Lone Druid’s Aghanim’s Scepter gives a 20 second buff of armor, lifesteal and attack speed. It shares 20% + 35% = 55% armor with a hero it uses Spirit Link on. This means armor aura’s give 55% more armor to a single hero. This is something we’re going to abuse to reach insane armor values.
In addition Spirit Link gives 60% shared lifesteal and an attack speed of 87.75. Buffs are also given to Lone Druid himself. Activating Spirit Link fears the bear back to base. The buff is not dispellable.
See: Lone Druid - Spirit Link (Fandom wiki) See: Lone Druid - Spirit Link (Liquipedia wiki external link)
1. Main strength
Combining Lone Druid’s Spirit Link with Sven’s Warcry gets you high armor values. Spirit Link has an uptime of 20 seconds and a downtime of 20 seconds. Warcry has an uptime of 10 seconds (14 seconds with the lvl 10 talent) and a downtime of 10 seconds (6 seconds with the lvl 10 talent). Below a table with the added armor from Spirit Link.
1.1 Sven Warcry table
Sven’s Warcry gives 15 bonus armor at level 4. Because it’s an aura, Lone druid’s Spirit Linked target gets 23.25 armor (15 * 1.55).
| Cumulative Armor | Added Armor | Source | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 23.25 | 23.25 | Sven - Warcry | Gives 6/9/12/15 aura armor and 10%/14%/18%/22% movement speed |
| 32.55 | 9.3 | Sven - Shard | Gives 6 aura armor. Also makes Warcry undispellable |
| 37.85 | 5.3 | Lone Druid lvl 18 stats | 32 agility. Only base stats and the stats from Aghanim’s |
| 44.45 | 6.6 | Lone Druid - True Form | True Form gives 8/10/12 armor and 500/1000/1500 HP to Lone Druid |
| 59.95 | 15.5 | Sven - lvl 20 talent | The level 20 talent gives +10 Warcry aura armor |
An armor value of 60 means at least 78% Physical Resistance for the buffed hero assuming armor is initially not negative. Because of diminishing returns (see armor effectivity) 73 armor will only give you 18% more damage reduction compared to 25 armor.
This still means that if a Slardar hits you with a Slithereen Crush (300 Physical dmg), the damage (300 * 0.4 = 120) it deals at 25 armor gets reduced by 45% with 60 armor (300 * 0.22 = 66). While not game breaking, you can push this armor value further with items and hero combinations.
1.2 Armor effectivity
The formula for effective HP is explained on the dota2 wiki . Not subtracting from 1 in the calculation leads to the damage reduction values per armor in the chart below.
Note: The R (armor value) between vertical lines |R| means absolute armor. This means it can’t be a negative value.
The way armor works was changed in June 2020’s patch 7.27. A post from /u/Kitty-Cat-King shows us that the old armor mechanic could reach 95% physical damage reduction at 140 armor compared to 90% now. You could even reach 100% physical damage reduction at 225 armor. It’s probably good that Icefrog changed this back to how it was before October 2017’s patch 7.07. https://www.reddit.com/r/DotA2/comments/hhri52/old_vs_new_armor_formulas/
2. Lone Druid items
Aghanim’s Scepter on Lone Druid hasn’t been popular for a while. In the April 2024 it has seen a resurgence in the builds of Lone Druid players such as Qojqva, even as a third item. In April 2024 his win/loss record is 11/4 (73% winrate).
Qojqva's Match ID's
April 4th - 7669861565 April 23th - 7701658915 April 25th - 7704601076 April 28th - 7709940289 April 29th - 7711518550
We can make our build with Sven’s Warcry work without deviating much from this standard build.
2.1. Standard item build Table
With an item build based on Qojqva’s Lone Druid in April 2024 we can add 20 armor to the 60 armor from the Sven Warcry table, leaving us at 80 armor. A common build for Qojqva is starting with Power Threads, building Diffusal Blade and Harpoon to find kills, followed by Aghanim’s to enable ratting.
