Matching up against the true master of Puck, the Faerie Dragon, is one of the scariest experiences inDota 2. With multiple escape tools at its disposal, along with massive burst damage from its abilities, a skilled Puck player can dominate the game from the laning phase to the moment the opponent’s Ancient is destroyed.
However, Puck is also one of themost challenging heroes inDota 2to learn, let alone master. While the hero’s item build is relatively straightforward, truly mastering Puck requires time, patience, and a lot of practice. In this build guide, we’ll outline the optimal ability order and item progression to help you learn the hero the right way.
Dota 2 Puck Hero Overview
Puck is aranged Intelligence herowith a complexity rating of two stars inDota 2. The hero starts with decent primary stats, but its exceptionally low base Strength and Strength gain make it an easy target to kill. However, the mobility spells at its disposal offset this weakness, allowing Puck to evade threats and stay alive in fights.
How it Works
Illusory Orb
Puck launches a magic orb that floats in a straight path, damaging enemy units along its path.
Waning Rift
Puck teleports to the target location, dealing damage to enemies in a small AOE, pushing them away and silencing them for a duration.
Phase Shift
A channeled ability that shifts Puck into an alternative dimension where he can’t be targeted or attacked.
Ethereal Jaunt
Only available when an Illusory Orb is flying. Allows Puck to instantly teleport to the Orb at any moment during its flight.
Dream Coil
Leashes enemies in an AOE and damages them. If the enemy breaks the leash by moving away, they are stunned and take massive damage.
Additionally, Patch 7.36,aka the Crownfall update, introduced an Innate Ability and two Facets for the hero to choose from at the start of the game:
The health and mana restored from Puckish is higher when you manage to disjoint a spell projectile.
Puck also gains upgrades for its abilities after purchasing the Aghanim’s Shard and Aghanim’s Scepter:
Aghanim’s Scepter Dream Coil keeps damaging the enemy heroes even if they break the coil.
Best Puck Build in Dota 2
There are two ways to play Puck inDota 2:as a physical damage-dealer, or a caster that relies on his spells. While both builds are good, inthe high MMR bracket, most players tend to favor the caster build. This build focuses on building items that allow Puck to survive in fights and use his abilities to deal massive damage to the enemy heroes.
For this guide, we will focus on the caster build,as it utilizes Puck’s abilities to its fullest extent. Puck’s biggest strength is his elusiveness. With this build, you’ll be playing from a distance and using your spells to contribute to the teamfight. you’re able to also commit to killing the opponent backline if you find the right opportunity.
Puck usually plays asthe Position 2 midlanerof the team.
Facets, Talents, & Ability Order
Most Puck players opt to go with theJostling Rift Facetwhen playing Puck. It adds an extra bit of catch to the hero’s toolkit. SinceWaning Rifthas a low cooldown on its own, you’re able to use it multiple times during a chase to keep the enemy from running away. Besides, you can stillturn off Auto-Castto push enemies and break coils.
As for his abilities, Puck usually focuses on maxing out its two nukes early on during the laning phase. The first ability you’ll take for the lane isIllusory Orb.It lets you harass your lane opponent from a safe distance and shove out the creep wave under the tower. You can put a value point in Phase Shift if you’re upagainst a nuker like Linato dodge some of her spells. Alternate between Phase Shift and Waning Rift and put a point in your ultimate when you hit level 6.
For Puck’s Talents, we recommend the following:
Item Progression
Puck is one of those heroes who doesn’t like to build damage items, especially when playing as a spellcaster. You’ll want to work towards mobility items so that you can survive the teamfights while consistently spamming your abilities to create chaos in the enemy ranks. Here are the items that work well on the hero.
Starting Items
Since you’replaying as the solo mid, you don’t need to focus as much on regen as a safe lane carry. A set ofTango, one Faerie Fire, and four Iron Branchesshould be all you need to secure the last hits on the lane without dying until you get your Bottle. You’ll also want anObserver Wardon the rune spot to scout gank attempts from the enemy team.
Early Game
As a midlaner, your first two waves of creeps are extremely important. Use your spells to harass the lane opponent while securing the last hit to buy yourBottle. Once you have your Bottle, make sure you pick up theWaterandBounty Runesto ensure a steady source of regen in the laning stage.
After your Bottle, buy aNull Talismanfor some stats, aMagic Wandfor an extra bit of sustain, andBoots of Speed.Upgrade the Boots of Speed to Power Tread as soon as you manage to save up enough Gold for it.
Core Items
The biggest power spike for Puck in the early game is when you manage to buy theWitch Blade. This item increases your projectile speed and also gives you an extra DOT (Damage Over Time) attack to help kill enemy heroes on the map. If your other lanes are doing well,focus on farminguntil you get your hands on the item.
After that’s done, you may start playing a bit more actively. Rotate to your side lanes and help your Offlaner secure kills on the enemy core. The next item to go for is theBlink Dagger. This will serve as your primary initiation tool.Aghanim’s Shardcomes next, adding more damage to your arsenal.
Situational Items
Dota 2isan extremely dynamic MOBAwhere every matchup can affect your item choice and decision. After picking up your core items, you’ll want to take a moment to consider what you’ll need to be more effective during fights. If the enemy team has too many disables for you to play around, go withBlack King Bar. Against one or two silences, however,Eul’s Scepter of Divinityshould suffice. you may even upgrade it to Wind Waker in the late game. When you’re playing against a strong initiator like Storm Spirit, it’s better to go with aLinken’s Sphereto disjoint the first instance of disable.
In certain matchups, you can even consider going with Aeon Disk if you’re having trouble staying alive.
If you’d rather buy aggressive items, you’ve got a few good options.Upgrading your Witch Blade to Parasmais an excellent way to maximize your inventory space while adding more damage potential.Aghanim’s Scepteris also a fantastic pickup for Puck to upgrade the Dream Coil.
you may also go with Octarine Core to lower your spell cooldowns so that you can cast more spells during fights.
Mastering Puck requires a solid understanding of when to engage with your spells and when to back off. Due to the hero’s low Health Pool andweak Strength Gain, a single well-placed stun can easily send you back to the fountain awaiting your respawn. However, with the right positioning, quick reflexes, and well-timed spell casting, Puck can become an untouchable menace inDota 2, capable of carrying entire teamfights on its own.
