Dota 2 Patch 7.38b Hero Tier List: Meta Heroes & Hidden Gems (March 2025)

Dota 2 Patch 7.38 has dramatically altered the game's meta, challenging players to master new strategies and hero combinations. While the dust is still settling, especially with the latest 7.38b gameplay update, certain heroes have emerged as top-tier picks for climbing the ranked ladder.

This monthly Dota 2 7.38b hero tier list provides a glimpse for players looking to increase their MMR in ranked games as we try to discover which heroes are ruling the meta. We’ll keep updating the article as new gameplay updates are released.

Dota 2 Patch 7.38b Hero Tier List

This tier list categorises Dota 2 Patch 7.38b heroes into multiple ranks based on their overall strength and effectiveness in the current meta.

• Tier S: A sure-shot way to win ranked games and increase MMR is to pick Tier S heroes.
• Tier A: Tier A heroes are strong picks that can carry games under the right circumstances.
• Tier B: Tier B heroes are solid choices for most lineups but aren’t as favoured as other heroes.
• Tier C: While playable, Tier C heroes face challenges in the current meta.

Let’s dig right in!

Tier S Dota 2 Heroes

Here’s the current list of Tier S Dota 2 heroes for Patch 7.38b:

• Lifestealer: Dominates as a carry with buffs to his abilities, making him tanky and hard to kill. Two new facets have replaced Lifestealer’s old ones; he looks better than ever. In his Fleshfeast facet, Feast’s max HP per hero kill is increased. Open Wounds cooldown is also refreshed if a unit dies while afflicted with it.

He’s a natural carry hero with immense scaling opportunities and can hold down the fort once properly itemised. Lifestealer is also good during the laning phase and barely struggles to accumulate farm.

• Jakiro: Jakiro, the twin-headed dragon, has always been a source of entertainment. He’s been a staple support hero pick, and the new Dota 2 patch 7.38b update makes him a better option than others. His old facets were removed and replaced with new ones, with the Ice Breaker facet being a game changer.

The facet causes Ice Path to last longer and detonates upon expiration, dealing additional damage and stunning enemies a second time. It also adds a sub-ability where Jakiro can detonate his Ice Path early, thus giving him an added advantage.

• Tidehunter: The buffy menace has become much more of a menace with the latest patch. He was already good in the previous patch but has been buffed further in 7.38. His Krill Eater facet was changed while the other facet remained untouched. However, what’s more interesting is the changes made to his Kraken Shell ability. It now has a 50% block value against creeps and can be activated to double the block amount at the cost of 40% movement speed.

This also works well with his Kraken Swell facet where he gains a permanent damage block when the hero dies under the effects of Anchor Smash. Overall, he’s a natural frontline tanker who can easily ravage his way through enemies, provided he has enough sustainability and proper items like Blink Dagger and more.

• Abaddon: Abaddon is a reliable off-laner with sustain and team utility. He was already a strong meta pick but the new patch only made him stronger. His overall stats have gotten an upgrade. His most popular facet, Mephitic Shroud remained unchanged, while the Quickening facet underwent slight changes.

Despite being picked as an offlaner, he transcends into a second carry with his itemization. He can literally become his team’s frontline hero during team fights, and is a pain to play against. He has a decent win rate above 50% in all MMR brackets.

• Magnus: Magnus has never been out of the meta since time immemorial. He has received two new facets, both better than the previous ones, with an overall increase in his stats. His new facet, Diminishing Return, increases the max level of Shockwave to 5 and the distance too.

Skewer also looks more attractive and deals more damage based on the distance travelled. Furthermore, the ability is also upgradeable by Shard, elevating Skewer’s importance in games to come.

Both facets have over 50% win rates, with Diminishing Return being more commonly chosen. Magnus is a universal hero, picked more as an offlaner, but can also be utilised as a midlaner. He is perfect for setting up team fights and comes in clutch during crucial moments.

Tier A Dota 2 Heroes

• Shadow Shaman: Shadow Shaman is a great hero choice in patch 7.38b given his usefulness. He’s a perfect support with great spells to compliment his team mates, often making his carry’s life easier on the safe lane.

