Dota has over 120 heroes, all of which, are highly powerful in their own ways. Some deal exceptional damage while some prevent the other heroes from doing any damage. Most heroes in the game, as we experienced players know, take a lot of time and practice to learn and certainly aren’t suited for beginners who have just started the game. Thankfully, there are various heroes who by design are beginner-friendly.
There are a plethora of heroes in the game, but not all of them are beginner-friendly. To help new players understand the game quickly and guide them in their Dota journey, we have ranked the Best 15 Newbie Heroes that are Fun and Powerful.
15. Dragon Knight
Davion, the Dragon Knight is a classic mid hero, his high strength and high HP nature fit the glove. He does not fall despite enemies trying to gank him, 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 a beginner’s favorite due to the ease of play, as no beginner would like to start with squishy heroes that die every two minutes.
It is quite obvious that his foes will try to counter him in the late game by building items that can cause immense harm to his armor, but Dragon Knight is a highly dominant and resilient hero in the late game. His armor isn’t easily threatened, he can also build items to increase his already gigantic and tough armor. He also transforms into a devastating killing machine as the late game approaches, absorbing all the damage from the frontlines and demolishing his foes within no time.
Why is Dragon Knight a great newbie hero?
- Dragon’s Blood provides immense tank potential, he has increased armor as well as HP regeneration.
- Dragon Knight also relies more on levels as opposed to farms, allowing him to gank lanes as soon as he acquires his ultimate.
- Dragon Knight is also a flexible hero, as he can be played in all the core positions with varying skill builds.
- Dragon’s Breath reduces the physical damage dealt by the enemies by a huge margin, making it easy for Dragon Knight to tank his way into the teamfights.
14. Viper
The venomous Viper knows no bounds and is on the same list when it comes to the most hated heroes in the game. New players can benefit from playing this hero against squishy heroes like Zeus, Puck, and Queen of Pain, as it is a free win! They have to use his spells to last hit against the eighty Viper which in turn cost them a great deal of mana. The DPS and slow from his spells are also quite annoying to play against as a squishy low HP hero. Viper’s potential is unmatched as he only gets stronger in the late game, allowing him to sustain himself against multiple heroes.
Picking a squishy hero against Viper is essentially just throwing the game away! Most players despise Viper as he makes their presence and impact disappear from the game. Viper has the range advantage so melee can’t freely come within the attack range to the last hit, making them abandon the lane entirely. His ultimate, Viper Strike isn’t even needed to kill certain heroes as only his Poison Attack is enough to do the job. Viper is highly lethal right from the laning phase, and his late game is only amplified by the items he purchases!
Why is Viper a great newbie hero?
- Relies more on levels than items, making him able to gank right from the early levels
- Immense attack and movement speed right off the bat
- Immense magical damage which enemy heroes find hard to negate in the early game.
- Annoying to squishy heroes with his DoT (Damage over time)
13. Zeus
Zeus, the Thundergod is quite undoubtedly a great pick if you are just starting. Zeus fares extremely well if he is laning against certain heroes as he can smite them down in the early game as soon as he reaches level six. This allows him to gank other lanes without even being there! Zeus is also an excellent farmer, allowing him to acquire multiple items to help him further dominate the game. The game gets slightly icky if the enemies get magic resistance items but as long as Zeus is in the backlines, he can pump out enough damage to turn the tides in his favor.
Zeus acquires items like Aether Lens and Veil of Discord, squish mid heroes can’t handle the DPS, which proves to be extremely lethal. Ideally, most heroes do not want to build a BKB, but facing a magical Zeus will force them to opt for it, slowing down their progress on other more useful items, which can give his carry an edge over them in the late game. The late game is where Zeus is known to shine bright like a star.
Why is Zeus a great newbie hero?
- Zeus' abilities deal high amounts of burst magical damage, which ignores the high armor of certain heroes.
- Can reveal invisible heroes with Lighting Bolt while also dealing significant damage to them.
- His spells deal immense magical damage which enemies find hard to contain in the early stages of the game.
