Here’s the max damage Phantom Assassin can do with one crit

Phantom Assassin can crit for thousands of damage in a real Dota 2 game, but that’s nothing compared to the biggest possible crit.

While PA can deal huge damage under any circumstances, what if logic and proper builds are thrown to the wind in favor of dealing the most possible damage. The answer is well over 20,000 damage.

Naturally, the build starts with a level 30 Phantom Assassin with a full inventory of Divine Rapiers. It also requires a specific tier-five neutral item. There are a few ridiculous builds that can theoretically work in a public match, but this is not one of them. It’s not practical in the slightest, but it’s funny.

First up is Phantom Assassin herself, whose ultimate Coup de Grace is perfect for finding the biggest crit possible in Dota 2. Divine Rapiers are the most damage money can buy, so grab six. For the neutral item, grab a Stygian Desolator. This test skips over conditional damage boosts like Duel, Atrophy Aura, and neutral creeps, but don’t worry. There are still plenty of buffs to apply.

The next step is setting up the damage using other heroes. The best combination in testing was Slardar, Vengeful Spirit, Shadow Fiend, and Luna. This combo provides a ton of armor reduction as well as major damage buffs. Then, the background helpers need to get a Solar Crest, Assault Cuirass, Bloodthorn, Desolator, and Vladimir’s Offering. Of course, make sure the target is wearing a Nether Shawl.

The biggest possible Phantom Assassin crit in Dota 2

With all of the steps outlined above, Phantom Assassin can deal 20,175 damage in a single strike. 

Throw in a double damage run and Phantom Assasin’s biggest possible crit is an incredible 21,528. For reference, the ancients themselves only have 4,500 health.

This strike from Phantom Assassin is likely the greatest damage from a single hit in Dota 2 that doesn’t include a hero that scales infinitely. Heroes like Legion Commander and Silencer can technically acquire an infinite amount of stats, but that’s even less feasible than a six-rapier Phantom Assassin build.

The armor reduction is what really carries the build. Between Presence of the Dark Lord, Corrosive Haze, Wave of Terror, and the items, targets can reach as low as -72 armor. The victim is taking 71% bonus physical damage due to their armor being deep into the negatives. The exact damage of the hit also slightly depends on Phantom Assassin’s base attack range, which is multiplied several times through all the buffs and debuffs.