Earth Spirit

Earth Spirit
Movement speed	290
Turn rate	0.6
Vision range	1800/800
Attack range	150
Projectile speed	Instant
Attack animation	0.35+0.65
Base attack time	1.7
Magic resistance	25%
Collision size	24
Legs	2

Hero

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Lore

Old Abilities

Changelogs

Known Bugs

Kaolin the Earth Spirit is a melee strength hero with great utility, possessing a wide array of disables in all of his basic abilities.

Unlike most heroes, his abilities revolve around an innate ability, Stone Remnant, which allows him to place statues that can be used to augment his abilities. Using his abilities in tandem with these remnants, Earth Spirit can stun enemies with Boulder Smash, slow them and initiate with Rolling Boulder, and silence them with Geomagnetic Grip. His ultimate, Magnetize, inflicts nearby enemies with a damage over time debuff, and allows him to spread the slow and silence from his abilities to other nearby enemies while refreshing the debuff duration by using his Stone Remnants, stopping entire groups of enemies in their tracks. With good timing and skill he can initiate fights from a distance, and given the right circumstances can deal a surprising amount of damage to both single and multiple targets, all the while disrupting enemy positioning allowing for easy kills. A useful ally and a dangerous enemy, the Earth Spirit's versatility and flexibility make him an ideal hero in almost any lineup or lane.

Bio[edit]

Kaolin, the Earth Spirit
Play "Through conflict, one's nature is revealed."
Role:	Nuker / Escape / Disabler / Initiator / Durable
Lore:	Deep amid the Upland crags and cliffs there runs a seam of sacred jade long foresworn by highland miners. From this rare material, the likeness of the great general Kaolin was carved and buried at the head of a stone funerary army ten thousand strong--a force of soldiers and holy men, jesters and acrobats, carved by craftsmen and entombed for millennia in the dark embrace of the Earth. What the craftsmen had not known was that within the strange seam of jade flowed the spirit of the Earth itself--an elemental force at one with the planet. When the force within the carved jade found itself cut off from the life's blood of the world, it gathered its strength over the course of a thousand years and dug itself free and into the light. Now the great Kaolin Earth Spirit strides the Upland roads, fighting for the spirit of the Earth; and in times of need calls forth remnants of his buried army still locked in the loving embrace of the soil.
Voice:	Nolan North (Responses)

Abilities[edit]

Boulder Smash

Play

Ability
Target Point / Target Unit

Affects
Enemies / Allies

Damage
Magical

Earth Spirit smashes the target enemy or ally, sending them in the direction he is facing. If Earth Spirit targets an area, he will smash the nearest Stone Remnant in a 200 radius. The travelling unit or Remnant damages all enemy units it hits. If an enemy is hit by a Stone Remnant, they are also stunned. Stone Remnants travel further than other units.

Cast Animation: +

Unit Cast Range: 150

Stone Cast Range: 160

Damage & Stun Radius: 160

Damage: 50/100/150/200

Knockback Speed: 900

Unit Knockback Distance: 480/600/680/800

Stone Knockback Distance: 2000

Stone Stun Duration: 0.75/1.25/1.75/2.25

22/18/14/10

100

Cannot target spell immune units. Does not attempt to damage or stun spell immune enemies. Can target spell immune units under the effect of Enchant Remnant.

Blocked fully only when primary target.

Modifiers

Boulder Smash: Undispellable.

Stunned: Dispellable with strong dispels.

Disable Aggro: Unknown dispel interaction.

It is with the power of a mountain that Earth Spirit strikes his enemies.

Notes:

Boulder Smash has different targeting rules based on whether he wants to smash a distant remnant, nearby remnant or a unit.

Smashing a distant remnant:
- To do this, the ground must be targeted. There must be a Stone Remnant within 160 radius around the targeted point.
- If a remnant is found, Earth Spirit walks towards the point until the remnant is within 160 range.
- Any remnant he meets on the way are ignored. Only the closest remnant to the targeted point is smashed.
- Upon reaching the remnant, Earth Spirit smashes it towards the direction he approached it from.

