Death Pulse
8 / 7 / 6 / 5s115 / 130 / 145 / 160
Necrophos releases a wave of death around him, dealing damage to enemy units and healing allied units.
- RADIUS
- 500
- HEAL
- 70 / 90 / 110 / 130
- Death Pulse can't be disjointed.
Intelligence · Ranged
Necrophos
Damages enemies and heals allies simultaneously
CarryNukerDisablerDurableSimple to play
Win rate
50.8%
B across all ranks
Pick rate
15.4%
of public matches
Public picks
520.4K
in the sample
Pro scene
21
46 bans · 38% win rate
Win rate by rank
- Herald54.0%
- Guardian52.4%
- Crusader51.7%
- Archon50.9%
- Legend50.5%
- Ancient49.9%
- Divine+49.2%
Bars start at 50%. Sample sizes: Herald 11.1K · Guardian 39.4K · Crusader 75.4K · Archon 121.1K · Legend 140.2K · Ancient 79.5K · Divine+ 53.8K.
Last 6 days
51.0%
Popular item build
Starting items
Bought before the horn
- 1
55gIron Branch
- 2
155gCirclet
- 3
65gFaerie Fire
- 4
90gTango
- 5
200gMagic Stick
Laning
The first minutes
- 1
500gBoots of Speed
- 2
56%2,500gBoots of Travel
- 3
505gBracer
- 4
505gNull Talisman
- 5
52%3,400gSacred Relic
Mid game
Core items
- 1
53%4,700gRadiance
- 2
53%1,400gAghanim's Shard
- 356%2,500g
Boots of Travel
- 4
51%1,600gMithril Hammer
- 5
61%2,100gYasha
Late game
The full build
- 1
73%5,300gHeart of Tarrasque
- 2
53%4,050gBlack King Bar
- 3
75%4,500gShiva's Guard
- 4
4,500gBoots of Travel 2
- 5
5,800gAghanim's Blessing
- 6
51%2,600gEul's Scepter of Divinity
Most-bought items for Necrophos in OpenDota’s sample of parsed public matches (1,602 purchases counted). Bars compare each item with the most-bought one in its phase. The percentage is the win rate in games where Necrophos bought the item by minute 30 (green or red when it is clearly above or below Necrophos’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
- 70%
Radiance
248 games
- 62%
Sacred Relic
870 games
- 52%
Boots of Travel
245 games
Bought 12–15 min
- 66%
Aghanim's Shard
62 games
- 64%
Boots of Travel
212 games
- 61%
Radiance
778 games
Bought 15–20 min
- 72%
Yasha
138 games
62%Consecrated Wraps
169 games
61%Reaver
62 games
Bought 20–30 min
- 75%
Shiva's Guard
207 games
- 74%
Heart of Tarrasque
380 games
71%Ring of Tarrasque
442 games
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.
Circlet
155
- +2 All Attributes
Faerie Fire
65
- +2 Damage
Use: Imbue: Instantly restores 85 health.
Full descriptionHide
5s
Use: Imbue. Instantly restores 85 health.
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.
Magic Stick
200
Active: Energy Charge: Instantly restores 15 health and mana per charge stored. Max 10 charges. Gains a charge whenever a visible enemy within 1200 range uses an ability.
Full descriptionHide
17s
Active: Energy Charge. Instantly restores 15 health and mana per charge stored. Max 10 charges. Gains a charge whenever a visible enemy within 1200 range uses an ability.
- Gains charges for spells cast by visible enemies in 1200 range.
- Certain abilities and item abilities will not add charges.
Boots of Speed
500
- +45 Move Speed
Movement speed bonuses from multiple pairs of boots do not stack.
Boots of Travel
2,500
- +90 Move Speed
Upgrade: Town Portal Scroll: Upgrades your Town Portal Scroll, allowing it to target units, reduces cooldown and does not consume a charge on usage.
Win rate when bought55.8% · 1,562 games
- ≤ 12 min52%245
- 12–15 min64%212
- 15–20 min60%724
- 20–30 min45%381
Full descriptionHide
Upgrade: Town Portal Scroll. Upgrades your Town Portal Scroll, allowing it to target units, reduces cooldown and does not consume a charge on usage. Movement speed bonuses from multiple pairs of boots do not stack.
Bracer
505
- +5 Strength
- +2 Agility
- +2 Intelligence
- +0.75 Health Regen
- +50 Health
Null Talisman
505
- +5 Intelligence
- +2 Strength
- +2 Agility
- +1 Mana Regen
Sacred Relic
3,400
- +55 Damage
Win rate when bought52.3% · 1,862 games
- ≤ 12 min62%870
- 12–15 min49%631
- 15–20 min36%316
- 20–30 min24%45
Radiance
4,700
- +55 Damage
- +25% Evasion
Toggle: Burn: When active, scorches enemies for 60 magical damage per second. Illusions deal 35 magical damage per second. Radius: 650
Win rate when bought52.5% · 1,834 games
- ≤ 12 min70%248
- 12–15 min61%778
- 15–20 min41%697
- 20–30 min26%111
Aghanim's Shard
1,400
Passive: Ability Upgrade: Upgrades an existing ability or adds a new ability to your hero.
