Who Is Invoker in Dota 2?
Invoker’s story starts a long, long time ago, back when magic was at its most primal form. During these days—and some would say that these were magic’s better days—magic was an art of memorization. No technology, apparatus, or Wandlore is needed—just straight-up mnemonic recollection of various formulae and rituals to unlock a spell’s great power. Back in those days, the greatest magi are those with the best memories. However, spells are complex and incredibly difficult to remember, so much so that mages needed to specialize. Those who spend a lifetime studying magic tend to only have three spells memorized, four at most. The average mage, meanwhile, is content with two spells, while the village enchanter might be content to have one spell on his/her repertoire. And on that case, they might still need to consult a grimoire or five just to stave off the ravages of forgetfulness. However, there’s one very notable exception to this rule: a genius, phenom, and absolute monster of a mage. He became known as the Invoker, a man who, in his youth, managed to gain complete mastery of 10 spells. And he can use them nigh instantly. He already learned about countless more spells in his life but found them useless trinkets that he immediately scoured from his memories. This allows him to make even more room for useful and dangerous, to his enemies at least, incantations. One of these spells allows him to live forever, barring the usual getting themselves killed of course. Others have learned the spell in question, but it’s only Invoker who’s flaunted his skills to the world and on the battlefield.
What Are the Skills of Invoker in Dota 2?
Now that we’ve discussed the lore behind Invoker in Dota 2, let us now take a look at his skills. Invoker is pretty unique when compared to other Dota 2 heroes due to his spells. For one, he doesn’t have any conventional spells. He has Quas, Wex, and Exort, that when Invoked, creates new spells which Invoker can use during a Dota 2 game. Here’s the rundown:
Quas, Wex, Exort
These are Invoker’s three spell reagents, the main ingredients for his ultimate magicks. Quas governs the elements of Ice, Wex governs Storm, and Exort governs Fire. Each instance of the three spell reagents increases a specific part of Invoker. Quas increases HP Regeneration, Wex increases attack and movement speed, and Exort increases attack damage. Notes:
Quas, Wex, and Exort interrupt Invoker when he’s channeling abilities. It also dissipates his Ghost Walk spell when used. Quas, Wex, and Exort have a maximum of 7 levels. Invoker can only have three instances of Quas, Wex, Exort, and a mix between the three spell reagents at a time. These orbs are visible to everyone atop Invoker’s head. There are 10 variations to the amount of Quas, Wex, and Exort spell reagents that Invoker can get. Each of these instances corresponds to a spell on Invoker’s arsenal.
Depending on how many instances are active, these are the bonuses that Invoker gains for the three spell reagents:
Invoke
And thus, a new age of knowledge begins… Invoker fuses the properties of the elements he’s currently manipulating. This allows him to create a new spell that Invoker can use against his enemies. Notes:
Invoke is immediately learned when the game starts and cannot be leveled. Instead, its cooldown is reduced by .3 seconds with each level on Quas, Wex, and Exort. Invoke can be used to create a maximum of 2 new spells. If a new spell is learned when this limit is reached, the older spell created will be forgotten to make space for the new spell. In addition, newer Invoked spells will always go to the 4th Ability Slot. The arrangement of Quas, Wex, and Exort doesn’t matter when Invoking a Spell. When Invoking a Spell that’s already Invoked, Invoke doesn’t go on cooldown. Side note, If the Re-Invoked spell is on the 5th slot, it goes back on the 4th Slot. This means it immediately swaps with the other Invoked spell.
Here is a list of spells that can be Invoked by Invoker in Dota 2:
3 Quas: Cold Snap
Sadron’s Protracted Frission! Invoker drains an enemy’s body temperature, chilling them to their core. The duration of the spell is based on Quas’ current level. When first used, the enemy in question is damaged and will freeze briefly. Anytime this enemy takes damage when Cold Snap is active will freeze the enemy again, dealing additional damage. The stun debuff has a cooldown for its application. However, this cooldown decreases based on Quas’ level. Notes:
Cold Snap’s effects are immediately triggered when cast. The next proc of Cold Snap only happens after the debuff’s application cooldown is done. Cold Snap always deals the damage first before stunning the target. Only triggers when the enemy is damaged by 10 or above after any type of reduction. Does not trigger self-inflicted damage nor HP Removal. Deals 8/16/24/32/40/48/56 damage per proc. 64 with Aghanim’s Scepter. Has a Stun Cooldown of 0.83/0.80/0.77/0.74/0.71/0.68/0.65 per level of Quas. 0.62 with Aghanim’s Scepter Lasts for 3/3.5/4/4.5/5/5.5/6 seconds. 6.5 Seconds with Aghanim’s Scepter. Has a cooldown of 20 seconds, 12 seconds with Talents and costs 100 MP. Can be cast 1000 units away from Invoker.