Smashing a nearby remnant:
- To do this, the ground must be targeted. There must not be a Stone Remnant within 160 around the targeted point.
- There must be a Stone Remnant within 160 radius around Earth Spirit.
- Boulder Smash has a 2000 range default cast range. This range allows Earth Spirit to aim the Stone Remnant precisely.
- When targeting beyond 2000 range, Earth spirit walks up until the point is within range. If there is a remnant nearby, he smashes it.

Smashing a unit:
- To do this, the unit must be directly targeted.
- There must not be a remnant between Earth Spirit and the targeted unit.
- Earth Spirit walks up until the target is within 150 range and smashes it towards the direction he approached the target from.
- If Earth Spirit meets a remnant while walking up to the target, he smashes the remnant towards the targeted unit instead.

Stun is applied to all enemy units within the radius of a smashed Stone Remnant. A smashed unit is not and does not stun.

Damage is applied to all enemy units within the radius of a smashed Stone Remnant or smashed unit.

The smashed enemy is damaged as well, instantly on cast. Smashed allies are not damaged.

Smashed units are not disabled during the knockback, and are able to act freely during it. Does not interrupt channeling spells.

Cannot be cast on ancient creeps and creep-heroes.

Can move units and Stone Remnants over impassable terrain.

Destroys trees which the targeted units or Stone Remnant collide with during the knockback.

Targeted neutral creeps do not draw aggro from lane creeps and towers and are ignored by auto-attacks and attack-move orders for 7 seconds.

Rolling Boulder

Play

Ability
Target Point

Affects
Self / Enemies

Damage
Magical

Earth Spirit gathers himself into a boulder and, after a 0.6s delay, rolls towards the target location, damaging enemy units. He will stop if he collides with a hero or is stunned. If he rolls over a Stone Remnant, he will travel further and faster, and enemies hit by the boulder will have their movement speed slowed.

Cast Animation: +

Cast Range: 3000

Effect & Collision Radius: 150

Effect Delay: 0.6

Default Roll Distance: 800

Stone Roll Distance: 1600

Damage: 100 (

400)

Stone Move Speed Slow: 80%

Stone Slow Duration: 0.8/1.2/1.6/2

16/12/8/4

50

Collides with, attempts to damage, and slows spell immune enemies.

Getting rooted while already rolling does not cancel the rolling.

Modifiers

Rolling Boulder Caster: Undispellable.

Rolling Boulder Slow: Dispellable with any dispel.

Calling upon his connection to the land, the Earth Spirit draws loose stone to him, which forms a protective ball that he can use to roll short distances.

Notes:

Rolls at a speed of 800 without and always rolls the full distance when not colliding with an enemy hero.

When rolling over a Stone Remnant, the speed is doubled, the total distance increased to 1600 and the slow gets applied to hit units.

The slow is applied to all enemy units in the path, not just the hero it collides with.

While rolling, Earth Spirit is rooted and disarmed, so he cannot move, blink or attack during it.
- Other abilities and items can be used normally while rolling, except for Rolling Boulder, which cannot be re-cast while rolling.

Upon colliding with an enemy hero, Earth Spirit is placed 80 range away from them, on the opposite side he collided into them from.

Does not affect invulnerable units and heroes. Cannot collide with invulnerable heroes. Fully affects invisible units.

Can move Earth Spirit over impassable terrain. Destroys trees Earth Spirit collides with while rolling.

Rolling Boulder gets canceled when Earth Spirit gets stunned, slept, cycloned or hexed at any time during it.

Forced movement only cancels Rolling Boulder when it is the hard-disabling kind.

Non-disabling forced movement does not cancel it when applied while stationary, but does override it when applied while rolling.

Geomagnetic Grip

Play

Ability
Target Point / Target Unit

Affects
Enemies / Allies

Damage
Magical

Earth Spirit pulls the target Stone Remnant. Enemies struck by the gripped target will be silenced, and take damage if the gripped target is a Stone Remnant.

