Break is a status effect that disables passive abilities from those affected. It does not disable passive components from items such as evasion from Talisman of Evasion or critical strike from Daedalus.
Mechanics
Break disables passive abilities, but not passives of items. This means that, for example, Blur is disabled, but Talisman of Evasion and derived items are not. It disables every aspect of the ability, including proc chances, innate cooldowns, attack modifiers and permanent bonuses.
If a passive ability places a buff or debuff, already placed buffs/debuffs are not nullified. This means when, for example, an enemy is affected by Venomancer's Poison Sting, it continues to take damage and be slowed by the debuff even when Break is applied on Venomancer. The Break only prevents Venomancer's attacks from applying the effect. The same also applies to passive abilities which grant stacks. Break just prevents them from gaining new stacks, but usually does not disable already existing stacks.
However, the opposite is the case for all disabled auras. The aura itself continues to place its buff/debuff on units, but when Break is applied on the source of the aura, the buff/debuff is disabled for the duration. If its status icon in the HUD shows values, they show 0 during Break.
There is no set rule for which passive abilities are disabled by Break. However, most abilities which are needed by or influence a second spell (e.g. Grow and Divided We Stand) are not disabled.
Break works completely independent from mute and silence.
Sources of Break
Disabled by Break
The following passive abilities are completely disabled by Break. This includes passive cooldowns, damage counters or other small parts of the abilities, unless stated otherwise.
Abilities
Abaddon – Borrowed Time1- Abaddon – Curse of Avernus
- Alchemist – Greevil's Greed
- Anti-Mage – Mana Break
- Lua error: Found no Cargo data for "Anti-Mage - Spell Shield".
- Axe – Counter Helix
- Beastmaster – Inner Beast
- Bloodseeker – Thirst
- Bounty Hunter – Jinada
- Brewmaster – Drunken Brawler
- Bristleback – Bristleback
- Bristleback – Warpath3
- Lua error: Found no Cargo data for "Broodmother - Incapacitating Bite".
- Lua error: Found no Cargo data for "Centaur Warrunner - Return".
- Chaos Knight – Chaos Strike
- Crystal Maiden – Arcane Aura
- Dragon Knight – Dragon Blood
- Lua error: Found no Cargo data for "Drow Ranger - Precision Aura".
- Drow Ranger – Marksmanship2
- Earthshaker – Aftershock
- Elder Titan – Natural Order5
- Enchantress – Untouchable
- Faceless Void – Time Lock
- Lua error: Found no Cargo data for "Gyrocopter - Side Gunner".
- Huskar – Berserker's Blood
- Juggernaut – Blade Dance
- Legion Commander – Moment of Courage
- Lifestealer – Feast
- Lina – Fiery Soul3
- Luna – Lunar Blessing
- Lua error: Found no Cargo data for "Luna - Moon Glaive".
- Lycan – Feral Impulse
- Lua error: Found no Cargo data for "Meepo - Geostrike".
- Mirana – Starstorm (Aghanim's Scepter)1
- Monkey King – Jingu Mastery6
- Necrophos – Death Pulse1 3
- Necrophos – Heartstopper Aura
- Night Stalker – Hunter in the Night
- Ogre Magi – Multicast7
- Lua error: Found no Cargo data for "Omniknight - Degen Aura".
- Lua error: Found no Cargo data for "Outworld Devourer - Essence Aura".
- Phantom Assassin – Blur
- Phantom Assassin – Coup de Grace
- Phantom Lancer – Juxtapose
- Phantom Lancer – Phantom Rush
- Lua error: Found no Cargo data for "Razor - Unstable Current".
- Riki – Cloak and Dagger
- Lua error: Found no Cargo data for "Rubick - Null Field".
- Sand King – Caustic Finale
- Shadow Fiend – Necromastery3
- Shadow Fiend – Presence of the Dark Lord
- Slardar – Bash of the Deep
- Slark – Essence Shift3
- Slark – Shadow Dance1
- Sniper – Headshot
- Sniper – Take Aim
- Spectre – Desolate
- Spectre – Dispersion
- Lua error: Found no Cargo data for "Spirit Breaker - Empowering Haste".
- Spirit Breaker – Greater Bash8
- Storm Spirit – Overload3
- Sven – Great Cleave
- Templar Assassin – Psi Blades
- Tidehunter – Kraken Shell
- Timbersaw – Reactive Armor3
- Lua error: Found no Cargo data for "Tiny - Craggy Exterior".
