Heroes: Utility or Damage?

So lately I have been seeing people building a hero with utility instead of damage and heroes being played.. unusually. Axe jumping on one hero while Clockwerk jumping on five.

http://www.dotabuff.com/matches/1461644960

In this game you can see me building a utility Zeus. Zero damage item. Now I have this thought: would it be better to build heroes with utilities instead of damage? But for this game it may well be because I am not getting early game kills with Zeus and needs to build utility instead.

http://www.dotabuff.com/matches/1436058918

In this game as Razor I build a rather tanky front liner for our Drow Ranger. The Silver Edge was there for the early game when I create space for our Drow Ranger. This game is not the best example though, but it does show you a bit about utility.

I find it well if you are behind, being able to survive better is great.

So guys? Utility or damage? When do you think is best to build one or the other?

When choosing between Utility and damage, it's often dependent on how easy it is to counter your damage. You are maximizing your impact in fights.

Abaddon's damage can be countered through easy kiting, but he's hard as hell to kill, so he's good getting auras and possibly a Radiance.

Sand King's damage is all magical and can be countered by Hoods and Black King Bars, thus, items like Lotus Orb and Pipe are better on him (often times, more than Veil), or an Octarine Core so he can stun more often.

Conversely, Dragon Knight has potential for mad splashing or for sustained slowing, and that damage is not easily stopped (unless there's an Omniknight), so he'd build attack speed, damage, or stats, since he even already has a stun.

Why not both? Solar Crest can be used to weaken an enemy and make him miss or strengthen an ally and make enemies miss when attacking him. I've been trying the item on Weaver, and it's really annoying. They lose so much armour and can't get rid of the bugs because they keep missing XD.


EDIT:
Forgot to mention that using it on someone early-game makes them take a **** ton of damage from you, even if you only have a Wraith Band and treads.

I tink it depends of the lineup of the enemy and your own lineup.
As soon as I looked at the title, it made me think about Invoker. Quas Wex or Quas Exort? Utility or damage?
It's all about what do we need the most.

Now the question for me is more, when to build defensive item and when to build offensive item. I'd say the same thing, but it also depends of the hero. I agree with what cuttle said about his examples. I guess it is something you'll learn with time.

As a very general rule, #1 and #2 should focus on building damage, while #3 and #4 concentrate on utility. Obviously it's situational though, and depends a lot on the heroes involved. There are also cross-over items like Aghanim's Scepter on Disruptor.

I tend to build ****tons of damage on whoever I play, with just the ammount of utility I need.

Favorite Items?

Helm of the Dominator
Orchid Malevolence

HotD gives you lifesteal and lots of cash(Utility?). I now build it on everyone that likes these things. So, all carries that need lifesteal.

Orchid is a big damage and a big utility Item at once. PERCENTAGE BASED DAMAGE. ERMAGHERD. Also insane with Int Semicarries that like rightclicking and bursting. So, Storm Spirit, Lina, and Queen of Pain. Who happen to be some of my favorite heroes.

More than that though, I try and make the most efficient Items possible, even if it means getting Armor, HP, or Mana regen.

When you make a build, you have to be convinced that this is the way that you can get the right balance of damage, sustain, utility, and survivability by buying the most efficient items possible in a way that the hero synergises well with. Many people have different opinions too, which makes writing guides hard. Not everyone will agree. Not everybody has to, though. As long as it helps you win, that is all that matters.

You'll need to find balance between utilites and damages among your teammates. There is a squishy dpser? Utilities are better here, there are a lot of control, like Brewmaster/centaur? Go for some damage. For once I had a game that all heroes in my team have very good cc and tend to build utilities, and so they did. Teamfights lasts for very long because most of us are hard to kill, but eventually we lose the game because we have a very low damage output and being outcarried.