Invisibility

“

▶️ You can't fight what you can't see. — Bounty Hunter

”

Invisibility is a status effect that causes the unit to not be seen by the enemy, even when within their range of vision, allowing the unit to scout, spy on, and ambush enemies by sneaking through their lines. However, enemies can counter this by acquiring True Sight.

Mechanics

Invisible units appear transparent to enemies with True Sight and to allies.

An invisible unit is unselectable for the enemy team, and also attack immune against them. They are also flagged as invisible, which causes many different interactions with several abilities.

Invisibility triggers a disjoint upon getting applied. This is a one-time event that happens once upon turning invisible, and not periodically over the entire duration. Applying another invisibility on top of an existing one triggers a disjoint. However, the disjoint does not trigger if the enemy has True Sight over the unit (unless it possesses True Sight Immunity). Losing True Sight does not cause a disjoint, even if it was preventing an invisibility.

The ways to lose the invisibility are dependent on the ability or item that granted it. Generally, with very few exceptions, it is lost upon reaching the attack point during an attack, or upon reaching the cast point during the use of an ability or an item. This means that abilities with extended effects, i.e. Eclipse or Epicenter, do not cancel the invisibility upon each beam or pulse. Channeling abilities do not cancel it either after the channeling started.

Multiple sources of invisibility can be independently applied, and the unit remains invisible as long as at least one of these sources is active.

Some invisibility sources also make the unit phased.

Appearance

Invisible units are not rendered for the enemy team, so that they cannot see them at all. Their minimap icon stops showing up for them as well.

To allies of the unit, and to enemies that have True Sight over the unit, the unit appears transparent, but still visible. They can be selected and attacked normally, and are not treated as invisible by abilities. On the minimap, their marker appears as a ring with a pointer, instead of a full circle with a pointer.

To enemies that have shared vision over the unit, its silhouette becomes visible, while the model itself is still invisible. The unit can be selected, but still cannot be targeted by abilities and attacks.

Invisible units do not cast shadows, neither to enemies nor to allies.

Fade Delay

The fade delay is an initial delay that, as the name suggests, delays invisibility. During the delay, no effects of invisibility are present; The unit is fully visible and is not considered invisible. Therefore, the unit can perform any actions during the delay as usual.

However, if the unit attacks or casts an ability or an item, the fade delay gets reset, delaying the invisibility even more. Once the fade delay elapses, the unit may enter the next phase, which can either be the fade time, or the invisibility right away.

A fade delay is usually used by abilities that continuously re-apply the invisiblity over a duration, where a fade delay ensures a downtime if the invisibility gets broken.

Invisibility Abilites with Fade Delay

• Glimmer Cape – Glimmer
• Lycan Wolf – Invisibility
• Mirana – Moonlight Shadow
• Oracle – False Promise^2a
• Sand King – Sand Storm
• Riki – Cloak and Dagger

¹ Requires talent.

^2a Requires Aghanim's Scepter.

^2b Requires Aghanim's Shard.

Fade Time

The fade time is a transitional phase between the visible and invisible state. During it, the unit's model gradually turns transparent over the duration, but they are not considered invisible yet.

The fade time is always a fixed duration, and cannot be altered by anything. This means, unlike during the fade delay, the unit can still perform any action normally during the fade time, without resetting it or breaking the invisibility. Once the fade time elapses, the unit becomes truly invisible, at which point orders may break it, depending on the source ability.

A fade time is usually used by abilities that apply invisibility only once per cast, adding an initial transition towards invisibility.

Invisibility Abilites with Fade Time

• Bounty Hunter – Shadow Walk
• Bounty Hunter – Friendly Shadow
• Clinkz – Skeleton Walk
• Storm – Wind Walk
• Shadow Amulet – Fade
• Shadow Blade – Shadow Walk
• Silver Edge – Shadow Walk
• Weaver – Shukuchi
• Windranger – Windrun^2a
• Runes – Invisibility

Attack Behavior

While invisible, and also during the fade time, a unit never auto-attacks nearby enemies regardless of auto-attack settings, even if the unit is revealed by True Sight and being attacked. attack orders given to the unit before turning invisible turns into a move order, only direct attack orders given while already invisible are carried out normally.

This does not apply to the fade delay. As previously mentioned, the unit can perform any actions during the fade delay as usual, resetting the delay with each executed attack. Attack orders given before a fade delay still get carried out, and may even cancel the following invisibility, depending the attack's timing.

