Dota 2 Tinker Guide – Tips and Tricks

Reading this Dota 2 Tinker guide will allow you to learn more about one of the most complex heroes in the game.

There are a couple of midlaners that have the firepower of Tinker, but the hero is usually in a league of his own. Known as one of the best nukers in the game, Tinker is a unique hero that can carry his team when needed. That said, he can only do that if players know what they’re doing, so this Tinker Dota 2 guide will reveal everything.

Tinker is a ranged INT hero with 4.8 armor and 290 movement speed. The hero starts the game with 500 range and around 52-58 attack damage, making him a good option for last hitting. There are a lot of things you need to know about him, so let’s dive into this mid and late-game monster.

Abilities

Choosing the proper Dota 2 Tinker build is essential if you want to win, so here are the hero’s abilities.

• Laser – This deals 300 pure damage and causes the target to miss his next attacks for 4.5s. It also affects creeps, where the blind duration is 6.
• Heat-Seeking Missile – This ability allows Tinker to fire 2 missiles, dealing 360 damage. He can hit up to 2 targets.
• Defensive Matrix – This ability applies a barrier that absorbs 320 damage and gives the given target an additional 40% magic resistance.
• Keen Conveyance – This is a channeling ability that teleports Tinker to a target or a structure.
• Rearm – A channeling ability that takes 1.3s to reset the cooldown of most of Tinker’s abilities and items.

In addition to the Dota 2 Tinker skills, players who get an Aghanim’s Shard will get a new ability called Warp  Flare. The latter deals 50 damage and teleports a target away from Tinker. It also slows down the target’s cast and attack range by 40% for 3s.

In terms of the Aghanim Scepter, this item allows Lazer to be a Shrinking Ray, which will reduce a target’s size, HP, and maximum health by 10% per stack.  The Laser can also bounce between several targets and get an additional 200-cast range.

Talents

Following the Tinker Dota 2 skills, let’s learn more about the talents

• Level 10 – +8% Manacost and Mana Loss Reduction or Laser Radius +50 
• Level 15 – Heat-Seeking Missile hits one more target or Defense Matrix absorbs +125 damage
• Level 20 – Keen Conveyance has – 0.5s Channel time or Defensive Matrix provides 25% cooldown reduction
• Level 25 – Heat-Seeking Missle adds a 0.2s mini stun or Laser deals extra 80 damage

Dota 2 Tinker Guide – Tips

Now that you’ve learned some information about the hero, the second thing you should pay attention to is how to play. Tinker is a very specific hero that almost always takes the mid-lane, where he can farm faster and get the much-needed levels. Even though the hero is squishy because he has no defensive abilities, his nuking power makes him a popular laner.

Speaking of the laning stage, you should try to hit your target with your Laser when possible. Besides doing a lot of damage, you will also cause it to miss the last hits, which can be very annoying. 

Once the laning stage is over, Tinker has a very specific playstyle that requires him to teleport to base all the time. As long as you have a good Dota 2 Tinker macro, you should always have full mana and HP because your goal is to teleport to a given target, do as much damage as possible, and then teleport back to base.

One of the most important things to remember is that positioning is key. If you are not positioned correctly when teleporting (you need to use the Blink Dagger macro and blink as soon as you TP), you will die really fast. Good enemy heroes will prey on you all the time, so be careful.

Tinker Dota 2 Guide – Pros and Cons

You do not need a Dota 2 Tinker script to be effective because the hero has a lot of pros that make him special.

Pros

• Among the best nukers
• Extremely effective in the mid and late game
• Can be insanely strong in the hands of people who know how to use him
• Farms relatively fast

Cons:

• Squishy
• Very hard to play efficiently

Dota 2 Tinker Guide – Items

The Tinker Dota 2 build you will choose will have a big effect on your performance, so here are some of the items you should keep an eye on.

Starting items

The hero starts the game with Iron Branches, Tango, and some stats. Some players also like getting mana regen, such as a Clarity Potion or even a Mango.

Early Game

In terms of the early game, Tinker needs to get Boots of Speed, Null Talisman, and a Bottle. Some players will also rush a Soul Ring, but others leave it for the midgame.

Mid game

If you take a look at the Dota 2 Tinker Reddit, you will see that all Tinker players get a Blink Dagger. Usually, the hero also needs Kaya and Aether Lens (and Soul Ring, in case he hasn’t got it).

Late Game

The late game for Tinker involves items like Shiva’s Guard, Scythe of Vyse, Dagon, and Aghanim’s Scepter. However, the hero can also get BKB, Ethereal Blade, and even Eul’s.

Tinker Dota 2 Counter

Despite being one of the strongest heroes in the game, there is more than one Dota 2 Tinker counter you need to know.

• Anti-Mage – no explanation needed, AM is Tinker’s biggest nightmare.
• Clockwerk – Due to clock’s ability to spot enemies with his rocker and his Hookshot, he is highly effective at capturing Tinker off guard.
• Nyx Assassin – Nyx has the ability to stun Tinker and prevent him from using his Blink. Furthermore, he deals a lot of damage.
• Storm Spirit – Although Storm is struggling against Tinker early on, once the hero gets a few items, he can hunt him down.

Conclusion

Following everything mentioned in this Tinker Dota 2 guide, it is safe to say this hero is special. Albeit hard to master, he is highly effective against loads of targets. Tinker is not that common among professional games, but he is extremely strong in PUBs, which is why you see him more often.