Aghanim’s shard is like Aghanim’s sceptre; however like sceptre changes, ultimates of certain heroes', shard is more like a boost to one of the abilities of certain heroes, it sometimes enhances the ability or gives a hero a new ability altogether. Aghanim’s shard should be purchased early in the game from the hidden shops as it is most beneficial in the early game. It changes how some heroes are played and their builds so keep in mind before trying something new.
Some of the best Aghanim’s shard are:
15) Enchantress
Enchantress is an intelligence hero that excels in supporting and ganking from early to late game enchantress is one the few heroes that can change its build drastically, going from a support to a full fledged carry, killing heroes left and right from a far like a sniper. Early game she can only provide ganks and healing to her allies.
Enchantress has an ability called Nature’s attendants that when pressed release a couple of wisps which heals her and her allies around her for a short period of time, however the amount of heal granted is massive. Aghanim’s shard enhances this ability in such that Enchantress after buying aghanim’s shard will permanently have 3 wisps following her everywhere she goes and healing her and allies. It is passive so when the actual ability is used the number of wisps increases. It is especially useful when you have strength heroes in your game, keeping them full so enemies can’t raid your base.
Why this shard is great:
- Providing a passive ability to an active ability.
- Permanent heals without using mana is essentially a dream for supports.
14) Spirit Breaker
Out of the damn way.
Spirit Breaker is a strength hero that excels at one and only thing that is ganking and interrupting battles all over the map with his charges. If played right, the spirit breaker becomes the force that sets the path for the game.
Spirit Breaker’s Aghanim’s shard enhances his ultimate in such that it gives him immunity while using it, meaning whenever he is casting his ultimate he will turn immune to any ability damage, like BKB would do to a hero.
This is especially useful when jumping into the heat of battle where you need to catch the right target. This shard will help you go through all that crap of stuns and disabilities.
Why this shard is great:
- Provides immunity to spirit breaker’s ultimate.
- Way cheaper than BKB that also grants immunity.
13) Venomancer
No Antidote for this Venom.
Venomancer is an agility hero that is different from others, while you may think an agility hero must be a carry but Venomancer is an offlane hero that provides auras and initiations with his gale and ultimate enemies have no chance other than to run from this abomination.
Venomancer’s aghanim’s shard enhances his venomous gale where whenever he casts the ability and it connects with an enemy hero 2 plague wards automatically appear to attack the enemy hero, slowing them and applying poison, useful to solo kill enemies in early to mid game.
Why this shard is great:
- Can capture enemies from running by placing plague wards from the gale.
- Applying poison and an insane slow.
12) Ancient Apparition
No time to breath.
Ancient Apparition is an intelligence hero that mostly provides support and gank potential with his slows and an ultimate that instantly kills an enemy hero when its health is below a certain threshold, it also applies an effect that prevents any form of healing.
Ancient Apparition’s ice vortex allows him to scout and slow his enemies in a small area however Aghanim’s shard enhances this ability in such that the ice vortex also does damage while slowing the enemies in that area. Useful to disable items such as blink daggers and applying damage from a far.
About 40 damage per second and with 4 seconds of cooldown you can imagine.
Why this shard is great:
- In addition to applying slow it also applies a decent damage.
- Great to scout and damage heroes that stand a far like snipers.
11) Bounty Hunter
I can see you!.
Bounty Hunter is an agility hero that excels in roaming the map and scouting, while providing ganks in between those activities. This hero is a great one to play if you like roaming throughout the game no matter early or late. This hero is one of the best for that.
Bounty hunter’s shadow walk allows him to go invisible for a short period of time scouting the enemy area of the map, putting wards and tracking enemies. Aghanim’s shard enhances this ability in such that while bounty is in shadow walk he gets 35% damage reduction from all kinds of damage be it physical or magical, also whenever he hits an enemy or creeps out of shadow walk it applies 1 second of stun.
Why this shard is great:
- Massive damage reduction if combined with items like pipe and vanguard bounty can become a tank hero.
- Can apply 1 second of stun great to cancel the casting of abilities.
