Dota 2 Wiki
Register
Advertisement
Lion
Strength attribute symbol
Agility attribute symbol
Intelligence attribute symbol
18 + 2.2
15 + 1.5
20 + 3.5
Level 0 1 15 25 30
Health 120 516 1176 1924 2210
+0.5 +2.3 +5.38 +8.78 +10.08
Mana 75 315 903 1467 1695
+0 +1 +3.45 +5.8 +6.78
Armor 0 2.5 6 10.5 12.08
Magic Resist 25% 27% 31.9% 36.6% 38.55%
Damage Block -
Damage

29
35

49
55

98
104

145
151

164
170

Attack Rate 0.68/s 0.76/s 0.89/s 1.05/s 1.1/s
Attack Range Ranged 600 (800)
Attack Speed ▶️ 115 (1.7s BAT)
Attack Animation 0.43 + 0.74
Projectile Speed 900
Move Speed ▶️ 290 (Nighttime 320)
Turn Rate Takes 0.131s to turn 180°. 0.8
Collision Size 27
Bound Radius 24
Vision Range (G) 1800 (Nighttime 800)
Gib Type Default
Internal npc_dota_hero_lion
Steals enemy mana to fuel his own abilities.
Betrayed by his demon partner, Lion went to Hell and back for his vengeance, retrieving the demon's hand and grafting it onto his own body. Lion gives enemies little chance to retaliate. Stunning targets with a damaging row of Earth Spikes, or temporarily transforming them into a harmless critter using a simple Hex, allowing him to Mana Drain them without interruption. Satisfied, the Demon Witch raises his disfigured hand, and points the Finger of Death to exterminate foes with a torrent of Infernal energy.
Earth Spike
Hex
Mana Drain
Mana Drain
Finger of Death
Finger of Death
Roles: Support Support Disabler Disabler Nuker Nuker Initiator Initiator
Complexity: Hero Complexity
Adjectives: Cape, Demon, Nose
Legs ( 2 )


Bio[]

Lion minimap iconLion, the Demon Witch
▶️ "All hells broken loose, and I hold the pieces."
Once a Grandmaster of the Demon Witch tradition of sorcery, Lion earned fame among his brethren for fighting on the side of light and righteousness. But adulation corrupts. With powers surpassed only by his ambition, the mage was seduced by a demon and turned to evil, trading his soul for prestige. After committing horrible crimes that marred his soul, he was abandoned. The demon betrayed him, striking better deals with his enemies. Such was Lion’s rage that he followed the demon back to Hell and slew it, ripping it limb from limb, taking its demonic hand for his own. However, such demonoplasty comes at a cost. Lion was transfigured by the process, his body transformed into something unrecognizable. He rose from Hell, rage incarnate, slaying even those who had once called him master, and laying waste to the lands where he had once been so adored. He survives now as the sole practitioner of the Demon Witch tradition, and those who present themselves as acolytes or students are soon relieved of their mana and carried off by the faintest gust of wind.
Alias:
Demon Witch

Abilities[]

Earth Spike
Earth Spike icon
Affects
Enemies
Damage
Magical
Rock spikes burst from the earth along a straight path. Enemy units are hurled into the air, then are stunned and take damage when they fall.
Cast Range: Affected by Cast Range bonuses. 650
Spikes Range Buffer: 275
Spikes Radius: Affected by AoE Radius bonuses. 140
Number of Spikes: 1 (Talent 3)
Damage: 105/170/235/300 (Talent 170/235/300/365)
Stun Duration: 1.3/1.6/1.9/2.2
Talent Earth Spike Angle: 30°
Cooldown symbol
 14/13/12/11
Mana symbol
 90/110/130/150
Does not pierce debuff immunity.
The forced movement is instantly canceled.
Blocked by Linken's Sphere.
Blocked individually by each each enemy that gets hit.
Buff/Debuff
Modifiers [?]
modifier_lion_impale
The Demon Witch exercises his demonic covenant, opening a fissure from Hell.

