Every major patch introduces items intended to fill strategic gaps, but the newly added artifact, Harpoon, has done far more than fill a gap; it has created a seismic shift in competitive play. The item grants melee cores a critical piece of utility they have always lacked: reliable, targeted initiation and gap closer functionality.

Harpoon has become an immediate “must-buy” for many melee heroes, instantly raising their threat level and creating a severe imbalance that is dominating high-level matches.

The Problem: Mobility and Control for Melee Cores

Harpoon is a high-damage, stat-efficient item built from established components. Its active ability, however, is the game-changer:

  • Targeted Pull: The active ability allows the user to fire a short-to-mid-range grappling hook that pulls the target (and the user) towards each other. This is effectively a targeted, miniature Pudge Hook or Force Staff/Pike combined with an attack.
  • Overwhelming Utility: For heroes like Sven, Slardar, and Lifestealer, who rely on physically closing the distance to their target to apply damage and lockdown, the Harpoon solves their fundamental weakness. They no longer rely solely on Blink Dagger or the enemy making a positioning error.
  • Damage and Stats: The item’s passive stats are already excellent for melee carries, providing good Attack Damage and health bonuses. This means the item is not a pure utility purchase; it is a vital damage item that also grants high-impact control.

Meta Impact: No Escape for Backliners

The immediate consequences of Harpoon’s existence are brutal for the enemy team, particularly for backline supports and squishy cores:

  1. Guaranteed Initiation: Harpoon ensures that once a melee core spots a vulnerable target, the fight is over. There is no counterplay to the sudden, guaranteed pull followed by a massive stun or immediate damage. This significantly reduces the window for counter-initiation or defensive spells.
  2. Blink Dagger Redundancy: For many melee cores, Harpoon reduces the need for an early Blink Dagger, a pure utility item that offers no damage. The Harpoon grants comparable initiation range while actively contributing to their damage output, making it a far more efficient use of gold.
  3. The “Harpoon Chain”: In coordinated team fights, a Harpoon pull often initiates a deadly chain of follow-up control, making it a critical tool for team-fight synergy, akin to a reliable setup for an Earthshaker or Magnus ultimate.

The Harpoon has been a massive quality-of-life and power upgrade for melee cores, but its current balance—providing too much utility for a reasonable cost—is actively suppressing the viability of fragile ranged heroes. It is widely expected to receive a significant cost increase or a cooldown nerf in the very next balance patch.