- Troll Warlord – Berserker's Rage (bash)1
- Troll Warlord – Fervor6
- Underlord – Atrophy Aura3
- Lua error: Found no Cargo data for "Ursa - Fury Swipes".
- Vengeful Spirit – Nether Swap (Aghanim's Scepter)1
- Vengeful Spirit – Vengeance Aura
- Venomancer – Poison Sting9
- Viper – Corrosive Skin
- Viper – Nethertoxin
- Visage – Gravekeeper's Cloak
- Weaver – Geminate Attack
- Wraith King – Mortal Strike
- Lua error: Found no Cargo data for "Wraith King - Vampiric Aura".
- Lua error: Found no Cargo data for "Zeus - Static Field".
1 These abilities have a passive component which is disabled by Break.
2 Both passive components of Spell Shield and Marksmanship are disabled by Break (including the spell block and splinter arrows granted by Aghanim's Scepter). However, Marksmanship's particle effects still visually react on enemy presence.
3 These abilities cannot grant stacks while disabled by Break. However, their already existing stacks still fully work.
4 These abilities are fully disabled by Break, even when using their active component.
5 Since Natural Order's magic resistance reducing component is centered on the Astral Spirit, applying Break on Elder Titan only disables the armor reduction.
6 Jingu Mastery and Fervor neither apply new stacks, nor do already existing stacks grant any bonuses during Break.
7 Only the Multicast part is disabled. The mana, cooldown, range and radius changes are not disabled.
8 Greater Bash still fully work for Charge of Darkness and Nether Strike. Break only prevents it from proccing on attacks.
9 Disabling Poison Sting on Venomancer also disables it for his Plague Wards.
- Alpha Wolf – Critical Strike
- Alpha Wolf – Packleader's Aura
- Ancient Black Dragon – Dragonhide Aura
- Ancient Black Dragon – Splash Attack
- Ancient Prowler Acolyte – Prowler Aura
- Lua error: Found no Cargo data for "Ancient Thunderhide - War Drums Aura".
- Boar – Poison
- Centaur Courser – Cloak Aura
- Ghost – Frost Attack
- Lua error: Found no Cargo data for "Giant Wolf - Critical Strike".
- Lua error: Found no Cargo data for "Hellbear - Cloak Aura".
- Lua error: Found no Cargo data for "Hellbear Smasher - Swiftness Aura".
- Lua error: Found no Cargo data for "Hill Troll Priest - Mana Aura".
- Kobold Foreman – Speed Aura
- Lycan Wolf – Cripple
- Mud Golem – Shard Split
- Necronomicon Archer – Archer Aura
- Necronomicon Warrior – Mana Break
- Necronomicon Warrior – Last Will
- Roshan – Bash
- Satyr Tormenter – Unholy Aura
- Spirit Bear – Demolish
- Spirit Bear – Entangling Claws
- Vhoul Assassin – Envenomed Weapon
- Lua error: Found no Cargo data for "Warlock's Golem - Flaming Fists".
- Lua error: Found no Cargo data for "Warlock's Golem - Permanent Immolation".
- Wildwing Ripper – Toughness Aura
Not disabled by Break
The following passive abilities are not disabled by Break.
Abilities
- Lua error: Found no Cargo data for "Lich - Freezing Slow".
- Magnus – Empower1
- Meepo – Divided We Stand
- Pudge – Flesh Heap
- Shadow Fiend – Requiem of Souls2
- Lua error: Found no Cargo data for "Silencer - Intelligence Steal".
- Tiny – Grow
- Treant Protector – Nature's Guise
- Wraith King – Reincarnation
- Ancient Granite Golem – Granite Aura
- Earth – Demolish
- Lua error: Found no Cargo data for "Earth - Spell Immunity".
- Fire – Permanent Immolation
- Forged Spirit – Melting Strike
- Lua error: Found no Cargo data for "Hawk - Invisibility".
- Lycan Wolf – Invisibility
- Necronomicon Warrior – True Sight
- Non-Hero Units – Spell Immunity
- Roshan – Spell Block
- Roshan – Strength of the Immortal
- Spiderling – Poison Sting
- Spiderling – Spawn Spiderite
- Undying Zombie – Deathlust
1 The aura granted by Aghanim's Scepter is not disabled.
2 The passive cast upon death is not disabled by Break.
Patch history
- Fixed Atrophy Aura not being disabled by Break.
- Fixed Multicast not being disabled under Break.
- Fixed Break not disabling collecting souls with Necromastery.
- Fixed Cloak and Dagger being only partially disabled by Break.
- Fixed Infernal Blade being disabled by Break.
