Top 10 Best DOTA 2 Heroes for Beginners

Zeus

Top 10 Best DOTA 2 Heroes for Beginners

Father of the gods, ruler of heaven, Zeus truly stands alone. To Zeus, all heroes are children requiring discipline. But recently Zeus found he needed some himself after being caught fooling around with mortal women by his wife. To prove his love, Zeus has since been on his best behavior and fights for victory on the field of battle. 

Zeus’ mastery over lightning is unsurpassed, becoming his very weapon in battle. Zeus can choose to attack with lightning that arcs to nearby enemies or focus a single powerful blast onto one opponent. Moreover, just being near Zeus when he casts a spell will shock you for a percentage of your health. With the right items, Zeus can cast Nimbus, creating a cloud anywhere on the map that will attack nearby players. Of course, these attacks fail in comparison to his ultimate, Thundergod’s Wrath. This global ability will target any that dare to oppose him, striking them for massive damage and providing true-sight of their location.

This post was originally authored by Eric Wilusz.

Lion

Top 10 Best DOTA 2 Heroes for Beginners

Formerly a Grandmaster of the Demon Witch school of sorcery, Lion traded his soul to a demon for power and prestige. After committing horrible crimes, the demon abandoned Lion to strike up better offers with his enemies. Enraged, Lion traversed to hell itself to confront the demon. Ripping the demon apart, Lion took the demon’s hand for his own, undergoing a transformation. Emerging from hell, Lion has since slain those that once praised him and laid waste to the lands that idolized him.  

Becoming a demon only added to the strength of this hero. Lion can summon Earth Spikes that hurl anything in its path into the air, stunning and damaging them. With Hex, Lion can turn anyone or anything into a harmless animal unable to attack, leaving them helpless. His ability to disable targets doesn’t end there. Lion can drain the mana from his enemies, leaving them unable to cast spells or fight back. Moreover, his demon arm isn’t just for show. Lion can cast Finger of Death at his opponent, attempting to turn them inside-out. As you can imagine the process is painful, dealing massive amounts of damage to his target.

Drow Ranger

Top 10 Best DOTA 2 Heroes for Beginners

The sole survivor of a caravan attack, Traxex was discovered as a child and raised by the Drow. As her natural affinity towards stealth, silence, and subtlety became clear, she was quickly accepted by the Drow as one of their own. But even though she was accepted, Traxex became estranged. She believed herself to be ugly compared to the other Drow. After all, the other Drow were covered in warts and had whiskers, none of which she had. Traxex exiled herself into the woods, where she lives alone and hones her skills with a bow.

Drow Ranger’s natural skills shine through into the game, instantly giving her several advantages. With her very presence, Drow emits a Precision Aura, granting allies and herself bonus damage to ranged physical attacks. Her ultimate, Marksmanship, also provides a passive effect to Drow, granting her bonus agility as long as she maintains her distance from enemy heroes. If her enemies do get close, Drow can cast Gust to knock back and silence enemy heroes, allowing her to escape or punish them. But perhaps Drow’s most feared ability is Frost Arrows. Using this ability adds a slowing effect to her attacks, making it difficult for her targets to escape. At max level, this skill will slow anyone hit for a massive 64% reduction in movement speed!  To put it bluntly, few can escape from Drow once she has targeted them.

Spirit Breaker

Top 10 Best DOTA 2 Heroes for Beginners

Barathrum the Spirit Breaker is a being not of this world. Born in the elemental plane, this entity chose to shift planes to the world of matter. Taking features from both bovines and simians, this creature embodies strength, cunning, and speed. Even with all his strength, Spirit Breaker serves a hidden master, whose agenda is unknown.

As a strength hero, Spirit breaker is uniquely versatile. By using Charge of Darkness, Spirit Breaker can charge across the map towards an enemy he has vision on, making him one of the best gankers in the game. This ability can also be used to escape and can be canceled at any time. Additionally, Spirit Breaker is naturally swift, granting an aura of swiftness to nearby allies that increase their movement speed. Trading blows isn’t an option either. Spirit Breaker has the ability to bash his foes, stunning them and knocking them backward. Escape from this beast is all but impossible thanks to his ultimate, Nether Strike. Spirit Breaker can phase into the nether realm, reappearing behind his target and instantly bashing them. For anyone that loves high mobility and ganking their enemies, Spirit Breaker is the hero for you.

Sniper

Top 10 Best DOTA 2 Heroes for Beginners

Kardel Sharpeye, a.k.a Sniper, belongs to a mountain dwelling village of keen folk. The villagers survive by hunting animals known as cliff-dwelling steepstalkers, shooting them from a distance and collecting their bodies. To this village ranged weapons weren’t just a tool, but another appendage. Among their ranks, Sharpeye is considered one of the best.

Sniper is a hard-carry that specializes in fighting enemies from a distance. While Sniper may lack defensive spells, his range more than makes up for it. Besides his long range, Sniper can passively seek headshots on his foes, briefly stunning them and slowing their movements. He can further slow his enemies by launching shrapnel into the air, revealing their location and damaging anyone unlucky enough to be under the barrage. When his opponents are weak Sniper can use his ultimate ability Assassinate to finish them off. Sniper will lock onto his target and after a two-second delay will fire a devastating shot that will inflict massive damage on his victim. If played well, you’ll able to take down any opponent before they realize they’re in your crosshairs.

Necrophos

Top 10 Best DOTA 2 Heroes for Beginners

Before becoming a walking plague, Rotund’jere was a monk that found himself promoted to Cardinal due to the death of his superiors. Using his position, Rotund’jere exploited wealthy nobles with the false promise of spiritual reward upon their death. As the plague that ravished the land began to diminish, others took notice of his illicit dealings. Banished to the plague ward, many thought he would succumb to the plague and die. Unfortunately, they didn’t count on his natural immunity. Rotund’jere did indeed catch the pox, but instead of dying he transformed into the plague-mage known as Necrophos. Now wandering the world, Necrophos spreads pestilence to any village he visits.

