Break in Dota 2

Dota 2 has dozens of mechanics, and some of the most impactful ones aren’t obvious at first glance. Break is a mechanic that doesn’t come with flashy animations, but it is one of the most effective ways to shut down heroes completely. Here’s everything you need to know about the Break mechanic.

What is Break in Dota 2?

In Dota 2, Break is a debuff that disables a hero’s passive abilities temporarily. When a hero is affected by Break, any skills that are labeled as a “passive” simply stop functioning for the duration. There are no reductions or partial effects – they just completely turn off.

That being said, Break is extremely useful against heroes that are built around passives. Some heroes become tanky, while others get to dish out insurmountable damage with their passive abilities. This is where Break comes in – removing such passives makes such heroes far weaker than intended.

It is worth noting that Break only disables passive abilities, not:

• Active abilities
• Passive items
• Auras
• Talents (unless affecting passive abilities)

If Break is applied to a hero, there will be an indicator above the hero’s health bar, giving you confirmation that their passive abilities are currently disabled. Break doesn’t stack, since there is also no reason for it.

How Does Break Work?

In practice, Break works just like any other form of disable in the game. After applying it onto an enemy, the hero will fall under its effect, and all passive abilities are disabled until the debuff expires or is dispelled.

Let’s take Axe as an example. His passive ability is Counter Helix. If Axe is under Break, his ability will be shut down for its duration. Counter Helix will not trigger at all, and he won’t be spinning until the duration ends.

Break and Auras

It’s important to understand that passives and auras are not the same thing, so Break interacts with them differently. Item-based auras are not disabled by Break. For example, Vladimir’s Offering or Assault Cuirass. These auras come from Dota 2 items, not hero passives, so Break has no impact on them.

However, passive abilities that emit auras are a different case – they are disabled by Break because the aura originates from the hero’s passive skill. A clear example is Necrophos’ Heartstopper Aura. Though it has “Aura” in its name, when Necrophos is affected by break, the aura completely stops functioning.

So, what matters here is the source of the aura. If it comes from a passive ability, Break shuts it down; if it comes from an item, it remains active.

Break and Illusions

Break also affects illusions. So, if an illusion is broken, it also loses all passive effects, just like the real hero.

As an example, we’ll use Luna and her Moon Glaives. If Luna’s illusion is broken, the illusion will not emit Moon Glaives at all, just like how it’d work if the real hero were broken.

Break and Certain Abilities

Though Break’s sole purpose is to disable passive abilities, not all abilities are affected by Break. There are several ones, especially ultimates, that cannot be broken:

Some of the most influential ones include:

• Medusa’s Mana Shield
• Pudge’s Flesh Heap
• Tiny’s Grow
• Wraith King’s Reincarnation
• Meepo’s Divided We Stand

So, you can’t simply prevent Wraith King from reincarnating, or delete all of Meepo’s clones by breaking them. However, Break still covers almost every passive in the game, so you have a lot of room to work with.

Sources of Break in Dota 2

Breaks do not appear randomly. It only comes from specific heroes and items.

Heroes That Apply Break

Only several heroes have Break as built-in abilities, making them natural counters to heroes that love relying on passive abilities. Here is a table with every hero’s ability that provides Break:

​This is why you’ll often see Viper and Hoodwink get picked against passive-based heroes. They are the only heroes in the game that provide Break naturally and do not require additional items or talents.

Items That Apply Break

There are only two items in Dota 2 that provide Break. Let’s go over each one:

Silver Edge

Silver Edge is by far the most common source of Break. Attacking from invisibility applies Break for several seconds, making it a viable counter that can be picked up on any hero.

It’s also worth mentioning Silver Edge’s Break is undispellable, meaning you cannot purge it with Black King Bar or strong dispels like Apothic Shield. Silver Edge is the most reliable source of Break.

Khanda

Not all heroes are suited to buy Silver Edge just for its Break mechanic, so this is where Khanda comes in.

With Khanda, the next Unit Target spell you cast on an enemy applies Break. So, this also allows spell-casting heroes to get themselves a source of Break.

Best Heroes to Use Break Against

There’s no denying some heroes are only “strong” because of their passive abilities. This is why Break is particularly used to make them significantly weaker. Here are some of the best heroes to apply Break on:

Bristleback

Bristleback is perhaps the most famous Break target. He gets his tankiness and damage reduction from his passive ability – Bristleback – and being broken turns him into a surprisingly squishy hero. It also helps that his ultimate is also a passive ability, so you’re hitting two birds with one stone.

Spectre

Spectre is another hero that Break is extremely effective against. Breaking her will disable Desolate and Dispersion, which are both her sources of damage output and survivability. Not only does she become easier to burst down, but she also deals significantly less damage.

Phantom Assassin

Coup de Grace is the primary source of Phantom Assassin’s overwhelming damage. Additionally, Blur, which makes her difficult to take down, is also a passive ability. So, you’re taking away two of her most important abilities out of the equation by breaking her.

Huskar

Huskar’s entire concept revolves around his passive ability – Berserker’s Blood. He plays on low health to benefit from the additional attack speed and magic resistance from his passive ability. If you take Berserker’s Blood away from him, he essentially becomes useless for the duration.

Timbersaw

Reactive Armor is what makes Timbersaw extremely tanky and difficult to bring down. When broken, all of his Reactive Armor stacks disappear, and he becomes very easy to kill, even with physical damage.

How to Play Against Break

If you’re one of the heroes we’ve just discussed in the previous section, playing against Break can feel absolutely miserable. It’s like having your entire life’s purpose taken away from you. However, there are ways to play around it.

The most important concept is stalling the Break duration. Break effects only last several seconds, and the sources for them are scarce. Realistically, you’ll probably only face one consistent way of being broken in your average Dota game. Instead of being useless in the middle of a fight when broken, your goal should be to disengage and wait it out.

Items that help you reposition or buy time are what’s going to help. Force Staff, ideally from teammates, lets you push yourself out of danger and kite, so you can run away and reset the fight.

Eul’s Scepter is a valuable pickup, even on heroes like Bristleback and Timbersaw. Lifting yourself in the air lasts close to 3 seconds, and considering most Break sources only last 4 to 6 seconds, you’re essentially dodging more than half of its duration.

And of course, Black King Bar is also useful against dispellable Breaks, giving you an immediate solution. In short, don’t try fighting through Break. Respect it, disengage, and re-enter once the effect runs out.