Lich
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Version Control
This article is mostly accurate for the latest version of the game (7.38), in which this hero/item was changed.
It has no changes in the current game version — 7.38b.
Lich
Grants the following bonuses per level: | |
+46.2HP and +0.21HP regeneration | |
+0.33 armor and 2 attack speed | |
+45.6MP and +0.19MP regeneration +0.1% base magic resistance +3.8 Main Attack Damage |
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900 Projectile Speed
| ||
100 (117)
(1.7 BAT) | ||
0.46 + 0.54
| ||
0.7
| ||
Ice
Gib Type | ||
2010-11-01
Released | ||
2004-02-03
(v0.60) | ||
Competitive Span
2011-04-09 — Present |
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Unleashes a powerful attack that bounces between enemies. | |
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Resurrected by a curious geomancer, Ethreain bewitched his savior with a Sinister Gaze, then promptly made the man his newest sacrifice. Finally freed from the depths of the Black Pool, the Lich returns to wreak icy destruction on the world. Cloaking his followers with a Frost Shield, Ethreain floats across the battlefield to Blast any who cross him. A frozen orb descends on his foes, traveling between foes and Ice Spires until the Chain Frost brings all opposition to their demise. | |
Roles: | |
Adjectives | Blue, Flying, Icy, Undead, Nose Legs ( 2 ) |
Facets[edit]
Chain Frost stays dormant and lingers on the current affected enemy unit, until there is another valid unit for the projectile to bounce on.
Increases the current Frost Shield duration per enemy hero kill.
Increases the current number of Chain Frost bounce per enemy hero kill.
Upgrades[edit]
Aghanim's[edit]
Talents[edit]
+100 Chain Frost Increment Damage | 25 | +50 Frost Shield Health Regen |
---|---|---|
+4s Frost Shield Duration | 20 | Chain Frost Upon Death |
-3.5s Frost Blast Cooldown | 15 | +0.3s Sinister Gaze Duration |
+125 Frost Blast Radius/Damage | 10 | +10% Frost Shield Damage Reduction |
▃ ▃ ▃ ▃ ▃ ▃ ▃ +2 All |
Bio[edit]
And so the dead will bury the dead.▶️Ethreain, the Lich
Lore:
In life, the frost-mage Ethreain (not yet a Lich) had used the threat of destructive ice to enslave entire kingdoms. His subjects, aided by a few desperate magicians, eventually grew bold enough to ambush him. Armed with enough charmed rope to bind him forever, they tied the frost mage to adamant weights and dropped him in a pool known chiefly for being bottomless. It wasn't.
He only fell for a year or so before an outcrop snagged him. There he rested, dead but undecaying, until the geomancer Anhil thought to verify the legend of the supposedly bottomless Black Pool. Anhil's plumbline snarled with the ropes that bound the drowned magician, and up he hauled an unexpected prize. Thinking that by rendering the dead undead, he could question the Lich about the properties of the pool, he removed the bindings and commenced a simple rite of resurrection. Even the descendants of Ethreain's enemies were long forgotten by time, so there were none to warn Anhil against imprudence. But he learned the error of his judgment almost immediately, as Lich threw off the shackles and consumed him.
He only fell for a year or so before an outcrop snagged him. There he rested, dead but undecaying, until the geomancer Anhil thought to verify the legend of the supposedly bottomless Black Pool. Anhil's plumbline snarled with the ropes that bound the drowned magician, and up he hauled an unexpected prize. Thinking that by rendering the dead undead, he could question the Lich about the properties of the pool, he removed the bindings and commenced a simple rite of resurrection. Even the descendants of Ethreain's enemies were long forgotten by time, so there were none to warn Anhil against imprudence. But he learned the error of his judgment almost immediately, as Lich threw off the shackles and consumed him.
Voice:
Innate[edit]
Death Charge[edit]
Passive
Affects
Self / Units
The one in the Black Pool neither can utilize nor be affected by any mana regeneration sources on itself.
Set Self Mana Regen: 0
Lich can only regenerate mana when affected by the Fountain's Rejuvenation Aura.
However, it feasts on the remaining arcane energy upon both ally and enemy heroes' death within the radius.
Creeps' death restores a lesser amount of max mana.
Self Max Mana Restore: 2.5%
Lich is considered a ground unit, despite its hero model showing otherwise.
Hero Model[edit]
Details
Tap on the
innate abilities for more details.
Abilities[edit]
Frost Blast[edit]
Blasts the target enemy unit with damaging frost, dealing area damage and slowing movement and attack speed for a duration.
