Best Dota 2 Heroes For Beginners [Every Role]

It’s no secret that Dota 2 is one of the most complex multiplayer games ever created, there’s a steep learning curve that often scares away beginners. With a roster of 120 diverse heroes, each with unique abilities and varying playstyles, trying to get into the game can be a daunting task that overwhelms new players. However, as a player with over 7,000 hours played, I can guarantee that Dota 2 is the most rewarding game to learn. 

In this guide, I have carefully selected the most uncomplicated, and therefore, best Dota 2 heroes for beginners, covering all five roles. These heroes are not only straightforward but also offer forgiving playstyles. Let’s cut to the chase and dive into my hero recommendations for each role to help you kickstart your journey and learn how to play Dota 2. 

Best Carry Heroes For Beginners In Dota 2 

The carry role is one of the most impactful positions in the game and shoulders a lot of responsibility in securing the later portions of the game. The carry’s task is to farm creeps, accumulate gold, and buy items to deal massive damage in the late game. 

Sven

Sven is hands-down one of the most beginner-friendly carry heroes in Dota 2, as he offers a straightforward playstyle, simple farming mechanics, and high durability. These characteristics are more than enough for new players to learn the carry role. Here’s our breakdown of how to play Sven in Dota!

Abilities

All of Sven’s abilities are super easy to understand. 

• Storm Hammer (Q): Sven throws a hammer to stun and damage enemies in an area.
• Great Cleave (Passive): A passive ability that grants Sven cleave – the perfect spell for farming. 
• Warcry (E): Grants Sven and nearby allies bonus armor and movement speed when activated. 
• God’s Strength (R): Temporarily increases Sven’s attack damage significantly. Sven visibly turns red when activated. 
• Innate Ability – Vanquisher: An innate ability that allows Sven to deal 20% bonus damage to stunned targets. 

Item Build

Here is what an ideal build on Sven will look like, tailored for beginners. You should try to buy these items in this order of priority:

Power Treads > Mask of Madness > Echo Sabre > Black King Bar > Blink Dagger > Assault Cuirass > Daedalus

Sven doesn’t need to commit to farming items such as Battle Fury or Radiance, as he has cleave built into his skillset. We will focus on buying items that allow Sven to hit faster and tank up. 

Playstyle

Sven has the ability to farm quickly and deal damage output, but he’s pretty useless if he doesn’t have the items to strengthen himself. So, it is essential to focus on farming, which is why buying an item like Mask of Madness is recommended to accelerate your farm.

Sven is ready to go when he has Echo Sabre, Blink Dagger, and Black King Bar. Before engaging in a fight, make sure to pop God’s Strength before Blinking in. Try catching two or more heroes with Storm Hammer, and focus on targeting enemy supports with your heavy burst potential. 

Be careful not to be too overconfident when God’s Strength runs out, as your damage output will significantly decrease. 

Alchemist

Not many people would recommend Alchemist to a beginner, even the best Dota players can fall behind with him, but I really think he’s a suitable choice. His abilities might be a little bit harder to understand, but he does a great job of helping new players understand how to farm and progress in items. 

Abilities

Apart from his second skill, Alchemist’s abilities are highly beginner-friendly. 

• Acid Spray (Q): Allows Alchemist to reduce base armor and deal damage over time. Perfect for farming. 
• Unstable Concoction (W): An AoE stun that counts down a five-second timer. Alchemist can stun himself if not thrown by the time the timer ends. 
• Corrosive Weaponry (Passive): A passive ability that applies movement slow and base attack damage reduction to enemies.
• Chemical Rage (R): Alchemist’s ultimate that grants him additional movement speed, health regeneration, and improved base attack time.
• Innate Ability – Greevil’s Greed: An innate ability that allows him to farm at abnormal rates. 

Item Build

Here is what an ideal item build on Alchemist will look like, tailored for beginners:

Phase Boots > Soul Ring > Radiance > Blink Dagger > Sange and Yasha > Assault Cuirass > Abyssal Blade

Radiance is a key farming item that will allow Alchemist to make use of his Greevil’s Greed ability and print more gold. Most of the items recommended are passive items that buff up Alchemist and help beginners have an easier time understanding the hero and the carry role. 

Playstyle

When playing Alchemist, it is crucial to focus on farming until you have your Radiance, Blink Dagger, and Sange and Yasha – some of the best items in Dota 2. You should be able to farm faster than your carry counterpart, thanks to the steroids provided by Greevil’s Greed.

