Skip to content
Builds Forge

IntelligenceIntelligence · Ranged

Dark Willow

Has an arsenal of disables at her disposal

SupportNukerDisablerEscapeModerate to play
Dark Willow portrait

Win rate

49.0%

B across all ranks

Pick rate

7.3%

of public matches

Public picks

248.2K

in the sample

Pro scene

47

35 bans · 47% win rate

Win rate by rank

  • Herald1Herald47.6%
  • Guardian2Guardian47.6%
  • Crusader3Crusader47.7%
  • Archon4Archon48.8%
  • Legend5Legend49.1%
  • Ancient6Ancient49.9%
  • Divine+7Divine+50.2%

Bars start at 50%. Sample sizes: Herald 5.2K · Guardian 17K · Crusader 31.7K · Archon 51K · Legend 62.9K · Ancient 42.8K · Divine+ 37.5K.

Last 6 days

48.8%

Popular item build

Starting items

Bought before the horn

  1. 1

    Iron Branch

    55g
  2. 2

    Tango

    90g
  3. 3

    Blood Grenade

    50g
  4. 4

    Observer and Sentry Wards

    50g
  5. 5

    Faerie Fire

    65g
  6. 6

    Sentry Ward

    50g

Laning

The first minutes

  1. 1

    Boots of Speed

    500g
  2. 2

    Tranquil Boots

    900g

Mid game

Core items

  1. 1

    Essence Distiller

    57%1,775g
  2. 2

    Eul's Scepter of Divinity

    55%2,600g
  3. 3

    Blink Dagger

    64%2,250g

Late game

The full build

  1. 1

    Blink Dagger

    64%2,250g
  2. 2

    Consecrated Wraps

    2,600g
  3. 3

    Force Staff

    53%2,200g
  4. 4

    Aeon Disk

    3,000g

Most-bought items for Dark Willow in OpenDota’s sample of parsed public matches (1,211 purchases counted). Bars compare each item with the most-bought one in its phase. The percentage is the win rate in games where Dark Willow bought the item by minute 30 (green or red when it is clearly above or below Dark Willow’s average). Teams that are ahead buy items sooner, so a high number shows the item goes with winning games, not that it causes the win. Items with fewer than 100 games show no percentage. Cheap components are hidden from the mid and late game.

Best win rate by purchase time

Bought ≤ 12 min

  1. Essence Distiller

    73 games

    70%
  2. Arcane Boots

    223 games

    53%

Bought 12–15 min

  1. Essence Distiller

    277 games

    58%
  2. Arcane Boots

    158 games

    51%

Bought 15–20 min

  1. Blink Dagger

    164 games

    66%
  2. Aghanim's Shard

    87 games

    64%
  3. Eul's Scepter of Divinity

    284 games

    59%

Bought 20–30 min

  1. Blink Dagger

    748 games

    64%
  2. Aghanim's Shard

    490 games

    59%
  3. Essence Distiller

    178 games

    54%

Final items compared within the same purchase window (at least 60 games each), so they are not simply ranked by how late or expensive they are. Still a correlation: a team that is far ahead can buy anything sooner.

What these items do

  • Iron Branch

    55

    • +1 All Attributes

    Use: Plant Tree: Targets the ground to plant a happy little tree that lasts for 20 seconds.

  • Tango

    90

    Use: Devour: Consumes a target tree to gain 7 health regeneration for 16 seconds. Consuming an Ironwood Tree doubles the heal duration. Comes with 3 charges.

  • Blood Grenade

    50

    • +50 Health

    Use: Throw Grenade: Throw a grenade at the target area. Enemies in the area will take 50 damage on impact, and be slowed by -15% and take 15 damage every 1s for 5…

    Full description

    10s

    Use: Throw Grenade. Throw a grenade at the target area. Enemies in the area will take 50 damage on impact, and be slowed by -15% and take 15 damage every 1s for 5 seconds. Radius 300.

