Chen · Hard Support (pos. 5)
Chen Aggressive Guide
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This guide is assembled by the site from match data and the game's own information — nobody wrote it by hand. Official and community guides appear alongside it when they exist.
Overview
This guide is about playing Chen aggressively. Aggressive support means harassing from level one and rotating early to create kills on other lanes. Your spikes are level 6, when Hand of God comes online, and your core items: Mekansm and then Drum of Endurance. This patch, Chen wins 45.1% of the 16,533 public matches we measured (C tier on our ladder).
Strengths
- Keeps allies alive with Divine Favor.
- Long attack range (650) to harass and last hit safely.
- Takes towers quickly: Valve lists it as a Pusher.
Weaknesses
- No escape in the kit: without good positioning and vision, Chen is easy to catch.
- Low base armor (-1): vulnerable to physical harass early on.
- Every death while playing aggressively hands the tempo back to the enemy.
Build cheat sheet
Pick the build that fits what you want to do this game.
- Damage buildOffensiveRecommendedMoves the popular items that add damage — Vladmir's Offering and Meteor Hammer — to the front. Choose it when your lane went well and you can afford to be greedy. Built from what Chen players buy in the public matches we measured.
- Against magic damageDefensiveSituationalFor games where the enemy kills with spells: keep your first two core items and add magic resistance or spell immunity.
Builds
Damage build
When to use it
Moves the popular items that add damage — Vladmir's Offering and Meteor Hammer — to the front. Choose it when your lane went well and you can afford to be greedy. Built from what Chen players buy in the public matches we measured.
Where it's played
Picked before the game: the main lane first, then the alternatives.
317%227%155%- Safe laneMain55% of matchesSafe lane next to your carry, as Hard Support (pos. 5).
- RoamingPriority 227% of matchesOur data counts these games in the mid lane, but with support purchases: a position 4 that rotates between lanes from the start.
- OfflanePriority 317% of matchesOff lane next to your offlaner, as Soft Support (pos. 4).
Starting items
Core items
- 1Vladmir's Offering+1 Armor, +0.75 Mana Regeneration.
- 2Meteor Hammer+6 Strength, +6 Agility, +24 Intelligence. Active: Meteor Hammer.
- 3Assault Cuirass+30 Attack Speed, +10 Armor.
- 4Shadow Blade+25 Damage, +35 Attack Speed. Active: Shadow Walk.
Boots
Late game
Skill order
Max order:Holy Persuasi…›Divine Favor›Penitence
| Ability | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ● | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | ● | · | ● | ● | · | · |
 | · | ● | ● | · | ● | · | ● | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · |
 | · | · | · | ● | · | · | · | ● | ● | ● | · | · | · | · | · | · | · |
 | · | · | · | · | · | ● | · | · | · | · | · | · | ● | · | · | · | ● |
Talents by level
- Hand of God Fully Heals Chen and His CreepsHand of God applies a Strong Dispel25
- +15% Divine Favor Heal Amplification+1300 Holy Persuasion Minimum Health20
- +12% Holy Persuasion Damage+15% Penitence Slow15
- +75 Penitence Damage+25% Zealot Health/Damage10
Against magic damage
When to use it
For games where the enemy kills with spells: keep your first two core items and add magic resistance or spell immunity.
Where it's played
Picked before the game: the main lane first, then the alternatives.
317%227%155%- Safe laneMain55% of matchesSafe lane next to your carry, as Hard Support (pos. 5).
- RoamingPriority 227% of matchesOur data counts these games in the mid lane, but with support purchases: a position 4 that rotates between lanes from the start.
- OfflanePriority 317% of matchesOff lane next to your offlaner, as Soft Support (pos. 4).
Core items
- 1Mekansm
- 2Drum of Endurance
Situational
Skill order
Max order:Holy Persuasi…›Divine Favor›Penitence
| Ability | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ● | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | ● | · | ● | ● | · | · |
| · | ● | ● | · | ● | · | ● | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · |
| · | · | · | ● | · | · | · | ● | ● | ● | · | · | · | · | · | · | · |
| · | · | · | · | · | ● | · | · | · | · | · | · | ● | · | · | · | ● |
Talents by level
- Hand of God Fully Heals Chen and His CreepsHand of God applies a Strong Dispel25
- +15% Divine Favor Heal Amplification+1300 Holy Persuasion Minimum Health20
- +12% Holy Persuasion Damage+15% Penitence Slow15
- +75 Penitence Damage+25% Zealot Health/Damage10
Abilities
- Penitence20 / 17 / 14 / 11s80 / 90 / 100 / 110 mpDamages enemy unit, forces it to move slower and lets allies attack it more quickly.
