Ethereal
From Liquipedia Dota 2 Wiki
Ethereal is a status effect that causes a unit to be completely immune to physical damage, unable to attack, and take amplified magical damage. Ethereal units can still cast spells and move.
Ethereal Abilities[edit]
Hero Abilities | |
---|---|
Hero | Ability |
Necrophos | Ghost Shroud |
Pugna | Decrepify |
Item Abilities | |
Item | Ability |
Ethereal Blade | Ether Blast |
Ghost Scepter | Ghost Form |
Strategy[edit]
Ethereal abilities are most often used in two different ways.
Offense[edit]
One use is to make an enemy target ethereal so that it becomes susceptible to magic damage and cannot attack. This is a technique often applied to enemy carries that rely on their basic auto attacks to deal damage, particularly agility carries who do not possess spell immunity. Due to high agility stats, these carries are often hard to kill with physical attacks and abilities. Turning them ethereal makes them easier to kill with magic damage nukes, ignoring their physical armor completely.
Defense[edit]
The second use is for the user to turn themselves ethereal. Ghost Scepter can only affect the caster, and is used to avoid being killed or damaged by physical damage effects. Ghost Scepter is useful in this defensive manner because it does not slow the user. Ethereal Blade (the upgrade to Ghost Scepter) can be cast on either yourself or the enemy, allowing the user to choose which option to take. Pugna's Decrepify can also be used in this fashion, although a slow is applied to allies making the defensive use riskier.