Dota 2 is the longest active MOBA on the market. The game’s hero pool continues to grow each year, increasing the overall variety for newcomers and veterans alike.
Of course, even the most experienced Dota 2 veteran started from the bottom. We’ve all been through the gauntlet that is the game’s learning curve. Fortunately, there are heroes whose individual gameplay and mechanics are relatively simple, resulting in an easy way to contribute to winning the game.
Related: All Dota 2 positions and roles explained
If you’re someone looking to get into Dota 2, consider trying the following heroes in your first few games. Playing a hero with easier mechanics will allow you to observe your surroundings better and have a better understanding of the game while continuing to contribute.
Lich
Lich was the first hero we ever played in Dota 2 and it was for a good reason. Lich’s kit only features single-target spells, so you won’t have to stress over landing skill shots.
Despite being all single target spells, Lich’s comes with a deadly set of abilities that allow him to be a threat during both the laning stage and the late game. In the first 10 to 15 minutes of a match, you’ll be focused on chipping away at your enemies’ health bar with Frost Blast.
In most cases, you and your laning partner will have an opportunity to make a play on your opponents, and when that’s the case you should start with Frost Blast again and use Frost Shield on yourself or your teammate depending on the situation.
During the late game Sinister Gaze and Chain Frost will give you all the edge you’ll need in a team fight. Don’t be a perfectionist with the Chain Frost since a couple of bounces will always be enough, and make sure to use Sinister Gaze to lockdown an important target.
Vengeful Spirit
Vengeful Spirit is another very reliable support pick with an easy mode single target stun and a kit revolving around debuffing enemies’ armor and increasing your team’s physical damage.
Vengeful Spirit’s ultimate is a double-edged sword, but it allows you to grasp and learn why it’s powerful in some situations and weak in others. As you delve deeper into the pool of heroes, many advanced heroes have powerful skills on first look but require careful management of resources or force players to sacrifice in other ways. Starting Dota 2 early with a skill like Nether Swap could do wonders for your game sense.
You can use Wave of Terror to scout your surroundings and use its temporary vision to dislocate an enemy with Nether Swap. When this happens, your team should be in a position to take down the swapped enemy, and you can either use Magic Missile on another target or the swapped one to ensure they go down.
Ogre Magi
Ogre Magi is a unique case when it comes to supports. He’s one of the few melee support heroes in the game, but he makes up for this with tanky stats. With targeted utility spells featuring a stun and a slow, Ogre is a reliable hero to have during the early game. While his spells may look underwhelming for the late game, the hero’s potential grows after hitting level six with his ultimate ability.
Ogre’s signature ability Multicast showcases its reliance on luck. Unlike other heroes whose ultimate skill is a flashy active ability, Multicast is a passive skill that gives its active skills and items a chance to hit multiple times. Yes, you can cast four Fireblasts for the price of one. Yes, you can Dagon and Midas a lot of things.
Without Multicast procs, the Ogre Magi is a fairly cookie-cutter hero with reliable but otherwise unremarkable spells and damage output. But if you roll the dice just right, you can wipe the floor with your enemies.
Bristleback
The meanest, toughest, most hard-headed fighter on this side of the Dota 2 river has entered the arena, and his name is Bristleback. He’s one of the most durable heroes in the game and is great for new players who are simply tired of dying.
Yes, we said Bristleback is hard-headed, but he’s actually hard-backed. His creatively named signature skill, Bristleback, reduces all incoming damage from the rear and sides, all while triggering Quill Spray.
The fun part? If the enemy team focuses Bristleback in a team fight, they could end up paying a heavy price. The stacking nature of Quill Spray and Viscous Nasal Goo punishes teams that ignore him in favor of squishier targets and forces them to keep their guard up.
But Bristleback is hard countered by Break, a mechanic that removes passives. Break demolishes both his defensive and offensive capabilities. Look out for heroes like Viper with innate Break or Silver Edge on your enemies.
