Auras

[Robzor]

Auras
The aura guide revisited.

Table of Contents

• What Is An Aura?
• Base Auras
• Applying/Removal of Auras
• Triggered Auras
• True Sight
• Credits

What Is An Aura?

▲ Top

An aura can be seen as a field around the aura provider and will provide special effects allies or enemies in inside the boundaries of the area. The special effects include buffs, debuffs and damage to targets nearby the aura providing unit, depending on the kind of aura being provided.

This guide will elaborate on the different auras we have in DotA, what effects they provide and go over how they work in-depth.

Base Auras

▲ Top

These are the different base auras which we have in DotA, I bet that most have a common knowledge of the basics behind auras and frankly there is not much more to the effects of auras than the brief explanations I will give here.

In order to completely understand the base aura section it is important to know that an aura which normally provides positive bonuses can be altered to provide negative bonuses and that each aura works only for a set target group. An example ability would be Presence of the Dark Lord where this is used to provide negative armor for enemies instead of positive armor for allies. Many auras function in this way to provide the desired effect, which would not be possible to do in a simple way otherwise.

Important note: Certain auras are only used in order to provide a buff effect on the unit/targets due to their behooving stacking patterns. This will be explained further in the Triggered Auras section.

Brilliance Aura

Brilliance Aura increases or decreases the mana regen of the target group.

The regen can be set to be either a static amount or percentual value.

Building Damage Aura (Tornado)

Building Damage Aura (Tornado) deals damage per second to the target group.

This aura have three editable fields to provide different amount of damage relative to how close the target unit is to the aura provider, these fields include AoE along with damage inside aformentioned AoE.

Command Aura

Command Aura increases or decreases the damage of the target group.

Alteration which allows you to provide the bonus damage to only melee, ranged or both is possible. You can also decide if it shall provide a flat damage bonus or a percentual damage increase.

Devotion Aura

Devotion Aura serves to alter the target group's armor.

May provide a percentual increase or a static increase. The percentual increase is calculated from base armor only and is not affected by upgrades, buffs, agility or other Devotion Auras.

Endurance Aura

Endurance Aura increases or decreases the target group's Attack Speed and Movement Speed.

Healing Ward Aura (Healing Ward)

Healing Ward Aura (Healing Ward) provides a HP regen boost to the target group.

The regen can be set to be either a static amount or percentual value.

Life Regeneration Aura (Neutral)

Life Regeneration Aura (Neutral) provides a HP regen boost to the target group.

The regen can be set to be either a static amount or percentual value.

Mana Regeneration (Neutral)

Mana Regeneration (Neutral) provides mana regen boost to the target group.

The regen can be set to be either a static amount or percentual value.

Slow Aura (Tornado)

Slow Aura (Tornado) increases or decreases movement speed and attack speed of the target group.

Thorns Aura

Thorns returns damage to melee units attacking the target group.

Can be set to return a static amount of damage or a percentual value of the damage dealt to the target group. Note that this aura always returns at least one damage regardless of the input return value.

Trueshot Aura

Trueshot Aura increases or decreases ranged unit's damage.

Alteration which allows you to provide the bonus damage to only melee, ranged or both is possible. You can also decide if it shall provide a flat damage bonus or a percentual damage increase.

Unholy Aura

Unholy Aura grants increase or decrease of HP regen and movement speed to the target group.

Vampiric Aura

Vampiric Aura gives target melee units the ability to lifesteal upon attacking.

Applying/Removal of Auras

▲ Top

Applying Auras - Basics

All effects of an aura will be applied to the target group which is inside the search AoE, there are however a few conditions which renders a unit unable to be affected or applying auras. For a unit to be able to provide an aura these are conditions worthy to note;

• If the unit is invisible allies will not benefit from the aura, it will not be provided at all to any targets except for the aura provider.
• If a unit is hidden it will not be affected by any aura but will still be able to provide auras to the target group within the vicinity of where the unit is hidden.
• A paused unit will be able to recieve and provide effects from all auras.

The exception to all of these rules is the Building Damage Aura which works while the provider is invisible and is disabled when the unit is hidden or paused.

Search AoE

The auras searches from center of the aura providing unit to edge of the AoE, as long as a target unit's collision size is inside of the AoE it will have the effect of the aura applied presuming that it is a valid target.

Here's a picture which will explain this better; The image is not proportional.

The circle enclosing the center of the Druid of the Talon is the unit's collision size, as seen in the picture presented the aura AoE touches the collision size of the unit, but not the center, and the buff would still be provided.

Stacking Auras

All auras in DotA have a buff ID, basically this is the value that determines how auras will stack together. All auras with different buff IDs will stack completely while auras with conflicting buff IDs won't stack.

