Dota 2 Brewmaster Guide

Brew up your winning concoction and master your inner elemental spirits of the wandering drunken brawler with our Dota 2 Brewmaster Guide

Sober or drunk, few can match the might of the drunken brawler Brewmaster and his masterful concoctions, his strength infused with powers of the elements spirits residing within him.

Brewmaster is a melee Universal Hero with a formidable 626 HP and a decent 255 Mana. He has average armor of 2.2 and attack damage of 51.5, and one of the highest movement speeds of 310.

Brewmaster (Brew) is challenging to play, primarily due to his ultimate splitting him into 3 versatile elements, each with its own set of abilities. A Brew player must create opportunities to fight whenever his ultimate is off cooldown. With a few mobility items picked up, he can take the fight to the enemy quite early.

Abilities

Let’s sit back and have a drink while we get to know the abilities of the powerful and versatile Brewmaster. 

• Thunder Clap – Brewmaster slams the ground in a 400 radius (600 with level 10 talent), damaging enemies caught by up to 300 damage and slowing their movement speed and attack speed by up to 55%. The slow lasts for 4 seconds.

• Cinder Brew – Brewmaster shares his drink, drenching himself and an area in alcohol in a 400 radius for 5 seconds (6.5 with level 15 talent). The movement speed of units drenched is slowed by up to 36%. If any spell hits the units, they are ignited for 3 seconds, taking up to 320 damage (415 with level 15 talent). With level 25 talent, ignited units are also inflicted with fear for 1.5 seconds. Dealing or receiving magic damage also extend Brewmaster’s own Brewed Up duration.

• Drunken Brawler – Brewmaster is a master of the elements and can switch his stances.
  
  • Earth Stance – He gains up to 7 armor and 20% magic resistance (3x the bonus when Brewed Up).

  • Storm Stance – He gains up to 30% evasion and 11% bonus movement speed (3x the bonus when Brewed Up).

  • Fire Stance – He gains a 20% chance to crit for up to 190% of the attack damage and up to 25% attack speed (3x the chance when Brewed Up).

  • Void Stance – He gains up to 20% bonus status resistance and 25% slow for 2 seconds every time Brewmaster attacks (3x the bonus when Brewed Up).
    
• Primal Companion (Aghanim’s Scepter Upgrade) – Brewmaster summons a Brewling based on his current Drunken Brawler stance. While inside a 1600 distance from Brew, the summon can cast spells. If he exits the range, the Brewling is slowed by 50% and unable to cast spells. Furthermore, a new Brewling cannot be summoned in the last 3 seconds of the current one taking damage, and if it gets killed, Primal Companion goes on a 70-second cooldown.

• Primal Split – Brewmaster lets loose his inner elementals, splitting into 4 elements. Upgrading this ability with Aghanim’s Shard lets Brew cancel his Primal Split before the duration. The four elementals are as follows:
  • Earth – Can hurl boulder to stun enemies for 1.6 seconds and damage them for up to 150. It is also immune to spells and does bonus damage to buildings up to 270.

  • Storm – Can dispel magic in a 500 radius, purging most buffs. It can also cast Cyclone to remove an enemy from the battlefield for 5 seconds for Heroes or 16 seconds for creeps. Finally, it can use Wind Walk, becoming invisible and increasing its movement speed by 50% for 20 seconds. Attacking to break invisibility grants up to 260 bonus damage.

  • Fire – Is surrounded by Permanent Immolation, dealing up to 75 damage per second in a 220 radius. It also has 30% status resistance.

  • Void – Can cast Astral Pull to drag a target along with itself for a maximum 700 pull distance to a target direction. Enemies are damaged upon arrival for up to 150.

Talents

• Level 10 – +200 Thunder Clap AoE (Area of Effect) or +10 Brewlings Damage
• Level 15 – +1x Brewed Up Multiplier for Drunken Brawler or +30% Cinder Brew Damage/Duration
• Level 20 – +80 Attack PSeed or +1200 Brewlings Health
• Level 25 – Cinder Brew applies Fear when ignited or Brewlings Gain Drunken Brawler Passive

Dota 2 Brewmaster Guide – Tips  

Brewmaster is adept at causing havoc in the enemy ranks, moving into the heat of battle before shaking the enemy dizzy with his Thunder Clap. Every mighty swing of the Drunken Brawler’s weapon has a chance to critically damage the foe, while they struggle to return the favor. With his Cinder Brew, he can drench himself and his enemies, confusing them and enhancing him with more fervor. Finally, his Primal Split lets him split into 4 elementals, each a master of powerful abilities that lay waste to already wasted enemy forces. 