Sources of Invisibility

Source	Properties
	Cast Time	Fade Duration	Phased Movement	Cast Interrupts Channeling	Using Abilities Breaks Invisibility [?]	Attacking Breaks Invisibility [?]	Instant Attack Breaks Invisibility [?]	Dispellable by Basic Dispel	True Sight Immunity
Friendly Shadow	0 Instant Cast	0.5	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No
Shadow Walk	0 Instant Cast	1 | 0.75 | 0.5 | 0.25	Yes	No	Yes  No if: Friendly Shadow Track [?]	Yes	Yes	No	No
Skeleton Walk	0 Instant Cast	0.6	Yes	No	Yes  No if: Strafe Death Pact Burning Army [?]	Yes	NoYes	No	No
Decoy	0 Instant Cast	0 Instant Cast	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	NoYes	No	No
Ghost Walk	0 Instant Cast	0 Instant Cast	Yes	No	Yes  No if: Quas Wex Exort Invoke [?]	Yes	NoYes	No	No
Raven's Veil	0.3	0.0	No	Yes	Yes  No if: Switch Discipline [?]	Yes	NoYes	No	No
Invisibility	0 Passive	2 Delay	No	No	Yes	Yes	?	No	No
Moonlight Shadow	0.5	2.5 | 2 | 1.5 Delay	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	NoYes	No	No
Burrow	1.5	0.0	Yes	Yes	No	No Self- Disarmed	No	No	No
Vendetta	0 Instant Cast	0.0	Yes	No	Yes  No if: Spiked Carapace [?]	Yes No if attacking: Rune	Yes	No	No
Blur	0.3	0.0	No	Yes	No	Yes only if attacking: Roshan	Yes only if attacking: Roshan	No	Only for Blur
Blur	0 Instant Cast	0.0	No	Yes	No	Yes only if attacking: Roshan	Yes only if attacking: Roshan	No	Only for Blur
Juxtapose	0 Instant Cast	0 Instant Cast	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	NoYes	No	No
Cloak and Dagger	0 Passive	4 | 3 | 2 2.75 | 1.75 | 0.75 Delay	No	No	No	Yes	NoYes	No	No
Invisibility	0 Instant Cast	2	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	NoYes	No	No
Stored Rune (Invisibility}	0.0	2	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	NoYes	No	No
Sand Storm	0.0	0.7 Delay	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	NoYes	No	No
Shadow Dance	0 Instant Cast	0.0	No	Yes	No	No	No	No Disabled While Invulnerable	Yes
Depth Shroud	0.1	0.0	No	Yes	No	No	No	No Disabled While Invulnerable	Yes
Wind Walk	0 Instant Cast	0.6	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	?	No	No
Meld	0.0	0.0	Yes	Yes	Yes  No if: Psionic Projection [?]	Yes	Yes	No	No
Nature's Guise [?]	0 Instant Cast	0.0	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	No	No
Silent as the Grave	0 Instant Cast	0.0	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No
Shukuchi	0 Instant Cast	0.25	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	NoYes	No	No
Windrun	0 Instant Cast	0.2	Yes	No	Yes	No	No	Yes	No
Glimmer	0 Instant Cast	0.5 Delay	No	No	Yes	Yes	NoYes	Yes	No
Fade	0 Instant Cast	1.5	No	No	Yes	Yes	NoYes	Yes	No
Shadow Walk	0 Instant Cast	0.3	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes  No if: Reciprocity Echo Slash Lunar Orbit	No	No
Shadow Walk	0 Instant Cast	0.3	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes  No if: Reciprocity Echo Slash Lunar Orbit	No	No
Disguise	0.0	0.0	No	Yes	No	Yes	NoYes	No	Yes

These abilitites never break invisibility from any source:

List

• Bottle – Store Rune
• Invoker – Quas
• Invoker – Wex
• Invoker – Exort
• Invoker – Invoke
• Kez – Switch Discipline
• Largo – Amphibian Rhapsody
• Radiance – Burn
• Runes – Activate

Permanent Invisibility

The following units are permanently invisible.

Invisibility

Ability

Passive

Affects

Self

This unit is permanently invisible.

Fade Time: 0

Details

• This unit is invisible once summoned or created. The ability and modifier are not displayed in-game.

