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The Outlander's Update added neutral items to Dota 2. Since then, they have played an important part in both public games and the Dota 2 esports scene.
Neutral items are available in 5 different tiers in Dota 2. They have a random chance of dropping any time a neutral creep dies near a hero. Different tiers of neutral items drop at different times of the game.
- Tier-1 items drop after 7 minutes.
- Tier-2 items drop after 17 minutes.
- Tier-3 items drop after 27 minutes.
- Tier-4 items drop after 37 minutes.
- Tier-5 items drop after 60 minutes.
Top 10 Tier-1 items: Top 10 Tier-1 neutral items in Dota 2.
Top 10 Tier-2 items: Top 10 Tier-2 neutral items in Dota 2.
Top 10 Tier-3 items: Top 10 Tier-3 neutral items in Dota 2.
Disclaimer: This list solely reflects the opinions of the author.
The Tier-4 neutral items of Dota 2
A total of four tier-4 neutral items randomly drop from 37 minutes onwards. Tier-4 items are late-game-centric items. They are quite strong and have the potential to win games if the correct item is on the correct hero.
Ever since the introduction of neutral items, tier-4 items have had the most impact on the game since most Dota 2 games usually end between 37 and 60 minutes as well. Since they are very strong the margin of error for balancing them is very low but Valve has done a very good job in balancing them out.
There are 11 tier-4 neutral items in Dota 2. The only item not in the top 10 is Telescope. Telescope gives an aura effect that increases cast range and attack range by 150, and it lowers the scan cooldown by 50%.
Previously a tier-3 item, it was moved to tier-4 in 7.28. This item feels out of place in tier-4 because it is. This item feels too strong to be a tier-3 item and too weak to be a tier-4 item. Valve had a hard time balancing it because a 50% cooldown reduction on scans that early was overpowered.
10. Stormcrafter
Stormcrafter gives +4 mana regeneration. Its passive ability zaps a random nearby enemy within 700 range with 200 damage and a 40% slow for 0.3 seconds. Its active ability cyclones the holder for 0.75 seconds.
Added to Dota 2 in 7.28, Stormcrafter is a mini Eul's Scepter. Apart from the basic dispel it has little use. The cyclone's duration is too short to be useful. The passive damage is nice but it's hard to find a use for it. The mana regeneration is nice but at 37 minutes it isn't enough to make this item good.
9. Minotaur Horn
Minotaur Horn gives +20 strength and can be activated to make the holder spell-immune for 2 seconds.
Spell immunity is a huge part of Dota 2. Black King Bar, another item that gives spell immunity, is perhaps the most important item in the pro scene. But Minotaur Horn's 2-second duration makes it nearly worthless. 20 added strength is good, but not special, and this item is just not that useful after 37 minutes.
8. The Leveller
The Leveller gives +50 attack speed, +5 armor, and increases damage dealt to buildings by 25%.
This item is nowhere near as good as it sounds on paper. Although building damage is important in Dota 2, 25% isn't enough to get this item higher on this list. Attack Speed is this item's only redeeming quality and coupled with the bonus damage, some heroes like Tiny find this item useful.
7. Flicker
Flicker gives +35 movement speed and can be used to blink in a random forward direction for a random distance between 200 and 600 units.
This one is very weird. A dispel with just a 4-second cooldown is broken but the blink can put you in positions you don't want to be. It also gives a good amount of movement speed but again, the RNG factor is enough to negate the good in this item.
6. Ninja Gear
Ninja Gear gives +25 movement speed, +24 agility and can be used to cast smoke of deceit on the holder for 35 seconds.
This item is very good in higher brackets. The free smoke of deceit on one hero is really useful for warding risky spots on the map and scouting the enemy's position for information. But it is very situational. Agility heroes benefit from the stats and movement speed they get but it isn't enough to get this item higher.
5. Penta-Edged Sword
Penta-Edged Sword gives +45 damage, +100 attack range for melee heroes, and has a 25% chance to reduce enemy hero movement and attack speed by 20% and 60 respectively on attacks.
Added to Dota 2 in 7.28, every stat this item provides is good but none of them are great. The damage bonus is nice but it isn't anything special. The attack range for melee heroes is really good while the enemy slow is also good but not special.
This item doesn't really have any negatives so core heroes will mostly prefer to hold this item over any tier-3 item. Thus its position on this list, much like the item's viability, is neither too low nor too high.
4. Timeless Relic
Timeless Relic gives +25 Spell debuff amplification and +15% spell damage amplification.
This item is amazing on spell-casting heroes like Zeus, Lina, or Leshrac. Both the spell debuff and damage amplification massively increase the damage output of magical heroes. There will always be a hero in the game who deals magic damage and they will always prefer this item over most other neutral items.
3. Illusionist's Cape
Illusionist's Cape gives +18 agility and +18 strength and creates an illusion of the holder that deals half the damage and takes double.
This item is extremely useful for carry heroes. Late in the game, the illusions of carry heroes are ridiculously strong. This item is also broken on heroes like Phantom Lancer, Chaos Knight, and Medusa. The strong illusion can push multiple creep waves and also deals a lot of damage in team fights.
2. Spell Prism
Spell Prism gives +6 all attributes, +4 mana regeneration, and 18% cooldown reduction.
Spell Prism is one of the best neutral items in Dota 2. It has been nerfed a couple of times but it is still one of the best tier-4 items in the game. 18% cooldown reduction is huge for heroes like Enigma, Tidehunter, and Magnus.
Octarine Core, another item in Dota 2 that gives a 25% cooldown reduction costs 5275 gold. So, getting an 18% cooldown reduction for free is borderline broken. There will never be a game in which this item doesn't find a holder.
1. Trickster Cloak
Trickster Cloak gives 20% evasion, 20% magic resistance and causes you to become invisible for 6 seconds on casting.
This item was added to Dota 2 in 7.28. Instantly, this became the most popular tier-4 item amongst support heroes. The invisibility of 6 seconds can be cast while channeling making this item very useful for heroes like Witch Doctor, Bane, and Shadow Shaman.
The evasion and magic resistance makes a hero more durable as they take less magical and physical damage. This invisibility also gives phased movement speed making this item very useful as both a defensive and an offensive item. This is probably the best neutral item a support hero can use in all of Dota 2.
Related: Reddit user points out why Dota 2 is still difficult for a new player to join.
