Chen · Hard Support (pos. 5)
Chen for Beginners
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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
Chen is a ranged Intelligence hero that Valve tags as Support and Pusher. It is played mainly as Hard Support (pos. 5): 56% of the public matches we measured, by starting lane and starting items. In this guide you play it as Hard Support (pos. 5): your job is to keep your carry safe in the safe lane, buy the wards and give up farm so the cores can have it. Chen is of average difficulty: learn the basics below and it rewards you quickly.
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
- Low base armor (-1): vulnerable to physical harass early on.
- No escape in the kit: without good positioning and vision, Chen is easy to catch.
Build cheat sheet
Pick the build that fits what you want to do this game.
Builds
Simple build
When to use it
The most-bought items without the situational ones: buy them in this order and focus on playing the hero.
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
- 1MekansmYour first big item.
- 2Drum of EnduranceSecond: buy it right after.
- 3PaviseThird: completes your core.
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
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
1What Chen does
Chen is a ranged Intelligence hero that Valve tags as Support and Pusher. It is played mainly as Hard Support (pos. 5): 56% of the public matches we measured, by starting lane and starting items. The kit brings sustain with Divine Favor. Its ultimate is Hand of God.
2The basics
In this guide you play it as Hard Support (pos. 5): your job is to keep your carry safe in the safe lane, buy the wards and give up farm so the cores can have it.
- Vision: a ward in the right place saves more lives than any spell.
- Positioning: you are the easiest kill on the map, so stand where the enemy can't reach you first.
3Common mistakes
Most new players lose games with the same few mistakes. Avoid these and you'll already be ahead:
- Taking last hits from your carry.
- Placing wards during the fight instead of before it.
- Standing in front of your cores in fights.
4Your first games
Position 5 starts in the safe lane with your carry: their last hits come first, so harass the enemy offlaner, pull the small camp when the wave needs resetting and buy the wards nobody else will. Use the simple build in this guide and don't worry about situational choices yet.
Tips
- Vision: a ward in the right place saves more lives than any spell.
- Positioning: you are the easiest kill on the map, so stand where the enemy can't reach you first.
- Check the minimap every few seconds: most deaths come from heroes you didn't see coming.
- Learn what Hand of God does before anything else: it's the ability that wins fights.
Changelog
- Guide created for patch 7.41.
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