- Fixed Warpath not being disabled by Break.
- Fixed various bugs related to Break:
- Fixed Break disabling Battle Fury cleave.
- Fixed Break not disabling Drunken Brawler's ensured crit/evasion cooldowns.
- Fixed Break disabling level 3 Elder Dragon Form's frost breath.
- Fixed Break disabling Empower's cleave component.
- Fixed Break not disabling Kraken Shell's damage counter.
- Fixed Break not disabling Lua error in Module:Ability_ID at line 61: Could not find Cargo data for "Craggy Exterior".'s armor bonus.
- Fixed Break disabling Grow's cleave component.
- Fixed Break not disabling Thirst's ability to reveal low health enemies.
- Fixed Break disabling Insatiable Hunger's lifesteal component.
- Fixed Break not disabling Psi Blades' attack range bonus.
- Fixed Break not disabling Fervor granting stacks.
- Fixed Break not disabling Gravekeeper's Cloak losing charges when taking damage.
- Fixed Break disabling Tidebringer's cleave component.
- Fixed Break not disabling Blur's minimap hiding component.
- Fixed Break disabling Split Shot.
Version history
- The following abilities are now disabled by Break:
- Lua error in Module:Ability_ID at line 61: Could not find Cargo data for "Flaming Fists"., Lua error in Module:Ability_ID at line 61: Could not find Cargo data for "Permanent Immolation"., Last Will, Poison, Cripple, Archer Aura, Mana Break.
- The following abilities are now disabled by Break:
- Nethertoxin, Tidebringer, Lua error in Module:Ability_ID at line 61: Could not find Cargo data for "Essence Aura"., Hunter in the Night, Poison Sting and neutral passive abilities.
- Reworked the Item Silencing and Passive Disabling behaviors.
- Passive disabling is called Break.
- Break disables the bonuses of passive Abilities only.
- Previously a small portion of passive abilities were disabled by Doom and some others by Hex. The Break mechanic is now responsible for this behavior.
- The following passives got disabled by Hex/Doom and are now disabled by Break as well:
- Borrowed Time (passive activating), Mana Break, Jinada (crit component), Drunken Brawler, Bristleback, Chaos Strike, Backtrack, Time Lock, Berserker's Blood, Blade Dance, Feast, Entangling Claws, Shapeshift (crit component), Blur (evasion component), Coup de Grace, Juxtapose, Bash of the Deep, Shadow Dance (regen and speed components), Headshot, Dispersion, Greater Bash, Great Cleave, Kraken Shell, Berserker's Rage (bash component), Lua error in Module:Ability_ID at line 61: Could not find Cargo data for "Fury Swipes"., Corrosive Skin, Lua error in Module:Ability_ID at line 61: Could not find Cargo data for "Vampiric Aura". and Mortal Strike.
- The following additional passive abilities are now added to the list of passives disabled with Break:
- Aftershock, Counter Helix, Lua error in Module:Ability_ID at line 61: Could not find Cargo data for "Craggy Exterior"., Inner Beast, Dragon Blood, Degen Aura, Greevil's Greed, Feral Impulse, Return, Reactive Armor, Curse of Avernus, Natural Order, Empowering Haste, Spell Shield, Thirst, Marksmanship, Precision Aura, Presence of the Dark Lord, Vengeance Aura, Backstab, Take Aim, Psi Blades, Geminate Attack, Lunar Blessing, Lua error in Module:Ability_ID at line 61: Could not find Cargo data for "Moon Glaive"., Desolate, Jinada, Geostrike, Essence Shift, Fervor, Arcane Aura, Static Field, Heartstopper Aura, Lua error in Module:Ability_ID at line 61: Could not find Cargo data for "Sadist"., Overload, Fiery Soul, Untouchable, Null Field, Gravekeeper's Cloak and Demolish.
- Break does not disable passive abilities of items, this means the following items now fully function during Break:
- Abyssal Blade, Butterfly, Battle Fury, Crystalys, Daedalus, Diffusal Blade, Gem of True Sight, Heaven's Halberd, Helm of the Dominator, Mask of Madness, Monkey King Bar, Morbid Mask, Radiance, Satanic, Skull Basher, Talisman of Evasion and Vladmir's Offering, Stout Shield, Poor Man's Shield, Vanguard and Crimson Guard.
- Hex no longer applies the Break mechanic.
- Doom now only applies the Break mechanic when upgraded with Aghanim's Scepter.
- Aghanim's Scepter upgraded Demonic Purge now applies Break.
See also
