DotA 2 Understanding Damage Types

Introduction

In this guide,I am going to show you about the different damage types from both Physical and Magic damage.

It is sad to see most people compared the Damage by Physical and Magical damage only,without knowing there are 5 Different Magic Damage AND Physical damage to look out for during team fights.

Types of Physical Damage

Physical Damage is very common.But there are actually 5 different types of it.
These are:

• Hero Damage
• Normal(Creep) Damage
• Piercing Damage
• Siege Damage
• Chaos Damage

Hero Damage

Hero Damage is caused by all heroes' regular attacks.
They deal:

• 100% Damage to Lane Creeps
• 100% Damage to Neutral Creeps for Small Creep Camps,Medium Creep Camps,Large Creep Camps
• 100% Damage to Heroes
• 50% Damage to Buildings/Structures
• 100% Damage to Heroes

Note that Buildings/Structures take less damage,making it an invalid choice to attack towers during the early stages of the game.

Heroes that can deal Hero Damage using abilities(Examples):

1. Witch Doctor with his almighty Death Ward
2. Slardar with his Slithereen Crush
3. Juggernaut with his Omnislash
4. Death Prophet with her Exorcism
5. Dazzle with his Shadow Wave
6. Tidehunter with his Anchor Smash
7. Weaver with his The Swarm
8. Clinkz with his Searing Arrows
9. Bounty Hunter with his Shadow Walk
10. Alchemist with his Unstable Concoction

Note that these abilities IGNORES Black King Bar except fot Unstable Concoction(Weird isn't it?)

Normal Damage

Normal Damage is caused by Melee Creeps.
They Deal:

• 100% Damage to Lane Creeps
• 100% Damage to Neutral Creeps in Small Creep Camps
• 150% Damage to Neutral Creeps in Medium Creep Camps
• 125% Damage to Neutral Creeps in Large Creep Camps and Ancients
• 70% Damage to Buildings/Structures
• 75% Damage to Heroes

Note that they are good against Meduim Creep Camps,making it a smart choice to stack the Creep Camp FIRST before pulling your creep wave(If you are even support).

Piercing Damage

Piercing Damage is caused by Ranged Creeps and Venomancer's Plague Wards.
They Deal:

• 150% Damage to Lane Creeps
• 200% Damage to Neutral Creeps in Small Creep Camps
• 75% Damage to Neutral Creeps in Medium Creep Camps
• 75% Damage to Neutral Creeps in Large Creep Camps and Ancients
• 35% Damage to Buildings/Structures
• 50% Damage to Heroes

Note that this is useful to wipe out creep waves but useless against towers or heroes.

Siege Damage

Siege Damage is caused by Buildings/Structures(Siege Creeps-That does make sense why it deals Siege Damage)
They Deal:

• 100% Damage to Lane Creeps
• 100% Damage to Neutral Creeps in Small Creep Camps
• 50% Damage to Neutral Creeps in Medium Creep Camps
• 125% Damage to Neutral Creeps in Large Creep Camps and Ancients
• 150% Damage to Buildings/Structures
• 75% Damage to Heroes

Note that when pulling creep waves,never pull when there is a Siege Creep involve unless you want your poor tower to take a full 150% damage from a cannon ball(Siege Creep)

Chaos Damage

Chaos Damage is caused by most Neutral Creeps, Invoker's Forge Spirits, Warlock's Infernal,Fountain and Roshan.
They deal:

• 100% Damage to Lane Creeps
• 100% Damage to Neutral Creeps in Small Creep Camps
• 100% Damage to Neutral Creeps in Medium Creep Camps
• 100% Damage to Neutral Creeps in Large Creep Camps and Ancients
• 40% Damage to Buildings/Structures
• 100% Damage to Heroes

Note that Neutral Creeps maybe dealing less damage to Buildings/Structures but they make such good tankers if controlled by Enchantress, Chen or Helm of the Dominater.

Counters to Physical Damage

• Armor-Example: Assault Cuirass
• Block-Example: Vanguard
• Evasion-Example: Butterfly
• Ethereal Form-Example: Ghost Scepter

Armor helps to reduce the damage taken from physical damage,giving much better health than health items.
Useful in any stages of the game
Reason:Armor helps reduce damage taken and as your Armor increase,you take a lot less damage than before. Play Video

Block helps to block damage from physical damage,reducing the damage taken by enemies based on what you are(Range and Melee).
Useful for Early game/ Mid game(Maybe)
Reason:As the game progresses,the Block will be less useful as it always block 40 damage(20 for range) while enemy carries began to build up more and more damage.


