Sniper Dota 2 Guide – Snipe from Maximum Distance in Patch 7.13b

Sniper can be a very powerful damage dealer, although it is important to constantly be watching your positioning in team-fights. Be aware of the map and where danger may lie, as you can be picked off very easily without defensive items.

Try to stand as far away as possible, while also being able to dish out damage. Consider which items will help you against the enemy line-up the most and be prepared for counter-picks.

dota-2-sniper

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Sniper Item Build

Starting Items

  • Wraith Band
  • Iron Branch
  • Tango (Shared)
  • Tango (Shared)
  • Faerie Fire

Early Game Items

  • Phase Boots
  • Power Treads
  • Ring of Aquila
  • Infused Raindrop
  • Magic Wand

Mid Game Items

  • Hurricane Pike
  • Maelstrom
  • Shadow Blade

Late Game Items

  • Silver Edge
  • Mjollnir
  • Daedalus
  • Monkey King Bar
  • Manta Style

Situational Items

  • Desolator
  • Sange and Yasha
  • Satanic
  • Butterfly
  • Moon Shard
  • Mask of Madness
  • Blink Dagger
  • Black King Bar
  • Divine Rapier
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Sniper Skill Build

  1. Shrapnel
  2. Take Aim
  3. Shrapnel
  4. Headshot
  5. Shrapnel
  6. Assassinate
  7. Shrapnel
  8. Take Aim
  9. Take Aim
  10. Talent
  11. Take Aim
  12. Assassinate
  13. Headshot
  14. Headshot
  15. Talent
  16. Headshot
  17. Assassinate
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Complete Sniper Spell Guide

Shrapnel

Shrapnel is an AoE slow and deals damage over time which comes with 3 charges. The separate charges do not stack. Shrapnel is a very diverse spell that can be used for chasing, defending, pushing, in team-fights, for farming.

While it doesn’t deal damage to towers, it can be used to zone heroes when pushing. It’s a great way to defend towers as it lasts for a long time and has a long cast range. In team-fights, cast it over as many heroes as you can, or over the biggest clump of heroes. Keep in mind that it has a short cast time, so cast it where you predict the enemy heroes will walk to. It also provides vision over the target area which can be used to scout high-ground or gain vision over trees against heroes trying to juke. This is maxed first because of the damage and slow it provides in fights.

Headshot

Headshot increases your damage output, and is the reason you should generally build attack speed on this hero, instead of raw damage. It doesn’t cancel channeled effects but it slows movement and attack speed. This is maxed last because it takes a while to get some attack speed items built on sniper.

Take Aim

Take Aim increased Sniper’s attack range, and should be maxed secondly in Dota 2 esports. You should utilize the extra attack range gained from this passive and stand as far back as you can in every fight because Sniper is very squishy. This is easier said than done, and often requires you to constantly think about where you are standing in the fight, and to move when you need to. Orb walking is a skill that when mastered can help you to survive, particularly as Sniper. This is when you cancel the back-swing of attacks by moving after firing. Effectively, you are moving in the time that you would otherwise just be standing still. In fights, if you are too close, simply orb walk further away.

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Assassinate

Assassinate will fire a powerful shot after a short delay. This provides vision on invisible heroes, if they are visible when you cast it on them. You should not use this spell against heroes that have a way to avoid it, such as Puck or Outworld Devourer. Note that it can also be disjointed with a Smoke of Deceit. In these cases you are more likely to kill them by just attacking regularly or with Shrapnel.

If you have 3 charges of Shrapnel and mana for all casts and an Assassinate, you can kill most heroes, especially if you get help from a support. Provided you deal a lot of damage with Shrapnel. Assassinate deals a mini-stun when upon impact which cancels channeled spells. Can be upgraded with Aghanim’s Scepter which makes it an AoE spell which applies a headshot and crits for 280% of your damage. The item is generally not worth it however, as it doesn’t increase your DPS as much as other items can.

