How to Play Ogre Magi in Dota 2 [Full Guide]

Ogre Magi is one of the most popular Dota 2 support heroes for pub players. He’s a very easy hero to play and also has a twist that makes gameplay very fun. 

If you want to turn off your brain when playing support, I’ll teach you how to play Ogre Magi in this detailed Dota 2 guide. 

Ogre Magi Hero Overview

Ogre Magi is primarily played in the support role, mostly in the fifth position, to be exact. He’s extremely easy to play and a perfect Dota 2 hero for beginners. 

Ogre is a solid laner and doesn’t require too many items to function, though he does have a not-so-secret method of printing out gold. 

His iconic ultimate ability is Multicast, allowing his spells and item usages to be cast multiple times. There’s nothing more satisfying than seeing yourself hit the highest Multicast possible. 

How to REALLY Use Ogre Magi’s Abilities

Ogre Magi’s abilities are pretty straightforward, but let’s learn what they do and how you can actually use them to their full potential. 

Fireblast (Q)

Ogre Magi’s first spell is Fireblast, and it’s as simple as it gets. When this ability is used, Ogre Magi stuns an enemy unit and also deals damage to the target. It’s a point-target spell, meaning all you have to do is point it at an enemy hero and click. 

However, there are some downsides to this ability. On its own, Fireblast doesn’t deal the biggest damage or have the longest stun duration. On top of that, it has a relatively small cast range compared to other stuns in the game.

This ability only reaches its full potential when Ogre’s ultimate ability is online, which we’ll get to later. 

Ignite (W)

Ignite is another point-target ability. Here, Ogre Magi hurls a bunch of chemical potions at enemies which explode and turn into fire. As a result, affected enemies take damage per second and have their movement speed slowed by 25%.

Ignite actually affects up to two targets. The first target is the initial enemy you clicked the spell on, and the second one is a random enemy unit nearby. This means there’s a chance Ignite lands on two enemy heroes instead of just one. 

This is Ogre’s most useful spell in the Dota 2 early game and is what makes him such a strong laner. It’s a very effective harassing tool that can also give him kill potential. Ignite is hands-down Ogre’s most reliable way of dealing damage to enemy heroes. 

Bloodlust (E)

What a surprise – Ogre has yet another point-target spell. However, this time, it’s a buff for allies. Teammates who receive Bloodlust gain increased movement speed and bonus attack speed for 30 seconds.

Though it’s primarily core heroes that benefit from the attack speed, it’s safe to say almost all heroes appreciate the movement speed. Bloodlust can also be used on other allied units such as towers, illusions, and creeps. It’s just a very convenient spell to have for your team.

You can right-click Bloodlust’s ability icon to turn it into auto-cast mode, which will automatically make Ogre cast Bloodlust on the closest allied heroes who do not have the buff yet. However, this could drain your mana, as Ogre doesn’t have the largest mana pool. 

You should always prioritize casting Bloodlust on core heroes who are farming creeps, as it’ll amplify their farm. If the team is looking for a fight, feel free to Bloodlust everyone, as the movement speed is always nice, regardless of the hero. 

Multicast (R)

Now, Ogre Magi’s ultimate is where every one of his abilities starts to make sense. Multicast is a passive ability that grants Ogre the chance to cast his abilities and items multiple times, completely disregarding their cooldowns.

Depending on the ability’s level, Ogre can multicast up to four times! This is why you might see him cast Fireblast three times, or throw a total of eight potions from a single use of Ignite. He also has a chance of buffing half of his team with Multicase from a single cast. 

The craziest part about the ability is that it also works on items. This is exactly why you’ll see many Ogre players going for Hand of Midas, as there’s a chance of transmuting multiple creeps in one go. This also means you can Dagon or Hex multiple enemy heroes, or cast two or more Solar Crests at the same time. 

But of course, all of this comes down to chance. You can’t expect every cast of Fireblast to be multicast, but you’re bound to see a 4x at some point in the game. 

Innate Ability: Dumb Luck

All it takes is one good look to tell that Ogre Magi doesn’t necessarily look like the smartest hero in the game. This is where his innate ability comes in.

Ogre Magi’s Dota 2 innate ability causes him to have zero intelligence – his intelligence attribute is locked at zero for the entire game no matter how many stat boosting items you buy. Instead, it’s his strength attribute that grants him mana and mana regeneration.

This means you will still have mana and mana regeneration to function as a proper hero – nothing to worry about!

Ogre Magi Aghanim’s Shard and Scepter Upgrades

Like every Dota 2 hero in the game, Ogre Magi is also equipped with upgrades to his Aghanim’s Scepter and Shard. Let’s go over them, as they’re definitely worth checking out.

Aghanim’s Shard Upgrade: New Ability – Fire Shield

Ogre’s Aghanim’s Shard upgrade grants him a new ability called Fire Shield. He can cast this ability on allies or himself, giving the target a shield. This shield absorbs a percentage of incoming damage from the next few attacks from enemy heroes. 

When the shield absorbs damage from an opponent, a fireball is launched at the original attacker. Overall, it’s just a very convenient spell that makes your allies a little tanker, and a way for you to find guaranteed impact in fights. 

Aghanim’s Scepter Upgrade: New Ability – Unrefined Fireblast

Ogre gets another new ability with his Aghanim’s Scepter, and this one is very unique. He pretty much gets a second Fireblast called Unrefined Fireblast. It does the exact same thing as the original Fireblast, so you can now stun enemies twice, with both instances having the chance to multicast.

