Dota 2 Sven Guide

Sharpen your mind and blade with this Dota 2 Sven Guide, and cleave your enemies with Knightly strength

A beacon of hope and strength, the Rogue Knight Sven is a Core physical damage dealer on a mission to slay his foes in the light of solitude. 

Sven is a melee Strength Hero who begins with a decent 604 HP but low Mana of 267. He makes up for it with the second fastest movement speed tier of 325, an impressive starting armor of 3.5 and attack damage of 64. 

The Rogue Knight is relatively easy to play, with one of the strongest single-target stuns that deals AoE (Area of Effect) damage and stun. His other abilities give him cleave, armor and bonus damage, making him good for farming, clearing waves quickly, teamfighting and pushing late game. His playstyle is based on getting some key items before heading into fights with his team to get good cleaves and kills. A farmed Sven is a gruesome foe to face.

Abilities

It’s time to charge into battle with our knight and his incredible set of abilities.

• Storm Hammer – “Stand and fight”. Sven shoots his magic gauntlet at a targeted enemy, stunning enemy units for up to 1.6 (2.6 with level 25 talent) and damages for up to 320 in an AoE (Area of Effect) radius 225 around the target. The Aghanim’s Scepter Upgrade also increases the cast range from 600 to 950, moving Sven along with the Storm Hammer to the target, applying a basic dispel.
• Great Cleave – “Death comes to all”. Sven swings his mighty blade in a deadly arch, cleaving all nearby enemies within 700 distance of a start radius of 150 and an end radius of 360. The cleave damages enemies for up to 100% (125% with level 15 talent) of his attack damage. This ability also grants him up to 8 bonus Strength.
• Warcry – “There is no greater honor!”. Sven lets out a battle cry, granting his allies increased armor by up to 15 (25 with level 20 talent) and movement speed by up to 22% (30% with level 20 talent). The buff lasts for 10 seconds (13 with level 10 talent). Upgrading this ability with Aghanim’s Shard adds a passive 6 armor aura with a radius of 1200 which affects all allied units, including creeps. Warcry also becomes undispellable when cast.
• God’s Strength – “Feel my blade”. Sven imbues himself with Godly strength, turning red and getting attack damage bonus damage of up to 200% (250 with level 25 talent) for 35 seconds.

Talents

• Level 10 – +15 Attack Speed or +3s Warcry Duration
• Level 15 – +25% Great Cleave Damage or -15s God’s Strength Cooldown
• Level 20 – +10 Warcry Armor or +8% Warcry Movement Speed
• Level 25 – +1s Storm Hammer Stun Duration or +50% God’s Strength Damage

Dota 2 Sven Guide – Tips 

Sven is a herald of strength, leading as a formidable frontline warrior who excels at dishing out substantial physical damage to multiple foes simultaneously. His Storm Hammer is an exceptional AoE disable, and his Great Cleave is an excellent farming ability. His Warcry ability significantly boosts his allies’ armor and movement speed, and his ultimate ability, God’s Strength, enables him to initiate his opponents in seconds. 

Sven is usually played as a Core. His Great Cleave lets him farm with efficiency and speed, and although his Storm Hammer can get him early ganks, it is more advised for Sven to focus on farming until mid game. He becomes a troublesome foe for the enemy team when his core items are obtained. 

A well-farmed Sven becomes unstoppable, overpowering other carry Heroes through sheer burst damage. Nevertheless, he suffers from a comparatively slower attack speed than most carry heroes, so picking up an Echo Saber and Mask of Madness early game is vital. Sven is also quite susceptible to kiting and disables, so a Blink Dagger and Black King Bar help him greatly.

Dota 2 Sven – Pros and Cons

Here are the greatest strengths and weaknesses that make Sven the Rogue Night.

Pros:

• Very high attack damage
• Efficient at clearing groups
• Reliable AoE stun
• Farms very quickly
• Friendly Hero for beginners
• Naturally tanky

Cons:

• Low Mana 
• Low attack speed
• Highly dependent on Black King Bar
• Easy to kite and control
• Needs God’s Strength to be effective 
• No escape ability 

How to play Sven

This short guide will allow you to get to know Sven and his playstyle better so you can try your shot at playing with the Rogue Knight. 

