Witch Doctor

Death Ward
Summoned Ward
Health 135 +0.25
This unit has no mana.
Notes	Invulnerable; Only attack heroes.; Attacks bounces and has True Strike.

Witch Doctor 18 + 2.3 13 + 1.4 22 + 3.3
Magic resistance	25%
Link▶️ Movement speed	300
Link▶️ Attack speed	100
Turn rate	0.6
Vision range	1800/800
Attack range	600
Projectile speed	1200
Attack animation	0.4+0.5
Base attack time	1.7
Damage block	0
Collision size	24
Legs	2
Gib type	Default

Hero

Strategy

Zharvakko, the Witch Doctor, is a ranged intelligence hero who can take on the role of a support or a ganker. A master of voodoo curses and healing arts, he possesses several positioning-dependent crowd control/damage spells as well as a heal that scales well into the late game. Maledict is one of the most powerful damaging spells in the game, and is fittingly enough quite hard to hit properly – but when applied at the right time, Malediction can curse someone to suffer a slow, humiliating death as they limp back towards safety. Paralyzing Cask is a somewhat-unreliable stun that requires multiple enemies to bounce between to be effective, but can provide a barrage of stuns to the enemy team if they are grouped together. Death Ward has the potential to be one of the most damaging ultimates in the game as long as he is able to channel the spell uninterrupted.

Bio[]

Zharvakko, the Witch Doctor

▶️ "Malpractice makes perfect."

Lore:

A wiry silhouette hitches forward—uneven of feature and limb, bizarre of gait, relentlessly criss-crossing the battlefield in search of that vital weak point where his talents can do most good, and most harm. Whether broken or mismade it is not clear, but still, none can doubt the power carried in his twisted physique. A long staff thumps the earth as the Witch Doctor advances, deploying a terrifying arsenal of fetishes, hexes and spells. It is a body of magical knowledge learned over several lifetimes in the island highlands of Prefectura, now wielded with precise accuracy against his enemies. Witch Doctor is your best friend, or your worst enemy--healing allies and laying waste to all who oppose him.

Voice:

Tom Chantler (Responses)

Abilities[]

Paralyzing Cask

▶️

▶️QC

Ability
Target Unit

Affects
Enemies

Damage
Magical

Launches a cask of paralyzing powder that ricochets between enemy units, stunning and damaging those it hits. Each bounce deals more damage than the previous one

Cast Animation: +

Cast Range: 700

Bounce Distance: 575

Number of Bounces: 2/4/6/8 (

4/6/8/10)

Hero Base Damage: 40

Creep Base Damage: 75

Damage Increase per Bounce: 10/15/20/25

Hero Stun Duration: 1

Creep Stun Duration: 5

20/18/16/14

80/100/120/140

Cannot directly target spell immune enemies. Can bounce to spell immune enemies. Does not stun or attempt to damage spell immune enemies.

Blocked fully when primary or secondary target. Blocked upon impact. Does not stop bouncing when blocked.

Modifiers

modifier_witchdoctor_cask_thinker: Undispellable. Persists death.

modifier_stunned: Dispellable with strong dispels.

The Witch Doctor recycles the bones of fallen friends and foes, using the powder as part of his arsenal of charms and alchemy.

Notes:

The projectile travels at a speed of 1000 and bounces in 0.3-second intervals.

Cannot bounce on invisible, invulnerable or hidden units, but can bounce on units in the Fog of War.

The initial target is not counted towards the bounces, resulting in a total of 3/5/7/9 ( 5/7/9/11) instances.
- The following are Paralyzing Cask's total damage calculations (before reductions):
- All bounces together can deal up to 150/350/700/1260 ( 300/595/1080/1815) to heroes.
- All bounces together can deal up to 255/525/945/1575 ( 475/840/1395/2200) to non-hero units.
- For how much damage each bounce Paralyzing Cask deals on each level, and with the cask bounce increasing talent, please refer to the chart below.