After this he usually goes for utility or damage items. Instead we build Assault Cuirass for an added 13 armor shared by Spirit Link. Butterfly adds 35% evasion on top of your armor, effectively amplifying the armor by 35% if enemies can’t ignore evasion.
| Cumulative Armor | Added Armor | Source | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.9 | 0.9 | Power Threads | 10 agility (10 * 0.167 * 0.55) |
| 2.3 | 1.4 | Diffusal Blade | 15 agility (disperser gives 40 agility, so 6.68 * 0.55 = 3.7 armor) |
| 3.2 | 0.9 | Harpoon | 10 agility |
| 4.1 | 0.9 | Aghanim’s Scepter | 10 agility |
| 17.35 | 13.25 | Assault Cuirass | +7.75 armor from aura (5 armor) + 5.5 from the item armor (10 armor) |
| 20.55 | 3.2 | Butterfly | 35 agi and 35% evasion, amplifying the armor |
| The 80 armor we get from this build translates to 83% physical damage reduction up from 78%. Instead of 120 damage at 25 armor and 66 at 60 armor, Slithereen Crush now deals 51 damage. This is 23% less damage than we would’ve taken at 60 armor and 58% less than at 25 armor. |
2.2. Armor item table
Below a table of the shared armor of most armor items (ignoring some items with all stats and items you’re really unlikely to build).
| Gold Cost | Added Armor | Source | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5125 | 13.25 | Assault Cuirass | 5 aura armor + 10 item armor |
| 5175 | 8.25 | Shiva’s Guard | 15 armor |
| 5125 | 7.75 | Assault Cuirass (teammate) | 5 aura armor |
| 4950 | 6.85 | Guardian Grieves (self) | 3 aura armor (becomes 8 if under 25% HP) + 4 item armor |
| 4375 | 5.5 | Nullifier | 10 armor |
| 6800 | 5.5 | Swift Blink (active) | 60 agility |
| 4950 | 4.65 | Guardian Grieves (teammate) | 3 aura armor (becomes 8 if under 25% HP) |
| 2200 | 4.2 | Vladmir’s Offering (self) | 2 aura armor + 2 item armor |
| 2700 | 3.85 | Solar Crest (teammate) | 7 armor |
| 6100 | 3.7 | Disperser | 40 agility |
| 425 | 3.65 | Buckler (self) | 2 aura armor + 1 item armor |
| 5450 | 3.2 | Butterfly | 35 agility (also 35% evasion) |
| 2200 | 3.1 | Vladmir’s Offering (teammate) | 2 aura armor |
| 425 | 3.1 | Buckler (teammate) | 2 aura armor, stacks with Vladmir’s |
| 505 | 2.8 | Wraith Band (upgraded) | 3.5 armor and 10 agility |
| 4550 | 2.4 | Manta Style | 26 agility |
| 6800 | 2.3 | Swift Blink (passive) | 25 agility |
| 1500 | 2.2 | Phase Boots | 4 armor |
| 5300 | 2 | Skadi | 22 agility |
| 875 | 1.65 | Orb of Corrosion | 3 armor |
| 4800 | 1.5 | Linken’s Sphere | 16 agility |
| 2000 | 1.5 | Yasha | 16 agility |
| 505 | 1.4 | Wraith Band | 1.75 armor and 5 agility |
| 2500 | 1.4 | Diffusal Blade | 15 agility |
| 1400 | 0.9 | Power Threads | 10 agility (if swapped to agility) |
| 4200 | 0.9 | Aghanim’s Scepter | 10 agility |
| 4700 | 0.9 | Harpoon | 10 agility |
2.3. Neutral item table
Below a table for relevant neutral items.
| Tier | Added Armor | Source | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tier 3 | 11 | Graggy Coat (active) | 20 armor |
| Tier 3 | 11 | Vindicator’s Axe (active) | 20 armor while stunned |
| Tier 5 | 10.5 | Arcanist’s Armor | 5 aura armor + 5 item armor |
| Tier 4 | 6.6 | Rattlecage | 12 armor |
| Tier 3 | 4.5 | Defiant Shell | 7 armor and 7 agility |
| Tier 3 | 4.4 | Craggy Coat (passive) | 8 armor |
| Tier 2 | 2.75 | Dragon Scale | 5 armor |
| Tier 5 | 2.3 | Apex | 25 agility |
| Tier 1 | 2.2 | Broom Handle | 4 armor |
| Tier 3 | 2.2 | Cloak of Flames | 4 armor |
| Tier 4 | 1.85 | Ninja Gear | 20 agility |
| Tier 5 | 0.9 | Mirror Shield | 10 agility |
2.4. “Optimal” item table
Based on these tables, the best 6 unique items (assuming you have Aghanim’s Blessing) are in the table table below.
