Aghanim's Shard – Dota 2 Guide, Stats & Hero Matchups [Patch 7.38c]
Basic Item | Consumables
1400
Main shop
1400With origins known only to a single wizard, fragments of this impossible crystal are nearly as coveted as the renowned scepter itself.
Like an enchanting gem, a magical and empowering item that bestows your hero with a unique and additional ability!
Recipe
Abilities
Passive: Ability Upgrade
Upgrades an existing ability or adds a new ability to your hero.
Additional Insights
- Can only be consumed once
- From the versatility and strategic value, It provides heroes with an opportunity to diversify their skill sets, adapt to various situations, and surprise opponents with unexpected tactics.
Statistics
The statistics below shows the percentage of hero builds which contain Aghanim's Shard as a core, common or situational item for each role. These statistics are based on our hero guides.
Itemization Strategy
Mainly taken as early as it is available, it is for everyone no matter the role!
Heroes with Aghanim's Shard as Core Item
An core upgrade that further empowers your Berserker's Call to provide additional damage for your combo. Allows you to stack multiple Battle Hungers on targets.
A mid to late game pick up to deal with summons and illusions. Also lets you push creep waves much faster.
A core item that improves your damage output and HP sustain through right clicks.
A repositioning tool that gives you more mobility and lockdown in fights, as well as helping you clear waves without having to stay and last hit.
A core item to reduce Fissure cooldown and allows you to walk through it for unobstructed pathing. Also improves the lockdown on all your spells to keep applying Aftershock around Fissure. Allows you to clear waves with Fissure+Totem.
A core pick up that extends the potential maximum uptime of Leap's buffs, allowing you to synergize it's steroid for the entirety of Solar Flare. Allows you to more precisely position yourself and delete waves with Start Storm + Leap.
A core item to reduce the cooldown on Shadowraze every time you hit an enemy hero with the spell and have it available again sooner to do more damage.
A core item that prevents you from getting chain-stunned to death as it allows you to shift attributes when stunned to survive fights.
A core item to do even more damage with your Meat Hook on enemy heroes. Has great synergy with Aether Lens and cast range increasing Neutral Items to increase the length of the Hook, effectively doing more damage.
A core item that lets you stay on top of enemy heroes with Static Link without relying on your slow from Plasma Field.
A core item that massively increases the right click damage output of your hero and nearby allies with Overload. Has great synergy with your level 25 talent.
A core item to have infinite hit counts on Tree Grab and always dish out your maximum right click damage. Also improves your damage output through Tree Throw.
A core item that lets Magic Missile bounce and hit a second target. Massively improves your damage and control in teamfights. Has great synergy with all the Magic Missile talents.
A core upgrade to provide additional control in the fights.
A core item to improve your damage output and farming speed with Arc Lightning on right clicks. Goes extremely well with Yasha and Kaya for high damage Arc Lightning on attacks.
A core item for extra damage and control on enemy heroes. Lets you reposition enemies closer to or away from your team.
A core item that gives you a defensive tool with a massive damage barrier when you ccast Laguna Blade on enemy heroes. Look to start fights with your ultimate when the Light Strike Array isn't necessary once you have the item.
A core item for extra control in teamfights and have potential to burst a secluded enemy hero with Chain Frost.
A core item to drain the mana of multiple units and gain debuff immunity while channeling Mana Drain in fights to avoid most disables. Works well to instantly clear multiple illusions.
A core upgrade that allows you to channel Shackles from further away and spawn four snakes to attack the disabled target or clear creep waves safely and reliably.
A core upgrade which saves you time of applying Corrosive Haze on a target you jumped and utilize the Slithereen Crush stun duration for more right clicks. Improves your wave clear speed as armor reduction is applied before Slithereen Crush physical damage.
A core item to have another form of lockdown on enemy heroes with Dead in the Water and have more versatility with Ravage usage. Works particularly well against elusive enemy heroes, such as Ember Spirit.
A core item that provides offensive and defensive traits. It can either be used in alternative to Death Ward to deal damage or it can be used to dodge projectiles and buy you some time out of trouble.
A core item that prevents enemy heroes stuck in Smoke from getting help by their teammates with a Force Staff or Wind Waker.
