Are you looking for a Dota 2 Earthshaker guide? Well, look no further because we’ve got you covered.
During DotA version 6.00, the community bore witness to the birth of many great heroes. From the gritty Axe to the mysterious Enigma, none more iconic than Earthshaker. From the start, he’s had some interesting interactions with the game.
His fissure could break the game, and lag the same way Monkey King’s ult would. It was quite a problem to make him playable, but with persistence and care, he became an icon.
With memorable appearances in TI5, securing victory for Evil Geniuses, ES is one of Dota’s poster boys. This force of nature is effective in disrupting enemy movement. His Fissure blocks pathing, making it possible to trap enemies.
The Enchant Totem allows him to hit harder from a better distance. Echo Slam creates a high burst area where more enemies mean more damage. Aftershock ties them together by causing a stun to proc around him every time he casts a spell.
Earthshaker Kit and Playstyles
Earthshake is a strength melee hero specializing in team fight initiation. He sees high usage as a support but sees flex picks as a core in the Offlane. His potential in dishing out both types of damage is great, with physical scaling well. But the true forte of Earthshake is his initiation and hard disable potential. The ability to stun for more comes with levels, thus he needs levels to be more effective.
While his CC is great, his inherent weakness is how his echo slam and passive work. Apart from the fissure, his three other abilities require him to be in the melee range of enemies. Though Aghanim’s Scepter allows him to jump with Enchant Totem, his go-to item is Blink Dagger.
Instant mobility like blink allows for Echo Slam initiation without trouble. Everything else after dagger depends on what your team lacks. Make sure to use your Fissure well and trap escaping enemies.
Item Choices for Dota 2 Earthshaker
Now we know that Blink Dagger is the best purchase, but what about other items? Earthshaker is reliant on mana despite having a low mana pool. Arcane Boots or Soul Ring can remedy that problem.
Pairing Soul Ring with tranquil boots is good to offset the health penalty. Disassembling Arcane Boots for Octarine Core later is a good decision too. A force staff pickup is nice, for when you trap someone on the other side of the fissure.
Aghanim items are a good pick for Earthshaker as well. Shard reduces the cooldown of Fissure. It also allows him to free-path along the fissure, which lingers for a brief moment.
Scepter makes him jump—a punish-free blink dagger—and gives him a cleave attack on enchant totem. Mobility is Earthshaker’s issue, no matter what role he is playing. Don’t let this be a hindrance, as weaving into melee range is easy due to his HP pool.
Coreshaker and “Just Do It”
Now core Earthshaker is a bit different from support. You rely on Enchant Totem for your contribution in fights more than fissure. Going Power Treads instead is the difference between support and core Earthshaker.
They still go for Blink Dagger and Octarine Core, but cores emphasized burst physical damage. They employ Shadow Blade to offset his low attack speed and even Daedalus for crits.
Don’t be afraid to call shots once you get a Blink Dagger. You become the team’s initiation when you get it, thus in a commanding position. Earthshaker is good for counter-initiation as well, which reflects in his kit. When the moment for you to jump, Just Do It.