2 Quas, 1 Wex: Ghost Walk
Myrault’s Hinder-Gast! Invoker’s ability to manipulate the electrical and ice energies allows him to do so around his body and make him invisible. Because of this though, the elemental imbalance will immediately slow enemies nearby as well as himself. The enemy’s speed reduction is based on Quas’ level, while Invoker’s speed reduction is based on Wex’s level. Do note that on higher Wex levels, Invoker will gain movement speed instead of losing it. Notes:
Ghost Walk does not interrupt Invoker when he’s channeling abilities. The slow debuff lasts for 2 seconds and is provided by an aura around Invoker. If Invoker is still in range of an enemy, the debuff resets, extending the duration. Ghost Walk gives Invoker the ability to phase through units and wards. Invoker loses invisibility when he attacks, casts a spell, or uses items. Invoker can pick or drop items while remaining invisible. Has a cooldown of 45 seconds, 21 seconds with Talents, and costs 200 MP.
1 Quas, 2 Wex: Tornado
Claws of Tornarus! Invoker brings forth a massive tornado that launches all enemies in its path. They’re then suspended up in the air until they’re brought back down to earth by gravity, plummeting to their (possible) deaths. The tornado travels further and deals more damage with each level of Wex that Invoker has. Meanwhile, the launch duration of enemies being launched by the tornado increases based on Quas’ level. Notes:
The Tornado deals 45/90/135/180/225/270/315/360(With Aghanim’s Scepter) damage and travels 800/1200/1600/2000/2400/2800/3200/3600(With Aghanim’s Scepter) units away from Invoker per Wex Level. Enemies struck by the tornado stay up in the air for 0.85/1.1/1.35/1.6/1.85/2.1/2.35/2.6(With Aghanim’s Scepter) seconds Per Quas level. Has a cooldown of 30 seconds, 20 with talents, and costs 120 MP.
3 Wex: EMP
Endoleon’s Malevolent Perturbation! Invoker creates an electromagnetic charge on a target location that explodes into a mana-draining pulse. This charge explodes after 2.9 seconds of it being placed. The explosion drains MP, as well as damaging enemies inside its radius based on the amount of MP drained. If an enemy hero is one of the enemies drained by EMP, 50% of the drained MP goes to Invoker. Notes:
EMP first deals the Mana Burn before damaging enemies. Illusions don’t restore MP to Invoker. Does not deal damage to enemies that don’t have any MP. Affects invisible units as well. Mana Burns up to 100/175/250/325/400/475/550/625(With Aghanim’s Scepter) MP from units. Deals up to 60/105/150/195/240/285/330/375(With Aghanim’s Scepter) damage to units affected by Mana Burn. Regenerates 50/87.5/125/162.5/200/237.5/275/312.5(With Aghanim’s Scepter) MP for Invoker from every hero affected by EMP.
2 Wex, 1 Exort: Alacrity
Gaster’s Mandate of Impetuous Strife! Invoker’s magicks allow him to infuse his allies or himself with a surge of potent energy, increasing their attack speed and damage. Notes:
Alacrity lasts for 9 seconds, costs 60 MP, and has a 17-second cooldown. Alacrity’s attack speed buff is based on Wex’s Level, while the attack damage buff is based on Exort’s level. Alacrity gives an Attack Speed Bonus of 10/22/34/46/58/70/82/94(with Aghanim’s Scepter). With the LVL 20 Talent, this is increased to 45/57/69/81/93/105/117/129(With Aghanim’s Scepter). Alacrity gives an Attack Damage Bonus of 10/22/34/46/58/70/82/94(With Aghanim’s Scepter). With the LVL 20 Talent, this is increased to 45/57/69/81/93/105/117/129(With Aghanim’s Scepter).