| Cumulative Armor | Added Armor | Source | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 13.25 | 13.25 | Assault Cuirass | 5 aura armor + 10 item armor |
| 21.5 | 8.25 | Shiva’s Guard | 15 armor |
| 27 | 5.5 | Nullifier | 10 armor |
| 32.5 | 5.5 | Swift Blink (active) | 60 agility |
| 36.2 | 3.7 | Disperser | 40 agility |
| 39.4 | 3.2 | Butterfly | 35 agility (also 35% evasion) |
| 50.4 | 11 | Graggy Coat (active) | 20 armor |
| To this you can add items from your teammates. |
| Cumulative Armor | Added Armor | Source | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 55 | 4.65 | Guardian Grieves (teammate) | 3 aura armor (becomes 8 if under 25% HP) |
| 58.85 | 3.85 | Solar Crest (teammate) | 7 armor |
| 62 | 3.1 | Vladmir’s Offering (teammate) | 2 aura armor |
| 65 | 3.1 | Buckler (teammate) | 2 aura armor, stacks with Vladmir’s |
| Together with the armor from the [[Lone Druid Aghanim’s armor#sven-warcry-table | Sven Warcry table]] (60 armor) this would add up to 125 bonus armor. While being “optimal”, this extra 41 armor compared to the [[Lone Druid Aghanim’s armor#21-standard-item-build-table | build based on Qojqva’s items]] adds 6% more armor reduction from 82% to 88%. A Slithereen Crush now deals 36 damage compared to the 51 damage from the other build. This increase is probably not worth planning your build around. |
3. Abilities and other reductions
Aside from items there are abilities you can use to push your armor value further. You only have 5 heroes in your team, 2 of which would be Sven and Lone Druid. You can’t make use of everything, so you will have to choose a few while still having a good lineup to get through lanes, teamfights and a highground siege.
3.1. Abilities
Below a table of abilities that increase an ally’s armor. Most auras have a radius of 1200.
| Unit | Added Armor | Source | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sven | 38.75 | Warcry (20 talent) | 16/19/22/25 armor for 10 seconds (14 with 10 talent) in a 700 aoe |
| Sven | 23.25 | Warcry | 6/9/12/15 armor for 10 seconds (14 with 10 talent) in a 700 aoe |
| Dazzle | 23.25 | Bad Juju (5 stacks) | 1/2/3 armor per affected ability - Assuming both heroes and level 3 - 1.5/2.5/3.5 with the level 25 talent |
| Dazzle | 14 | Bad Juju (3 stacks) | 1/2/3 armor per affected ability - Assuming both heroes and level 3 - 1.5/2.5/3.5 with the level 25 talent |
| Alchemist | 10.85 | Acid Spray (10 talent) | 3/4/5/6 armor with a duration of 15 seconds - Assuming level 10 talent (4/5/6/7 armor) |
| Chen | 10 | Divine Favor | 9/12/15/18 armor with a duration of 6 seconds |
| Treant Protector | 10 | Living Armor (with 20 talent) | 12/14/16/18 armor with level 20 talent for 15/20/25/30 seconds |
| Sven | 9.3 | Warcry (shard) | 6 aura armor |
| Tier 2-4 Tower | 7.75 | Tower Protection | 3/5/5/5 aura armor per tier |
| Treant Protector | 5.5 | Living Armor | 4/6/8/10 armor for 15/20/25/30 seconds |
| Oracle | 5.5 | False Promise (with 10 talent) | Has a duration of 7/8.5/10 seconds (8.5/10/11.5 with level 25 talent) |
| Tier 1 Tower | 4.65 | Tower Protection | 3/5/5/5 aura armor per tier |
| Dazzle | 4.65 | Bad Juju (1 stack) | 1/2/3 armor per affected ability - Assuming both heroes and level 3 - 1.5/2.5/3.5 with the level 25 talent |
| Ancient Black Dragon | 4.65 | Dragonhide Aura | 3 aura armor |
| Wildwing Ripper | 4.65 | Toughness Aura | 3 aura armor |
| Ogre Frostmage | 3.3 | Ice Armor | 4/5/6/8 for 45 seconds. Assuming 3rd level (after 30 minutes) |
| You can get 60 armor from 5 unique hero’s abilities (ignoring Sven) and at max 20 from other units. You can only have 3 other heroes than Sven and Lone Druid, so Oracle and Chen’s abilities will be left out. Dazzle (3 stacks), Alchemist and Treant Protector (with 20 talent) can increase your armor by ~35. Together this adds up to a “realistic” 55 armor. |
Summing things up
Adding 55 armor to the standard build’s armor of 80 you will reach 135 armor. This translates to 89% physical damage reduction. Slithereen Crush would do 33 damage.
