Death Prophet wins by turning space into objectives. She clears waves, silences key heroes, and takes towers with Exorcism. Explore our Dota 2 Death Prophet Guide with builds, items, talents, and tactics to push fast, win fights, and close games with Exorcism.

Hero Snapshot

Death Prophet (Krobelus) is a durable spellcaster who transitions into an objective-taking core. She excels as mid, can flex offlane, and closes games early with coordinated pushes. Her kit: Crypt Swarm, Silence, Spirit Siphon, and Exorcism. Core stats like Exorcism’s 40s duration and 50% building damage are consistent touchstones across patches.

How Her Abilities Win Games

Crypt Swarm (Q)

Cone nuke with long total reach (up to ~1110 range factoring travel and end radius). Use it to secure range creeps, harass, and shove waves before runes. The cast point is readable, so aim ground-targets where enemies will be, not where they are. With Aghanim’s Scepter, each enemy hit spawns an Exorcism spirit that prioritizes those targets.

Silence (W)

Large-range area silence that now also slows by 10/15/20/25% for its full duration. This lets you catch blinks, cancel channels, and force early BKBs. With Scepter, each enemy hit also spawns an Exorcism spirit. Cast from max range to start fights on your terms.

Spirit Siphon (E)

Point-and-drain tool for sustained trades and teamfight staying power. It’s charge-based, breaks at ~750 distance, and heals you every tick. The Shard adds a brief fear if you siphon a target for 3 seconds; in 7.35b that fear is 1.0s, so plan disables around that window. Scepter spawns a ghost on cast, prioritizing the linked target.

Exorcism (R)

Spirits attack units and buildings around you for 40 seconds, then heal you for 25% of total damage dealt. Staying close to targets increases DPS because spirits travel less between hits. With Scepter, damaging enemies with your spells or attacks releases extra ghosts that slow and return to you. The base mechanics—heals at end, 50% building damage—make this the best tower-taking ultimate among INT-style cores.

Talents, Shard, and Scepter

Key talent breakpoints often include +300 Health / -2.5s Crypt Swarm CD at 15 and +30 Spirit Siphon Damage/Heal at 20 in many builds. Shard adds the conditional fear on Siphon. Scepter adds spirit spawns when you land spells or attacks, amplifying pick potential and siege. Always confirm current patch notes in your client, but these functions remain accurate to modern updates.

Recommended Items (one section with bullets)

• Start: Tango, Healing Salve, Clarity, Magic Stick, 2–3 Iron Branch. Simple sustain to spam Crypt Swarm and contest runes.
• Early: Boots of Speed into Phase Boots or Treads preference; Magic Wand for burst mana/hp; Null Talisman if lane is free.
• Core Mid Game: Eul’s Scepter of Divinity (movement, mana, self/target cyclone to let spirits work), Black King Bar for deep fights, Drum for team tempo, Witch Blade when you want armor, projectile speed, and periodic true strike.
• Late/Utility: Octarine Core (uptime), Wind Waker (save/escape upgrade to Eul’s), Shiva’s Guard (armor, anti-heal), Scythe of Vyse (hard disable), Aghanim’s Scepter (passive spirit spawns), Boots of Travel (split pressure). Hurricane Pike, Silver Edge, Revenant’s Brooch are situational tech choices.
• Situational Survivability/Reach: Eternal Shroud, Bloodstone, Pipe/Greaves, Aether Lens into range plays. Armor auras like Assault Cuirass boost Exorcism’s physical DPS on buildings. Veil, Ethereal Blade, Dagon, Gleipnir are niche but playable in specific drafts.

Lane Plan (Mid)

Aim for level 6 timing with bottle, boots, wand. Shove the wave with Crypt Swarm before minute runes and rotate. Keeps gankers honest with Spirit Siphon trades. Your weakness is hard, chain-controlled ganks; respect fog when lanes go missing.

Mid Game Timing

Your first Exorcism decides pace. Ping and hit a tower immediately after pushing a wave. If a fight starts, silence supports first; Exorcism’s physical damage deletes low-armor heroes fast. When Exorcism ends, you often heal to full—use that to reset on map and take another objective.

Teamfights and Positioning

Fight in the skirmish, not from max range. Spirits deal more damage when you stand near priority targets. Open with Silence on key casters. Layer Siphon on multiple enemies to stay topped up while your team commits. If you draw focus, Eul’s yourself for a second wind while spirits keep hitting. Re-engage with Phase speed and Siphon charges still going.

Playing the Map

Death Prophet converts picks into buildings. After a kill mid, go straight to the nearest tower with catapult wave or regroup to Roshan if your lineup allows it. Exorcism punishes split maps: use Boots of Travel to arrive on a shoved lane, pop R, and take a free outer tower. If Exorcism is down, play safe, cut waves with Crypt Swarm, and farm your next item.

Matchups and Counters (Practical Notes)

• Strong versus lineups reliant on long channeling spells or fragile supports. Silence shuts down key ultimates and forces early dispels/BKBs.
• Weaker versus heavy chain-stun and reposition tools that break Siphon link distance. Buy defensive items early in those games.
• Armor reduction allies (e.g., AC carriers) raise your building and hero DPS because Exorcism is physical. Coordinate aura timing on pushes.

Patch Notes That Matter Right Now

Two recent changes affected feel and fights:

• 7.35: Silence gained a built-in movement slow (10/15/20/25%), and the Siphon Shard fear was set to 1.0s in 7.35b. This improved catch and pick reliability.
• 7.35c: Exorcism active move speed bonus reduced to 4/8/12%. You still move fast with boots and Eul’s, but don’t overestimate chase speed during R.

These adjustments didn’t change her identity: wave clear, silence, and tower pressure remain the plan.

Clean Build Orders (How to Decide)

If you need catch and survivability, rush Eul’s → BKB. If you’re snowballing and uncontested, Witch Blade into Octarine raises tempo and uptime. Into heavy magic damage, fold in Pipe/Greaves early. When games stall, Scythe ends split pushes and forces high-ground picks. For siege-heavy drafts or long fights, Aghanim’s Scepter adds constant spirit pressure whenever you connect spells or attacks.

Micro Tips That Add MMR

• Cast Silence before the jump. The slow helps you close the Siphon gap.
• Siphon multiple targets during Exorcism. The parallel healing lets you stand your ground.
• During pushes, hug the target building or frontline hero so spirits waste less travel time. This alone can decide a fight.
• Use Eul’s on yourself mid-fight to buy time while spirits keep attacking. Re-enter with a fresh Siphon and Silence.

When to End the Game

Death Prophet spikes on first BKB and level 12 Exorcism. Group, take outer towers, claim Roshan, and pressure high ground with creep timing. If the enemy delays, keep shoving two lanes and force them to show. You’re strongest when the map is small and objectives fall in sequence.

Final Takeaway

Play for objectives. Shove, move, and call for towers every time Exorcism is ready. Keep supports silenced, drain through focus, and end fast while your ghosts do the work. This will increase your chances of success as Death Prophet.