When playing Alchemist, you want to charge up Unstable Concoction, then Blink on top of an enemy unit when the timer is starting to tick down and place Acid Spray under the stunned target. Make sure Chemical Rage is active before taking on any engagements. 

Alchemist becomes extremely weak when Chemical Rage duration is out, so don’t force yourself into engagements when your ultimate is no longer active. 

Best Mid Heroes For Beginners In Dota 2 

The mid lane is a dynamic role that is highly impactful in Dota 2. It is the only lane that features a 1v1 matchup, which means players must be independent. The mid player is expected to dictate the tempo of the game by making rotations and ganking other lanes. However, mid-laners can also scale into the late game. 

Viper

Viper is an excellent mid-laner for beginners that offers a straightforward playstyle, and most importantly, a strong laning presence, allowing new players to become familiar with the laning stage. You don’t need to have mastered how to play mid in Dota to get started with this hero. 

Abilities

Viper’s abilities are the opposite of complex. You won’t have a hard time understanding them.

• Poison Attack (Q): Applies stacking poison to enemies, slowing them and dealing damage over time. Amazing for harassing in lane. 
• Nethertoxin (W): Corrupts a circular area, dealing damage and breaking enemy passives. A great spell for zoning and farming. 
• Corrosive Skin (Passive): A passive ability that reduces magic damage taken and applies poison effects to enemies attacking Viper. 
• Viper Strike (R): A single-target ultimate ability that slows movement and attack speed, while dealing high damage over time. 
• Innate Ability – Predator: An innate ability that allows Viper to deal additional damage to enemies per missing health.

Item Build

There are multiple ways to play Viper in terms of item builds, but I suggest going for the right-clicking alternative for new players. Here is what an ideal item build on Viper will look like, tailored for beginners:

Power Treads > Dragon Lance > Manta Style > Hurricane Pike > Black King Bar > Eye Of Skadi > Butterfly

These items do not require much complexity and brain power to use, so you can focus on playing Viper. 

Playstyle

Viper is notoriously known as a lane dominator, especially in the mid-lane. Spam Poison Attack on the enemy laner to zone them out and secure last hits. Make sure to try ganking other lanes when your ultimate is up. 

When transitioning to the farming phase, use Nethertoxin to push out waves and farm neutral camps. With the availability of Nether Toxin, you do not need to commit to farming like Maelstrom.

In the late game, focus on positioning yourself away from enemies so you can get hits in for free. Make sure to drop Nethertoxins on the ground against heroes with passive abilities. 

Dragon Knight

Dragon Knight is a tanky and reliable hero in the mid-lane, which is perfect for beginners due to a roster of straightforward abilities and great scaling potential. Laning with Dragon Knight is extremely simple, thanks to his built-in durability. 

Abilities

Dragon Knight’s abilities are so easy to understand that it’s hard to believe.

• Breathe Fire (Q): Dragon Knight breathes fire in a cone shape and deals damage to enemies, while also reducing their attack damage. Excellent ability to use in lane.
• Dragon Tail (W): A single-target stun. In human form, Dragon Knight can only cast it in melee range. In dragon form, Dragon Knight can cast it in range. 
• Wyrm’s Wrath (Passive): Makes use of the selected facet for Dragon Knight. 
• Elder Dragon Form (R): Dragon Knight transforms into a mighty dragon, gaining attack range, splash damage, and other benefits at higher levels. 
• Innate Ability – Dragon Blood: Passively grants Dragon Knight bonus armor and health regeneration to become tanky. 

Important Note: Make sure to take the Fire Dragon facet, as it is by far the best one!

Item Build

Here is what an ideal item build on Dragon Knight will look like, tailored for beginners:

Power Treads > Mask of Madness > Blink Dagger > Sange and Yasha > Black King Bar > Assault Cuirass > Aghanim’s Scepter > Daedalus

Dragon Knight, as a mid-laner, will play the role of an initiator throughout the mid-game with his Blink Dagger. However, he can eventually scale into a carry with more items. 

Playstyle

Dragon Knight is an incredibly reliable laner with his attack damage and sustainability. Use Breathe Fire to secure last hits and harass opponents. 

Once the Blink Dagger is online, be sure to gank other lanes with a simple Blink into stun combo. Then, transition successful ganks into tower pushes, since Dragon Knight excels at that. 