The projectile can bounce on the same unit multiple times, but only when another target was hit between the bounces.
- This means it may hit the same target a maximum of 2/3/4/5 ( 3/4/5/6) times.
- Can deal up to 100/210/400/700 ( 180/340/600/990) damage to a single hero.
- Can deal up to 170/315/540/875 ( 285/480/775/1200) damage to a single non-hero unit.

The stun treats clones, creep-heroes and Roshan has heroes, but treats illusions as creeps.
- However, the damage treats illusions, clones and creep-heroes as heroes.

The cask first applies the debuff, then the damage.

If Paralyzing Cask is cast multiple times, the previous cast's bounce counter gets reset.
- All instances coming from the same hero use the same bounce counter, instead of each instance having an independent counter.

Voodoo Restoration

▶️

▶️WV

Ability
Toggle / Aura

Affects
Allies

Witch Doctor focuses his magic to heal nearby allied units, costing Witch Doctor mana every second Voodoo restoration is active.

Cast Animation: +

Heal Radius: 500

Base Heal per Second: 16/24/32/40

Mana Cost per Second: 8/12/16/20 (

6/9/12/15)

Aura Linger Duration: 0.5

Max Health as Heal per Second: 1.5%

0

35/40/45/50

Modifiers

modifier_voodoo_restoration_aura: Dispellable with death only.

modifier_voodoo_restoration_heal: Undispellable. Persists death.

Zharvakko's hocus pocus is not limited only hexxing his opponents and is quite adept at curing ailments.

Notes:

Voodoo Restoration does not interrupt Witch Doctor's channeling abilities upon toggling On / Off.

Disabling Witch Doctor does not toggle Off Voodoo Restoration. However, he cannot turn it off himself while disabled either.

Heals for 5.28/7.92/10.56/13.2 health ( +0.495% of max health) and costs 2.64/3.96/5.28/6.6 ( 1.98/2.97/3.96/4.95) mana in 0.33-second intervals, starting 0.33 seconds when toggled On.

The heal is provided by an aura. The buff lingers for 0.5 seconds.
- The mana cost is also bound to the aura.
- This means when toggled Off, the ability still heals and drains mana for 0.5 seconds before stopping.
- The ability toggles Off if Witch Doctor does not have enough mana to support another heal instance.
- However, the lingering buff continues healing, despite the lack of mana, providing up to 2 possible heal instances for free.
- It does not affect invulnerable or hidden units.

Maledict

▶️

▶️EE

Ability
Target Area

Affects
Enemy Heroes

Damage
Magical

Curses all enemy Heroes in a small area, causing them to take a set amount of damage each second, as well as bursts of damage every 4 seconds based on how much health they have lost since the curse began.

Cast Animation: +

Cast Range: 575

Radius: 180 (

255)

Damage per Second: 7/14/21/28

Lost Health as Burst Damage: 16%/24%/32%/40% (

31%/39%/47%/55%)

Burst Damage Interval: 4

Curse Duration: 12

30/26/22/18

105/110/115/120

Cannot place the debuff on spell immune units.
If already placed, the debuff stops applying the damage over time if the unit turns spell immune. The burst damage pierces spell immunity.

Modifiers

modifier_maledict: Dispellable with death only.

modifier_maledict_dot: Dispellable with death only.

Certain voodoo magics can make an enemy regret engaging the Witch Doctor.

Notes:

Checks the affected units' current health 4 times, once as the curse is applied, and then every 4 seconds for the duration.

