Let’s take a look at how to utilize Templar Assassin’s damage to its full potential.
Templar Assassin is often referred to as one of the biggest physical damage dealers in the game. She is a hero that can one-shot almost anyone, as long as she gets the right items and has a good laning stage. Speaking of the devil, we are going to take a look at both of those things in this article. Hopefully, it will help you make the most while playing with this amazing hero.
Get Desolator as fast as possible
One of the most important things you need to remember about Templar Assassin is she needs to get Desolator as fast as possible. This is the item that completely changes the game for TA, which makes it extremely important.
Usually, TA should have Desolator before the 15-minute mark if she wants to make the most out of it. That’s because this item is a lot more effective early on, especially against support heroes. If TA gets this item later on, it won’t do that much damage, which means it will slow down her snowballing effect.
In order to get Desolator, TA should try to farm the side camps, as well as the lane. This seems complicated, but thanks to Psi Blades, `she can easily kill creeps in a matter of seconds. Needless to say, you have to utilize this to its full potential if you want to be successful.
In some situations it is better to level Meld during the laning stage
Almost all Templar Assassin players prefer to get Refraction and Psi Blades during the laning stage. These two spells allow the hero to farm fast and save itself from most damage sources. Although they usually do the job, there are some cases where it is definitely better to get Meld.
There are some heroes, such as Viper and Pudge, who can easily destroy you Refraction in a few seconds. In this case, it is not worth it to level this skill because it won’t help you at all. Instead, it is better to get Meld and use it offensively to bully the enemy heroes when they try to be aggressive. Many people underestimate the power of this ability, but once you get Desolator or at least a part of it, you can do tons of damage and even two-shot your opponent.
TA relies on snowballing, so make sure to kill as many heroes as you can
Some heroes in Dota 2 are more special than others, and Templar Assassin is definitely one of them. She’s a hero who’s notorious for its damage capabilities, but in order to take advantage of them, it needs to snowball. The latter is a term used in Dota 2 when a hero keeps getting stronger by securing kills and items. Being under the effect of “snowballing” is great, but sometimes, it is just impossible to do that.
Templar Assassin is a hero that can bounce back relatively easily because she can farm fast. However, if she gets killed a couple of times early on and slows her items’ progression, she won’t be nearly as dangerous as she would if she gets a couple of kills. Hence, it is extremely important to do be careful and try to get a solid start to the game.
Her peak moment is in the mid game, even though she is pretty strong later on
Since TA is a hero that relies on snowballing, it probably doesn’t come as a surprise that she shines the most during the mid game. This is where she deals more damage than almost any other hero in Dota 2. In other words, you should try to make the most out of her during that time.
Unlike other mid laner heroes, TA can also do pretty well in the late game, especially against other mid laners. However, she is not super strong versus the classic agility carries, such as Spectre, Anti-Mage, Morphling, and more. Hence, it is definitely advisable to make the most while you are at your peak.
Try to combine TA with heroes like Slardar and Spirit Breaker
The last thing you can do if you want to utilize this hero’s damage capabilities is to combine it with others. Although there are all sorts of possible combinations to choose from, most people prefer to combine TA with Slardar or Spirit Breaker. Both heroes are good because they have a stun, which allows Templar Assassin to deal a lot of damage.
Slardar is probably one of the best heroes to use in a team with TA (apart from Drow Ranger and Vengeful Spirit) because of his ultimate. Once he reduces the target’s armor, TA can crush it in a matter of seconds. Thanks to Desolator and Meld, she can do more than 400 damage with one attack, which is really impressive.