- He is an annoying laner, making his mid-counterpart ferry in regen items or goes back to the base.
- Zeus' Arc Lightning is also a good way to destroy illusions
12. Death Prophet
The chilling Death Prophet looms over her prey, foreshadowing their existence and planning her every move toward chaos! Seeing Death Prophet in pub games is quite a common sight in the recent meta, as she is a textbook counterpick to massive spell-casting heroes or heroes with ways of slipping out of a teamfight. The latter is obliterated in the laning phase as is subjected to constant harassment and also has the attack range disadvantage. She is a beginner’s delight due to her impeccable damage and disables.
DP can ward enemies off the lane with her Spirit Siphon, further solidifying her lead in the early game. Late-game Death Prophet is a whole different beast as her ultimate, Exorcism allows her to fight well and take down towers. It also heals her at the end of the duration. The game can essentially be over for the enemy laner if Death Prophet manages to silence them and have all her Exorcism spirits target them. In 7.33, Death Prophet has proved to have a massive impact with her Exorcism, which explains her high pick rate.
Why is Death Prophet a great newbie hero?
- Death Prophet can return the harassment to the enemy laner with her spamable spells.
- She has a long-duration silence, which can help remove enemies from teamfights
- She is relevant even in the late game due to Exorcism and the damage it can do to both buildings and heroes, which is exceptional.
- She is an excellent mid-laner due to her durability in both the laning phase as well as the late-game.
11. Bloodseeker
Bloodseeker is highly relevant right from the laning phase as his damage is significant enough to deal some serious damage right from the get-go. If combined with solid laning support, there is no way the enemy heroes get a chance to escape alive in the initial stages of the game. Even if the game does not go well for Bloodseeker, he can always retreat to the jungle where he can farm and sustain himself quite effortlessly with his spells.
The cold-blooded hunter Bloodseeker is known for his mania and vigor. His blades cut deep into his foes, he leaves them bleeding and heavily wounded. He is a lethal force that can never go unnoticed. Bloodseeker can effortlessly jungle or lane, as he is blessed with high base armor as well as high attack speed. His passive sustain him in the lane, allowing him to play aggressively. He can gank other lanes with the availability of his ultimate, often removing heroes from a team fight.
What Makes Bloodseeker a great newbie hero?
- Thirst provides increased movement speed and vision to hunt and kill low HP enemies.
- He gains a maximum of 25% of unit health as healing after killing them, which makes him sustainable as a jungler.
- Massive AoE of Blood Rite, if used efficiently, can lead to both enemy and neutral kills.
- High base attack speed is amplified by Bloodrage.
10. Lina
You should never play with fire, or you’ll end up getting burnt! Lina smokes her enemies with her insane magical burst damage, there is no way you recover from this arson. Lina can be an exceptional addition to your team if you lack magic damage. She is a tough nut to crack in the mid-lane, constantly harassing her counterpart and showing them off the lane. In the mid-game, he 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 has multiple builds which ensure nothing but pain and anguish to her opponents, making her a highly flexible mid-hero, a luxury that not all mid-heroes get to have!
Lina’s fiery gameplay cauterizes her enemies, and her quick and dreadful spells burn down her foes within no time. Lina is an exceptional laner due to her quick and spammable magic damage which mows down her foes. She also does not fall off quickly in the late game as she can go the physical damage route if her magical damage seems to wear off. Apart from being great in the lane, she is also great in the later stages of the game as she acquires items and turns into a damage-dealing turret!
Why is Lina a great newbie hero?
- Immense magic burst potential right from the laning stage allowing her to decimate enemies quickly.
- Her spells are spammable and AoE, helping her farm faster and acquire more items.
- Can easily harass/kill enemy heroes after getting her ultimate.
- Can participate in teamfights as soon as she acquires her ultimate.