  • Observer and Sentry Wards

    50

    Use: Plant: Plant the currently active ward. Double-Click to switch the currently active ward.

    Full description

    Use: Plant. Plant the currently active ward. Double-Click to switch the currently active ward.

    • Hold Control to give one ward to an allied hero.
  • Faerie Fire

    65

    • +2 Damage

    Use: Imbue: Instantly restores 85 health.

    Full description

    5s

    Use: Imbue. Instantly restores 85 health.

  • Sentry Ward

    50

    Use: Plant: Plants a Sentry Ward, an invisible watcher that grants True Sight, the ability to see invisible enemy units and wards, to any existing allied vision within a…

    Full description

    1s

    Use: Plant. Plants a Sentry Ward, an invisible watcher that grants True Sight, the ability to see invisible enemy units and wards, to any existing allied vision within a 1050 radius. Lasts 7 minutes. Does not grant ground vision. Hold Control to give one Sentry Ward to an allied hero.

  • Boots of Speed

    500

    • +45 Move Speed

    Movement speed bonuses from multiple pairs of boots do not stack.

  • Tranquil Boots

    900

    • +65 Move Speed
    • +14 Health Regen

    Passive: Break: Whenever you attack a hero or are attacked by any unit, the bonus 14 HP regen is lost and the movement speed bonus is reduced to 40 for 13 seconds.

    Full description

    13s

    Passive: Break. Whenever you attack a hero or are attacked by any unit, the bonus 14 HP regen is lost and the movement speed bonus is reduced to 40 for 13 seconds. Movement speed bonuses from multiple pairs of boots do not stack.

  • Essence Distiller

    1,775

    • +1.5 Mana Regen
    • +3 All Attributes
    • +6 Armor
    • +150 Mana

    Active: Soul Release: Provides 40 health regeneration when cast on allies.

    Win rate when bought56.6% · 981 games

    • ≤ 12 min70%73
    • 12–15 min58%277
    • 15–20 min55%453
    • 20–30 min54%178
    Full description

    10s

    Active: Soul Release. Provides 40 health regeneration when cast on allies. Can be ground targeted to lie dormant for up to 15s and attach to the first enemy that comes within 450 radius. When on enemies, deals 25 damage per second and provides True Sight over them and shares their vision with the wearer's team. Lasts 8 seconds. Gains charges every time an enemy hero dies within 1500 units.

    • Empty distillers gain 2 charges.
    • Only the closest Essence Distiller to the dying hero will gain a charge.
    • If the allied unit is attacked by an enemy hero or Roshan, the effect is lost.
    • Does not trigger spell block or spell reflect.
    • While dormant, provides vision in 450 radius. Vision lingers for 0.5s after latching.
  • Eul's Scepter of Divinity

    2,600

    • +10 Intelligence
    • +2.5 Mana Regen
    • +20 Move Speed

    Active: Cyclone: Sweeps a target unit up into a cyclone, making them invulnerable for 2.5 seconds. Cyclone can only be cast on enemy units or yourself.

    Win rate when bought55.1% · 1,189 games

    • ≤ 12 min–5
    • 12–15 min–18
    • 15–20 min59%284
    • 20–30 min54%882
    Full description

    23s175

    Active: Cyclone. Sweeps a target unit up into a cyclone, making them invulnerable for 2.5 seconds. Cyclone can only be cast on enemy units or yourself. Enemy units take 50 magical damage upon landing. Dispel Type: Basic Dispel

    • You cannot cyclone allies.
    • Cyclones cast on yourself go through spell immunity.
    • Cyclone can dispel some buffs and debuffs.
    • Cyclone duration is unaffected by status resistance.
  • Blink Dagger

    2,250

    Active: Blink: Teleport to a target point up to 1200 units away. Blink Dagger cannot be used for 3 seconds after taking damage from an enemy hero or Roshan.

