Dota 2 Neutral Items: complete guide
Author: Hawk Live LLC
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Dota 2 - the MOBA that has taken the esports world by storm When asked to give one word to describe the game Dota 2 which is very unique and players can one thing easily come into mind which is concept of neutral items.
These items, dropping from neutral creeps, provide various advantages and can have a tremendous impact on the results of the match. In this article, we will try to decipher the major components of neutral items in Dota 2, know how they work and give readers a detailed instruction on how to use these items effectively.
How to Obtain Neutral Items in Dota 2
Neutral items in Dota 2 are a unique class of items that cannot be purchased at the store or be sold for gold, instead they are earned by going into battles at what is referred to as the jungle on Dota 2 & defeating what are known as neutral creeps which are npc characters. In every game, in every mode from the 7th minute onward, there is a chance for neutral creeps to drop neutral items when they are killed. The neutral items dropped varies according to the time how long the game has been played for.
Every neutral item has its own advantages that range from regular stat increase to certain abilities. For instance, Faded Broach (a level 1 item) increases a hero’s mana pool and increases his respective movement speed while
Philosophers Stone (a level 2 item) increases the gold income but decreases the attack damage. These items can greatly extend the potentials of a hero and are therefore important resources in the game.
How to Use Neutral Items in Dota 2
One of the other interesting features of neutral items is the fact that they can be distributed amongst the players in a team. Therefore, the item that a certain player drops can be picked up by another player whose hero would be able to use it more efficiently.
That kind of stimulates teamwork and pre-fight strategies because a proper distribution of items among players can greatly affect the battle results and eventually the match itself. It is important to keep in mind the understand of the mechanics and benefits of every neutral item, when and how to use them as it is a necessity to become proficient in Dota 2.
All Neutral Items in Dota 2
It should be noted that from the mechanics standpoint, all neutral items are not available to the players at the outset of the match. Naturally, there’s a time and place for all items during the course of a match, but certain items are only available once the game has reached the 60 minute mark and beyond, and this sometimes makes certain hero builds especially strong in longer games.
Tier 1 items Dota 2
Credit: Valve Corporation
Arcane Ring
Broom Handle
Duelist Gloves
Faded Broach
Ironwood Tree (re-added)
Lance of Pursuit
Occult Bracelet
Pig Pole
Royal Jelly
Safety Bubble
Seeds of Serenity
Spark of Courage
Trusty Shovel
Tier 2 items in Dota 2
Credit: Valve Corporation
Bullwhip
Dragon Scale
Eye of the Vizier
Gossamer Cape
Grove Bow
Light Collector
Iron Talon (re-added)
Orb of Destruction
Philosopher's Stone
Pupil's Gift
Specialist's Array
Vambrace
Vampire Fangs
Whisper of the Dread
Tier 3 items in Dota 2
Credit: Valve Corporation
Ceremonial Robe
Cloak of Flames
Craggy Coat
Dandelion Amulet
Defiant Shell
Doubloon
Elven Tunic
Enchanted Quiver
Nemesis Curse
Ogre Seal Totem
Paladin Sword
Psychic Headband
Vindicator's Axe
Tier 4 items in Dota 2
Credit: Valve Corporation
Ancient Guardian
Ascetic's Cap
Aviana's Feather
Havoc Hammer
Mind Breaker
Ninja Gear
Rattlecage
Stormcrafter
Telescope
Timeless Relic
Trickster Cloak
Tier 5 items in Dota 2
Credit: Valve Corporation
Apex
Arcanist's Armor
Book of Shadows
Book of the Dead
Force Boots
Giant's Ring
Magic Lamp
Mirror Shield
Pirate Hat
Seer Stone
Stygian Desolator
Unwavering Condition
When Neutral Items Drop in Dota 2
Artificats people do have however comes alongside the 5 tiers of the maxium period of time to wait for them before beign satisfied.
The higher the level, the more delayed the appearance of items during the course of the game and most often the greater their attributes. It is essential to comprehend the various levels and their contents in order to play effectively.