1 Wex, 2 Exort: Chaos Meteor
Lands 1.3 seconds after it’s cast and travels 465/615/770/920/1070/1220/1370/1520 (With Scepter) units away. Chaos Meteor’s maximum travel distance is based on Invoker’s Wex levels. Deals 52/71/90/109/128/147/166/185(With Scepter) damage every .5 seconds. With the Level 10 Talent, this is increased to 72.8/99.4/126/152.6/179.2/205.8/232.4/259 (With Aghanim’s Scepter). Damage is based on Invoker’s Exort levels. The amount of times this can trigger is 4/5/6/7/8/9/10/11(With Aghanim’s Scepter) times. Following the above, this means that Chaos Meteor’s rolling meatball can deal up to 208/355/540/763/1024/1323/1660/2035(With Aghanim’s Scepter) damage without Talent. With the Level 10 Talent, this goes up to 291.2/497/756/1068.2/1433.6/1852.2/2324/2849(With Aghanim’s Scepter) damage. Deals burn damage in 1-second intervals for a total of 3 instances on 1 Burn Debuff. Said burn debuff stacks and doesn’t refresh. So in total, units can get the burn debuff 4/5/6/7/8/9/10/11(With Aghanim’s Scepter) times. A single burn debuff deals up to 30/42/54/66/78/90/102/114(With Aghanim’s Scepter) damage. With the Level 10 Talent, this goes up to 42/58.8/75.6/92.4/109.2/126/142.8/159.6 (With Aghanim’s Scepter) damage. When Invoker gains the Aghanim’s Shard item, Chaos Meteor will now have 2 additional meteors. These meteors will appear at a 30-degree angle left and right of the original. Chaos Meteor has a 200 MP cost and a 55-second cooldown, 44 seconds with Aghanim’s Shard.
3 Exort: Sun Strike
Invoker fires off a cataclysmic ray of pure solar energy in a target location. This ray will immediately damage all enemies underneath it once it’s reached the target. Do note that the damage is spread across all enemies in the Sun Strike’s radius. With Aghanim’s Scepter, double-tapping Sun Strike casts Cataclysm instead. This creates 2 visible sun strikes within a 160 to 200 range of all enemy heroes on the map, dealing Sun Strike’s damage. Notes:
Sun Strike’s visual effect and audio cues are visible to allies only. Except for Cataclysm but we’ll talk about that later. Sun Strike costs 175 MP and has a 25 Second Cooldown. When used as Cataclysm it becomes a 100-second cooldown. Deals 100/162.5/225/287.5/350/412.5/475/537.5(With Aghanim’s Scepter) damage based on Exort’s level. Do note that this damage is divided equally between the units standing on the Sun Strike when it lands. As a reference, here are the damage numbers on the damage when 2 to 5 units are in the Sun Strike radius: 2 Units: 50/81.25/112.5/143.75/175/206.25/237.5/268.75(With Aghanim’s Scepter) damage. 3 Units: 33.33/54.17/75/95.83/116.67/137.5/158.33/179.17(With Aghanim’s Scepter) damage. 4 Units: 25/40.63/56.25/71.88/87.5/103.13/118.75/134.38(With Aghanim’s Scepter) damage. 5 Units: 20/32.5/45/57.5/70/82.5/95/107.5(With Aghanim’s Scepter) damage. When using Cataclysm, the Sun Strikes are visible and audible to the enemy team during the delay of their landing.