Permanently Invisible Units

• Observer Ward – Planted Ward
• Sentry Ward – Planted Ward
• Techies – Proximity Mines⁴
• Templar Assassin – Trap
• Treant's Eyes – Eyes In The Forest

⁴ Immune to True Sight.

Instant Attack

Spell damage-based attacks do not break break invisibility from any sources, including Disguise and Blur.

List

• Luna – Moon Glaives
• Storm Spirit – Overload¹

Except for the abilites in the list above, other instant attacks always break invisibility from these sources.

List

• Bounty Hunter – Shadow Walk
• Bounty Hunter – Friendly Shadow
• Nyx Assassin – Vendetta
• Templar Assassin – Meld
• Treant Protector – Nature's Guise
• Visage – Silent as the Grave
• Shadow Blade – Shadow Walk ⁴
• Silver Edge – Shadow Walk ⁴

⁴ Reciprocity, Echo Slash and Lunar Orbit do not break invisibility from this source.

Triggering an instant attack from these sources will not break the invisibility from most sources. However, the casting of the ability itself removes invisibility from any source of invisibility except: Depth Shroud, Shadow Dance and Disguise.

List

• Clinkz – Burning Barrage
• Defiant Shell – Reciprocity
• Ember Spirit – Sleight of Fist
• Faceless Void – Time Lock
• Faceless Void – Time Walk^2a
• Hoodwink – Acorn Shot (Ground-Targeted)
• Kez – Echo Slash
• Kez – Falcon Rush
• Kez – Talon Toss
• Lifestealer – Infest ^2a
• Luna – Lunar Orbit
• Marci – Bodyguard
• Puck – Dream Coil ^2a
• Riki – Tricks of the Trade
• Sand King – Stinger
• Sand King – Epicenter^2a
• Sand King – Epicenter^{2a 2b}
• Weaver – Geminate Attack
• Weaver – Shikuchi^2b

True Sight

An invisible Riki revealed by the True Sight of a Tower

True Sight is a negative status effect that renders the effects of invisibility null. A unit affected by True Sight is no longer considered invisible to them, until the True Sight status effect is removed. This means they can be selected and targeted normally, and are not treated as invisible units by abilities anymore.

True Sight is not to be confused with exposure. While True Sight directly works against invisibility, exposure only reveals their silhouette and makes them selectable again. They remain untargetable, attack immune, and are still treated as invisible by abilities.

Sources of True Sight

See also: Exposure

Aura-based: Buildings

• Ancient – True Sight
• Fountain – True Sight
• Towers – True Sight

Aura-based: Hero Abilities

• Clockwerk – Rocket Flare¹
• Hoodwink – Decoy ¹
• Hoodwink – Sharpshooter ¹
• Demonic Warrior (Book of the Dead) – True Sight
• Ringmaster – Spotlight
• Slardar – Slithereen Crush^2b
• Void Spirit – Aether Remnant^2b
• Zeus – Lightning Bolt
• Zeus – Lightning Bolt
• Zeus – Thundergod's Wrath

Aura-based: Items

• Dust of Appearance – Reveal
• Gem of True Sight – Reveal
• Gem of True Sight – True Sight
• Sentry Ward – True Sight
• Ringmaster – Crystal Ball

Other sources of True Sight

• Anti-Mage – Mana Void³
• Bloodseeker – Thirst
• Bounty Hunter – Track
• Drow Ranger – Gust
• Earth Spirit – Enchant Remnant
• Faceless Void – Time Zone
• Legion Commander – Duel
• Lion – Mana Drain
• Mars – Spear of Mars
• Nyx Assassin – Nyxth Sense
• Primal Beast – Pulverize
• Pudge – Dismember
• Pugna – Life Drain
• Shadow Shaman – Shackles
• Slardar – Corrosive Haze
• Sniper – Assassinate
• Tidehunter – Dead in the Water

Root

• Ancient Prowler Shaman – Petrify
• Crystal Maiden – Freezing Field^2a
• Crystal Maiden – Frostbite
• Crystal Maiden – Crystal Clone
• Dark Willow – Bramble Maze
• Ember Spirit – Searing Chains⁴
• Hill Troll – Ensnare
• Lone Druid – Entangle
• Spirit Bear – Entangling Claws
• Medusa – Gorgon's Grasp
• Meepo – Earthbind
• Naga Siren – Ensnare
• Nature's Prophet – Wrath of Nature^{2a 4}
• Oracle – Fortune's End
• Treant Protector – Nature's Guise^2b
• Treant Protector – Nature's Guise⁴
• Troll Warlord – Berserker's Rage
• Underlord – Pit of Malice
• Underlord – Fiend's Gate^2a
• Gleipnir – Eternal Chains
• Rod of Atos – Cripple

Taunt

• Winter Wyvern – Winter's Curse

Hypnotise

• Lich – Sinister Gaze
• Ringmaster – Wheel of Wonder
• Void Spirit – Aether Remnant

¹ Requires a talent.

