Critical Strike

A critical strike, often called a crit, is an attack modifier that causes a successful attack to deal increased damage when the critical effect triggers.

What is Critical Strike in Dota 2?

Critical strike modifies the damage of an attack by applying a damage multiplier when the effect activates. Some critical strikes have a random trigger chance, while others can be guaranteed or tied to specific conditions. The source determines the multiplier, trigger rules, valid targets, and whether other attack effects interact with it.

A critical strike is attached to an attack rather than being a separate spell hit. This means the value of a crit usually scales with the damage of the attack it modifies. Multiple critical-strike sources can also have source-specific interaction rules, so players should not assume that every listed critical multiplier simply combines with every other one.

How Critical Strike is used in a match

Crits make attack damage less uniform and can create sudden kill pressure. A carry with high attack damage benefits greatly from a strong critical multiplier because each successful trigger converts an already large attack into a much larger hit. Players may therefore build around attack speed, damage, or reliability depending on how the crit source works.

Defensively, teams cannot always plan around the exact moment of a random crit. They instead manage the risk by keeping enough health, using armor or other defenses, and avoiding situations where one unusually large attack decides the fight.

Do not confuse Critical Strike with...

Critical strike is not the same as bonus damage. Bonus damage may add a fixed or separate amount to an attack, while a crit multiplies qualifying attack damage when it triggers. A crit is also a specific kind of proc when chance-based.