A core item to have more Eidolons when you cast Malefice to do more damage and have better split push potential. Gives you an additional way of pushing waves by casting Malefice on a creep and having the eidolons clear the rest of the wave.
A core item to put some distance between yourself and an enemy hero while rooting them. Gives you a better chance to refresh your spells with Rearm, as well as survive getting bursted down.
A core item that provides you the ability to disengage and open a gap between yourself and enemy heroes using Concussive Grenade.
A core item to close the gap on a target enemy or ally. Lets you farm much faster and do more damage in teamfights in combination with Death Pulse.
A core item to spawn imps with Upheaval to do more damage in teamfights as well as clear creep waves from a distance.
A core item that improves lockdown around your hero with more Hawks.
A core item to increase your AoE damage and control with Blink. Lets you clear creep waves much faster and get on top of enemy heroes to burst them in the silence duration. Also helps with escaping as the damage and silence can prevent enemy heroes from chasing you.
A core item to damage and stun enemy heroes who dispel Venomous Gale with Lotus Orb, BKB, or another debuff immunity spell.
A core item to improve your mobility with Time Walk. Lets you get in and out of fights easily.
A core item that is providing additional charge to Spirit Siphon. It is a great tool for crowd controlling the enemy. It works good for chasing the enemy or backing up.
A core item that lets you stay back in teamfights and do damage with Life Drain through your Nether Ward. Works well to remain safe while dealing massive AoE damage.
A core upgrade for Poison Attack to deal more damage to enemy heroes and buildings with minus armor. Also helps you take Roshan faster.
A core item that provides extra control in fights with Poison Touch. Works incredibly well to deal with basic illusions as hex clears them instantly.
A core item that improves your vision and mobility in teamfights.
A core item for some extra damage and primarily for vision on enemy heroes caught in the AoE.
A buff to Surge that makes it tougher for enemies to get away from or chase Surged allies. The effect can be toggled off to not give away the pathing of a Surged ally.
A core item to gain the Burning Barrage ability to clear creep waves in an instant and do massive damage in an area.
Aghanim's Shard significantly increases Purification's healing output, enabling Omniknight to rapidly restore health to allies and turn the tide of battle.
A core item that greatly improves your damage output and wave clear ability with multiple Impetus shots.
A core item that increases your damage output and lifesteal during Insatiable Hunger.
A core item that lets you make one of your allies invisible and make your whole team a bigger kill threat on the map. The allied invisible hero also gets a stun on their first hit.
A core item to improve your damage output on enemy heroes and creeps you pass through with Shukuchi to hit them with Geminate Attack. Lets you clear creep waves in an instant and have incredible split push potential.
A core item that adds to your control and damage output with Liquid Frost on attacks.
A core item that adds to your damage output through right clicks.
A core item that allows you to take ancient creeps with Holy Persuasion. The ancients are much more powerful than normal creeps in terms of auras, HP, damage, and abilities.
A core item to have Enrage with every Earthshock cast to make it more difficult for enemy heroes to get away from you or lock you down. Gives more versatility with Enrage usage. The Enrage duration from the spell and Earthshock stack additively.
A core item to increase the Charge speed to do more damage and improve your initiation.
A core upgrade to Homing Missile for massive burst potential on enemy heroes with a secondary Rocket Barrage.
A core item that improves your spells based on facet selection. The Quas facet makes Ice Wall bigger and roots heroes caught inside longer than 3 seconds. The Wex facet improves EMP to pull heroes towards it and burn more mana. The Exort facet improves Sun Strike to summon a Forge Spirit every time it connects with an enemy hero. The Cataclysm double Sun Strikes summons two Forge Spirits in this manner.
A core item to increase both the permanent and temporary intelligence steal through Glaives of Wisdom.
An incredible pick up to ensure all your lanes continue to push towards the enemy base.
A core item to improve your teamfighting with Primal Split.
A core item to have a save for your allies with dispel and heal. Upgrades to two charges with the Aghanims Scepter.
A core item that gives you a survivability tool on all Meepo clones when they are low on HP.
A core upgrade that adds to mobility and control by making you invisible near trees as well as your Natures Grasp. Also gives you more movement speed when invisible.
A core item to make yourself and your cores significantly more tanky against right click damage from enemy heroes with Fire Shield.