In the late game, Dragon Knight can deal heavy damage at range with proper items. Focus on buying such items including Assault Cuirass, Aghanim’s Scepter, and Daedalus. 

Best Offlane Heroes For Beginners In Dota 2 

The offlane role is all about creating space for your team, either by being extremely tanky, or offering initiation means such as Blink plus stuns. Offlaners are sent into the hardest lane and are tasked with surviving the early game and transitioning into a utility-oriented role and the best offlaners in Dota know their job is to soak up damage and keep the enemy distracted while their carry goes to town. 

Tidehunter

A fundamental offlane hero that should not have trouble in the laning stage is Tidehunter. Playing Tidehunter will help you understand the concept of being put into the hard lane, as well as familiarize you with initiating duties. 

Abilities

Tidehunter’s abilities aren’t too difficult to master once you’ve played him once or twice.

• Gush (Q): A point-target ability that deals damage, reduces armor and slows an enemy target. A great harassing ability that can also be used to secure last hits. 
• Kraken Shell (Passive): A passive ability that blocks a portion of incoming damage, helping Tidehunter become very tanky.
• Anchor Smash (E): Tidehunter swings his anchor, dealing damage to units around him and reducing the attack damage of affected enemies. 
• Ravage (R): Tidehunter’s iconic spell. Ravage unleashes a massive area stun, dealing damage and disabling all enemies nearby. 
• Innate Ability – Blubber: Tidehunter shakes off debuffs every time he takes 450 damage from enemies. 

Item Build

Here is what an ideal item build on Tidehunter will look like, tailored for beginners:

Phase Boots > Soul Ring > Blink Dagger > Pipe of Insight > Aghanim’s Shard > Shiva’s Guard > Refresher Orb > Octarine Core/Scythe of Vyse

Tidehunter focuses on buying items that enable him to initiate fights and keep himself and his teammates sustained. Refresher Orb is a great pickup in the late game for double Ravages. 

Playstyle

Tidehunter is a strong laner due to the nature of his Kraken Shell and innate ability. He is very durable and should survive against most lanes. 

Things start ramping up when Tidehunter picks up a Blink Dagger. He has one of the strongest ultimates in the game and can Blink into the middle of enemies and land a devastating area stun. 

After completing the task of initiation, Tidehunter will stand in the middle of team fights to soak up damage and create space for his teammates. 

Underlord

New players might have a difficult time navigating the map and understanding how to join team fights, so I decided to sneak Underlord into this list. He is a very team-oriented hero, perfect for players who don’t like putting pressure on themselves to carry games. 

Abilities

Underlord’s spells are super straightforward, and his ultimate allows him to show up to fights from wherever. 

• Firestorm (Q): A spell that summons waves of fire in a circular area, which deals damage over time and burns enemies temporarily. A great wave clear ability.
• Pit of Malice (W): Pit of Malice creates a circular pit on the ground that roots enemies who walk into it. This is a great crowd-control spell.
• Atrophy Aura (Passive): Underlord’s passive reduces the attack damage of enemies nearby, and he steals the damage for himself.
• Dark Rift (R): Underlord’s ultimate creates a portal that connects his current location to the targeted location. This spell can be cast globally. Underlord, teammates, and enemies can enter the gate and teleport to the opposite side. 
• Innate Ability – Invading Force: Allies who have just teleported through Dark Rift receive damage reduction and movement speed. 

Item Build

Here is what an ideal item build on Underlord should look like:

Arcane Boots > Soul Ring > Rod of Atos > Guardian Greaves > Pipe of Insight > Shiva’s Guard > Lotus Orb > Octarine Core

Underlord is all about utility and crowd control. A Rod of Atos is recommended to keep enemies in place, while the rest of his item progression focuses on buffing up the team. 

Playstyle

Underlord is a strong laner, and with the help of Atrophy Aura and Firestorm, he can sustain difficult lanes all by himself. He can also use Firestorm to clear out stacks and accelerate his farm. 

He doesn’t have initiating abilities like Tidehunter does. Instead, he fearlessly stands on the front lines to try and control enemies with Pit of Malice combined with Firestorm. 

Underlord can easily join fights from across the map using Dark Rift, allowing him to farm in deeper portions of his map and still attend any engagement. Focus on having high kill participation when playing Underlord. 