1 Quas, 2 Exort: Forge Spirit
Culween’s Most Cunning Fabrications! Invoker creates an animated spirit with Ice’s fortitude and Fire’s strength. The armor and damage of the spirits are based on Exort’s level, while duration, HP, and attack range are based on Quas’. When Quas and Exort are both at level 4, the ability spawns 2 Forge Spirits instead. The spirits also can melt armor with every attack. Notes:
Costs 75 MP and has a cooldown of 30 seconds. Spirits last for 20/30/40/50/60/70/80/90(With Aghanim’s Scepter) seconds based on Quas’ level. When the ability is cast again while some Forge Spirits are still active, the older Forge Spirits are destroyed. New, undamaged Forge Spirits then take their place with their duration and numbers reset. In addition, the Forge Spirits are summoned next to Invoker all the time. Forge Spirits have the Melting Strike ability, giving them the ability to reduce the armor of enemy heroes. Reduces Armor by 1 with a total of 20 stacks that lasts for 5 seconds. With the LVL 15 Talent, this is increased to 2 armor reduction and 40 stacks. Successive attacks by the Forge Spirits refresh the debuff’s duration. Deals 22/32/42/52/62/72/82/92(With Aghanim’s Scepter) damage and has 0/1/2/3/4/5/6/7(With Aghanim’s Scepter) armor. These are based on Exort’s level. Has 300/365/430/495/560/625/690/755(With Aghanim’s Scepter) attack range and 300/400/500/600/700/800/900/1000(With Aghanim’s Scepter) HP. These are based on Quas’ level.
2 Quas, 1 Exort: Ice Wall
Killing Wall of Koryx! Creates a wall of ice directly in front of Invoker, slowing and damaging enemies that walk in it. The ice wall’s duration and slow are dependent on Quas’ level. Meanwhile, the damage per second is dependent on Exort’s level. Notes:
The Ice Wall deals 6/12/18/24/30/36/42/48(With Scepter) damage, slows enemies by 20%/40%/60%/80%/100%/120%/140%/160%(With Scepter), and lasts for 3/4.5/6/7.5/9/10.5/12/13.5(With Scepter). The damage is based on Exort’s level, while the slow and duration is based on Quas’ level. Has a cooldown of 25 seconds and costs175 MP. Ice Wall is always created directly in front of Invoker. The ice wall is generated perpendicular to him in a line between him and 200 units of range away. The total length of the wall is 1120 composed of 15 wall segments with a spacing of 80 units. The Ice Wall deals damage in 1-second intervals and begins a second after the wall is cast. This means that there are 3/4/6/7/9/10/12/13 possible instances for the wall to deal damage. Ice Wall doesn’t block pathing as it’s not a path blocker.
1 Quas, Wex, and Exort: Deafening Blast
Buluphont’s Aureal Incapacitator! Invoker sends forth a wave of pure sound in front of him. This wave deals damage to any unit that it touches, knocks them back and prevents them from attacking. Notes:
Costs 300 MP and has a cooldown of 30 seconds. Deafening Blast always travels the max distance with a speed of 1100. This means that it reaches its max distance at .91 seconds. In addition, its radius starts from 175 and ends at 225. This is considered moot when Invoker has his Level 25 talent. This is because Deafening Blast now erupts around him in a radius with 12 Deafening Blasts being released. Deals 20/60/100/140/180/220/260/300(With Aghanim’s Scepter) damage based on Exort’s level. Knocks units 45.6/88.6/133.5/171.5/205/242.1/274.3/305.14(With Aghanim’s Scepter) units away for 0.2/0.4/0.6/0.8/1/1.2/1.4/1.6(With Aghanim’s Scepter) seconds based on Quas’ level. Disarms them for 1.25/2/2.75/3.5/4.25/5/5.75/6.5(With Aghanim’s Scepter) seconds based on Wex’s level. Doesn’t give knockback to Roshan but does damage and disarm him.
What Are the Talents of Invoker in Dota 2?
Here is the talent tree for Invoker which allows you to play Dota 2 the way you want it.
How to Play Invoker in Dota 2
General Play Style
In general, Invoker players in Dota 2 tend to gravitate towards Quas/Exort and Quas/Wex skill compositions. These allow them to either have incredible disable and nuking potential on the early game, or great disables and crowd control. However, he’s incredibly dependent on having a lot of gold and levels early on in the game. Thus, Invoker’s usually placed on the Midlane as a Position 1. When the mid and late games arrive, Invoker’s main role is to throw their spells in the optimal location. Location is very important when it comes to Invoker as all his spells have their range. Ice Wall, for example, manifests itself in front of Invoker while Chaos Meteor drops down and decimates a line in front of the targeted area. Either way, it’s vital for Invoker to know where his enemies are, and to use the terrain, location, and the general situation to destroy enemies. When done right, it’s devastating. When done wrong, it’s disastrous. Either way, he’s an incredibly dangerous hero to defeat when played properly. But he does require a bit, OK, a LOT of practice to be effective. But when he’s on a roll, it’s usually impossible to kill him.