The burst damage is entirely based on the difference between the hero's current health and its health as the curse got applied.
- This means the bigger the difference of current health and health upon receiving the debuff gets, the more damage the bursts do.
- Vice versa, the lower the difference gets, the lower is the damage of the bursts, so getting healed during it reduces its damage.
- It also means it does not matter how affected units lose health, as it directly compares its health values, not damage values.
- This is how much of the lost health is re-dealt as damage by Maledict, depending on when the health was lost during the curse on each level (before reductions):
  0 – 3.9 Seconds: 48%/72%/97%/121% ( 94%/118%/142%/166%)
  
  3.9 – 7.9 Seconds: 32%/48%/64%/80% ( 62%/78%/94%/111%)
  
  7.9 – 11.9 Seconds: 16%/24%/32%/40% ( 31%/39%/47%/55%)

Deals its own damage in 1-second intervals, starting 1 second after the debuff is applied, resulting in 12 damage instances.
- Together with the bursts, it deals a total of 15 damage instances.
- The bursts happen 0.1 seconds before each 4th damage tick, so the bursts happen after the 3rd, 7th, and 11th damage tick.

With no other sources of health loss or heals, Maledict can deal up to 109.9/249.6/423.1/634.8 ( 138.9/312.8/526.1/783.5) damage to a unit (before reductions).

The debuff can be placed on illusions and creep-heroes.

Does not affect invulnerable and hidden units. Affects invisible units.

Voodoo Switcheroo

▶️DW

Ability
No Target

Affects
Self / Enemy Heroes

Turns Witch Doctor into a Death Ward for 2 seconds. Death Ward has -30 Attack Speed. He is hidden during this time.

Cast Animation: +

Death Ward Attack Speed Reduction: 30

Duration: 2

40

150

Modifiers

modifier_witch_doctor_voodoo_switcheroo: Dispellable with any dispel.

Ability Draft Notes:

Requires drafting

Death Ward to be unlocked.

Notes:

Requires Aghanim's Shard to be unlocked.

Turns Witch Doctor invulnerable, hidden, and unable to act for the duration.

Death Ward based on its current level is summoned at Witch Doctor's location.
- Death Ward notes fully apply. If it is not learned, Voodoo Switcheroo does nothing on cast.
- The Aghanim's Scepter upgrade affects Voodoo Switcheroo as well.

Voodoo Switcheroo cannot be canceled earlier, but it is dispellable.
- However, since Witch Doctor is invulnerable and hidden for the duration, most dispels cannot target him.
- Only continuous dispels such as Demonic Purge and Nullify can remove the ability if the debuff was applied before Voodoo Switcheroo was cast.
  - In these cases, the ability ends immediately, wasting its mana and cooldown.

The Death Ward has its attack speed reduced by 30, attacking slower than a regular Death Ward cast.

With its 0.22-second attack rate and the 30 attack speed slow, it can attack up to 7 times.
- Can deal up to 270.45/445.45/620.45 ( 461.36/636.36/811.36) damage per second to a single hero.
- Can deal up to 595/980/1365 ( 1015/1400/1785) damage to a single hero (before reductions).

Death Ward

▶️RD

Ability
Target Point / Channeled

Affects
Enemy Heroes

Summons a deadly ward to attack enemy heroes within it's attack range. Lasts a maximum of 8 seconds.

Cast Animation: +

Cast Range: 600

Max Channel Time: 8

Bounce Distance: 650

80

200

Death Ward attacks have True Strike and bounce between nearby enemies.

Grants a new ability: Voodoo Switcheroo.

When disjointed by the primary attack target, it does not bounce. When disjointed by a secondary target, the disjointing unit is not registered as hit, meaning the attack can immediately bounce on it again if within range.

Modifiers

modifier_witch_doctor_death_ward: Dispellable with death only.

modifier_phased: Dispellable with death only.

modifier_stunned: Dispellable with strong dispels.

Witch Doctor performs a ritualistic dance, one that haunts the dreams of those who live to recount it.

Notes:

The Death Ward automatically attacks enemies within its attack range, using ◉ Standard auto-attack rules.
- It is possible to manually give the ward an attack target with A or Right Click an enemy in range.
- With Unified Orders with Ctrl, Ctrl+ Right Click an enemy in range commands the ward to attack the target.
- It is also possible to stop the ward from attacking with S (only works when the auto-attack option is ◎ Never).

