Ursa
Ulfsaar the Warrior is the fiercest warrior of the ursine clans, born with an instinct for combat and driven by an unquenchable thirst for battle.
At a Glance
Core Principles
“The bear does not hunt. The bear eliminates. Fatally. Relentlessly. Perfectly.”
Stack and Preserve
Fury Swipes are your identity. Never let them fall. One stack is thousands of potential damage lost and seconds of advantage wasted.
Pre-Charge Your Fury
Overpower's duration exceeds its cooldown. Always have one charged before combat. The first strike should already be empowered.
Master the Jump
Earthshock isn't just damage and slow. It's your cliff-jumper, your escape artist, your initiation tool. Use it to traverse the terrain others cannot.
Roshan is Yours
From level 8, Roshan belongs to you. Track timings. Prepare items. The moment Roshan spawns, he should already be dying to your claws.
Enrage is Freedom
Use Enrage when restrained. It removes the chains, not just enhances your strength. With Aghanim's, even stuns cannot hold you.
The Surgical Strike
You are not a brawler. You are an assassin. Find the priority target, eliminate them with clinical precision, then reposition. One kill changes the entire battle.
Hero Overview
Ursa is a devastating single-target damage dealer who excels at rapidly eliminating heroes and neutral objectives. His unique ability to stack damage through Fury Swipes makes him incredibly dangerous in extended fights, while his high base armor and Enrage ability provide surprising durability.
Ursa's gameplay revolves around building up and maintaining Fury Swipes stacks while timing Overpower bursts perfectly. His Earthshock provides mobility and a slow, while Enrage serves as both a defensive panic button and offensive steroid. The true power of Ursa lies in his ability to take Roshan solo from extremely early levels, giving his team a significant gold and experience advantage.
Pros
- Highest single-target damage potential
- Can solo Roshan from very early levels
- Strong mobility with Earthshock
- Built-in defensive dispel with Enrage
- Excellent at taking Tormentor
Cons
- No inherent stun or hard disable
- Vulnerable to kiting and ranged harassment
- Heavily item dependent
- Struggles against high armor heroes
- Requires careful positioning
Ability Analysis
Earthshock
ActiveUrsa slams the earth, causing a powerful shock that slows and damages nearby enemy land units.
Notes: Excellent mobility tool for jumping cliffs in or out of combat. Use it to chase down fleeing enemies or escape dangerous situations. The AoE slow makes it perfect for setting up your devastating combos.
Overpower
ActiveUrsa goes into a frenzy, gaining a massive attack speed bonus for his next several attacks.
Notes: The duration is longer than the cooldown, allowing you to pre-cast it before engagements. Always have Overpower ready before ganking. Can be dispelled by enemies, making timing crucial.
Fury Swipes
PassiveUrsa claws his enemies, causing them to bleed. Each stack increases the damage taken from Ursa's attacks.
Notes: Works on Roshan and all neutral creeps. Maintain stacks in lane like Batrider's Sticky Napalm. Breaking Ursa stops new stacks but maintains existing damage bonus. The core of your damage output.
Enrage
ActiveUrsa unleashes his inner beast, gaining status resistance and damage based on his current health.
Notes: Provides a basic dispel when cast, removing DoTs, slows, blinds, and roots. Aghanim's Scepter upgrades this to a strong dispel that removes stuns. The visual effect lingers for ~1 second after the buff ends.
Earthshock (Shard Upgrade)
ActiveEarthshock also triggers Enrage if Ursa is not already enraged, and adds duration to existing Enrage.
Notes: Perfect for chain combos and extending your damage window. If you have Grudge Bearer facet, time Earthshock near the end of the buff duration to refresh it. Does not apply Enrage dispel.
Enrage (Aghanim's Scepter)
ActiveEnrage becomes a strong dispel capable of removing stuns. Can be activated even while stunned.
Notes: Game-changing ability that makes Ursa incredibly difficult to lockdown. Similar to Abaddon's Borrowed Time, but you still can't use it when hexed or silenced. Essential against heavy disable setups.
Developer's Notes
Developer Insights
Ursa is the ultimate single-target damage dealer in Dota 2. His Fury Swipes ability creates devastating stacking damage that can melt through any hero, while Enrage provides both survivability and mobility.
Key Insights:
- Maintain Fury Swipes stacks constantly in lane
- Pre-cast Overpower before engagements
- Use Enrage as both offensive steroid and defensive dispel
- Master the art of solo Roshan timing
Ursa rewards calculated aggression. Learn the rhythm of his abilities and you'll become a nightmare for the entire enemy team.
