Ethereal Blade: Item Guide & Mechanics in DotA Allstars
Ethereal Blade is a high-tier agility and magic-burst item featured in the classic Warcraft III custom map DotA Allstars. Built for agility carries and hybrid spellcasters, Ethereal Blade grants the active ability Ether Blast, allowing players to shift targets into the ethereal realm, amplify incoming magic damage, and deal devastating attribute-scaling damage.
Section 1 - Item Stats, Auras, and Passive Bonuses
Stat Breakdown
- +40 Agility (+40 Agility, providing heavy attack speed, armor, and primary attribute scaling)
- +10 Strength (+10 Strength for increased health pool and health regeneration)
- +10 Intelligence (+10 Intelligence for increased mana pool and mana regeneration)
Active Ability: Ether Blast
- Effect: Sends the targeted unit into the Ethereal realm.
- Enemy Target Mechanics: If cast on an enemy, the target is slowed down by 80%, takes 75 + 2x your primary attribute as magical damage when the projectile hits, and enters the Ethereal state for 4 seconds.
- Ally / Self-Cast Mechanics: Allied or self-casts carry no negative effects, granting the Ethereal state for 4 seconds.
- Ethereal State Properties: Provides 40% extra magic damage vulnerability to the unit while rendering it immune to physical damage.
- Cast Range: 800
- Mana Cost: 100 Mana
- Cooldown: 20 seconds
- Disassembly: Can be disassembled.
Total Net Hero Benefit: Equipping Ethereal Blade grants +40 Agility (+40 Attack Speed, +5.72 Armor, and +40 Base Damage for Agility heroes), +10 Strength (+190 Max HP), +10 Intelligence (+130 Mana), and an active 800-range Ether Blast that applies an 80% slow, deals attribute-scaling magical damage, grants 40% magic amplification, and provides physical immunity for 4 seconds on a 20-second cooldown.
Section 2 - Recipe and Required Components
To craft Ethereal Blade, players combine an Eaglehorn and a Ghost Scepter:
| Component | Gold Cost |
|---|---|
 Eaglehorn |
2800 |
 Ghost Scepter |
1500 |
| Total Cost | 4,300 |
- Resell Value: 2150 Gold (Standard 50% resale value based on the in-game sell price shown in the inventory tooltip)
Section 3 - Tactical Analysis and Strategic Impact
1. Massive Burst Damage and Combo Amplification
Ether Blast synergizes exceptionally well with burst-heavy magic casters and agility carries. Because the Ethereal state increases incoming magic damage by 40%, hitting an enemy with Ether Blast right before unleashing magical spells or items (such as Dagon) results in near-instant elimination of fragile targets.
2. Defensive Physical Immunity & Save Potential
The ability to self-cast or target allies provides a reliable defensive tool against heavy physical right-click carries. Turning ethereal grants absolute immunity to physical damage for 4 seconds, letting allies survive intense team-fight focus or escape dangerous physical dps threats.
3. Agility Scaling & Disassembly Flexibility
Offering +40 Agility, Ethereal Blade heavily boosts physical damage output for agility heroes while scaling the active projectile's damage based on the caster's primary attribute. Furthermore, the item can be disassembled, allowing players to safely break it back down into an Eaglehorn and Ghost Scepter if they need to pivot into alternative late-game items.
Conclusion
In DotA Allstars, Ethereal Blade stands out as a premier hybrid item for agility carries and burst mages alike. Costing 4300 Gold, its combination of massive agility, defensive physical immunity, and a 40% magic amplification active makes it an indispensable tool for dominating mid-to-late game skirmishes.