Beginners are often overwhelmed due to the expansive world of Dota, this is due to 126 heroes and over a hundred items as of 2021. Undoubtedly you will feel lost, picking a high complexity hero may result in poor performance and flame from your teammates!

To guide the new batch of Dota players, we have compiled a list of the top 15 beginner-friendly heroes in the game! These heroes are low in complexity and offer great killing and ganking potential!

15. Earthshaker

Most new players start with Earthshaker, due to his ease of play and high magic output, and high kill potential. This makes him a fan favorite! 

Earthshaker is notoriously known to counter all melee heroes due to his Blink into Echo Slam combo. His high damage potential makes him a threat in the late game. His insane damage is attributed to the Echo Slam and Stun combo.

The standard build of Earthshaker includes the almighty Blink Dagger, Aghanim’s Scepter, Shadow Blade, Force Staff, Eul’s Scepter, Daedalus, Aghanim’s Shard. These items offer a great deal of initiating and offense capabilities which are guaranteed to result in a few kills. A well-timed Echo Slam can turn the game around!

What makes Earthshaker a beginner-friendly hero?

• Easy to use skills that deal serious damage.
• High base armor and movement speed.
• Can do a lot with just a Blink Dagger.
• Great solo kill potential.
• Aghanim’s Scepter makes him elusive.
• Does not require much knowledge of the game to play.

Watch Earthshaker in action!

 

14. Lina

 

You should never play with fire, you’ll end up losing! Lina smokes her enemies with her insane magical burst damage, there is no way you recover from this arson!

Lina is a beginner-friendly hero but only the most experienced players can understand her true potential. She can rip through enemies effortlessly, with both her abilities and physical damage output. Her AoE spells can easily demolish squishy support heroes. High movement speed allows her to rotate through lanes quickly. 

Lina is a nuisance right from the early game, her items make her more annoying to play against. She is extremely flexible hence one can opt for different builds. Standard items on Lina include Eul’s Scepter, Boots of Travel, Monkey King Bar, Black King Bar, Silver Edge, Aghanim’s Scepter, Scythe of Vyse. These items offer to sustain, escape and damage that allows Lina to perform optimally during the team fights. 

What makes Lina great for beginners?

• Immense magic burst potential.
• AoE and wave clear spells that help her farm faster.
• Can easily harass/kill enemy heroes after getting her ultimate.
• Physical item build turns her into a turret.
• Can catch multiple heroes using her Light Strike Array ability.
• Nuisance to squishy enemy heroes.
• High base movement and attack speed.

Watch Lina in action!

 

13. Witch Doctor

If you’re a support player looking to expand your hero pool then look no further! Witch Doctor is a great beginner’s hero but is often picked in high-ranked games! The reason is the reliability of this hero.

Witch Doctor is known to be a nuisance in the early game, he can ward off enemy heroes while protecting his carry. Witch Doctor can snowball right after a few kills, allowing him to gain more levels and gank other lanes.

Standard items on the Doctor include Force Staff, Glimmer Cape, Aghanim’s Scepter and Shard, Black King Bar, Scythe of Vyse. There aren’t many items that you can build on this hero, partly due to his heavy reliance on levels and not items to dominate the game. You may also consider items like Solar Crest or Guardian Greaves to provide sustenance to your allies.

What makes Witch Doctor great for beginners?

• Great heal toggle with low mana cost.
• The chain-stun spell is an effective way to control the crowd.
• Dangerous DPS with Maledict and the Death Ward ultimate.
• High base movement and attack speed, allowing him to harass and kite enemies.
• Talent tree that scales well along with items such as Aghanim’s Scepter and Shard.

Watch Witch Doctor in action!

 

12. Zeus

 

 

Zeus proves to be one of the best mid laners for the new players, this is highly attributed to his extreme DPS spells and wave clearance abilities. He is a must-play hero!