  • The spikes' max travel distance is based on the cast range, plus the range buffer.
    • With the default cast range, it has a max travel distance of 925.
  • The spikes travel at a speed of 2000, taking 0.46 seconds to travel the full distance.
  • With the travel distance and the spikes radius, it can hit units up to 1065 range away.
  • When unit-targeted, the spikes are released towards their current location upon cast. Spikes do not home and thus can be evaded.
  • Hit units are knocked up 350 range for the initial 0.5 seconds of the stun.
  • While in the air, other units may pass below hit airborne units.
  • The spike that hits the target is larger and is elevated. This visual effect can also be seen in the Fog of War.
    • When Earth Spike hits invisible units, the visual effects below the hit unit are still visible.
  • The damage is applied upon landing, not upon getting hit.
    • When interrupted, the damage will be applied prematurely.
  • TALENT
    The Earth Spike cone Talent talent launches 2 spikes with the primary cast.
    • The extra spikes are launched with a 30° angle to the left and right of the primary spike in the center.
    • Although all 3 spikes overlap in front of Lion, they cannot hit the same target.


Hex
Hex (Lion) icon
Affects
Enemies
Transforms an enemy unit into a harmless beast, with all special abilities disabled.
Cast Range: Affected by Cast Range bonuses. 550/575/600/625
Set Move Speed: 120
Duration: 2/2.4/2.8/3.2
Talent Radius: Affected by AoE Radius bonuses. 250
Cooldown symbol
 24/20/16/12 (Talent 22/18/14/10)
Mana symbol
 125/150/175/200
Partially blocked by Linken's Sphere.
Blocked as a unit-targeted ability.
Talent
Not blocked when turned into an area-targeted ability.
Buff/Debuff
Modifiers [?]
modifier_lion_voodoo
Lion is compelled to share his transfiguration, twisting the essence of those who oppose him.
Hex frog model

▶️ Frog model


  • Applies a hex on the target, setting its base movement speed to 120, silencing, muting and disarming it.
    • However, the target's movement speed can still be affected by movement speed bonuses from items and abilities.
    • Hex does not apply movement speed slow. Therefore, all movement speed increasing and reducing effects are calculated using the 120 base speed.
  • TALENT
    Hex turns into an area-targeted ability, so that it cannot directly target units anymore.


Mana Drain
Mana Drain icon
Affects
Enemies / Allies
Channels magical energy, taking mana and slowing enemies over time. Can target allies to give them mana and movement speed at a 50% rate.
Cast Range: Affected by Cast Range bonuses. 850
Max Targets: 1 (With Aghanim's Shard 3)
Link Break Distance: Affected by Cast Range bonuses. 1100 (With Aghanim's Shard 1300)
Mana Drain per Second: 20/40/60/120
Mana Drained as Damage Multiplier: 1 (Talent 2)
Move Speed Slow: 15%/20%/25%/30% (Talent 25%/30%/35%/40%)
Ally Mana Restore Multiplier: 0.5
Ally Move Speed Bonus: 7.5%/10%/12.5%/15% (Talent 12.5%/15%/17.5%/20%)
Max Channel Time: 5
With Aghanim's Shard Secondary Target Range Buffer: Affected by Cast Range bonuses. 200
With Aghanim's Shard Self Magic Resistance Bonus: 60%
Cooldown symbol
 15/12/9/6
Mana symbol
 0
Upgradable by Aghanim's Shard.
Aghanim's Shard Upgrade:
Causes Mana Drain to affect up to 2 additional enemies and gets +200 additional break distance. Lion becomes Debuff Immune with 60% magic resistance while channeling.
Partially blocked by Linken's Sphere.
Blocked upon cast.
Upgradable by Aghanim's Shard.
Blocked fully only when primary target.
Buff/Debuff
Modifiers [?]
modifier_lion_mana_drain
Death
modifier_lion_mana_drain_immunity
Death
Lesser magi are nothing more than a source of magical restoration for the Demon Witch.