He is a disabler with Shackles and Hex spells, can dish out magical damage with his Ether Shock spell, while his ultimate Mass Serpent Ward is an effective tool to push towers and secure objectives and also has a strong dispel in the form of Fowl Play.

His Facet Chicken Fingers can transform enemies into a chicken with his attacks. He’s a great initiator with Blink Dagger and Aether Lens build, can easily build Glimmer Cape and provide the much-needed support for his team.

• Tiny: Tiny is a decent hero pick in the Dota 2 meta and while he received some nerfs in patch 7.38b, he’s still a popular choice in pro games and pubs. He’s a natural tanker with high health points and wears many hats – disabler, nuker, pusher, damage dealer, etc.

He’s now a less burst-oriented hero due to the Khanda nerf and is no longer viable in the mid role, but it also makes him an idle choice for the offlane role. He’s an efficient right-clicker with high damage output and can itemise according to the team’s situation.

Moreover, his spells have received some nice buffs – a bonus for Tiny. Combine that with his Insurmountable Facet, where Tiny gains Status and Slow resistance from his strength, he becomes a nightmare to play against.

• Night Stalker: Night Stalker is slowly rising to prominence and has become an important situational pick in pro games and the meta. Both his facets are good but the Night Reign is heavily favoured due to its advantages. The game starts at night instead of day, which gives Night Stalker a great head start against his peers. More importantly, night is longer than day and he starts with a bonus level of Hunter in the Night.

With increased move speed, attack speed, health and mana restoration, and cast range, Night Stalker becomes a lethal hero to play against, especially when a team is lagging. He’s also a durable strength hero and is good against several meta heroes like Tidehunter, Ember Spirit, Jakiro, Tiny, Phantom Assassin, etc., to name a few.

• Slark: Slark’s another carry hero slowly trying to find its place in the meta. Naturally, he’s good in the carry role because of his spells, which are both aggressive and defensive, by nature. He can use Pounce to catch an enemy or escape it, can sacrifice some of his lifeblood to purge negative debuffs while dealing damage with Dark Pact.

He steals the life essence of enemy heroes with his attacks, draining each of their attributes and converting them to bonus Agility, courtesy of Essence Shift. If Slark kills an affected enemy hero, he permanently steals 1 Agility. Moreover, his ultimate Shadow Dance creates a dark cloud where Slark becomes immune to detection, while being able to cast his abilities without the fear of being detected.

Tier B Dota 2 Heroes

• Morphling: Morphling requires skill but can be devastating in the right hands. He’s become a situational pick and is difficult to master. With his abilities and EBB facet complimenting each other quite well, Morphling becomes useful as a late-game carry.

The only downside is that he’s not useful in other roles. It takes time to accrue farm on Morphling and he needs a set of basic items to start making an impact in the game. He takes a lot of space to get online but once he reaches a certain threshold, there’s no stopping him.

• Templar Assassin: Templar Assassin is a strong mid hero but needs careful positioning and proper itemization. Once a star in earlier times, she now finds herself in a unique position of fading into obscurity simply because of better alternatives.

That doesn’t mean she’s bad. It’s just that there are better options available. Moreover, she also requires a lot of practice to master. In a unique situation, and in the right hands, Templar can be used effectively.

• Weaver: A slippery hero with good split-pushing potential, Weaver has also become a situational pick. With the current patch focusing more on securing early objectives and ending games early, despite the massive changes in Patch 7.38 and 7.38b, Weaver finds little place in the hearts of pros and pubs alike.

Tier C Dota 2 Heroes

• Batrider: Batrider is struggling in the current meta due to nerfs. He’s been that way for a long time and the situation is unlikely to change anytime soon.
• Brewmaster: Brewmaster has lost effectiveness after changes to his abilities. Additionally, he doesn’t blend in properly in the new patch or the meta.
• Riki: Riki was a great situational pick in the previous patch, often being the surprise pick, but his limited impact in the current patch makes him less ideal as a hero, unless played in specific strategies.

Stay tuned to BLAST for more such features and updates.