Visage
Visage is a being of pure pain, the soul of a Necro'lic bound to serve the grave. He commands the spirits of the dead, unleashing them upon the living with devastating effect.
At a Glance
Core Principles
“The grave serves not as an end, but as a beginning. Through bound forms and stone spirits, I command the dance of death itself.”
Control Your Tools
Your Familiars are weapons, shields, eyes, and distractions all at once. Master their micro-management, and you control the battlefield from every angle simultaneously.
Stone Form, Stone Strategy
Stone Form is more than a stun - it's pain, panic, and positioning control. Every Stone Form should interrupt something, save someone, or enable a kill. Never waste it.
Chill Everything
Grave Chill works on neutrals and allies' targets, not just enemies. Use it creatively for escapes, positioning, and tactical advantages others can't access.
Death Feeds Power
Every death on the battlefield Soul Assumption. Teamfights are your domain where chaos becomes ammunition through accumulating death stacks for devastating damage output.
Altitude Advantage
Ground‑bound heroes fear the sky. Maintain altitude superiority. Position Familiars where they can't be easily countered—cliffs, trees, behind enemy lines. Make them react to your threat, not you to theirs.
Resummon Relentlessly
Lost a Familiar? Resummon immediately. The cooldown refresh on Stone Form is often more valuable than the temporary loss. Aggressive resummons keep enemies guessing and maintain pressure.
Hero Overview
Visage is a unique support hero who manipulates the battlefield through his Familiars - powerful stone spirits that deal damage from above. His Gravekeeper's Cloak provides exceptional durability against magic damage, while Grave Chill offers both offensive and defensive utility through movement speed manipulation.
Visage's gameplay revolves around masterful Familiar control. These flying units deal significant physical damage, stun with Stone Form, and share Gravekeeper's Cloak bonuses. Success requires constant micro-management - sending Familiars to gank, stack camps, or provide vision while keeping them close enough for defensive bonuses and positioning them for devastating Stone Form stuns.
Pros
- Excellent map control through Familiar mobility
- Strong magic damage resistance with Gravekeeper's Cloak
- Versatile Grave Chill for chase/escape/slow
- Physical damage that bypasses magic immunity
- Can pressure multiple lanes simultaneously
Cons
- Extremely high mechanical difficulty
- Familiars are vulnerable and expensive when killed
- Reliant on proper positioning and micro-management
- Weak against heroes with good AoE damage
- Low health pool despite defensive abilities
Ability Analysis
Grave Chill
Target UnitVisage saps the life force of an enemy unit, slowing them and stealing their movement and attack speed.
Notes: Use on any enemy or neutral creep to escape ganks. Can also be used on jungle creeps to position yourself for ganks or tower dives. The speed boost affects both you and nearby Familiars within 900 range.
Soul Assumption
ActiveVisage launches a ball of souls that damages a target, with damage increasing for each nearby death.
Notes: Keep track of enemy and creep deaths around you. Max damage is 500 at 6 stacks. Excellent for teamfights where deaths accumulate quickly. Low cooldown allows for frequent usage during extended fights.
Gravekeeper's Cloak
PassiveVisage surrounds himself with a magical cloak that reduces damage from incoming attacks.
Notes: Stacks up to 4 times, each stack providing 4% magic resistance and 1 armor. Stacks recharge individually when not taking damage. Familiars within 900 range also benefit from this protection.
Summon Familiars
ActiveVisage summons two Familiars that have high damage resistance and deal area-of-effect damage.
Notes: Resummoning refreshes Stone Form cooldowns. Familiars have 2000/2500/3000 health and share Gravekeeper's Cloak bonuses. They deal physical damage and have Stone Form for area stuns and health regeneration.
Stone Form
ActiveFamiliar transforms into stone, stunning nearby enemies and regenerating health.
Notes: Can be cast from the hero or directly from Familiars. Casting from Familiars gives Magic Stick charges to enemies. 1.5 second stun in 350 radius. Familiars become magic immune and regenerate health during the 6-second stone duration.
Familiars (Aghanim's Scepter)
ActiveSummons a third Familiar and grants them Unholy Strength, which passively provides bonus attack damage to nearby allies.
Notes: Third Familiar drastically increases teamfight presence. Unholy Strength provides 20/30/40 bonus damage to allied units in 900 radius. Makes Visage much more impactful in extended engagements and helps with objective pushing.
Developer's Notes
Developer Insights
Visage is one of the most mechanically intensive supports in Dota 2, requiring exceptional micro-management skill to control his Familiars effectively.
Key Insights:
- Familiar positioning is everything - they're your weapons and your shields
- Grave Chill is your escape, your chase tool, and your damage amplifier
- Stone Form stuns and resets Familiar health
Visage rewards creative, tactical play. Your Familiars can be anywhere on the map, creating opportunities that no other hero can match.