9. Wraith King
Most players struggle to deal with the Wrath of the Wraith King! The vampire king is simply too strong in the current meta to just be ignored like that. Wraith King is one of those few heroes who beginners love playing because of his simple toolkit. The laning phase can slightly favor the foes but the late game is a witness to utter chaos and domination from the side of the Wraith King. He can split push with the battalion of his skeletons while he farms away securely, preparing himself for a team fight. He has only one active spell, which makes it easy for beginners to understand the game mechanics while they play a simple hero.
Wraith King is also a great counterpick to most carry heroes due to his tanky nature. His immense lifesteal and crit make him a durable and lethal hero in teamfights. Speaking of teamfights, most heroes do not stand a chance in fights when Wraith King gets his Reincarnate and Black King Bar. He can simply negate all the damage dished out, and in turn, deals truckloads of physical damage to his enemies. Most heroes fall off in the late game as they find it hard to both survive and have an impact, which is a struggle that Wraith King does not relate to!
Why is Wraith King a great newbie hero?
- With the help of his skeleton army and lifesteal, Wraith King can bulldoze through towers and push quite effortlessly.
- Massive crit chance from his passive, helping him deal high damage in a fight.
- Does not die easily as he is tanky, but if he manages to die he can reincarnate with the help of his ultimate.
- Wraith King is also largely sustainable from the laning phase and farms quicker than most carry heroes.
8. Crystal Maiden
Crystal Maiden is the perfect beginner’s support hero regardless of the meta. She can be picked in tandem with any carry hero and nine out of the ten times their lane combo will be victorious. She has all the spells that her enemies hate! Everything from decent AoE damage to lockdown, there are ways to dominate the low magic-resistant heroes. Often, laning is a nightmare for her opponents as they are subjected to constant harassment, shoving them out of the lane. Crystal Maiden does her best when she has levels, making her more relevant as she can participate in teamfights.
Crystal Maiden is by far, one of the least complex support heroes in the game, which explains her high pick rate, she can easily catch her enemies off-guard with her Frost Bite and unleash her Frost Nova on them. She is an exceptional laner, a dominant fighter, and all in all a great way to counter multiple heroes at once with her intense AoE damage. Her toolkit is highly lethal, it does not fall off no matter how late you are in the game. All it takes is one spell to catch unsuspecting enemies off-guard.
What makes Crystal Maiden a great newbie hero?
- Impressive spells can be used to lock enemies down and deal damage right from the laning phase.
- Her passive provides global mana regeneration, helping all her allied heroes with their mana regardless of their position on the map.
- She can farm quickly to acquire items, making her active support
- Highly relevant in the late game as her spells do not fall off, they’re only amplified due to her talent tree and items.
- Ultimate can be used in tandem with any ally who has crowd control abilities, allowing her to neutralize multiple enemies at once.
7. Spirit Breaker
Ferocious and roaming heroes, like Spirit Breaker, pose a significant threat to squishy counterparts due to their lack of armor and HP. Surviving the relentless assault of Spirit Breaker can be extremely challenging, as the impact feels akin to being struck by a powerful force. Beyond the raw damage output, Spirit Breaker's global presence with abilities like Charge of Darkness forces heroes to remain cautious, limiting their farming locations to secure areas on the map.
While some heroes may opt to purchase Black King Bar for spell immunity, it proves ineffective against Spirit Breaker's bashes and Nether Strike, which can bypass such defenses. Although Spirit Breaker may face difficulties in the late game as other heroes catch up in terms of a farm, his primary role revolves around ganking high-priority targets or providing vision for allies to initiate ganks. This constant disruption and interference can greatly hinder heroes from playing to their full potential and negatively impact their overall game performance.
Why is Spirit Breaker a great newbie hero?
- Charge of Darkness enables Spirit Breaker to gank vulnerable heroes in the early game, disrupting their ability to accumulate important resources.
- The combination of Nether Strike and Charge of Darkness can effectively interrupt a hero's attempt to unleash a powerful ultimate.
- Spirit Breaker proves to be a formidable foe, possessing multiple tools such as Bash, Charge, and Nether Strike that can significantly destroy an enemy hero.
- When Spirit Breaker charges onto a target, he can easily use Dust of Appearance to ensure visibility on them even while they are stunned.
