Orb of Frost

Three hundred gold. That is all this costs. And for 300 gold you get a passive that slows every ranged hero you attack by 13% and every melee hero by 6% for 3 seconds — on top of reducing their health restoration by 13% for the same duration. Every single attack. No activation, no mana cost, no conditions.

The slow is the whole point. At 300 gold, the goal is not to win fights by yourself—it is to make sure the target cannot simply walk away from you. On a melee carry who is already closing the gap, a 6% slow on the enemy makes your Boots of Speed feel like Phase Boots. On a ranged hero attacking a ranged enemy, 13% is genuinely significant early—that is the difference between a support escaping under tower and dying in the open.

The health restoration reduction is the underrated half. It does not just reduce HP regen—since 7.41 it now covers all health restoration, including lifesteal and spell lifesteal. Against a laning Lifestealer or a Bloodseeker with Thirst, every attack you land is simultaneously cutting into how much they recover. At 300 gold, that is anti-sustain; you normally pay 1,000+ for elsewhere.

Early laning phase on any right-click hero who wants to trade and stick to targets. Melee carries, especially Lifestealer, Troll Warlord, Slark, and Ursa, get enormous value from even a 6% slow when every point of movement speed gap matters in a level 3 fight under a tower.

It is also a component. Orb of Frost builds into Eye of Skadi and Orb of Corrosion, so buying it early is never wasted—you are investing in a late-game item while getting real laning value in the meantime.

Skip it if your hero already has a built-in slow and the component does not fit your eventual build. There is no point in paying 300 gold for a slow you already have.