Mithril Hammer
Orb of Blight
Desolator in Dota 2: who buys it, when it wins and what it costs
Kevin · Dota2Arena · updated Oct 28, 2026 · numbers live from our scannerDesolator costs 3,500 gold and shows up in 40% of ranked matches. Players holding it at the end win 54.8% of their games across 1,020,797 inventories, most often on Phantom Assassin and Templar Assassin. It wins most in the early game (82.3%) and least in the late game (51.2%).
What Desolator does
Passive: Corruption
Your attacks reduce the target's armor by -6 for 7 seconds.
Passive: Soul Stealer
Desolator gains +2 damage every time an enemy hero dies while affected by Corruption, to a maximum of 30.
In numbers: +55 damage.
- Armor reduction works on buildings.
Who buys Desolator
The share says how many games of a hero end with Desolator 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Phantom Assassin | 81% | 55.4% | 224,574 |
| Templar Assassin | 94% | 46.0% | 95,461 |
| Wraith King | 28% | 61.8% | 79,167 |
| Clinkz | 86% | 51.9% | 77,509 |
| Dawnbreaker | 35% | 58.9% | 67,632 |
| Kez | 81% | 47.5% | 64,522 |
| Weaver | 52% | 49.6% | 54,993 |
| Sniper | 10% | 54.2% | 42,391 |
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 | 82.3% | 17,109 |
| Mid game | 25–40 min | 58.3% | 441,027 |
| Late game | over 40 min | 51.2% | 563,294 |
What to combine it with
These items sit in the same final inventory as Desolator most often (based on every 4th match). Boots and other staples appear on almost every list; the interesting entries are the ones specific to this item.
| Item | In the same inventory | Cost |
|---|---|---|
 Power Treads | 52% | 1,400 |
 Black King Bar | 49% | 4,050 |
 Phase Boots | 28% | 1,450 |
 Blink Dagger | 26% | 2,250 |
 Battle Fury | 21% | 3,900 |
 Daedalus | 20% | 5,200 |
 Satanic | 14% | 5,050 |
 Monkey King Bar | 13% | 5,000 |
Frequently asked questions
Is Desolator good right now?
In our window Desolator ends up in winning inventories 54.8% of the time across 1,020,797 ranked games, above the 50 % mark. It does best in the early game (82.3%) and worst in the late game (51.2%).
Which heroes buy Desolator?
Phantom Assassin (81% of games), Templar Assassin (94% of games), Wraith King (28% of games), Clinkz (86% of games), Dawnbreaker (35% of games). The highest win rate with it belongs to Wraith King at 61.8%.
How much does Desolator cost and what do you need?
Desolator costs 3,500 gold in total: Mithril Hammer (1,600), Mithril Hammer (1,600), Orb of Blight (300) and a recipe for 0.