Cast Animation: +

Cast Range: 1100

Effect Radius: 180

Stone Damage: 50/100/150/200

Stone Pull Speed: 1000

Unit Pull Speed: 600

Silence Duration: 2.5/3/3.5/4

13

100

Cannot target spell immune units. Does not attempt to damage or silence spell immune enemies. Can target spell immune units under the effect of Enchant Remnant. Silence persists if debuff was placed before spell immunity and when not dispelled.

Not blocked when cast on an enemy hero affected by Enchant Remnant.

Modifiers

Geomagnetic Grip: Dispellable with strong dispels.

Geomagnetic Grip debuff: Dispellable with any dispel.

Like calls to like. Even the minerals found in the blood and bones of living beings are not immune to the call of the Earth Spirit.

Notes:

When targeting ground, a Stone Remnant within 180 radius of the targeted point is pulled.

When no remnants are within the range, nothing happens. The spell is not cast.

In order to pull a unit, it has to be targeted directly. Cannot target allied heroes, unless the required talent is chosen. Treats creep-heroes as creeps.

Silence is applied to all enemy units within the radius of a pulled unit or remnant.

Damage is applied to all enemy units within the radius of a pulled Stone Remnant. A pulled unit is not damaged and does no damage.

Targeted units are not disabled during the pull. They are able to turn, attack, cast spells and use items.

This means that it cannot be used to interrupt the target's channeling spells.

Geomagnetic Grip does not pull the target if it is affected by Black Hole, Chronosphere, Duel, or Flaming Lasso.
- In the last two cases, it does not even pull the target if it is affected by Enchant Remnant.

When cast on allies or Stone Remnants affected by Boulder Smash, the smash gets canceled out by the grip.

Can move allies and Stone Remnants over impassable terrain.

Destroys trees within 200 radius around the targeted unit during the pull.

Stone Remnant

Play

Ability
Target Point

Call a Stone Remnant to the target location. Stone Remnants have no vision and are invulnerable, and can be used with Earth Spirit's abilities. Calling a Stone Remnant consumes a charge, which recharge over time.

Cast Animation: +

Cast Range: 1100

Max Charges: 6

Remnant Duration: 120

Charge Replenish Time: 30

0

Earth Spirit calls forth a remnant of his stone army, long buried with him in the dark embrace of the Earth.

Notes:

This is an innate ability and does not need to be skilled.

Kaolin begins the game with and cannot have more than 6 Stone Remnant charges.

Double-clicking the ability places a Stone Remnant 100 range in front of Earth Spirit.

It is possible to have up to 9 remnants when placing all 6 remnants at once, and then every time after the 30 seconds recharge.

Remnants cannot be attacked or destroyed by anyone. They may only be destroyed by Rolling Boulder, Magnetize, or by expiring.

When used by Magnetize, the remnant remains for 8 seconds before crumbling down. Rolling Boulder destroys them instantly.

An enemy Rubick can make use of the same remnants when stealing and using one of Earth Spirit's spells.

Stone Remnants can be seen through the Fog of War by all players.

Enemies can also see and hear the following effects through the Fog of War:
- Stone Remnants being smashed by Boulder Smash.
- Stone Remnants being consumed by Rolling Boulder to roll farther.
- Stone Remnants being pulled by Geomagnetic Grip.

Magnetize

Play

Ability
No Target

Affects
Enemies

Damage
Magical

Magnetizes units in a small nearby area, causing them to take damage for a short duration. Magnetized heroes cause nearby Stone Remnants to explode, destroying the remnant and refreshing Magnetize's duration on all nearby enemies. This process can repeat multiple times. If an enemy hero is affected by silence or slows as a result of Geomagnetic Grip or Rolling Boulder, all magnetized heroes share the effects.

Cast Animation: +

Radius: 300

Stone Search Radius: 400

Stone Refresh Radius: 600

Damage per Second: 50/75/100

Duration: 6

100/90/80

100

Grants the Enchant Remnant ability.

