Leviathan, the Tidehunter, is a premier melee Strength initiator and frontline tank in DotA 1. Built with an exceptional base health pool and massive Strength growth, his primary role is to absorb heavy punishment, break open team fights, and lock down entire enemy teams. He thrives on the frontline, using natural damage reduction to shrug off enemy attacks while waiting for the perfect moment to unleash overwhelming crowd control.
Base Stats & Attributes
Hero Attributes
| Attribute |
Base Value |
Growth (per level) |
| Strength |
27 |
+3.5 |
| Agility |
15 |
+1.5 |
| Intelligence |
18 |
+1.7 |
Statistics & Mechanics
| Statistic |
Value |
Mechanic |
Value |
| Damage |
52-58 |
Base HP Regen |
0.25/s |
| HP |
740 |
HP Regen |
+2.95/s |
| MP |
266 |
MP Regen |
+0.91/s |
| Armor |
2.1 |
Turn Rate |
0.5 |
| Move Speed |
300 |
Base Attack Time (BAT) |
1.7 |
| Attack Range |
150 (melee) |
Attack Animations |
0.6 / 0.56 |
Hero Skills Breakdown
1. Gush
Summons a spirit of the tides to damage an enemy unit. Reduces the Movement speed and armor of the enemy unit. Deals magical damage.
- Damage Type: Magical
- Debuff Duration: Fixed 4 seconds
- Movement Speed Slow: Fixed 40% slow
- Aghanim's Scepter Upgrade: Transforms the single-target ability into a ground-targeted, widening wave that travels forward and affects all enemies caught in its path.
| Skill Level |
Armor Reduction |
Damage (Magical) |
Cooldown |
Manacost |
| Level 1 |
-4 Armor |
110 |
12 sec |
90 |
| Level 2 |
-5 Armor |
160 |
12 sec |
100 |
| Level 3 |
-6 Armor |
210 |
12 sec |
110 |
| Level 4 |
-7 Armor |
260 |
12 sec |
120 |
2. Kraken Shell
Creates a thick armor shell around Leviathan that protects him against attacks. Whenever he loses enough hitpoints from player based damage, it removes negative buffs. Damage counter gets reset if no damage taken in a specified duration. Damage block does not stack with other damage block items.
- Ability Type: Passive
- Damage Source Requirement: HP loss must come strictly from player-based damage to tick down the purge threshold.
- Counter Reset Timer: Resets the accumulated damage counter to 0 if Leviathan avoids taking damage for 6 seconds.
- Dispel Condition: Strong dispel; instantly removes negative buffs and debuffs when the HP threshold is crossed.
- Item Incompatibility: Strictly does not stack with standard damage-blocking items (such as Stout Shield or Vanguard).
| Skill Level |
Attack Damage Blocked |
Damage Threshold (Purge) |
Cooldown |
Manacost |
| Level 1 |
18 |
600 HP |
Passive |
0 |
| Level 2 |
30 |
550 HP |
Passive |
0 |
| Level 3 |
42 |
500 HP |
Passive |
0 |
| Level 4 |
54 |
450 HP |
Passive |
0 |
3. Anchor Smash
Tidehunter swings his mighty anchor to attack nearby enemies and reduce their attack damage. Grants bonus attack damage and causes Tidehunter to perform instant attacks on enemies within the radius. Any attack modifier except for Cleave may trigger on these attacks. Affected enemies lose a percentage of their base damage.
- Ability Type: Area of Effect (AoE) Instant Attack
- Debuff Duration: Fixed 6 seconds
- Debuff Application: Damage reduction is calculated solely using the target's base damage.
- Attack Modifier Rules: Triggers or applies any standard attack modifiers (such as lifesteal, corruption, or bash) on all hit targets, with the sole exception of Cleave modifiers.
| Skill Level |
Bonus Attack Damage |
Base Damage Reduction % |
Cooldown |
Manacost |
| Level 1 |
+45 |
30% |
7 sec |
30 |
| Level 2 |
+90 |
40% |
6 sec |
40 |
| Level 3 |
+135 |
50% |
5 sec |
50 |
| Level 4 |
+180 |
60% |
4 sec |
60 |
4. Ravage
Slams the ground, causing waves of spikes to ring the hero in all directions. Deals magical damage and stuns.
- Damage Type: Magical
- Targeting: Area of Effect (AoE) centered entirely on the hero.
| Skill Level |
Damage (Magical) |
Stun Duration |
Cooldown |
Manacost |
| Level 1 |
200 |
2.4 sec |
150 sec |
150 |
| Level 2 |
300 |
2.6 sec |
150 sec |
225 |
| Level 3 |
400 |
2.8 sec |
150 sec |
325 |
Item Build Guide
| Phase |
Recommended Items |
Strategic Purpose |
| Early Game |
Arcane Boots, Magic Wand, Bracer |
Arcane Boots solve Leviathan’s severe early mana issues, ensuring he has enough mana to cast his ultimate. Bracer and Magic Wand offer efficient, immediate health scaling. |
| Core Items |
Blink Dagger, Hood of Defiance, Aghanim's Scepter |
Blink Dagger is vital for initiating fights with Ravage. Hood of Defiance mitigates the magical burst that bypasses Kraken Shell, and Scepter gives high-utility AoE armor shred. |
| Late Game |
Shiva's Guard, Assault Cuirass, Heart of Tarrasque |
Shiva's Guard and Assault Cuirass scale Anchor Smash's impact while shoring up low base armor. Heart of Tarrasque elevates his bulk, making him nearly impossible to bring down. |
Quick Gameplay Tips
- The Kraken Dispel Trap: Do not automatically jump into a fight the second you get disabled. If you are struck by high-value single-target crowd control (like Bane’s Fiend's Grip or Shadow Shaman's Shackles), let the enemy team damage you. The moment you hit the Kraken Shell threshold, the debuff is automatically cleansed, allowing you to instantly turn the fight around with a devastating counter-Ravage.
- Anchor Smash Attack Modifiers: Since Anchor Smash applies an instant attack to every enemy inside its radius and triggers attack modifiers, picking up attack-modifying items can produce massive lane results. For example, a lifesteal item will immediately heal you for a massive chunk of health when spinning in a dense wave of creeps, while an armor-corruption item will debuff an entire team instantly.
