How to play Witch Doctor, the best hero in Dota 2 7.34

William Davis Published 13/08/2023

After months of boring carry domination, the best hero of Dota 2 7.34 is a fan-favorite position five.

Considering all of the massive changes added in 7.33, Dota 2 fans didn’t expect too much out of 7.34. However, Valve has gone above and beyond to deliver a sizable patch for The International 2023. Standout changes have flipped the meta on its head, and while now-universal Invoker is getting the most attention in high MMR, another often-overlooked support has risen to become the de facto best hero of 7.34. 

Witch Doctor currently boasts a win rate of over 58%, the highest of any hero on the new patch. The boost is due to some of the strongest buffs of any hero, with Death Ward now dealing pure damage and bouncing to creeps with Aghanim’s Scepter. While that’s strong enough on its own, the new .1-second Paralyzing Cask bounce time has turned the spell into a nightmare for bunched enemies.

These amazing buffs open up new ways to play the hero, so here’s the new way to play Witch Doctor, the best support of 7.34.

How to play Witch Doctor, the best hero of 7.34

The buffs in 7.34 have turned Witch Doctor from a well-rounded pick to one of the best team fight supports in the game. As a result, the meta has switched from stacking defensive tools to maximizing the impact of Death Ward.

Witch Doctor’s Aghanim’s Scepter currently has one of the highest win rates of any real item in the game at an absurd 67.18%. While rushing the item was sometimes appropriate in older patches, it is now a genuinely brilliant idea. Some games may require a Glimmer Cape or Force Staff first, but the sooner you get Aghanim’s Scepter, the soon you can dumpster team fights.

Once you get Agh’s, it’s important to consider how the enemy team can interact with your ultimate. If they have a ton of stuns from Sand King, Lion, Shadow Shaman, or similar, Black King Bar is the logical choice. If they tend to burst you down with physical damage, Blink Dagger can get you in a better position to put down Death Ward. Shard should go without saying, so bug your team to do the Tormentor or save up to get it early.

We’ve thoroughly researched how to play Witch Doctor for years before 7.34 came out, so here are some additional tips to help you win with the new best hero of the patch. 

• Aeon Disk popping does not stop Death Ward from dealing damage
• Consider when the enemy creep wave will arrive before throwing Cask
• Death Ward grants vision, so try to place it on high ground
• Going 2-0-2 is fun, but skill heal early in hard lanes
• Maledict can keep enemy Blink Daggers on cooldown for 12 seconds
• Toggling Voodoo Restoration costs more mana than just leaving it on

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