Places debuff on and attempts to damage spell immune enemies. Can spread to and refresh debuff on spell immune enemies. Does not silence or slow spell immune enemies when another magnetized enemy is hit by Rolling Boulder or Geomagnetic Grip.

Modifiers

Magnetize: Dispellable with any dispel.

At the Earth Spirit’s call, the minerals in the blood and bones of his enemies rebel against the bodies they find themselves in.

Notes:

Checks for nearby Stone Remnants in 0.5 second intervals, starting 0.5 seconds after cast.

If a remnant is found near an affected unit, Magnetize gets spread to enemies within a 600 radius around the remnant.

If an enemy within range already was affected by Magnetize, it gets the debuff refreshed instead.

Deals 25/37.5/50 damage in 0.5 second intervals, starting 0.5 seconds after cast.

Earth Spirit can still utilize a Stone Remnant for 8 seconds after it has spread Magnetize, before it is destroyed.

Without refreshing the duration once, Magnetize can deal up to 300/450/600 damage per affected unit (before reductions).

The Magnetize debuff can be placed on and spread from invisible and invulnerable units, but not on or from hidden units.

A number is visible above all magnetized enemies, counting down the duration. This is visible to allies only.
- Refreshing the duration with a remnant also resets the timer.

Once purchased, Earth Spirit cannot drop or sell his Aghanim's Scepter.

Enchant Remnant

Play

Ability
Target Unit

Affects
Enemy Heroes / Allied Heroes

Damage
Magical

Earth Spirit temporarily enchants a hero, granting them the properties of a Stone Remnant. After 3 seconds the remnant shatters, releasing the hero and damaging nearby enemies.

Cast Animation: +

Cast Range: 125

Damage Radius: 300

Damage: 300

Duration: 3

45

150

Can be cast on spell immune allies
Cannot be cast on spell immune enemies.

Modifiers

Petrify: Undispellable.

Kaolin uses the elemental power of the Earth to temporarily petrify living beings, so that they might be conscripted into his stone funerary army.

Notes:

Requires Aghanim's Scepter to be unlocked.

Can only be cast on allied and enemy heroes, including their illusions. Can be cast on Earth Spirit's illusions but not on self.

Provides True Sight over the target for the full duration.

An enchanted hero is fully disabled, invulnerable and reacts on Earth Spirit's spells just like a Stone Remnant.
- Boulder Smash: Enchanted heroes are knocked back for 2000 distance and stun and damage enemies they collide with.
- Rolling Boulder: Enchanted heroes boost the rolling. Earth Spirit does not collide with them and ends the enchantment early.
- Geomagnetic Grip: Enchanted heroes are pulled at a speed of 1000 and apply the damage. Can pull enchanted enemies.
- Magnetize: Enchanted heroes receive, refresh and spread Magnetize when within its stone search radius.

If the enchantment expires during Boulder Smash, the unit still moves the full distance, but stops applying the stun.
- If the enchantment expires while an enemy is being smashed back, they take the boulder smash damage, but are not stunned.

If the enchantment expires during Geomagnetic Grip, it still is pulled at the higher speed, but stops applying the damage.

The area damage at the end hits all enemies, not just heroes.

Talents[edit]

Hero Talents
+300 Rolling Boulder Damage	25	Geomagnetic Grip Targets Allies
+300 Health	20	+15% Spell Amplification
+90 Gold/Min	15	+15% Magic Resistance
+4 Armor	10	+10 Intelligence

Notes:

The armor is added as bonus armor, and therefore does not benefit illusions.

The magic resistance stacks multiplicatively with other sources of magic resistance.

Upgrading health increases maximum health capacity and keeps the current health percentage.