^2a Requires Aghanim's Scepter.

^2b Requires Aghanim's Shard.

³ Requires selecting the corresponding facet.

⁴ Cannot apply the effect if the unit is already invisible unless it's affected by true sight.

Sources of True Sight affecting Wards

Buildings

• Ancient – True Sight
• Fountain – True Sight
• Towers – True Sight

Items

• Gem of True Sight – Reveal
• Gem of True Sight – True Sight
• Sentry Ward – True Sight

Other Abilities

• Clockwerk – Rocket Flare ¹
• Faceless Void – Chronosphere
• Zeus – Lightning Bolt
• Zeus – Lightning Bolt
• Zeus – Thundergod's Wrath

True Sight Immunity

Some abilities provide True Sight immunity, which prevents True Sight from revealing the units.

Disguise-based Sources

• Smoke of Deceit – Disguise

Other Sources

• Slark – Depth Shroud
• Slark – Shadow Dance

• Phantom Assassin - Blur
  
  Invisibiltiy from Blur can't be revealed by true sight.

• Techies – Proximity Mines

Piercing True Sight Immunity

See also: Vision#Exposing True Sight Immune Units

• Spectre – Haunt
• Terrorblade – Reflection
• Warlock – Eldritch Summoning

• Lich – Sinister Gaze ^2a
• Lion – Sinister Gaze ¹
• Zeus – Lightning Bolt
• Zeus – Thundergod's Wrath

Invisibility interactions with other spells

See also: Disjointing with invisibility and Disjointable projectiles

Targeting invisible units

Most spells which affect an area usually affect invisible units as well, with some exceptions. Single target spells cannot target invisible units without the help of True Sight. Although shared vision renders the unit's model visible even during invisibility, it is not enough to allow single target spells to target them.

Spells which choose specific or random targets on cast behave inconsistently with invisibility. This includes all bouncing spells (e.g. Arc Lightning) and multi-target spells like Poison Touch and Heat-Seeking Missile. The following such spells do not target invisible units:

• Abaddon – Aphotic Shield
• Batrider – Flaming Lasso¹
• Bristleback – Viscous Nasal Goo¹
• Clinkz – Searing Arrows²
• Clockwerk – Battery Assault
• Dark Willow – Bedlam
• Dazzle – Poison Touch
• Death Prophet – Exorcism
• Drow Ranger – Marksmanship¹
• Ember Spirit – Searing Chains
• Ember Spirit – Sleight of Fist
• Grimstroke – Soulbind
• Gyrocopter – Rocket Barrage
• Gyrocopter – Homing Missile³
• Gyrocopter – Flak Cannon
• Gyrocopter – Side Gunner¹
• Harpy Stormcrafter – Chain Lightning
• Juggernaut – Omnislash
• Leshrac – Lightning Storm⁴
• Lich – Chain Frost
• Lion – Mana Drain²
• Luna – Moon Glaives
• Luna – Eclipse
• Maelstrom – Chain Lightning
• Medusa – Split Shot
• Medusa – Mystic Snake
• Mirana – Starstorm
• Mjollnir – Chain Lightning
• Morphling – Adaptive Strike²
• Nature's Prophet – Wrath of Nature
• Ogre Magi – Multicast Ignite
• Phantom Assassin – Stifling Dagger¹
• Phantom Lancer – Spirit Lance²
• Razor – Eye of the Storm
• Riki – Tricks of the Trade
• Rubick – Fade Bolt
• Shadow Shaman – Ether Shock
• Shadow Shaman – Mass Serpent Ward¹
• Skywrath Mage – Arcane Bolt^{1 2}
• Skywrath Mage – Concussive Shot⁵
• Skywrath Mage – Ancient Seal¹
• Skywrath Mage – Mystic Flare⁶
• Sniper – Assassinate¹
• Spirit Breaker – Charge of Darkness³
• Storm Spirit – Electric Vortex¹
• Terrorblade – Reflection
• Tinker – Laser¹
• Tinker – Heat-Seeking Missile
• Tiny – Toss⁷
• Treant Protector – Overgrowth
• Undying – Soul Rip
• Undying – Tombstone
• Visage – Soul Assumption²
• Warlock – Fatal Bonds
• Weaver – The Swarm
• Witch Doctor – Paralyzing Cask
• Witch Doctor – Death Ward¹
• Zeus – Arc Lightning

