Dota 2 heroes. As arguably the oldest active MOBA today, Dota 2’s rich history is just as fascinating as it is muddled with mechanics that were ported over from the original Defense of the Ancients (DotA). Although this helps make Dota 2 what it is, it also makes the game far more clunky and complicated compared to the more streamlined MOBAs released after it.
While much of Dota 2’s difficulty is due to arguably outdated mechanics, the majority are by design, as the mysterious developer, IceFrog, seems to insist on keeping Dota 2 the way that it is. With that said, Dota 2’s complicated mechanics and steep learning curve have made it one of the least likely games to attract newcomers.
However, every now and then, someone comes along to brave Dota 2 and see what it has to offer.
If you’re one of those players who’s playing Dota 2 for the very first time or have played for a couple of games only, you most likely found yourself elated by the fact that you could pick from a massive pool of 116 heroes from the start, before the eventual confusion regarding which one to pick kicks in.
Even though every Dota 2 hero is complicated in their own right, some are easier to learn compared to others, with mechanics and optimal strategies far simpler to understand without necessarily being weak or underpowered.
With that said, we rounded up 10 of the best beginner heroes for Dota 2 for you to try in your first few games.
1. Crystal Maiden
A hero that can literally do no wrong, Crystal Maiden has it all: a global mana regeneration aura, a nuke, a disabled, and an ultimate that makes her a bit tankier than usual while dropping hail and ice at all enemies around her.
The quintessential support hero, Crystal Maiden may have zero scaling in the hands of a beginner, but that’s actually why she’s so useful.
Players don’t even need to last hit when playing Crystal Maiden. All they need to remember is to cast Crystal Nova (Q) every now and then, while not forgetting to use Frostbite (W) when their team is ganging up on an enemy. Then, when they get jumped, just use Freezing Field (R) and hope that help comes immediately.
Basically, because Crystal Maiden can contribute just by being alive, she has a huge margin of error, especially in the lower ranks.
Crystal Maiden can teach you a lot of the basic skills necessary to excel in Dota 2, including how to position yourself so you don’t keep on dying, which makes her the perfect Dota 2 hero for beginners, even those who don’t want to play support.
2. Ogre Magi
Whereas Crystal Maiden is fragile and quick to die, Ogre Magi is one of the tankiest supports in the game and is supposed to be played aggressively so you can zone out the enemy while in the lane.
Equipped with fairly high starting HP and base armor, Ogre Magi won’t die easily unless you purposely feed him toward the enemy team. As a beginner, this is a blessing.
Ogre Magi is also a hero who literally doesn’t know what he’s doing; his ultimate, Multicast, relies mostly on luck.
Plus, because it pairs with Hands of Midas, an item used to farm fast, Ogre Magi is the sort of support hero that you can play without necessarily being dirt poor even if you end up buying all of the support items such as Observer Wards and Sentry Wards, among others.
Ogre Magi is a fairly basic hero that you can rely on for disables and buffs. However, once you learn to play the hero right, you can easily floor other Dota 2 players with his spells.
3. Wraith King
A hero that used to have one active spell, Wraith King has since been revamped to include summons in his tool set. Even then, that doesn’t make him any more complicated. In fact, he pretty much remains one of the few Dota 2 heroes where you only need to push a button or two to engage.
Most important of all, Wraith King’s ultimate allows him to revive after a specified amount of time in the middle of the battle fight, which makes him a lot more forgiving to try out, especially if you’re new to playing carries and tanks.
4. Sven
Sure, you might have to press more buttons for Sven — Storm Bolt (Q), Warcry (E), and God’s Strength (R) are all active skills — but he’s also arguably a lot tankier, and once his God’s Strength buff is on, he’s the sort of hero that no one really wants to face off against with. Also, in lower ranks, you’d be surprised to how many players will try to challenge you at the peak of your ultimate.
With a fairly simple optimal skill build and item build to follow, the strength-hero Sven is really easy to play and yet, has huge potential to do a lot of damage.
5. Tidehunter
Tidehunter’s build is pretty simple — you need a Blink Dagger.
Once you have that, you’re pretty much set. You can build anything else you want, provided that it makes you tankier and harder to kill, of which there are a lot of in Dota 2.
6. Axe
Similar to Tidehunter, the strength-hero Axe is a core hero in Dota 2 that has a lot of potential to turn the tides of the battle and tilt it towards his team’s favor with the use of a trusty Blink Dagger at the most opportune time.
Playing Axe will teach you a lot about awareness and positioning, especially because you’ll want to be blinking into the thick of things where you can catch enemies off of their guards and allow your team to throw all of their damage at them.
Just don’t forget that, while fairly tanky, Axe is not a one-man army (regardless of how much he says that he is in-game).
7. Zeus
Zeus is an all-out nuker. His playstyle is evident right from the onset, as your goal is pretty much to dish out as many spells in as little time as possible to your enemies. Not to mention, Zeus has a global nuke that hits every hero alive on the map, making him very annoying to deal with as he can literally kill any hero from afar.
Zeus can also be played as a support, so if you don’t want to play him as a mid, feel free to move to the side lanes and help your cores instead of trying to be a core yourself.
With how simple it is to play Zeus and how much you can count on your talents to land, it is nearly difficult to make a mistake with him unless you intentionally try.
8. Bristleback
While Tidehunter, Axe, Wraith King, and Sven, all can tank and dish out damage, none of them can do both at the same time as Bristleback can.
For novices, who will probably be constantly clicking the mouse back to the base, Brattleback is ideal because of his ability to essentially send damage back to the opponents the more they strike him from behind.
With a tank and a bruiser all in one, Bristleback is definitely one of the best Dota 2 characters for beginners.
9. Warlock
Warlock has a heal, slow, skill that lets him do damage to an entire group of creeps or heroes, and an ultimate that drops down a huge hulking meteor from above to summon a golem that will fight for you until it dies.
You don’t even need to know the names of Warlock’s skills to know that he is fairly simple to play.
As an added bonus of playing Warlock, you’ll get to learn how to play the lanes as a carry since you’ll be adjusting a lot to your landing partner as you help enable him to his fullest potential.
10. Lion
With two disables, mana-draining abilities, and a lethal ultimate, Lion is ideal for beginners learning to gank, rotate, and map impact in Dota 2. Popular among pro players, there’s plenty of footage to watch for mastering the hero. Even at your worst, you can make an impact and secure kills with Lion.
Don’t be afraid to be accused of killing or stealing as well. It is far preferable to get a kill for your team with your ultimate, Finger of Death, than to let someone escape out of concern that they would be flamed for kill thefts.
It’s Your Turn to Pick
New players can benefit by starting with beginner-friendly Dota 2 heroes, practicing against bots, or using the last-hit trainer to familiarize themselves. However, if you insist, diving into public matchmaking right away lets you experience the magic and wonder of Dota 2 gameplay with other players.
So, what are waiting for? Good luck and have fun! Interested in the e-sports scene of Dota 2? Then make sure to read our Best Dota 2 Teams.
