How to Play Centaur Warrunner in Dota 2 [Full Guide]

Centaur Warrunner is one of the most straightforward offlaners in the game. He has a simple skillset and has pretty simple jobs in fights. Overall, he’s one of the easiest Dota 2 heroes to learn. If you’re looking to get started in the offlane role, I’ll teach you how to play Centaur Warrunner in this guide. 

Centaur Warrunner Overview

Centaur Warrunner is most commonly played in the Dota 2 offlane role. In fact, he doesn’t really have any flex potential, so no mid, carry, or support Centaur gameplay, please!

He’s equipped with everything an offlaner wants. He has an area-of-effect stun, he’s naturally tanky, and he has an ultimate ability that helps his entire team. He’s the definition of a team-oriented hero, and has no potential to “carry” a game on his own by dealing damage.

So, when you’re playing this hero, make sure you don’t have those semi-carry thoughts looming in your head. This hero is made for team players! 

How to REALLY Use Centaur Warrunner’s Abilities

Centaur Warrunner is one of the best Dota 2 heroes for beginners, as his abilities are pretty easy to understand. Here’s how you can use them to their full potential. 

Hoof Stomp (Q)

Centaur does exactly what you’d expect a centaur to do. With Hoof Stomp, he stomps the ground, stunning all enemies around him within the radius and deals damage. 

Hoof Stomp is your main initiating tool, which is also what makes Centaur a solid teamfighting hero. Area-of-effect stuns with this big of a radius are pretty rare in Dota, making this a very valuable ability. 

It’s worth noting that there’s a noticeable cast animation before the stun actually lands, so enemies have a bit of time to react. However, during this animation, you’re free to move around, giving you extra time to re-aim your stun while Centaur is winding up.

Double Edge (W)

The ability’s name might have already given you a hint, but Double Edge allows Centaur to deal a solid amount of damage to enemies, but it also damages himself. It’s a point-target spell, but enemies very close to the target also take damage, making it a small AoE spell.

Double Edge is Centaur’s main damage tool, serving as his reliable nuke. It works well on heroes, but also on creeps. He can use Double Edge to amplify his farm, as the radius is big enough to hit multiple creeps close to the main target. You can also clump creeps up before using the spell to ensure you get maximum value. 

Double Edge has really good base damage already, but it also deals extra damage based on Centaur’s Strength attributes. This means the more Strength he has, the more damage Double Edge will deal.

This spell doesn’t cost mana, but because it costs health instead, you still can’t spam it infinitely. This is why buying items like Heart of Tarrasque is very popular on this hero. Not only does he get bonus Strength attributes for additional Double Edge damage, but he also heals up, helping him sustain while spamming this spell. 

Retaliate (E)

Retaliate is a passive ability. Centaur pretty much returns damage to enemies who attack him. This applies to enemy heroes, creeps, and towers too – anything that attacks Centaur with physical attacks will automatically take damage from him. Any damage from spells does not count, however.

Retaliate reflects a fixed base damage per hit, but like Double Edge, it also scales based on Centaur’s current Strength. 

This ability is primarily what makes Centaur a very solid laner. Retaliate reflects a respectable amount of damage in the early game, making enemies think twice before harassing him. 

It is also an amazing farming tool. You can farm Dota 2 creeps by just having them attack you. If you’re tanky enough, you can even let enemy towers attack you, as they will also take damage. However, damage to towers is reduced by 50%. 

Retaliate is yet another reason for Centaur to buy tanky items, allowing him to survive longer and reflect more hits.  

Stampede (R)

Centaur’s ultimate ability is a fun one. Stampede is an active spell that, when used, gives him and his entire team hasted (maximum) movement speed for several seconds. This is a global spell, so all teammates get the buff, no matter where they are on the map. 

Stampede has flexible uses. It can serve as an escape ability, allowing Centaur to bail out himself or his teammates who are in trouble. That’s why it’s important for Centaur players to keep an eye on the minimap.

On the other hand, it’s also a great tool for fights. Centaur can use it to chase down enemies and reliably land his stun. Or, he can Blink Dagger in and stun enemies, then activate it to have his teammates follow up. 