Suggested Items for Invoker in Dota 2
These are the items that a lot of Invoker players usually get when playing. Do note that this isn’t the be-all and end-all of Invoker’s itemization and there’s a lot of variety depending on the game. We’ll start it off on what to get when the game starts, the early game, the mid-game, and lastly, the endgame.
Start of Game
Enchanted Mango gives Invoker some HP Regen, but its best use is for Invoker to gain 100 MP to use for his spells. Great for getting those early game kills when you’re low on MP. Null Talisman gives Invoker a much-needed increase on his general attributes as well as his MP Regen. In addition to this, it also buffs his attack damage, allowing him to last hit creeps easier. Tango gives Invoker HP Regen when he consumes a tree with it. However, this is usually an item that’s not purchased when the game starts due to Quas’ HP Regen passive. However, you might want to buy this when you’re laning against an opponent with high burst damage like Kunkka. Faerie Fire is a good item to get to help Invoker last hit at the start of the game. It’s also a good item to get if you’re going for a Quas start rather than an Exort start on Invoker.
Early Game
Boots of Speed is an essential item with a lot of heroes. It’s also an item that has a lot of possibility for Invoker as he can go for Power Treads, Boots of Travel, or Arcane Boots with it. Invoker’s dependent on gold and EXP as his effectiveness skyrockets when his items and his level are at a peak. Thus, having Hand of Midas can be beneficial for Invoker. Just make sure you get the timings correct or else the Midas purchase will be a double-edged sword. Urn of Shadows gives Invoker a lot of survivability and kill potential, especially when combined with Cold Snap. However, the item needs charges to function, which can be gained through kills and assists. Make sure you have a good game and a lot of prospective kills before going for the Urn. Magic Wand gives Invoker additional stats and the ability to regain HP and MP with its wand charges.
Mid-Game
Arcane Boots gives Invoker a lot of staying power as it gives him MP every time its effect is activated. In addition, it can be disassembled to create Aether Lens, one of the items needed for Octarine Core. Once that happens, Invoker can then transition into Boots of Travel easily. When going Quas-Wex, Power Treads is usually the way to go due to it giving him additional stats. It depends on the situation though, as sometimes having additional MP is also a good idea, which Arcane Boots can provide. Boots of Travel gives Invoker a lot of mobility as well as the ability to teleport anywhere he wants. This is useful for split pushes on lanes as well as getting into team fights. Aghanim’s Scepter and Shard give Invoker’s spells some extra oomph to them, especially Chaos Meteor and Sun Strike. The other spells also gain benefits from the Scepter, and in general, having these 2 items tend to turn Invoker into a monster. The upgraded form of Urn of Shadows and has the same function with the addition of more HP and movement speed. It also completely screws the overall healing effects. Blink Dagger allows Invoker to position wherever he wants in a team fight, which is essential for his spells. With great positioning, he can turn entire games into his team’s favor. As of right now though, Blink Dagger’s not an item being built in the meta. Invokers are currently prioritizing Aghanim’s Scepter/Shard for good reason. A great item to prevent Invoker from being affected by enemy spells. Get this if Invoker’s constantly targeted by the enemy stuns, disables, roots, et cetera. Gives Invoker damage, attack speed, Intelligence, MP Regen, and the Soul Burn active ability. Soul Burn silences enemies for 5 seconds before dealing 30% of the damage inflicted to the unit during the duration as bonus magical damage.
Late Game
With Refresher Orb, Invoker turns into a monster of nukes. He can fire off a spell chain before using Refresher Orb to refresh his spell cooldown and do it all over again. This can pretty much destroy entire teams when done correctly. Octarine Core is an item that gives Invoker a lot of survivability and longevity. It gives HP and MP, reduces his spell cooldown, and gives him spell lifesteal, the last one giving him a lot of survivability.
