As a beginner in Dota, we can relate to your overwhelming feeling after getting faced with over 120 hero options. You just won’t know where to start! We have been there, and we relate to your sentiments. It is quite easy to lose interest if you pick the complex heroes early on and are dominated by the enemy team. Beginner-friendly heroes are the lifesaver for millions of players starting on their Dota journey.
To help you understand the basic mechanics of the game and ensure you don’t mess up badly in your first few games, we bring you the Best 15 Powerful Beginner Heroes. These heroes are relevant in all patches and metas while having a beginner-friendly mechanic to them.
15. Lich
Lich, the 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 beginner’s support hero in the game, his immense DPS can never go unnoticed.
Lich 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 due to his frost armor.
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
Items to buy on Lich
- Force Staff - Another great tool to close gaps or escape the fight
- Glimmer Cape - Provides invisibility, can also be used on allies to escape or to initiate on enemy heroes
- Aeon Disk - Saves him from getting burst quickly from enemies and also applies a basic dispel
- Ghost Scepter - Prevents enemies from attacking him.
https://dota2.fandom.com/wiki/Lich
14. Bloodseeker
Bloodseeker knows no bounds when it comes to rupturing foes like the mighty enemies. He can withstand the heavy beatings of enemies with the help of his lifesteal as well as his Blood Thirst which sustains him in the laning phase as well as in the teamfights, his ease of spells makes all beginners fall in love with him.
His Blood Rite is extremely useful to lock enemies down and silence them, which allows him to kill them in skirmishes. enemies can also fall victim to Rupture which can be used while moving, making them take immense amounts of damage as if they move.
Why is Bloodseeker a great beginner hero?
- Thirst provides constant sight and speed to Bloodseeker, allowing him to catch up with fleeing enemies through all of his mobility.
- Rupture is a great threat to enemies, causing them to take heavy damage if they move
- High physical damage
- Can go different routes when it comes to build options, can also opt for magical build
Items to buy on Bloodseeker
- Black King Bar - Provides spell immunity, making you invulnerable in the fight
- Monkey King Bar - Increased physical damage, also provides true strike
- Mjolnir - Exceptional for pushing lanes and farming quickly
- Sange and Yasha - Provides decent stats and physical damage
- Abyssal Blade - Can be used to quickly lock down enemy heroes after getting on top of them, allowing you to beat them down with the physical damage
https://dota2.fandom.com/wiki/Bloodseeker
13. Riki
Riki, the 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. Beginners have a hard time trying to track him down as he can’t be seen! 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.
Why is Riki a great beginner hero?
- 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.
Items to buy on Riki
- Diffusal Blade - Slows enemies and obliterates their mana pool
- Abyssal Blade - Can bash enemies and prevent him from TP’ing, Manta Style
- Eye of Skadi - Great for reducing enemy regen under also provides stats.
- Black King Bar - Provides spell immunity from all of enemy magic damage spells, making him invulnerable in the fight
- Daedalus - Immense critical damage
https://dota2.fandom.com/wiki/Riki
12. Axe
Mogul Khan, the Axe is a lethal and ferocious force to face in the game. Most beginners hate this hero as they do not know how to counter him. He deals immense physical damage right off the bat, which is quite unheard of in the early stages of the game, but Axe is one noble exception! A few Counter Helix spins and boom you’re dead.
It gets messy to communicate with your team as you have more units around you, the more damage the Axe Call does. No matter how farmed you are as a carry hero, all it takes is one Axe Blink Call to get you down to 0 HP in no time.
Why is Axe a great hero for beginners?
- Berserker's Call helps to lock down multiple enemy heroes at once
- Counter Helix combined with Blade Mail clears waves quickly.
- Great Tank hero (can be in the frontlines and absorb a ton of damage)
- Offers great initiation, allowing his team to follow up.