Best Sniper Talents

Level 10: +20 Damage or 15% Cooldown Reduction

The extra damage is almost always preferable, because the cooldown reduction only affects Shrapnel and your ultimate, the latter of which already has a very low cooldown. The shrapnel cooldown can be good if you have very little control on your team and ca benefit from the slow, but otherwise the extra damage will ultimately help you more.

Level 15: +40 Attack Speed or +25 Shrapnel DPS

The attack speed will usually help you more because it scales into the late game much better than the Shrapnel DPS. It will also allow you to get more Headshot procs which will translate into more damage and more slows. The extra Shrapnel DPS can be good if you are quite far behind and don’t have many items to increase your right-click damage. Even then, the attack speed will scale better into the late game if you manage to comeback or hold our high-ground.

Level 20: -1.5s Assassinate or +35 Knockback Distance Headshot

The Knockback Headshot can be quite good against enemies that like to get close to deal damage. This includes melee carries, and heroes like Pudge with spells like Rot. The Knockback will keep them at a distance from your allies when they get gone on and help to keep them alive. The reduced Assssinate cooldown can be good if you don’t really need the knockback distance or if you are facing slippery heroes, as it will help you to lock-on to them sooner.

Level 25: +6 Shrapnel Charges or +125 Attack Range

The extra Shrapnel Charges are usually quite underwhelming, especially compared to the extra attack range. They can be good if you need to defend or siege the enemy high-ground, or if you need more control against fast heroes, or heroes with Blink Daggers. It’s also a bit better if you got the extra Shrapnel DPS talent at level 15. Otherwise, the extra attack range will allow you to stand at an even safer distance, and arguably help you to defend/assault the high-ground more easily if you have very strong right-clicks and is usually the preferred talent.

What Items to build on Sniper

Starting Items

  • Wraith Band
  • Iron Branch
  • Tango (Shared)
  • Tango (Shared)
  • Faerie Fire

Usually you’ll take Sniper mid lane. The two shared Tangos and Faerie Fire should be enough regeneration, as you shouldn’t be taking much damage due to the fact that you have such a long attack-range. The Wraith Band and Iron Branches give you some more attack damage which helps with your incredibly low damage at early levels. You may need to have a Healing Salve brought to you on the courier, as Sniper doesn’t usually need a bottle.

Early Game Items

Phase Boots

Phase Boots give you a decent chunk of damage at earlier levels and provides some very useful movement speed. These are ideal if you need to escape or chase fast heroes.

Power Treads

Power Treads are the safer boots to get in games that will be hard, as they can provide some reliable DPS later with the extra attack speed for Headshots or give you more HP.

Ring of Aquila

This is one of the reasons you don’t need to buy a bottle on Sniper. A Ring of Aquila should give enough mana regen for your spells early game.

Infused Raindrop

Raindrops are worth picking up if you’re against heroes that spam nuking spells like Lina, Skywrath Mage, etc. They also provide some helpful mana regen.

Magic Wand

Magic Wand is worth picking up if you’re fighting in a lot of skirmishes in the early-mid game or are against heroes that cast lots of spells, like Lina or Zeus.

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Mid Game Items

Hurricane Pike

Hurricane Pike should be built most games, as the increased attack range from Dragon Lance, and the ability to effectively Force Staff away will save your life very often. The stats are helpful for you in every way as well. Definitely necessary against heroes that can blink on top of you or need to get close to you, like Sven or Lifestealer.

Maelstrom

Maelstrom can be a great item to increase your farm rate and to dish out some more damage in fights. The attack speed allows for more Headshot procs as well. It can also be upgraded into Mjollnir in the late game.

Silver Edge

Silver Edge can help you to survive ganks or team-fights in the mid game and get some kills without the risk of death. Usually only worth it if you need the Break ability against heroes like Phantom Assassin otherwise the Hurricane Pike is a better choice for survivability. The invisibility can allow you to re-position yourself in fights.