Evasion helps to evade attacks but does not stack together(Other wise it is too overpower).
Useful for Mid-Late game
Reason:During the Early game,enemy heroes are constantly depending on nukes to take you down rather than their own auto attacks(and besides,it is too expensive),so get it during mid-late game as this will help you dodge high damage right clickers(Because that is when they build damage)


Ethereal form is caused by Ghost Scepter(Affecting you only) and Ethereal Blade(Affecting both you and the target).It grants full invulnerable against Physical Damage
but recieve 40% more damage from spells.Note that you will not be able to attack while under ethereal form,therefore a caster(Like Nyx Assassin) getting Ethereal Blade is much more useful than a carry(Like Faceless Void).
Useful for Mid-Late game
Reason:Like Evasion,the cost is too expensive while enemy heroes depend on their spells to kill(Making you take 40% more is worthless).

Types of Magic Damage

There are five different types of Magic Damage
These are:

• Magical Damage
• Pure Damage
• Composite Damage(a.k.a Mixed Damage)
• Universal Damage
• HP Removal Damage

Unlike Physical Damage,they avoid entirely from Armor,Block and Evasion.

Magical Damage

Magical Damage is one of the most common type of damage by almost every heroes.
It:

• Deals 75% Damage to heroes
• Deals Bonus Damage to Etheral Units
• Cannot go through Black King Bar(Except for a selected few)
• Have disables(Some of them)

Each Hero in DotA 2 starts with 25% Magic resistance,so the damage dealt is not going to be what the description of that spell says.
A selected few spells that goes through Black King Bar,note that they only disable but no damage will be dealt.

1. Spirit Breaker with his Nether Strike
2. Enigma with his Black Hole
3. Beastmaster with his Primal Roar
4. Pudge with his Dismember

Pure Damage

Pure Damage is almost like Magical Damage but they deal 100% damage to enemy heroes.
It:

• Deals 100% Damage to heroes
• Deals NO Bonus Damage to Etheral Units
• Cannot go through Black King Bar
• Have no disables of its own

Pure Damage is meant to finish enemies off as quickly as possible and they are usually used as an orb effect
Orb effects:

• Silencer with his Glaives of Wisdom
• Outworld Devourer with his Arcane Orb
• Enchantress with her Impetus

Abilities:

• Invoker with his Sunstrike
• Pudge with his Meat Hook
• Phantom Asassin] with her [[Stifling Dagger
• Chen with his Test of Faith

Passive:

• Templar Assassin with her Psi Blades
• Spectre with her Dispersion and Desolate

Composite Damage

Compositee Damage(or Mixed Damage for short) can be block by Armor,Block and Evasion.
It:

• Deals 75% Damage to heroes
• Deals NO Damage to Etheral Units
• Goes through Black King Bar
• It is reduced by Armor,Block and Evasion

Composite Damage is almost like physical damage but they are also reduced by Magic Resistance.
Examples of Heroes with Composite Damage are:

1. Alchemist his Acid Spray
2. Leshrac with his Diabolic Edict
3. Beastmaster with his Wild Axes

Universal Damage

Universal Damage is very unique because of the fact that it could go through Black King Bar.
It:

• Deals 75% Damage to heroes
• Deals Bonus Damage to Etheral Units
• Can go through Black King Bar

Universal Damage is like Magical Damage except it is able to go through Magic Immunity.
So far,there is only 3 Abilities that deal Universal Damage.
These are:

1. Tinker with his March of the Machines
2. Enigma with his Midnight Pulse
3. Doom Bringer with his Doom

HP Removal Damage

HP Removal Damage removes hp directly from the affected units.They are NEVER Real Damage,allowing you to heal with consumables( Clarity, Healing Salve, Bottle,etc.).
It:

• Deals 100% HP Removal to heroes
• Deals No Bonus Damage to Etheral Units
• Goes through Black King Bar

A few examples are:

1. Necrolyte with his Heartstopper Aura
2. Vengful Spirit with her Wave of Terror
3. Warlock with his Fatal Bonds

Counters to Magic Damage

• Magic Resistance-Example: Hood of Defiance
• Magic Immunity-Example: Black King Bar
• Health Items-Example: Vitality Booster

Magic Resistance is used if the enemies have a lot of Magical Damage and Composite Damage.Useful in the Mid game.
Good against:

• Magical Damage
• Composite Damage
• Universal Damage

Bad against:

• Pure Damage
• HP Removal Damage

Magic Immunity is used if you are being nuked a lot because either you are the DPS or a Nuker.Useful in the Mid-Late Game.
Good against:

• Magical Damage
• Pure Damage

Bad against:

• Universal Damage
• Composite Damage
• HP Removal Damage

Health Items boost up your HP,allowing you to tank more damage.Useful in the Mid-Late Game.
Good against:

• Magical Damage
• Pure Damage
• Composite Damage
• HP Removal Damage
• Universal Damage

End

This is the end of my guide to "Understanding Damage types".If you still have trouble understanding,feel free to watch this video: Play Video
I hope this Guide have taught you the all you need to know about damage types and help you in future.If you don't mind,feel free to vote this guide or comment if there is something wrong.Have fun.

LOG

23 December 2012:Guide created
12 February 2013:Guide updated(Added explanation for Counters to Physical and Magic Damage