Win rate when bought52.7% · 1,815 games
- ≤ 12 min58%33
- 12–15 min66%62
- 15–20 min58%1.1k
- 20–30 min42%609
Mithril Hammer
1,600
- +24 Damage
Win rate when bought51.2% · 430 games
- ≤ 12 min–3
- 12–15 min–4
- 15–20 min67%49
- 20–30 min48%374
Yasha
2,100
- +16 Agility
- +15 Damage
- +10% Move Speed
Win rate when bought61.0% · 392 games
- ≤ 12 min–1
- 12–15 min–6
- 15–20 min72%138
- 20–30 min55%247
Full descriptionHide
- Yasha-based movement speed bonuses from multiple items do not stack.
Heart of Tarrasque
5,300
- +40 Strength
Passive: Behemoth's Blood: Your health regeneration is increased by 1.5% of your missing health.
Win rate when bought73.2% · 411 games
- ≤ 12 min–1
- 12–15 min–3
- 15–20 min–27
- 20–30 min74%380
Full descriptionHide
Passive: Behemoth's Blood. Your health regeneration is increased by 1.5% of your missing health.
- Multiple instances of Behemoth's Blood do not stack.
Black King Bar
4,050
- +10 Strength
- +24 Damage
Active: Avatar: Applies a basic dispel. Grants 60% magic resistance and immunity to reflected and pure damage.
Win rate when bought53.4% · 352 games
- ≤ 12 min–1
- 12–15 min–2
- 15–20 min–22
- 20–30 min52%327
Full descriptionHide
95s50
Active: Avatar. Applies a basic dispel. Grants 60% magic resistance and immunity to reflected and pure damage. For the duration of the effect, any negative effect from enemy spells has no effect. Duration: 9 / 8 / 7s Dispel Type: Basic Dispel
- Purchasing another Black King Bar will not reset its immunity duration.
- Avatar duration is not affected by increases to buff duration.
Shiva's Guard
4,500
- +17 Armor
Active: Arctic Blast: Emits a freezing wave that deals 225 magical damage to enemies and slows their movement by -40% for 4 seconds. Radius: 825
Win rate when bought75.1% · 225 games
- ≤ 12 min–1
- 12–15 min–2
- 15–20 min–15
- 20–30 min75%207
Full descriptionHide
27s75
Active: Arctic Blast. Emits a freezing wave that deals 225 magical damage to enemies and slows their movement by -40% for 4 seconds. Radius: 825
Passive: Freezing Aura. Reduces the attack speed of all enemies by -40. Radius: 1200
- The wave extends at a speed of 400 to a max size of 825.
- The Arctic Blast follows its caster.
- Multiple instances of Freezing Aura do not stack.
- AoE bonuses from multiple Chasm Stones or its upgrades do not stack.
Boots of Travel 2
4,500
- +110 Move Speed
Upgrade: Town Portal Scroll: Upgrades your Town Portal Scroll, allowing it to target units and heroes, reduces cooldown, channel time and does not consume a charge on…
Full descriptionHide
Upgrade: Town Portal Scroll. Upgrades your Town Portal Scroll, allowing it to target units and heroes, reduces cooldown, channel time and does not consume a charge on usage. Movement speed bonuses from multiple pairs of boots do not stack.
Aghanim's Blessing
5,800
Passive: Ability Upgrade: Upgrades the ultimate, and some abilities, of all heroes.
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 bought51.0% · 196 games
- ≤ 12 min–6
- 12–15 min–7
- 15–20 min53%34
- 20–30 min49%149
Full descriptionHide
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.
Abilities
Ghost Shroud
28 / 24 / 20 / 16s75
Necrophos slips into the realm that separates the living from the dead. Unable to attack or be attacked, he emits an aura that slows enemies around him. He takes additional magic damage in this form, but his restorative powers are amplified.
- DURATION
- 3 / 3.5 / 4 / 4.5
- RESTORATION AMPLIFICATION
- 45 / 55 / 65 / 75%
- MOVEMENT SLOW
- 16 / 19 / 22 / 25%
- SLOW RADIUS
- 700
- INCREASED MAGIC DAMAGE
- -20%
Heartstopper Aura
Necrophos stills the hearts of his opponents, causing nearby enemy units to lose a percentage of their max health over time.
