If you’ve ever been in a 40-minute Dota 2 team fight where your entire squad is one auto-attack away from wiping, you’ve probably wished for a giant pile of healing out of nowhere. That’s exactly what the block of cheese delivers, and a lot of players don’t even know you can craft it yourself instead of waiting for random neutral drops. If you’re wondering how to make block of cheese in Dota 2, this guide breaks down every step, requirement, and smart use case so you can start popping it in your ranked games this week. I’ve been spamming support and offlane roles for 7 years, and I’ve won more clutch games with this item than I can count, even when our team was down 20 kills.
How to Make Block of Cheese in Dota 2: Exact Craft Requirements and Steps
Crafting this item is far simpler than most players assume, as long as you know what you need to collect first. You don’t have to farm gold for a fancy recipe or visit a secret shop across the map, either. The only requirements are:
- 3 individual Cheese drops from level 3 or higher neutral camps
- 1 free inventory slot to hold the finished Block of Cheese
- Game time past the 30 minute mark, when level 4 neutral item crafts unlock for all players
When to Prioritize Crafting Block of Cheese Over Other Items
Just because you can craft the Block of Cheese doesn’t mean you should every game. It’s a situational item, and wasting inventory slots holding onto Cheese drops when you need to buy core items will do more harm than good. For example, if you’re playing a carry that still needs a Divine Rapier to finish the game, holding three slots for Cheese is going to set you back thousands of gold in lost damage output. Avoid crafting it if your team has less than two melee frontline heroes, because you won’t have enough players taking consistent damage to justify the group heal. It’s also not worth making if the enemy team has a lot of % health damage like Necrophos or Timbersaw, since the heal will be negated faster than you can pop it. So when should you make it? It’s perfect if your team has tanky offlaners and supports that like to fight close to objectives, or if you’re going up against a burst lineup that relies on blowing up your team in the first three seconds of a fight. It’s also a great pick if you’re planning to take multiple Roshan fights or push high ground without backing, since you can reset your entire team’s health bar without going back to base.
Smart Ways to Use Block of Cheese in Team Fights and Objective Takes
Once you have the Block of Cheese in your inventory, knowing when to use it is just as important as knowing how to craft it. I’ve seen so many players waste it by popping it when only they are low on health, or using it right before the entire team backs to base anyway. The 25% max health heal applies to every ally in a 1200 radius, so you want to use it when at least three of your teammates are below 50% health, ideally in the middle of a team fight where backing is not an option. It’s also perfect to use right after you win a team fight but most of your squad is low on health, so you can push straight into high ground or take Roshan without recalling. If you’re playing support, hold onto the Block of Cheese instead of giving it to your carry, because you’re more likely to stay alive in the backline long enough to use it when the team needs it most. It also gives a 15% movement speed buff for 8 seconds that stacks with other movement effects, so you can even use it to help your team run away from a bad fight if you get caught out of position. I once used it to save my entire team from a Smoke gank when we were all low on health, and we turned around and wiped the enemy team off the back of the extra movement speed and heal.
Common Mistakes to Avoid When Crafting Block of Cheese
Even players who know how to make the item often make simple mistakes that make it a waste of time and inventory space. The first and most common mistake is selling core items to make space for Cheese components. If you’re a support that needs a Glimmer Cape and Ghost Scepter to stay alive, don’t sell either of those to hold a Cheese drop you won’t use for 10 minutes. You will lose all unused components if you die and drop them before finishing the craft, so don’t risk holding onto them if you’re already squishy and get caught out often. Never take Cheese drops from cores if they need them for their own survival first – it’s better to let a carry pop a Cheese to stay alive in a fight than to save it for a Block of Cheese you might never get to make. Another common mistake is using the Block of Cheese too early in a fight, before your team has taken enough damage to make the heal worth it. Wait until your frontline is at 30% health or lower, so you get the maximum value out of the 25% max health heal. You also don’t need to craft it if your team has multiple sources of mass heal like a Oracle or Chen, since their heals will be enough to keep the team sustained through fights without needing the extra item slot.
At the end of the day, the block of cheese is one of the most underrated high-impact items in Dota 2 right now, especially in long, drawn-out ranked matches where every small advantage counts. Once you learn how to make block of cheese in Dota 2 and get comfortable timing its use, you’ll notice your team’s win rate in late game fights jumps up noticeably. Don’t be afraid to test it out in unranked first to get the hang of component collection, and adjust your timing based on your team’s lineup and the flow of each match. Even small changes to your item crafting habits can make a huge difference in how often you climb ranks.