Sven · Carry (pos. 1)
Sven Items: What to Buy and When
More Sven guides
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 explains every item in Sven's builds and when to buy it. Your spikes are level 6, when God's Strength comes online, and your core items: Echo Sabre and then Blink Dagger.
Strengths
- Reliable stun: Storm Hammer sets up kills and interrupts enemy channels.
- Valve tags Sven as Durable: it stays in fights longer than most heroes.
- Heavy magical burst: Valve lists it as a Nuker.
Weaknesses
- No escape in the kit: without good positioning and vision, Sven is easy to catch.
- Low base armor (0): vulnerable to physical harass early on.
Build cheat sheet
Pick the build that fits what you want to do this game.
- Most-played buildBalancedRecommendedThe items most bought with this hero, phase by phase. Pick it when you don't have a clear reason to deviate. Built from what Sven players buy in the public matches we measured.
- Damage buildOffensiveAdvancedMoves the popular items that add damage — Echo Sabre and Mask of Madness — to the front. Choose it when your lane went well and you can afford to be greedy. Built from what Sven players buy in the public matches we measured.
- Survival buildDefensiveSituationalPrioritises the popular items that keep you alive — Echo Sabre and Black King Bar. Choose it against heavy disables or burst, or when you are the enemy's focus. Built from what Sven players buy in the public matches we measured.
Builds
Most-played build
When to use it
The items most bought with this hero, phase by phase. Pick it when you don't have a clear reason to deviate. Built from what Sven players buy in the public matches we measured.
Where it's played
Picked before the game: the main lane first, then the alternatives.
193%- Safe laneMain93% of matchesSafe lane as the farming core (pos. 1).
Starting items
Early game
Core items
- 1Echo Sabre+20 Damage, +15 Strength, +1.75 Mana Regeneration.
- 2Blink DaggerActive: Blink.
- 3Black King Bar+10 Strength, +24 Damage. Active: Avatar.
- 4Mask of Madness+20 Damage, +22% Lifesteal. Active: Berserk.
Boots
Late game
Skill order
Max order:Great Cleave›Storm Hammer›Warcry
| Ability | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Talents by level
- +50% God's Strength Damage+1s Storm Hammer Stun Duration25
- -25% Storm Hammer Cooldown and Mana Cost+8 Warcry Armor20
- +25% Great Cleave Damage-12s God's Strength Cooldown15
- +20% God's Strength Slow Resistance+5s Warcry Duration10
Damage build
When to use it
Moves the popular items that add damage — Echo Sabre and Mask of Madness — to the front. Choose it when your lane went well and you can afford to be greedy. Built from what Sven players buy in the public matches we measured.
Where it's played
Picked before the game: the main lane first, then the alternatives.
193%- Safe laneMain93% of matchesSafe lane as the farming core (pos. 1).
Starting items
Core items
- 1Echo Sabre+20 Damage, +15 Strength, +1.75 Mana Regeneration.
- 2Mask of Madness+20 Damage, +22% Lifesteal. Active: Berserk.
- 3Crystalys+32 Damage.
- 4Harpoon+25 Damage, +25 Strength, +10 Agility. Active: Draw Forth.
Boots
Late game
Skill order
Max order:Great Cleave›Storm Hammer›Warcry
| Ability | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Talents by level
- +50% God's Strength Damage+1s Storm Hammer Stun Duration25
- -25% Storm Hammer Cooldown and Mana Cost+8 Warcry Armor20
- +25% Great Cleave Damage-12s God's Strength Cooldown15
- +20% God's Strength Slow Resistance+5s Warcry Duration10
Survival build
When to use it
Prioritises the popular items that keep you alive — Echo Sabre and Black King Bar. Choose it against heavy disables or burst, or when you are the enemy's focus. Built from what Sven players buy in the public matches we measured.
Where it's played
Picked before the game: the main lane first, then the alternatives.
193%- Safe laneMain93% of matchesSafe lane as the farming core (pos. 1).
Starting items
Core items
- 1Echo Sabre+20 Damage, +15 Strength, +1.75 Mana Regeneration.
- 2Black King Bar+10 Strength, +24 Damage. Active: Avatar.
- 3Sange and Yasha+16 Strength, +16 Agility, +16% Status Resistance.
