Leonidas, the Mars, is a dominant melee Strength initiator, frontliner, and area-control brawler in DotA 1. Equipped with high base health regeneration, a long melee attack range, and exceptional Strength scaling, his primary role is to dictate the positioning of team fights. He excels at breaking enemy formations, absorbing immense physical onslaughts from the front, and trapping priority targets inside a deadly colosseum where his squad holds all the advantages.
Base Stats & Attributes
Hero Attributes
| Attribute |
Base Value |
Growth (per level) |
| Strength |
23 |
+3.2 |
| Agility |
17 |
+1.9 |
| Intelligence |
17 |
+1.4 |
Statistics & Mechanics
| Statistic |
Value |
Mechanic |
Value |
| Damage |
52-60 |
Base HP Regen |
3.5/s |
| HP |
660 |
HP Regen |
+5.8/s |
| MP |
254 |
MP Regen |
+0.86/s |
| Armor |
0.4 |
Turn Rate |
0.6 |
| Move Speed |
310 |
Base Attack Time (BAT) |
1.8 |
| Attack Range |
250 (melee) |
Attack Animations |
0.4 / 0.3 |
Hero Skills Breakdown
1. Spear of Mars
Mars throws his legendary Spear with deadly precision, damaging each enemy unit it strikes. The first enemy hero it hits is skewered on the spear, pushing it back. If a skewered hero hits a tree, building, or cliff, they will be impaled to it and stunned. Travel distance increases with level.
- Damage Type: Non-specified / Base capability
- Targeting/Shape: Linear projectile path
- Skewering Rule: Only pins and drags the first enemy hero collided with; non-hero units along the path take damage but are not dragged.
- Impale Conditions: Pinned targets must collide directly with solid map geography (cliffs, structures, trees) to trigger the stun; otherwise, they are merely knocked back the maximum travel distance.
| Skill Level |
Projectile Damage |
Pin Stun Duration |
Maximum Range |
Cooldown |
Manacost |
| Level 1 |
100 |
1.6 sec |
900 |
14 sec |
100 |
| Level 2 |
175 |
2.0 sec |
1000 |
14 sec |
100 |
| Level 3 |
250 |
2.4 sec |
1100 |
14 sec |
100 |
| Level 4 |
325 |
2.8 sec |
1200 |
14 sec |
100 |
2. Rebuke
Mars smashes enemies in front of him with his shield, knocking them back and damaging them with a critical hit based on his attack. Bonus damage is added when hitting heroes. Has True Strike. Affected units are slowed.
- Mechanic Type: Instant physical attack modifier
- Attack Modifiers: Inherent True Strike (cannot miss due to evasion or terrain disadvantage).
- Movement Speed Slow: Fixed 40% slow
- Slow Duration: Fixed 1.5 seconds
- Added Hero Damage: Flat +25 bonus damage added to the standard scaling calculation when colliding with enemy heroes.
- Aghanim's Scepter Upgrade: Drastically reduces the skill's baseline cooldown.
| Skill Level |
Critical Damage Multiplier |
Cooldown (Standard) |
Cooldown (Scepter) |
Manacost |
| Level 1 |
150% |
16 sec |
3.5 sec |
65 |
| Level 2 |
190% |
14 sec |
3.5 sec |
70 |
| Level 3 |
230% |
12 sec |
3.5 sec |
75 |
| Level 4 |
270% |
10 sec |
3.5 sec |
80 |
3. Bulwark
Mars wields his massive shield to block a portion of each physical attack when hit from the front or sides.
- Ability Type: Passive Defensive Modifier
- Damage Category: Structural mitigation against physical basic attacks only; does not mitigate magical spells or pure damage.
- Coverage Angles: Full mitigation values apply directly within a front cone; reduced mitigation applies to side flanks.
| Skill Level |
Frontal Damage Blocked |
Side Flank Damage Blocked |
Cooldown |
Manacost |
| Level 1 |
40% |
20% |
Passive |
0 |
| Level 2 |
50% |
25% |
Passive |
0 |
| Level 3 |
60% |
30% |
Passive |
0 |
| Level 4 |
70% |
35% |
Passive |
0 |
4. Arena of Blood
After a short formation time, Mars summons an arena lined with the undead warriors of the Ash Legion, who block enemy attacks and movement. Enemy heroes near the inside edge of the arena will be attacked by spears, which deal magical damage and knock them back. Only allies of Mars, as well as flying and spell immune enemies, can go through the walls.
- Damage Type: Magical
- Wall Boundary Exceptions: Flying units and spell-immune heroes (via Black King Bar or Repel) can cross over or step outside the arena walls unhindered.
- Projectile Block: Undead warriors at the perimeter intercept and block incoming external enemy physical attacks.
| Skill Level |
Edge Spear Damage (Magical) |
Arena Duration |
Cooldown |
Manacost |
| Level 1 |
120 |
5 seconds |
90 sec |
200 |
| Level 2 |
185 |
6 seconds |
75 sec |
200 |
| Level 3 |
250 |
7 seconds |
60 sec |
200 |
Item Build Guide
| Phase |
Recommended Items |
Strategic Purpose |
| Early Game |
Phase Boots, Soul Ring, Magic Wand |
Phase Boots maximize early positioning requirements for landing skills while fueling Rebuke's damage profile. Soul Ring guarantees reliable mana for combos. |
| Core Items |
Blink Dagger, Black King Bar (BKB), Desolator |
Blink Dagger is paramount for immediate Arena of Blood deployment. BKB keeps your channels clear, and Desolator maximizes physical armor reduction for Rebuke crits. |
| Late Game |
Shiva's Guard, Heart of Tarrasque, Assault Cuirass |
Shiva's Guard and Assault Cuirass shore up poor base armor while adding excellent aura scaling. Heart of Tarrasque pairs with Bulwark to ensure complete physical immortality. |
Quick Gameplay Tips
- The Arena Boundary Pin: Do not throw Spear of Mars blindly after trapping someone inside your ultimate. Instead, face towards the perimeter walls of the Arena of Blood. When you fire the spear, it will skewer the target and pin them directly against your own arena wall, stacking the long skill stun right alongside continuous, devastating magical soldier attacks.
- Bulwark Frontlining Positioning: Due to Bulwark reducing a massive 70% of physical damage coming from the front, always manually issue short movement commands to face your attackers whenever backing out of a skirmish or tanking a tower. Forcing enemies to punch through your front shield allows you to comfortably bait deep dives and absorb priority physical skills without dropping low.