Game Strategy
Early Game
Timeframe: 0-15 minutes Objective: Secure early kills and prepare for Roshan Key: Maintain Fury Swipes stacks on enemy heroes; Farm jungle efficiently between lane waves; Look for opportunities to gank level 5-6; Prepare for early Roshan attempt Items: Phase Boots (Essential mobility); Morbid Mask (Sustain for Roshan); Blink Dagger (Initiation tool) Tips: Keep Fury Swipe stacks up like Batrider's Napalm; Use Earthshock to escape Disruptor's Kinetic Field; Tank creep aggro to maintain stacks with high base armor; Pre-cast Overpower before engagements
Mid Game
Timeframe: 15-30 minutes Objective: Secure Roshan and dominate teamfights Key: Take Roshan whenever possible; Blink on priority targets and eliminate them; Use Earthshock for mobility and chasing; Coordinate ganks with your team Items: Blink Dagger (Must-have initiation); Silver Edge (Break effect); Black King Bar (Magic immunity) Tips: Save Enrage for when disabled or for burst damage; Track Tormentor respawn times manually; Use Earthshock to jump cliffs for surprise attacks; Avoid wasting Overpower on denies
Late Game
Timeframe: 30+ minutes Objective: Surgically eliminate key enemy heroes Key: Focus on taking out enemy carries; Use Enrage to survive teamfight focus; Maintain awareness of enemy disables; Secure crucial Roshan aegises Items: Aghanim's Scepter (Strong dispel); Satanic (Lifesteal sustain); Abyssal Blade (Additional lockdown) Tips: Timing is everything - wait for enemy cooldowns; Enrage can dispel yourself out of stuns with Agh's; Use Earthshock Shard to extend Enrage duration; Position carefully to avoid being kited
Tips & Strategies
Fury Swipes Management
- Maintain stacks constantly in lane like Batrider's Sticky Napalm
- Stacks work on Roshan - the key to early solo kills
- Tank creep aggro with your high base armor to preserve stacks
- Breaking Ursa stops new stacks but maintains existing damage
Overpower Optimization
- Pre-cast Overpower before ganks - duration > cooldown
- Overpower stacks are consumed on denial attacks
- Always have it ready before Blink-initiating
- Can be dispelled by enemies making timing crucial
Roshan & Neutral Objectives
- Can solo Roshan as early as level 8-9 with proper items
- Save Enrage for Roshan's last few hits for safety
- Track Tormentor respawn times manually in chat
- Enemy team hears global roar if Roshan retaliates against last killer
Item Guide
Starting Items
Build towards early damage and sustain. Quelling Blade maximizes last hit potential while Slippers helps with right-click damage.
Quelling Blade, Tangos, Slippers of Agility
Core Items
Phase Boots for mobility and armor, Blink for initiation, Morbid Mask for sustain. This is your foundation for dominance.
Phase Boots, Blink Dagger, Morbid Mask
Situational Items
Silver Edge for break, BKB against magic, Helm for domination, Agh's for strong dispel utility.
Silver Edge, Black King Bar, Helm of the Dominator, Aghanim's Scepter
Counter Guide
Good With
Ursa excels with heroes who can provide lockdown and setup. Shadow Shaman and Crystal Maiden offer the stuns needed to keep targets in place for Ursa's full combo. Dazzle provides crucial healing and Shallow Grave to save Ursa during fights, while Witch Doctor can stack his death ward on Ursa's targets for devastating results. Dazzle works particularly well since his Shadow Wave synergizes with Ursa's aggressive playstyle. Earthshaker can complement Ursa's initiation with Echo Slam after Ursa clusters enemies. Leshrac and Jakiro provide AoE damage that works well with Ursa's single-target focus. Mobility heroes like Storm Spirit or Queen of Pain can create chaos while Ursa focuses down priority targets. The key is heroes who either disable enemies long enough for Ursa to work his magic or provide healing/utility to keep Ursa alive during his aggressive plays.
Bad Against
Ursa struggles against heroes who can kite or neutralize his damage. Viper applies break with Nethertoxin, completely disabling Fury Swipes. Ember Spirit can dodge Ursa's attacks with Flame Guard and Sleight of Fist while kiting him. Phantom Lancer overwhelms Ursa with illusions that he can't efficiently target. Razor steals Ursa's damage and whittles him down from range. Tiny with Toss can completely disrupt Ursa's positioning and burst him down. Winter Wyvern with Cold Embrace makes Ursa's attacks heal the target. Pugna decrepifies Ursa or his targets, nullifying physical damage. Necrophos with Ghost Shroud and Reaper's Scythe counters lifesteal and burst patterns. The common thread is heroes who can either kite Ursa from range, apply break effects, or render physical attacks useless.
Good Against
Ursa dominates squishy heroes who lack escape mechanisms and high-armor targets. Crystal Maiden and Witch Doctor melt quickly under Ursa's focused damage. Shadow Shaman and Lion are easy targets once their spells are on cooldown. Anti-Mage struggles against Ursa's early aggression and can't blink away when weakened. Sven and Wraith King with burst right-click patterns are vulnerable to Ursa's superior sustained damage. Medusa early game before she farms tank items is an excellent target. Sniper and Drow Ranger without positioning are free kills. Riki becomes visible when attacking Ursa's team, making him an easy target. Spectre early game cannot handle Ursa's damage output. Terrorblade is excellent prey as Ursa can focus down the real hero among illusions. Any hero who needs to get close to deal damage or lacks strong disables is Ursa's playground.