10) Shadow Shaman
Shadow shaman is an intelligence hero that excels in supporting the early game however shaman is one of the few heroes that scales well to late game and can technically take towers alone with the help of his serpent wards.
Shadow shaman’s shackles allow him to catch an enemy hero in shackles dealing damage of total 360 and shackleing them for 5 seconds. Aghanim’s shard enhances this ability in such that shaman shackles his enemy 4 wards appear around the shackle like venomancer’s gale, hitting the enemy and barricading the area around him.
Why this shard is great:
- Additional damage in addition to shackles.
- These serpent wards appear for a total of 7 seconds, since shackle has a low cooldown you can spam these.
9) Slardar
From the Deep.
Slardar is a strength hero that is mostly played in offlane and provides as a tank and semi-carry, with hybrid build this hero is great for ganking as well. Can stomp heroes in late game as well.
Slardar’s corrosive haze decreases the armor of his enemy when targeted, his stun the slithereen crush stuns the enemy heroes in an area also dealing damage to them. His Aghanim’s shard enhances both of these abilities in a sense that it combines them together, when you stun an enemy with slithereen crush it deals damage and also applies corrosive haze to enemies decreasing their armor for 5 seconds. All of the enemy heroes in the area of the stun get their armor cut to a certain degree.
Why this shard is great:
- Can apply his ultimate in an area for a short period of time.
- Provides insane solo killing potential with automatic cast of his ultimate, without wasting any time.
8) Templar Assassin
Temple of the Assassins.
Templar Assassin is an agility hero that is mostly played at mid she excels in killing her enemies in atmost 3-4 hits with insane physical damage and cutting down her enemies. Templar is a complex hero to play and requires a certain degree of knowledge.
Her psionic trap slows her enemies to a halt, great for chasing and catching down the runners. The secondary ability with psionic trap called ‘trap’ launches the nearest trap to templar, this trap ability is what her Aghanim’s shard enhances, whenever the trap is launched any enemy hero catched within is silenced for 3.5 seconds.
Why this shard is great:
- Silences the enemy heroes while slowing them.
- Combined with aghanim’s sceptre teleporting ability, that teleports her to a certain trap, which also silences in conjunction with the shard.
7) Wraith King
Skeleton King?
Wraith King is a strength hero that is mostly played as a carry, with stuns and critical strikes this hero is an insane solo killer combined with his ultimate Reincarnation wraith king is an unstoppable force.
Wraith king’s ultimate Reincarnation as the name suggests allows him to reincarnate at the cost of a lot of mana, however this is where the Aghanim’s shard comes in, it enhances the ultimate in such a way that it literally decreases the mana cost to 0, Reincarnation when triggered need no mana after the purchase of Aghanim’s shard. This is a game changer since the wraith king does not need to get stat items for mana.
Why this shard is great:
- No mana for the ultimate.
- Also release 3 skeletons for every enemy present when reincarnation is triggered.
6) Dazzle
I won't let you die.
Dazzle is an intelligence hero that is one of the best supports in the game, with abilities that provide healing and an ability that prevents his allies from dying altogether. Dazzle is a prominent support without which winning a game is hard, if he is in that game.
Dazzle’s poison touch when applied on a target, slows its movement speed while also dealing damage per second, whenever dazzle hits the enemy suffering from poison touch its effect is reset. Aghanim’s shard enhances the poison touch in such that when poison touch is casted in an area it turns every enemy target into hex for 1.25 seconds. Useful from early to late game, especially late game.
Why this shard is great:
- Turns enemies into chickens for a short time.
- Especially useful in late games where you need to pin down heroes.
5) Legion Commander
Care for a duel?
Legion Commander is a strength hero that is mostly played offlane and provides ganking and semi-carry roles to her team. With abilities like duel that catches enemies whenever they are not surrounded by their allies, Legion Commander offers perfect initiation for her team.
Legion Commander’s Press the attack allows her to target herself or her allies that grants 140 attack speed and 60 hp regen for 5 seconds. Aghanim’s shard enhances this ability in such that it also grants spell immunity for 1.75 seconds, like spirit breaker’s shard. Basically it gives you or your ally a BKB for 1.75 seconds.