¹ Requires Aghanim's Scepter. When upgraded, these spells can target secondary units, but ignore invisible ones.

² Requires a talent. When upgraded, these spells can target secondary units, but ignore invisible ones.

³ These spells choose a new target if their current target dies. They do not choose invisible targets.

⁴ Soulbind does not bind the target to their invisible allies, but keeps the link up if an already bound unit turns invisible.

⁵ Lightning Storm also includes the single strikes from Aghanim's Scepter upgraded Pulse Nova.

⁶ Concussive Shot does not seek for invisible units. The area effect does hit nearby invisible units.

⁷ The secondary Mystic Flare is not created on invisible enemies. The area damage does affect invisible units.

⁸ Toss does not select nearby invisible enemy units to toss. The area damage does hit invisible enemies.

The following spells have mixed interactions:

• Mjollnir - Static Charge
  
  Always hits the triggering unit, even when invisible. Does not hit other nearby invisible enemies.
• Queen of Pain - Shadow Strike
  
  When choosing the area talent, Shadow Strike does target invisible enemies within the area, but the projectiles get instantly disjointed.
• Zeus - Thundergod's Wrath
  
  Does target invisible enemies, but the damage and lightning require vision. Therefore, only the vision and true sight is applied around invisible enemies.

Turning invisible after cast

For most spells, it does not matter if the target turns invisible after the spell's effect already have begun. Their effects continue normally, regardless of the invisibility. There are exceptions to this.

All sources of invisibility disjoint projectiles. Even a split-second of vision loss caused by invisibility is enough to disjoint projectiles, even when regaining vision of the unit before the projectile reaches it. This disjoint does not happen when having True Sight over the unit.

Besides disjointed projectiles, the following spells behave differently when their targets turn invisible while they are active.

• Axe - Berserker's Call
  
  When the caster turns invisible, taunted enemies can be given one order until the effect expires. After finishing that order, the unit freezes in place until the effect expires.
• Ember Spirit - Sleight of Fist
  
  When an already marked unit turns invisible before it gets slashed, it gets completely skipped if it still is invisible on its turn.
• Grimstroke - Phantom's Embrace
  
  When a phantom's target turns invisible, the phantom instantly dies.
• Huskar - Life Break
  

  
  When the caster turns invisible, taunted enemies can be given one order until the effect expires. After finishing that order, the unit freezes in place until the effect expires.
• Medusa - Mystic Snake
  
  If the snake's current target is invisible on impact, the snake does not affect it, and does not count the jump.
• Undying - Tombstone
  
  When the zombies' target turns invisible, the zombies instantly die.
• Weaver - The Swarm
  
  When a beetle's target turns invisible, the beetle instantly dies.

Version History

Version

Description

7.07
(2017-10-31)

• Broodmother no longer gains invisibility in her Spin Web.

Patch History

Patch

Description

14 Mar 2018

• Fixed invisibility being unable to disjoint attack projectiles.

02 Jul 2015

• The following abilities now will damage invisible units that have been revealed:
  • Sleight of Fist
  • Omnislash
  • Thundergod's Wrath

18 Jun 2015

• Fixed various bugs with True Sight.

14 Jun 2013

• Fixed True Sight being unable to be applied to sleeping and/or invulnerable units.

01 Jul 2011

• Fixed projectile dodging to happen when the invisibility fade time finishes.
• Fixed projectile dodging from invisibility to only happen if you successfully go invisible, as in you do not dodge if the enemy team has True Sight over you.
• Made going invisible inherently do a projectile dodge.
• Fixed where with ◉ Standard auto-attack, you could auto-attack while fading out from invisibility, causing you to break invisibility unintentionally.
• True Sight-sources are now disabled by Hex-sources and Doom.

05 May 2011

• Abilities that provides invisibility can now dodge incoming ability projectiles.