Dota Underlords: Complete Strategy Guide

How to win at Valve's auto-battler: the round flow, economy and leveling, star-ups, alliances, items, the four Underlords, positioning, and how to climb the ranks — plus what to expect from a game that hasn't been updated since 2020.

Researched September 2026 — current as of the last Dota Underlords update ("The Update In Which Spectre Takes a Dagger", November 19, 2020). Live games change; check the linked sources if something differs.

State of the game: Dota Underlords is still free on Steam and mobile and still has online matchmaking, but Valve's last patch was in November 2020. The hero pool, items and alliances below reflect the final rotation. Queue times vary by region and time of day; bots and offline modes are available if matchmaking is slow.

Quick Start

Economy first, fights second. Early rounds are about building gold for interest and leveling efficiently, not winning every fight.
Three copies make a 2-star, three 2-stars make a 3-star. Buying duplicates is how units get stronger.
Aim for two or three alliances, not six half-finished ones. Alliance bonuses (from 2+ matching heroes) are where team power comes from.
Win streaks and loss streaks both pay. Commit to one; flip-flopping between winning and losing is the worst outcome.
Pick items for your carry. Put damage items on your main damage dealer and defensive items on your front line.
Pick your Underlord to match your board. Each Underlord supports a different style.
Position against what you'll face. Scout opponents' boards before the fight and adjust.
Level before rerolling in the mid game — higher levels unlock higher-tier heroes.
Don't panic at low health. Many games are won by a player who stabilized at 20 HP.

Game Flow

A round

Prep phase — the shop shows five heroes. Buy, sell, bench, rearrange, reroll, or buy XP.
Combat phase — your board auto-fights an opponent's board (or neutral creeps in some rounds).
Damage — if you lose, you take damage based on surviving enemy units. You start with 100 health in Standard.
Income — you receive gold at the start of each round.

Hero tiers

Heroes come in Tiers 1–5. Higher tiers are rarer and cost more, and your player level controls how often each tier appears in your shop. Low levels see mostly Tier 1–2; late-game levels roll Tier 4–5 much more often.

Stars

1-star: base unit.
2-star: three copies combine automatically.
3-star: three 2-stars combine (nine copies in total). Many heroes get extra abilities or effects at 3 stars.

Board

The battlefield is an 8×8 grid (your half is where you place units). Your board's unit cap equals your level.

Economy and Leveling

Base income each round, plus interest on the gold you're holding (capped), plus streak bonuses for consecutive wins or losses.
The core loop: keep enough gold banked to hit maximum interest, and spend only the excess on units, rerolls and XP.
Buying XP raises your level (more units on the board and better shop odds).
Rerolls cost gold and refresh the shop. The shop can be locked to save a good roll for next round.

Rules of thumb

Phase	Priority
Early (first handful of rounds)	Buy pairs, keep a cheap board, start saving toward full interest
Mid game	Level at natural breakpoints, find your 2-star core, commit to alliances
Late game	Spend down for 3-stars on your carry or reroll for Tier 4–5 units at high level

Streaking: If your board is weak early, a deliberate loss streak (with full interest) can set up a very strong mid game. It's risky but a legitimate strategy.

Alliances

Heroes belong to one or more alliances. Fielding enough distinct heroes of the same alliance activates a bonus, often with a second (or third) tier at higher counts. Alliances in the final rotation include:

Alliance	What it does (final patch, summarized)
Fallen (3/6)	When each Fallen unit first dies, allies within 2 cells are healed
Shaman (2/4/6)	Summons a creature at combat start; which Shaman summons it depends on star level, tier and position
Swordsman (3/6)	Bonus damage for each adjacent enemy
Rogue (2/4)	Evasion, with damage bonuses on successful evasion
Poisoner (3)	Attacks apply Poison stacks that reduce enemy Attack Speed
Magus (1)	Once per battle, temporary invulnerability when the unit drops below 50% health
Brute	Damage reduction and damage-on-apply effects
Scaled	Magic resistance
Troll	Attack speed for Trolls and allies
Heartless, Savage, Demon, Void, Mage, Summoner	Also present in the final hero pool through heroes like Vengeful Spirit (Heartless Fallen), Spirit Breaker (Savage Brute), Spectre (Void Demon), Rubick (Mage Magus) and Meepo (Rogue Summoner)

Exact numbers were tuned repeatedly; check the in-game alliance tooltips for current values.

How to choose: Take what the shop gives you early, then commit to the alliances where you already have pairs and item synergy. Hybrid boards (e.g., a front-line alliance plus a damage alliance) are usually the strongest.