Best Soft Support Heroes For Beginners In Dota 2 

The soft support role, also known as position 4, is focused on being active by making moves, ganking lanes, and participating in as many team fights as possible. With these tasks in mind, the best heroes for this role must have stuns or other forms of control. 

Spirit Breaker

Spirit Breaker is a great position 4 hero and one of the best Dota 2 heroes for beginners, offering uncomplicated abilities, global presence, and high impact in team fights. Playing Spirit Breaker will help you understand how to go into fights first. 

Abilities

Initially, Spirit Breaker’s abilities might take some time to get used to, but I trust you’ll get the hang of it quickly.

• Charge of Darkness (Q): Spirit Breaker locks onto a target anywhere on the map and charges towards them, stunning upon arrival. 
• Bulldoze (W): Bulldoze grants Spirit Breaker additional movement speed and provides status resistance, making it an excellent ability to go in first. 
• Greater Bash (Passive): Passively grants Spirit Breaker a chance to bash on every hit, stunning and knocking back if successful. Automatically procs with Charge of Darkness.
• Nether Strike (R): When cast on an enemy, Spirit Breaker teleports to the target and stuns them, dealing bonus damage and a guaranteed bash. 
• Innate Ability – Herd Mentality: Allied heroes who are lower leveled than anyone else’s gain 50% more experience. (Don’t worry too much about this!)

Item Build

Here is what an ideal item build on Spirit Breaker will look like:

Phase Boots > Shadow Blade > Aghanim’s Shard > Black King Bar > Octarine Core > Assault Cuirass > Wind Waker

Spirit Breaker is all about movement speed, with items such as Phase Boots, Shadow Blade, and also his Aghanim’s Shard. His escape is also what makes him one of the best Dota 2 heroes for beginners. Once these two items are completed, focus on tanking up as you’ll be initiating most fights. 

Playstyle

In the early game, Spirit Breaker isn’t the greatest laner, so try your best to get by without letting you or your offlaner feed too much. However, he is incredibly effective in ganking heroes with his global charging ability. 

In the mid-game, Spirit Breaker is all about ganking heroes, as he provides vision with Charge of Darkness and can chain stun enemies with Nether Strike. You must not be afraid to go in first, as Bulldoze protects you from stuns through status resistance. 

After initiating team fights, Spirit Breaker’s job is to be as disruptive as possible by playing in the center of team fights and stunning multiple targets whenever possible. 

Lion

Lion is a great support hero to start with, as he provides powerful lockdown and massive burst damage through his ultimate. He is a suitable pick for understanding the concept of controlling enemy heroes in fights.

Abilities

Lion’s abilities might sound a little complex at first, but trust me, they are easier than they sound. 

• Earth Spike (Q): Lion throws out a spike in a line, stunning and damaging all enemies in its trajectory. This means multiple heroes can be stunned at the same time. 
• Hex (W): Instantly disables an enemy by transforming them into a frog, neutralizing spell usage, items, and movement. This stun is impossible to react to if appropriately used.
• Mana Drain (E): Lion begins draining mana from a target enemy, replenishing his own mana pool. However, Lion is in a channeling state, meaning he cannot move, or the drain will be canceled. 
• Finger of Death (R): His ultimate ability is Finger of Death, which deals massive single-target burst damage, perfect for securing kills or softening enemy heroes. 
• Innate Ability – To Hell And Back: Lion gains debuff duration and spell amplification for 90 seconds after respawning. 

Item Build

Here is what an ideal item build on Lion will look like:

Tranquil Boots > Blink Dagger > Aether Lens > Force Staff > Glimmer Cape > Aghanim’s Scepter

Lion serves as a basic initiator with the instant disable potential provided by Hex, followed up with Earth Spike. He focuses on positioning items to help him start an engagement but get out safely for a second round of spells. 

Playstyle

Lion does relatively well in the laning stage, as he is able to secure ranged creeps with Earth Spike. He can also replenish mana by draining enemy heroes or enemy ranged creeps to continue throwing out spells.

In the mid-game, Lion must be present in ganks, as he provides tons of crowd control and disables with Earth Spike and Hex. Getting a Blink Dagger is essential to catch enemies off guard with an instant Hex. 

In team fights, Lion must position himself carefully, as he is extremely squishy and quickly killed off. 

Best Dota Heroes For Beginners – Hard Support 

Finally, the only role left is the challenging support role, also known as position 5. The hard support isn’t the flashiest role available, but it is still vital as these players are doing all the dirty work, such as protecting your carry and providing the team with vision. 

