Dota 2 Underlord Guide

Take control of the battlefield and command the forces of the Abyss with Underlord, one of the tankiest heroes in Dota 2

Underlord is a powerful melee strength hero known for his commanding presence in the lanes. He is capable of turning team fights around with his abilities, making him a great Hero for players who enjoy a strategic approach to Dota 2. Played mainly in offlane, Underlord has also been played as mid in recent times.

Underlord has an impressive starting health of 670 HP and a mana pool of 279. He has quite a slow starting movement speed of 290 but packs a heavy punch, hitting about 62-68 damage per hit. His strength gain and initial damage make him a formidable presence in lanes. Also, his Firestorm ability is one of the best abilities for early harassment and clearing wave. Now let’s dive into what makes Underlord a good Hero to pick and how to master the Hero.

Abilities:

Underlord has four core abilities, each contributing unique advantages on the battlefield:

Firestorm: 

Underlord calls down waves of fire that damage enemy units in the target area and continues to burn them for additional damage. It’s great for lane control, farming, and adding damage during team fights. The ability has a radius of 425 and has 6 wave count. Each wave damage is 30.

Pit of Malice: 

This ability creates a pit that ensnares enemy units that dare to tread upon it, providing control in team fights and adding setup for his Firestorm. Every 3.6 seconds, each enemy unit within the pit is affected.

Atrophy Aura: 

A passive ability, Atrophy Aura reduces the attack damage of enemies within its range, and whenever a unit dies under this effect, Underlord gains bonus damage. It last for 35 seconds at level 1 and 65 seconds at max level.

Fiend’s Gate: 

Fiend’s Gate was added to Underlord’s abilities replacing his previous ultimate Dark Rift in the 7.31 patch update. When Fiend’s gate is activated, two portals are opened, one near Underlord and one in the target area. Heroes can teleport to the other side by channeling a portal for 3.5 seconds. Allies who pass through the portal gain Damage Reduction and Movement Speed for a limited time. Portals must be at least 2000.0 meters apart.

To teleport to your team’s base, just double-click in front of your fountain.

Aghanim’s Shard Upgrade: 

When Underlord consumes Aghanim’s Shard, Firestorm becomes a self targeted ability. It follows him around and the wave count increases. The tick rate/duration time also increases.

Aghanim’s Scepter Upgrade: 

When Underlord buys or consumes an Aganim’s Scepter, Pit of Malice gets an upgrade slowing enemy movement. This is probably one of the most underwhelming Scepter update in all of Dota 2.

Talents 

As Underlord levels up, he can select from the following talents:

Level 10 – +75 Firestorm Radius or +5 Armor

Level 15 – -3s Firestorm Cooldown or +75 Pit of Malice AoE

Level 20 – +15% Atrophy Aura Attack Damage Reduction or +1% Firestorm Burn Damage

Level 25 – +50% Atrophy Allied Hero Bonus or +0.65s Pit of Malice Root

Dota 2 Underlord Guide 

Underlord’s abilities enable him to exert a great deal of pressure on lanes and provide immense control in team fights. Firestorm can help you secure last hits and harass enemies in the lane. Pairing Firestorm with Pit of Malice can deal substantial damage and provide crowd control during fights. Underlord’s Atrophy Aura can reduce enemy damage, giving him an advantage during trades. His ultimate, Fiend’s Gate, can provide unparalleled map control and save your team from dangerous situations. It can also help to set up a gank on enemy heroes.

Some of the recommended items for Underlord are Arcane Boots which can be upgraded to Guardian Greaves for mana and health sustain, Pipe of Insight against magical damage, Crimson Guard for physical damage reduction, and Rod of Atos for extra control in fights. Euls Scepter and Shivas Guard are also good items situationally. The main role of Underlord is to be a tanky frontliner for the team who deals decent damage and also helps in escaping from bad fights.

