How to Play as Abaddon in Dota 2

Credit: DOTA 2

Role

Mounted on his charger with his cold blade in hand, Abaddon is a support hero that every team should have. Even though his role is a support, by end game Abaddon can be a strong semi-carry and durable tank. He can be paired up with any hero and makes a valuable addition to any team. As a support role, Abaddon will be expected to protect his team with his shield skill and doling out heals with the coil skill. 

Skills

• Mist Coil – A coil of death is cast out of Abaddon’s sword dealing damage to the enemy or healing allies. The downside of Mist Coil is that it also damages Abaddon. When the skill is at max points it Heals/Damages for 250, while causing 150 self-inflicted damage to Abaddon.
• Aphotic Shield – A spherical shield made of dark energy will surround an allied hero or creep. When Aphotic Shield’s damage threshold is reached, the shield will explode causing damage equal to the amount of damage taken in to the surrounding area. At max level the Aphotic Shield can absorb up to 200 damage.
• Curse of Avernus – A pass buff for Abaddon, the Curse of Avernus increases Abaddon’s attack speed up to 40%, increases his movement speed to 15%, and will cast slow on each enemy his sword strikes for up to a 20% slow debuff.
• Borrowed Time – An amazing skill that once activated will remove any negative status effect while giving Abaddon a heal-over-time buff. Each point into the skill increases the duration of the skill with max level giving Abaddon a 5 second buff, or 7 with Aghanim’s Scepter.

Credit: DOTA 2

How to Play as Abaddon

• Every game will be different and the recommended skill level build below may not apply to your situation. Situations can arise where you may be paired with a team member who wants you to invest into Curse of Avernus early so that you can slow enemies.
• Early in the game Abaddon will often be in a passive role supporting their team, however sometimes it may be appropriate for Abaddon to become an initiator with Borrowed Time and Aphotic Shield at the ready, while his partner defeats the enemy. 

Recommended Level Build

1. Aphotic Shield
2. Mist Coil
3. Aphotic Shield
4. Mist Coil
5. Mist Coil
6. Borrowed Time
7. Mist Coil
8. Aphotic Shield
9. Aphotic Shield
10. Curse of Avernus
11. Borrowed Time
12. Curse of Avernus
13. Curse of Avernus
14. Curse of Avernus
15. Attribute Bonus
16. Borrowed Time

Equipment Optimization for Abaddon

Abaddon’s equipment optimization is for the support role. The Ring of Basilius will increase the armor of your creeps which is useful when Abaddon is pushing. The ring itself can be toggled off and on for situations where you are not trying to push into the range of an enemy tower. Magic Wand works wonders as Aphotic Shield is often times cast as soon as the cool down wears off, while the Arcane Boots and Mechanism provide area-of-effect healing, mana, and an armor increase. Since players controlling Abaddon often travel in groups, it only makes sense to get items that will enhance the power of the team. Finally, the luxury items are up to the player to decide what they need at the end game. 

The equipment that I do recommend is:

• Starting:

1. Ring of Protection
2. 2x Tango
3. Healing Salve
4. 2x Iron Brances
5. Optional: Buy the Courier

• Core Optimization:

1. Ring of Basilius
2. Magic Wand
3. Arcane Boots
4. Mekansm/Mechanism

• Luxury:

1. Scythe of Vise
2. Necronomicon
3. Vladimir’s Offering
4. Drum of Endurance

Tips

• Players should not be afraid to cast Borrowed Time when not in combat. It is incredibly useful to use when Abaddon needs a quick health boost.
• If the skill Mist Coil is used while Abaddon has Aphotic Shield cast on himself he will take no damage.
• Remember that Aphotic Shield removes debuffs from allies, and if cast on an ally who already has the shield cast, it will force the shield to explode allowing for some massive area-of-effect damage if cast continuously.

Final Thoughts

Abaddon is a great support hero that any team will appreciate. His ability to heal, shield, slow enemies, and regain health rapidly make him a valuable asset that will cause any enemy to tremble and turn around if they see Abaddon and another hero are charging towards them. While playing support heroes is not for everyone, I personally enjoy using Abaddon immensely because of the team play aspect.