Specialist's Array
Blade of Alacrity
Broadsword
Dragon Lance
Belt of Strength
Orb of Venom
Recipe
Hydra's Breath in Dota 2: who buys it, when it wins and what it costs
Kevin · Dota2Arena · updated Oct 28, 2026 · numbers live from our scannerHydra's Breath costs 5,900 gold and shows up in 19% of ranked matches. Players holding it at the end win 59.3% of their games across 444,411 inventories, most often on Sniper and Vengeful Spirit. It wins most in the early game (90.1%) and least in the late game (54.0%).
What Hydra's Breath does
Passive: Miasma
Attacks poison enemies, dealing 2.5% of the target's Max HP as Magical Damage per second for 3 seconds.
Passive: Polycephaly
Ranged attacks have a 30% chance to fire additional projectiles at up to 3 nearby enemies with 150 extra range and within a 120 degree angle in front of the attacker. The additional projectiles deal 20 + 75% damage of a normal attack and do not trigger on hit effects except for Miasma. The primary attack deals 20 + 100% damage of a normal attack.
In numbers: +15 strength, +30 agility, +25 damage, +150 attack range.
- Attack Range bonuses from Monkey King Bar and Dragon Lance and its upgrades do not stack.
Who buys Hydra's Breath
The share says how many games of a hero end with Hydra's Breath 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sniper | 26% | 57.8% | 106,263 |
| Vengeful Spirit | 27% | 62.3% | 53,026 |
| Windranger | 13% | 61.1% | 48,317 |
| Drow Ranger | 10% | 56.3% | 30,738 |
| Viper | 14% | 55.6% | 23,063 |
| Morphling | 28% | 63.0% | 21,354 |
| Nature's Prophet | 11% | 54.0% | 19,792 |
| Arc Warden | 18% | 65.0% | 18,027 |
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 | 90.1% | 1,915 |
| Mid game | 25–40 min | 71.4% | 132,147 |
| Late game | over 40 min | 54.0% | 310,626 |
What to combine it with
These items sit in the same final inventory as Hydra's Breath 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 | 68% | 1,400 |
 Black King Bar | 34% | 4,050 |
 Mjollnir | 27% | 5,500 |
 Daedalus | 26% | 5,200 |
 Manta Style | 23% | 4,650 |
 Butterfly | 19% | 5,450 |
 Wraith Band | 19% | 505 |
 Aghanim's Scepter | 17% | 4,200 |
Frequently asked questions
Is Hydra's Breath good right now?
In our window Hydra's Breath ends up in winning inventories 59.3% of the time across 444,411 ranked games, above the 50 % mark. It does best in the early game (90.1%) and worst in the late game (54.0%).
Which heroes buy Hydra's Breath?
Sniper (26% of games), Vengeful Spirit (27% of games), Windranger (13% of games), Drow Ranger (10% of games), Viper (14% of games). The highest win rate with it belongs to Clinkz at 65.9%.
How much does Hydra's Breath cost and what do you need?
Hydra's Breath costs 5,900 gold in total: Specialist's Array (2,550), Dragon Lance (1,900), Orb of Venom (350) and a recipe for 1,100.