Items to Buy on Axe
- Blink Dagger - Great for gap closing or initiating
- Blademail - Reflects back enemy damage upon activation, great with Call and Counter Helix
- Black King Bar - Provides spell immunity, making you invulnerable in the fight
- Force Staff - Another great tool to close gaps or escape the fight
- Crimson Guard - Provides immense physical damage block, also affects the whole team
- Heaven’s Halberd - Can disarm enemy heroes, making them unable to attack for a few seconds
https://dota2.fandom.com/wiki/Axe
11. Dragon Knight
Davion, the Dragon Knight is a classic tank hero, his high strength and high HP nature fit the glove. All these tanky attributes make him a great fit in a beginner’s hero pool. He also does not crack despite numerous enemies trying to gank him, his armor shall never betray him (at least in the early stages of the game).
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.
Why is Dragon Knight great for beginners?
- High armor makes him hard to gank
- Can push lanes and farmly fast
- Does not require much farm to gank
Items to buy on Dragon Knight
- Blink Dagger - Great for gap closing or initiating
- Shadow Blade - Provides invisibility which can be used to escape or set up on enemy heroes
- Assault Cuirass - Immense armor gain, also reduces enemy armor at the same time
- Heaven’s Halberd - Useful for Disarm, making enemies unable to attack for a few seconds
- Black King Bar - Provides spell immunity, making you invulnerable in the fight
https://dota2.fandom.com/wiki/Dragon_Knight
10. Jakiro
Jakiro, the twin-headed dragon has ravaged wars with the balance of his cold-blooded vengeance and scorching wrath. Mostly played in the safe lane or in the off-lane as a support, there is not much interaction with enemies in the early game, but the mid and late game can be easily controlled by Jakiro as he deals immense magic damage with decent lockdowns.
Most enemies are squishy which means all you need as a Jakiro is a Veil of Discord and Rod of Atos to get the job done. All his magic damage makes him a beginner’s delight.
Why is Jakiro a beginner-friendly hero?
- Jakiro has 3 damage over time spells, Dual Breath and Liquid Fire) and 1 affecting an entire area ( Macropyre), making it easy for him to disable enemies to deal immense damage.
- Ice Path is also strong against his enemies, catching them off-guard.
Items to Buy on Jakiro
- Glimmer Cape - Provides invisibility, can also be used on allies to escape or to initiate on foes
- Aether Lens - Increased cast range on spells and items
- Veil of Discord - Deals amplified magic damage in an AoE
- Rod of Atos - Allows Jakiro to lock an enemydown and prevents them from using any spells
- Force Staff - Another great tool to close gaps or escape the fight
https://dota2.fandom.com/wiki/Jakiro
9. Drow Ranger
Drow Ranger, the 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. Her silence is the selling point, as it is an AoE ability that affects various heroes for a long duration.
She can destroy enemies effortlessly as she acquires items and gains levels. Having a high attack range provides her with an edge over her foes, making her a perfect addition to a beginner’s hero pool.
Why is Drow Ranger a great beginner hero?
- High physical damage output
- High base armor and movement speed
- Can mow down towers and squishy heroes easily
- Great disabler
Items to buy on Drow Ranger
- Hurricane Pike - Allows her to close the gap and deal immense damage to the targetted enemy, also provides decent stats
- Silver Edge - Provides invisibility and damage on first hit, which can be used to escape or set up on Drow
- Monkey King Bar - Increased physical damage, also provides true strike
- Butterfly - Increased evasion, agility, and movement speed
- Daedalus - Immense critical damage
https://dota2.fandom.com/wiki/Drow_Ranger
8. Bristelback
The brave Bristleback has quite literally been a thorn in the side for every other hero in the game in the recent meta. He takes no damage while dealing quite a ton of damage and neutralizing his foes! Often considered to be an obnoxious laner, he is hated with passion by millions of dota players all over the world due to the fact that he does not even have to press many buttons in order to have any impact.
Bristleback is quite the fun hero to play since all he does is spam his spells, which he can do effortlessly as he is backed by his insanely high armor. This proves why he is one of the best beginner heroes, you barely do anything and still get kills!
