Dota 2’s metagame is notorious for shifting and changing course on a dime thanks to the flexible nature of hero roles and the huge impact items have on the game. 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 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 professional matches and high-ranked matches—if they don’t get banned first. All data courtesy of stats site Spectral.
- Treant Protector
- Elder Titan
- Meepo
- Faceless Void
- Arc Warden
- Vengeful Spirit
- Oracle
- Death Prophet
Treant Protector
After topping ban charts at TI 2023, Treant Protector hasn’t missed a beat despite minor nerfs with Patch 7.34e and throughout 7.35. Between his ability to Root enemies and disable physical damage carries, his tankiness, and his team fight-swinging ultimate Overgrowth, Treant is the complete package.
Elder Titan
ET’s always been a menace but the versatile Titan has come into his own since he received a buff to Echo Stomp with Patch 7.35b. Now, players can deal a little more damage to heroes without waking them up after the stomp, making for a more consistent hero. Seriously, play him in the position one next time and bash people in with your briefcase—it’s a lot of fun.
Meepo
Dota’s hardest hero to play has finally come into his own after years at the bottom of the tier list. All the hero has received is a slight adjustment to Poof, but its hero-wide nerfs across the board that have seen Meepo rise up. A tough one to pull off for newer players but if you can control Meepo and his clones, you’ll be loving life in Dota right now.
Faceless Void
Not much came for Void in 7.35, and he even copped a nerf to Time Lock in 7.35b, but his consistency and reliability are unmatched in Dota right now. Chronosphere is such a powerful ability that it really doesn’t matter where the hero stands otherwise.
Arc Warden
New Dota items and a couple of buffs have seen Arc Warden return to the heights we once saw when the controversial hero was first released way back in 2015 and 2016. Tempest Double is one of the most powerful abilities in Dota and a few smaller buffs to his kit mean Arc Warden is here to stay in the interim.
Vengeful Spirit
Even before 7.35 Venge was one of the most popular heroes in both the pro and casual meta, but a myriad of buffs over the past two patches has seen the support rise further than anyone anticipated. I mean, who thought it was a good idea to give Nether Swap damage? It was already super strong!
Oracle
False Promise’s nerfs aside, Oracle received some great talent and skill buffs in 7.35 and was already quite a powerful support. Even despite the nerfs to Solar Crest and Pavise, the items are still great picks for Oracle, and the burst damage from Purifying Flames cannot be understated.
Death Prophet
Buffs, buffs, and more buffs continue to flow for Death Prophet. The change to Arcane Boots hit her hard but Silence lasts a little longer in the early game and despite the base restore time to Spirit Siphon increasing, the slowing capabilities from her other abilities keep her in the top tier.
A-tier: Often seen, competitive at most levels
- Abaddon
- Enigma
- Doom
- Winter Wyvern
- Ember Spirit
- Venomancer
- Slark
- Shadow Shaman
- Centaur Warrunner
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
- Chen
- Lone Druid
- Earthshaker
- Viper
- Visage
- Dark Seer
- Lycan
- Pugna
- Tinker
- Lion
- Dark Willow
B-tier heroes are seen less commonly than their 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 that even the most unorthodox picks and strategies can sometimes work.
And with the huge variety of heroes available to play, there’s almost always a way to fit that one Dota 2 hero into your team composition.
