Dota 2 can be overwhelming for new players. There are currently 123 heroes in the game. Each hero has different spells, and each has specific strengths and weaknesses. There are a ton of items in the shop. And on top of that, there are also neutral items that drop from jungle creeps. You will need to play a lot of matches just to get a grasp of the game. If you want to start playing Dota 2, it is advised that you stick to one role.
There are 5 core roles in the game: Carry, Mid, Offlane, Soft Support and Hard Support. Each has different responsibilities. For example, if you play Hard Support, you should buy wards, stack jungle camps, and buy items that help your team. On the other hand, if you play Carry, you will be the one who farms and wins the game.
Dota 2 complex team game, each role has its difficulties and is equally important, so you should pick the one that suits you and stick to it until you master it. In this article, we will rank the easiest to the hardest roles for beginners.
5. Hard Support (easiest)
Hard Support - Dazzle
As Hard Support, your main goal is to help your teammates. Most of the Hard Support heroes have some kind of healing or saving spell. This role is also called Position 5. This is a ranking based on farm priority, where position 1 farms the most and position 5 the least.
Hard Supports are most important in the first 10 minutes, when their spells deal the most damage. Later in the game, Hard Supports take care of the vision for their team. They buy Observer and Sentry Wards, place them and deward enemy vision. Your item build will consist of saving and healing items like Force Staff, Glimmer Cape, or Mekanism.
This is the easiest role because it requires the least knowledge of game mechanics. To master this role, you will need to learn how to stack, when to pull camps, and most importantly. how to position yourself in team fights because you will be the easiest target for enemies. The best heroes for this position are Crystal Maiden, Dazzle, Warlock, Oracle, or Undying.
Hard Support's Responsibilities:
- Take care of vision. Place Observer and Sentry Wards, deward enemy wards. If the enemy has heroes that have invisibility, buy Dust of Appearance or Gem of True Sight to reveal them. And carry the Smoke of Deceit in case you want to gank an enemy.
- You "babysit" your Carry, and try to make his game as easy as possible. Stack jungle and ancient camps for your Carry.
- Heal or save your teammates with your abilities and items.
How To Play Hard Support Like a Pro:
- Study the map. Try to find the best spots for wards so they do not get dewarded while giving the best vision.
- Seriously, stack jungle and ancient camps for your carry! Many Support players forget to do that, but this is the best way how you can help your Carry farm faster.
- Be aware of your positioning, do not get caught. This allows you to cast spells and items while remaining safe in the team fights.
Pick This Role if:
- You are someone who likes to help people.
- You are a strategic person because vision is what wins the games.
- You want to learn the basics of the game.
Example players who play this role:
https://liquipedia.net/dota2/Puppey
https://liquipedia.net/dota2/Fly
https://liquipedia.net/dota2/xNova
https://liquipedia.net/dota2/Miposhka
https://liquipedia.net/dota2/INSaNiA
4. Soft Support
Soft Support - Earth Spirit
This position is also known as Roamer or Position 4. Similar to Hard Support, your main goal is to help your teammates. But you take more farms and buy more items. In the early stages of the game, you roam around the map and find kills.
Soft Supports usually lane with Offlaner and try to shut down enemy carries. Most of the heroes that you will play in this position have some kind of play-making spell. The best item for this position is the Blink Dagger.
This is also a strategic heavy position. Soft Supports need to know when to leave their lane to gang other lanes, protect power runes for their midlaner or invade the enemy jungle. The best heroes for this position are Earthshaker, Clockwerk, Mirana, Nyx Assassin, or Eart Spirit.
Soft Support's Responsibilities:
- Create chaos around the map. You gank other lanes and kill enemies.
- Assist your midlane, protect power runes, and assist your midlaner in killing the opposing mid or save him when he is ganked.
- Together with Offlane, you are responsible for initiating and starting team fights.
- Help your Hard Support with warding and dewarding.
How To Play Soft Support Like a Pro:
- You are a space maker. This means you bait enemy heroes and try to waste their time as much as possible.
- You need to be aware of where, on the map, enemy heroes are and which lanes have the best kill potential.
- Learn how to find a farm without stealing away from your cores.
Pick This Role if:do
- You want to be the playmaker for the team.
- You enjoy "bullying" enemy Carry.
- You want to learn about the tempo of the game.
Example players who play this role:
https://liquipedia.net/dota2/Cr1t-
https://liquipedia.net/dota2/DJ
https://liquipedia.net/dota2/XinQ
https://liquipedia.net/dota2/YapzOr
https://liquipedia.net/dota2/Saksa
3. Offlane
Offlane - Centaur Warruner
Your typical Dota 2 team consists of 2 Supports (Hard and Soft) and 3 Cores(Offlane, Mid, Carry). Offlane is the third Core on your team, also referred to as Position 3. This is your typical "beefy", tanky hero. Offlanes are the frontline of your team.
