Roshan in Dota 2: The Aegis, Rewards and When to Take Him

Roshan is the oldest and most famous neutral boss in the MOBA genre. He was already part of DotA Allstars in the Warcraft III days, and in Dota 2 he remains the game’s biggest single objective. Killing him rewards a team with the Aegis of the Immortal, a second life for one hero, plus extra items on later kills. Many games are decided by a fight in or around his lair.

This guide covers where Roshan lives, what he drops, how his timer works and how teams set up to take him. Valve changes Roshan’s details from patch to patch, so the mechanics below are described as of patch 7.41, released in March 2026, and its follow-up updates through autumn 2026. For background on how positions share responsibilities around objectives, see our Dota 2 positions guide.

Where Roshan Lives: Two Pits and a Moving Boss

For most of Dota’s history, Roshan sat in a single pit next to the river. Patch 7.33 (2023) introduced a system where Roshan switched between two pits depending on the time of day. Valve has revised that system since. In patch 7.38 (early 2025), Roshan returned to the river with one pit near each side lane, and from 15:00 onward he follows the day/night cycle, physically walking across the river to his other pit when day turns to night or night to day.

A few details matter in practice:

• As of patch 7.41, Roshan begins the game in the top pit. Earlier patches started him at the bottom, which is a good reminder to check the minimap rather than relying on memory.
• While crossing the river, Roshan is dangerous to stand in front of. If he runs into a hero on the way, he grabs and throws them, stunning them on landing and dealing damage.
• An icon next to the minimap shows Roshan’s state (alive, dead or possibly alive) and his location, so both teams can see which pit he is in.

The moving lair is significant for strategy. When Roshan is on your side of the map, you can take him with less risk because your team controls the nearby area. When he is on the enemy’s side, attempting him often means walking into their vision.

What Roshan Drops

Roshan’s rewards grow with each kill in a game. Based on the patch 7.37 and 7.38 changes and current guides:

Aegis of the Immortal

The Aegis gives its holder an extra life. If the hero dies while carrying it, they revive at the spot where they died after a short delay. The Aegis expires after 5 minutes if unused, and when it expires it restores the holder’s health and mana. It cannot be passed between heroes once picked up, so the team has to decide who takes it.

Cheese

Cheese is a consumable that instantly restores a large amount of health and mana. It is an emergency button that can save a hero in the middle of a fight. Unlike the Aegis, Cheese can be shared or given to whoever needs it most.

Refresher Shard

The Refresher Shard is a single-use consumable that resets the cooldowns of the user’s abilities and items. On a hero with a game-changing ultimate, it allows a second use in the same fight, often deciding the outcome.

Roshan’s Banner

Added in patch 7.37, Roshan’s Banner is placed on the ground to empower nearby allied creeps, making it a tool for pushing towers and high ground. It rewards teams that convert a Roshan kill into a siege.

Earlier versions of Dota had other Roshan drops, such as Aghanim’s Shard or Aghanim’s Blessing at various times. Patch 7.38 removed Aghanim’s Blessing from his rewards. If you return to Dota after a long break, it is worth checking the current list.

The Respawn Window

After Roshan dies, he respawns at a random time between 8 and 11 minutes later. Neither team knows the exact moment, which creates a tense three-minute window where he “may be alive.” The minimap icon reflects this uncertainty. Some heroes have tools to reveal the exact time; for example, Templar Assassin’s innate ability shows exactly when and where Roshan will respawn.

Tracking the timer is essential. Experienced players note the time of every Roshan kill and plan around both the Aegis expiration (5 minutes after pickup) and the start of the respawn window (8 minutes after the kill).

When to Take Roshan

Roshan is durable and hits hard, and his toughness grows over the course of a game. Taking him is a commitment of time, health and position. Teams generally attempt him when:

1. They win a teamfight. The classic moment is right after killing several enemies, when the opponents cannot contest for a while.
2. A key hero hits a power spike. A carry finishing an important item may be able to kill Roshan quickly, sometimes alone.
3. Roshan is on their side of the map. The day/night cycle may offer a safer window.
4. They have vision control. Wards around the lair and Sentries to clear enemy wards keep the attempt hidden.
5. They want to force a fight. Starting Roshan can bait the enemy into a fight on favorable terms.