Zeus is an annoying hero in the early game, he can prove to be threatening if ignored! His ticklish spell damage can quickly turn lethal! Zeus can farm faster due to his AoE damage. Zeus is always a menace in the mid and late-game! late-game

Zeus is known to build a multitude of items, these can include Aether Lens, Aghanim’s Scepter, Boots of Travel, Refresher’s Orb, Blink Dagger, Octraine Core, Force Staff, Sange, and Kaya. The above items provide nothing but serious damage to your enemies. You may even end up landing a rampage with the mentioned items and driving your enemies to rage quit! 

What makes Zeus great for beginners?

• High magical damage output.
• Can reveal powerful invisible units
• Can push lanes and farm effortlessly
• Global presence with Thundergod’s Wrath ultimate.
• Aghanim’s Scepter and Refresher Orb can secure multiple kills.

Watch Zeus in action!

 

 

11. Bounty Hunter

 

This cunning and elusive hero has been gaining notoriety among the new players. His high damage output combined with spying abilities has made him a threat.

Bounty Hunter is an annoying hero, which can fit into any lane! Or no lane at all if you fancy roaming. He can mow down enemy supports with just a few right clicks or he may also save his allies and provide them with heal or sustain. 

The other name for versatility is Bounty Hunter! He can be played in pretty much any role due to the nature of his spells. This results in a vast item pool, which may include items like Daedalus, Desolator, Aghanim’s Scepter, Bloodthorn, Scythe of Vyse, Dagon, Solar Crest, Sange and Yasha, Guardian Greaves, Skull Basher. These items vary according to your role, but they guarantee to amplify your skills and supplement your allies. 

What makes Bounty Hunter great for beginners?

• High physical damage potential
• Extremely elusive due to his invisibility spell, which can be used from level 1!
• Farms faster than most heroes due to the bonus gold from passive and ultimate 
• Menace to the enemy supports 
• Great Aghanim’s Scepter upgrade

Watch Bounty Hunter in action!

 

10. Dragon Knight

Davion, the Dragon Knight is a classic mid hero, his tanky and high HP nature fits the glove! He does not fall despite enemies trying to gank, his armor shall never betray him!

Dragon Knight is a tough nut to crack, he has natural high armor which is amplified by his Dragon’s Blood passive, which makes him unkillable unless all 5 enemy heroes rotate and hunt him down, which is of course impractical in most games.

DK is notorious for purchasing items that let him initiate, this includes Blink Dagger, Shadow Blade which are further followed by items like Black King Bar, Assault Cuirass, Heaven’s Halberd, Armlet of Mordiggian, Aghanim’s Scepter, Daedalus. These items make him extra bulky and provide him with some damage which is further amplified by Dragon’s Form ultimate.

Why is Dragon Knight considered to be a great beginner hero? 

• High armor makes him hard to gank
• Can push lanes and farmly fast
• Does not require much farm to gank
• Dragon Form allows him to gank other lanes and amplifies his abilities
• Great talent tree that scales well with his items
• Imbalanced Aghanim’s Scepter upgrade

Watch Dragon Knight in action!

 

9. Lion

 

This ferocious creature is known to ravage multiple wars and raise hell with his lethal abilities. Ignoring Lion can cost you lethal damage. 

Lion is a beginner’s favorite, primarily due to his ease of spells and high burst damage potential. He can often rotate and gank other lanes at early levels. He is known for his chain-disable, which makes him a threat even in the late game.

Lion is primarily played in the support position, though he is also viable in the mid-lane in some scenarios. The standard item build for Lion includes the Blink Dagger, Aether Lens, Aghanim’s Scepter and Shard, Ghost Scepter, Glimmer Cape, Force Staff. These items often allow Lion to initiate and pounce on his foes, disabling them and resulting in kills. 

What makes Lion a beginner-friendly hero? 

• Great cast range for spells
• Can chain disable multiple enemies 
• High burst damage and magical output that scales well
• Excellent Aghanim’s Scepter and Shard upgrade
• High base movement speed

Watch Lion in action!

 

8.  Lich

This ice-cold wizard can frostbite even the most giant of enemies. His chilling potential is unmatched by any other support hero in the game! Melee heroes hate him! 

