How to Set Up The Best Inventory Item Hotkeys

All Dota players know that items are extremely important in any Dota 2 game, as the goal is to farm as many items to strengthen your heroes. However, farming the items itself is only the first step, as you’ll also need to use them. Make sure you use your items properly by setting up good hotkeys for your items!

How to Have the Best Item Inventory Hotkeys

Here are some general rules and tips that will help you guys get a better understanding of how to set up proper item hotkeys. 

You must have a hotkey for every item slot

Items are a huge part of how Dota 2 works, so it is very important to use all of your items effectively. To use your items effectively, you will need to make sure that you will be ready to use any active items or consumables when required.

It is very important that you have a hotkey bound to every single item slot, so you’ll be able to use the active ability of different items. Though passive items exist, there are still many situations where all of your item slots are filled with items with active abilities, including consumables and Iron Branches in the early game.

You should have a hotkey for your TP Scroll

The TP Scroll is an item that is bought and used by all ten heroes, regardless of what hero and what situation the game is currently in. It is crucial that you react quickly and make rotations with your TP Scroll, so it is essential to have a good hotkey for the TP Scroll.

It is also important to have a TP Scroll hotkey, as you can easily double tap the hotkey to teleport back to base in case you’re getting ganked.

Make use of Alt + Key, Number Buttons, or Mouse Buttons

If you’re having trouble reaching far hotkeys such as V, B, and N, then it would be wise to get hotkeys that are closer to your fingers instead. 

Lots of high-ranked Dota 2 players make use of the Alt key. You can bind a normal key with Alt, for example Alt + Q. This means that you will have to press both Alt and Q at the same time. Lots of people prefer using Alt keys because your thumb will generally be around the Alt key, and combining it with a key that is directly under your fingers like Q or W just makes sense.

Alternatively, you can also use number buttons, such as 1, 2, 3, or 4, as these keys are right above Q, W, E, and R, making them easily accessible with your left hand. Some players also prefer using Mouse Buttons such as Mouse 3, Mouse 4, and Mouse 5 as your mouse hand can easily access those buttons.

Effective Item Slot placements

You should prioritize placing some active items in more comfortable hotkeys, so that you will be able to use that item quickly and efficiently. 

For example, items that you spam such as tread switching with Power Treads, using Phase Boots off-cooldown, and toggling Armlet of Mordiggian should be placed in a hotkey closest to your fingers. Compare it to items such as Arcane Boots, or any passive item that doesn’t really require you to spam it, so you can switch items like these to further hotkeys. 

For example, if you’re using the default item hotkeys, then you’d have your active items such as Power Treads, Armlet of Mordiggian, or Blink Dagger somewhere around Z, X, and C, as these three buttons are the easiest buttons to access quickly. You can have passive items on V, B, and N because you won’t need to press keys that are far away from you at all.

Examples of Item Inventory Hotkey Settings

Having item inventory hotkeys will all come down to the preference of the player, as different players may have different ability hotkeys, control groups, hand size, and other factors. However, if you’re really having trouble finding good inventory hotkeys, then check out some of the best item inventory hotkeys that the best Dota 2 players use!

SumaiL Item Inventory Hotkeys

For all you Legacy Hotkeys users, SumaiL’s hotkeys may interest you! SumaiL is also a user of Legacy Hotkeys, so let’s check out how he sorts out his inventory item hotkeys!

As you can see through the image above, SumaiL has set his first three item hotkeys to very accessible hotkeys, which are Q, 2, and 3. These three keys are all on the left side of the keyboard, so these keys will fall right under his left hand, making them easy to press! You can expect SumaiL to be putting his most active items such as a Magic Wand or a Blink Dagger on the first three item slots.

Topson Item Inventory Hotkeys

For users who use normal ability hotkeys and control groups, you may want to have a look at Topson’s hotkeys, as he does not use Legacy Keys.

The trend of putting key active items in the first three slots is clear, as Topson has Alt Q, Alt W, and Alt F as his first three items. He even has his attack move button, which is A, bound to Alt A for his item slot. All of these keys fit right under the left hand, so Topson will have quick access to his active items such as his Blink Dagger.

That concludes it for all you need to know about setting up effective item hotkeys! We hope that our tips and the professional player hotkeys we provided will help you out in sorting out the best inventory hotkeys for yourself! If you’re looking to learn more about hotkeys and control groups, check out our articles on shop hotkeys, micro hotkeys, and courier hotkeys!