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Late Game Items

Mjollnir

The increased attack speed from Mjollnir can increase your DPS through the number of Headshots. Additionally, the active can be used on an ally to help deal even more damage in fights. Usually it’s not preferred to other raw damage items, however.

Daedalus

Daedalus can be picked up if you need more raw damage on your team against tanky heroes. Usually MKB is a better pickup first, but definitely consider if you need both. It’s a safer option than Divine Rapier, and provides a massive boost to your damage output.

Monkey King Bar

This is a great item for Sniper if you’re facing lots of evasion. The accuracy is needed against many carries and the item provides a big boost to DPS thanks to the high attack speed it provides you, and the damage proc passive it provides. Top-tier item for Sniper, and one that many of the best Dota 2 players build in their games.

Manta Style

Manta Style can increase your damage output and increase your survivability through the purge active. When coupled with Silver Edge, you can purge the dust before going invisible to help you escape. Manta can be a good item against Slark as you can escape his Pounce.

Situational Items

Desolator

Desolator can be a good pickup if you need damage against a line-up that has generally high armor, like Sven and Axe.

Sange and Yasha

Sange and Yasha provides a some movement speed, attack speed and some HP. Generally, there are better items to buy but the HP from Sange can be needed in some games. The Main passive helps to chase and get some kills as well.

Satanic

Satanic can be needed in some late game situations if you find yourself dying in fights. It can allow Sniper to go toe-to-toe against many carries and provides a lot of extra health.

Butterfly

Butterfly gives you the ability to move faster away from danger, or to catch kills more easily as well as some helpful attack speed and an evasion passive. It can be helpful against many ranged carries that are catching you out, although generally Mjollnir is a better alternative.

Moon Shard

Moon Shard gives you a significant boost to attack speed and can be consumed once you have 6 items. This should be bought in the very late game when you’ve gotten all of your items an have money left over.

Mask of Madness

Mask of Madness can be purchased in the early-mid game to improve your DPS and farming ability. However, it can be risky because even though it does increase your movement speed, it also decreases your armor. Given that Sniper is already a squishy hero, this item may not be the best to get. It also silences you, which prevents you from finishing off a hero with Assassinate.

Blink Dagger

Blink Dagger can be bought on Sniper if you feel you need the ability to move quickly across the battlefield. Hurricane Pike is usually preferred however, as it provides you with helpful stats, increased attack range, and has a similar movement ability.

Black King Bar

Black King Bar can be necessary in games where you find yourself getting locked down by stuns in every fight, although it is certainly not necessary every game.

Divine Rapier

If your team has farm but you are still struggling to win fights, or if you have lost several Barracks, going all in on a Divine Rapier is often very effective. Given that Sniper generally doesn’t get very close to carries in fights, the enemy can find it hard to reach you, especially if you have some survivability items.

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Interesting Sniper Match-ups

Allies

Sniper benefits from having allies that set a strong front-lines in a fight, such as Axe, Enigma or Magnus with their powerful AoE stuns. This is because it makes it harder for the enemy to reach you. In addition, having supports with stuns on your team can be very helpful against enemy carries that can reach you easily.

Anti-Mage/Phantom Assassin

These are some of the carries than Sniper is somewhat weaker against, as they can easily jump on top of him and kill him very quickly. Hurricane Pike helps a lot against them, as well as Silver Edge as they are unlikely to carry detection in the late-game.

Invisible heroes

Any hero that can gank you with invisibility is a significant threat as they have the potential to single you out in every fight. Sniper is a glass-cannon and as such will likely die very easily to them.

Vengeful Spirit

Vengeful Spirit can swap you out away from a good position in team-fights with her ultimate. A game against Venge can be very hard, and you should consider a Linken’s Sphere, or ask a teammate to use Lotus Orb on you.

Any hero that can blink or jump on top of you will likely be able to kill you very easily in the mid-game, and catch you very easily in the late game. Defensive items such as Hurricane Pike, Manta Style and Silver Edge are usually a must against heroes such as these.

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