Underlord – Pros and Cons 

Every hero in Dota 2 has their strengths and weaknesses. Let’s look at some pros and cons of Underlord:

Pros: 

• Excellent crowd control with Pit of Malice 
• Powerful lane pusher with Firestorm 
• Damage reduction with Atrophy Aura 
• Global presence with Fiends Gate
• Becomes a tanky beast with just Vanguard and Hood of Defiance

Cons: 

• Limited mobility 
• Needs to have team with him to kill an enemy hero
• Needs good communication with the team due to Dark Rift

How to Play Underlord 

It’s best to play Underlord as offlaner most of the time, but sometimes playing him as mid is reasonable. Here are some detailed tips on how to maximize his potential and become a master of the Hero:

Starting Items: 

Consider buying a set of Tangoes, a Quelling Blade, 1 or 2 mangoes and some iron branches at the start. This will help you sustain in lane and last hit better.

Early Game (Levels 1-6): 

Focus on securing last hits and use Firestorm to both farm and harass enemies. Try to use Pit of Malice to lock down aggressive enemies under your tower. Aim for Arcane Boots or even a quick Vanguard depending on the game. Vanguard makes you very difficult to kill. A Magic Stick is always handy if the enemy heroes are frequently using spells.

Mid Game (Levels 7-18): 

At this point, Underlord’s main job is to try to become a frontliner for your team. Farm as much as you can by pushing lanes. You can also farm jungle camps fast by using Firestorm. Remember to join team fights whenever it’s possible. Your ultimate is a very good ability to join wherever the fight is happening. But be careful when using Fiends Gate, or you might end up in enemy base and become a meme online.

As for items at this stage, try to get a Mekansm and upgrade your boots to Guardian Greaves. Pipe of Insight is also an excellent choice if you’re up against heavy magic damage. You can always upgrade your Vanguard to Crimson Guard if the enemy team has high physical damage.

Late Game (Levels 19-30): 

By this point, you should be relatively tanky and be a frontliner for your team. Shiva’s Guard for extra armor and Scythe of Vyse for added control are great pickups for this phase. You can also buy Octarine Core to reduce spell cooldown. Black King Bar (BKB) can be a good purchase if the enemy team has high amount of lockdowns and magic damage. Lastly, get a Refresher Orb if you have enough money, but always remember to keep Buyback at this time or it might cost you the game.

Your Fiend’s gate can be used to save your team or to rat towers when the opportunity comes. Good usage of Fiend’s gate can result in sneaky tower takedown or base damage, which can be the determining factor for winning the game.

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Underlord Counters 

While Underlord can be a controlling force in the game, some heroes get the upper hand on him. Here are five heroes that heavily counters Underlord:

Monkey King: Monkey King has a skill set that can prove to be very difficult for Underlord to handle. His passive skill, Jingu Mastery, charges up after a few hits and significantly enhances his attack power and lifesteal. This can quickly turn the tide in the laning phase. Monkey King also has high mobility, which makes it hard for Underlord to control him.

Timbersaw: Timbersaw excels against strength heroes like Underlord due to his skill, Whirling Death, which reduces the primary attribute and deals additional damage based on the primary attribute. His Reactive Armor also makes him incredibly tanky, making it hard for Underlord to deal significant damage. 

Zeus: Zeus is an excellent counter to Underlord due to his high magical damage output and range. Zeus can stay safely out of Underlord’s Firestorm and Pit of Malice range while consistently dealing damage with Arc Lightning and Lightning Bolt. 

Ursa: Ursa is a nightmare for any tanky hero, and Underlord is no exception. Ursa’s Fury Swipes increases the damage Ursa deals with each subsequent attack on the same target. This ability, coupled with his Overpower, which increases his attack speed dramatically, allows Ursa to chew through Underload’s high health pool quickly.

Necrophos: Necrophos poses a significant threat to Underlord due to his Heartstopper Aura, which deals damage proportional to the enemy’s max health. Additionally, his Reaper’s Scythe can instantly kill Underlord if his health drops low enough, making Underlord’s usually beneficial large health pool useless.

Conclusion

Underlord is a powerful offlane Hero with strong area control, damage reduction, and global presence capabilities. With proper positioning and strategic use of his abilities, he can turn the tide of battles and lead his team to victory. Master Underlord and the battlefield will be yours to command!

If you found this guide helpful, make sure to check out our other Dota 2 hero guides. We have Dota guides for both newcomers and experienced players aiming to climb the MMR ladder!