Notable Heroes (final rotation)

The August 2020 "New Blood On The Streets" update added:

Hero	Tier	Alliances	Role
Vengeful Spirit	1	Heartless, Fallen	Early armor shred with Wave of Terror
Meepo	2	Rogue, Summoner	Clones itself; strong with items
Spirit Breaker	2	Savage, Brute	Charge of Darkness disrupts backlines
Spectre	3	Void, Demon	Spectral Dagger speed and shadow paths
Death Prophet	4	Heartless, Fallen	Exorcism AoE damage
Pangolier	4	Savage, Swordsman	Shield Crash jumps with damage reduction
Rubick	4	Mage, Magus	Fade Bolt; Spell Steal copies enemy abilities
Wraith King	5	Fallen, Swordsman	Raise Dead turns fallen heroes into zombies

That update also rotated out Arc Warden, Bloodseeker, Broodmother, Disruptor, Enigma, Io, Morphling, Necrophos, Nyx Assassin, Ogre Magi, Razor, Sand King, Shadow Fiend, Tiny, Warlock, Weaver and Witch Doctor. Other heroes that remained and appear in the final patch notes include Alchemist, Lifestealer, Shadow Shaman, Slardar, Tusk, Viper, Axe, Puck, Medusa, Bristleback, Queen of Pain, Slark, Sven, Troll Warlord, Legion Commander, Snapfire and Storm Spirit.

Items

Item choices are offered after certain rounds; you pick one from a selection. Tiers rise as the game goes on.
Offensive items belong on your carry: attack-speed and damage items for physical carries, mana and spell items for casters.
Defensive items go on your front line.
Final-rotation additions included Craggy Coat, Heaven's Halberd, Monkey King Bar, Necronomicon, Paladin Sword, Pirate Hat and Witless Shako; other well-known items include Kaden's Blade and Horn of the Alpha. The same update removed Aegis, Crystalis, Force Staff, Hand of Midas, Mantle of the Flayed Twins, Ogre Cap, Orb of Venom and Tombstone, so older item guides that recommend them are out of date.
Rule of thumb: an item that fits the carry you already have beats a "better" item for a carry you don't.

Underlords

Underlords are extra units that fight on your board and bring perks and abilities. There are four:

Underlord	Style
Anessix	Aggressive: supports damage-heavy boards
Enno	Tricky damage and debuffs
Hobgen	Chaotic, explosive plays
Jull	Support: buffs allies (e.g., Happy Hour)

You choose an Underlord partway through the match (after the early rounds). Pick the one whose perks match the board you're already building rather than the one you like most. If you want to play without them, Classic Mode (a checkbox in Standard Casual, or in Private Matches) restores creep waves and removes Underlords.

Positioning

Front line: tanky units in the rows closest to the enemy.
Back line: carries and casters behind the front line, often in a corner to avoid assassins.
Spread vs. stack: spread out against area damage; cluster slightly to get adjacency bonuses (e.g., Swordsman counts adjacent enemies).
Counter-position: check the enemy you'll face. If they have backline divers (like Spirit Breaker's Charge), protect your carry with a body in the path.
Summons and Shaman creatures take space; leave room.

Modes

Mode	Description
Standard (Ranked / Casual)	Eight players, last one standing
Standard Classic (Casual option)	Old ruleset with creep waves and no Underlords
Knockout	Faster, shorter format
Duos	Co-op two-player teams sharing a health pool
Private Match / Bots	Custom games, practice, offline play
City Crawl	Season One campaign of puzzles, street fights and challenges with cosmetic rewards

Ranks

Ranked Standard uses White Spire–themed ranks, from Upstart and Grifter at the bottom up through the mid ranks to Boss, Big Boss and the top tier, Lord of White Spire. The last big update (August 2020) compressed everyone above Grifter down one major rank.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Rerolling every round early. It kills your interest and your late game.
Chasing 3-stars on high-tier units without the gold or level to support it.
Splitting items across many units. Stack items on your carry.
Ignoring the enemy boards. You lose fights you could have won with a single swap.
Staying at a low level too long. Your shop odds won't improve.
Fighting for a win streak with a weak board. Lose deliberately while banking gold instead.

Advanced Tips

Scout contested units. If three players are building the same alliance, pivot — the hero pool is shared.
Lock the shop when you see a needed copy but can't afford it this round.
Econ breakpoints: plan to hit maximum interest early, then level on even-gold rounds so you don't drop below the interest threshold.
Plan your final board by mid game. Know which Tier 4–5 heroes you're rolling for.
Use Duos with a friend who builds a complementary alliance; you can pass units.
Practice against bots when queues are empty — it's the best way to learn alliances quickly.

FAQ

Is Dota Underlords dead? It's not shut down, but Valve hasn't updated it since November 2020. Matchmaking still runs; population is small, and bots/offline modes are available.

Do I need to know Dota 2? No. Knowing hero names helps, but all abilities and alliances are explained in-game.

Is the Battle Pass required? No. It was cosmetic only and priced at $4.99; many rewards could be earned for free.

What's Classic Mode? A Standard Casual option (and Private Match setting) that brings back creep waves and removes Underlords.

What's the best alliance? There's no single answer — the best alliance is the one the shop and your opponents let you build. Commit to two or three.

Is it cross-platform? Yes — Underlords launched with PC and mobile players sharing matchmaking.