Dota 2 has a steep learning curve.

With over 120 heroes (unique in-game characters) and infinite possibilities for itemization, it can startle newcomers. While some heroes in Dota 2 are easy to play, others may require years of practice.

Thankfully, Dota 2 offers a wide range of heroes with varying levels of difficulty, making it easier for new players to get hooked on the game and climb the ranks (MMR).

Additionally, these basic heroes are designed for specific in-game roles in Dota 2. In this article, we will discuss which heroes are the best for new players to become familiar with Dota 2 based on their respective roles.

Best Dota 2 Heroes For Beginners

Sven – Safelane

There are many safelaners that are beginner-friendly in Dota 2. Some heroes, like Wraith King, even have an ultimate ability that allows players to die twice. However, there is a reason why we choose Sven as the most beginner-friendly hero.

Sven is an easy to learn safelaner.

Sven has all the tools a beginner needs to understand the role of a safelaner in Dota 2. Sven has a stun, Storm Hammer, which can be used to cancel channelling abilities like Teleport or to catch a retreating opponent.

Additionally, as you start climbing in rank, you’ll notice many Sven players using this ability to initiate skirmishes. Sven's second ability, Great Cleave, is a perfect tool for farming creeps quickly and efficiently. Farming plays a major role for carries, as the safelaner who can come online faster can help their team secure objectives more quickly.

Itemization on Sven.

Great Cleave helps Sven push out creep waves faster, creating pressure on the map. During this time, Sven can clear jungle camps to hit his item timings quickly. Sven's third ability, Warcry, gives Sven and his allies bonus armour and attack speed. This ability is handy in skirmishes because it makes Sven and his team tankier.

God's Strength is Sven's ultimate ability. It grants the hero bonus damage and slow resistance for a certain duration. During the early levels, this ability can be used to farm camps. As the match progresses, it becomes stronger and can be used to one-shot backline supports and squishy cores with the correct itemization.

Sven's itemization is straightforward.

You will need Power Treads for movement speed. After that, players often pick up a Mask of Madness for the attack speed and lifesteal it offers. Then, Echo Sabre solves some of the mana issues while providing additional damage and bonus strength. A Black King Bar is a perfect choice after Echo Sabre because it grants spell immunity.

Blink Dagger will give Sven initiating prowess for skirmishes, but nowadays, players prefer to upgrade to Harpoon because it offers similar benefits with additional utility. After that, Daedalus is ideal for one-shotting most squishy heroes. Depending on the game situation, Sven can either pick up an Assault Cuirass or Satanic to address any sustain issues he might face.

Dragon Knight – Midlane

In Dota 2, the midlane hero is usually responsible for setting the tempo for their team. Additionally, there's a common saying for midlaners – winning their lane makes the match much easier for their team. However, winning the lane without knowing the basics of Dota 2 is impossible.

For a beginner-friendly midlane hero, we recommend Dragon Knight. During the laning stage, his innate ability, Dragon Blood, helps you sustain in lane even without regeneration items because it grants health regeneration and armour.

DK is a really strong hero.

His first ability, Breathe Fire, is a great tool throughout the game as it reduces the opponent's damage output. It can be strategically used during the laning stage to disrupt the opponent's last-hitting attempts. As the game progresses, DK can use this ability in skirmishes to force opponents to reconsider their damage output. This ability can also secure the ranged creep during the laning stage.

Dragon Knight's second ability, Dragon Tail, allows him to stun his opponents. Unlike most stuns in Dota 2, DK’s stun lasts a bit longer. Moreover, once the hero reaches level 25, this ability can transition into an AoE stun in Dragon form.

Elder Dragon Form is DK's ultimate ability. It transforms DK into a ranged dragon (yes, a literal dragon) for a particular duration. When this ability is combined with his third ability, Wyrm's Wrath, it makes Dragon Knight's attacks stronger.

There are three types of dragons, and you can choose which form you want by picking the facet. In simpler terms, the Fire Dragon gives DK a cleave in his melee form, while the Corrosive Dragon gives DK poison attacks in Dragon form.

These poison attacks reduce armour and deal damage over time. In the Frost Dragon form, DK's attacks will slow movement speed, attack speed, and reduce the healing capabilities of his opponents.

As a midlaner, Dragon Knight's itemization is simple and easy. Start with Power Treads and get Blink Dagger. After Blink, get an item that can accelerate your farm, such as Hand of Midas or Maelstrom.

After that, a Black King Bar will give you unprecedented initiating prowess. Additionally, you don’t have to worry about your damage, as the Dragon form will help boost your damage and take objectives with ease.

