Crystal Maiden is an intelligence support who helps her team with disables, slows and mana regeneration. She is fragile and has no escape skill, but a Crystal Maiden who stays alive and keeps her allies supplied with mana can decide a long game. This guide covers her skills, a simple skill order, items, and how to position in a fight.
Note: exact numbers change between map versions. Check the in-game tooltips for values; the principles below hold across 6.8x versions.
Crystal Maiden's four skills
- Crystal Nova: An area blast that deals damage and slows enemies. Use it to harass in the lane, to slow a group that is chasing, or to help last-hit creeps with an ally.
- Frostbite: Freezes a single enemy in place so it cannot move or attack, while dealing damage over time. It is your reliable disable for starting a fight or stopping a runner.
- Brilliance Aura: A passive that increases mana regeneration for her and nearby allies. It makes her valuable to spellcasters, and she also benefits from it herself.
- Freezing Field (ultimate): She channels a storm of ice around herself that damages and slows enemies in the area. It is powerful when the enemy cannot reach her, and weak if she is interrupted early.
Recommended skill order
- Level 1: Frostbite or Crystal Nova, depending on whether your lane needs a disable or harassment.
- Next points: take the remaining basic skills, and add Brilliance Aura early if your team has mana-hungry heroes.
- Levels 6, 11 and 16: Freezing Field.
Item path
Support items first: boots and items that give mana or survivability, because Crystal Maiden dies quickly when focused. Once you are safe enough to cast, add an item that helps your team start or finish fights. Buy wards for your team early if nobody else is doing it. Do not rush damage items; your value comes from casting skills often and staying alive.
How to play her
- Stay behind your front line and use Frostbite from a distance.
- Walk with your carry in the lane, then use Crystal Nova to help your carry win the trade.
- Use Freezing Field only when you are protected by allies or when enemy disables are used up. If you are caught alone, it will be cancelled.
- Keep an eye on mana. Share the aura with your team by staying close.
Common mistakes
- Walking in front of the team and dying before you can cast.
- Using Freezing Field at the start of a fight while the enemy still has stuns.
- Wasting Frostbite on a creep when a hero could be disabled.
Where to try her
Crystal Maiden is easy to practise against the AI in a custom game. Our 6.83 AI map guide explains how to set up that game.