In Dota 2, neutral items are classified into 5 levels or tiers, where each tier relates to a specific time period in the game:
Tier 1 – Items under this tier starts to drop from the 7th minute of the match. More often than not, there are basic boosts and some minor edge items that may assist heroes during the early game.
Tier 2 – Second tier items can be acquired from the 17th minute. Such items are basically stronger boosters or items that have distinct roles, especially in the mid game phase.
Tier 3 – From the 27th minute, these items begin to drop. There are further improvements made with these items as they provide greater amplifiers and can greatly change the results of team fights.
Tier 4 – Fourth level items are acquired from the 37th minute. Many of them are characterized by unique and great power which often has a bearing at the late game.
Tier 5 - These items are the most powerful and have the greatest significance in the game. These items will start dropping after the game has reached its 60th minute.
Below is a table with the time intervals and drop rates for each tier:
Tier | Drop Time (Standard) | Drop Time (Turbo) | Drop Rate (%) |
|---|---|---|---|
Tier 1 | 07:00+ | 16:40+ | 14% |
Tier 2 | 17:00+ | 27:16+ | 10% |
Tier 3 | 27:00+ | 10% | |
Tier 4 | 37:00+ | 10% | |
Tier 5 | 60:00+ | 10% |
It is not only the power of the items that is the focus of concern, but also the specific game state and the heroes being played that need to be taken into account. An item which is of a lower tier, but is more suited for the hero’s abilities is able to provide more value than a higher tier item that does not add much. Hence, knowing how the neutral items are tiered and using those to make a strategic decision is one of the most important parts of mastering Dota 2.
Patch 7.37: Removed and Re-added Neutral Items
It is never easy to part ways with these items, but it appears to be the case in Patch 7.37. Below are the items removed in Patch 7.37.
Ironwood tree was used by heroes who needed extra help in the fight. However iron wood tree is reminisce of old dotes because of its crafting requirement. It will still be useful in 5 bout and roles that still allow it to be! Hub potent item and worth the cons! For better understanding! Here is an explanation of how effective the ironwood tree was during the battle.
Flooded Bastion It was used to inflict a massive amount of damage to heroes struggling in mid game and gorrid enabled them to pounch through towards end game with ease. Ironwood tree did aggro many spells but it came with passive which enabled you to use your other traits who’s skill cooldown were 90 sec or lower. Overall flood bastion was very underrated in the eyes many players and never got the initial recognition it earned.
Martyr's Plate was one of the scariest items i came across as It enabled you to build a team around with countless builds and included the infamous passive which allowed you to take any chunk of magic damage. Ending towers could even hope for a good fight with martyr’s plate because it was still unknown how much damage was absorbed due to lack of cool downs and demoreres that were hidden away, slowly buildings started falling as long range heros that were targeting me were flowering anumarins. Overall I think martyr’s plate allowed for easy building which many people overlooking.
Fairy Trinket was a great item across the entire game and should Acknowledge how effective a ironwood tree pointer to have with hero’s because while having a mana that was constantly draining, amarash let off a couple razes that utterly shredded their team apart.
Ironwood Tree makes a return as a Tier 1 neutral item that provides tree planting abilities and small boosts in the attributes. It would provide some benefits for the likes of Timbersaw and Monkey King. It was delisted in the August season of 2021 but Dota 2 is once again listing it.
Iron Talon (Tier 2)
+20 Attack Speed +4 Armor Active: Chop – deals 80% of HP of a non-friendly unit capable of being controlled by the enemy. Also, it can instantly break trees. The cooldown for a unit is 20 seconds whereas it is 4 seconds for trees.
Iron Talon, which quickens the jungle for farming and gives early boost has made its comeback in the Tier 2 category. This item was added to the patch 7.23 and is making a return after 2 years of absence.
Strategies for Using Neutral Items
Credit: Valve Corporation
Using neutral items efficiently would require an understanding of the game mechanics, the heroes, and most importantly the neutral items themselves. For instance, T1 provides items such as Safety Bubble enabling survival in the early stages while other items like Unwavering Condition T5 are several tiers high and have the potential to change the game towards the very end.
Understanding which item suits your hero the most, and at what point of the game it should be deployed, is a way to ensure focusing on winning critical battles and, therefore, the game.