Ogre Magi

Ogre Magi is probably the best Dota 2 heroes for beginners in the whole game. He’s tanky, allowing room for positioning errors, and has straightforward abilities, including a reliable stun. He’s the perfect hero to get started with the hard support role. 

Abilities

Ogre Magi’s abilities allow him to provide disables, harass, and buffs to his teammates. 

• Fireblast (Q): Ogre Magi’s first skill is a point-target ability that stuns and deals damage to a single target. It’s as simple as it gets. 
• Ignite (W): Ogre Magi throws chemicals at a target, with a chance of secondary chemicals spreading to nearby enemies. Ignite slows enemy movement speed and deals damage over time.
• Bloodlust (E): Casting Bloodlust on allies grants them additional attack speed and movement speed, making it perfect for buffing carries.
• Multicast (Passive): Multicast is a unique ultimate ability that gives Ogre Magi a chance to cast his spells multiple times in quick succession. 
• Innate Ability – Dumb Luck: Ogre Magi’s maximum Intelligence is 0, and he gains mana and mana regeneration from his Strength attribute. 

Item Build

Here is what an ideal item build on Ogre Magi will look like:

Arcane Boots > Hand of Midas > Glimmer Cape > Aether Lens > Scythe of Vyse > Aghanim’s Scepter

Buying Hand of Midas early on Ogre Magi might sound like a grief, but I highly recommend it for new players as such greed often goes unpunished in lower ranks. Multicast works on Hand of Midas, allowing you to print gold. 

Playstyle

Ogre Magi is a very prominent laner thanks to his durable nature, allowing him to bodyguard his carry and trade effectively. Ignite is also a devastating spell for enemy players to deal with in the early game. 

In the mid-game, Ogre Magi participates in fights, buffing his cores with Bloodlust and providing disables with Ignite. It is best for Ogre Magi to position himself in the front lines to soak up the damage and create spacing for his core heroes to deal with damage from behind. 

With a Hand of Midas, Ogre Magi can scale into the late game by purchasing items such as Aghanim’s Scepter and Scythe of Vyse to lock down enemy heroes. 

Warlock

Finally, we get to Warlock, a reliable hard support hero who has the potential to deal massive damage in team fights with his game-changing ultimate spell, making him easily one of the best Dota 2 heroes for beginners. The concept of Warlock’s playstyle is also very simple. 

Abilities

Warlock’s abilities might be a little tricky to understand initially, but you’ll get used to them very soon. 

• Fatal Bonds (Q): Casting Fatal Bonds will link enemy units, causing them to share a percentage of damage taken by any of them. This ability is instrumental in team fights.
• Shadow Word (W): Shadow Word is used to heal an ally or damage an enemy hero over time. This spell keeps your carries healthy, and can also be used as a harassing tool. 
• Upheaval (E): Upheaval is a channeling spell, where Warlock applies devastating movement speed slows in a large circular radius. 
• Chaotic Offering (R): Warlock’s ultimate is a game-changing spell that summons a Golem, stunning all enemies in an area. The Golem can be controlled to deal right-click damage to enemy players. 

Item Build

Here is what an ideal item build on Warlock will look like:

Arcane Boots > Hand of Midas (Optional) > Glimmer Cape > Aghanim’s Scepter > Force Staff > Refresher Orb

For similar reasons to Ogre Magi, I don’t think buying Hand of Midas is a bad idea for beginners looking to play Warlock. This item helps you achieve your level goals and also allows you to afford Aghanim’s Scepter and Refresher Orb for the late game. 

Playstyle

Warlock isn’t the most substantial trader in lane, as his spells aren’t the greatest for harassing. Instead, focus on playing defensively and heal your carry with Shadow Word.

In the mid-game, Warlock should try joining as many fights as possible, as Fatal Bonds play a crucial role in dealing damage to multiple enemies. Let’s not forget his crucial team-fighting ultimate ability – Chaotic Offering.

It would be amazing if you could purchase an Aghanim’s Scepter, followed by a Refresher Orb, as these items are lethal in late-game team fights. But in general, Warlock plays in the backlines, channeling Upheaval after using his other spells. 

And that concludes the list of the ten best Dota 2 heroes for beginners. Understanding the game itself and how it works can already be overwhelming for new players, so I highly recommend playing easy heroes that will help you understand the game first.