Since Battle Fury’s rework, it’s been an efficient damage item even outside of the bonus cleave effect. Pros have started building it on Phantom Lancer, diverging from his tried and true builds. Then once RTZ picked it up on Terrorblade at Galaxy Battles, it was about time to talk about whether the item has become too strong in the meta.
Battle Fury’s efficiency as an item today is reminscient of back in Dota 1, when it wasn’t unusual to see it as a core item for Windrunner. It competed with Orchid as part of her build, and the fact that Battlefury’s Cleave gave no advantage on a ranged hero didn’t matter.
Battle Fury has been buffed since the beginning of Dota time. From its inception to 6.84, it had its damage increased (55 to 65), its components costs reduced (a net reduction from 5100 to 4575 gold), cleave radius increased (overall from 160 to 280!) and its innate regeneration buffed. Then 6.84 came, slightly reduced its damage while incorporating Quelling Blade as part of its item build, further cementing the item’s purpose as a farming tool for carries.
But during this period of time it was only a core item for two heroes hero: Anti-Mage and Ember Spirit. The item eventually found its way into Juggernaut builds, and briefly had a home in Faceless Void when the hero was strictly a hard carry. In spite of a history of buffs, it was still in need for more.
Patches 7.00 further tweaked Cleave’s damage and radius, increasing its damage and radius to adjust for Cleave’s new trapezoidal hit area. Then, in 7.02, 7.03, and 7.07, Battle Fury saw two more buffs that tipped its usage from niche to core. Cleave’s damage increased from 35% to 40%, its end radius from 280 to 330, and distance from 520 to 575. Even though its damage was reduced by 5, the item’s overall cost was also reduced from 4500 to 4100. It was well worth it.
Neither illusions nor ranged heroes benefit from cleave. It sounds terrible on paper on a hero like Spectre, who has a seemingly better alternative in Radiance or Diffusal Blade that has synergy with her ultimate. And it sounds even worse on Terrorblade, who prefers items that grant stats for his powerful illusions. And yet, the item is built today, by pros, on heroes like Spectre, Terrorblade, and Phantom Lancer. The item is so good that it’s useful even if its intended effect is partially useless.
Arteezy’s Battle Fury build on his PL against team OG in Galaxy Battles
Dota has so many mechanics, rules, and foundational builds that its difficult to keep an open mind when something new threatens to disrupt the meta. Could we have ever imagined Mjolnir on Anti-Mage seriously if it didn’t have the backing of respected pros? Even Linken’s Sphere as a first item on a position 1 Faceless Void was seen as unconventional when wings’s carry, Shadow, pioneered it during TI6.
Right now, +45 damage and +6 regen for 4100 gold makes Battlefury the most cost efficient damage item in the game outside Divine Rapier. And yes, it significantly boosts your farm speed to a point it can compete with alternate items that actually has synergy with your abilities. It’s akin to how Meepo players build Dragon Lance for just the stats, even if they don’t benefit from the increased attack range.
Battle Fury, historically niche, may just be finding itself in the right place, after a few buffs, and the right time in a farming meta. Aggressive trilanes have bought more time for carries to farm, and Demon Edge as a replacement component makes Battle Fury a convenient pickup in the side shop. It could just be a fleeting trend, with players recognizing the item’s potential and play testing it across many heroes, as they did with Mask of Madness and Skaadi.
Where does the line eventually get drawn? There’s been sightings of Battle Fury on Legion Commander, Chaos Knight, Slark, and even Lifestealer. Fnatic.EternalEnvy recently built it on Monkey King in the ongoing ESL One Genting tournament. With the way the item has been trending in recent patches, it would be a surprise if we don't see another minor nerf soon. For the meantime, it looks like it's here to stay.
very nice article (wtb tsrif) heehee
mmmmmmmmmm peruvian meta is comming
PD:Peru=shit
TB BFURY LUL
CM with battle fury anyone?
yes CM with battle fury to increase her cleavage
Rings + Deso + phase boot on PA under 16 mins vs a rush of bf?
Rushing bf can be quite punishing once your enemy figures you out.
yeah no, in low rank probably can work, but in high rank game u only got about 20 min to farm
You will get punished if someone spots a perserverance on you.
I think they will not fiddle with the item much, but I can see them raising the price by a couple of hundred... But we will see what happens. It is still a farming tool primarily so there is no reason to dig out the big nerf hammer.