They often buy utility items like Wrath Pact, Assault Cuirass, or Pipe of Insight. Some of the Offlane heroes have big team fight ultimates as Blackhole or Ravage. Together with the Soft Supports, they initiate and start team fights. In team fights, Offlanes try to tank spells and damage for their team. They protect towers and take the most "dangerous" farm. During the laning phase, Offlaners try to deny creeps from enemy caries to make their game harder. The best heroes for this position are Tidehunter, Axe, Beastmaster, Centaur Warrunner, or Underlord.
Offlane's Responsibilities:
- Start the team fights, initiate and bait the enemy. Offlane heroes usually have stuns and slows. They are also heroes with the most HP and magical/physical resistance, so they are the most durable.
- Buy items that help the whole team, such as aura items or items to catch and disable enemies.
- Concentrate on denying creeps from enemy Carry and slowing their game.
How To Play Offlane Like a Pro:
- You are the decoy. Try to bait enemies into a bad position so your team will have an advantageous teamfighting position.
- Take the most dangerous farm, learn when to out-push waves, and where to farm on the enemy side of the map without getting killed.
- Learn how to survive in your lane. Offlanes are often left alone on their lanes. Sometimes they are left in 2v, or even 3v1 situations.
Pick This Role if:
- You like to "go in" first. You want to start big team fights. You like to play on the edge.
- You know how to get the most from an unfavourable position.
- You want to learn about controlling the map, awareness, and map movements.
Example players who play this role:
https://liquipedia.net/dota2/Zai
https://liquipedia.net/dota2/Faith_bian
https://liquipedia.net/dota2/33
https://liquipedia.net/dota2/Collapse
https://liquipedia.net/dota2/ATF
2. Carry
Carry - Drow Ranger
This position is the most straightforward. You hit creeps until you are farmed enough to join the fights and end the game. Carry is also called Position 1 because he takes the highest farm priority. They are the winning condition for their team.
Most of the game Carry focuses on farming and out-pushing. They take the safest farm and avoid the enemy team. In the late game, they are the most important hero on the map. When they join fights, they are able to kill any hero on the enemy team and push objectives. They make calls when it comes to taking Roshan or objectives. The best heroes for this position are Juggernaut, Anti-Mage, Terrorblade, Phantom Assassin, or Drow Ranger.
Carry's Responsibilities:
- Win the game. Carries take the most farm, buy damage-dealing items, and the team makes space for them, so they can finish the game.
- Split push. Carry often farms away from their team and avoids team fights. So, their responsibility is to keep other waves away from the base.
- Make late-game calls, tell their team where and when to fight and what objectives to take.
How To Play Carry Like a Pro:
- Learn about farming patterns and how to be the most efficient farmer.
- Improve your macro game. Make the right decisions about when to join the fight and when to avoid the fight. When to join your team. Recognize your power spikes.
- Buy the right items. Adjust your item build based on the enemy heroes. In some games, you will need more damage, while in other games you will need to buy the Black King Bar to protect yourself from magical damage nukes.
Pick This Role if:
- You like to be "the man of the hour." After farming for most of the game, you come in and kill the whole enemy team.
- You mastered farming patterns and decision-making.
- You want to learn about power spikes.
Example players who play this role:
https://liquipedia.net/dota2/Arteezy
https://liquipedia.net/dota2/Ame
https://liquipedia.net/dota2/Yatoro
https://liquipedia.net/dota2/Ana
https://liquipedia.net/dota2/MATUMBAMAN
1. Midlane (hardest)
Midlane - Queen of Pain
The hardest position for beginners is the Mid, also called position 2. This position is played on the middle lane in the map, against the enemy midlaner. It is a one-on-one lane where the better player wins. When a good Midlaner wins his lane, he can snowball the game pretty fast.
Most Midlane heroes have powerful magical nukes and high mobility. They are the most powerful during the middle game, when they can kill anyone. This is the most difficult role to play because you must understand all of the game mechanics as well as different hero matchups. That is why many Midlane players have relatively small hero pools and play only a few heroes. The best heroes for this position are the spirit brothers (Ember, Storm, and Void Spirit), Invoker, Queen of Pain, Puck, or Tinker.
Midlane's Responsibilities:
- Protect the Mid tower. When your Mid tower is destroyed, the enemy team gains access to your jungle.
- During the majority of the game, Midlaner makes the decisions, while Carry farms.
- During the laning phase, he focuses only on winning his lane. This also means that he has to control power runes.
How To Play Carry Like a Pro:
- Practise your basics. Improve your last-hitting and spellcasting so you can outplay your opponent.
- Master your hero, his weaknesses and strengths. Learn about hero matchups and counters.
- You control the map. Determine the best time to gank side lanes while maintaining your advantage in the midlane. Have a strong map awareness.
Pick This Role if:
- You want to be the star who makes the flashy plays.
- You have the basics of the game grasped.
- You want to learn about hero matchups.
Example players who play this role:
https://liquipedia.net/dota2/Abed
https://liquipedia.net/dota2/NothingToSay
https://liquipedia.net/dota2/Somnus
https://liquipedia.net/dota2/MiCKe
https://liquipedia.net/dota2/Nisha
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