Optional Items
Allows Invoker to set up his combos more effectively while increasing his MP regeneration and intelligence. In addition to this, it also increases his movement speed, allowing him to get into fights faster. Ethereal Blade has the same method of use as Eul’s Scepter, but it also makes it so that the enemy affected by its effect is dealt more damage by spell effects. Given that Invoker is a heavy spell user, Ethereal Blade might be a good idea to get. Increases Invoker’s movement and attack speed as well as giving him more stats and MP regen. Gives Invoker stats, Mana and MP Regen, and Hex, which is very good in letting Invoker hit his targets. Allows Invoker to reposition himself, his teammates, or his enemies while giving him extra stats.
When Do You Pick Invoker in Dota 2?
Invoker’s wide variety of spells allows him to be a constant menace in a Dota 2 game. With Ghost Walk, he can escape undetected or sneak in between enemies to disrupt them and kill off supports. Tornado can easily be used to set up devastating combos with his other spells and the spells of his team. Combine that with his versatility and survivability, and he can be a dangerous opponent to face. Do note that he’s also a hard hero to use, let alone master. Good Invoker players need to have a constant awareness of their Quas, Wex, and Exort abilities and which ones are needed for specific spells. Losing track of this tends to be the cause of many Invoker deaths as they lose their heads and forgot about using their abilities to escape. Other than that, Invoker needs a lot of practice to play with some semblance of competency, let alone mastery. However, once that mastery is attained, Invoker is one of the most, if not, the most devastating hero on Dota 2, in the right hands.
Good Matchups for Invoker in Dota 2
Huskar
Invoker can trade hits with Huskar well enough if he’s using Quas-Exort. In addition, Huskar’s pretty vulnerable to Invoker’s Sun Strikes as he’s constantly draining his own HP to add to his attack.
Medusa
Medusa has less mobility compared to Invoker, making her easy to kite. In addition to this, her Mana Shield can be rendered useless through the judicious use of EMP.
Legion Commander
Invoker can straight up kill Legion Commander if she’s dueling someone else with his spells.
Pugna
Pugna’s Life Drain is a channeling spell, which Invoker can stop with Cold Snap or Tornado. In addition, his Decrepify has the same effect as Ethereal Blade, meaning magic damage hurts a lot more in that form. Given that Invoker is a spellcaster, this means he’ll be targeting those heroes even more.
Tinker
Tinker is a hero that needs time to get the ball rolling and even then, he needs a lot of prep time to use Rearm. When he’s doing this, he’s pretty vulnerable to Invoker ruining his day with a Tornado or Cold Snap.
Counters Against Invoker in Dota 2
Anti-Mage
Anti-Mage is one of the heroes that Invoker would want to stay away from. He’s incredibly magic resistant, which means Invoker’s spells will do little to no damage. In addition, Spell Shield can reflect Invoker’s Cold Snap at himself, which is not good.
Silencer
Silencer has a lot of ways to render Invoker useless, from Arcane Curse, Last Word, and Global Silence. He’s pretty much the bogeyman of any spellcaster in the game if played correctly.
Faceless Void
Faceless Void has a lot of ways to negate Invoker’s ability to deal damage, specifically Time Dilation and Chronosphere. And when he gets hit, he can simply use Time Walk to invalidate a lot of the damage.
Doom
Doom’s Doom ability pretty much shuts down Invoker while killing him slowly. It also leaves him vulnerable for Doom’s team to kick his ass.
Juggernaut
Juggernaut’s Blade Fury makes him spell immune which makes all of Invoker’s kit useless. In addition to this, Omnislash can be used to dodge a lot of Invoker’s spells or to finish him quickly.
Kunkka
Kunkka has Tidebringer, an incredibly dangerous ability for Invoker to face due to his low survivability and armor. In addition to this, Kunkka can easily pressure Invoker off the mid-lane due to how fast he can farm and scale.
Nyx Assassin
Nyx Assassin’s Spiked Carapace pretty much stops Invoker in his tracks as even a single scrap of damage can stun him. In addition, Mana Burn takes advantage of how fat Invoker’s brain is by burning Invoker’s MP and damaging him based on his intelligence.