The quell (+60% damage to creeps) works with illusions. That's why it's being bought on TB and PL primarily, and probably the aspect that needs to get nerfed. This takes a TB illusion hitting creeps for 100 to 160. It's pretty insane and shouldn't work like this.
i think the only reason its bought really is because of the farming potential and thats obviously increased considering how cheap it is now which means people going straight for bf as first item are getting it in like 10-11 mins which is fantastic. thats all really its one of the best farming items in the game and you can get it in 12 mins if youre half decent
who's going to pass that up? plus gives you some decent regen and damage making it the obvious choice if you want to flash farm
"Right now, +45 damage...[makes] Battlefury the most cost efficient damage item in the game outside Divine Rapier."
Its not even close, there are 17 items ahead of battle fury in terms of cost per attack damage (even excluding damage bonuses for primary attributes)
Notable ones being: Rapier, Radiance, Armlet (doens't even need to be turned on), phase boots, sacred relic, daedalus, desolator, and nullifier.
Ok can
MK battlefury has been a very big thing for at least a month
oracle bf with a free mango is op
3k player with bf on tb = reported
pro player with bf on tb = new meta
meme review
hahahaha finally
It's still a situational item in most cases, no its not too strong
I've been building BF on life and WK to get an early assault cuirass and push the f@#$ out. Seems to work fine if your team groups up to ensure the push. Also perseverance is great on the early game to spam spells for zoning the offlaner.
А вопросов у вас не возникает о SFе который в каждой игре с его еба*уты*и койлами? за 90 маны ТоННА ДАМАДЖА. + Мильен МСА.
Нет имба БФ(нет)
It's literally killing off the already (aside from like two heroes) underwhelming ranged carries from the game.
Really depends on how game is going or what draft u have but yeah overall u can build it on any pos1 thats melee.
Just add a 1,000 - 1,500 gold recipe & I guess it will be balanced for the next patch :3
If Naga picks up BF, then it’s time for nerf. It actually works well for her if the the enemy has ways of killing her illusions or she’s against PL.
HanSolo was always right.
Other than rtz, the best pro carry players aren't building bfury on anyone and everyone. Which considering how unique EGs playstyle is right now I'm not sure it's worth using him as a primary example. Realistically I think PL is the only hero that has become a new legitimate battlefury user this patch.
its only good when u have 4 good teammates who constantly fighting for u.
yeah))
Im using BF on LC, and ist pretty nice to shred your opponents hope.
Just farm your BF, and a Blink, (normaly in ca 12, 14,5 min),a nd then become a creep-harrasing Farm-Bitch for the next 15 min. After that there will stand nothing between you and your Duells.
"3k player with bf on tb = reported
pro player with bf on tb = new meta"
I LOLed more than I should have :))
>Right now, +45 damage and +6 regen for 4100 gold makes Battlefury the most cost efficient damage item in the game
>outside Divine Rapier.
Just plain misinformation. Desolator is far more efficient as well as Maelstrom. Then theres Diffu, Armlet, Orchid that are more efficient in terms of gold/atkdmg for the respective main attribute.
That said, those other items give no regen like bf but you don`t need it if you actually play dota instead of afk farming.
Ethernal envy build hood/pipe on every hero. Arteezy should do the same with BF:) signature haha
battlefury is good especially on heros with crucial lategame talents and/or lack farm speed. e.g. terrorblade, lifestealer, phantom lancer. The amount of levels you get from farming with battlefury for 5 min right now is absurd lmao
"3k player with bf on tb = reported
pro player with bf on tb = new meta"
Please dotabuff, give this guy some recognition
does, bf not work with illusions? I was under the impression that it did.
maybe I should go back to building Battlefury on ET
@bearcat0611 the %damage works, the rest (cleave, +damage) does not.
And yeah, that's a lot of random missinformation in the article. Bfury is built on MK because cleave works on boundless strike, so you can oneshot waves with boundless after your first other item. RTZ builds it on PL and TB because the 60% increased damage works on illusions, not because the bonus 45 damage are 2nd best/gold (which they are not btw, see above).
Bfury has barely reached the point where it's build again on heroes outside of AM. And it still is only build on illu heroes, heroes that hit random targets with "autos" (Ember Jugg MK) and AM. So that's like 6/101 heroes? But we really need an article that tells us how op it was back when people could only choose from 10 items.
idk i think its overrated and greedy to build battle fury on spec and tb I can see it working on pl and others tho
I have tried it on orge magi long time ago. I think now it is very viable since he has the +90 dmg talent. Can play at pos3.
I built battlefufy on WK and Lifestealer 2 years ago and got flamed like no tomorrow, and here we go..I'm a fukken pioneer!
My friends make fun of me because i use this meta on pl but when i carry my team with bf their jaw had dropped
how to nerf BF without actually nerfing it?
BUFF MIDAS :D