted by your Germinate Attacks, you will surely become a nightmare for the enemy team. Getting a Monkey King Bar, Daedalus or Butterfly can help you dish out maximum damage.

In case you are having difficulties with your survivability, you can also settle for a Hurricane Pike for mobility, Heart of Tarrasque and Eye of Skadi for stats, HP and durability, Or even a Satanic for lifesteal and damage. Finally, getting an Aghanim’s Scepter is a great idea, as it reduces the cooldown of Time Lapse and lets you target allies with the ability, granting them another run with near-full HP and Mana.  

Dota 2 Weaver Counter 

Here are some Heroes who mostly have the upper hand and can stomp out Weaver like a bug. 

• Axe – His Berserker’s Call locks down Weaver before he can use Shukuchi or Time Lapse. With Blade Mail and Counter Helix, he can quickly drop him to the HP threshold for his Culling Blade finisher.
  

• Faceless Void – His Time Dilation can freeze Weaver’s Shukuchi and force out a Time Lapse to dispel it. Furthermore, his Chronospher’s wide range and true sight aid him in easily locking down and killing him. Time Walk can easily counter any sudden burst damage from Weaver’s Germinate Attacks.
  

• Slardar – His Corrosive Haze ultimate reduces armor and reveals Weaver even when using Shukuchi. Thanks to its low cooldown and the level 25 talent making it undispellable, he can easily break his Linken’s Sphere, track him down and stun lock him.
• Zeus – Although he is very squishy too, his Arc Lightening can easily pop Weaver’s Linken’s Sphere. Furthermore, his Lightning Bolt and Nimbus grant him true sight and a mini-stun to slow Weaver down. Finally, his Thundergod’s Wrath can easily find him even when invisible or kill him before he can Time Lapse back his health. 

Conclusion

We regularly upload guides for your favorite Heroes, so keep an eye out for more to come.