Adding this 55 armor to the “optimal” build’s armor of 125 you will reach 180 armor. This translates to 91.5% physical damage reduction. Slithereen Crush would do 25.5 damage.
Assuming you won’t get every buff, we set a baseline of 25 bonus armor. The standard build reaches 105 armor and the “optimal” build reaches 150 armor.
3.2. Additional armor amplifications
Aside from agility carries you have other heroes that can reach high armor by level 20 or have other ways of increasing the effectiveness of their armor.
One mechanic is incoming damage manipulation or additional damage reduction. For example, Lich’s Frost Shield adds 70% (with level 10 talent) physical damage reduction. This reduction gets applied after the armor reduction. So if Slithereen Crush deals 33 damage at 130 armor, Frost Shield further reduces this damage to 10.
Another mechanic is a damage barrier, e.g. a shield like a Shield Rune or Aphotic Shield. The value of this damage barrier gets reduced after damage reductions, making it benefit from high armor. There aren’t many good damage barriers in the game, the best being Timbersaw’s Reactive Armor Aghanim’s Scepter upgrade. This already makes him virtually impossible to kill through, so adding armor will not add much value. The most practical source of damage barrier is a Shield Rune, which can be picked up or bottled before a highground siege. Other noteworthy damage barriers are Tinker’s Defense Matrix and Outworld Destroyer’s Essence Flux.
A more accessible mechanic is evasion. Your evasion effectively adds another multiplier to your armor. Evasion can easily be gotten through items such as Butterfly (35% evasion), Radiance (20% evasion and 15% miss chance) and Aviana’s Feather (25% evasion).
A last mechanic is damage block. Think of Vanguard and Kraken Shell. Damage block is applied before other damage reduction. If it would be the other way around, high enough armor would mean a Slithereen crush at 80 armor would do 0 damage with the 70 damage block from Abyssal Blade. Since this is not the case it’s not as powerful, but still a useful addition to the build.
3.3. Spirit link targets
We have reached 91.5% physical damage reduction in a ridiculous scenario. But we haven’t looked at the armor of the hero you’re Spirit Linking. The armor of this hero is shared with Lone Druid as well.
Taking Faceless Void as a baseline, you get 3 agility gain and 19 agility. At level 20 you end up at about 80 agility. This translates to 13 armor. With the following core items you reach an additional 71 agility, which is 12 armor.
- Power Threads (agility)
- Manta Style
- BKB
- Butterfly
Together Faceless Void at level 20 would have 25 armor with 4 item slots. The standard build with baseline buffs reaches 130 armor (89% physical reduction), meaning Slithereen Crush would do 33 damage. The “optimal” build with baseline buffs reaches 175 armor (91% physical reduction), meaning Slithereen Crush would do 27 damage.
Axe
- Axe at level 20 will have 9 armor from base stats.
- He builds Phase Boots, Blademail and Aghanim’s adding up to 21 armor.
- Berserker’s Call adds 25 armor for 3 seconds and his Aghanim’s Scepter grants him 7 armor per affected target with Battle Hunger.
- His armor scales with 1/1.5/2 (2/2.5/3 with level 20 talent) per Culling Blade kill he gets. Assuming 1 Battle Hunger target and 5 Culling Blade stacks, he reaches 38 armor without Berserker’s Call.