Can only attack heroes, including clones and illusions, excluding creep-heroes.

The damage source is the ward itself, meaning certain on-damage effects react on the ward rather than on Witch Doctor (e.g. Blade Mail).

With its 0.22-second attack rate, it can attack up to 37 times.
- Can deal up to 386.36/636.36/886.36 ( 659.09/909.09/1159.09) damage per second to a single hero.
- Can deal up to 3145/5180/7215 ( 5365/7400/9435) damage to a single hero (before reductions).

Death Ward's attack damage is not reduced by damage block.

Provides 1200/800 range ground vision for 5 seconds at its location after the channeling stops.

With Aghanim's Scepter, attacks from Death Ward have True Strike and bounce towards the closest enemy heroes within 650 range.
- Does not perform instant attacks. The bouncing projectiles are entirely spell-based.
- This means they do not trigger any attack modifier or on-hit effects, ignore evasion, and count as spell damage.
- The damage can be further amplified by incoming damage amplification. However, damage block still affects them.
- The bouncing attacks deal damage based on the damage amount calculated for the leading attack upon attack begin.
- Does not bounce on invisible units or units in the Fog of War. One projectile can never hit the same unit twice.

Paralyzing Cask Calculations[]

Level	Paralyzing Cask Damage Increase_{/ Bounce Hit}
Level	Base	2nd	3rd	4th	5th	6th	7th	8th	9th	10th	11th
Hero Damage
Level 1	40	50	60	70	80
Level 2	40	55	70	85	100	115	130
Level 3	40	60	80	100	120	140	160	180	200
Level 4	40	65	90	115	140	165	190	215	240	265	290
Creep Damage
Level 1	75	85	95	105	115
Level 2	75	90	105	120	135	150	165
Level 3	75	95	115	135	155	175	195	215	235
Level 4	75	100	125	150	175	200	225	250	275	300	325

Talents[]

Hero Talents
+60 Death Ward Damage	25	+1.5% Max Health Voodoo Restoration
+15% Maledict Burst Damage	20	+100 Death Ward Attack Range
+300 Health	15	+2 Cask Bounces
+75 Maledict AoE	10	-25% Voodoo Restoration Mana Per Second

Notes:

The health talent increases maximum health capacity, and keeps the current health percentage.

Recent Changes[]

Main Article: Witch Doctor/Changelogs

Version

Description

7.30c

Death Ward
- Increased attack damage from 85/135/185 to 85/140/195.
Aghanim's Shard upgrade:
- Voodoo Switcheroo
  - Reduced mana cost from 250 to 150.
  - Reduced cooldown from 70 to 40.

7.30

Increased health regeneration from 0 to 0.25.
Paralyzing Cask
- Damage now increases by 10/15/20/25 per bounce.
- Reduced hero damage from 50/60/70/80 to 40 on each level.
- Reduced non-hero damage from 75/100/125/150 to 75 on each level.
Talents:

Level 10 left talent changed: +200 health ➜ +75

Maledict radius.

Level 10 right talent changed: +60 attack damage ➜ -25%

Voodoo Restoration mana cost per second.

Level 15 left talent changed: +100

Maledict radius ➜ +300 health.

7.29

Increased turn rate from 0.5 to 0.6.
Increased Paralyzing Cask hero damage from 50 on each level to 50/60/70/80.
Talents:

Level 10 left talent changed: +5 armor ➜ +200 health.

Level 15 left talent: +80

Maledict radius increased to +100.

Level 25 right talent: 1.2%

Voodoo Restoration max health as heal per second increased to 1.5%.

Recommended Items[]

Starting items:

Tango sustains health so Witch Doctor can stay in lane.
Healing Salve also restores health.
Clarity sustains mana for Witch Doctor to use abilities.
Observer Ward provides vision that may prevent enemy ganks or catch enemies when they are off guard.

