HERO / GET TO KNOW THEM

Winter Wyvern

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 save an ally from focused physical damage and look for a favorable group of enemies for Winter’s Curse.

Winter Wyvern stalks the skies, slowing foes with burning cold as she soars over the battlefield. Should the enemy be foolish enough to gather, she curses them to attack one of their own as she blasts the gathering with icy splinters.

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.

Hard support · position 5

Initial recommendation

Help the lane, provide vision and keep the ally alive first; expensive upgrades follow the necessary team purchases.

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 choose this to answer physical focus and use Winter’s Curse on a favourably positioned enemy group.

What I watch out for

Cold Embrace makes an ally immobile and does not block all magical damage. Curse used at the wrong time can interfere with our own focus.

What I do in combat

Before a save, I assess the incoming damage type. I use Curse on a group for a task — stop the fight, gain time or punish positioning — not simply on the nearest core.

What I check first

Cold Embrace leaves the target unable to move: this save may not help against heavy magic damage.

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.

Hard support · position 5

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 / FoundationGlimmer Cape
Adds a protective tool and hides the chosen ally; invisibility does not replace escaping detection.
03 / FoundationAether Lens
Lets you use targeted abilities and items from a safer distance.
04 / Next choiceForce Staff
Moves me or an ally out of danger; direction depends on the target's facing.
05 / Next choiceBlink Dagger
Changes the entry angle and lets me reach a target quickly. Damage taken can prevent its use.

What I change for the situation 3 options

Holy Locket ↗

Strengthens the hero’s healing plan and provides another source of restoration when needed.

Aghanim's Shard ↗

Unlocks or upgrades Cold Embrace. The exact effects are shown below in the abilities section.

Aeon Disk ↗

Protects against sudden focus fire. I account for the cooldown and the fact that my damage is limited while it triggers.

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

Arctic Burn

The hero takes to the sky on an arctic wind, gaining unobstructed movement and infusing each attack with biting frost. While airborne, the hero can attack farther and faster.

↻ 29 / 26 / 23 / 20 sec.Mana 100

Details and upgrades

The hero takes to the sky on an arctic wind, gaining unobstructed movement and infusing each attack with biting frost. While airborne, the hero can attack farther and faster. Frost attack targets are slowed and take damage equal to 4/6/8/10% of current health each second.

Aghanim’s Scepter

Causes Arctic Burn to be a toggle ability, draining mana every second when active. Increases Winter Wyvern's movement speed.

Ability

Splinter Blast

Launches an ice orb at the selected unit. It does not damage that unit, but shatters on impact into shards that fly toward enemies within a base radius of 500 around the target. Shards damage enemies and slow them by 27/30/33/36%.

↻ 6 sec.Mana 105 / 115 / 125 / 135

Ability

Cold Embrace

Encases an ally in an icy cocoon, freezing them solid while healing a base amount as well as a percentage of their maximum health each second. The cocoon blocks all physical damage.

↻ 24 / 21 / 18 / 15 sec.Mana 50 / 60 / 70 / 80

Details and upgrades

Encases an ally in an icy cocoon, freezing them solid while healing a base amount as well as a percentage of their maximum health each second. The cocoon blocks all physical damage.

Aghanim’s Shard

Reduces cooldown by 4 sec. Allied units gain bonus attack damage when they emerge from the cocoon.

Ability

Winter's Curse

Dispels effects from the selected enemy, freezes it to the ground, and drives its nearby allies into a frenzy, forcing them to attack the ability’s target at increased speed.

↻ 100 / 90 / 80 sec.Mana 150 / 200 / 250

Details

Winter Wyvern dispells then freezes an enemy in place while striking those nearby with a maddening curse which causes them to attack their frozen ally with increased attack speed. The frozen ally and those cursed to attack their ally are immune to all damage from their enemies with the exception of damage from Winter Wyvern or her controlled units. Enemy heroes which enter the cursed area after the cast add to the duration of the curse.

Innates, upgrades and other forms1 ability +

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.

Innate

Eldwurm's Edda

Grants the owner the consumable item Eldwurm's Edda. It can be used to increase the selected basic ability’s current and maximum level by 1 and increase the owner’s base intelligence by 25% of its value at the time of use.

Full description

Valve base stats +

Health · base: 604
Mana · base: 387
Damage · Valve field: 42–49
Armour · Valve field: 3.67
Movement speed: 285
Attack range: 450
Strength · base / gain: 22 / 2.5
Agility · base / gain: 16 / 1.7
Intelligence · base / gain: 26 / 3.6

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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