Brewmaster is usually played as a core in the offlane or midlane. He can easily survive both lanes due to his Drunken Brawler and Cinder Brew causing his enemies to be slowed and miss their attacks. Furthermore, he can clear creep waves and harass melee enemy Heroes with Thunder Clap. Primal Split is perfect for saving Brewmaster every time he is ganked, and with proper micro, it can even land him a kill on his attacker instead.

Brewmaster is very dependent on early levels, so focus on that. Once you have your levels, you can easily try initiating ganks and securing kills, bringing enough gold for a Blink Dagger. Picking good targets and teamfights will ensure your impact stays relevant throughout the game. You can neutralize enemy cores for long durations with proper micro, securing the game.

Dota 2 Brewmaster – Pros and Cons

Here is a list of some of Brew’s strengths and weaknesses.

Pros:

• Can survive ganks with Primal Split
• Multiple disables with Primal Split
• Effectively counters carries, summons and illusions
• Great at laning

Cons:

• Requires quick micro
• Poor Mana pool
• Lacks natural mobility
• Vulnerable to silence
• Reliant on Primal Split for impact

How to play Brewmaster

Let’s get in touch with our inner spirits and learn to master the drunken brawler with our detailed yet short, Brewmaster guide.

Starting Items

Start your lane with a Tango, Healing Salve and an Enchanted Mango. Carrying Iron Branch grants you cheap attributes and can be upgraded into Magic Wand.

If you are against a spell-spamming lane, pick up a Magic Stick, and for better last-hitting, you may also get a Quelling Blade.

Early Game

Pick up your Boots of Speed for better mobility and Magic Stick/Magic Wand for that essential burst of Health and Mana. Focus on getting last-hits and denies with your Drunken Brawler, as it also grants your evasion to protect you from enemy attacks. You may also grab a Bottle if you are in the midlane.

Getting a Soul Ring allows you to spam Thunder Clap to secure last-hits and punish any enemy Heroes that come too close. Focus on getting your level 6 as early as possible.

Mid Game

You can upgrade your boots to Arcane Boots or Phase Boots depending on your needs. Both are feasible options and should be followed with an early Blink Dagger. An Aghanim’s Shard should also be on top of the list. You can go for Hand of Midas if you play a greedy core.

If you have a problem with disables, you can even go for a Black King Bar or an Aoen Disk, which will give you enough time to get your Primal Split off. If you are expected to be the aura carrier, you can also get a Vladmir’s Offering or Drums of Endurance for your team.  

Late Game 

As late-game approaches, your impact may fall off. If you have a good mastery of Brew, getting Aghanim’s Scepter and focusing on your micromanaging will let you be a nuisance to the enemy. Building an Assault Cuirass or Shiva’s Guard will give you much-need armor and your allies helpful auras. Furthermore, Shiva’s Guard gives you additional Intelligence that will help you immensely.

You may also get more utility-based items like Heaven’s Halberd, Scythe of Vyse, Lotus Orb or Linken’s Sphere for some extra disables and safety. Finally, getting a Heart of Tarrasque will give your more survivability and help you last longer in fights.

Dota 2 Brewmaster Counters

Here is a list of Heroes that can sober up the drunken brawler with unforgiving and punishing counters.  

• Skywrath Mage – His Ancient Seal can be cast instantly to silence Brewmaster before he can cast any spells, especially Primal Split. His massive magic damage is impossible for Brew to defend against. 
• Bane – His Nightmare is perfect for kiting a Brewmaster, especially if he has cast all his abilities to initiate a fight. Furthermore, he can cast Fiend’s Grip before Brew can get his Primal Split off. 
• Outworld Destroyer – His Arcane Orb and Sanity’s Eclipse can devastate Brewmaster with pure damage. Furthermore, his Astral Imprisonment can be used to save himself or stop a gank from Brew by banishing him for a long duration. 
• Death Prophet – Her silence can make it difficult for Brew to cast any spells, and her Exorcism is super effective at killing Primal Split spirits very quickly.

Conclusion

We regularly upload guides for your favorite Heroes, so watch for more to come.