Early game:

Magic Stick is a useful health/mana restoring item if the enemies in lane are casting many spells. It can later be built into a Magic Wand.
Boots of Speed give a speed boost, offering better escape and catch-up. They can later be built into Arcane Boots.
Urn of Shadows gives early healing and damage for participating in ganks, and can be built into Spirit Vessel.

Mid game:

Magic Wand is good for burst healing and mana while providing bonus attributes compared to the Magic Stick.
Arcane Boots provides Witch Doctor with an increased mana pool, as well as the ability to supply himself and nearby allies with mana.
Glimmer Cape can also be a good item which grants invisibility while casting Death Ward. Good support item which can be cast on allies/self while in danger.
Town Portal Scroll is essential for cross-map transportation. TP scrolls allow Witch Doctor to return to lane quicker after a death, meaning he misses out on less experience in the lane. They can also be used to quickly jump into a fight or defend a tower in a different lane.

Late game:

Aghanim's Scepter allows Death Ward to deal more damage, as well as the ability to bounce between each nearby enemy. This allows for far greater damage output, though it is most effective when you are paired with large initiation stuns such as Tidehunter, Faceless Void, or Enigma, which will prevent enemy heroes from breaking Witch Doctor's channeling. In addition, it also provides True Strike for Death Ward. allowing Witch Doctor to counter enemies who rely on evasion such as Windranger and Phantom Assassin.

Situational items:

Spirit Vessel lets Witch Doctor keep allies healthy in combination with Voodoo Restoration, and the percentage-based damage is devastating with Maledict.
Medallion of Courage is a cheap item which reduces an enemy target's armor. Since Death Ward deals physical damage, using the Medallion of Courage on a low armor hero greatly increases the damage dealt by your ultimate.
Rod of Atos can be good as a pickup item for Witch Doctor support. It helps root enemy heroes, setting them up for a Death Ward.
Scythe of Vyse gives Witch Doctor a large increase to his mana pool, as well as additional attributes and the ability to hex an enemy target. The ability to disable an important enemy target is crucial in the late game.
Black King Bar provides Witch Doctor with an increase to his low health pool, as well as spell immunity, preventing most enemies from cancelling your ultimate.
Linken's Sphere is a useful item for Witch Doctor for the same reason as Black King Bar. While it only prevents one single target stun, its cooldown is much shorter and can be used on priority allies to increase their survivability.

Gameplay[]


Roles:	Support Nuker Disabler
Complexity:	★☆☆
Playstyle:	A bizarre figure shambles across the land, searching for any opportunity to apply the morbid arts of Prefectura Island. Filling a skull with noxious powder, the Witch Doctor throws this Paralyzing Cask to stun enemies in succession. To his allies, Zharvakko is a fountain of health, curing ailments with Voodoo Restoration. To his foes, he is the source of curses. The Witch Doctor Maledicts his adversaries, forcing them to relive the agony they will inevitably receive from his Death Ward.

Strategy & Tips

Counters &
Matchups

Audio[]

Responses

Sounds

History[]

Lore

Old Abilities

Changelogs

Equipment[]

Trivia[]

Witch Doctor is sometimes called "The Walking Fountain", referring to his support abilities Voodoo Restoration and Death Ward.
Witch Doctor's last hit response ▶️ "Pills here!" is a reference to Left 4 Dead, another title from Valve, where the players can notify the other survivors that they found pills. The survivors would say "Pills here" upon finding some.^[1]
Witch Doctor's original name in DotA was Vol'jin, a reference to the character from the Warcraft universe. Vol'Jin is the warchief of the playable race, the Trolls.^[2]
Witch Doctor's fun name in DotA was Moose, taken from the player DL.Moose who played the Witch Doctor.
His dying line ▶️ "Bad medicine.." is likely a reference to Bon Jovi's popular old classic Bad Medicine.
The line ▶️ "Ask not for whom the spell tolls." is a reference to John Donne's poem "Meditation XVII".^[3]
Witch Doctor's name, Zharvakko, may be a reference to the popular novel and film Doctor Zhivago.^[4]