Why is Bristleback a great beginner hero?
- Low Cooldown on spells
- Only has two active abilities, but both are extremely strong in the late game
- High kill potential and sustainability
Items to buy on Bristleback
- Ethereal Shroud - Converts magical damage into mana upon usage and passively offers spell lifesteal
- Aghanim’s Scepter - Makes Nasal Goo AoE and increases Warpath damage
- Kaya and Sange - Increased mana regen and overall stat gain
- Octraine Core - Provides spell lifesteal and stats, immense survivability
- Blademail - Reflects back enemy damage upon activation
https://dota2.fandom.com/wiki/Bristleback
7. Sven
Sven, the rogue knight is known for inducing fear into his enemy’s minds, his fierce moves and heavy damage scare all the foes away. Sven is known to be one of the best carry heroes in the game for beginners. There are various reasons why Sven is on this list. He has it all, AoE stun, ease of farming, movement speed, and double damage with the help of his ultimate.
Sven is capable of dominating the battlefield all by himself! The items only supplement his abilities and enhance his presence during team fights. His damage can’t be negated so easily in the early game.
Why makes Sven a great hero for beginners?
- Can 1 hit kill squishy heroes
- Can easily 1v5 with lifesteal and damage items.
- His AoE stun, Storm Hammer, is a useful crowd control spell.
Items to buy on Sven
- Echo Sabre - Grants decent stat gain along with immense damage and attack speed
- Assault Cuirass - Immense armor gain, also reduces enemy armor at the same time
- Black King Bar - Provides spell immunity, making you invulnerable in the fight
- Bloodthorn - Silences and deals immense damage at the end of the duration
- Satanic - Can quickly heal up on physical attacks upon activation, also provides basic dispel from the latter.
- Silver Edge - Provides invisibility and damage on first hit, which can be used to escape or set up on enemies or to escape.
https://dota2.fandom.com/wiki/Sven
6. Lion
Lion is considered to be sent from the deepest hells, he is the best disabler hero in the game. Heis a beginner’s favorite, primarily due to his ease of spells and high burst damage potential. The notorious Lion can often rotate and gank other lanes at early levels.
Lion is known for his chain-disable, which makes him a threat even in the late game. His Hex into Earth Spike is quite the deadly combo that can cause lethal damage with follow-up from his allies!
What makes Lion a great hero for beginners?
- Earth Spike deals AoE damage and stuns multiple enemies
- Hex turns enemies into frogs, making them unable to use items or spells
- Low CD on spells
Items to buy on Lion
- Blink Dagger - Great for gap closing or initiating on enemy heroes
- Force Staff - Another great tool to close gaps or escape the fight
- Ghost Scepter - Prevents enemy heroes from attacking him
- Aether Lens - Increased cast range
- Aghanim’s Shard and Scepter - Makes Finger AoE with Scepter and gives AoE mana drain with Shard
5. Witch Doctor
If you’re a new 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 due to his ease of lockdown and damage as well as his general 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 with the help of his Death Ward.
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.
Items to buy on Witch Doctor
- Glimmer Cape - Provides invisibility to Witch Doctor, can also be used on allies to escape or to initiate on enemy heroes
- Force Staff - Another great tool to close gaps or escape the fight
- Aghanim’s Scepter and Shard - Turns himself into a Death Ward with Shard and Scepter allows the Death Ward damage to bounce between enemy heroes
- Ghost Scepter - Prevents enemy heroes from attacking him, provides decent survivability
- Guardian Greaves - Provides dispel and heals the entire team
https://dota2.fandom.com/wiki/Witch_Doctor
4. Juggernaut
It is impossible to contain the masked samurai Juggernaut if he unleashes his true potential. He is considered to be a beginner-friendly hero due to his ease of spells but only the advanced players understand the true potential and mechanics of this hero, as he hits hard right off the bat! Not only is he great at farming, but he can also control the tempo with his ultimate.
