Medusa
Beauty is power. This thought comforted Medusa--the youngest and loveliest of three beautiful Gorgon sisters, born to a sea goddess--because she alone of the sisters was mortal. It comforted her, that is, until the day masked assailants invaded the Gorgon realm and tore the two immortal sisters from their home, unmoved by their beauty or by their tears. One of the invaders seized Medusa as well, but then cast her aside with a disgusted look: 'This one has the mortal stink upon her. We have no use for that which dies.' Humiliated, enraged, Medusa fled to the temple of her mother and cast herself before the goddess, crying, 'You denied me eternal life--therefore I beg you, give me power! Power, so I can dedicate what life I have to rescuing my sisters and avenging this injustice!' After long thought, the goddess granted her daughter's request, allowing Medusa to trade her legendary beauty…
Hero lore
Beauty is power. This thought comforted Medusa--the youngest and loveliest of three beautiful Gorgon sisters, born to a sea goddess--because she alone of the sisters was mortal. It comforted her, that is, until the day masked assailants invaded the Gorgon realm and tore the two immortal sisters from their home, unmoved by their beauty or by their tears. One of the invaders seized Medusa as well, but then cast her aside with a disgusted look: 'This one has the mortal stink upon her. We have no use for that which dies.' Humiliated, enraged, Medusa fled to the temple of her mother and cast herself before the goddess, crying, 'You denied me eternal life--therefore I beg you, give me power! Power, so I can dedicate what life I have to rescuing my sisters and avenging this injustice!' After long thought, the goddess granted her daughter's request, allowing Medusa to trade her legendary beauty…
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.
Medusa abilities
Medusa magically splits her shot into several arrows. These arrows deal a lower percent of her normal damage.The extra targets will not receive other attack effects (such as critical strike).
A mystic snake made of energy jumps from target to target dealing damage. Damage and speed increases with each jump. After it reaches its last target, it returns to Medusa to replenish her with mana. The snake returns a percentage of the targets' total mana.
Medusa fires arrows in a line that land in 3 groups, with each grouping larger than the previous. Enemies struck by a volley of arrows take an initial burst of damage and then are rooted, cannot turn, are revealed to the enemy, and take damage per second.
When Medusa is targeted with a spell, a single-target Mystic Snake is sent back towards the enemy that turns them into stone for 1s.
Creates a shield that absorbs 98% of incoming damage in exchange for Medusa's mana. Illusions absorb 60% less damage per point of mana.
Passive, Hidden
Any enemy units looking at Medusa will have their movement and attack speed slowed. If 2 seconds of total time is accumulated looking at Medusa while Stone Gaze is active, that unit will turn to stone. Petrified units are stunned, and take bonus physical atta…
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 Branch222 selections · 44.8% - 2
Magic Stick67 selections · 13.5% - 3
Circlet62 selections · 12.5% - 4
Enchanted Mango56 selections · 11.3% - 5
Magic Wand38 selections · 7.7% - 6
Quelling Blade18 selections · 3.6%
Early
6 items- 1
Boots of Speed100 selections · 27.5% - 2
Power Treads97 selections · 26.6% - 3
Null Talisman78 selections · 21.4% - 4
Blade of Alacrity68 selections · 18.7% - 5
Yasha13 selections · 3.6% - 6
Falcon Blade3 selections · 0.8%
Mid
6 items- 1
Manta Style96 selections · 13.3% - 2
Diadem94 selections · 13% - 3
Claymore87 selections · 12.1% - 4Yasha83 selections · 11.5%
- 5
Eaglesong81 selections · 11.2% - 6
Talisman of Evasion71 selections · 9.8%
Late
6 items- 1
Ultimate Orb88 selections · 16.3% - 2
Demon Edge78 selections · 14.4% - 3
Eye of Skadi50 selections · 9.2% - 4
Crystalys45 selections · 8.3% - 5
Daedalus38 selections · 7% - 6Eaglesong30 selections · 5.5%
More heroes to explore
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Medusa — frequently asked
What are Medusa's abilities in Dota 2?
Medusa's abilities are Split Shot, Mystic Snake, Gorgon's Grasp, Cold Blooded, Mana Shield, Stone Gaze. It is a Agility ranged hero played as Carry, Disabler, Durable.
What is Medusa's primary attribute?
Medusa is a Agility hero, starting with 0 strength (+0/lvl), 22 agility (+3.6/lvl) and 25 intelligence (+3.6/lvl), and a base move speed of 275.
What do the popular Medusa 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.