Book of the Dead in Dota 2: who buys it, when it wins and what it costs
Kevin · Dota2Arena · updated Oct 28, 2026 · numbers live from our scannerBook of the Dead is a neutral item that shows up in 2% of ranked matches. Players holding it at the end win 55.8% of their games across 47,228 inventories, most often on Pudge and Rubick.
What Book of the Dead does
Active: Greater Demonic Summoning
Summon 2 demonic warriors and 2 demonic archers that last 65 seconds. The Warrior burns mana every hit and deals magical damage to whoever kills it. The Archer has a basic dispel ability with a slow and a passive movement speed aura.
- The Demonic Warrior has 1600 Health, 4 Armor, 40% Magic Resistance, 380 Movement Speed, 134 Attack Damage, 50 Mana Burn on Hit, and deals 800 Damage on Death.
- The Demonic Archer has 1300 Health, 4 Armor, 40% Magic Resistance, 425 Movement Speed, 131 Attack Damage, a basic dispel ability with a slow on a 15s Cooldown, and a 9% Bonus Movement Speed Aura.
Who buys Book of the Dead
The share says how many games of a hero end with Book of the Dead in the inventory, the win rate is that hero's win rate in exactly those games. A high share with an average win rate means the item is standard on the hero; a low share with a high win rate means it is a situational pick that works when it is needed.
| Hero | Share of games | Win rate with it | Games |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pudge | 0% | 56.4% | 1,720 |
| Rubick | 0% | 52.7% | 1,617 |
| Techies | 1% | 55.5% | 1,604 |
| Lion | 0% | 60.6% | 1,527 |
| Witch Doctor | 0% | 54.0% | 1,467 |
| Shadow Shaman | 0% | 57.8% | 1,371 |
| Lich | 0% | 56.5% | 1,015 |
| Invoker | 0% | 54.2% | 1,010 |
When to buy it
Win rate by match length tells you in which kind of game the item pays off. Items that win short games are usually bought early and snowball; items that win long games are late-game purchases or things you buy when the game is already going well, so read the number as "games with this item at this length" rather than as advice to rush it.
| Phase | Match length | Win rate | Games |
|---|---|---|---|
| Early game | under 25 min | – | 0 |
| Mid game | 25–40 min | – | 0 |
| Late game | over 40 min | 55.8% | 47,254 |
Frequently asked questions
Is Book of the Dead good right now?
In our window Book of the Dead ends up in winning inventories 55.8% of the time across 47,228 ranked games, above the 50 % mark.
Which heroes buy Book of the Dead?
Pudge (0% of games), Rubick (0% of games), Techies (1% of games), Lion (0% of games), Witch Doctor (0% of games). The highest win rate with it belongs to Lion at 60.6%.