How to play Huskar, Dota 2’s most terrifying midlane monster

Playing Huskar is an easy way to gain some precious MMR in Dota 2 7.31b, if you know how.

Thanks to a bunch of buffs in 7.31, Huskar is currently the winningest hero in all of Dota 2. His signature ability Berserker’s Blood now grants up to 25% magic resistance at lower health, and 7.31b’s Inner Fire nerfs aren’t enough to slow him down. Huskar is now the perfect hero for grinding MMR in the current patch, but his risky nature requires a skilled and intelligent player.

Here’s how to play Huskar in 7.31b along with the best items, skill build, and counters.

The best item and skill build for Huskar in 7.31b

Huskar is all about single-target burst. Life Break is an incredible initiation ultimate and Burning Spears is an incredibly strong laning tool. His previous weakness to magic damage is significantly less impactful in 7.31b, so he can play riskier than ever before and still come out alive.

Learning to play Huskar effectively is all about mastering his diverse toolset. The best early skill build for Huskar is a mix of all three abilities, as each one is useful in different circumstances. Start 1-1-1, then alternate between Burning Spears and Berserker’s Blood. Save the level 10 Inner Fire talent for later and max the base ability instead. Talents are great for making Burning Spears scale into the mid and late game. All the talent choices above have higher win rates on stat-tracking websites.

Huskar almost always goes mid, but his poor base damage is a notable weakness. Start with Bracer pieces and some Faerie Fires to help solve that problem. Faerie Fires are especially good on Huskar, as it allows him to stay low on health and benefit from Berserker’s Blood. Grab a Helm of Iron Will first, then brown Boots. Infused Raindrops are useful in many mid matchups, and magic bursters like Lina and Storm Spirit will have a harder time securing kills.

Armlet of Mordiggian was practically made for Huskar. It has long been a core item for the hero and that hasn’t changed yet.

Armlet keeps his health low while granting a ton of damage and effective health. Black King Bar keeps him active in fights, and the recent Aghanim’s Scepter change is absolutely incredible. It applies a taunt to all targets affected by Life Break, preventing any escape. Pop Inner Fire to disarm them and lay on the Burning Spears to tear down almost any target.

How to play Huskar in Dota 2 patch 7.31b

Huskar is an extremely polarizing mid hero thanks to Burning Spears. The damage-over-time effect quickly stacks up, and just a few attacks are enough to drive opponents out of lane.

This is balanced by his low base damage. Last hits and denies can be difficult, hence the early Bracer and Faerie Fires. Huskar’s general laning stage plan is to harass the enemy when possible, then use Inner Fire to blitz the small camp. A haste or arcane rune is a great opportunity to gank, but Huskar mostly wants to stick to the middle of the map.

Past the laning phase, try to gank immobile heroes. Most supports qualify, but some cores like Drow Ranger or Sniper have a hard time running away. Use Life Break to bridge the gap and retreat while tossing Burning Spears.

Teamfights are a little more tricky for Huskar. Try to go on an enemy hero just on the edge of the fight. If the other cores get into trouble, use Life Break and Inner Fire to save them. Just be careful of enemy burst combos before getting Black King Bar.

Thanks to Huskar’s status as a lane dominator, he matches up extremely well against all melee mids. Ember Spirit, Void Spirit, and Meepo can’t stand going one-on-one with a Huskar. He’s also very difficult to gank, as any support getting close is almost guaranteed to die. Late in the match, Huskar’s percentage-based damage from Life Break counters tanky enemies like Dragon Knight, Tiny, and Centaur Warrunner.

How to counter Huskar in Dota 2

Since Huskar relies so hard on his healing, any character that can interact with health regeneration naturally counters him. Ancient Apparition is the most obvious choice, as Ice Blast shuts down all healing and instantly kills Huskar if he gets low enough. Other sources of regen reduction include Bane’s Enfeeble and Drow Ranger’s Shard.

Necrophos is the single biggest Huskar counter in all of Dota 2. Heartstopper Aura has a 32% health regeneration reduction talent at level 20, which massively reduces Huskar’s Berserker’s Blood regen. Reaper’s Scythe also perfectly counters Huskar, as it will instantly kill him at his preferred health level. Ghost Shroud stops Burning Spears from hitting him but be careful about the buffed damage from Life Break.   

If Huskar is the final pick, there are still a few items that counter him as well. Spirit Vessel greatly reduces health regen, which is the most straightforward Huskar counter. Normal dispels can’t get rid of Burning Spears, but Eul’s Scepter is a good way to wait out the damage-over-time or catch Huskar as he jumps in.

Shiva’s Guard is another good source of life regeneration reduction. One sneaky Huskar counter is to use mobility like Force Staff and Blink Dagger to run from him during Life Break. With some careful positioning, players can drag Huskar right into five heroes ready to blitz him down.