    Win rate when bought63.6% · 944 games

    • ≤ 12 min–9
    • 12–15 min–23
    • 15–20 min66%164
    • 20–30 min64%748
    Full description

    15s

    Active: Blink. Teleport to a target point up to 1200 units away. Blink Dagger cannot be used for 3 seconds after taking damage from an enemy hero or Roshan.

    • Self-casting will cause you to teleport in the direction of your team's fountain.
  • Consecrated Wraps

    2,600

    • +5 All Attributes
    • +250 Health

    Passive: Hallowed: Gain a charge every 4s, up to a maximum of 3 charges. Upon gaining a charge, your movement speed is increased by 15% for 5s.

    Full description

    Passive: Hallowed. Gain a charge every 4s, up to a maximum of 3 charges. Upon gaining a charge, your movement speed is increased by 15% for 5s. Whenever you take damage from a player-controlled source or Roshan, consume all charges to gain an all damage barrier for 5s that absorbs 120 damage per charge (360 max).

    • Charges cannot be gained for 4s after you take damage from a player-controlled source or Roshan.
    • Self-damage and HP Loss damage cannot remove charges.
    • Movement speed buff does not stack.
  • Force Staff

    2,200

    • +10 Intelligence
    • +175 Health

    Active: Force: Pushes any target unit 600 units in the direction it is facing.

    Win rate when bought52.6% · 154 games

    • ≤ 12 min–0
    • 12–15 min–2
    • 15–20 min–25
    • 20–30 min50%127
    Full description

    19s150

    Active: Force. Pushes any target unit 600 units in the direction it is facing.

    • Self-cast will cause you to use Force on yourself.
    • Force Staff doesn't interrupt the target's actions.
    • Will not work on a unit inside Chronosphere, Duel, or Black Hole.
    • Force Staff has 850 cast range when cast on enemies.
  • Aeon Disk

    3,000

    • +250 Health
    • +300 Mana

    Passive: Combo Breaker: When you take damage and your health falls below 70%, a strong dispel is applied and you gain a 2.5 second buff that provides +75% Status…

    Full description

    105 / 125 / 145 / 165s

    Passive: Combo Breaker. When you take damage and your health falls below 70%, a strong dispel is applied and you gain a 2.5 second buff that provides +75% Status Resistance and causes all damage you deal and are dealt to be reduced to zero. Only triggers on player based damage. Cooldown increases every time it triggers. Dispel Type: Strong Dispel

Abilities

Bramble Maze

22s100 / 120 / 140 / 160

Dark Willow creates a 500 AoE maze of 8 brambles that grow in the target area after 0.3 seconds. Enemies that walk into a bramble are rooted and take damage over time. Lasts 12 seconds.

LATCH ROOT DURATION
1 / 1.5 / 2 / 2.5
BRAMBLE LATCH RADIUS
90
DAMAGE PER TICK
50 / 55 / 60 / 65
  • Does not interrupt channeling spells upon rooting.

Shadow Realm

21 / 19 / 17 / 15s80 / 90 / 100 / 110

Dark Willow recedes into the shadows, becoming untargetable. Her next attack has 600 bonus attack range and deals bonus magic damage, and will end Shadow Realm. Damage scales based on how long she remains under the effects of Shadow Realm, the maximum being reached after 3 seconds.

DURATION
5
MAX DAMAGE
120 / 200 / 280 / 360
  • Disjoints projectiles upon cast.
  • Grants phased movement.
  • Spells which require vision cannot affect Dark Willow in the Shadow Realm.

Aghanim’s ScepterAttacking no longer takes Dark Willow out of Shadow Realm. Each attack still has bonus damage based on the duration of the buff.

Cursed Crown

17 / 15 / 13 / 11s80 / 90 / 100 / 110

Dark Willow casts an ancient fae curse on the target. After a delay, the target and nearby enemies are stunned.