Necrophos is an intelligence based hero that can obliterate even the toughest of foes. His Death Pulse sends out a wave of death, harming enemy units while healing his allies. When in danger, Necrophos can use Ghost Shroud to slip into the realm of the dead, rendering him invulnerable to physical damage for a short duration and amplifying any healing received. Just being near Necrophos can prove deadly. Necrophos’ Heart Stop Aura stills the hearts of his enemies, causing them to lose a percentage of their maximum health over time. Finally, Necrophos can punish his opponents with Reaper’s Scythe, damaging them based on how much life they are missing. Anyone killed by this ability will have an additional 10 seconds added to their respawn timer. Necrophos is a hero that shouldn’t be taken lightly. Anyone that does is liable to find themselves on the end of his Scythe.

Phantom Assassin

Top 10 Best DOTA 2 Heroes for Beginners

To say Mortred the Phantom Assassin is deadly would be an understatement. Raised as an assassin, Mortred is a member of the Sisters of the Veil; a cult that views assassination as part of the natural order. This group doesn’t rely on contracts or promises, but use meditation and oracles to divine their next target. It doesn’t matter if you’re a king or a peasant, once chosen your fate is sealed.

Phantom Assassin is a highly mobile hard-carry that relies on quick, devastating attacks to overpower her opponents. Besides her glaive, Mortred wields a dagger she can throw to stifle her enemies, dealing damage and slowing their movement. Thanks to Blur, Phantom Assassin is naturally evasive and may dodge physical attacks from her enemies. Furthermore, Phantom Assassin can use Phantom Strike to teleport to nearby allies for a quick escape, or enemies to deliver the final blow. But perhaps her most powerful ability is her ultimate, Coup de Grace. This ability gives Mortred a chance to crit with her attacks, up to 450% damage. If you’re looking for a great hard-carry with offensive and defensive abilities, look no further.

Bristleback

Top 10 Best DOTA 2 Heroes for Beginners

Nicknamed “Bristleback” by drunken crowds, Rigwarl was known for fighting in brawls in roadside taverns. Never one to lose a fight, Bristleback was eventually hired as an enforcer in exchange for some free brew. Unsurprisingly, he was good at it. Bristleback kept the peace, collected bar tabs, and even broke a few legs. That is until Tusk came. Losing to Tusk was the first time Rigwarl ever lost, and the first time a tab was never paid. Since his defeat, Bristleback has trained, vowing to track Tusk down and redeem himself.

Bristleback is an extremely rewarding tank if played right. Using the quills on his body, Bristleback can fight like no other hero. By turning his back, Bristleback takes reduced damage to incoming enemy attacks. Additionally, he can spray his quills, dealing damage to those around him. Anyone hit will take increased damage if sprayed again. Don’t think you can run from him either. By spraying targets with his snot, and yes I said snot, Bristleback can reduce the armor and movement speed of his target. That’s not all. With his ultimate, Warpath, every time Bristleback casts a spell he becomes faster and deals more damage. Played correctly, Bristleback can wipe out an enemy team single handed.

Crystal Maiden

Top 10 Best DOTA 2 Heroes for Beginners

Born in the temperate realm, Rylai the Crystal Maiden always had an affinity to ice, much to the dismay of those around her. Rivers froze, crops were frostbitten, and orchards died. The effects were so bad that Rylai was eventually exiled to the frozen northern realm of Icewrack. It would be here that an Ice Wizard would train her in sorcery. Eventually, the wizard pronounced her ready to take his place and descended into the Blueheart Glacier to hibernate for a thousand years. Since that time Rylai has continued her training, her skills unmatched.

Crystal Maiden is simple to learn and deceptively powerful. She can deal out heavy damage while support allies, even across the map. Crystal Maiden’s Crystal Nova creates a powerful AOE burst of frost damage that slows enemies hit. Likewise, she can completely immobilize her opponents by casting Frostbite, encasing them in ice. This is a great mechanic to trap an enemy or stop anyone from chasing a teammate. Rylai’s Arcane Aura earned her the nickname “mana battery,” as it passively provides mana regeneration for all allies on the map. While her normal spells may prove annoying to enemies, her ultimate Freezing Field is deadly enough to eliminate the enemy team. When channeled, random ice explosions will surround Crystal Maiden, heavily damaging and slowing anyone trapped inside the storm. Who would have thought such a harmless looking wizard could devastate an entire team so easily?

Axe

Top 10 Best DOTA 2 Heroes for Beginners

Simple and deadly, those two words best describe Axe. Previously known as Mogul Khan, this grunt in the Army of the Red Mist would eventually rise to the rank of Red Mist General. This was no easy feat, but his sheer brutality and combat prowess lead little to doubt his skills. Of course, those who did or stood in his way were quickly dispatched by Axe himself. Friend or foe, nothing stood in Axe’s way for long.  

As a tank, Axe has great initiation and can deal out massive amounts of damage. By using Berserker’s Call, Axe taunts enemies to attack him for up to 3.2 seconds. This alone makes him a great tank, but when combined with Counter Helix he becomes deadly. When attacked, Axe has a 20% chance to Counter Helix, attacking all nearby enemies with pure damage. Running from Axe isn’t an option either. Axe can cast Battle Hunger on his enemies, slowing their movements and damaging them, while gaining a boost of speed for himself. Finally, Axe can use Culling Blade to execute or heavily damage his opponents. If his target dies from this attack than the cooldown immediately resets, giving Axe an edge in team fights.