It’s also worth noting that heroes buffed by Stampede can trample enemy units. If they pass through enemies, they deal a small amount of damage and slow enemy movement speed by 100% for 3 seconds. All you need to do to trample enemies is walk past them or at least have your hero models touch. 

Important: Centaur Warrunner Innate Ability

Centaur Warrunner’s Dota 2 innate ability is called Horsepower. This ability gives Centaur more movement speed depending on how much Strength he has.

The most important part is that this ability is considered in the same movement speed group as Boots of Speed and all of its upgrades. So, you should not buy any form of boots on this hero, as you won’t get additional movement speed from them!

Centaur is one of the only Dota 2 heroes that doesn’t have to buy boots, so save your gold for something else.

Centaur Warrunner Aghanim’s Shard and Scepter Upgrades

Like every other hero in Dota 2, Centaur is also equipped with a set of Aghanim’s upgrades. Let’s quickly take a look and assess whether any of them are worth buying. 

Aghanim’s Shard Upgrade: Upgraded Double Edge

Centaur’s Dota 2 Aghanim’s Shard upgrade allows Double Edge to apply movement speed slows to enemy units, while also increasing Centaur’s Strength per hero hit for a few seconds.

If we’ve learned anything at all earlier, it’s that Centaur thrives on more Strength. He deals more damage via Double Edge, reflects more damage, and also gains more movement speed.

However, the increased strength buff only lasts several seconds. Overall, it’s a pretty decent Shard, but not a top priority item. 

Aghanim’s Scepter Upgrade: New Ability – Work Horse

Centaur has one of the funniest Aghanim’s Scepter upgrades in the game, but it’s actually a very good pickup.

He gets a new ability – Work Horse. When Centaur activates it, he creates a cart right behind him that follows him around. Then, he has the option to use Hitch A Ride, which pretty much tosses a selected ally into the cart.

While the ally is in the cart, they can attack, use items, and cast spells normally. The most important part is that they also become invulnerable. They cannot be attacked, take damage, or have enemies hurl spells at them.

The only downside is they cannot move around freely since they’re stuck in the cart. So, Centaur needs to be the one driving the wheel for himself and the ally in the cart.

This Aghanim’s Scepter works as an excellent saving ability. You can bail teammates out with this spell. It also works very well with ranged “turret” heroes like Medusa, as they can freely hit enemies while staying invulnerable. 

Best Centaur Warrunner Ability Build

Now, let’s take a look at how Centaur Warrunner’s abilities are usually built:

The first spell to max out is almost always Retaliate. It’s your most reliable way of dealing damage in the early game, and is by far the most efficient way to farm. And, you don’t need to spend any mana or too much health on farming creeps with it. You just reflect damage for free and get easy farm.

The next ability to focus on is Hoof Stomp. It’s your main fighting tool and your way of contributing to fights. Double Edge comes last, as Centaur doesn’t really have enough Strength and health to spam Double Edge in the early game anyway. 

Best Item Build for Centaur Warrunner

Centaur primarily focuses on buying team-oriented items or items that increase his Strength. So, you’ll typically be buying the same items in most games, though the order might change from time to time. He’s how you will typically build Centaur’s items.

Early Game Items

Centaur’s early game items are pretty straightforward. You want to buy a Bracer or two, as it increases your health regen and your Strength to sustain in lane. Remember, you do not need to buy boots at all! This saves you 500 gold to invest in a Bracer or Magic Wand instead.

If you’re new to playing Centaur, I highly recommend buying a Vanguard immediately after. It gives you more tankiness and health regen to spam Double Edge. On top of that, it also lets you tank creeps to reflect damage with Retaliate. It’s just such a feel-good item. 

Core Items

Unfortunately, playing Centaur does mean you have to do a little bit of thinking with your core items. There are several items to go for, and it really depends on the matchup you’re in. Here are the most common items you’ll see on Centaur, but this doesn’t mean you have to get them all. It’s usually a combination of three of these items. 

