With the release of the Crownfall Act 4, many players were intrigued with its mysteries. This update introduced an interesting new hero with great versatility, Kez. Aside from a new addition to the playable roster, Icefrog also brought a new PvE game mode—The Dota 2 Nest Of Thorns.
This game mode took inspiration from the famous PvE game, Vampire Survivors. According to some articles, playing Nest Of Thorns may take about 15 to 20 minutes of game time, which is a clear indicator that this is no walk in the park. This guide aims to help you beat the Dota 2 Nest Of Thorns as easily as possible.
Heroes To Choose From
When playing Dota 2 Nest Of Thorns, you will be given an option to choose from three heroes available. The hero you choose is the first step and possibly the most crucial decision you would make in tackling this game mode’s challenge.
Three Available Heroes:
- Dragonus (Skywrath Mage) – This Hero specializes in ranged combat that deals magic damage and is great for crowd control.
- Shen (Vengeful Spirit) – A hero that is balanced with he offensive prowess and defensive capabilities.
- Kez – A melee ranged hero that is a great close combatant with both damage and mobility.
There aren’t that many heroes to choose from when playing Nest Of Thorns. The choice pool offers a somewhat straightforward role. It is pretty much up to you which playstyle suits you the most.
Best Builds For The Ideal Heroes
After choosing the Hero you want, the next important thing to accomplish is picking the right build that will complement the ability of your chosen hero. In Dota 2’s Nest Of Thorns, there are basically two main types of builds: Magic Build, and Physical Builds.
You can still experiment with different options to create your own unique builds, but it pretty much all revolves on being physical or magic despite the slight differences in combinations.
Magic Build
The Magic Build is best for Dragonus (Skywrath Mage), because well, he’s a mage, and his passive also benefits from this build. This build is also ideal for Kez and is quite viable for Shen (Vengeful Spirit).
Key Abilities:
- Chain Frost
- Spirit
Optional Abilities:
- Frostbite
- Laguna Blade
- Magic Missile
- Mortimer Kisses
Essential Items:
- Kaya
- Specialist’s Array
- Yasha
Optional Items:
- Bloodstone
- Heart of Tarrasque
- Octarine Core
- Phylactery
Physical Build
The Physical Build is best used for Kez and is also great for Shen.
Key Abilities:
- Swashbuckle
Optional Abilities:
- Annihilation
- Counter Helix
- Stampede
Essential Items:
- Bloodstone
- Crystalys
- Sange
Optional Items:
- Heart of Tarrasque
- Octarine Core
- Yasha
The Best Hero And Strategy
With those builds provided, which Hero really is best to take on the challenge and what build would be best for them? We will give you an answer that is based on the majority of gameplays and experiences of other players, keep in mind that this is subjective and things still depend on your preferences.
The most ideal Hero to beat Dota 2 Nest Of Thorns with ease is none other than the newly introduced Kez. With a physical build, you will be able to get an improved performance by leaps and bounds.
Recommended Abilities:
- Axe Spin – Great in fighting off swarms of enemies and knocking them back.
- Bat Rider Goo – AoE slowing effects to create space and stall.
- Echo Slash and Swashbuckle – Your main source of damage.
- Throwing Knives – Great for boss fights due to its damage-per-second effect.
For Items it’s best to go for the Physical Build shown above. The strategy is to get the Aghanim’s Scepter from the first Mini-Boss, this will provide you with ability upgrade like making your Swashbuckle attack in all directions.
When upgrading your stats with gold, opt to pick damage or damage amplifications, second priority is health and defense.
Be sure to defeat the first three mini-bosses for their Aghanim’s Scepter and then wisely choose the next mini bosses to fight depending on your current capacity.
The Final Step for Dota 2 Nest of Thorns
After defeating all the mini-bosses, you will then engage in the battle with Queen Imperia, the final boss of Dota 2’s Nest Of Thorns. Beating the Queen is actually easier than the waves of enemies and mini-bosses you’ve faced so far.
By now you should have a double Throwing Knives, Aghanim’s Upgrade, and a Daedalus that will help you in melting down her health bar. The Queen’s attacks and abilities are quite easy to dodge, and as long as you are successful with dodging and counter attacking, you will finally be able to beat the game mode challenge.
Conclusion
Dota 2 Nest Of Thorns is a fun and interesting challenge offered by Icefrog for the Crownfall Act 4. Trying to battle your way to the Queen’s crown may prove to be tricky at first, but as you keep taking on the challenge again and again, you will start to adapt and be able to clear it.
With this guide on how to beat Nest Of Thorns, we hope that you will find it easier to reach the cutscenes and savor your victory. After finishing the first difficulty level, you will unlock harder difficulties in which you can challenge the game mode again and get better rewards.
