HERO / GET TO KNOW THEM

Magnus

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 boost an allied core’s farm and set up a fight with a well-placed RP or repositioning with Skewer.

Enemies who are foolish enough to gather learn to fear the horn of Magnus. Able to pull nearby foes together, he can batter them with empowered attacks or skewer them with his horn to bring them before his merciless allies.

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.

Offlane · position 3

Initial recommendation

My resource is the team's space: I hold the lane and build for initiation or team protection.

Mid · position 2

Levels, lane control and joining the team at the right moment matter.

MY VIEW OF THE HERO

Pick for a purpose. Play with a plan.

When I pick

I pick this when an allied physical core uses Empower and the team can hit gathered or displaced targets.

What I watch out for

Skewer in the wrong direction can give the enemy a favourable position. AoE control without allied follow-up remains a pretty frame.

What I do in combat

I choose where to deliver the opponent before choosing the entry. After RP, I maintain the team's focus instead of scattering the targets it needs with another movement.

What I check first

After a disable, Skewer should bring enemies toward my allies, not somewhere that suits the enemy.

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.

Offlane · position 3

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 stepArcane Boots
Provide mana for laning and regular ability use.
02 / FoundationBlink Dagger
Changes the entry angle and lets me reach a target quickly. Damage taken can prevent its use.
03 / FoundationForce Staff
Moves me or an ally out of danger; direction depends on the target's facing.
04 / Next choiceBlack King Bar
Provides a window for my actions against eligible magical damage and disables. I check effects that pierce the protection.
05 / Next choiceRefresher Orb
Lets you repeat your main power window. Before buying, I consider whether I will have enough mana for both casts.

What I change for the situation 3 options

Harpoon ↗

Helps close the gap to a target and builds on items for close-range combat.

Aghanim's Scepter ↗

Unlocks or upgrades Horn Toss. The exact effects are shown below in the abilities section.

Assault Cuirass ↗

Gives the team armor and attack speed, helping it apply physical pressure to heroes and objectives.

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

Shockwave

Magnus sends out a wave of force, damaging enemy units in a line, pulling them towards him, and slowing them for a brief period.

↻ 13 / 12 / 11 / 10 sec.Mana 85 / 90 / 95 / 100

Ability

Empower

Grants the selected ally’s attacks bonus damage and cleave.

↻ 8 sec.Mana 45 / 55 / 65 / 75

Details

When cast on an ally, grants them bonus damage and cleave on attack. Empower is always on Magnus with 30% larger bonus.

Ability

Skewer

The hero charges forward, skewering enemies with his massive horn. Enemy heroes in his path are dragged to the destination, then take damage based on the distance traveled and have their movement speed reduced…

↻ 22 / 20 / 18 / 16 sec.Mana 80

Details and upgrades

Magnus rushes forward, goring enemy units on his massive tusk. Heroes hit on the way will be dragged to the destination, then damaged and affected by slowed movement speed. The damage is increased based on distance traveled.

Aghanim’s Shard

Increases range and deals additional damage when skewering enemies into trees or cliffs.

Ability

Reverse Polarity

Magnus changes properties of matter, pulling all nearby enemies in front of him and stunning them with a damaging slam.

↻ 115 sec.Mana 150 / 225 / 300

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 Scepter

Horn Toss

Magnus tosses any enemies in front of him, launching them to his rear. Enemies take damage, spend 0.6 seconds in the air, and are stunned while in the air and an additional amount of time after landing.

Full description

Innate

Solid Core

Magnus has increased slow resistance and suffers less knockback from enemy's abilities and items.

Full description

Magnus has increased slow resistance and suffers less knockback from enemy's abilities and items.

Valve base stats +

Health · base: 626
Mana · base: 315
Damage · Valve field: 31–39
Armour · Valve field: 3.33
Movement speed: 305
Attack range: 200
Strength · base / gain: 23 / 3.1
Agility · base / gain: 14 / 2.2
Intelligence · base / gain: 20 / 2.1

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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