Dota 2 · Hero lesson · Maledict
Witch Doctor Maledict: coordinate damage after the curse
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Maledict marks targets in an area and includes periodic bursts tied to health lost since the curse began. Death Ward is a separate channeled spell, not an automatic continuation of the curse.
Follow the practice steps ↓Mechanics checked October 17, 2026 against Valve’s hero data · Editorial practice advice · Not match-tested
Practise the decision step by step
- Aim the curse at the target your team can actually damage, not merely the closest visible opponent.
- Tell teammates which target is cursed so their follow-up is directed at the same opportunity.
- Watch position and enemy interrupts before beginning Death Ward.
- When a target escapes, distinguish a missed curse from a successful curse without enough follow-up; these call for different adjustments.
The mistake to look for
Applying the debuff after the main damage has already happened can miss the sequence you intended. Do not promise a kill from the curse alone.
A controlled demo exercise
Use the curse on a demo target, add controlled follow-up damage, and compare with an attempt where you add no follow-up. Keep the inputs consistent rather than inferring an exact damage formula from unrelated fights.
Keep the setup consistent between attempts: same hero state, same target arrangement and the same abilities available. Change one decision, observe the outcome, then repeat. If an item, upgrade or new patch changes the ability, read that effect before comparing the attempts.
Use this in a real match
Before acting, name the immediate objective: control a target, protect an ally, maintain position or create a damage opportunity. After the fight, review whether your chosen action produced that objective. The outcome of the match alone does not tell you which part of the sequence worked.
This page is a focused mechanics lesson. It does not supply a universal item build, talent order, exact timing script or ranked win-rate claim. Team composition, items and current balance changes can alter the best choice.
Sources and version limits
Valve’s official hero page · Official hero ability data, retrieved October 17, 2026. Ability behaviour described above comes from that dated source. The positioning, learning exercise and review questions are our editorial recommendations, not Valve’s guaranteed strategy. Check your client tooltip for exact values and upgrade conditions.