Recommended items[edit]

Starting items:

Tango provides some health regeneration to stay in lane.
Clarity helps Earth Spirit to cast his spells more often to make a bigger impact in the early game, as he is limited more by his mana pool than by the number of Stone Remnant he has.
Iron Branch is a cheap and effective way to improve Earth Spirit's attributes, particularly his strength and intelligence, which he lacks in the early game.
Stout Shield reduces some damage taken from enemy creeps and heroes.

Early game:

Orb of Venom enhances Earth Spirit's basic attacks to slow enemies' movement speed, greatly improving his ability to set up kills for his team.
Boots of Speed grants movement speed that will allow Earth Spirit to position himself more quickly for casting his spells.
Magic Stick is a useful pickup when in a lane against heroes who are harassing you by spamming low mana cost spells. In particular, your low early mana pool means that you will greatly benefit from having an extra source of mana regeneration for casting your spells in a pinch.
Urn of Shadows is a good pickup on very active Earth Spirit players since he is very powerful in teamfights and ganks, and is a strength hero who can benefit from additional mana regeneration. The active ability can be used to heal teammates after ganks or teamfights, or can add an additional 150 pure damage to an enemy during a gank. Remember to check with teammates to see if any of them are purchasing one as well, as only one Urn will receive charges when a nearby enemy hero dies.

Mid game:

Tranquil Boots provides health regeneration and movement speed to get Earth Spirit to desired position.
Force Staff quickly re-position Earth Spirit in order to more easily use his abilities, as well as escape from failed fights or ganks. As well, the active can be used to save nearby allies, or disposition enemies for your spells. It also improves his mana pool to cast more, and the health regeneration helps keep him at full health as needed.
Magic Wand provides more burst health and mana than Magic Stick.
Veil of Discord is helpful if your team has multiple spell casters. It provides a large amount of intelligence to improve Earth Spirit's mana pool, and the extra armor is very useful as he often gets right in the middle of battles when initiating. The 25% magic resistance reduction on enemies works well with all of Earth Spirit's spells, but synergizes best with his ultimate, Magnetize, as Magic Weakness' long debuff duration can stay in place throughout refreshing Magnetize on enemies.
Glimmer Cape is a cheap utility item can make Earth Spirit highly elusive and give him additional initiation power that augments his already strong mobility. The active can allow him to initiate invisibly, cloak himself for escapes when combined with Rolling Boulder, or give him strong magic resistance when jumping in during teamfights. It also allows him to do the same for allies, and synergizes with his ability to save teammates by pulling them from harm using Geomagnetic Grip.

Late game:

Aghanim's Scepter unlocks a new ability, Enchant Remnant, which greatly increases Earth Spirit's ability to disable enemies, save teammates, and initiate during teamfights and ganks.

Situational items:

