Alchemist in Dota 2 Guide

Alchemist is one of the few Dota 2 heroes who have unique mechanics, a hero that demands precise farming skills, perfect timing, and a very specific playstyle. However, if you manage to hit his key timings during each stage, you’ll turn him into an unstoppable force who can boast massive damage and impressive survivability. So, check out our Dota 2 Alchemist guide to learn how to unleash this hero’s full potential.

Alchemist Hero Overview

Before we dive deeper into the gameplay mechanics and item builds, let’s take a moment to appreciate the story behind this character and review the evolution of the Alchemist in Dota 2. Also, we’ll review the core particularities of this mighty hero and see what makes him so distinct.

Lore

Many players assume that Alchemist is a big yellow ogre, but in truth, that’s just the mount. The real Alchemist is Razzil Darkbrew, the clever Keen riding on the ogre’s shoulders. After a daring prison escape, the duo continues their wild adventures across the battlefields of Dota.

Alchemist also appeared in the original DotA Allstars, and despite the difference in graphics between Dota 2 and Warcraft 3, the character’s old design looks remarkably faithful to the original.

Primary Role

Dota 2 Alchemist is a melee Strength hero known for his primary attribute, impressive survivability, damage output, and insane farming potential. Depending on the draft, the character can effectively handle the responsibilities of various roles, including carry, roamer, midlaner, jungler, or even a tank. Additionally, Alchemist farms faster than any other hero in the game, and this is the only hero who can gift allies Aghanim’s Blessing.

Strengths and Weaknesses

Alchemist is a well-balanced hero with powerful skills, high attack speed, and a large health pool. Nonetheless, the character still has some weak sides you should consider before picking him.

Alchemist’s Abilities Explained

Now, let’s get to one of the most important parts of our Alchemist guide — a review of the hero’s abilities, talents, and facets. Further, we’ll also explore the standard sequence of skill improvement for this character.

Acid Spray

The Alchemist sprays acid across a 350-500 radius target area. All units on the affected terrain start taking 25-40 physical damage per second and get 3-6 enemy armor reduction. Great for zoning and farming stacked camps.

Unstable Concoction

The hero can throw an unstable concoction at an enemy to stun them for up to 3.2seconds and deal up to 360 damage. Consider that brewing takes 5 seconds, and if you throw the concoction faster, the damage and stun time are reduced. Also, if overcharged (after 5.5 seconds), the potion explodes, stunning and damaging the Alchemist himself.

Corrosive Weaponry

This passive ability inflicts 2%/2.5%/3%/3.5% movement slow and 2%/2.5%/3%/3.5% attack reduction per stack. The maximum number of stacks is limited to 7/10/13/16 while the debuff effect lasts for 4 seconds. Each Alchemist’s attack applies 2 stacks, while Unstable Concoction applies 1 stack per second of brewing.

Chemical Rage

Alchemist applies a special potion on his ogre, making him enter the Rage mode for 30 seconds. During this period, the base attack time is reduced to 1.2/1.1/1. The character also inflicts 60/90/120 bonus health regeneration and 20/30/40 bonus movement speed.

Berserk Potion

After consuming Aghanim’s Shard, Alchemist unlocks an ability to throw a potion at an ally. It applies a basic dispel and grants +50 attack speed, +50 health regeneration, and +30 movement speed as a bonus for 15 seconds.

Greevil's Greed

Alchemist in Dota gains additional gold (up to +18 coins per unit) for kill streaks made within 40 seconds. Once he assembles Aghanim’s Scepter, this powerful ability allows him to grant Aghanim’s Blessing to allies. For each Scepter gifted, the hero receives +25 bonus damage.

Talents & Facets

Once you pick Alchemist, you’ll need to choose one of three available Facets:

And of course, during the match, you can select talents from the Talent Tree. We’ve highlighted the most attractive choices for each branch.

If you want to master gold efficiency and item timings as Alchemist, read our Dota 2 item economy guide for insight.

Standard Skill Progression

If you want to learn how to play Alchemist in Dota 2, you need to properly level up his abilities. Follow the standard skill progression and adjust based on your in-game situation when necessary.