Juggernaut is also known as one of the most flexible heroes in the game in terms of item builds, there are various different skill builds that you can also follow to ensure you have the upper hand and dominate the game effortlessly.
Why is Juggernaut great for beginners?
- Does more with levels as opposed to farm.
- Great base movement speed, armor, and attack speed.
- Great talent tree that scales well with items.
Items to buy on Juggernaut
- Diffusal Blade - Useful to slow down foes and burns their mana
- Sange and Yasha - Provides decent stats and physical damage
- Aghanim’s Scepter and shard - Provides increased number of slashes with Scepter and grants a mini-slash with Shard
- Butterfly - Increased evasion, agility, and movement speed
- Eye of Skadi - Great for reducing enemy regen while also providing stats.
https://dota2.fandom.com/wiki/Juggernaut
3. Sniper
Sniper may appear to be a harmless dwarf but don’t let his appearance deceive you! He has made millions of new players rage quit all around the world, as he is a beginner’s delight. 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.
Why is Sniper a great hero for beginners?
- High base attack range and movement speed
- AoE spell that accelerates his farm
- Flexible build potential
Items to buy on Sniper
- Hurricane Pike - Allows him to close the gap and deal immense damage to enemy heroes, also provides decent stats
- Mjolnir - Exceptional for pushing lanes and farming quickly
- Monkey King Bar - Increased physical damage, also provides true strike
- Daedalus - Provides immense critical damage
- Black King Bar - Provides spell immunity, making you invulnerable in the fight
https://dota2.fandom.com/wiki/Sniper
2. Crystal Maiden
This frost queen has captured lots of hearts in the game, she is known to be ruthless towards her enemies. Crystal Maiden is one of the least complex heroes in the game, making her extremely beginner friendly due to the ease of use of her spells, which explains her high pick rate.
Crystal Maiden 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.
Why is Crystal Maiden great for beginners?
- High magical output
- Immense lock down potential
- Global mana supply
- High AoE spells that help her deal damage
Items to buy on Crystal Maiden
- Force Staff - Another great tool to close gaps or escape the fight
- Glimmer Cape - Provides invisibility, can also be used on allies to escape or to initiate on enemy heroes
- Ghost Scepter - Prevents foes from attacking her, saving her from getting 1 hit by enemy cores in teamfight
- Black King Bar - Provides spell immunity, making you invulnerable in the fight
- Aether Lens - Increased cast range
- Aeon Disk - Saves her from getting burst quickly from foes and also applies a basic dispel
https://dota2.fandom.com/wiki/Crystal_Maiden
1. Zeus
There are various reasons why Zeus proves to be one of the best beginner-friendly heroes in the game, this is highly attributed to his extreme DPS spells and wave clearance abilities. He is a must-play hero as he is very annoying against his enemies right from the laning phase. He can dish out some serious damage with spells and constantly harass his opponents.
He is also infamous for having the potential to solo kill enemies from miles away on the map with the right items and levels. Zeus is number 1 on this list due to the damage he dishes out, all his magic damage isn’t negated until the first 20-25 minutes into the game, focing enemy cores to purchase Black King Bar as a first item.
Why is Zeus a great hero for beginners?
- High magical damage and low cooldown on spells!
- High kill potential right off the bat
- Great talent tree that scales well with levels and items
Items to buy on Zeus
- Arcane Blink - Great for gap closing or initiating, reducing spell and item cooldown and providing mana and point reduction on cast
- Octraine Core - Provides spell lifesteal and stats, also provides immense survivability
- Refresher’s Orb - Can refresh spells and items and use them again in quick succession to delete enemies from the fight
- Bloodstone - Provides HP and Mana along with increasing mana gain and grants rapid HP gain on cast
- Aghanim’s Scepter - Nimbus upgrade that is exceptional during teamfights, increases the mana gain
https://dota2.fandom.com/wiki/Zeus
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