Starting Items

Start your game with essential regeneration items like a Tango, Healing Salve, and Enchanted Mango for a quick burst of mana to cast a crucial Storm Hammer. These should be enough regeneration, so buy a Quelling Blade to help Sven farm more efficiently and jungle faster and an Iron Branch for quick stats and additional regeneration with Tango. 

You can also swap your regeneration items and an Iron Branch with a Magic Stick if your opponent is a Hero who spams abilities a lot, like Bristleback, Batrider, etc. 

Early Game

Early game for Sven should be spent farming, with an occasional Storm Hammer to help or secure a kill. Getting in your last hits, you should go for Boots of Speed for more movement speed and transition to Power Treads as soon as possible. It will give you much-needed attack speed, as well as Strength stats. 

Furthermore, following up with a fast Mask of Madness and Echo Saber will also help increase your attack speed so you can farm faster. The lifesteal from Mask of Madness will also help you greatly when taking neutral camp stacks. These and a perfectly timed Storm hammer will also help you secure a kill during a friendly gank to your lane.

Mid Game

Due to your ability to flash farm, try to visit lanes and push out creep waves before heading into the jungle to clear camps and stacks your support may have made for you. Picking up a Blink Dagger will help you do this faster and grant you the ability to combo with your team during ganks. Initiate by blinking in and stunning your opponent with Storm Bolt, activating God’s Strength. With your allies beside you, activate Warcry and charge in with your massive blade for an easy kill. 

As your enemies level up and start buying disables to kite you, you will need a Black King Bar to stop locked down with stuns and roots. Luckily, with the recent 7.33 update reducing stun durations overall, things are looking up for Sven players. With BKB purchased and God’s Strength off cooldown, you should take those teamfights and start pushing towers after winning one. Getting an Aghanim’s Shard by mid game can also be feasible, especially if the enemy’s lineup has high physical damage. 

Late Game

Sven’s ability kit allows him to play in a versatile style. If you need to close the gap, upgrade your Echo Saber to a Harpoon. Another good option would be upgrading your Blink Dagger to a Swift Blink, improving Sven’s attack speed. Getting Aghanim’s Scepter is another valid route, with the addition of a basic dispel. These items grant him mobility for late game teamfights, where with perfect positioning, Sven can focus down enemy cores with their supports dying in the cleave radius behind them. 

Sven can go for a Daedalus or Monkey King Bar, one giving him critical chance and the other helping him counter evasion. Silver Edge also works for him, providing attack speed and break that help neutralize powerful Hero passive abilities. Finally, getting a Satanic is another excellent choice, as this item’s active ability heals Sven rapidly, giving him immense survivability. If you have extra gold to spare, consuming a Moon Shard also benefits this Hero that requires attack speed. 

Dota 2 Sven Counter

Here are some Heroes who are capable of challenging the Strength of the Rogue Knight

• Troll Warlord – His Whirling Axes (Melee) ability blinds Sven, making him miss most of his attacks early game and his ultimate ability Battle Trance makes Troll Warlord immortal throughout the duration. 
• Pugna – His Decrepify ability banishes can banish Sven or his target, effectively kiting him and his BKB or God’s Strength’s duration. Furthermore, Pugna’s Life Drain ability allows him to heal his allies, making it difficult for Sven to take them out.
  

• Razor – His Static Link ability goes through Black King Bar, allowing him to sap away Sven’s attack damage and use it against him. Razor’s abilities also increase his movement speed while reducing Sven’s, effectively kiting him.
  

• Winter Wyvern – Her Cold Embrace saves any allies Sven might have initiated on, taking a toll on his BKB and God’s Strength duration in teamfights. Furthermore, her Winter’s Curse ability can be devastating to Sven’s team in teamights, as it might force him to damage and take out his own teammates before there is any time to react.

Conclusion

We are regularly coming out with guides for favorite Heroes, so remember to keep an eye out for more. Stay tuned, and happy cleaving.