The primary target receives both base and area damage.
The primary target receives both base and area damage.
Cast Animation: 0.3 + 0.4
Cast Range:
575/600/625/650
Base Damage: 40/80/120/160
Move Speed Slow: 25%
Attack Speed Slow: 30/40/50/60
Slow Duration: 4
Aghanim's Scepter Upgrade
Frost Blast has an instant cast time while channeling Sinister Gaze.
Frost Blast has an instant cast time while channeling Sinister Gaze.
Cast Animation:
0 + 0
Frost-mage Ethreain has not forgotten even the simplest of ice manipulation.
Frost Shield[edit]
Applies a shield around the ally target. Deals damage per second and slowing enemy's movement speed within the radius.
Cast Animation: 0.2 + 0.4
Cast Range:
800
Damage per Second: 18/32/46/60
Move Speed Slow: 20%/25%/30%/35%
Slow Duration: 0.5
Reduces hero-based attack damage of all damage types for its duration.
Aghanim's Scepter Upgrade
Frost Shield has an instant cast time while channeling Sinister Gaze.
Frost Shield has an instant cast time while channeling Sinister Gaze.
Cast Animation:
0 + 0
Aghanim's Shard Upgrade
Applies all effects of Frost Shield around the Ice Spire and regenerating its health while the ice magic pulsates.
Applies all effects of Frost Shield around the Ice Spire and regenerating its health while the ice magic pulsates.
Hit Count Regen per Pulse: 1
First conceived of to protect him in his mortal years, the frost magic that Ethreain weaves around himself has only grown colder with time.
Sinister Gaze[edit]
Unit / Channeled / Area
Affects
Enemy Units / Self
Hypnotizes an enemy unit, causing it to move towards a point between the Lich and the enemy unit while draining a percentage of its current mana.
Cast Animation: 0 + 0
Cast Range:
600
Distance Moved: 32%/38%/44%/50%
Current Mana Loss per Second: 15%
Sinister Gaze is more effective on creeps.
Duration Factor: 2
Lich replenishes mana based on the mana drained.
Aghanim's Scepter Upgrade
Adds an area-targeting functionality, affecting enemy units within a radius of the area-targeted location.
Lich can now use his other abilities while channeling this ability.
Adds an area-targeting functionality, affecting enemy units within a radius of the area-targeted location.
Lich can now use his other abilities while channeling this ability.
Mind the cold...
Ice Spire[edit]
Cast Animation: 0.3 + 0
Cast Range:
750
Move Speed Slow: 25%
Hero Attacks to Destroy: 5
Duration: 15
Aura Linger Duration: 0.5
Creeps' attacks are less effective on the Ice Spire.
Creep Attacks to Destroy: 10
Frost Blast of its corresponding level is applied around it when destroyed.
Applies all effects of Frost Shield around the Ice Spire and regenerating its health while the ice magic pulsates.
Hit Count Regen per Pulse: 1
Chain Frost can be cast onto or bounces to the spire if there are no other enemies in the bounce radius.
Each successful bounce reduces the unit's current hit count.
Each successful bounce reduces the unit's current hit count.
Hit Count Reduction per Bounce: 1
Aghanim's Scepter Upgrade
Ice Spire has an instant cast time while channeling Sinister Gaze.
Ice Spire has an instant cast time while channeling Sinister Gaze.
Cast Animation:
0 + 0
This ability levels up with Frost Blast.
Chain Frost[edit]
Releases an orb of frost that bounces between nearby enemy units, slowing and subsequently increasing its damage each time it bounces.
Cast Animation: 0.3 + 1.03
Cast Range:
750
Number of Bounces: 10
Bounce Delay: 0.2
First Damage: 250/400/550
Move Speed Slow: 65%
Attack Speed Slow: 65
Slow Duration: 2.5
Aghanim's Scepter Upgrade
Chain Frost has an instant cast time while channeling Sinister Gaze.
Chain Frost has an instant cast time while channeling Sinister Gaze.
Cast Animation:
0 + 0
Talent Upgrade
Passively casts an independent Chain Frost of the corresponding level upon Lich's death, excluding Reincarnation sources.
Passively casts an independent Chain Frost of the corresponding level upon Lich's death, excluding Reincarnation sources.
Almost universally considered the ultimate in frost magic, Ethreain's orb of frozen death strikes fear into those who dare stand against him.