Lich is a high-priority support hero in the game, his immense DPS can never go unnoticed. He is very irritating in the laning phase, pushing the enemies out of the lane and not leaving them any farm! He can farm quite easily with his AoE skills without taking much damage.

The standard items on Lich include Force Staff, Glimmer Cape, Aghanim’s Scepter, Aeon Disk, Ghost Scepter, Rod of Atos. These items are guaranteed to provide him sustain and amplify his team’s potential and give them an edge over the enemies. Only one Chain Frost is enough to turn the game around! 

What makes Lich a beginner-friendly hero? 

• High DPS due to lethal Chain Frost ultimate
• Immense wave clearing potential
• High armor due to Frost Armor spell
• High base movement and attack speed
• Great talent tree, offering various interesting choices and upgrades

Watch Lich in action!

 

7. Razor

This electrical warlord has zapped all his enemies and burnt them to a crisp. Razor’s high physical damage output makes him an easy carry hero to play! 

Razor is an annoying hero to play against, he is a nightmare for the poor melee enemies. His attack range provides him with an immense advantage. He farms well with his AoE ability, which proves he can also push lanes faster!

Razor is known to build a variety of items, this includes Sange and Yasha, Eul’s Scepter, Aghanim’s Scepter, Black King Bar, Satanic, Assault Cuirass, Shivas Guard, Blade Mail, Refresher’s Orb, Heaven’s Halberd. These items increase the damage dealt by him and provide him with insanely high armor. If you practice this hero well, you may end up securing multiple rampages! 

What makes Razor a beginner-friendly hero? 

• Immense physical damage potential and output 
• Farms at a faster pace compared to other heroes
• Aggressive and annoying in the lane, especially versus melee heroes
• High movement speed, which is effective while stealing damage 
• Insane late-game potential with Aghanim’s Scepter upgrade

Watch Razor in action!

 

6. Crystal Maiden

This frost queen has captured lots of hearts in the game, along with that she is known to be ruthless towards her enemies.

Crystal Maiden is one of the least complex support heroes in the game, which explains her high pick rate. She can ward off enemies from the lane with her high DPS skills or farm the jungle if needed with her Frostbite. She is known to lockdown and deals heavy magical damage with her spells, making her brilliant right from the early game.

Crystal Maiden usually builds support items that assist herself and her allies in the game. These items may include Force Staff, Glimmer Cape, Ghost Scepter while also including Black King Bar, Aghanim’s Scepter, Aeon Disk which offer her great sustain to prolong the team fights! 

What makes Crystal Maiden a beginner-friendly hero? 

• Early game kill potential 
• High magical output 
• Can result in a rampage if used ultimate wisely
• Global mana supply
• High AoE spells that help her farm and clear waves fast

Watch Crystal Maiden in action!

 

5. Drow Ranger

This skilled markswoman is very precise and deadly. Her cool and calm demeanor is deceiving due to her lethal force on the battlefield.

Drow might be a slow laner but her late-game potential is unmatched. She can deal heavy damage with just a few items in her inventory! She can destroy enemies effortlessly as she acquires items and gains levels.

Drow Ranger is primarily played in the carry position, the standard items include Hurricane Pike, Manta Style, Black King Bar, Silver Edge, Butterfly, Daedalus, Satanic, Monkey King Bar, Eye of Skadi. Drow is quite unkillable with all these items! 

What makes Drow Ranger great for Beginners? 

• High physical damage output
• High base armor and movement speed
• Can mow down towers and squishy heroes easily 
• Great disabler
• Aghanim’s Scepter works wonders on her

Watch Drow Ranger in action!

 

4. Sniper

Sniper may appear to be a harmless dwarf but don’t let his appearance deceive you! He has made millions of players rage quit all around the world! His voice and gameplay induce fear and disgust even amongst the most experienced players.

Sniper is suitable both as a mid and a carry hero due to his space-making and farming abilities. He may be a squishy hero but his incredible physical damage output and range make it impossible for enemies to come close to him. He is often considered to be the counter for squishy heroes or primarily for melee heroes.

