The best and worst Facets in Dota 2 (October 2024)

Dota 2 is a complex game. Before you even land on the map, you're faced with multiple choices of how to proceed: selecting a hero, choosing items, and, more importantly, the Facet.

Facets were introduced in 2024 and have a major effect on how each Dota 2 hero plays out. Naturally, not every Facet is made equal, and some outperform their siblings. We're looking into which Facets players are leaning toward in Dota 2 right now, plus a description of Facets that you're better off avoiding!

We've included the top 15 must-pick Facets for heroes in Dota 2 right now. We haven't picked every hero and their Facet here — only those that see a substantially higher pick and win rate than the hero's other option.

We've bolded the important stats for each Facet that make it the best for the hero:

All statistics courtesy of Dotabuff and Dota2ProTracker.

These Facets are, at the moment, the definite worst pick for their respective heroes. Again, we haven't listed them all here. They are just those that have recorded a marginal drop in the win rate and are mostly ignored by Dota 2 players.

It's no surprise to see Reverse Reverse Polarity top this list. We don't know what Valve was thinking for this Facet when it first arrived. Magnus already requires a little communication with allies for engage and setup, and that's with the lockdown effect with regular RP.

Magnus' win rate with Reverse Reverse Polarity isn't terrible, but it's helped by the strength of the hero's other abilities. Its 2.4% pick rate should be enough to turn you away from this Facet until Valve makes another pass at it.

What's the point of a Facet if an Aghanim's Scepter upgrade does the same thing — only better? That's the problem with Witch Doctor's Cleft Death, which allows Death Ward projectiles to bounce to another target.

Having this effect without an Aghanim's Scepter is fine, but outgoing damage of the Ward is reduced on the second target. Additionally, since it won't bounce any further, the Facet plays like a worse version of the Aghanim's Scepter upgrade. Headhunter or Voodoo Festeration are much better Facet picks.

This Spirit Breaker Facet falls into this category much like Magnus' Reverse Reverse Polarity. Knocking enemies further away from a team fight just can't be planned for with a team in ranked Dota 2.

The effects of Bull Rush are that much better, so there's no reason to pick up the Imbalanced Facet right now.

The Fat Chance Facet isn't particularly bad for Ogre Magi — it's more about how the hero is built for the late game. Stacking Strength items is a must thanks to the hero's innate ability, but Ogre at the highest level doesn't get the farm to pull this off.

The early ability levels with Learning Curve are just that much more beneficial: At level two, Ogre becomes a massive threat with two levels in Ignite, plus the hero gets access to talents earlier. If they boost Fat Chance's probability, it might be a viable choice at the high level.

The Fresh Meat Facet is similar to Ogre's Fat Chance Facet. It's not a bad choice, but the alternative is that much better.

A longer-range Hook, plus additional damage for the pull distance, is of better benefit to the average Pudge player than a Strength increase. Also, you've got to think about the playmaking factor here — a long-range Hook looks cooler than seeing a little red number go up when pressing R.

We quite like Spirit Wolves in principle, but the benefits the Facet provides just don't cut the mustard. The additional health and base damage for Lycan are terrible in the early game, and by the time the bonuses matter, you're already likely far behind.

Having your wolves dish out damage or increasing your Shapeshift duration on kill is miles better, and this has been reflected in how players have picked the Facet. Just 4.4% of Lycans have used Spirit Wolves and at just 37.8% win rate, the Facet needs a helping hand.

For more Dota 2 news, guides, and coverage, check out esports.gg.