DELAY
4
STUN DURATION
1.5 / 1.8 / 2.1 / 2.4
EFFECT RADIUS
360

Aghanim’s ShardCursed Crown creates 4 brambles in a 175 radius around the target after the counter ends. Triggers even upon dispel. Cursed Crown cooldown reduced by 1.5 seconds.

Bedlam

Ultimate30s100 / 150 / 200

Dark Willow sends her pet wisp to roam around herself for the duration, rapidly attacking nearby enemies. Bedlam cannot be used while Terrorize is active.

ATTACK DAMAGE
70 / 120 / 170
ATTACK INTERVAL
0.25
ATTACK RADIUS
300
ROAMING DURATION
5.5

Pixie Dust

Innate

Dark Willow gains 20% bonus Health and Mana Regeneration, increased to 100% while she is untargetable or invulnerable.

Terrorize

Ultimate100 / 90 / 80s150

Dark Willow releases her pet wisp to terrorize her enemies. After a short delay, all enemies in the target area become fearful and run toward their home fountain. Terrorize cannot be used while Bedlam is active.

RADIUS
450 / 500 / 550
FEAR DURATION
2.8 / 3 / 3.2
  • Terrorize provides vision on affected units.

Talents

+2 Bedlam Attack Targets

25

500 Terrorize Impact Damage

+1.5s Shadow Realm Duration

20

-7s Bramble Maze CD

+30 Bedlam Damage

15

-20s Terrorize Cooldown

+1s Bedlam Duration

10

+12 Intelligence

Base stats

Attributes

  • StrengthStrength20+2/lvl
  • AgilityAgility18+1.6/lvl
  • IntelligenceIntelligence22+3.5/lvl

At level 1

Damage
49–57
Attack time
1.5s
Attack range
475
Move speed
290
Armor
3
Magic resistance
25%
Health
560 (+2.8/s)
Mana
339 (+1.1/s)
Vision day / night
1800 / 800

Recent changes

latest 12 patches
  1. 7.41d
    • Base Intelligence increased from 21 to 22
    • Damage at level 1 increased by 1 (from 48-56 to 49-57)
    • Cursed Crown:Cast Range increased from 600/625/650/675 to 700
  2. 7.41c
    • Terrorize:Radius increased from 400/450/500 to 450/500/550
  3. 7.41
    • Pixie Dust:Ability reworked
    • Dark Willow's Health Regen and Mana Regen always have 20% Amplification, which increases to 100% whenever she becomes untargetable or invulnerable
    • Talents:Level 10 Talent Intelligence increased from +10 to +12
    • Level 15 Talent Terrorize Cooldown Reduction increased from 15s to 20s
  4. 7.40
    • Cursed Crown:Stun Duration increased from 1.2/1.6/2/2.4s to 1.5/1.8/2.1/2.4s
    • Terrorize:Jex return speed increased from 600 to 800
    • Talents:Level 15 Talent +150 Cursed Crown AoE replaced with -15s Terrorize Cooldown
  5. 7.39d
    • Shadow Realm:Allies can no longer target Dark Willow while active (Dark Willow can still target herself)

Lore

Children love telling stories about the whimsical adventures of fairies... That’s because children don’t know that most fairies are spiteful jerks. And in the world of spiteful fairies there are few names spoken of with more contempt than Mireska Sunbreeze. Born to a fae merchant king, Mireska grew up in Revtel; a cutthroat nation where manipulation and murder were the norm. But while she was quite adept at navigating the etiquette, unspoken laws, and social rituals that permeated every element of her life, she found the whole thing rather boring. So, Mireska did what most rebellious children do: burn down her family estate and set off with her pet wisp Jex to live the life of a wandering grifter.

Win rates come from public Dota 2 matches (OpenDota), 3.4M matches counted, refreshed Oct 24, 2026. Tiers use the win rate in the chosen rank: S 52.5%+, A 51%+, B 49%+, C 47.5%+, D below; heroes with too few games are left unrated. Hero data and patch notes are Valve’s. Builds Forge is an unofficial fan site, not affiliated with Valve.