- 4Heart of Tarrasque+40 Strength, +1% Max Health Regen.
Boots
Late game
Skill order
Max order:Great Cleave›Storm Hammer›Warcry
| Ability | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ● | · | ● | · | · | · | · | · | ● | ● | · | · | · | · | · | · | · |
| · | ● | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | ● | · | ● | ● | · | · |
| · | · | · | ● | ● | · | ● | ● | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · |
| · | · | · | · | · | ● | · | · | · | · | · | · | ● | · | · | · | ● |
Talents by level
- +50% God's Strength Damage+1s Storm Hammer Stun Duration25
- -25% Storm Hammer Cooldown and Mana Cost+8 Warcry Armor20
- +25% Great Cleave Damage-12s God's Strength Cooldown15
- +20% God's Strength Slow Resistance+5s Warcry Duration10
Abilities
- Storm Hammer21 / 18 / 15 / 12s110 mpSven unleashes his magical gauntlet that deals damage and stuns enemy units in a small area around the target.
- Stun duration
- 1·1.25·1.5·1.75
- Radius
- 250·270·290·310
- Great CleavePassiveSven strikes with great force, cleaving all nearby enemy units with his attack.
- Cleave distance
- 400·500·600·700
- Cleave damage
- 60%·70%·80%·90%
- Warcry36 / 32 / 28 / 24s30 / 35 / 40 / 45 mpSven's Warcry heartens his allied heroes for battle, increasing their armor and movement speed. Lasts 8 seconds.
- Bonus speed
- 6%·9%·12%·15%
- Bonus armor
- 5·8·11·14
- Radius
- 700
- Duration
- 8
- God's Strength110 / 105 / 100s100 / 125 / 150 mpSven channels his rogue strength, granting bonus damage and slow resistance for 30 seconds.
- Bonus damage
- 110%·150%·190%
- Slow resistance
- 40%
Wrath of GodPassiveSven gains additional attack damage from Strength.- Damage per strength
- 0.08
Most played skill order
The most played order in the last 100 professional matches with this hero. Highlighted levels are the points spent on talents.
Max order:Great Cleave›Storm Hammer›Warcry
| Ability | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ● | · | ● | · | · | · | · | · | ● | ● | · | · | · | · | · | · | · |
| · | ● | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | ● | · | ● | ● | · | · |
| · | · | · | ● | ● | · | ● | ● | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · |
| · | · | · | · | · | ● | · | · | · | · | · | · | ● | · | · | · | ● |
Strategy
1Starting items
What to buy before leaving the base, and what each item gives:
- Gauntlets of Strength — +3 Strength.
- Iron Branch — +1 All Attributes.
- Magic Stick — Active: Energy Charge.
- Quelling Blade — Active: Chop Tree.
- Tango
- Faerie Fire — +2 Damage.
2Core items
Your spikes are level 6, when God's Strength comes online, and your core items: Echo Sabre and then Blink Dagger. Buy them in this order; each one is a power spike:
- Power Treads — +45 Move Speed, +10 Selected Attribute, +25 Attack Speed. Active: Switch Attribute.
- Echo Sabre — +20 Damage, +15 Strength, +1.75 Mana Regeneration.
- Blink Dagger — Active: Blink.
- Black King Bar — +10 Strength, +24 Damage. Active: Avatar.
- Mask of Madness — +20 Damage, +22% Lifesteal. Active: Berserk.
3Late-game items
What players finish with once the core is done:
- Daedalus — +88 Damage.
- Satanic — +25 Strength, +25 Damage, +25% Lifesteal. Active: Unholy Rage.
- Swift Blink — +25 Agility. Active: Swift Blink.
- Harpoon — +25 Damage, +25 Strength, +10 Agility. Active: Draw Forth.
4Adapting to the game
The damage build moves the offensive items forward when you're ahead; the defensive one adds survival when the enemy focuses you. The situational builds in the matchups guide answer specific threats.
Tips
- Buy Echo Sabre as early as you can: it's your first real spike.
- Complete one item before starting the next: half-built items give less than one finished one.
- Look at the enemy team at every back and adjust the situational items.
- Don't sit on gold: spend it when you go back.
Changelog
- Guide created for patch 7.41.
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