Mars

Mars
	23 + 3.2 20 + 1.9 17 + 1.4
Movement speed	310
Attack speed	100
Turn rate	0.8
Vision range	1800/800
Attack range	250
Projectile speed	Instant
Attack animation	0.4+[ Info Needed ]
Base attack time	1.8
Collision size	24
Legs	2
Gib type	Default

Hero

Strategy

Counters

Mars the First Son of Heaven is an aggressive melee strength hero who controls the battlefield with numerous knockbacks and impassable terrain. Equipped with a large shield, his Bulwark passively blocks attacks from the front and sides, making him a very durable fighter in most situations. The same shield allows him to smash enemies and knock them back, dealing critical damage that ignores all evasion. The Spear of Mars can be thrown at long range, piercing enemies to push them back, and stunning them upon contact with trees or terrain. Mars' most potent ability creates an Arena Of Blood, a circular zone where no enemy can exit or enter, as well as blocking enemy attacks from the outside. Used correctly, the Arena Of Blood can decisively split and cut off enemies from support during teamfights, making Mars a valuable asset to his team, as well as a highly dangerous opponent.

Bio[edit]

Mars, the First Son of Heaven

▶️ "To those behind, rally! To those ahead, kneel."

Lore:

Mars, first son of heaven, spent a long existence waging endless war, and saw countless more crusades waged beneath the banner of his old name. Wars of conquest and of vengeance. Just and unjust... Always cruel. So much like his father, Mars indulged his basest impulses--with inclinations much more monstrous than those of Zeus--and he inflicted suffering untold.

But as the epochs vanished behind him, the selfish ways of his father--the ways of many amongst his godly kin, they who judged him despicable--eventually began to ring hollow. War for its own sake was no longer enough to satisfy his desires. For the first time in his ageless days, the god of war began to question to what ends he swung his glorious spear.

As the Fates would have it, his solution came easily: he must wage war for a larger purpose, and inspire more than mere savagery and sorrow at the sight of his crest. He must at last lay claim to the mantle of leadership that is his birthright, for the time has come to burn down the pantheon of the old age and build a just new empire atop the ashes of his kin. Only then might he find satisfaction, and make the glory of Mars evident to all.

Voice:

Trevor Devall (Responses)

Abilities[edit]

Spear of Mars

▶️

Ability
Target Point

Affects
Enemies

Damage
Magical

Mars throws his legendary Spear with deadly precision, damaging each enemy unit it strikes. The first enemy hero it hits is skewered on the spear, pushing it back. If a skewered hero hits a tree, building, or cliff, they will be impaled to it and stunned.

Cast Animation: +

Cast Range: Global

Max Travel Distance: 900/1000/1100/1200

Spear Collision Size: 125

Damage: 100/175/250/325 (

300/375/450/525)

Knockback Distance: 75

Knockback Duration: 0.25

Impale Stun Duration: 1.6/2/2.4/2.8 (

2.6/3/3.4/3.8)

14

100

Modifiers

Spear Impale: Undispellable.

Spear Stun: Dispellable with strong dispels.

Knockback: Dispellable with any dispel.

The legendary Spear of Mars still glows with the heat of the forge god's fires.

Notes:

The spear travels at a speed of 1400, taking 0.64/0.71/0.79/0.86 seconds to reach maximum distance.

The spear starts traveling exactly on Mars' location, and travels forward up to 900/1000/1100/1200 range.
- Although within the spear's search radius, it does not hit enemies behind Mars upon cast.
- Can hit units up to 1025/1125/1225/1325 range away (travel distance + radius).

The first hero the spear strikes gets damaged and dragged along with the spear. The hero is stunned during the drag.
- When not hitting a building, tree, or cliff, the enemy is dragged so that they are 900/1000/1100/1200 range away from the original cast location.
- When hitting a building, tree, or cliff, the hero is moved closely to the pinned object and stunned.
- Buildings include every building, enemy and allied ones alike, but excludes the shops.
- Trees include the trees from Sprout, and Iron Branch, although Iron Branch trees may be hard to hit due to their tiny collision size.
- Cliffs include all natural cliffs onto elevated areas, as well as Fissure, Ice Shards, Power Cogs, and Arena Of Blood.