A core item that gives you a save for yourself or an ally with Tombstone. Works well against single target initiations such as Duel.
A core item to reposition yourself or an ally in trouble with Telekinesis. Also gives you the Aghanims Shard upgrade on stolen spells.
A core item to apply the break effect on an enemy hero with the Vendetta hit. Also stops most passive effects from the innate abilities for the duration.
A core item to provide even more healing for yourself and your allies with Illuminate during Spirit Form.
A core item to do damage to enemy heroes along the Tether link. Also heals you and your Tethered ally every time you do damage with Tether.
A core upgrade that gives you another survivability tool with Depth Shroud. Has a similar effect as Shadow Dance and also lets you save allied heroes. Lets you interrupt certain enemy initiations like Duel or Berserkers Call.
A core item to have a defensive tool against single target initiations and disables. Also brings you some mana when the reflected Snake returns to you.
A core item that increases the range of Skewer to drag enemy heroes a longer distance, as well as do more damage when colliding enemy heroes with trees and cliffs.
A core item to increase your AoE damage and slow with more Viscous Nasal Goo and Quill Spray stacks.
A core upgrade of Ice Shards to have more AoE damage and control in fights. Also lets you clear creep waves from a distance without having to commit with Snowball.
A core item that doubles Arcane Bolt on each cast and helps scale its damage with intelligence gain. Also provides more mana pool to spam your spells as well as makes you tanky against physical damage.
A core item that boosts your damage output through Mist Coil.
A core item that lets you immediately get on top of enemy heroes with Astral Spirit and Echo Stomp.
A core upgrade that gives you more damage off Duel wins. Also increases Overwhelming Odds radius when Duelling.
A core item that allows you to snowball fights by giving you 1 extra Fire Remnants each time an enemy hero dies within 400 range of you.
A core upgrade that allows you to cast Geomagnetic Grip on allies as a save.
A core item that allows you to use Sun Ray during Supernova. Lets you do more damage during your ultimate and improves the survival chances of your egg with the miss chance from your innate on affected enemy heroes.
A core item that gives you another healing and damage tool in an area. Works well against high HP regen on enemy heroes to reduce their tankiness and burst them down quickly.
A core item to protect one of your cores against physical damage through disarm and let them be more fearless in teamfights.
A core upgrade for Cold Embrace to increase your AoE spell damage output for fighting and farming. Lets you clear creep waves quickly by healing an allied creep and using Splinter Blast on enemy creeps.
A core item to improve your mobility and damage through Boundless Strike and immediately get on top of enemy heroes you stun. Also lets you get away from trouble when you cannot use Tree Dance.
A core to stop in place and turn during Rolling Thunder to chain stun enemy heroes. Also makes you debuff immune to avoid most disables and silences on the enemy team and roll away when attacked. Lets you cast Rolling Thunder without fear of interruption.
A core item to improve Cursed Crown to trigger it faster and have extra AoE control with Brambles.
A core upgrade for Ink Swell to heal and instantly dispel disables and silences on your cores.
A core item to improve your DPS and stun two heroes with Spear of Mars. Also helps clear creep waves and jungle camps faster.
A core upgrade that adds more burst damage to your Firesnap Cookie. Also heals you or the ally on whom you use the Firesnap Cookie.
A core item to boost your magic damage burst with spells on enemies hit by the Boomerang.
A core item that grants allows you to become spell immune during Starbreaker and ensure you do your full damage in fights.
A core upgrade for Rebound to improve your mobility when no allies are around. Lets you solo kill enemy heroes with a stun.
A core item to have another long range disable on enemy heroes with Rock Throw. Also lets you clear creep waves safely and reliably.
A core item to gain some HP sustain through lifesteal during Pierce the Veil and increase the damage output of all your spells with the spell amplification buff attained with kills during your ultimate. You also gain all the spell amp from Pierce the Veil kills before getting the Aghanims Shard.
Purchase it early if you're facing opponents that have a lot of Invisibility either trough items or abilities. Allows you to scout cliffs, highgrounds and trees as it provides vision of the area within it's AOE.
A core item that provides you with an additional soft lockdown to stay on top of targets and deal massive damage.
Trivia
A fascinating trivia about Aghanim's Shard in Dota 2 revolves around its introduction and integration into the game during the 7.28 patch.