Dota 2 Hero Guide Ringmaster

At the end of last month, Valve introduced their highly anticipated new hero, Ringmaster. While players eagerly awaited his arrival, no one expected the level of chaos he would bring. Valve has a tradition of making the newest hero in the game the most powerful, and Ringmaster is no exception.

When most heroes were first introduced, they could fit into any role. However, the same cannot be said for Ringmaster. Unlike them, he is a full support (unless you're Topson, of course). But don't let that deceive you; in the right hands, Ringmaster is a menace.

Look at that lovely smile.

Despite being a support, Ringmaster can easily eliminate cores off the map during the early game. As the game progresses, he offers saves, AOE (Area of Damage) crowd control, and can deal significant damage against cores, making him a considerable threat.

Nevertheless, Ringmaster is not like some heroes. Some of his abilities require a certain level of skill to execute. So, if you're looking for guides on how to play Ringmaster, you've come to the right place. Keep reading, and you'll learn how to unlock Ringmaster's maximum potential.

Let's Tame The Beast

Ringmaster's first ability, Tame The Beast, is a fitting name, given his circus origins. When you use this ability, Ringmaster whips his opponents, applying fear. This ability deals magical damage and has a maximum damage output of 480 when fully levelled.

The best hero to whip someone.

Keep in mind that this is a channelled ability. The longer you channel, the longer the fear effect lasts on your opponent. However, the ability's AOE decreases the longer you channel. During the laning stage, Tame The Beast is particularly useful for getting your core out of trouble.

In the late game, this ability can be used to clear creep waves efficiently. It also allows you to out-trade your laning opponent if finessed thoroughly. However, keep in mind that your opponent can dodge this ability easily.

Knives Trick

Before we discuss Ringmaster's second ability, we need to talk about one key responsibility of a support – securing the lane for their core. This is where Ringmaster's third ability, Impalement Arts, comes into play. It allows Ringmaster to deal damage based on the opponent's maximum HP.

This ability makes trading during the laning phase much easier for Ringmaster. Impalement Arts already applies a movement slow against opponents, and when paired with a Blood Grenade (which many support players purchase during the early game), it becomes a deadly combo. As a result, opponents will always have to second guess before trading with Ringmaster.

This ability is a good way to stop Blink Dagger intiations.

The knife has a certain travelling speed so the opponents can see them coming and side-step them. So the best advice on how to use this ability is to mix them with your autos. In the late game, this can be used to style and stop surprise initiations from your opponents.

Better Saves

There are many heroes in Dota 2 that can get an ally out of a sticky situation. Fortunately, Ringmaster is one of them. His second ability, Escape Arts, is a handy tool to help an ally out of trouble.

Yes, this box can move, making you overcommit.

In simple terms, this ability is similar to Shadow Demon's Disruption but with added perks. While allies can't move inside SD's ability, Ringmaster's Escape Arts is a different story. Not only can allies move freely inside the box, but they also gain phased movement, slow resistance, bonus magic resistance, and bonus movement speed. Units inside the box are also untargetable. However, the ability has a distance limit before it self-destructs.

The Ultimate Wonder

Ringmaster’s ultimate ability, Wheel of Wonder, is one of the more unique skills in Dota 2. It’s a taunt which not only deals damage over time but is also an AOE ability, making it an excellent tool for controlling opponents in skirmishes. In addition, it provides a small amount of vision around its cast location.

Look into the eyes of abyss.

The Wheel of Wonder is highly effective when used to either initiate skirmishes or catch retreating opponents. In situations where the enemy is retreating from a losing skirmish, Ringmaster can roll the Wheel of Wonder in front of them, forcing them into a difficult decision: either engage in a disadvantageous fight or get taunted by the wheel. No matter which option they choose, the outcome is often unfavourable for them.

Item Build

Since Ringmaster is a new hero, players are still experimenting with his item build. While there are several different approaches, some items have become staples for most players.

For support Ringmaster players, starting with a Ring of Basilius is common. This item is then upgraded into Arcane Boots to address the hero's mana issues. Without Arcane Boots, Ringmaster often struggles to maintain enough mana for his abilities.

Just buy casual support items and you're good on Ringmaster.

After Arcane Boots, most players opt for an Aether Lens, as Ringmaster is quite squishy. Aether Lens allows him to cast his abilities from a safer distance, which helps him stay out of harm's way. Additionally, it can bait opponents into overcommitting to catch him, often turning fights in his team’s favour.

A common follow-up item is the Rod of Atos, which adds a form of catch for his team. Atos also synergizes well with his ultimate ability and provides Ringmaster with much-needed stats and HP to survive in fights.

When dealing with invisible heroes like Riki or Nyx Assassin, Ringmaster's Aghanim’s Shard ability, Spotlight, becomes a crucial tool. It reveals invisible heroes and enemies caught in the light have a chance to miss their attacks. This makes the shard a priority purchase when playing against such heroes.

Being the newest hero, Ringmaster's itemisation is not set in stone. While some players try mixing up a few ingredients for him, some are taking the more traditional approach. As the game progresses, they will replace their items with the upgraded variants, like Guardian Greaves, Ethereal Blade and so on. Octerine Core is also a solid item on the hero as it lowers his abilities’ cooldowns.

Being a support, Glimmer Cape and Force Staff are a must items on Ringmaster. Currently, Ringmaster is the fifth most popular hero in Dota 2. The hero has a whopping 52.22% win rate in pubs.