Auras with the same buff ID:

Brilliance Aura - [BHab]

Ring of Basilius (Normal)
Ring of Basilius (Heroes)
Vladmir's Offering

Command Aura - [BOac]

Vengeful Spirit
Alpha Wolf

Devotion Aura - [BHad]

Vladmir's Offering
Ring of Basilius (Normal)
Ring of Basilius (Heroes)
Assault Cuirass

Endurance Aura - [B01J]

Manta Style
Sange and Yasha
Yasha

Endurance Aura - [BOae]

Centaur Khan
Necronomicon Archer

When several auras with the same buff ID are affecting a single unit the one with the highest value will override the others, if the aura provides several effects each individual effect with the highest value will be provided to the target group. There is also a special situation with Endurance Aura where a unit can gain the highest value effects from two different Endurance Auras until that the buff is reaqcuired. If two Endurance Auras are affecting a target, with one of them providing 400% MS and the other 400% IAS, the units will keep both these values until they reacquires the buff, this goes for both the units providing the auras and all side targets with the buff. As long as they do not leave the area where the buff is provided these values will remain even if one of the aura providers stray away somewhere else.

The Endurance Aura case is however the only one in DotA where this can occur due to conflicting buff IDs, in other words, this can not happen with any other aura. Brilliance Aura, Command Aura and Devotion Aura have been fixed by Blizzard as to not follow this pattern.

Update Time

There are two different update times, one for acquiring the aura and one for losing the aura effect. Both of these updates are periodical and the periodical updates start once the skill is acquired, either by learning the skill or picking up the item providing the aura. All auras except for the Building Damage Aura use these values to provide and remove the buffs from the target group.

Acquisition

For acquisition of an aura buff you must be present within the aura AoE during the time the aura checks for new targets without the buff, this check is performed once every 0.5 seconds.

An illustration looks like this:

Time (Seconds)		Status
0.00		The unit is outside the aura boundaries
0.51		The unit enters the AoE
1.00		The buff is applied

This means that there's up to a 0.5 second delay until that the aura effect is applied after that the unit enters the AoE.

This delay also exists when leveling up the aura ability.

Removal

When the aura buff is removed the check for hardcoded removal is performed once every 2 seconds, and the unit must be outside the aura AoE for two consecutive checks in order for the buff to be removed.

The illustration for this case looks as follows:

Time (Seconds)		Status
0.00		The unit is inside the aura boundaries
2.00		The unit leaves the AoE, the first check is performed
4.00		The second check is performed, if the unit is still outside the AoE the buff is removed

This in turn leads to the 2-4 second delay until that the aura buff is removed, depending on when the unit left the aura AoE. This is a result of the two consecutive checks; if the unit leaves the AoE right as the first check is about to be performed it will only need to wait for 2 seconds until the second check whereas if the unit leaves the AoE right after the first check is performed the wait will be 4 seconds until that both checks have been performed.

Before the buff has been removed due to the unit leaving the aura all effects such as bonus damage will remain on the unit.

Building Damage Aura

Damage inside the Building Damage Aura is dealt at an interval of 1 second, starting when you acquire the aura. When a unit enters the AoE and takes damage an invisible buff is placed on the target, this buff makes the target invalid for taking damage from the Building Damage Auras with the same buff ID again, this buff is then removed 0.99 seonds later as to make it possible for the target to take damage from the Building Damage Aura again.

Time (Seconds)		Status
0.00		The building damage aura deals damage to targets inside the AoE and places the buff on the target (step 1)
0.99		The buff is removed so that the aura can deal damage again (step 2)
1.00		The process repeats starting again at step 1

This gives birth to an odd case with several Radiances where one may override all others regardless of when they begin to affect the target; When a Radiance is aqcuired 0.00<x<0.01 seconds before or 0.99<x<1.00 seconds after the other one. This causes the one of Radiance aqcuired at the special time to place its buff and damage within the small timeframe where the buff of the second one is removed, thus causing it to override.

This also leads to the fact that the Building Damage Aura does not use the fade time.

Forced Removal

In the case where an aura is removed directly by triggers there is no delay on the removal of the aura effects, such as with the fade time, instead all effects provided by the aura buff are removed instantly.

• Shapeshift (only on Banehallow)
• Focus Fire
• Windrunner
• Rupture
• Shadow Word

In addition visual auras added directly to the target will be removed when a unit uses a transformation skill such as Metamorphosis or True Form, however, in this case the fade time will be applied. The skills which this can occur to are Rupture, Shadow Word, Poison Touch and Eat Tree, but even though the visual aura is removed the effects will remain.

Aura Flicker

The Command Aura and the Trueshot Aura have a special case where their effects will appear to flicker, that is, the effect is temporarily removed and then added again.

Whenever a unit is created for your player and you have a Command/Trueshot Aura it will be temporarily removed and then reapplied, created units include all units created from summoning units to dummy units created by triggers. This means that when the aura has been removed there is a very small time frame until it is readded again where you can land an attack without gaining the benefits from the Command/Trueshot Aura.

Triggered Auras

▲ Top

Some effects provided by auras would not be possible just through the base auras provided by the World Editor, hence we have triggered auras. The basics behind a triggered aura are really simple, you have a regular base aura providing the buff to the targets in range and then a trigger which applies the desired effect to the units which are being provided with the aura. What I chose to define as a Visual Aura in this guide is a base aura that provides no effects (or neglectable ones) to the target group except providing a buff on the target, when put into practice triggered auras could function without the aura buffs, but they are there to fill the cosmetic needs and hence the word "Visual" in Visual Aura. All the effects that then are applied to the target group, for an example the mana restoration from Essence Aura, comes from the involved triggers and are not provided by the aura itself.