Why this shard is great:
- Can give a free BKB to your allies for a short period of time.
- Can escape from difficult situations using her shard.
4) Ursa
Can't stand against this bear.
Ursa is an agility hero that is mostly played in a carry role, he is a vicious creature that does not let any enemy escape from its grasps killing them in 3-4 hits this hero is a force to be reckoned with.
Ursa’s enrage gives him 80% damage reduction and 50% status resistance; this not only makes him harder to kill but allows him to go through physical damage like it's nothing. His earthshock allows Ursa to jump a small distance slowing and damaging enemies, His Aghanim’s shard combines these two abilities in such that whenever Ursa uses Earthshock he gets an enraged buff where he is enraged for 1.5 seconds gaining all those resistances.
Why this shard is great:
- Using Earthshock at the right time can allow you to change the game.
- Grants 80% damage reduction and 50% status resistance for 1.5 seconds.
3) Grimstroke
Brush your teeth.
Grim Stroke is an intelligence hero that is mostly played as a support, provides initiation and pushing capabilities. Grim stroke can provide insane kill potential in early to mid game, with abilities slowing and damaging his enemies grim stroke is one of the best support heroes.
Grim stroke’s Ink Swell gives him or his allies a movement speed increase along with an ink ambient effect that damages any enemy near it and when it explodes at the end it damages and stuns the enemy hero. Aghanim’s shard enhances ink swell in such that the hero on which ink swell is used heals for 50% of the damage ink swell deals to its enemies.
Why this shard is great:
- Increased movement speed.
- 50% healing out of the total damage dealt to the enemy heroes.
2) Centaur Warrunner
Warcheif.
Centaur Warrunner is a strength hero that excels in tanking and providing initiation with its stuns and an ultimate that grants massive movement speed to all of its allies. Hard to lane against and hard to kill, Centaur is one of the best strength heroes.
Centaur’s double edge when used on an enemy deals damage in accordance with centaur’s current strength and also deals damage to himself, since he has a high hp pool it does not take that much of a toll on centaur itself. His Aghanim’s shard enhances centaur’s double edge in such that when centaur uses double edge on an enemy his strength increases by 15%, it stacks for upto 5 double edges, since it has a low cooldown of 4 seconds you can achieve these in no time.
Why this shard is great:
- Can increase your strength to an insane degree.
- It also slows the enemy's movement speed by 25 %.
1) Pudge
Fresh Meat.
Pudge is a strength hero that excels at ganking by his hooks and dismember he is considered to be one of the best gankers in the game, allowing initiation of unparalleled proportions, hooking enemies out of their comfort zone pudge is a great one.
Pudge’s dismember allows pudge to dismember , chopping them in every way possible, dealing damage to the enemy hero and also healing pudge for the amount of damage he deals to the targeted enemy. Aghanim’s shard enhances dismember in such that pudge is allowed to swallow his allies, by eating his ally they are healed for 6% of their max hp for the amount they are eaten by pudge. You can save your allies from when they are about to die by swallowing them and running away or just swallow them and go into battle to surprise your enemy.
Why this shard is great:
- Allows you to swallow your enemies to heal them or to save them.
- Can initiate a gank by baiting the enemy that you are alone in fact you have an ally in yourself.
You may also be interested in:
- [Top 10] Dota 2 Best Carry Heroes That Wreck Hard!
- Top 10 Best Mid Heroes of Dota 2
- Top 10 Best Support Heroes of Dota 2
- In-game Best Settings for an Advantage in Dota 2
- Top 10 Best Offlane Heroes in Dota 2
- [Top 10] Dota 2 Best Agility Heroes That Wreck Hard!
- [Top 10] Dota 2 Best Junglers That Wreck Hard!
- [Top 10] Dota 2 Best Aghanim Upgrades That Are OP
These are the best dota 2 Aghanim's shard that let you have a slight advantage over your enemies. Let us know which of these you like the best in the comments below!.
