Dota 2’s metagame is notorious for shifting and changing on a dime thanks to the flexible nature of hero roles and the huge impact items have. These days especially, diverse tournament metas are to be expected, with only a handful of heroes going unpicked.
At the highest levels of play, games can be won or lost even before the creeps spawn. Having a good hero composition can spell the difference between a struggle to breach high ground or a team with heroes that complement each other and form a well-oiled machine.
Based on the current Dota 2 competitive metagame, this tier list outlines which heroes are picked most often by professional teams and those that stand out in terms of their win percentages. Note that this list will not include every hero, mainly because there are simply too many in Dota to count. Instead, we’ll break down the list to only include around 40 of the most popular and effective heroes.
Here’s our tier list for the best Dota 2 heroes. Check back from time to time as the list is updated with every major patch.
Dot Esports’ Dota 2 tier list
S-tier: Most popular, borderline-broken
These S-tier heroes make up the top of Dota 2’s meta right now. You can expect to see these heroes in most pro matches and high-ranked matches—if they don’t get banned first. All data is courtesy of stats site Spectral and Dotabuff.
- Sand King
- Warlock
- Abaddon
- Underlord
- Lich
- Wraith King
- Sven
- Dark Seer
Sand King
Under the shroud of the desert, there can only be one king. Sand King has risen to the top of the new Dota 2 meta in part thanks to his Sandshroud Facet, which keeps him cloaked while inside Sandstorm. This, combined with the ever-powerful Burrowstrike, is making this support a true menace in lane.
Warlock
We’re seeing Warlock rotate into a much more powerful position four support after buffs to his Innate ability and his outrageous health and right-click base damage. Between his range and his early-game tankiness, Warlock’s a tough one to bring down before he hits level six. After that, you best gank him when his ultimate is down.
Abaddon
Abaddon has remained remarkably consistent despite such a massive meta-shift in 7.36. While he may not hold his peers’ ridiculous 55 percent-plus win rates here, he’s remained stable despite the introduction of Innates and Facets. He’s one of a few S and A-tier heroes with decent win rates across both his Facets.
Underlord
A key factor that makes a hero powerful is two equally strong Facets, and that’s what we’re getting with Underlord right now. This tanky offlaner is extremely versatile and can dish out plenty of damage even in a lesser teamfight-oriented role.
Lich
It took a few updates for players to feel comfortable with Lich, but he’s quickly proving to be a powerful position-five support in Dota. Unlike a few of the other options in the S-tier, you’ll want to definitely pick up the Frostbound Facet for that extra bounce potential on Chain Frost.
Wraith King
Wraith King (or Skeleton King for you oldheads) stormed to the top of the win rate charts after Patch 7.36. Most players have leaned into the Spectral Blade Hero Facet, which grants a Pure damage curse effect on right-click and a post-death Wraith Form Innate ability. While his skeleton summoning build was hit hard, he’s turned into a monster as a carry.
Sven
As ranged physical damage becomes the norm, melee carries need ways to keep in touch with their opponents. Sven does have kiting issues as he needs to stay on top of his target to be effective, but his Heavy Plate Facet helps mitigate the damage he receives on the way into battle. You won’t be skipping the BKB but that shield is going a long way in keeping Sven protected for battle.
Dark Seer
Dark Seer is back! The offlaner has proven to be one of the toughest heroes to balance in Dota 2 and because of that, we often see him fluctuate from amazingly good to horribly weak. We’re in an era suiting the former at the moment, with many Dark Seer players opting for the Heart of Battle Facet.
A-tier: Often seen, competitive at most levels
- Arc Warden
- Oracle
- Undying
- Clockwerk
- Phantom Lancer
- Axe
- Night Stalker
- Silencer
- Tiny
- Ogre Magi
A-tier heroes can be just as strong as those above them. Members of A-tier often have higher pick rates as they’re less likely to be banned than S-tier heroes. The heroes on this list could even break into the top tier after small balance patches.
This tier generally consists of heroes who can win their lane by themselves and possess mobility spells. Farming fast will also be a plus for these heroes to extend their early lead.
B-tier: Pocket-picks, outliers
- Bloodseeker
- Troll Warlord
- Leshrac
- Legion Commander
- Spirit Breaker
- Ursa
- Shadow Fiend
- Juggernaut
- Jakiro
- Clinkz
- Necrophos
B-tier heroes are seen less commonly than S or A-tier peers. The heroes in the third tier are still relatively strong, but they may have a few shortcomings that prevent them from breaking into the tiers above. Most B-tier heroes tend to be situational picks, requiring the right team setup or opponent to truly thrive.
This is not an end-all list of heroes to pick. As mentioned, the flexibility of roles and laning in Dota 2 means even the most unorthodox picks and strategies can sometimes work.
And, with the massive variety of heroes available to play, there’s almost always a good way to fit that one Dota 2 hero into your team composition.
