Fear

Fear is a hard control effect that takes normal control away from the affected unit and forces it to move toward its own fountain while preventing ordinary combat orders.

What is Fear in Dota 2?

Fear is a forced-movement disable. A feared unit ignores normal player movement commands and runs toward its team’s fountain for the duration of the effect. While feared, the unit cannot normally attack, cast active abilities, or use active items.

The forced movement makes fear different from a stationary stun. The target is still being repositioned, which can move it away from allies, pull it out of a favorable area, or make follow-up skillshots easier or harder depending on the direction of the fight.

How Fear is used in a match

Fear can be used both as catch and as disruption. Forcing enemies away may separate a core from supports, interrupt a coordinated initiation, or clear space around an objective. The same movement can also push a target out of damage zones, so teams need to understand where fear will send the unit before using it.

In defensive situations, fear can buy time by making pursuing enemies run away from the fight instead of continuing to attack.

Do not confuse Fear with...

Fear is not a stun even though both remove normal control. Stun keeps the target in place, while fear forces movement. It is also different from a simple movement slow, which still leaves the player in control of direction and other actions.