Best New Heroes in Dota 2 – Expanding the Roster

OK, we’re playing pretty fast and loose with the word “new” here but since 2014, Valve has steadily expanded Dota 2’s roster with new heroes. These new additions come in the form of experimental designs or even characters pulled straight from the anime. Though these heroes come from different concepts and updates, one thing is for sure – all of them have made a noticeable impact in the game.

In this article, we’ll check out 10 of the most influential additions to Dota 2 throughout the years. 

Best new heroes in Dota since its initial release

Monkey King (2016)

Released in patch 7.00, the most transformative update in Dota 2 history, Monkey King has become one of the most iconic heroes in the game. He’s the first fully original Dota 2 hero, as previous heroes at the time were playable heroes in the original Warcraft III DotA. 

Upon his release, Monkey King came with a cinematic trailer, which was a first in 2016. He also came with new engine tech, as his tree-hopping abilities were a first. 

Today, Monkey King has a high pick rate in pubs and has had a significant impact on the professional scene. Not only can he be played as a carry or mid-laner, but many of the best Dota 2 support players also run him as a position four. 

Marci (2021)

Marci is widely regarded as one of the cutest heroes in the game – mainly because she was pulled directly from the Dota 2 anime – DOTA: Dragon’s Blood. Quickly after the Netflix series aired, the community was demanding that she be added to the game, and in 2021, Valve delivered. 

Marci played a crucial role in bridging the game and the Netflix audience with her huge hype. However, she’s no slouch on the gameplay side, either. In 2025, she had an extremely high pick/ban rate in the professional scene and was even one of the strongest carry heroes available thanks to Helm of the Dominator. 

Pangolier (2017)

Pangolier was introduced with Dark Willow in the 7.07 patch, bringing new concepts to the game with his distinct spells. Swashbuckle was the first vector-targeted in the game, and his ultimate ability – Rolling Thunder – allowed him to roll around while being magic immune. Pangolier really displayed a very high skill ceiling with all the angle-based plays his abilities require. 

Of all heroes on this list, Pangolier arguably had the most impact professionally. He’s become a staple mid-laner and has never disappeared from meta relevance since his release. Pangolier also appeared in the TI-winning lineup for Tundra Esports at TI11.

Underlord (2016)

Underlord was the final Warcraft III DotA hero to be ported into Dota 2, entering the game in 2016. His addition to the lineup of heroes marked a symbolic end of the “WC3 era.”

His kit introduced a global repositioning tool via Dark Rift, allowing him and nearby teammates to teleport onto an allied unit anywhere around the map. This allowed players to come up with many different strategies and ways of approaching the game. Today, the ability has been reworked into Fiend’s Gate. Underlord is one of the easiest Dota 2 heroes to play and also has decent relevance in the professional scene. 

Mars (2019)

Mars felt like Dota’s first real “arena control” hero, as he quite literally has an arena for his ultimate ability. Arena of Blood has become one of the most iconic spells in the game since it covers the entire screen for several seconds.

In the early years of his release, the Spear + Arena combo was one of the most difficult spell combinations to land, with only pro players or true spammers being able to land it. However, Valve made it easier to pull off, making the combo more accessible to all players. 

Overall, Mars has a strong lore presence as the God of War and has a clean theme that is aligned with the game. He is also a reliable offlane pick in modern gameplay and has become synonymous with Ammar “ATF” Al-Assaf, one of the best Dota players in the world.

Kez (2024)

Kez is the newest in the game and one of the best new heroes in Dota, bringing the grand total to 126 Dota heroes, and he’s already made a strong impression thanks to his dual-stance design, which is the first in the game. He can switch between Swift and Heavy stances, giving him two completely different playstyles. 

With players having to balance between two styles, Kez has already become one of the hardest heroes in Dota to master. He has just recently been added to Captain’s Mode, and even professional players are still taking time to figure him out. He already has a pretty high pick rate as a carry, and his long-term potential is still up in the air. 

Kez’s hero design also suggests that Valve is planning on adding more unique and mechanically expressive features to future heroes.