Lycan
Banehallow was noble-born to the house of Ambry, the greatest of the landed castes in the old kingdom of Slom. Before the Fall, as the King's wants grew strange, and his court grew crowded with sorcerers and charlatans, the house of Ambry was the first to rise against the avarice of the throne. No longer willing to pay homage and fealty, they instead sent six-thousand swords into the capital, where they were wiped out in the Massacre of the Apostates. And then came the teeth behind the old truth: When you strike a king's neck, you had better take his head. Enraged by the betrayal, the king exterminated the vast Ambry bloodline, sparing only the lord of the house and his youngest son, Banehallow. Before all the royal court, with the disgraced lord chained to the ornate marble floor, the King bade his magicians transform the boy into a wolf so that he might tear out his own father's throa…
Hero lore
Banehallow was noble-born to the house of Ambry, the greatest of the landed castes in the old kingdom of Slom. Before the Fall, as the King's wants grew strange, and his court grew crowded with sorcerers and charlatans, the house of Ambry was the first to rise against the avarice of the throne. No longer willing to pay homage and fealty, they instead sent six-thousand swords into the capital, where they were wiped out in the Massacre of the Apostates. And then came the teeth behind the old truth: When you strike a king's neck, you had better take his head. Enraged by the betrayal, the king exterminated the vast Ambry bloodline, sparing only the lord of the house and his youngest son, Banehallow. Before all the royal court, with the disgraced lord chained to the ornate marble floor, the King bade his magicians transform the boy into a wolf so that he might tear out his own father's throa…
Compact stat and ability fields shown here were checked against patch 7.41e where this model represents the changed field. Talents and full mechanics remain in the official notes.
Lycan abilities
Summons 2 wolves to aid Lycan in battle. At level 3, wolves gain Permanent Invisibility, and at level 4 wolves gain Cripple that gives 20% chance to cripple the target, causing 8 damage per second and lose 60 attack speed for 4 seconds.
Strikes fear into enemies, reducing armor and attack damage of all enemies within 2000 range of Lycan and his wolves. At night, Howl's armor and attack damage reductions are global.
Increases the HP regeneration and damage of Lycan and all units under his control.
Passive
Lycan bites an allied hero or creep-hero, granting them Shapeshift properties. Lycan and the bitten target gain 40% Lifesteal and share the healing effect of Lifesteal with each other as long as they are within 1200 range of each other.
Lycan and units he controls deal extra damage to neutral creeps.
Passive
Lycan assumes his lupine form, granting him critical strikes and added vision at night. During Shapeshift, Lycan moves at increased speed and cannot be slowed. Movement and critical strike bonuses are also applied to all units under Lycan's control.
Popular items by game phase
OpenDota professional-match aggregate as of Jul 21, 2026, 9:50 PM UTC. Popularity rows are independent phase totals, not a coherent build, sequence, or win-rate advice.
Starting
6 items- 1
Iron Branch259 selections · 48% - 2
Tango80 selections · 14.8% - 3
Sage's Mask57 selections · 10.6% - 4
Quelling Blade46 selections · 8.5% - 5
Magic Stick32 selections · 5.9% - 6
Faerie Fire25 selections · 4.6%
Early
4 items- 1
Helm of Iron Will100 selections · 52.1% - 2
Helm of the Dominator88 selections · 45.8% - 3
Null Talisman3 selections · 1.6% - 4
Soul Ring1 selections · 0.5%
Mid
6 items- 1
Ultimate Orb98 selections · 16.6% - 2
Helm of the Overlord98 selections · 16.6% - 3
Aghanim's Shard83 selections · 14% - 4
Platemail54 selections · 9.1% - 5
Hyperstone54 selections · 9.1% - 6
Assault Cuirass42 selections · 7.1%
Late
6 items- 1
Black King Bar34 selections · 11.9% - 2Assault Cuirass31 selections · 10.9%
- 3
Sacred Relic24 selections · 8.4% - 4
Aghanim's Scepter24 selections · 8.4% - 5
Nullifier24 selections · 8.4% - 6
Blink Dagger23 selections · 8.1%
More heroes to explore
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Lycan — frequently asked
What are Lycan's abilities in Dota 2?
Lycan's abilities are Summon Wolves, Howl, Feral Impulse, Wolf Bite, Apex Predator, Shapeshift. It is a Strength melee hero played as Carry, Pusher, Durable.
What is Lycan's primary attribute?
Lycan is a Strength hero, starting with 28 strength (+3.4/lvl), 18 agility (+1.7/lvl) and 23 intelligence (+1.7/lvl), and a base move speed of 305.
What do the popular Lycan item phases mean?
The saved OpenDota aggregate is dated 2026-07-22. The phase lists summarize professional-match item popularity; they are not one coherent build, a recommended sequence, or win-rate advice.