  • Can only be cast on units that have mana pool.
  • The link breaks on the target in the following conditions:
    • When the target gets out of vision, turns invulnerable or hidden.
    • This includes becoming invisible with True Sight immunity.
    • Upon the target's death.
    • When it exceeds the 1100 (Upgradable by Aghanim's Shard. 1300) break distance.
      • The effective area for the link break distance is half of a sphere and not a flat circle. Therefore, the link can be broken with upward movement sources as well.
  • The link still affects the target and does not break, even when the target(s) run out of mana, enter the Fog of War, turns untargetable or invisible.
  • The mana replenished is based on how much the target actually lost per interval. If they have no mana left, no mana is gained either.
    • When Lion is at full mana, the enemy target is still damaged and continues to lose mana.
  • Grants the following bonuses when casting on allies:
    • 7.5%/10%/12.5%/15% (Talent 12.5%/15%/17.5%/20%) movement speed bonus.
    • Restores 10/20/30/60 mana per second and up to 50/100/150/300 for the entire channeling duration.
  • While restoring the ally's mana, it works the same as well with reversed effects, the mana replenished to the ally is based on how much mana Lion loses.
    • No longer drains mana from Lion when the ally target(s) are at full mana.
    • Replenishes the allied illusion's mana and does not destroy them.
    • The damage values are affected by mana loss manipulation sources.
  • Provides True Sight over the target(s) for its duration.
  • Drains 2/4/6/12 mana in 0.1-second intervals, starting 0.1 seconds after cast, resulting in up to 50 instances.
    • Can drain up to 100/200/300/600 (Upgradable by Aghanim's Shard. 300/600/900/1800) mana when fully channeled.
  • Deals the same amount of damage using the same intervals, and resulting in the same amount of damage instances.
  • Instantly destroys targeted illusions on the first interval, and does not drain mana from enemy illusions.
  • Mana Drain now affects 2 additional random enemy targets, prioritizing heroes, within 1050 search radius centered on Lion.
    • Does not consider units without mana as additional targets.
    • Since the additional links use the ability's cast range, cast range increasing effects increase its search range as well.
    • For secondary targets, the link only breaks on the target(s) in the following conditions:
      • When the channeling on the primary target is interrupted in any way.
      • Upon the secondary target's death, or upon exceeding the break distance.
    • The secondary links stop draining mana and damaging their target(s), if they enter the Fog of War, or when they are affected by invisibility, with or without true sight immunity. In any case, Mana Drain continues to apply its movement speed slow.
  • The debuff immunity granting upgrade does not dispel Lion.
    • Stacks multiplicatively with other Magic Resistance magic resistance sources.
    • Increases Lion's magic resistance to 70%.
    • With the magic resistance bonus from this source, every 10 points of Intelligence attribute symbol intelligence further increases the total magic resistance by 0.4%. [?]
  • TALENT
    The movement speed slow increasing Talent talent also increases the ally movement speed bonus.
    • Does not update the current active instance.
  • Upgradable by Aghanim's Shard. Mana Drain requires a minimum of 4 targets to work. Casting ability on either the primary or the secondary target without the minimum required targets are considered as canceling the channeling.


Finger of Death
Finger of Death icon
Affects
Enemies
(Talent Self)
Damage
Magical
Rips at an enemy unit, trying to turn it inside-out. Deals massive damage and grows stronger with each life it consumes.
Cast Animation: 0.3+0.5
Cast Range: Affected by Cast Range bonuses. 900
Effect Delay: 0.25
Base Damage: 600/725/850 (With Aghanim's Scepter 700/825/950)
Ability Damage Bonus per Kill: 40 (Talent 60)
Kill Grace Duration: 3
With Aghanim's Scepter Radius: Affected by AoE Radius bonuses. 325
Talent Max Health per Kill: 70
Cooldown symbol
 140/90/40 (With Aghanim's Scepter 80/50/20)
Mana symbol
 200/400/600
Upgradable by Aghanim's Scepter.
Aghanim's Scepter Upgrade:
Increases damage. Decreases cooldown. Finger of Death hits all units in a small area.
Partially blocked by Linken's Sphere.
Particles effects still appear on the target.
Upgradable by Aghanim's Scepter.
Blocked fully only when primary target.
Buff/Debuff
Modifiers [?]
modifier_lion_finger_of_death_kill_counter
Undispellable
modifier_lion_finger_of_death
Death
modifier_lion_finger_of_death_delay
Death
modifier_lion_arcana_kill_effect
Undispellable
Lion's disfigured hand is also the source of his greatest power, capable of flooding victims with malefic force.

