HERO / GET TO KNOW THEM

Drow Ranger

Abilities, roles and builds with an explanation for every purchase.

VALVE · 7.41fChecked 06.10.2026Game data source ↗

HERO GAME PLAN

Ruslan Ukrainskyi· OOPS DOTA

What I want to do in the game

I keep my distance and deal physical damage while my allies stop enemies from reaching me.

Not many can escape Drow Ranger once she's within range. After her foes have been silenced with a chilling blast, she finishes them off with a barrage of slowing, ice-tipped arrows that few can survive.

Abilities at hand

01 / ROLE IN THE TEAM

A pick is not a plan yet.

My recommendation is a starting point. We choose another position together with the team and for its needs.

Carry · position 1

Initial recommendation

I need protected farm, my item window and damage on important targets.

MY VIEW OF THE HERO

Pick for a purpose. Play with a plan.

When I pick

This suits allies holding the frontline and making space for ranged attacks. We need a plan to protect the backline.

What I watch out for

A melee hero quickly jumping into my position is more dangerous than another damage item is useful. I check Blink, closing distance and routes around through fog.

What I do in combat

Before fighting, I choose a nearby safe position. I save Pike for an actual engagement instead of spending it for one more flashy hit.

What I check first

Being trapped in a bad position makes expensive items worthless: I choose an escape route before the fight begins.

02 / ITEMS FOR A PURPOSE

What I buy and why.

This is an editorial starting plan based on hero mechanics. It is not presented as a match I have already tested or a popularity ranking.

Carry · position 1

My starting plan

Here is my initial plan: I do my role's job first, then choose the items the team needs. I adapt the order and expensive purchases to the opponent.

01 / First stepPower Treads
Provide attack speed and switchable attributes for farming and managing my resources.
02 / FoundationDragon Lance
Increases a ranged hero’s attack range and provides useful attributes.
03 / FoundationManta Style
Provides illusions for pressure and a separate dispel. This item cannot help you wait out or remove every disable.
04 / Next choiceHurricane Pike
Combines attack range with a tool for breaking a dangerous close-range engagement.
05 / Next choiceButterfly
Increases physical damage and protection against suitable attacks. I check whether the enemy has an answer to evasion.

What I change for the situation 3 options

Black King Bar ↗

Provides a window for my actions against eligible magical damage and disables. I check effects that pierce the protection.

Eye of Skadi ↗

Improves attributes and lets attacks keep a target under control, limiting suitable sources of its restoration.

Daedalus ↗

Increases physical attack damage once access to the target and protection are already secured.

I see the minute on the clock. And the situation too.

I do not assign one ‘correct’ minute to every purchase. I look at my gold, the next fight and the problem: am I missing mana, target access, control or protection? If an expensive slot will arrive too late, I get a useful answer earlier.

03 / HERO ABILITIES

Abilities. As in the game.

Original Valve icons and descriptions. Cooldowns and mana are shown by level from the data snapshot; talents and upgrades can change the values.

Ability

Frost Arrows

Adds a freezing effect to Drow's attacks, slowing enemy movement and dealing bonus damage. Slow lasts 1.5 seconds.

Mana 9 / 10 / 11 / 12

Details and upgrades

Adds a freezing effect to Drow's attacks, slowing enemy movement and dealing bonus damage. Slow lasts 1.5 seconds.

Aghanim’s Scepter

Frost Arrows now apply a Hypothermia stack to enemies, increasing damage from Frost Arrows and reducing their Health Restoration per stack. If an enemy dies with Hypothermia stacks, they burst and deal damage per stack and slow in an area around it.

Ability

Gust

Releases a wave that silences and knocks back and reveals invisible enemy units. Knockback distance is relative to how close they are to Drow.

↻ 19 / 17 / 15 / 13 sec.Mana 55

Ability

Multishot

CHANNELED — the hero fires several arrow volleys that deal a portion of her base damage to enemies and apply Frost Arrows. The volleys’ range equals current attack range + 475. Lasts up to 1.75 sec.

↻ 24 / 21 / 18 / 15 sec.Mana 70 / 85 / 100 / 115

Details

CHANNELED - Drow releases a flurry of arrows in continuous salvos, hitting enemies for extra damage and applying Frost Arrows with a range of Drow's Attack Range + 475. Lasts up to 1.75 seconds. Drow can move slowly and use items while casting Multishot.

Ability

Marksmanship

Drow's experiences in battle grant her a chance to launch arrows with incredible accuracy and effectiveness. Pierces through the enemy's defenses, ignoring their base armor. This ability is disabled if there is an enemy hero within 300 range.

Innates, upgrades and other forms2 abilities +

These abilities are not necessarily available at the same time. I check the condition beside the name: innate ability, another form or an Aghanim purchase.

From Aghanim’s Shard

Glacier

The hero creates an ice hill beneath her, pushing nearby enemies away. All units on the hill gain unobstructed vision, while the caster and her ranged allies gain bonus attack range.

Full description

Drow creates a hill of ice beneath her, knocking away nearby enemies. Units on the hill gain flying vision and Drow and her ranged allies gain bonus attack range. Drow gains additional damage while on the Glacier and attacking targets below her. The front of the hill obscures vision and cannot be moved through except by Drow. Does not interrupt Multishot when cast.

Innate

Precision Aura

Grants Drow bonus agility based on Drow's current agility and level. Nearby ranged heroes received 50% of the bonus agility.

Full description

Grants Drow bonus agility based on Drow's current agility and level. Nearby ranged heroes received 50% of the bonus agility.

Valve base stats +

Health · base: 472
Mana · base: 255
Damage · Valve field: 51–58
Armour · Valve field: 4
Movement speed: 310
Attack range: 625
Strength · base / gain: 16 / 1.9
Agility · base / gain: 24 / 2.8
Intelligence · base / gain: 15 / 1.4

These are fields from the official source. The hero's final values in the client account for attributes and other active mechanics.

KEEP EXPLORING

One hero. Many decisions.

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