The interesting part about the Unrefined Fireblast is how its mana cost works. It doesn’t follow a fixed mana cost, and instead uses a percentage of your current mana. This means it can cost you 500 mana to cast, or only 20. Since it’s based on the current mana you have, you are guaranteed to always have enough mana to cast the spell. So, if you want to be as mana-efficient as possible with it, you should cast Unrefined Fireblast after you’ve cast your other spells in a fight.

Overall, Ogre has some of the most impactful Aghanim’s upgrades among all Dota 2 support heroes, and you should aim to get both whenever possible. 

Best Ogre Magi Ability Build

Ogre Magi’s ability build is almost always the same every game, so it’s worth learning the best order. Here’s how the typical build looks:

The first ability you want to max out is always Ignite. It’s your most valuable spell in the early game and your most reliable damage tool. Use it to harass enemies and deal consistent damage over time in fights.

Fireblast doesn’t actually scale too well per level, as its stun duration stays the same across all levels. So, I recommend keeping it at level 1 and maxing out Bloodlust first. 

Best Item Build for Ogre Magi

As mentioned above, Ogre Magi is often played in the hard support position, so don’t expect to buy too many items. That said, you still need to buy some, so here’s how most of the best Dota 2 support players players go about it.

Early Game Items

Ogre is one of the strongest laning supports in the game, so you have to make sure you find maximum impact in the early game. Here are some common items you should buy:

• Ring of Basilius: Ogre loves spamming his spells in lane, but doesn’t have the greatest mana regen. Not only does Ring of Basilius solve that for him, but his laning partner benefits from it too.
• Magic Stick/Wand: A Stick or Wand is a non-negotiable on Ogre. He loves fighting and has a low mana pool, so the charges help him out a ton.
• Infused Raindrop: An underrated item I highly recommend buying would be the Infused Raindrop. This item gives you even more mana regen and helps you be more survivable in early fights. 

After getting these early items, your boots of choice is always going to be Arcane Boots for obvious reasons. 

Core Items

Now, let’s go over his core items. There are three main choices, but you don’t have to buy all of them every game. The build order is also up to you or dependent on the game situation.

• Pavise / Solar Crest: If you want guaranteed impact every game, all you have to do is buy a Solar Crest. It works very well with Bloodlust, giving your core heroes additional attack speed and tankiness. 
• Hand of Midas: Some people pick Ogre just to buy this item. Multicast works with Hand of Midas, meaning you can transmute multiple creeps with one usage.
• Glimmer Cape: This item is a default purchase for almost every position five hero. If the game calls for it, a Glimmer Cape never hurts. 

Situationally, items like Drum of Endurance or Vladmir’s Offering can also be solid options if you want more of an aura-centric approach. 

Luxury Items

The words “luxury” and “hard support” don’t go together very often, but if you’re an Ogre with a Hand of Midas, you can definitely afford to pick up some items. Here are some of the best choices:

• Scythe of Vyse: Though it’s a very expensive item, Scythe is an amazing pickup on Ogre. There’s always a chance of hexing multiple enemies with one usage, which can have massive impact in fights.
• Guardian Greaves: If you’re looking for more guaranteed impact, you can always invest in Guardian Greaves to keep the team healthy and apply basic dispels to yourself.
• Aghanim’s Scepter: The Unrefined Fireblast upgrade gives you a second stun, which is always great for controlling fights and dealing additional damage.

Other good items include: Lotus Orb, Force Staff, Aether Lens, or Eul’s Scepter of Divinity. It really depends on what you need in the game at hand. 

How to Play Ogre Magi by Phase

Finally, I’ll give you a solid game plan for how Ogre should be played in all three stages of the game. Here’s what you need to do:

Early Game: Secure the Lane for Your Carry

Ogre’s primary job is to win the laning stage and give his carry a good start. Ogre has high hitpoints and amazing health regen, making him very good at trading against enemy heroes. However, it’s still very important to stock up on regen items like Tangoes and Clarities.

Spam Ignite, walk up to enemies and start whacking them with your club. However, remember that you’re a melee hero – no matter how strong you are, you’re still vulnerable to getting kited.

Don’t overstep. Your main goal is to zone enemies away from the creep wave. Make sure you’re not accidentally aggroing the creeps and ruining the lane equilibrium. Unless you see kill potential, there’s no reason to chase or push past your boundaries. 

Mid Game: Follow Your Cores Around or Tank Ganks

In the mid game, your job is to just stick to your core heroes. One of your main jobs is to constantly Bloodlust your Dota 2 carry as much as possible, helping them farm camps quickly.

Other than just being an attack speed servant, here’s a rule of thumb: look for the strongest hero on your team (usually the mid-laner or offlaner at this point) and just follow them around. Your goal is to be that followup and provide extra stuns and damage to secure a kill.

If nothing is happening on the map, and your team is just focusing on farming, you can intentionally plant yourself in more exposed areas, like staircases or jungle entrances, so you can tank smoke ganks and prevent your team from dying. 

Late Game: Stay in the Back Line

In the late game, it’s important to understand that you aren’t as tanky as you think you are. At this point, all enemy cores have some form of damage to chip through your health pool.

You should start playing Ogre like any typical backline support. Make sure your cores are constantly under Bloodlust before a fight, and stay out of enemy range so you can spam your spells safely.

Ogre players should no longer be running in the middle of fights and right-clicking enemies – this will not work anymore at this point in the game. There’s no reason for you to be that close to enemy heroes in fights. If you’re having trouble with positioning, make sure to buy items like Aether Lens and Force Staff to keep you safe.