6. Bristleback
Bristleback is an exceptional tanky hero as he can just keep on disrupting his lane by constantly harassing other heroes without much retaliation due to his high armor and tanky nature thanks to his Bristleback ability. Enemies virtually do zero damage to Bristleback as he has decent HP and armor along with decent armor reduction, while most heroes have low armor as they lane against this grumpy porcupine. He also farms exceptionally and does a great deal of damage to squishy heroes right from the early game, while they need more levels to prove any useful against him.
There are many reasons why Bristleback has quite literally been a thorn in the side of most heroes in the current meta. He takes no damage while dealing quite a ton of damage in return to him. He is an obnoxious laner, he is but he is quite the fun hero to play since all he does is spam his spells without thinking too much, which he can do effortlessly as he is backed by his insanely high armor, which makes him such a delight for new players to pick. He makes them feel invincible!
Why is Bristleback a great newbie hero?
- Bristleback has high physical damage output due to his ultimate, Warpath
- Bristleback is extremely tanky right off the bat due to his immense base HP, which allows him to sustain in teamfights.
- He also has a low cooldown on spells, allowing him to spam them on enemies
- Bristle only has two active abilities, but both are extremely strong in the late game
- High base armor and movement speed right off the bat
5. Phantom Assassin
The lethal and cutthroat damage of Phantom Assassin is often praised by many and feared by all. She is known to rip through her enemies like it's no big thing. Most heroes can’t survive the onslaught of Phantom Assassin due to her high physical damage right from the laning phase. The lack of mobility in enemy heroes makes it easy for Phantom Assassin to catch up to them and turn them into dust. She also farms extremely well due to her mobility. Her damage just gets out of hand in the late game as she acquires more items and gets more kills due to it.
The recent meta has seen Phantom Assassin obliterate squishy supports in just a few hits. She is agile and silent in her moves, as an assassin generally is, while also being one of the most-played carry heroes in the game due to her ease of spells. Phantom Assassin has great base movement and attack speed, which is rarely found in a carry hero. Her spells may seem underwhelming in the early game but as she reaches the late-game mark, she can do a lot with just one Stifling Dagger.
What makes Phantom Assassin a great newbie hero?
- Due to her ultimate, Phantom Assasin has incredibly high physical damage potential
- With the help of just a few items, Phantom Assassin can dominate the battlefield, unlike some heroes that take ages to be powerful
- Phantom Assassin can jump on unsuspecting enemies and take them out with her burst damage, it also allows her to pounce on allies to escape sticky situations.
- Her ability, Blur, allows her to dodge enemy attacks, making it difficult for the opposing team to kill her.
4. Riki
Riki, the silent assassin, has toppled kingdoms and destroyed his enemies with ease. His unparalleled swiftness and elusiveness render him invisible to all but the most perceptive of players. Novices are confounded by his ability to remain hidden, but for seasoned players, he is the quintessential carry hero. When partnered with suitable lane support, Riki becomes an unstoppable threat, easily bulldozing through his enemies after just a few early kills. His invisibility is his most compelling trait, particularly to newer players who find it fascinating. With the help of his Blink Strike, he frequently roams to other lanes in the early game, pouncing upon unsuspecting foes with deadly precision.
Riki's potential as a carry hero doesn’t just rely on his abilities but his true potential is unleashed with the right items. With items like Diffusal Blade, Riki can amplify his physical damage output and mana-burn enemies, depleting their mana and slowing them down. Abyssal Blade grants him additional lockdown and control, allowing him to stun and paralyze enemies easily. The combination of these items can make Riki an unstoppable force, a terrifying prospect for the enemy team to face.
Why is Riki a great newbie hero?
- With his ultimate, Cloak and Dagger, Riki can move across the map without being seen, making him a sneaky assassin.
- He can escape or initiate a fight with the help of Blink Strike, dealing immense damage and also getting out of a sticky situation
- With the Tricks of Trade ability, Riki can purge off any negative debuffs and dodge any harmful spells coming his way.