  • Places a debuff on the target upon cast, which applies the damage, and the second debuff upon expiring. The debuff lasts 0.25 seconds.
  • Grants a stack as long as the affected target hero(es) die while having the second debuff.
    • Grants a stack even if the dying hero has Reincarnation.
    • Treats Divided We Stand icon Meepo Clones and the Lone Druid Spirit Bear icon Spirit Bear as heroes.
    • Treats illusions, creep-heroes and the Tempest Double minimap icon Tempest Double as creeps.
    • The affected target can be killed or denied by any unit, including neutral creeps and death by self-damage. Lion does not need to be credited for the kill.
    • The number of stacks gained can be seen on the status buff icon. The current ability damage and max health bonus can be seen in its description.
      • Grants max health bonus per kill while keeping the current health percentage the same.
    • TALENT
      Both the max health bonus and damage bonus increasing Talent talents are retroactive and update all already acquired stacks.
  • The bonus modifier of successive casts stacks. If cast on the same target successively within the 3-second time frame, each cast grants a stack.
    • Although only gaining bonuses from hero kills, the debuff is placed on every affected target.
  • Finger of Death is now cast on all enemy units within 325 radius of the primary target.
  • The ability damage bonus per kill last for the acquired ability's buff duration and is lost upon losing the ability.


Talents[]

Hero Talents
+250 AoE Hex (Lion) icon Hex25+100% Mana Drain icon Mana Drain Damage
Earth Spike icon Earth Spike affects a 30° Cone20+20 Finger of Death icon Finger of Death Damage Per Kill
+70 Max Health Per Finger of Death icon Finger of Death Kill15-2s Hex (Lion) icon Hex Cooldown
+65 Earth Spike icon Earth Spike Damage10+10% Mana Drain icon Mana Drain Slow

Recent Changes[]

Main Articles: Changelogs, Old Abilities and Hero Lore
Version
Description
  • Increased Earth Spike icon Earth Spike Cooldown from 11 to 14/13/12/11.
  • Mana Drain icon Mana Drain
    • Reduced Movement Slow/Bonus from 20/25/30/35% to 15/20/25/30%.
    • Aghanim's Shard icon Aghanim's Shard upgrade:
      • Reduced Magic Resistance bonus from 80% to 60%.
      • Reduced Bonus Break Distance from 400 to 200.
      • Now breaks on secondary targets if Lion loses vision of them.


Recommended Items[]

Starting items:

  • Tango icon Tango provides health sustain in-lane, allowing Lion to remain active despite enemy harass.
  • Iron Branch icon Iron Branch is cheap and can be purchased with any leftover gold, giving Lion some additional stats. It can be built into a Magic Wand or Mekansm components if needed.
  • Observer Ward icon Observer Ward should always be picked up when available, one of the core duties of a support. Spotting enemy movements allows Lion and his team to re-position to meet them, and lets Lion pounce on his foes with his array of disables and nukes.

Early game:

  • Magic Stick icon Magic Stick gives Lion burst health and mana, critical to have on hand for low-HP casters whose spells can make large differences in teamfights. While a fully-charged Magic Stick is not fully guaranteed to allow Lion to cast one more spell if he's out of mana, it can buy him a few seconds to contribute more in an engagement or escape pursuers.
  • Boots of Speed icon Boots of Speed is important to get early on Lion due to his strong disables. The extra movement speed allows Lion to chase enemies and get into position to cast his disables, securing early kills for his team.

Mid game:

  • Magic Wand icon Magic Wand is a great upgrade for extra attributes and the additional charges, always useful on hard supports. Its cheap price makes it useful on Lion, who will not always have the gold to buy better items.
  • Tranquil Boots icon Tranquil Boots's passive health regeneration keeps his health pool topped off, synergizing with his ability to keep his mana pool at full with Mana Drain. The increased movement speed gives him better roaming and positioning ability.
  • Blink Dagger icon Blink Dagger is extremely powerful on Lion, and should be considered a core item no matter his farm situation. The ability to instantly jump on top of enemies allows him to get much more use out of Hex and Earth Spike, greatly increasing the odds of getting kills on the enemy.
  • Sentry Ward icon Sentry Ward is crucial to purchase regularly as a support Lion. As a ranged hero, Lion can destroy enemy Observer Wards he finds, taking away map vision from the enemy team.
  • Town Portal Scroll icon Town Portal Scroll is important to carry at all times. Lion's nuking and disabling potential allows him to turn ganks and teamfights completely around if he is present.

Late game:

  • Force Staff icon Force Staff is a powerful utility and mobility item on Lion that grants him more mana, base damage, and some health sustain. It can serve as an inferior substitute to Blink Dagger, or as a supplement to further increase Lion's mobility. The active can also be used to help allies re-position as needed, or on an enemy to disposition them or instantly break their Linken's Sphere ahead of other disables.
  • Glimmer Cape icon Glimmer Cape gives Lion strong utility and some initiation power. The active can allow Lion to invisibly approach gank targets and get within range to cast his disables, and can even be used as a shield while channeling Mana Drain. More importantly, it can be cast on allies who are caught out of position, granting them invisibility and strong magic resistance to aid them in escaping.