A spear may only drag one hero along with it. If that hero dies or gets freed from the spear, it still cannot impale a new hero.

Provides true sight over the impaled enemy. No true sight is applied while dragging the enemy along with the spear.

Upon losing the impale stun debuff, trees within a 100 radius around the hero get destroyed.

Hit non-hero units (including creep-heroes), as well as secondary heroes are damaged and knocked back instead.
- The knockback direction is based on the angle between the hit unit and the spear.
- The knockback does not disable units. They can still turn, attack and use items. Channeling abilities or items are not interrupted by it.
- The knockback destroys every tree the units collide with.

The spear cannot collide with invulnerable or hidden units, it simply flies through them.

The spear provides 300 radius flying vision as it travels.
- When not impaling a hero to an object, the vision lingers at the final location for 1 second.
- When impaling a hero to an object, the vision lingers based on the default stun duration.

God's Rebuke's effect area

God's Rebuke

▶️

Ability
Target Point

Affects
Enemies

Damage
Instant Attack

Mars smashes enemies in front of him with his shield, knocking them back and damaging them with a critical hit based on his attack. Bonus damage is added when hitting heroes. Has True Strike.

Cast Animation: +

Cast Range: 500

Radius: 500

Circle Sector Angle: 140°

Critical Damage: 150%/190%/230%/270% (

230%/270%/310%/350%)

Hero Attack Damage Bonus: 25

Knockback Distance: 150

Knockback Duration: 0.3

16/14/12/10 (

1.4)

65/70/75/80

Decreases cooldown of God's Rebuke during Arena of Blood. Resets God's Rebuke cooldown when Arena of Blood is cast.

The instant attack fully pierces spell immunity. Does not knock spell immune enemies back.

Modifiers

Knockback: Dispellable with any dispel.

There isn't a warrior alive who can stand unmoved by the sting of Mars' rebuke.

Notes:

God's Rebuke's effects are instantly applied within its whole area. There is no travel time.

The area is shaped like a circular sector, with a radius of 500 and an angle of 140°.

Causes Mars to perform an instant attack on all hit enemies.
- These attacks have True Strike, and can therefore never miss. They also ignore disarms.
- Can proc any attack modifier on all of the hit targets normally, with cleave being the only exception.
- Since God's Rebuke has an ensured critical strike, crits with a lower value have no effect if they proc (higher crit value takes priority).

If not killed, hit enemies are knocked back. The direction is based on the angle between the hit unit and the caster.
- Units are not disabled during the knockback. They can still turn, attack, cast spells and use items. Channeling spells are not interrupted.
- Does not push heroes affected by the impale stun of Spear of Mars.
- The knockback destroys every tree the units collide with.

When having Aghanim's Scepter, Mars does not need to be within the arena for the reduced cooldown. As long as the arena is up, it uses the lower cooldown.
- Starts using the lower cooldown immediately as the arena is cast. It does not rely on the arena's effect delay.
- The cooldown reset happens immediately as well, and not only after the arena's effect delay.

Bulwark's angles visualised

Bulwark

▶️

Ability
Passive

Affects
Self

Mars wields his massive shield to block a portion of each physical attack when hit from the front or sides.

Front Angle: 140°

Side Angle: 240°

Front Damage Reduction: 25%/40%/55%/70%

Side Damage Reduction: 12%/20%/27%/35%

Only the very foolish dare to fight fair with the god of war.

Notes:

Reduces damage from attacks only (after other reductions), regardless of damage type.
- This means it does reduce magical and pure attack damage as well, but does not affect physical spell damage.
- Although not being attacks, Bulwark does work against The Swarm, Moon Glaives bounces, and Death Ward bounces.
- On the other side, it does not work against Swashbuckle, despite it using regular attacks.
- When taking front damage, Mars' effective health increases by 33%/67%/122%/233%.
- When taking side damage, Mars' effective health increases by 14%/25%/37%/54%.