Game Strategy
Early Game
Timeframe: 0-15 minutes Objective: Support carry and prepare for Familiar-based aggression Key: Harass with Grave Chill and Soul Assumption; Use Familiars to stack ancients and jungle camps; Provide vision and zoning with Familiar positioning; Maintain mana for sustained ability usage Items: Arcane Boots (Priority #1); Magic Wand for sustain; Wind Lace for positioning Tips: Keep Familiars within 900 range for Gravekeeper's Cloak bonuses; Stone Form on low-health Familiars to heal and stun enemies; Grave Chill neutrals when escaping ganks; Watch for opportunities to Soul Assumption on low-health enemies
Mid Game
Timeframe: 15-30 minutes Objective: Utilize Familiars for map control and teamfight initiation Key: Send Familiars to gank sidelanes while farming jungle; Use Stone Form for crucial stuns in teamfights; Keep pressure with multiple map presence; Coordinate attacks with physical damage dealers Items: Medallion of Courage; Force Staff for positioning; Aether Lens for ability range Tips: Resummon Familiars to refresh Stone Form cooldowns; Target squishy supports with Familiars in teamfights; Use Stone Form to interrupt channeling spells; Keep wards up to maximize Familiar effectiveness
Late Game
Timeframe: 30+ minutes Objective: Execute coordinated Familiar assaults and provide team utility Key: Use Aghanim's Scepter for third Familiar; Coordinate with minus armor heroes for maximum damage; Protect high-value targets with Grave Chill; Use Stone Form for zoning and interruption Items: Aghanim's Scepter (Priority #1); Scythe of Vyse for control; Refresher Orb for quad-Familat devastation Tips: Familiar positioning is critical - don't group them up; Use Stone Form defensively when Familiars are focused; Grave Chill can be used on any unit, not just enemies; Familiar physical damage bypasses BKB - prioritize key targets
Tips & Strategies
Familiar Masterclass
- Use Familiars to stack ancients while you lane—dual income streams.
- Send Familiars to pressure different lanes simultaneously.
- Familiars can snipe couriers near the secret shop—keep vision there.
- Position Familiars behind enemy lines before teamfights for multi-angle attacks.
- Stone Form has 1.5 second stun - use it to interrupt crucial spells like Black Hole.
Grave Chill Tactics
- Grave Chill neutrals when escaping - it doesn't need to be on enemies.
- Chill jungle creeps to reposition yourself for better Familiar angles.
- Use it on allies' targets to help them secure kills with increased attack speed slow.
- Speed boost affects both you AND nearby Familiars within 900 range.
- Low 6-second cooldown at level 4 - use it frequently for chase and escape.
Advanced Stone Form
- Casting from hero doesn't give Magic Stick charges - from Familiar does.
- Put Stone Form on alt-cast to make it a targeted spell.
- Resummoning Familiars refreshes their Stone Form cooldowns.
- Stone Form makes Familiars magic immune and regens 50% health over 6 seconds.
- Use Stone Form to cut creep waves from positions where creeps can't attack back.
Item Guide
Starting Items
Movement speed and mana sustain are crucial for positioning and ability usage in the early laning phase.
Circlet, Tangos, Clarities, Wind Lace
Core Items
Arcane Boots solve mana issues, Wand provides emergency sustain, and Medallion synergizes with Familiars' physical damage and helps debuff enemies.
Arcane Boots, Magic Wand, Medallion of Courage
Situational Items
Lens for range, Force for positioning, Silver Edge for breaking passives, Crimson Guard for Familiar protection, Glimmer for emergency saves.
Aether Lens, Force Staff, Silver Edge, Crimson Guard, Glimmer Cape
Counter Guide
Good With
Visage thrives alongside heroes who can capitalize on his Familiars' advantages. Ancient Apparition and Dazzle provide vision and healing that keeps Familiars effective at range. Leshrac and Jakiro offer AoE damage that pairs perfectly with Stone Form stuns, setting up devastating area damage combos. Slardar and Shadow Fiend provide minus armor that dramatically increases Familiar physical damage output. Heroes with strong lockdown like Earthshaker or Bounty Hunter create time windows for Soul Assumption to reach maximum damage. Vision providers like Techies or Keeper of the Light enhance Visage's map control capabilities. The key synergy is with heroes who either protect Visage/Familiars, enhance their damage output, or create opportunities for coordinated multi-angle assaults.
Bad Against
Visage struggles against heroes who can quickly eliminate Familiars or negate his core mechanics. Brewmaster's Storm Brewling deals massive damage to summoned units with Dispel Magic, while Winter Wyvern's Cold Embrace can nullify Familiar damage output. Ember Spirit with Sleight of Fist can instantly kill positioned Familiars, and Axe forces nearby units to attack him, making it difficult to control Familiars safely. Anti-Mage can blink onto isolated Familiars, while Lina with Laguna Blade can one-shot them. Oracle's Fortune's End removes crucial buffs and can dispel Gravekeeper's Cloak stacks. Timbersaw with Chakram and Reactive Armor can shred Familiar health rapidly. Heroes with strong AoE magic, summon-destroying abilities, or displacement effects make Visage's primary weapon—his Familiars—extremely vulnerable and difficult to control effectively.
Good Against
Visage dominates heroes who are vulnerable to multi-angle physical damage or lack reliable ways to deal with flying threats. Squishy supports like Crystal Maiden, Witch Doctor, and Shadow Shaman fall quickly to coordinated Familiar attacks. Channeling heroes such as Enigma, Shadow Fiend, and Crystal Maiden are easily interrupted by Stone Form stuns. Position-dependent heroes like Sniper, Drow Ranger, and Ancient Apparition lose their safety advantage when attacked from above. Low mobility heroes without escape mechanisms become easy targets for Grave Chill + Familiar focus. Illusion heroes like Naga Siren struggle against Soul Assumption's stack-based damage as they naturally generate deaths. Magic-reliant heroes find their damage heavily mitigated by Gravekeeper's Cloak, making extended engagements unfavorable. Visage's ability to pressure from multiple angles simultaneously creates tactical nightmares for heroes who rely on predictable positioning or concentrated defenses.