Greetings! Today let's discuss an extremely important point of Dota 2 — hero positions. Not everyone understands the role of characters on the field, and therefore you can often find a dead Invoker in the woods or Void in the position of a support. We're exaggerating, of course, but you get the principle.
If you understand, everyone has a clear role to play. Yes, some people with a certain skill can flex mid and part-time support with equal success. Depends on the gear and the specific moment of combat. But in general, the grid of Dota 2 heroes by position looks as follows.
And now we will sort out who all these people are, and where to run to if you pick this or that hero.
Safe Lane (Carry)
Many believe that the heroes of the 1st position in Dota 2 are typical mindless DD, racing around the top lane and mining gold. But in reality, carry is the team's key damage to both towers and foes. It is the one that determines the start of the rush towards the opponent. The main task of core characters is to understand the peak of their power while managing to farm items for attack.
A classic example of DD is Anti-Mage, who can successfully survive only if you buy Manta Style. To act more confidently on the field, you will have to buy Abyssal Blade or Skull Basher + Black King Bar. Now that's getting close to peak power. And don't forget that the enemy isn't slumbering and is also collecting funds for Monkey King Bar-level counterbalance items.
Top carries deal damage that is difficult to counter, run fast, and are stable throughout the game.
These include:
- Anti-Mage;
- Phantom Assassin (Phantom/Martha);
- Faceless Void.
But that's just our opinion, which may differ from yours.
Mid Lane (Midders)
The task of this caste of heroes is not much different from carry. But the characters are much more demanding to skill. Not infrequently they even get into the top heroes of position 4 in Dota 2, and now we'll explain why.
If there is enough net damage on the lanes, the midder performs 1 on 1 with the opponent. On the one hand — more experience, gold drops steadily, lots of creeps for development. But you have to take into account the balance of power: if the opponent demolishes T1 first — the game is lost in 80% of cases. In case of victory by the allied midder, the situation is reversed: more experience and strength — control over the enemy — higher damage — stronger position for further growth.
Again we repeat that the heroes of position 4 in Dota 2 are very good in mid, if there is skill. But first, about the classics. For example, Tinker requires Blink Dagger, Soul Ring, and Boots of Travel for his peak to appear at full strength while the carry is just gaining momentum.
Typical examples:
- Tinker;
- Windranger;
- Invoker.
Just don't forget that Invoker is extremely difficult to master due to its spheres. But if you understand the principle, he will stand to the last man.
Off Lane (Offlaners, Foresters)
Now let's see what the heroes of the 3rd position in Dota 2 are interesting. Let's start by dividing them into "greedy" and "not greedy". The former share the gold and let the others farm nearby, the latter are typical egotists who always don’t have enough. Greedy is often chosen for long matches to get an advantage on gear in late-game.
Hard's task is to draw the enemy's attention to himself and at the same time to clear the forest of creeps, from which very fat items and a lot of gold fall. Moreover, the lanes are already occupied by midders and carries, and few people want to push together, sharing precious experience.
At the same time, offlaners prevent enemy carries from farming, and draw the attention of supports, without which core heroes at the initial stages are practically nothing. Among the key requirements for a good offlaner we would like to mention:
- High skill and understanding of the game;
- Very strong lane;
- High HP bar;
- Ability to navigate in the forest;
- Ability to initiate a lane push.
Lone Druid (Mishka), Enigma and Nature’s Prophet (Furion) do well with this. In our opinion, these are the best heroes of position 3 in Dota 2.
Soft Support (Semi-Support)
And here it is already more complicated because the class is situational and strongly tied to the selection screen. Let's explain it on our fingers:
- Lack of damage at peak — take Witch Doctor or Skywrath Mage;
- Need a save — take Dazzle or Oracle;
- Little control — take Shadow Shaman or Lion.
In Dota 2, heroes of the fourth position almost do not farm and rely on their skills. They also depend on items, though not critically, and spend gold efficiently. If necessary, semi-supports can help with wards and other consumables, but this is not their main task.
These heroes reveal the peak of their strength at the start of the game, and it's up to them how quickly and successfully the team will advance. And therefore they are not tied to a lane and can be anywhere on the map just to help carry, midder, or offlaner.
We believe that the best heroes of position 4 in Dota 2 are:
- Lion;
- Shadow Demon;
- Shadow Shaman (Rasta);
- Rubick.
A minimum of gear and they are already on top. The main thing is to learn how to roam and gank the enemy competently.
Hard Support (Pure Support)
Although the boundaries are blurred here, full supports, unlike semis, don't need gear and practically don’t farm gold. They are at their peak from the start due to their own skills. The key goal of the heroes is to protect the carry in every possible way, both from creeps and attacks from the enemy offlaners.
At the same time, you need to keep in mind the need to buy consumables and to place wards on the map (vision, detection of invis, understanding the situation in the fog of war).
Heroes of position 5 in Dota 2 are chosen based on the principle of “minimum greed”, i.e., maximum benefit from the start. And here it is important to know which character requires minimal equipment (Bounty Hunter), and who does not need it at all (Oracle).
The second important parameter is to provide a strong lane to your carry, to whom you will be attached all the way. For example, the same Rubick at the beginning will only get in the way, but Wyvern will show himself from the best side.
From the key supports we note:
- Winter Wyvern;
- Witch Doctor (WD);
- Oracle;
- Lich;
- Vengeful Spirit.
These are some of the best fifth-position heroes at the moment.
But in general, Dota 2 depends entirely on the situation. That's why it's hard to talk about certain characters because gear and play style can drastically twist a role on the battlefield. So develop in all directions, you will only benefit from it.