There have been various tried and tested item builds for Sniper, but the classic build remains untouched. The standard items in the build include Silver Edge, Hurricane Pike, Mjolnir, Monkey King Bar, Daedalus, Black King Bar, Satanic, Aghanim’s Scepter. These items turn Sniper into an unkillable machine, blessing him with sustain and damage!

What makes Sniper Great for Beginners? 

• High base attack range and movement speed
• AoE spell that accelerates his farm
• Flexible build potential
• Excellent Aghanim’s Scepter upgrade
• Great talents that scale well with items

Watch Sniper in action!

 

3. Sven

The rogue knight is known for inducing fear into his enemy’s minds, his fierce moves and heavy sword scare all the foes away. Sven is known to be one of the best carry heroes in the game. 

There are various reasons why Sven is number one on this list. He has it all, AoE stun, ease of farming, movement speed, and double damage. Sven is capable of dominating the battlefield all by himself! The items only supplement his abilities and enhance his presence during team fights.

Sven has high base armor and decent movement speed which makes him immune to early game ganks. He is at the peak during the late game, items like Echo Sabre, Assault Cuirass, Daedelus, Black King Bar, Satanic, Bloodthorn turn him into a killing machine! There is no way the enemies survive if they have an encounter with Sven.

What makes Sven a great hero for beginners?

• Amazingly high base armor.
• His AoE stun, Storm Hammer, is a useful crowd control spell.
• Great cleave damage that accelerates his farming potential
• Is a menace to squishy heroes
• Great Aghanim’s Scepter upgrade
• Can easily 1v5 with lifesteal and damage items.
• God’s strength ultimate makes him deal double the physical damage.

Watch Sven in action!

 

2. Riki

 

This silent assassin has overthrown empires and obliterated his enemies. He is known to be quick and slippery, not all are blessed enough to see him! Riki is the ultimate carry hero. 

Riki is a threat if paired with the right support in the lane! He can snowball quite easily if fed off a few kills. His invisibility is the main selling point, as it is intriguing to the newer players. He may often gank other lanes in the early game, as his Blink Strike ability assists him in striking his enemies down.

Riki can opt for various items depending on the matchup he is against, but there are a few items that can’t be replaced or changed! The standard item build on Riki includes Diffusal Blade, Abyssal Blade, Manta Style, Black King Bar, Daedalus, Butterfly, Eye of Skadi, Sange and Yasha, Aghanim’s Scepter, and Shard.

What makes Riki Great for Beginners? 

• High base movement speed and armor
• Very elusive with Blink Strike and Cloak and Dagger invisibility.
• Smoker Screen silences enemy heroes and makes them miss every other attack.
• Beginners can gank very easily with this hero due to his invisibility.
• Can solo kill squishy enemies.

Watch Riki in action!

 

1. Bristleback

Who knew that porcupines could be so fearsome! Bristleback is known to make enemies upset and drive them to quit the game! Beginners love playing this hero, but dread playing against this hero! 

Bristleback’s tanky and unkillable nature puts him on the first spot on the list! Not all know how to counter or lane against this beast. His base damage and movement speed are amplified due to his ultimate. Even the newest players can dominate with this hero! He is a menace in the lane.

Bristleback can be a great carry or an offlaner, making him a very flexible pick. Standard items on Bristleback include Blademail, Vanguard, Octraine Core, Black King Bar, Ethereal Shroud, Bloodstone, Sange, and Yasha, Radiance, Aghanim’s Scepter. These items amplify the tanky nature of this beast, making it impossible for him to die. 

What makes Bristleback Great for Beginners? 

• Has only two active spells, which slow and do damage.
• Tanky nature makes him hard to kill!
• Flexible build, allows new players to experiment 
• More level dependent as opposed to farm
• High base armor and movement speed
• Does not require much skill or knowledge of the game to play

Watch Bristleback in action!

 

This concludes the list of the best Dota 2 heroes for beginners! We wish you good luck on your Dota journey, we hope you learn and improve! Remember that MMR is just a number, having fun and feeling yourself must be the topmost priority while playing Dota! 

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