Dota 2 is very hard in terms of knowledge needed and game mechanics, so new players looking to play this MOBA have their work cut out for them. But have no fear noobies, we got you covered with the top 5 easier to play heroes in Dota 2. And if you are bringing a new player to Dota 2 we recommend you suggest one of these 5 easy heroes.
If you have ever wondered, there are 115 heroes in the current pool for Dota 2. Each hero has at least 4 abilities, some have more, so that means there are at least 460 different abilities that you need to be aware of. Luckily, there is only 10 heroes per game so that’s only 40 hero abilities you need to keep track of. But still: It's enough to let the discussions on reddit escalate about what to look for... and these abilities are not even including items, which also play a very important role in Dota 2. It’s safe to say: Dota 2 is hard to know well and even harder to play well – thanks, Valve!
General Dota 2 Tips:
- Play safe and within a short distance of your lane’s tower so if you are attacked you can retreat quickly
- Push with the attacking creep wave and focus on getting the last hit before the enemy creep dies. A good rule of thumb is every time a creep dies look at your mini-map.
- Buy wards and place them in the jungle beside your lane and keep an eye on your mini-map for incoming attacks
- Follow the in-game item and level up guides - trust us, they know better than you! Remember you can pick a guide before the game starts or via the shop when a game begins.
- Do not use your abilities to kill creep waves if an enemy hero is nearby. Instead, use your ability on the enemy hero.
- Always carry a town portal on you and use it to jump into a different lane to help an ally, or run into the trees to escape.
- If you can get an arcana item the hero always looks good – even when the match does not...
Viper, A Simple but Deadly Hero
Viper only has three buttons you need to press and they are very simple to understand. Your main spell is Poison Attack and you can use this ability to spam on the enemy hero every time they are in range. Combine this with his AoE Nethertoxin which you can cast at the feet of an enemy hero. Last, his ultimate Viper Strike gained at level 6 is a long-ranged 'damage over time slow' that you directly cast on an enemy hero. Combine all three of these mentioned abilities and the enemy hero will melt. Viper is good in any lane, but since it gets outperformed by other core heroes the mid-lane or the top-lane are good starting places.
Viper's Weaknesses:
- No escape ability so easily ganked and also has a slow starting movement speed
- In the late game, Viper can be easily out farmed by harder-hitting late-game heroes like Spectre or Anti-Mage
- Weak vs Illusion and heroes like Phantom Lancer, Chaos Knight or the item Manta Style.
Bristle Back - A Tanky and Late-Game Brick Wall
Bristleback is almost a one-button hero as he only has two active buttons you need to press. His deadly Quill Spray has a large instant AoE attack that slowly stacks on the enemy and will kill them quickly if they allow the stacks to build on them. The first item you want to buy is a Sol Ring, and using its ability gives you mana at the cost of HP. Don’t worry though, as you have very high HP regen and armor. Use your Nasal Goo ability to slow escaping enemies and use your Quill Spray for some easy kills. A lot of players will underestimate Bristleback and try to gank you but quickly find they are mistaken. Play Bristleback in the top-lane and try to keep the enemy safe-lane core under pressure.
Bristleback's Weaknesses:
- At early levels you are at the weakest as you have no escape, so play close to the tower until you have some defensive items.
- Hero’s with magic damage nukes like Tinker, Lina and Lion can burst you down easily
- Good players will ignore you in team fights making your hero low impact
- Enemies can easily use their Town Portal or escape abilities/items to evade you
Dragon Knight - A Durable Late-game Carry
Dragon Knight is probably the coolest hero in the game with his ultimate ability that turns him into a literal dragon. Once in dragon form, it changes your melee attack to a ranged attack with added effects like armor reduction, splash damage and a slow as you level it up. Dragon’s Knight’s true power comes from his passive Dragon Blood which gives you insane armor and HP regeneration. Not as easy to play as a Viper, but nothing you can’t learn after a few matches. The hero’s Dargon Tail is a very long stun, so you can chase down a hero and have your teammates gank him. At level 6 you can transform into a dragon making all your abilities ranged and making it easier to stun, kite and damage towers. Play safe until you hit level 6 and then use Dragon Form to gank and pressure the lane’s tower. Dragon Knight can fit nicely into any lane but is hard to play in the mid-lane.
Dragon Knight's Weaknesses:
- Low mana pool in the early game, so it's hard to pressure your lane effectively.
- Outside of a defensive stun and run, no way to escape ganks
- The hero needs a lot of time and gold to be useful in team fights and needs to wait for level 6
- Can be out farmed and overpowered by other later game heroes much faster
Omni Knight - Your Team Will Love You
Omni Knight is a tanky support hero with all his abilities designed to aid your fellow teammates. If your teammate goes in for a gank you can cast your Purification on them to heal and damage. Your Heavenly Grace is a magic immunity buff, so it can save you or another hero in a pinch. In a big team fight, if the battle seems to be going poorly, pop your ultimate Guardian Angel and suddenly your whole team has the upper hand. Your Degen Aura deters heroes from attacking you as well. Omni Knight plays well as a safe-lane support hero that keeps the core hero safe.
Omni Knight's Weaknesses
- If your team is losing the game, there is very little you can do to directly stop this
- Good teams will try to gank and nuke you down quickly during team fights
- Your ability to pressure lanes or enemy heroes is not great
Sniper - Right Click to Win!
Sniper is maybe the easiest hero to play in Dota 2. Sniper has one active ability that takes some effort to use, Shrapnel. A large AoE that damages and slows the target. He also has two abilities that are nearly effortless to use effectively, Take Aim, which buffs you with increased range - so basically a passive ability - and Assassinate, which has a cast range so far that it’s impossible to mess up. Your ultimate Assassinate should be used on escaping heroes with low HP in the hope the shot finishes them off. Sniper stands in the back lines and focuses down enemy heroes while your team hopefully keeps them distracted. Sniper can be played in the safe-lane and mid-lane to good effect and is excellent at pressuring heroes in the early game.
Sniper's Weaknesses:
- No escape and slow-moving so if the enemy team wants to gank you, you will die
- Bad versus illusion-heroes like Spectre or Chaos Knight
- Bad versus any stealth heroes like Riki, Slark and Nyx
- Very low impact in the early game so your team may fall behind
Final Advice:
Whatever hero you choose to play make sure to take advantage of the Internet and read up on a few dedicated guides. Avoid playing the mid-lane your first handful of games as your team will react rather harshly if you “feed” the enemy mid-lane hero. Dota 2 is hard and definitely takes some effort to even become just “okay” at the game so don't give up!
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