Checks the damage source's current position and Mars' facing angle when the attack connects, not when the attack is released.

Bulwark damage reduction occurs after the Damage Block step.

Bulwark and Damage Block use the same visuals when showing how much damage was blocked, but do not otherwise interfere with each other.

Plays a visual effect and a sound whenever damage is blocked. The default hit sound does not play.
- When blocking hero damage from the front, a bigger visual effect and the default sound are played.
- When blocking hero damage from the sides, or creep damage from the front, a smaller visual effect and the small sound are played.
- When blocking creep damage from the sides, no effect and sound are played.

Arena Of Blood

▶️

Ability
Target Area

Affects
Enemies
(

Allies)

Damage
Magical

After a short formation time, Mars summons an arena lined with the undead warriors of the Ash Legion, who block enemy attacks and movement. Enemy heroes near the inside edge of the arena will be attacked by spears, dealing damage and knocking them back.

Cast Animation: +

Cast Range: 400

Arena Radius: 550

Wall Width: 100

Effect Delay: 0.6

Allied Health Regen Bonus: 0 (

100)

Spear Trigger Distance: 160

Spear Damage: 120/185/250

Spear Attack Interval: 1

Spear Knockback Distance: 160

Spear Knockback Duration: 0.2

Arena Duration: 5/6/7

Aura Linger Duration: 0.5

90/75/60

200

Does not affect spell immune enemies.
Affects spell immune allies.

Modifiers

Arena Of Blood Buff: Undispellable.

Arena Of Blood Animation: Undispellable.

Arena Of Blood Leash: Undispellable.

Arena Of Blood Spear: Dispellable with any dispel.

The long-dead members of the Ash Legion, assembled from the finest warriors to ever test the might of Mars, still revel in the thrill of combat, gladly beholden to the hand that fell them for as long as he so commands.

Notes:

The effect delay is not included in the field's duration. The actual duration starts right after the delay.

Inside the arena, any non-flying enemy coming within 160 range of the wall gets damaged.
- If not killed by the damage, the enemy is knocked back towards the arena center.
- Units are not disabled during the knockback. They can still turn, attack, cast spells and use items. Channeling spells are not interrupted.
- Does not push heroes affected by the impale stun of Spear of Mars.
- The knockback destroys every tree the units collide with.

A unit may only be damaged and knocked back once every 1 second.

Stops non-flying enemies by slowing them with a slow aura. The aura has a radius of 750 and is centered on the field.
- The slow gets exponentially stronger towards the walls, which has a 550 radius.
- This effectively causes enemy units touching the walls to come to halt.
- The slow is only present when facing towards the walls. Units at the walls facing away from it are not slowed.
- The aura's effect lingers for 0.5 seconds, resulting in an effective duration of 5.5/6.5/7.5 seconds.
- Since the slow is fluctuating a lot, it is not displayed in the HUD.

Besides preventing enemies from walking in or out of the area, the following movement spells are unable to pass the walls either:
- Skewer, Sun Ray, God's Rebuke, Force Staff, and Hurricane Pike.
- All other sources of horizontal movement can move units through the walls freely.
- However, the knockback from inside the arena still triggers and can cancel movement spells.

Flying units, and units affected by vertical movement can enter and leave the arena at any time.
- This means units thrown in the air by spells may be pushed in or out of the arena freely.

Any ranged attack projectile coming from an enemy gets blocked upon coming within 100 range of the walls.
- This means ranged enemies outside the arena cannot attack units inside of it and vice versa.
- Melee units can attack freely, if they can reach. Spell projectiles are completely unaffected as well.
- The projectiles count as completely negated, so that no on-attack effects can trigger (e.g. Retaliate).

Provides 550 range flying vision at the center of the area for 5/6/7 seconds upon cast.

After the effect delay, any tree touching the wall gets destroyed.

The level 25 talent adds health regeneration to the arena. The regen is provided by an aura, which lingers for 0.5 seconds.
- Can regenerate up to 550/650/750 health over its full duration (+ linger aura duration).