		2		4				8	9
	1		3		5		7
											11		13	14		16
						6						12						18
										10					15					20					25

Best Item Build for Alchemist

The hero will never reach his true potential without proper items. Follow the tips from our Alchemist in Dota 2 guide to buy artifacts that eliminate the character’s weaknesses and enhance his strengths.

Starting Items

Your starting item build should ensure a comfortable laning phase. It’s recommended to purchase these items before the 8th minute of the match.

Item Name	Item Icon
Tango
Gauntlets of Strength (x2)
Quelling Blade
Magic Wand
Boots of Speed
Soul Ring
Phase Boots

Core Items

The items for Alchemist indeed require a lot of gold, but due to the Greevil’s Greed ability, it’s not a problem for this hero. For maximum efficiency, try to assemble the mentioned items before the 27th minute of the game.

Item Name	Item Icon
Radiance
Blink Dagger
Manta Style
Orchid Malevolence
Black King Bar

Late Game Items

Some neutral items really scale well with Alchemist’s farming. Check out our Dota 2 neutral items for carries guide for good options.

When the Late Game begins, identify your opponents’ key weaknesses and pick the items that will exploit them. This Alchemist in Dota guide offers a general-purpose build that will suit most matchups. Aim to complete it before the 40th minute of the match.

Item Name	Item Icon
Bloodthorn
Swift Blink
Aghanim's Shard
Abyssal Blade
Aghanim's Scepter

If you want to compare Alchemist with other powerful late-game cores, check out our guide on the best carry heroes in Dota 2.

Situational Items

The table below includes situational items that you can also build for the Alchemist depending on the match. For example, you may purchase Assault Cuirass to boost the attack speed and improve your pushing potential.

Item Name	Item Icon
Assault Cuirass
Overwhelming Blink
Shadow Blade
Sange and Yasha
Butterfly

Alchemist Gameplay Guide

Now, let’s get to the gameplay features of playing Dota Alchemist. In this part of our guide, we’ll review your key objectives during each stage of the match and provide helpful tips to improve your overall performance.

Early Game Strategy

The way you start the game directly depends on your role, but it’s generally recommended to play as a carry, which means heading to the safe lane together with your support. During this stage, focus on farming and making attempts to kill enemy semi-support and offlaner with the help of your ally and abilities, such as Acid Spray and Unstable Concoction. Once you reach level 6, move into the jungle and farm as many creep camps as possible.

Mid Game Objectives

Ideally, by around the 15th minute of the game, you’ll have Radiance, which allows you to efficiently participate in team fights. Before you attack the enemies, make sure your ultimate is ready and that you’ve started brewing Unstable Concoction. During the fight, prioritize killing the heroes with disabling abilities first, as they are especially dangerous for Alchemist. Between team fights, continue farming and attacking the towers on enemy lanes.

Late Game Impact

After the 35th minute of the game, Alchemist reaches his full potential and comes close to his maximum strength. This stage is marked by intense team fights and lanes pushing, where you’ll play a leading role. Use Blink Dagger and Unstable Concoction to initiate encounters with enemies, focusing on eliminating the weakest or most threatening enemy heroes first.

Farming Techniques

Learning efficient farming techniques should be among your top priorities if you want to learn how to play Alchemist in Dota like a pro. Follow these tips to maximize your gold income:

1. Plan your jungle path efficiently and leave no creep alive.
2. Use Phase Boots and Blink Dagger to move faster between the creep camps.
3. Make micro-stacks of creeps if you’re farming a spot when a match minute is about to end (around the 55th second mark).

Friends & Enemies

Here, we’ve listed the best heroes that your teammates may pick to support and synergize with Alchemist. We’ve also included several heroes whose abilities can cause serious trouble if you face them.

Conclusion

The Alchemist is undoubtedly one of the most powerful heroes in the current meta. He’s a unique character who can deliver an excellent performance in nearly any position and at every stage of the match. With the tips from our Alchemist guide in Dota 2, you can master this hero and turn him into an unstoppable force that leads your team to victory.