If you’re a Bristleback who is about to get jumped by the enemy team, make sure to turn your back and start spamming Quill Spray. This method is also an excellent way to farm jungle camps.
Wraith King
Nothing else screams “I can’t die” like a skill that gives you a second lease on life.
Wraith King’s ultimate, Reincarnation, provides him with the means to be revived, like the Aegis of the Immortal dropped by Roshan.
Wraithfire Blast provides a stun-to-kill combo in lane, while his Vampiric Spirit and Mortal Strike give him sustainability and damage. Plus, you get to spawn spooky skeletons that greatly aid in pushing lanes, even those too dangerous for an immortal King.
If you’re looking to play in the safe lane as a core, Wraith King will often be a solid choice since Reincarnation gives players some room to make mistakes.
Sniper
The quintessential carry at the lowest tiers of play, Sniper stays away from harm by having the longest attack range in the game. Nothing beats hitting heroes from miles away thanks to Take Aim, while annoying them with slows like Shrapnel and Headshot.
If your enemies manage to get away from “ho ho ha ha” man, you can finish them off with his ultimate, Assassinate, which has an enormous cast range.
In lane, his blazing-fast projectile speed helps him beat out opponents in the contest for last hits. This helps him get an early farming advantage.
He is, of course, made out of wet paper, so it’s important for new players to learn how to kite enemy heroes and keep Sniper’s range at max. Sniper often relies on utility items like Hurricane Pike and Shadow Blade to help out with his lack of mobility.
Phantom Assassin
One of the most exhilarating carries to ever exist, Phantom Assassin tickles the newbie’s fancy through her ultimate, Coup de Grace. Even though it’s luck-based, Coup de Grace can deal a frightening amount of damage in a single strike, decapitating even the tankiest of heroes in the blink of an eye.
The rest of her kit helps her immensely during team fights and when eluding enemy supports in lane. Blur provides physical evasion, giving her the ability to go toe-to-toe with opposing carries without fear. With a new active sub-ability added to Blur, she can also bypass vision to assassinate unsuspecting targets.
Viper
Viper is one of the first mid lane heroes that every newcomer to Dota 2 will try out. Viper is a heavy-hitting ranged Agility hero that makes laning against a nightmare.
Viper’s opponents often struggle to maintain consistent farm during the laning stage due to constant Poison Attacks. Corrosive Skin also makes Viper quite hard to take down and when Viper hits level six, he can turn into a fight-starter.
A single Viper Strike on an enemy hero can allow Viper’s teammates to pile on them, securing easy scores all around the map. Though Viper can be built into a proper damage-dealing core, some players also prefer building utility items with their early lead, and let their safe lane cores deal most of the damage.
Witch Doctor
When paired with a strong early game core, Witch Doctor becomes one of the strongest heroes in the early game. With a single target stun, and a poison ability called Maledict, Witch Doctor is the master of securing early-game takedowns.
Make sure to coordinate with your core player before casting your Paralyzing Cask and Maledict combo, so you can deal the most amount of damage possible. In most cases, Maledict will be able to finish off your targets when they think they barely escaped your attempt to take them out.
Omniknight
MMORPG players will know that having a healer in the party will be key to taking down most objectives. While this statement may not always be true for MOBAs, it never hurts to have protective spells on your side.
Omniknight is the guardian angel of the Dota 2 world since he’s equipped with a kit that primarily focuses on keeping his allies alive. Purification is an instant heal that can also damage nearby enemies while Heavenly Grace can remove debuffs while also granting allies additional Strength.
Omniknight often shines when he’s paired with Strength cores versus heavy Physical Damage dealers. Omniknight’s ultimate makes her allies in a certain radius immune to Physical Damage which can change the course of fights.
Remember, this is just a guide, not a step-by-step walkthrough. With over 120 heroes and countless combos, Dota 2 is a beautiful puzzle and you’ll find that one piece that clicks just right.