- With Smoke Screen, Riki can disable enemies from using spells
- Riki’s damage output is multiplied tenfold with the help of the items that he purchases, such as Diffusal Blade and Abyssal Blade
3. Sniper
Looks are often deceiving, this dwarf marksman is the stuff nightmares are made of. Sniper’s significant attack range makes it quite hard for melee heroes especially to target him, while the marksman can simply demolish them with his attack damage. If there is one hero that most players could permanently delete then it would have to be the annoying yet lethal Sniper! He is highly reliable due to his immense range which allows him to attack safely from the backlines while his team tanks in the front lines. The reason why Sniper is on this list is due to his ability to participate in the teamfights from the early game, without being much reliant on items.
The late game can be quite tricky for the Sniper as enemies can close the gap with the help of items like Blink Dagger or Shadow Blade, as they allow him to get on top of the dwarf and beat him down. Positioning is always the key while playing against such mobile heroes. A good Sniper player can have an impact in teamfights without being in the forefront. All his items grant him ungodly amounts of damage which can ruin the game of the Void if he does not lock him down.
Why is Sniper a great newbie hero?
- Shrapnel accelerates his farm, while also annoying enemies in the early game, shoving them off the lane.
- High base attack range and movement speed right off the bat which helps him deal ungodly damage within no time.
- Sniper has flexible build potential, making it easy for him to change builds depending on who he is facing
- Excellent Aghanim’s Scepter upgrade which can be used to stun enemies with his ultimate, Assassinate, providing a way for you to lock enemies and beat them down within no time.
- Great talent tree that scales extremely well with items in the later stages of the game.
2. Lion
Lion is one of those support heroes who fit any matchup, his versatility is highly unparalleled in the current meta. Lion is played by both beginners and professionals, as he works in every single skill bracket. He has multiple spells which can be used to disable his enemies while allowing him to deal damage to them at the same time. He is strong right from the early game as his lockdown followed by some damage from his team can neutralize enemies
Lion cripples enemies right from the laning phase. He can also drain their mana, turn them into powerless frogs, and all in all, make them highly useless. Lion also has very lethal nuke damage with his Finger of Death ultimate, which can further be amplified with the number of kills he gets with it, allowing a possibility of one-shotting his foes in the later stages of the game. Most heroes are essentially melee or ranged creep against Lion if they do not have a good start in the game.
What makes Lion a great newbie hero?
- Lion is known to have a decent cast range for spells, which is further amplified with the items he gets.
- Multiple disables, can be used to chain stun and cripple his enemies right from the early game.
- High burst damage and magical output that scales well in the later stages of the game.
- Highly relevant in any matchup due to his spell combinations.
1. Sven
Sven, the rogue knight, is a deadly carry hero who deals ungodly physical damage. His toolkit allows him to lock down enemies or charge at them with increased movement speed, making it impossible for them to escape his wrath. Sven's abilities are enough to dominate the battlefield, with items only complementing his strength in team fights. Sven’s pub appearances were low before this patch, but with the buffs to his cleave and ultimate, he has quickly risen through the ranks as one of the most-played carries heroes in this meta.
There are several reasons why Sven is considered a powerful carry hero. His kit allows him to dominate and lock down even the toughest enemies, while his farming ability and item progression enable him to gain a significant advantage as the game progresses. Sven is capable of taking on entire teams by himself, especially in the late game, making him a nightmare for weaker opponents. His strength lies in his ability to face multiple heroes at once without crumbling, thanks to items like Satanic, Daedalus, and his massive physical damage.
What makes Sven a great newbie hero?
- Sven’s cleave allows him to deal high damage in an AoE, which makes him easy for him to farm creeps and deal damage to multiple heroes in a fight if combined with his ultimate.
- Warcry provides Sven and his nearby allies with increased movement speed as well as armor which help them sustain a teamfight.
- Sven can also lock enemy’s down with his Storm Hammer which stuns multiple units in an AoE, allowing him to mow down his enemies while they’re stunned.
- Sven has the toolkit to dominate the battlefield and fight multiple heroes at once.
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