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Root
 
 
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Sniper

Root (formerly known as Ensnare) is a status effect that prevents affected units from moving, and from casting most mobility abilities. However, it does not prevent the affected units from turning, casting other abilities or using most items. Some root sources also disarm the affected units (and disarming roots were formerly known as Entangle).

Definition[]

Root Types Disabled Aspect / Definition Examples
Conditional
True Sight
  • Provides True Sight over the target for the duration of the root as long as, at the time the root is applied conditionally.
  • Certain root sources disarms as well for its duration.
Fortune's End icon Fortune's End
Regular Root
  • Allows the affected unit to still perform any action, except for moving and casting mobility abilities. The unit can still turn and attack (depending on situations).
Bramble Maze icon Bramble Maze
Ally-Root
  • Roots and disarms the caster upon cast.
Rolling Boulder icon Rolling Boulder

There are two types of roots in the game, with each using a different modifier to root the target(s). Roots from the same group use the same modifier and follow the regular rule of disables — the longer root value overrides the shorter one.

  • modifier_root
  • Other unique root modifiers (e.g. Omnislash icon Omnislash).

Mechanics[]

Root error message

Attempting to blink while rooted.

Root does not prevent a unit from moving by setting its movement speed to 0. It instead impairs movement in the same way as stuns do. They do not interrupt the move order either, so that the unit resumes moving towards its destination as soon as the root expires.

Root does not interrupt a unit's attack or spell cast orders either. If a unit is attacking or midst a cast animation, getting rooted neither stops it from attacking, nor cancels the cast of the spell. The unit continues executing those orders normally. If the unit's attack target or spell target gets out of range while the unit is rooted, it starts moving towards the target to attack it or cast the spell on it as soon as the root expires, similar to how the unit resumes its move command.

Some sources of root prevent a unit from attacking while rooted. However, this is not a mechanic of root. In these cases, the source abilities also apply a disarm along with the root.

Roots immediately interrupt the channeling of Town Portal Scroll icon Town Portal Scroll and Boots of Travel icon Boots of Travel, but do not cancel any other channeling effect. However, some sources of root may still interrupt all channeling abilities as a separate effect, independent from the root mechanic itself.

Some roots may apply true sight over the affected units, while others do not. This mechanic is independent from the root mechanic as well.

A major trait of roots is their ability to disable numerous mobility spells. Since a root is not a hard disable, several blink, pseudo-blink and teleport spells are disabled while rooted, to prevent an easy escape. However, although it prevents casting those spells, it does not cancel them when getting rooted while the spell is already cast. In such cases, the unit remains rooted at its new location. A list of disabled spells can be found below.

Sources[]

  • These roots with "Conditional True Sight" only provide True Sight over the target for the duration of the root as long as, at the time the root is applied, the target is not fading into invisibility, and the target is not already completely invisible. Examples:
    • An invisible enemy hero can be seen due to Dust of Appearance icon Reveal. The root will not apply True Sight.
    • Bounty Hunter minimap icon Bounty Hunter casts Shadow Walk icon Shadow Walk and is in the process of fading into invisibility when he gets rooted. The root will not apply true sight.
    • Bounty Hunter minimap icon Bounty Hunter gets rooted first and then casts Shadow Walk icon Shadow Walk. The root WILL provide true sight.
    • An enemy hero affected by Moonlight Shadow icon Moonlight Shadow is soon to be invisible. The root WILL provide true sight, because Moonlight Shadow uses a fade delay instead of a fade time.
1 Requires Talent talent.
2a Requires Aghanim's Scepter icon Aghanim's Scepter.
2b Requires Aghanim's Shard icon Aghanim's Shard.
3 Applies disarm as well.
4 Can affect unrevealed invisible units.

Without Conditional True Sight[]

1 Requires Talent talent.
2a Requires Aghanim's Scepter icon Aghanim's Scepter.
2b Requires Aghanim's Shard icon Aghanim's Shard.
3 Can affect unrevealed invisible units.

Ally-Rooting Abilities[]

Some abilities root the caster or ally target to prevent them while the ability is active from performing certain orders like moving or attacking. Some of them also disarms the caster.

1 Requires Talent talent.
2a Requires Aghanim's Scepter icon Aghanim's Scepter.
2b Requires Aghanim's Shard icon Aghanim's Shard.
3 Only roots allies.

Disabled by Root[]

Abilities Disabled by Root

Recent Changes[]

Version
Description
  • Diffusal Blade icon Inhibit no longer roots creeps, instead applies normal slow.



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