Lesale Deathbringer, the Venomancer, is an exceptional Agility-based support, lane controller, and team-fight initiator in DotA 1. Armed with a kit entirely devoted to toxic decay, he excels at paralyzing enemy formations with crippling movement speed slows and spreading devastating area-of-effect (AoE) damage over time. He features highly balanced starting attributes and a robust +3.2 Agility growth per level. This allows him to play aggressively during skirmishes and siege high-ground structures with his loyal serpentine wards.
2. Base Stats & Attributes
Hero Attributes
| Attribute |
Base Value |
Growth (per level) |
| Strength |
19 |
+2.1 |
| Agility |
26 |
+3.2 |
| Intelligence |
19 |
+1.8 |
Statistics & Mechanics
| Statistic |
Value |
Mechanic |
Value |
| Damage |
42-44 |
Base HP Regen |
0.25/s |
| HP |
580 |
HP Regen |
+2.15/s |
| MP |
278 |
MP Regen |
+0.96/s |
| Armor |
3.7 |
Turn Rate |
0.5 |
| Move Speed |
280 |
Base Attack Time (BAT) |
1.7 |
| Attack Range |
450 (missile speed: 900) |
Attack Animations |
0.3 / 0.7 |
3. Hero Skills Breakdown
1. Venomous Gale
Releases a toxic wave forward in a straight line that poisons any enemy units it comes in contact with. Poisoned units sustain immediate physical impact damage followed by periodic damage-over-time instances, all while suffering a severe movement speed slow.
- Damage Type: Magical
- Targeting Shape: Line-based projectile
- Movement Slow Duration: Gradually decays over the course of its life
| Level |
Strike Damage |
Duration Damage (Total) |
Cooldown |
Manacost |
| 1 |
50 |
15 |
21 sec |
125 |
| 2 |
75 |
45 |
20 sec |
125 |
| 3 |
100 |
75 |
19 sec |
125 |
| 4 |
125 |
105 |
18 sec |
125 |
2. Poison Sting
Injects venom into Venomancer's basic attacks, inflicting additional magic damage over time and reducing the target's movement speed.
- Damage Type: Magical
- Spell Immunity Interaction: The movement speed slow penetrates spell immunity, but the damage over time does not
- Exclusion: Damage does not trigger on-damage events (such as Blink Dagger cooldowns or passive damage-triggered shields)
| Level |
Damage per Second (DPS) |
Movement Speed Slow |
Debuff Duration |
Cooldown |
Manacost |
| 1 |
6 |
11% |
6 seconds |
Passive |
0 |
| 2 |
14 |
13% |
9 seconds |
Passive |
0 |
| 3 |
22 |
15% |
12 seconds |
Passive |
0 |
| 4 |
30 |
17% |
15 seconds |
Passive |
0 |
3. Plague Ward
Summons an immobile, serpentine ward to attack enemies. The ward is completely immune to magic and inherits a portion of Venomancer's Poison Sting passives.
- Unit Type: Summoned Unit (Immobile ward)
- Magic Immunity: Immune to all hostile magical abilities
- Venom Inheritance: Inflicts physical attack damage and applies 50% of the active DPS of Venomancer's Poison Sting
- Ward Lifespan: 40 seconds across all levels
- Bounty Reward: Grants exactly 14-17 gold to the enemy who secures the last hit
| Level |
Ward Hit Points |
Max Attack Damage |
Cooldown |
Manacost |
| 1 |
120 |
11 |
5 sec |
20 |
| 2 |
230 |
21 |
5 sec |
20 |
| 3 |
340 |
32 |
5 sec |
20 |
| 4 |
450 |
42 |
5 sec |
20 |
4. Poison Nova
Spreads an expanding circular shockwave of noxious poison that infects all nearby enemy units with a lethal, slow-acting decay.
- Damage Type: Magical
- Duration: 18 seconds across all levels
- Lethality Rule: Poison Nova damage cannot deal a killing blow; it will leave infected targets at exactly 1 HP if they do not receive damage from another source
- Aghanim's Scepter Upgrade: Substantially increases the damage per second and significantly reduces the ability's cooldown
| Level |
Standard DPS |
Scepter DPS |
Standard Cooldown |
Scepter Cooldown |
Manacost |
| 1 |
40 |
60 |
140 sec |
100 sec |
200 |
| 2 |
65 |
85 |
120 sec |
80 sec |
300 |
| 3 |
90 |
110 |
100 sec |
60 sec |
400 |
4. Item Build Guide
| Phase |
Recommended Items |
Strategic Purpose |
| Early Game |
Tranquil Boots, Soul Ring, Magic Wand |
Tranquil Boots offset Venomancer's slow base movement speed while providing HP sustain. Soul Ring converts high health regeneration into the cheap mana needed to spam Plague Wards, and Magic Wand handles clutch resource recovery. |
| Core Items |
Blink Dagger, Force Staff, Aghanim's Scepter |
Blink Dagger allows you to jump directly into the center of the enemy team to unleash a flawless Poison Nova. Force Staff offers an escape after initiation, and Aghanim's Scepter boosts your ultimate's damage while drastically lowering its cooldown. |
| Late Game |
Veil of Discord, Octarine Core, Shiva's Guard |
Veil of Discord amplifies the magical damage output of your ultimate and Gale. Octarine Core grants spell lifesteal from your damage-over-time spells while providing cooldown reduction, and Shiva's Guard adds armor and an AoE slow. |
5. Quick Gameplay Tips
- The Poison Nova Blink Initiation: Do not wait for your team to get initiated upon. Blink into the center of the enemy formation, immediately cast Poison Nova, and release a Venomous Gale across as many targets as possible. Even if you fall immediately after, the massive magical damage over time will soften up the entire enemy team, securing a clean team-fight victory for your surviving allies.
- Plague Ward Scouting & Path Blocking: Plague Wards have a low 5-second cooldown and cost very little mana. Use them constantly to scout high-ground areas, block narrow pathways, or check the Roshan pit from a safe distance. Because they are immune to magical spells, enemies are forced to use physical basic attacks to clear them out, giving away their exact positions on the mini-map.
- Roshan & Siege Stacking: When preparing to take Roshan or push an enemy high-ground tower, arrive 30 seconds early to establish a dense "nest" of Plague Wards. Since they last 40 seconds, you can stack up to 8 active wards in one small area, creating a massive zone of high-DPS physical output that tears through target armor and deters enemy initiators.