Blink Dagger allows Earth Spirit to position himself easily for casting his spells; it has a short cooldown and cost no mana to use.
Eul's Scepter of Divinity can be useful to build in situations where farming a more expensive item is prohibitive. It improves Earth Spirit's mana pool and regeneration, ensuring that he will always have the mana to cast his spells, and the extra movement speed allows him to move into position for his spells more easily without resorting to using a Blink Dagger or Force Staff. As well, the active cyclone can be used to make yourself temporarily invulnerable while also dispelling debuffs such as silences, or instantly disable an enemy to set up your other spells.
Arcane Boots are almost essential on Earth Spirit if no other mana regen items are built. As a strength caster, he benefits greatly from the larger mana pool, as well as the mana replenishment given upon activation. Arcane Boots also greatly benefit your team, especially if your allies are having mana issues.
Ghost Scepter's active makes Earth Spirit immune to physical attacks, useful to escape from enemy carries.
Heaven's Halberd is useful against the enemies which rely on their attacks. The disarm will render the targeted hero unable to attack, making most hard carries useless until the effect wears off. Heaven's Halberd will also give Earth Spirit extra health, attack damage, and evasion, all helpful for staying alive in fights.
Pipe of Insight is useful in most situations, but especially against a team of casters. The extra magic resistance helps keep Earth Spirit alive during initiations, and the active protects all allies from magical damage for a short period of time. As well, the additional health regen allows Earth Spirit to remain out in the field for longer without having to return to base to heal.
Blade Mail is a useful mid-game item that gives Earth Spirit many positive benefits. The intelligence shores up his small mana pool, the armor gives him survivability against physical damage, and the attack damage gives him more physical damage output which helps him farm late-game items more easily as needed. But most importantly, using the item's active ability while initiating can discourage the enemy from attacking you, giving you more time to cast your spells as needed.
Shiva's Guard greatly increases Earth Spirit's physical survivability as well as the size of his mana pool. The active ability can be used in conjunction with initiating a teamfight with Rolling Boulder, as you can apply the blast to the entire enemy team almost instantly, slowing them down enough to catch them all with Magnetize.
Mekansm improves Earth Spirit's already good armor and health regeneration, and is a good utility pickup for your team. Keep in mind though, it has an extremely high mana cost, more than any of your other spells, so it is necessary to increase the size of your mana pool first. If you don't, you may render yourself unable to cast your other spells after healing your team, or healing your team after pulling off your spell combo. Remember to check whether a teammate is going to purchase Mekansm, as a team only needs one.
Aether Lens greatly augments Earth Spirit's disable potential and is a great utility item to build in many situations, in particular as it can be cheaply assembled by using the Energy Booster from Arcane Boots. Besides the additional mana, it provides HP regen which aids in survivability and allows Earth Spirit to roam independently. The cast range increase affects all of Earth Spirit's spells, extending the reach of his disables, and the spell damage amp can help him to deal more damage with his nukes.
Solar Crest gives Earth Spirit strong resistance against physical damage. As a strength hero with innately high HP, giving him armor and evasion makes him harder to kill in fights, while the passive mana regen keeps his mana pool topped up. The active can be used on allies or enemies, giving Earth Spirit even more utility beyond his already potent disables.
Crimson Guard is a useful utility item to pick up on Earth Spirit if the enemy has lots of physical damage output. As a melee hero the damage block is very effective, while the increased health pool makes him much more durable while initiating. The active will also allow you to give a large amount of physical damage protection to your allies, as even ranged heroes will get full damage block for the duration of the buff.
Lotus Orb protects Earth Spirit from targeted spells, or allows him to share that protection with allies. The item provides HP and mana regen, as well as armor and additional bonus damage.
Scythe of Vyse greatly improves Earth Spirit's mana pool, as well as giving him some overall attribute improvement. The ability to hex an enemy target is extremely useful, as it can disable a key target instantly and eliminate their evasion and ability to use items, giving you and your team time to disable them further.
Guardian Greaves can drastically improve Earth Spirit's survivability when initiating teamfights. When upgraded from Arcane Boots and Mekansm, it removes Mekansm's mana cost while providing Earth Spirit with a strong teamfight aura and a self-dispel to remove debuffs from himself.

Gameplay[edit]

Strategy & Tips

Counters &
Matchups

Audio[edit]

Responses

Sounds

History[edit]

Lore

Old Abilities

Changelogs

Equipment[edit]

Trivia[edit]

Like Brewmaster, Storm Spirit and Ember Spirit, Earth Spirit was a Pandaren in DotA. However, he was re-skinned to avoid copyright issues with Blizzard Entertainment, since Pandaren are a race of creatures in the Warcraft Universe.
Stone Remnant is called Stone Caller in DotA, and it summons an actual Rock rather than a Remnant. Its function and mechanics are the same.
- Stone Remnant is still named Stone Caller in Dota 2's NPC files.
Earth Spirit's original design included a hat, but this was scrapped before release. It is still visible on his Stone Remnants.
Earth Spirit's name, Kaolin, is a reference to a type of fine white clay of the same name.
Earth Spirit's lore draws inspiration from the Terracotta Army, a collection of statues depicting Chinese emperor Qin Shi Huang Di's armies.
Earth Spirit's quote "The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak" may be a reference from Matthew 26:41 in the Bible (KJV).