We teamed up with one of the best Beastmaster players around, Khezu, to give the premier guide on playing the hero in Dota 7.33c.

With the release of Dota 2 patch 7.33c, Beastmaster has been buffed both directly and indirectly. The hero can now win or draw any lane, and with a static 50 mana cost at all levels for his Wild Axes ability, you can spam them almost infinitely.

Secondly, the wider map added in 7.33, more camps, and an increased need in vision, makes Beastmaster even better than before. And lastly, his Aghanim's Scepter is very strong now, as it allows you to solo kill, tank-up, and survive and dominate teamfights. Simply put, this hero is broken, and you want to play him. And so give you the best guide we can, esports.gg has teamed up with Maurice "KheZu" Gutmann, a Beastmaster specialist who definitely knows his stuff when it comes to this hero.

This guide was written with help from Maurice "KheZu" Gutmann and Metafy. Khezu contributed in the writing and formatting of this article, and much of the wording is his own. Khezu is a pro player, coach, and analyst for the DPC, and peaked at over 11,000 MMR. Beastmaster is his most played hero in professional play.

Beastmaster Gameplay 7.33c

(Image via Valve)
(Image via Valve)

Khezu explained to us the best way to build and play Beastmaster: "The way you play Beastmaster now, is that you max his Wild Axes, in 90% of all cases. The Spell is overpowered — make use it."

Start with Magic Wand, three Branches and get yourself a set of Tangos. You want to get to Arcane Boots as fast as possible, to continue to spam the enemy carry and Pos 5, you will slowly start winning the lane, and your Pos 4 will love you for buying Arcane boots.

Most often you want to go for a Vanguard after, which you will split later for Pipe of Insight. If you are looking to rush an Aghs in the game, keep Boars at lvl 2-3, after maxing Axes first, as you want to have higher attack speed, so that you and your boars hit faster to upkeep the charges on your Aghanim's.

In Dota 2 7.33 Beastmaster received some incredible buffs (Image via Valve)
In Dota 2 7.33 Beastmaster received some incredible buffs (Image via Valve)

Beastmaster with maxed out axes farms so fast, and you can always farm two camps at the same time. Or even the creepwave and a neutral camp. After you win the lane or take the tower, make sure to play for your Aghs, and farm multiple camps at the same time, continuing to get fat. After Aghs you can look to split your Vanguard into Pipe.

Secondary build for Beastmaster in Dota 2

In Dota 2 7.33c, Beastmaster can still build Auras instead of Aghs (Image via esports.gg)
In Dota 2 7.33c, Beastmaster can still build Auras instead of Aghs (Image via esports.gg)

Khezu says: "If it's not a good Aghs game, or you're having a very bad or rough early game, or perhaps you want to help your team earlier, you can aim to build just straight Auras from the start."

These kind of builds will see you rushing Crimson Guard after the Vanguard in lane, or a first item Pipe of insight to help offset a few bad matchups. When you're learning the hero though, this build isn't advised: "I would definitely suggest to stick with the Aghs build for a bit, and then get a feel for it."

"If you're learning the Aghs build, you will feed a bit, and die too much at the start. But that's ok as you have to test the limits." So essentially, don't give up on it immediately in favor of auras.

According to Khezu, Beastmaster's main strength in the midgame is still to buff up one of your main cores (either the Mid or Carry) and to offer a BKB piercing lockdown in Teamfights. If you're rushing auras, you're giving away some of the threat you can have in the mid game.

Positioning and fighting with Beastmaster

Khezu's comment on Beastmaster: "You NEVER want to die first as a Beastmaster, play your limits, but don't overplay."

"Overall you want to try and soak damage, while continuing to give the much needed auras to your team, especially if you're playing a game where you have items such as Crimson and Pipe."

"Don't be afraid to farm and be greedy"

Khezu on laning with Beastmaster

Drums of Slom makes illusion heroes near unplayable, they cannot fight you and you will out-scale them throughout the game. "Don't be afraid to farm and be greedy" says Khezu.

This is the reason why Beastmaster is such a great hero in this current patch, the multiple options of item builds and the opportunity to outscale. Man-up with your Aghs, don't run away, stay in the fight and get those kills. This is an aggressive team-fighting hero who wants to be in the thick of the action.


And that's our comprehensive Beastmaster guide for Dota 2, with special thanks to Metafy and Khezu. If you want more top-level guides from one of the best Beastmaster players out there, check out Khezu's Coaching Page with training plans, live coaching sessions, and replay reviews. Also be sure to check out Metafy's exclusive Dota 2 courses with Taiga, Topson, 23 Savage, and more!