HERO / GET TO KNOW THEM

Viper

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 pressure the lane with poison, combine it with the team’s disables, and choose an item for their needs.

Launching deadly poison from a distance, Viper poses a grave threat to whomever he targets. As his various toxins eat away at an enemy's health and slow their movement, Viper simply does what he does best: he keeps adding more poison.

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.

Support · position 4

Initial recommendation

I contribute through laning, control and movement. I adapt the expensive core route to my budget.

Mid · position 2

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

Offlane · position 3

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

MY VIEW OF THE HERO

Pick for a purpose. Play with a plan.

When I pick

On position four, I choose this for poison pressure and an unusual tempo; for mid and position three, I adjust the budget and farming responsibility beforehand.

What I watch out for

An enemy with ranged damage, dispels or a quick escape may not want to stay in my favourable engagement. I need the team's control to help.

What I do in combat

I do not copy the items from a published match into every game. I first decide what matters more for the team now: hold a target, survive an entry or amplify my damage.

What I check first

My published episode is a position-four experiment. Mid and offlane have different farm and item priorities.

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.

Support · position 4

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 / FoundationRod of Atos
Roots the target so it cannot move out of the team’s follow-up spells.
03 / FoundationGlimmer Cape
Adds a protective tool and hides the chosen ally; invisibility does not replace escaping detection.
04 / Next choiceForce Staff
Moves me or an ally out of danger; direction depends on the target's facing.
05 / Next choiceAghanim's Scepter
Unlocks or upgrades Corrosive Skin, Nosedive. The exact effects are shown below in the abilities section.

What I change for the situation 3 options

Guardian Greaves ↗

Combine mana and health sustain for the team; useful in prolonged fights together.

Black King Bar ↗

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

Hurricane Pike ↗

Combines attack range with a tool for breaking a dangerous close-range engagement.

Positions 2–3

When I play mid or offlane

With more farm, I improve my own survivability and attack pressure, but do not delay the protection the team needs.

01 / Core optionPower Treads
Provide attack speed and switchable attributes for farming and managing my resources.
02 / Core optionDragon Lance
Increases a ranged hero’s attack range and provides useful attributes.
03 / Core optionBlack King Bar
Provides a window for my actions against eligible magical damage and disables. I check effects that pierce the protection.
04 / Core optionHurricane Pike
Combines attack range with a tool for breaking a dangerous close-range engagement.
05 / Core optionAghanim's Scepter
Unlocks or upgrades Corrosive Skin, Nosedive. The exact effects are shown below in the abilities section.

What I change for the situation 3 options

Guardian Greaves ↗

Combine mana and health sustain for the team; useful in prolonged fights together.

Pipe of Insight ↗

Provides team protection against substantial magical damage.

Shiva's Guard ↗

Adds armor and pressure in an area, helping limit the enemy’s health restoration.

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

Poison Attack

Intensifies Viper's venom, adding an effect to his normal attack that applies a stacking movement speed slow and magic resistance deduction while dealing damage over time. Stacks up to 6 times.

Mana 20

Details and upgrades

Intensifies Viper's venom, adding an effect to his normal attack that applies a stacking movement speed slow and magic resistance deduction while dealing damage over time. Stacks up to 6 times.

Aghanim’s Shard

Increases max stacks, and causes Poison Attack to lower armor per stack and to affect buildings for reduced damage.

Ability

Nethertoxin

Viper releases a Nethertoxin at the targeted area. Units in that area take an increasing damage over time based on how long they remain in it. Units in it have their attack speed slowed.

↻ 14 sec.Mana 70

Ability

Corrosive Skin

Viper exudes an infectious toxin that damages and slows the attack speed of any enemy that damages it in a 1200 radius. The acid exudate also increases Viper's resistance to magic.

Details and upgrades

Viper exudes an infectious toxin that damages and slows the attack speed of any enemy that damages it in a 1200 radius. The acid exudate also increases Viper's resistance to magic.

Aghanim’s Scepter

The ability applies its attack slow, multiplied by 4, to enemies within a radius of 500 of the owner. Damage and magic resistance from this ability gradually increase while the owner is inside Nethertoxin. The maximum bonus of 50% is reached after 4 sec.

Ability

Viper Strike

Viper slows the targeted enemy unit's movement and attack speed while also disabling their passives and dealing poison damage over time. The slowing effect reduces over the duration of the poison.

↻ 50 / 40 / 30 sec.Mana 100 / 150 / 200

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

Nosedive

Viper slams into the ground, releasing a Nethertoxin and splattering each enemy in a 500 AoE for 4 seconds with the effect of Corrosive Skin.

Full description

Viper slams into the ground, releasing a Nethertoxin and splattering each enemy in a 500 AoE for 4 seconds with the effect of Corrosive Skin.

Innate

Predator

Viper's attacks deal an additional instance of physical damage per missing health percentage of the target hero.

Full description

Viper's attacks deal an additional instance of physical damage per missing health percentage of the target hero.

Valve base stats +

Health · base: 582
Mana · base: 279
Damage · Valve field: 48–50
Armour · Valve field: 1.5
Movement speed: 275
Attack range: 575
Strength · base / gain: 21 / 2.4
Agility · base / gain: 21 / 2.9
Intelligence · base / gain: 17 / 2

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

04 / REAL MATCH

My position-four Viper

Published episode: watch actual decisions and compare them with the plan above.

Watch the episode and breakdown ↗

KEEP EXPLORING

One hero. Many decisions.

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