Teams usually avoid Roshan when enemy heroes are missing from the map, when key ultimates are on cooldown, or when the attempt would take so long that the enemy can gather and arrive before he dies.

Who Takes the Aegis?

The Aegis normally goes to the hero who benefits most from not dying. Common choices:

• The carry (position 1), the most common choice, since the carry is the main damage dealer and losing them is most damaging.
• The mid or another core if they are the team’s strongest hero at that moment.
• An initiator such as an offlaner who needs to jump into the enemy team to start fights and survive the counter-attack.

Whoever takes it, the team should use the next 5 minutes aggressively. The Aegis is a timed advantage, much like Baron in League of Legends, and the best teams turn it into towers, barracks or a decisive fight before it runs out.

A Typical Roshan Sequence, Step by Step

Putting the pieces together, a well-run Roshan attempt usually follows a pattern:

1. Prepare the area. A minute or two before the planned attempt, supports place Observer Wards near the lair entrances and use Sentry Wards to remove enemy vision.
2. Push the lanes. Cores push nearby waves so the enemy has to deal with creeps while your team moves.
3. Move together. Many teams use Smoke of Deceit to approach the pit unseen.
4. Split the jobs. High-damage heroes hit Roshan inside the pit, while one or two heroes with disables or initiation watch the entrances.
5. Secure the drops. The chosen hero picks up the Aegis immediately, and the team grabs any other items before leaving.
6. Use the advantage. Note the time, then push a lane or the enemy high ground while the Aegis is active.

Not every attempt needs all six steps. A team that has just won a fight with all five enemies dead can walk straight in. But following the sequence when the map is uncertain dramatically reduces the risk of being caught in the pit.

Contesting and Stealing Roshan

The team that is not taking Roshan still has options. They can:

• Check Roshan by scouting with wards, abilities or a hero walking past the pit, to see whether he is alive or under attack.
• Fight at the entrance, catching the enemy while they are damaged and low on mana.
• Steal the Aegis by slipping in and picking it up after the enemy kills Roshan, or by landing the killing blow with high-damage abilities.
• Trade the map, pushing towers elsewhere while the enemy is busy with Roshan.

The best defense is vision. A ward that shows the lair entrance means the enemy cannot start Roshan without being seen.

Roshan’s Supporting Cast: The Tormentor

Since patch 7.33, Dota also has a smaller boss, the Tormentor. It does not move or attack directly, but it reflects damage back onto attackers, so killing it takes coordination. Destroying it grants an Aghanim’s Shard to a member of the team, prioritizing lower net-worth heroes. Like Roshan, the Tormentor’s location follows the day/night cycle, and since patch 7.38 it sits on the opposite side of the map from Roshan, so both teams always have something to fight over.

Common Mistakes Around Roshan

Starting Roshan without vision. Walking into the pit without checking for wards often ends with the enemy team collapsing on you.

Wasting the Aegis. Taking Roshan and then farming separately lets the Aegis expire without impact.

Forgetting the timer. Losing track of Roshan’s respawn window gives the enemy a free kill.

Ignoring the moving lair. Standing in the river when Roshan is walking between pits can lead to a stun at the worst moment.

Fighting in the pit. Roshan’s lair is cramped, so a well-placed area ability can hit an entire team inside it.

Roshan has been part of Dota since the mod era, and his role in the genre’s history is covered in our history of the MOBA genre.

Sources

• Dota 2 Patch 7.38 – Official Patch Notes
• Dota 2 Patch 7.41 – Official Patch Notes
• Dota 2 Patch 7.37 – Official Patch Notes
• Dota 2 Roshan Guide – Esports.net