- Axe’s Battle Hunger has an armor multiplier for his damage of 1. With the level 25 talent this multiplier increases to 2. Adding the armor totals, this adds 198 for the standard build and 243 damage with the “optimal” build, increasing to 396 dps and 486 dps respectively. This damage scales with spell amp and will benefit from minus armor. The right items, more Culling Blade stacks and allies like Slardar and Bloodseeker can boost this damage over 1000 dps.
Bristleback
- Bristleback at level 20 will have 10 armor from base stats.
- Bristleback’s passive reduces damage he takes from the back with 16%/24%/32%/40% (24%/32%/40%/48% with level 15 talent).
- Bristleback reduces damage he takes from the side with 8%/12%/16%/20% (12%/16%/20%/24% with level 15 talent).
- When taking 275/250/225/200 damage from the rear (after reductions) he releases a Quill Spray. This means it will activate less with high armor, since he takes less damage.
- Keeping Bristleback alive for a long time allows him to build up Quill Spray stacks and Warpath stacks with which he can outsustain the enemy.
Brewmaster
- Brewmaster at level 20 will have 10 armor from base stats.
- He often builds auras such as Radiance, Vladmir’s Offering and Assault Cuirass. This adds up to 17 armor with Spirit Link in Primal Split, as only the auras will work. Enemies also get 15% miss chance without debuff immunity.
- The Earth Brewling gets the Debuff Immunity passive, meaning he can’t be stunned by normal means and it gets 50% magic resistance. He also gets the Demolish passive, adding 90/170/250 bonus damage to buildings.
- The Demolish passive can be abused by sending a Spirit Linked Earth Brewling with Warcry to a tower. It will have 1400/2300/3200 HP with about 80 armor (83% physical damage reduction), 50% magic damage reduction and it can’t be stunned. The added attack speed from Spirit Link (87) and Assault Cuirass (30), and the 5 armor reduction on towers make for a solid and safe siege. You do have to stay in 1200 range for the auras to work.
- Primal Split has a 16/18/20 second duration, matching Spirit Link’s 20 second duration. With shard this can be upgraded with 12 seconds to 28/30/32 seconds. Brewmaster’s Aghanim’s Scepter Primal Companion has a 20 second cooldown (70 seconds with the Brewling dies).
- Before the Primal Companion Earth Brewling dies you can use Primal Split to create a new one. After this duration ends, you can make a new Primal Companion Earth Brewling, giving you three Earth Brewlings if the enemies stay in base.
- Add more attack speed from Drums of Endurance / Boots of Bearing and Solar Crest for a faster push. Combining this combination with other attack speed buffs (e.g. Io’s Overcharge or Invoker’s Alacrity) will make the tower fall really fast.
Leshrac
- Leshrac at level 20 will have 13 armor from base stats.
- With Shiva’s Guard he reaches 29 armor.
- At level 20 Leshrac gets a talent reducing all damage by 20% when his Pulse Nova is active.
Lycan
- Lycan at level 20 will have 9 armor from base stats.
- Rushing Helm of the Overlord into Vladmir’s Offering or Assault Cuirass is a common build. This adds 25 armor with Spirit Link.
- Lycan also has Howl, which is a 25%/30%/35%/40% base attack damage reduction. At level 25 you can upgrade this with a talent that makes it affect total attack damage.
- If Lycan builds Aghanim’s Scepter, he can Wolf Bite the Lone Druid to share 30% lifesteal. From Shapeshift Lone druid als gets 40% crit chance for 160%/200%/240% damage, 550 movement speed and 1000 bonus night vision for 25 seconds (31 seconds with level 20 talent).
- Wolf Bite in combination with Spirit Link’s shared lifesteal add up to shared 90% lifesteal. This can be amplified by lifesteal amplification from Sange (20%) and Paladin Sword (14%) if these items are on the receiving target. With both items, this shared lifesteal reaches 120%. Holy Locket does not improve this further. Note: you do have to stay within 1200 units from each other.
- Do wolfs need armor?
Luna
- Luna at level 20 will have 17 armor from base stats.