- Duration
- 5·6·7·8
- Movement slow
- -12%·-18%·-24%·-30%
- Bonus attack speed
- 20·40·60·80
- Damage
- 50·100·150·200
- Holy Persuasion15s110 / 130 / 150 / 170 mpChen takes control of an enemy or neutral creep and receives a percentage of its bounty. Its maximum health is set to 400. Converted creeps will have increased movement speed and bonus damage. Chen may globally target his own creep if it has not taken damage in the last 3 seconds to unsummon it.
- Max units
- 1·2·3·4
- Creep max level
- 3·4·5·6
- Health minimum
- 400
- Percentage of bounty
- 25%·50%·75%·100%
- Move speed bonus
- 5·10·20·30
- Bonus damage
- 5%·10%·15%·20%
- Divine Favor20 / 18 / 16 / 14s75 mpPassively provides an aura that grants increased health regeneration. Can be cast on allies to provide them with bonus armor and increasing the healing and health regeneration they receive.
If cast on Chen, all units controlled by Chen receive the buff.
- Regen per sec
- 1.5·3·4.5·6
- Duration
- 6
- Armor
- 5·10·15·20
- Heal amplification
- 5%·10%·15%·20%
Zealot10s50 mp- Hand of God150 / 130 / 110s200 / 300 / 400 mpHeals all allied heroes on the map as well as all units under Chen's control. A large heal is applied at first and a slow heal over time is applied for 10 seconds afterwards.
- Initial heal
- 200·300·400
- Heal per second
- 20·30·40
Most played skill order
The most played order in the last 12 professional matches with this hero. Highlighted levels are the points spent on talents.
Max order:Holy Persuasi…›Divine Favor›Penitence
| Ability | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ● | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | ● | · | ● | ● | · | · |
| · | ● | ● | · | ● | · | ● | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · |
| · | · | · | ● | · | · | · | ● | ● | ● | · | · | · | · | · | · | · |
| · | · | · | · | · | ● | · | · | · | · | · | · | ● | · | · | · | ● |
Strategy
1When to fight
Your spikes are level 6, when Hand of God comes online, and your core items: Mekansm and then Drum of Endurance. Aggressive support means harassing from level one and rotating early to create kills on other lanes.
2Picking your targets
Stay behind your cores, keep your mana for the key moment and protect whoever the enemy dives. The best target is the one your team can reach and kill before the enemy answers, not always the most valuable one.
3Snowballing a lead
After a won fight, take towers and Roshan before anything else: that's what turns kills into a lead the enemy can't erase. Early, your objectives are a safe lane for your carry, vision on the runes and stacked camps for when your carry has time to farm them.
4When to back off
Safe support means warding ahead of danger, staying out of the enemy's reach and saving spells to protect your cores. If your key abilities are on cooldown or the enemy is missing from the map, the aggressive play is to wait.
Tips
- Fight on your spikes: right after Mekansm, look for the next fight instead of farming.
- Look for kills when Hand of God is ready and the enemy's key ability is not.
- Track the enemy's key cooldowns and attack right after they use them.
- Turn every kill into towers and Roshan: a kill without an objective is a wasted lead.
- Push your lane before you roam so the aggression doesn't cost you resources.
Matchups
Strong against
- Queen of Pain68.8%win rate in the matchup
Chen wins 68.8% of the 77 games measured against Queen of Pain this patch.
77 matches
- Ursa67.2%win rate in the matchup
Chen wins 67.2% of the 58 games measured against Ursa this patch.
58 matches
- Disruptor64.8%win rate in the matchup
Chen wins 64.8% of the 71 games measured against Disruptor this patch.
71 matches
- Ring Master64.1%win rate in the matchup
Chen wins 64.1% of the 64 games measured against Ring Master this patch.
64 matches
- Mars62.3%win rate in the matchup
Chen wins 62.3% of the 77 games measured against Mars this patch.
77 matches
Changelog
- Guide created for patch 7.41.
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