Recent Matches[edit]
Main Article: Lich/Matches
Date | Tier | Tournament | Picks | Score | vs. Picks | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Mar 08, 2025 - 23:30 SAST | Tier 4 | SEL: Major 1 | 0 : 1 | |||||
Feb 23, 2025 - 18:00 SGT | Tier 3 | EPL World SEA S3 | 1 : 0 | |||||
Feb 20, 2025 - 15:05 SGT | Tier 3 | EPL World SEA S3 | 1 : 0 | |||||
Feb 19, 2025 - 12:05 SGT | Tier 3 | EPL World SEA S3 | 0 : 1 | |||||
Feb 18, 2025 - 20:45 BRT | Tier 4 | Liga dos Ursitos | 1 : 0 |
The International[edit]
Recent Changes[edit]
Description
- Frost Shield
- Reduced cast range from 1000 to 800.
- Reduced duration from 5/6/7/8 to 4/5/6/7.
- Sinister Gaze
- Can no longer cast other abilties while channeling.
- No longer deals 250 damage per second to creeps.
- Increased enemy current mana loss per second from 12% to 15%.
- Reduced mana cost from 50/60/70/80 to 25 on each level.
- Reduced Chain Frost bounce radius from 600 to 550.
Aghanim's Scepter upgrade:
- Now allows Lich to cast his other abilities ( Frost Blast , Frost Shield , Ice Spire and Chain Frost ) without interrupting channeling.
Aghanim's Shard upgrade:
- Ice Spire
- Now reduces hit count by 1 per Chain Frost bounce.
- Reduced effect radius from 750 to 550.
- Ice Spire
Talents:
- LVL 25 Unlimited Chain Frost bounces ➜ +100 Chain Frost damage increment.
- Chain Frost
Frostbound
- Now is
death dispellable .
- Reduced dormant duration from 2/3/4 to 2/2.75/3.5.
- Now is
- Increased Frost Shield incoming attack damage reduction from 30%/40%/50%/60% to 45%/50%/55%/60%.
Dota Plus Progress[edit]
Main Article: Hero Challenges
Relics track a hero's actions and statistics, and display in-game notifications when a milestone is reached. They are only available to Dota Plus subscribers.
Lich's Relics | Voice Lines | |
---|---|---|
Bronze |
||
Silver |
||
Gold |
||
Platinum |
| |
Master |
| |
Grandmaster |
|
Equipment[edit]
Trivia[edit]
- Lich's voice actor, Gary Schwartz also voiced the Heavy and Demoman classes in "Team Fortress 2", another title by Valve.
- Lich's line upon casting Sacrifice, ▶️ "Om nom nom!" refers to a line spoken by the Heavy which he uses upon consuming the Sandvich Edible Device.
- In the first iteration of Invoker's abilities (Pre 6.18), when the order of his three orbs determines the Invoked ability, Frost Nova was one of his abilities and functioned almost identically as the current Frost Blast, and was mapped to Quas Quas Exort.
- Crystal Maiden also had the same Frost Nova ability with small differences in numbers.
- Anatomically, Lich's cranium has no visible sutures, another proof of his age.
- ▶️ "Frost bitten, twice shy." is a reference to Great White albums: Once Bitten... and ...Twice Shy and also to the English idiom.
- ▶️ "And so the dead will bury the dead." is a reference from Bible (Luke 9:59-60), where Jesus said, "Let the dead bury the dead," in response to a disciple who wanted to bury his father before committing himself to the Lord.
- Lich's response ▶️ "Dead man drifting." is a reference to the line "Dead man walking." spoken by the Warcraft 3 hero.[1]
- Warcraft 3 similarities:
- Lich's hero concept is originally based on Kel'Thuzad, a campaign-only variant of the Undead Lich hero.
- In DotA, he was also named Kel'Thuzad. His name was changed to Ethreain in Dota 2 to avoid copyright issues with "Blizzard Entertainment", since the Kel'Thuzad is a well known character within the Warcraft universe.
- He kept his title as the Lich. A Lich as an animated corpse-turned-wizard, commonly related to western mythology.
- "Lich" is an old english word and literally translates to "corpse". It is related to the german "Leiche" and the dutch "Lijk".
- Frost Blast's original iteration is identical to the Lich's Frost Nova, and is named Frost Nova in DotA as well.
- Lich's old ability, Ice Armor, was identical to the Lich's Frost Armor, and is named Frost Armor in DotA as well.
- Lich's old ability, Sacrifice, was identical to the Lich's Dark Ritual, and is named Dark Ritual in DotA as well.
- Lich's hero concept is originally based on Kel'Thuzad, a campaign-only variant of the Undead Lich hero.
Gallery[edit]
Low Violence model
Bone Harvest sprite - alive