Axe – Offlane

In Dota 2, the offlane used to be the home of beefy, tanky heroes that could soak up damage. Over time, this role has evolved, and nowadays, offlane heroes can be anything.

Nevertheless, one thing has remained consistent throughout the years – offlaners must annoy the opposing safelaners.

Axe is an easy hero to understand; he’s beefy, and can initiate skirmishes. Additionally, the hero can farm easily and is difficult to shut down during the laning stage.

Although the hero does not have a stun, his abilities are powerful enough to compensate.

Axe is really beefy hero in Dota 2.

Berserker's Call is Axe's first ability. It is a taunt that forces Axe's opponents to attack him. During this time, Axe gains additional armour. It also cancels teleports and channelling spells. When combined with Axe's third ability, Counter Helix, the hero becomes a deadly force. Counter Helix allows Axe to perform a helix attack after taking a set number of hits, dealing pure damage to his opponents.

His second ability, Battle Hunger, is a good harassing spell during the laning stage. It slows opponents and deals damage over time until they kill a unit or the duration ends. Though this ability becomes less effective as the game progresses, it’s a good spell for securing kills in winning skirmishes.

Axe's ultimate ability is Culling Blade. It allows Axe to instantly kill opponents when their health falls below a certain threshold. Doing so grants Axe permanent bonus armour. He also gains a movement speed and armour buff, along with his team, for a certain duration.

Axe's itemization is straightforward and easy to understand. First, get Phase Boots for armour, attack damage, and a movement speed boost. However, you can rush Blink Dagger with just Boots of Speed if needed. Blink is a crucial item for Axe as it allows him to initiate plays across the map. Another great item for Axe is Blade Mail, which synergizes well with his first and third abilities. After obtaining these core items, a Black King Bar is usually a good choice. With BKB, Axe's initiations become unstoppable and un-kiteable.

The Supports

Many people think support is the easiest role in Dota 2, so they often ask newcomers to play this role. However, in reality, it’s the opposite. Support is the most difficult role in Dota 2, as they often have to make the most impact with minimal items. Moreover, they are in charge of vision and helping their cores come online faster.

For someone unfamiliar with the basics of Dota 2, this role can be challenging to execute. However, for those who embrace challenges, it can be quite rewarding. Item-wise, most supports share similar early-game items, such as Arcane Boots, Glimmer Cape, and Force Staff.

Without further ado, here are two beginner-friendly heroes to try in the support role.

Ogre Magi

Supports are often known as squishy, burstable backliners. However, this stereotype does not apply to Ogre Magi. Not only is he a strength hero, but this two-headed buffoon can also lock down opponents in skirmishes. He’s easy to play and can secure the lane for his core during the laning stage.

Ogre's Itemization.

His first ability, Fire Blast, is a stun that can be used to punish out-of-position enemies during the laning stage. As the game progresses, this ability can be used to cancel channeling spells and catch retreating opponents.

Ignite is his second ability, which deals damage per second and slows down enemies. During the laning stage, this is one of the most overpowered spells, as it slowly ticks and slows opponents, giving Ogre and his team the upper hand in trades.

Bloodlust is Ogre's third ability. It buffs his allies with movement speed. When self-cast, it also grants attack speed. This ability can be used to buff towers during a defence.

Multicast is what makes Ogre one of the great supports. It’s his ultimate ability, allowing him to cast his abilities and items multiple times with each use.

Jakiro

Despite being somewhat squishy, Jakiro is a great hero for beginners to get into the support role in Dota 2. As a ranged hero, he can keep his distance while trading during the lane. Additionally, the twin-headed dragon’s abilities allow him to secure the lane for his core.

His first ability, Dual Breath, allows him to slow the movement speed and attack speed of his opponents while dealing damage over time. His second ability, Ice Path, allows him to stun enemies.

Since it can be used from a distance, Ice Path is a great ability to cancel channelling spells, set up skirmishes, or catch a retreating opponent.

You can change Jakiro's third ability depending on your facet choice. Liquid Fire slows the opponent’s attack speed and makes taking objectives easier. Liquid Frost slows the movement speed of his opponents and increases the damage they take from Jakiro's spells and attacks.

Macropyre is Jakiro's ultimate ability. It allows Jakiro to create a fiery path covered with ice on the edges. This ability can be upgraded by purchasing an Aghanim's Scepter, which converts the damage type to pure damage.

The heroes mentioned above are easy to understand and play. By playing those heroes, you will get hooked to Dota 2 in no time.

Just be ready to face the toxic side of it too!