• Blade Mail: Centaur is all about reflecting damage, so you can double down with Blade Mail to do what you do best. It’s a  good pickup if the enemy team has a lot of uncontrollable damage. 
• Blink Dagger: As an offlaner, your role is to initiate fights, which is why Blink Dagger is recommended. However, Centaur can also initiate fights with Stampede. If you feel like other items are more important than Blink, you can get it a little later. 
• Pipe of Insight: If you’re playing against an enemy lineup with a ton of magic damage, Pipe is highly recommended. This item not only helps your entire team, but also helps yourself. Centaur has a lot of built-in health, but he’s not naturally very resistant to magic damage.
• Crimson Guard: If the enemy team has a lot of physical damage or small instances of physical damage, Crimson Guard is a great item, especially if you have already built Vanguard. Vanguard is the most expensive component, so finishing this item won’t cost you too much more. 
• Lotus Orb: Centaur always wants to get in the middle of fights, and Lotus Orb helps him do just that. It’s worth noting that Centaur doesn’t have the highest armor, either. Lotus gives him that extra armor that helps him become tankier overall. 

Luxury Items

Once you have around three of the core items discussed above completed, you can progress to luxury items. Again, you have several choices, but only so many slots. You can choose your final items from these options: 

• Shiva’s Guard: This item does exactly what Centaur needs and wants to do. It gives him armor and makes him more of a threat when he’s in the middle of fights. It’s hands-down one of the most impactful items he can buy.
• Heart of Tarrasque: As we’ve learned above, Centaur loves having more Strength, and Heart gives him plenty of it. This is why you’ll sometimes see people buy not one, but even two Hearts. Yes, they stack. But the problem is, smart enemies are just going to ignore you in fights. 
• Aghanim’s Scepter: I’ve touched on Aghanim’s Scepter earlier, and as funny as the item sounds, it’s legitimately a good pickup. It’s especially good if you have a ranged carry hero. 
• Overwhelming Blink: If you already have a Blink Dagger, you can upgrade it to Overwhelming Blink. It gives you strength and also lets you deal more damage when initiating fights. 
• Black King Bar: Though it doesn’t feel nice to buy BKB on Centaur, it’s sometimes necessary. If you really need this item, do pick it up.  

How to Play Centaur Warrunner by Phase

Finally, I’ll give you a game plan for how Centaur should be played in all stages of the game. Here are your goals for the early, mid, and late portions of the game.

Early Game: Win the Lane and Take the Enemy Tower

As long as you have a decent matchup, Centaur is one of the stronger laners in the game. Feel free to contest lanes knowing Retaliate does a crap ton of damage in the early game if you level it up quickly. 

If the lane seems difficult, there’s nothing stopping you from going in between the enemy towers and dragging the wave. Centaur can farm waves this way very quickly with two or more points in Retaliate. This means you can completely dodge the laning stage.

After picking up your Vanguard, you can now put pressure on the tower. You can purposely tank tower hits to reflect damage and chip the tower down. You can also stand behind the tower and clear the enemy creep wave, so your own creeps go straight to attacking the tower. Of course, make sure it’s safe to make this play before you do!

Mid Game: Farm Aggressively and Join Fights

As an offlaner, Centaur must follow the Dota 2 offlane farming patterns, meaning he’ll have to opt for more aggressive farm. This means you’re farming the outer portions of your side of the map, like near the sidelanes or enemy camps. Centaur farms very quickly with max-level Retaliate, so it’s not too difficult. 

With or without a Blink Dagger, Centaur can always join fights. He can use Stampede to close the gap when initiating. He also has an AoE stun, which is always a solid teamfighting tool. Ideally, you also want to contribute with aura items like Pipe or Crimson to make sure your team is strong in these fights. 

Late Game: Get In There!

Once you’ve entered the late game and have several items in your arsenal, it’s time to get in there. Initiate fights, go into the middle of everywhere, and just be an annoying presence. Walk up to people, stun them, and try zoning the enemies away from the rest of your team.

This is why items like Blade Mail and Shiva’s Guard are highly recommended on this hero. The enemy team wants to ignore you, but if they do, you just become such a nuisance for them.

Your goal isn’t necessarily to deal damage – it’s to put enemies in uncomfortable positions or help your teammates to their jobs without getting interrupted. That’s Centaur’s true role.