Pulling

Pulling is the technique of drawing neutral creeps into a lane so allied lane creeps leave their normal route and fight the neutral camp.

What is Pulling in Dota 2?

A pull begins when a player attracts a suitable neutral camp at the right moment and leads the neutral creeps toward an allied lane wave. If the groups meet, the lane creeps follow the neutral creeps away from the lane and fight them. This changes which creeps survive, where the next waves meet, and how much gold and experience are available to each side.

Pulling is highly dependent on camp location, pathing and timing. Different camps and map versions can require different execution, so there is no single timing that safely describes every pull. The strategic purpose is more stable: use neutral creeps to alter lane equilibrium and redistribute lane resources.

How Pulling is used in a match

Supports pull when they want to move the lane closer to their own tower, deny some allied creep experience from the opponent, or gain extra resources from a neutral camp. A successful pull can create space for the allied core to farm more safely.

A bad pull can have the opposite effect. If the lane is already pushing into the allied tower, removing more allied creeps can expose the tower or force the core to tank a large enemy wave. Opponents can also contest the camp, steal neutral creeps, block the camp, or intercept the pull before the lane wave reaches it.

Do not confuse Pulling with...

Pulling redirects lane creeps into a neutral camp. Stacking creates additional neutral creeps in a camp, while blocking can stop that camp from spawning. The three techniques often interact but have different immediate goals.