Situational items

  • Mekansm icon Mekansm is useful to build on Lion if no other teammates can utilize the item effectively. The additional stats and armor increase Lion's survivability, while the heal drastically improves his teamfight contribution. As well, Lion does not suffer from the tremendous mana cost of the item as he can always recoup it with Mana Drain.
  • Aether Lens icon Aether Lens increases Lion's mana pool for him to more easily get off his spell combos due to the high cost of Finger of Death. The cast range increase can greatly extend the reach of all of Lion's abilities, especially Hex and Earth Spike for disabling foes. It also increases the cast range of Blink Dagger icon Blink Dagger, one of Lion's core items.
  • Scythe of Vyse icon Scythe of Vyse is expensive, but is a strong late-game item on any casting-oriented support. In Lion's case, it gives him better overall stats and reduces his reliance on Mana Drain, while also adding yet another instant hard disable to his already formidable arsenal.
  • Dagon icon Dagon drastically increases Lion's nuking potential, as it allows him to double up on the already formidable nuking power of Finger of Death. However, it is extremely expensive to upgrade and can be relatively useless if bought too late, so it is best purchased if Lion already has a strong gold advantage and needs to end the game early.
  • Urn of Shadows icon Urn of Shadows's charges accumulate quickly given Lion's strong ganking abilities; those charges either heals allies or deals minor damage to enemies in early fights.
  • Medallion of Courage icon Medallion of Courage gives Lion more utility, along with a blend of armor and mana regeneration. As a ranged support with strong disables, Lion can use the active on gank targets, increasing the damage they take from teammates' physical attacks. It can also be used on Roshan to reduce his armor, and later upgraded into a Solar Crest icon Solar Crest for even more benefits.
  • Ghost Scepter icon Ghost Scepter is useful on low-HP casters such as Lion. The ability to evade physical damage for a short duration can buy Lion time to survive if the enemy attempts to focus him down, giving him the few seconds he may need to get his spells off. Can be upgraded into Ethereal Blade icon Ethereal Blade to improve the damage of his nukes if he gets the gold advantage.
  • Eul's Scepter of Divinity icon Eul's Scepter of Divinity can give Lion some very strong benefits. The item grants more movement speed, giving him more mobility, as well as some more intelligence and mana regen to help him with casting. The active ability can be used either as an additional disable on the enemy, or on Lion himself to give him temporary invulnerability while dispelling debuffs like silences.

Dota Plus Progress[]

Main Article: Hero Challenges

Relics track a hero's actions and statistics, and display in-game notifications when a milestone is reached. They are only available to Dota Plus subscribers.

Relics Voice Lines
Relic Rare icon
Multi Hero Earth Spike icon Earth Spikes
Relic Rare icon
Multi-Hero Finger of Death icon Finger of Death
Relic intelligence icon
Mana Drained
Relic intelligence icon
Stuns Leading to Kills
Relic intelligence icon
Blink Dagger icon Blinks Leading to Kills
Relic intelligence icon
Channels Cancelled
Relic intelligence icon
Dominating Kill Streaks
Relic intelligence icon
Dust of Appearance icon Dust of Appearance Leading to Kills
Relic intelligence icon
Enemy Observer and Sentry Wards icon Ward Kills
Relic intelligence icon
Observer and Sentry Wards icon Wards Placed
Relic intelligence icon
Kill Assists
Relic intelligence icon
Kills
Plus Hero Badge 1
Bronze
Plus Hero Badge 2
Silver
Plus Hero Badge 3
Gold
Plus Hero Badge 4
Platinum
Plus Hero Badge 5
Master
  • ▶️ I've been to Hell and back, and back to Hell…and back.
Plus Hero Badge 6
Grandmaster
  • ▶️ When you get to Hell, tell them I sent you.

Equipment[]

Trivia[]

  • In the transition from DotA to Dota 2, the names of two of Lion's abilities were changed. "Impale" changed to Earth Spike icon Earth Spike and "Voodoo" changed to Hex (Lion) icon Hex.

Gallery[]

Advertisement