Rubick Dota 2 guide: Expert advice from pro support Xepher

Greetings, esteemed gamer!

I understand that as a support player, you might find yourself pondering which items to build on your beloved heroes in order to maximize their potential and contribute effectively to your team. In this response, I will be discussing some popular and effective item builds for various Dota 2 support heroes based on common roles and strategies.

**Support Role Basics**
Before diving into the specifics, it’s essential to clarify that the role of a support hero primarily revolves around providing utility, healing, and protective abilities to their teammates. Their goal is to keep their allies alive and enable their carries to deal damage efficiently.

**Item Builds for Offlane Supports**
Offlane supports can be an excellent source of early pressure on the enemy lane, disrupting the enemy’s farm and securing experience for themselves. Heroes like Dazzle, Bane, and Oracle often opt for items such as Crystal Maiden’s Solar Crest or Witch Doctor’s Aether Lens to increase their damage output and support their carry with debuffs or heals.

**Item Builds for Midlane Supports**
Midlane supports, like Lion or Shadow Shaman, can significantly impact the game by securing kills, setting up initiations, and controlling vision with wards. They often build items like Force Staff, Scythe of Vyse, or Aether Lens to boost their ability to disable enemies and support their team with crowd control and damage.

**Item Builds for Roaming Supports**
Roaming supports, such as Clinkz or Riki, are masters of flexibility, moving around the map to assist their allies wherever they’re needed. They often opt for items like Magic Wand, Aether Lens, or Arcane Boots to maximize their survivability and utility, allowing them to be more effective in various team fights and ganks.

**Item Builds for Late-game Supports**


Late-game supports, like Ancient Apparition or Djinn, focus on providing crowd control, initiations, and global presence through their ultimate abilities. They often build items like Glimmer Cape, Eul’s Scepter of Divinity, or Abyssal Blade to boost their ability to engage, disable enemies, and protect their team from damage.

In conclusion, the choice of items for your Dota 2 support hero will depend on the hero’s role in your team composition and the specific needs of your lineup. Remember that effective communication with your team is crucial in making informed decisions about item builds and overall strategy. So, keep practicing and adapt to the ever-changing landscape of Dota 2!

Your friendly neighborhood support expert, signing off.