What is BKB in Dota 2

Black King Bar (BKB) has to be the best item in Dota 2. For only 4,050 gold, you get active spell immunity every 1.5 minutes, which can turn entire games around if properly used. BKB meaning in Dota 2 is often misunderstood, causing players to lose games they should have surely won. In this article, we’ll go through everything you need to know about this item, from hero synergies and timings to its best use cases and weaknesses in the current patch.

How BKB Works in Game

While you can purchase Black King Bar in Dota 2 in one click for 4,050 gold, most of the time, you should build it part by part (Ogre Club + Mithril Hammer + Recipe).

BKB provides decent mid-game stats:

1. 220 health and 0.9 health regeneration;
2. 10 main attack damage to strength heroes;
3. 7 main attack damage to universal heroes.

However, it is the magical active skill that makes this item extremely useful in all game scenarios. Once you have a full BKB in your inventory, you can apply a Basic Dispel called “Avatar” on yourself and activate spell immunity for 9/8/7/6 seconds (every use reduces the duration until it reaches 6 seconds). The ability’s cooldown is every 95 seconds. Fun fact: when BKB’s effect is active, player models increase in size.

BKB is equally good for attacking and retreating, making whatever strategy your team employs easier to pull off. In both cases, just make sure to press BKB for protection before you get disabled (activation is immediate).

Dealing with players who are on point with their BKB timings can be hard or impossible for control-focused teams. Depending on the draft, they might have zero ways to disable heroes during BKB’s activation, which might cost them the game. Keep this in mind when deciding whether to skip this item.

Best Heroes for BKB

For most heroes in Dota BKB is an excellent utility piece. Still, there are certain picks that can make the most out of it. Some can use it to deal maximum damage during Avatar, while others will appreciate debuff immunity when doing their one big thing (think Black Hole or Freezing Field).

Some of the best heroes for BKB are:

1. Phantom Assassin. This hero is very strong when attacking with BKB. If you play against PA with BKB, moving anywhere on the map on your own is unsafe. Even in 5v5s, she can often kill you in 2 hits during Avatar.
2. Ursa. Just like PA, Ursa with BKB can jump in and destroy an enemy hero in seconds. However, unlike Phantom Assassin, you don't rely on crits, so you can calculate how many hits you need to kill the target. This means you can usually kill an enemy before they figure out you’re on top of them and counterattack. Still, Ursa will very much appreciate a few seconds of spell immunity during teamfights.
3. Gyrocopter. Gyro's high attack range allows him to stay safe until the late game. However, after a certain mark, standing and shooting for free becomes pretty much impossible without BKB, especially in 5v5 fights.
4. Death Prophet. In the early and mid-game, DP with Eul’s + BKB is somewhat of a tank that can move fast and destroy your buildings. The hero has a lot of HP and armor, and Exorcism makes approaching DP nearly impossible. The play is to activate your ultimate + BKB and try to get on top of the enemy. If the target retreats, you’ll still have a consolation prize in the form of their tower, as once they give up their position, retaking it often becomes a risky proposition.
5. Leshrac. This hero is similar to Death Prophet in how they use BKB. However, Leshrac requires more items than just BKB and Eul’s to go in. To compensate for this, his damage output is higher than that of DP in the late game. If you are tanky enough and have tons of mana, you can pop Avatar, run in, and watch your enemies fall.
6. Enigma. If BKB in Dota 2 is one of the strongest game-changing items, Black Hole is its ability equivalent. No wonder they go together so well. Locate a group of enemy heroes or a valuable single target, press BKB, blink in, cast your “E”, and then Black Hole — congratulations, you’ve just won a fight.

When to Buy a Black King Bar

The best timings to purchase BKB can vary depending on the heroes, the flow of the game, your item builds, etc. However, there are some basic concepts applicable to most matches:

1. Carry heroes without magic resistance or dispels should purchase BKB as a second “big” item. For example, if you’re a Phantom Assassin and plan to purchase Wraith Band, Phase Boots, and Battle Fury, you should go for a BKB at approximately 15–25 minutes.
2. Tanky heroes (Death Prophet, Primal Beast, Earth Spirit) that go in and just stay on top of enemies can also go for BKB at 15–20, after 1 or two small items like the Urn, Soul Ring, Eul’s, etc.
3. For the heroes that absolutely need a BKB (like Enigma), the timing depends on the game state. If you want to surprise the enemies with a fast-paced attack, you should buy it at 25 mins. However, if you want to scale up a little bit, you’ll need to prioritize either farm items like Midas or the auras and buffs for you and your team. Just be 100% sure you’ll have it when the moment comes (30+ mins).

How to Use BKB Effectively

The first and most important advice on how to use Dota 2 BKB is to never buy it if you don’t need it. You don’t want to spend this much money on something that wouldn’t be game-changing for your hero.

Once you’ve bought it, don’t use the first charges (9, 8 sec.) until you absolutely need it. The longer your BKB lasts during an important fight, the more impact you will have. So, don’t activate your BKB immediately on getting attacked; the chances are that your opponents will try to bait you into using it. There are also disables that won’t allow you to press BKB once you’re under their effect. Stay calm, but make sure you’re always ready to press the Avatar hotkey.

One more thing: Sometimes you’ll purchase a BKB item in Dota 2 for a very specific purpose, like casting Enigma’s Black Hole, Pudge’s Dismember, Crystal Maiden’s Freezing Field, Shadow Fiend’s Requiem of Souls, etc. If this is the case, try to save your BKB for teamfights.

Conclusion

What is BKB in Dota 2? This malicious-looking scepter is not just a good utility item, but a game-changing one. Hopefully, now you have a good idea of how to use and counter it, and its strategic impact and weaknesses. If you still have questions, feel free to ask us in the comments.