HERO / GET TO KNOW THEM

Windranger

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 find an angle for Shackleshot; as a core, I add attack damage, and as a support, I help the team.

Evasive and swift, the nimble Windranger is always seeking the right angle to attack. Whether she's clearing the way with a draw of her deadly powershot, or shackling enemies together to pepper them with arrows, she's always on the move.

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.

Mid · position 2

Initial recommendation

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

Support · position 4

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

MY VIEW OF THE HERO

Pick for a purpose. Play with a plan.

When I pick

I like this when there is reliable contact for Shackleshot and space to use Focus Fire on one target.

What I watch out for

Strong disables and magical damage are dangerous even during Windrun. Evasion is not protection against every kind of effect.

What I do in combat

I look for a line where the target will latch to a tree or unit. I use Focus Fire on an enemy I can actually keep attacking.

What I check first

As a position four, I do not delay useful disables for an expensive core build.

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.

Mid · position 2

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 / FoundationMaelstrom
Speeds up creep clearing and adds attack damage against multiple targets.
03 / FoundationBlack King Bar
Provides a window for my actions against eligible magical damage and disables. I check effects that pierce the protection.
04 / Next choiceGleipnir
Adds an area root to the Maelstrom build path and helps the team follow up on a focused target.
05 / Next choiceAghanim's Scepter
Unlocks or upgrades Tailwind. The exact effects are shown below in the abilities section.

What I change for the situation 3 options

Force Staff ↗

Moves me or an ally out of danger; direction depends on the target's facing.

Spirit Vessel ↗

Improves focus fire against heroes who rely on healing and regeneration; you need charges and a chance to use it.

Monkey King Bar ↗

Helps against evasion and strengthens rapid attacks when the target is hard to hit consistently.

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

Shackleshot

Shackles the target to an enemy unit or tree in a line directly behind it. If no unit or tree is present, the stun duration is reduced to 0.6.

↻ 16 / 14 / 12 / 10 sec.Mana 70 / 80 / 90 / 100

Ability

Powershot

CHANNELED - Windranger charges her bow for up to 1 second for a single powerful shot, which deals more damage the longer it is charged. The arrow damages and slows enemies' movement speed along its path. For each enemy that Powershot hits, its damage and slow is reduced.

↻ 12 / 11 / 10 / 9 sec.Mana 90 / 100 / 110 / 120

Ability

Windrun

Increases movement speed and adds evasion from all physical attacks.

↻ 14 / 13 / 12 / 11 sec.Mana 50

Ability

Focus Fire

The hero summons a whirlwind, increasing her attack speed against the selected enemy unit or building by 350/425/500. All damage from these attacks is reduced, except for damage from item effects.

↻ 50 / 40 / 30 sec.Mana 75 / 100 / 125

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

Gale Force

Vector Targeted. Summons a strong wind that pushes all enemies in the target area towards the target direction.

Full description

Vector Targeted. Summons a strong wind that pushes all enemies in the target area towards the target direction.

Innate

Tailwind

Casting abilities gives the owner a stacking tailwind effect that briefly increases movement speed. The speed bonus starts to decrease gradually halfway through the effect’s duration.

Full description and upgrades

Using an ability conjures a stacking Tailwind that gives Windranger a brief burst of movement speed. Movement speed bonus gradually starts fading halfway through the Tailwind duration. Passively increases Windranger's max movement speed.

Aghanim’s Scepter

Attacks grant Tailwind. Tailwind lasts longer and is undispellable.

Valve base stats +

Health · base: 516
Mana · base: 291
Damage · Valve field: 24–36
Armour · Valve field: 3.33
Movement speed: 285
Attack range: 600
Strength · base / gain: 18 / 2.6
Agility · base / gain: 20 / 2.1
Intelligence · base / gain: 18 / 3.2

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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