The Heroes in Dota 2 - An Introductory Guide for Viper

Introduction

There are many annoying heroes in Dota 2 that are capable of making the life of every player a living hell. Some of them are only good in certain situations, whereas others can do wonders every single time. 

If you are the type of player that wants to ruin the fun for others, then Viper should be on your bucket list. Often considered as one of the strongest players during the laning phase, Viper can easily bully the enemy out of the lane and make his laning stage impossible. What's more, even when the game reaches its next stages, this hero still remains a huge pain to deal with.

With that said, let's take a look at everything you need to know about the green beast.

Basic information about Viper

Viper is a ranged agility hero that can be played in pretty much any position. Although he definitely shines the most when he plays mid, we can often see offlane or safelane Vipers. In fact, there are some pro teams that even tried to play this hero as support, something that was unheard of before.

This hero has a fast projectile, as well as a decent range, which makes him ideal for getting last hits on the lane. However, the thing that makes him a huge pain to deal with his damage over time effects. Combined with his passive damage reduction, Viper can quickly become one of the tankiest heroes in the game. 

Having said that, here is a preview of his four abilities:

• Poison Attack - this ability alone is what makes Viper one of the biggest pain in the laning stage.  It works as a modifier that stacks up to five times. Each Poison Attack deals damage, reduces the movement speed, and also reduces the magic resistance. In other words, if Viper manages to stack this five times, you are pretty much dead.
  Not only is this spell very strong, but it also doesn't really cost that much mana. This makes it very strong because Viper can just spam it every single time when he sees the enemy on the lane.
• Nethertoxin is the AoE spell of Viper that allows him to farm stacks. Even though it might seem a bit dull to use, this is actually the fastest way to farm because this hero is not famous for his fast farming skills. In addition to the nice damage, Nethertoxin also has another effect - it eliminates the passive abilities of all enemies that are fighting in it. This makes Viper one of the biggest counters to some heroes, such as Huskar, for example, who count on their passive skills to do something.
• Corrosive Skin - as the name suggests, this ability is what makes Viper very tanky. It provides a total of 25% magic resistance, which is ideal against heroes that rely heavily on magical damage. In addition to that, Corrosive Skin also deals damage and slows the attack speed of the attacker, which allows Viper to play very aggressively.
• Viper Strike is a target ultimate that slows Vipers' enemies and also deals damage over time. When you combine it with an Aghanim Septer, the range and cooldown of Viper Strike become retarded. Even though many players underestimate this ultimate, it can be a lifesaver against certain heroes such as Ursa, for example.
  To do maximum damage, remember to stack your Poison Attack first because it increases the magical damage you do.

Items and Counters

Unlike other heroes in Dota 2, Viper has three main ways in which you can play him. The first one is the classic right-clicker that includes pretty much every DPS item in the game. On the other hand, you can also play the  "caster Viper," which is mainly focused around his Nethertoxin. Although it doesn't seem that faceroll, it can be very strong in certain situations. Lastly, you can also try to stack as many auras as possible, which is mainly done in the offlane. 

Here are some of the most popular items for Viper:

• Hurricane Pike - this is a pretty obvious choice for every right-clicking Viper out there. It gives damage, health, and range, three things that are all very important if you want to be effective.
• Octarine Core - this is a very strong item, but it only works for the "caster Viper." Apart from lowering your cooldowns, this item also allows you to lifesteal from your spells, which means that you become even harder to kill than normal. The only downside of the Octarine Core is that it's a little bit expensive, which means that you can only purchase it later on in the game.
• Black King Bar is a must for nearly every Core player nowadays, and Viper is no exception here.
• Butterfly provides damage, attack speed, and armor, which are all stats that Viper loves. 
• Shadow Blade - even though this might be a strange item for most players, Shadow Blade can actually do wonders, especially when you face low-skilled enemies. This item gives attack speed and movement speed, plus the chance to either escape or sneak on someone.

When it comes down to counters, there are not that many heroes in Dota 2 that can stand their own against Viper. That said, here is a couple of them that are very strong:

• Lone Druid - combined with his Spirit Bear, this hero is capable of hunting down Viper very easily. Even though he is squishy, he is a lot faster than Viper, which allows him to kite the pesky flying dragon.
• Broodmother - a good BM counters pretty much everything, and Viper is no exception. It can be tough to lane in the first couple of levels, but once the Broodmother gains some levels, things completely change.