Talents[edit]

Hero Talents
Arena Of Blood Grants Team +100 HP Regen	25	+80% God's Rebuke Crit
+1s Spear Stun	20	Spear of Mars +200 Damage
+8 Armor	15	+25 Damage
+20 Movement Speed	10	+8 Strength

Notes:

The strength talent effectively grants Mars 160 health, 0.8 health regen, 0.64% magic resistance and 8 attack damage.

The armor talent does not benefit illusions.

This attack damage talent is added as raw attack damage, so it does not benefit illusions, and is not affected by most percentage-based damage increasing or reducing effects.

Recommended items[edit]

Starting items:

Tango's health regeneraion helps Mars stay in lane.
Healing Salve also restores health to Mars.
Enchanted Mango restores mana so Mars can keep nuking his enemies.
Stout Shield provides damage block so Mars can resist enemy harassment.

Early game:

Boots of Speed help Mars get into position to use his abilities.
Magic Stick provides burst health and mana restoration to keep Mars fighting.
Soul Ring allows Mars to keep use Spear of Mars and God's Rebuke.
Bracer gives Mars some magic resistance early on and some stats.

Mid game:

Phase Boots gives armor which Mars is lacking and allows him to move around the map faster.
Magic Wand, upgraded from Magic Stick, provides additional attributes.
Blink Dagger positions Mars to land stuns with Spear of Mars, and to initiate with Arena Of Blood.
Vladmir's Offering allows Mars to fight early with his team and some sustain when farming lanes, as he can do it much quicker than most heroes as tanky as him.
Desolator allows Mars to take towers quickly during the mid game which is where he is strong.

Late game:

Black King Bar grants spell immunity which may be required if the other team has a lot of stuns and can stop you from being effective and disruptive.
Heaven's Halberd allows Mars to stop a hero from attacking who may have some form of break or spell immunity (if he can use it before them).

Situational items:

Pipe of Insight's magic resistance allows Mars to stay alive against magical nukes.
Radiance adds area damage as Mars thrive in the middle of most team fights and ganks.
Vanguard will make Mars a hard target to kill from physical attacks when the enemies are not attacking Mars from the front.
Kaya and Sange gives Mars some tankiness while also making spells easier to cast.

Gameplay[edit]


Roles:	Carry Initiator Disabler Durable
Complexity:	★☆☆
Playstyle:	Seeking purpose and satisfaction through war, the god Mars now sets his sights on new conquests against his heavenly kin. In one arm he hoists a heavy shield, an impenetrable Bulwark that guards against all assault. Using divine strength, he pierces foes with his legendary Spear, and smashes attackers back with his shield, sending them flying across the battlefield. The undead warriors of the Ash Legion rise at Mars' beckoning to form a circle, ensuring that none may interfere with the glorious combat inside the Arena Of Blood.

Strategy & Tips

Counters &
Matchups

Audio[edit]

Responses

Sounds

History[edit]

Lore

Old Abilities

Changelogs

Equipment[edit]

Trivia[edit]

Despite being Zeus' son, Mars is named after the Roman god of war, while the Greek equivalent is Ares.
- However, lines from Mars (▶️ "I don't answer to that name anymore, you old fool.") and Zeus themselves (▶️ "Change your name all you want, you can't fool me.") hint that Mars has changed his name, possibly to avoid association with his father.
Mars carries a Greek-style Boeotian shield, but its decorative thunderbolts are more common on Roman shields.
▶️ Arena Of Blood's casting sound comes from the Mars movement of Gustav Holst's musical suite, The Planets. Mars also ▶️ hums the music when ordered to move or after killing an enemy in the Arena of Blood.
Mars' response on pinning an enemy against the walls of Arena of Blood (▶️ "Are you not entertained?!") is a reference to a scene from the film Gladiator.
Mars' death response (▶️ "What is this madness?!") and Dota Plus chat wheel line (▶️ "THIS IS DOOOOTAAAAA!") are references to the famous "THIS IS SPARTA!" scene from the film 300
Files related to Mars were leaked on January 03, 2018, but were deleted later that day. The leaked abilities were called Spear Wall/Spear and Phalanx/Phalanx Cancel.