Tusk
It had been a brawl to remember. There stood Ymir, the Tusk, the Terror from the Barrier, the Snowball from Cobalt, the only fighter to have bested the Bristled Bruiser in a fair fight, and now the last man standing in Wolfsden Tavern. What started as a simple bar bet of supremacy ended with four regulars, a blacksmith, and six of the Frost Brigade's best soldiers writhing against the shards and splinters of almost every bottle, mug, and chair in the building. The Tusk boasted and toasted his victory as he emptied his brew. No sooner had the defeated regained consciousness than the cries for double-or-nothing rang out. The Tusk was pleased at the prospect, but none could think of a bet bigger than the one he just conquered. Horrified at the damage to his tavern and desperate to avoid another brawl, the barkeep had an idea. As skilled as he was, Ymir had never taken part in a real battle…
Hero lore
It had been a brawl to remember. There stood Ymir, the Tusk, the Terror from the Barrier, the Snowball from Cobalt, the only fighter to have bested the Bristled Bruiser in a fair fight, and now the last man standing in Wolfsden Tavern. What started as a simple bar bet of supremacy ended with four regulars, a blacksmith, and six of the Frost Brigade's best soldiers writhing against the shards and splinters of almost every bottle, mug, and chair in the building. The Tusk boasted and toasted his victory as he emptied his brew. No sooner had the defeated regained consciousness than the cries for double-or-nothing rang out. The Tusk was pleased at the prospect, but none could think of a bet bigger than the one he just conquered. Horrified at the damage to his tavern and desperate to avoid another brawl, the barkeep had an idea. As skilled as he was, Ymir had never taken part in a real battle…
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.
Tusk abilities
Tusk compresses shards of ice into a ball of frozen energy that damages all enemies it comes in contact with. When the ball reaches its target destination the shards are released, creating a barrier that lasts for 4 seconds.
Tusk begins rolling into a snowball. Allies within a 325 radius can also be added to the snowball by right-clicking on them, even while the snowball is moving. Once launched, any enemies caught in the snowball's path will be stunned and take damage. Each alli…
Activate to temporarily apply a negative debuff aura around you, causing enemies that are attacked under it to take bonus physical damage and reduced movement speed. Lasts 6 seconds.
Tusk reaches out to tag an allied unit, pulling them closer. Once tagged, both Tusk and his tagged ally gain movement speed and armor. Can be put on alt-cast to only pull Tusk towards his ally with 50% reduced cast range.
Kicks the closest enemy unit in the drawn direction, stunning, damaging, and slowing them. Also deals damage to all heroes within 250 radius of its landing area. Cooldown is reduced by 50% if kicking a creep.
Tusk connects with his mighty Walrus Punch, a critical strike with bonus damage so powerful it launches its victim into the air.
Launch the snowball toward the target.
Hidden, No Target, Instant CastPopular 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 Branch124 selections · 17.9% - 2
Tango95 selections · 13.7% - 3
Blood Grenade88 selections · 12.7% - 4
Observer and Sentry Wards86 selections · 12.4% - 5
Smoke of Deceit60 selections · 8.7% - 6
Faerie Fire56 selections · 8.1%
Early
6 items- 1
Boots of Speed82 selections · 59.9% - 2
Tranquil Boots41 selections · 29.9% - 3
Bracer3 selections · 2.2% - 4
Bottle2 selections · 1.5% - 5
Power Treads2 selections · 1.5% - 6
Soul Ring2 selections · 1.5%
Mid
6 items- 1
Blink Dagger79 selections · 59% - 2
Staff of Wizardry9 selections · 6.7% - 3
Phase Boots9 selections · 6.7% - 4
Pavise6 selections · 4.5% - 5
Ogre Axe5 selections · 3.7% - 6
Point Booster3 selections · 2.2%
Late
6 items- 1
Eul's Scepter of Divinity17 selections · 15% - 2
Black King Bar17 selections · 15% - 3
Aghanim's Scepter16 selections · 14.2% - 4
Force Staff14 selections · 12.4% - 5
Solar Crest10 selections · 8.8% - 6Blink Dagger8 selections · 7.1%
More heroes to explore
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Tusk — frequently asked
What are Tusk's abilities in Dota 2?
Tusk's abilities are Ice Shards, Snowball, Tag Team, Drinking Buddies, Walrus Kick, Walrus PUNCH!, Launch Snowball. It is a Strength melee hero played as Initiator, Disabler, Nuker.
What is Tusk's primary attribute?
Tusk is a Strength hero, starting with 23 strength (+3.9/lvl), 23 agility (+1.9/lvl) and 18 intelligence (+1.7/lvl), and a base move speed of 310.
What do the popular Tusk 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.