Since these effects are not related to the auras themselves they will not be explained in this guide.

True Sight

▲ Top

True Sight

Reveals invisible units within the search AoE, true sight will also be active when the unit is not revealed by fog (meaning that the delay won't apply when a unit gains vision within an area where true sight is active).

Things providing true sight:

• Ancient Protector
• Gem of True Sight
• Lightning Bolt
• Necronomicon Warrior
• Sentry Ward
• Spirit Tower
• The World Tree
• The Frozen Throne
• Thundergod's Wrath

Search AoE

The search AoE on true sight functions like the one for auras:

The auras searches from center of the aura providing unit to edge of the AoE, as long as a target unit's collision size is inside of the AoE it will have the effect of the aura applied presuming that it is a valid target.

In other words from the center of the true sight provider to the edge of target units' collision sizes.

Update Time

The update interval for true sight is 0.5 seconds and only performs one check, this value is used for both entering and leaving the true sight AoE. As with all of the aura checks this is periodical and starts once the true sight ability is acquired.

Time (Seconds)		Status
0.00		The unit is outside the true sight boundaries
0.51		The unit enters the true sight search AoE and is revealed
1.00		The unit remains inside the true sight AoE and is still revealed
1.51		The unit leaves the search AoE
2.00		The unit is no longer revealed

This means that there is up to a 0.5 second delay until that a unit is revealed/becomes invisible again after entering or leaving a true sight field.

The search AoE is not hindered by any form of terrain, meaning that true sight works across trees and any other forms of terrain without creating any issues with revealing units.

Credits

▲ Top

Thanks to DonTomaso for helping me out with the update values for auras.

[Cáno]

PlayDota Mechanics is eternally grateful.

[Nanaya Shiki]

Can Krobelus's spirits are affected by Command Aura? And by Inner Beast, too.

[Cáno]

No.

[pencilgod]

Devotion Aura : Sven - Toughness Aura is no longer in the game.
Respect for this bbq awesomeness.

[Kanashimi]

True Sight: Roftrellen - Eyes in the Forest is no longer in the game.
Thank you for this awesome addition in the PlayDota Mechanichs Forum.

[Robzor]

I'm well aware of some edits which needs to be made, I have not had time to look over the lists of abilities providing auras and true sight in a great while, it will be done as soon as possible. Feel free to list anything you can think of meanwhile, it will only make it easier for me later on.

[Unnamed_]

Omniknight uses a Tornado Aura for Slow right?Otherwise there would be stacking issues with other Endurance Auras, as all other Endurance Auras have higher values than his.

[Lordshinjo]

Originally Posted by Unnamed_

Omniknight uses a Tornado Aura for Slow right?Otherwise there would be stacking issues with other Endurance Auras, as all other Endurance Auras have higher values than his.

So, you didn't read the guide, but you're still trying to correct it...

And yes, it IS an Endurance Aura, with a unique buff, for no stacking issue.

[Cáno]

^ Please tell me it's a joke.

Edit: Get out of my way.

[Captain Planet]

You should update the True Sight section, since Eyes of the Forest is no longer Rooftrellen's ability

[iKrivetko]

About Doom - scorched earth is mentioned in both Endurance and Unholy auras. Why's that?

[dralf]

Hi, will Assault Cuirass's Attack Speed Aura stack with Centaur Khan's endurance aura?
I only found Assault Cuirass mentioned in ur Devotion Aura - [BHad] section. But that doesn't account for the attack speed portion.

[dralf]

Originally Posted by iKrivetko

About Doom - scorched earth is mentioned in both Endurance and Unholy auras. Why's that?

cos scorched earth add speed (Endurance),
and increase self hp / decrease enemy hp (Unholy)

anyway I'm just guessing, not sure if it's correct

[iKrivetko]

Assault Cuirass's Attack Speed Aura stack with Centaur Khan's endurance aura

They stack.

cos scorched earth add speed (Endurance),
and increase self hp / decrease enemy hp (Unholy)

Makes no sense, as Unholy gives an ms bonus as well.

[Lordshinjo]

Originally Posted by iKrivetko

About Doom - scorched earth is mentioned in both Endurance and Unholy auras. Why's that?

Probably because the guide isn't up to date.

Scorched Earth now uses a Tornado Building Damage Aura for damage and an Unholy Aura for Regen + MS.

[iKrivetko]

Just as I thought, thanks.

[Kalikka]

Wow this is so awesome.. Never can have enough information :P

About that invisibility: When an unit providing an aura becomes invisible(like riki with a basilus), are any auras removed instantly or is there still a normal "fadetime"? How about when he suddenly becomes visible again? Are the auras then applied with the normal delay or instantly?

[Unnamed_]

1.There is fade-time.
2.Aura refresh time will apply (0.5 seconds I think)

[Leadblast]

Sure Sven doesn't have Toughness Aura anymore but what about Enraged Wildkin's? Is it based on Devotion Aura too? It fully stacks with Devotion Auras from RoB/Vlads/Cuirass.