- RADIUS
- 700
- HEALTH DECAY
- 0.8 / 1.3 / 1.8 / 2.3%
- Damage won't disable items like Blink Dagger.
- Does not affect ancient creeps.
Aghanim’s ScepterHeartstopper Aura's Health Decay is increased by 50% of Necrophos's current health regeneration.
Death Seeker
Granted by Aghanim’s Shard19s160
Necrophos turns into a large Death Pulse towards the target unit's position. Once it arrives to the location, the Death Pulse spreads towards nearby enemies and allies.
- Does not trigger spell reflect.
Sadist
Innate
Necrophos gains stacking regen for 8 seconds for each unit he kills. Hero kills multiply the effect.
- HP/MANA REGEN
- 3.8
- HERO KILL MULTIPLIER
- 4
- DURATION
- 8
- Break disables the gaining of new stacks.
- Break does not disable the bonuses from existing stacks.
Reaper's Scythe
Ultimate100s250 / 375 / 500
Stuns the target enemy hero, then deals damage based on how much life it is missing. If Necrophos kills an enemy this way, he'll permanently gain Health and Mana Regen. Any kill under this effect is credited to Necrophos.
- DAMAGE PER MISSING HP
- 0.7 / 0.8 / 0.9
- STUN DURATION
- 1.5
- HP REGEN
- 1 / 2 / 3
- MANA REGEN
- 1 / 2 / 3
- Damage is dealt at the end of the stun.
Talents
+0.3 Reaper's Scythe Damage Per Missing HP
25-2.5s Death Pulse Cooldown
+75 Spell Area of Effect
20+20% Heartstopper Regen Reduction
+15% Ghost Shroud Movement Slow
15+60 Death Pulse Heal
-2.5s Ghost Shroud Cooldown
10+2s Sadist Stack Duration
Base stats
Attributes
Strength18+2.3/lvl
Agility12+1.3/lvl- Intelligence23+2.7/lvl
- Damage
- 49–53
- Attack time
- 1.7s
- Attack range
- 500
- Move speed
- 280
- Armor
- 4
- Magic resistance
- 25%
- Health
- 516 (+2.1/s)
- Mana
- 351 (+1.2/s)
- Vision day / night
- 1800 / 800
At level 1
Recent changes
latest 12 patches
- Sadist:Hero Kill Multiplier decreased from 6 to 4
- Ghost Shroud:Restoration Amplification decreased from 55/65/75/85% to 45/55/65/75%
- Sadist:HP/Mana Regen decreased from 3.7 + 0.3 per level to 3.8 + 0.2 per level
- Death Seeker:Cast Range decreased from 750 to 600
- Death Seeker:Mana Cost increased from 125 to 160
- Sadist:No longer levels with Reaper's Scythe
- Health and Mana regen rescaled from 3.5/5/6.5/8 to 3.7 + 0.3 per level
- Ghost Shroud:Restoration Amplification increased from 55/60/65/70% to 55/65/75/85%
- Talents:Level 20 Talent +15% Ghost Shroud Self Restoration Amp replaced with +75 Spell AoE
- Level 25 Talent +0.5% Heartstopper Aura Damage replaced with +0.3 Reaper's Scythe Damage Per Missing HP
- Ghost Shroud:Restoration Amplification rescaled from 45/55/65/75% to 55/60/65/70%
- Reaper's Scythe:HP Regen per kill decreased from 2/4/6 to 1/2/3
- Talents:Level 15 Talent Death Pulse Heal increased from +50 to +60
- Level 15 Talent Ghost Shroud Slow decreased from +20% to +15%
- Level 20 Talent Heartstopper Regen Reduction decreased from +25% to +20%
- Ghost Shroud:Ethereal form is not applied if the target is Debuff Immune
- Sadist:Health Regen per kill increased from 3/4.5/6/7.5 to 3.5/5/6.5/8
- Ghost Shroud:Slow Radius decreased from 750 to 700
Lore
In a time of great plague, an obscure monk of dark inclinations, one Rotund'jere, found himself promoted to the rank of Cardinal by the swift death of all his superiors. While others of the order went out to succor the ill, the newly ordained cardinal secluded himself within the Cathedral of Rumusque, busily scheming to acquire the property of dying nobles, promising them spiritual rewards if they signed over their terrestrial domains. As the plague receded to a few stubborn pockets, his behavior came to the attention of the greater order, which found him guilty of heresy and sentenced him to serve in the plague ward, ensorcelled with spells that would ensure him a slow and lingering illness. But they had not counted on his natural immunity. Rotund'jere caught the pox, but instead of dying, found it feeding his power, transforming him into a veritable plague-mage, a Pope of Pestilence. Proclaiming himself Necrophos, he travels the world, spreading plague wherever he goes, and growing in terrible power with every village his pestilential presence obliterates.
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.