- With the same items as our Faceless Void example, she reaches 29 armor.
- In addition to high armor, Luna’s Moon Glaives shard upgrade gives her 25% damage reduction.
Shadow Demon
- Shadow Demon at level 20 will have 10 armor from base stats.
- In this combination you won’t be Spirit Linking Shadow Demon, but he will use Disseminate on a different hero you’re Spirit Linking.
- Disseminate shares damage in 675 range of the target, before any damage reductions. The extra armor from Spirit Link gives the target a lot of effective HP, meaning disseminate can do a lot of damage if the enemy commits.
- Add Blademail for more damage reflection.
Spectre
- Spectre at level 20 will have 11 armor from base stats.
- With Power Threads (agility), Diffusal and Manta Style she will have 19 armor.
- Dispersion reflects 8%/12%/16%/20% (13%/17%/21%/25% with level 25 talent) damage back to the enemy at 300 range. At the 675 range this would be 2%/3%/4%/5% (3.25%/4.25%/5.25%/6.25% with level 25 talent). It also adds this reflected damage % as damage reduction to Spectre. Her shard multiplies the reflection value by x2.0 for 5 seconds, but not the damage reduction.
- With Spirit Link you give Spectre so much effective HP that she will be hard to kill before enemy heroes die to her dispersion.
- You can use Spirit Link on her and right after Shadow Step a hero to get the full 20 second benefit. She will be in the middle of the fight, which means an unknowing enemy team will focus her.
- Add Shard and Blademail for more damage reflection.
Other noteworthy heroes
Other heroes worth considering are:
- Anti Mage / Lifestealer - Good against magic damage
- Marci - Another source of shared lifesteal at 25% (35% with the level 10 talent).
- Slark - With the extra armor he can walk into the fight to build Essence Shift stacks.
- Alchemist - He can gift the Aghanim’s Scepter to Lone Druid. This does mean you can’t swap it between your hero and the bear. Acid Spray is also armor in aoe.
- Sniper / Gyro / Razor - High damage to make use of the lifesteal.
- Shadow Fiend - Allows you take towers with his level 15 talent affecting towers with (4/5/6/7) armor reduction.
- Huskar / Viper - Improved siege by making him very hard to kill.
- Io / Underlord / Natures Prophet- Enables you to backdoor towers from everywhere on the map.
- Lich - Add 30%/40%/50%/60% physical damage reduction (40%/50%/60%/70% with level 10 talent) on top of the high armor. This tends to be an overkill.
- Dazzle / Chen / Treant Protector - Have the ability to provide armor.
- Mars - Also has damage reduction with Bulwark (40%/50%/60%/70%) from the front and (20%/25%/30%/35%) from the side. The level 20 talent adds 12% reduction to the front and 6% to the side. Bulwark is generally not considered that important, since you play Mars for his high burst initiation and lockdown.
- Pudge / Tidehunter - Damage block doesn’t fully work with armor, but is still impactful.
- Abaddon / Pangolier / Bloodseeker / Timbersaw / Tinker / Vengeful Spirit / Void Spirit - Provide a shield, which makes use of the high armor
4. Playstyle
A tip for playing with the Aghanim’s: You can play Lone Druid like normal with a split push approach and pass your items to the main hero when you want to siege or defend. Passing the Aghanim’s Scepter between Bear and Hero works, allowing you to play with your Diffusal timing early and transition to a buffer for your carry later.
It will however take some time to transfer all your items, especially if one if your units carries a lot of Branches. There is no real way to speed this up other than making sure you have sold your Branches and Quelling Blade
I recommend following the standard items, which gets you an Aghanim’s Scepter timing of 25-28 minutes. This gives you time to push out lanes and farm an Assault Cuirass before hitting the second Roshan at night time. After getting Roshan you can siege highground.
An alternative more farm heavy build would be to go Power Treads into Mjollnir and Aghanim’s Scepter. This allows you to get whatever key items you need if you think you can’t take over the map by pushing out the enemy heroes.
4.1. Example teams
When choosing heroes it is important to have a good mix of laning power and damage in the mid game. Since Lone Druid and Sven or both melee heroes it can be hard to get good lanes going. This forces you to get ranged support, which in this meta is what you want anyway. You could however consider running Sven as a support or even as an offlaner to get stronger lanes.
Brewmaster push
Gather with your team and use your armor buffs on the Earth Spirit Brewling from Primal Split or Spirit Companion. As Io, tether to the Earth Spirit Brewling and Relocate to a tower. When the enemy camps their buildings waiting for the relocate, you can throw Disseminate on the Earth Brewling to scare them. Since the Earth Brewling is Debuff Immune, you cannot dispel it.
| Pos | Hero | Alternatives | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sven | - | |
| 2 | Lone Druid | - | |
| 3 | Brewmaster | Axe, Bristleback | Build radiance if you have a good lane |
| 4 | Shadow Demon | Any offensive ranged support | You can play around Cinder Brew |
| 5 | Io | Any ranged support |
Farm heavy Lone Druid
As a safe lane Lone Druid you can take more time to farm your items without looking for engagements on the map. With a Mjollnir you can farm a quick Aghanim’s Scepter. You can also use the space to farm a Radiance.
Since you’re running Sven as a melee 4, you will need an offlaner that can contest creeps on his own.
| Pos | Hero | Alternatives | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lone Druid | - | |
| 2 | Leshrac | Huskar, Sniper, Dragon Knight | Needs to siege |
| 3 | Any | A ranged core such as Viper, Enigma or Winter Wyvern | |
| 4 | Sven | - | |
| 5 | Any | Any ranged support such as Io, Disruptor, Chen or Venomancer | You can play Io + Leshrac |
Ranged core
If you run a strong range core like Luna or Weaver, you could get away with running Sven as a melee 5. Especially for Luna, it is really matchup dependent if you’ll be chasing the enemy offlane or they will be chasing you.
| Pos | Hero | Alternatives | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Luna | A ranged core like Weaver | Needs to survive the lane on its own |
| 2 | Lone Druid | - | |
| 3 | Any | Any hero able to start a fight | |
| 4 | Any | Any hero able to follow up | |
| 5 | Sven | - |
Offlane Lone Druid
A less farm heavy way of running Lone Druid and Sven is putting them in the offlane. Unless you have a mid laner that rotates early, you will be the one that is applying pressure on the map.
| Pos | Hero | Alternatives | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Any | ||
| 2 | Any | ||
| 3 | Lone Druid | - | Gets a lot out of the lane against a weak duo safelane |
| 4 | Sven | - | Keep control of the camps and check the runes for your midlaner |
| 5 | Any |
5. Conclusions
Combining Lone Druid Aghanim’s with Sven’s Warcry gets you high armor values. Spirit Linkhas an uptime of 20 seconds and a downtime of 20 seconds. Warcry has an uptime of 10 seconds (14 seconds with the lvl 10 talent) and a downtime of 10 seconds (6 seconds with the lvl 10 talent).
With this combination you get an added armor value of 60, which means at least 78% Physical Resistance. With Lone Druid’s items (especially an Assault Cuirass) you add 20 armor and together with the Spirit Linked target’s armor you can look at a total of 100 armor (86% reduction) during the Spirit Link buff. The armor can be pushed further with the right items and abilities, reaching above 180 armor (91.5% reduction) in extreme cases.
Armor scales with diminishing returns. There is a sweet spot at around 25 armor (60% reduction) you can get to without spending too much gold and using too many inventory slots. With normal item builds you generally don’t push over 40 armor (70% reduction). Getting beyond 90% reduction requires over 150 armor and will be hard to push further. You would need 320 armor to get 95% reduction.
There are various heroes that can make good use of high armor. Several mechanics can make your armor more effective, such as evasion, miss chance, universal damage reduction and physical damage reduction. The main heroes to consider drafting are Axe, Brewmaster, Bristleback, Leshrac, Lycan, Luna, Shadow Demon and Spectre.
You can play Lone Druid like normal with a split push approach and pass your items to the main hero when you want to siege or defend. Passing the Aghanim’s Scepter between Bear and Hero works, allowing you to play with your Diffusal timing early and transition to a buffer for your carry later.
Will this build make you unkillable? No. But you can have fun pretending to be.