Universal is a hero category in Dota 2, just like Agility, Strength, and Intelligence. Valve added Universal heroes to Dota 2 with Patch 7.33 on April 20, 2023.
As a result of adding a fourth category, some heroes were removed from existing categories and became Universal. These heroes gain 0.6 damage from each stat of any attribute, giving them flexibility for building items.
Like most players, I also had my fair share of discussions about whether a hero deserved to be categorized in a different attribute. I believed Vengeful Spirit could be an Intelligence hero, while Marci resembled Agility. These debates can be put to rest with the Universal category, as it is now the home of the homeless Dota 2 characters.
All Universal Heroes in Dota 2
- Abaddon
- Bane
- Batrider
- Beastmaster
- Brewmaster
- Broodmother
- Chen
- Clockwerk
- Dark Seer
- Dark Willow
- Dazzle
- Enigma
- Io
- Lone Druid
- Lycan
- Marci
- Magnus
- Mirana
- Nyx Assassin
- Pangolier
- Phoenix
- Sand King
- Snapfire
- Techies
- Timbersaw
- Vengeful Spirit
- Venomancer
- Visage
- Void Spirit
- Windranger
- Winter Wyvern
At the time of writing, there are 31 Universal heroes in Dota 2. Before patch 7.33, some of these heroes succeeded in roles that weren’t suited to their primary attributes.
Vengeful Spirit, for example, has been mainly played as a support for the entirety of my Dota 2 career, with a few exceptions here and there. Becoming a Universal hero will allow support for Vengeful Spirit to excel stronger in the late game, and this will also apply to the other heroes on the list.
Heroes that weren’t categorized as Intelligence characters will have an easier time playing the support role, while previously-Intelligence heroes will have a shot at building core items to see if they can go toe-to-toe with other cores.
Depending on how these heroes find a place for themselves in the meta, there will be clear winners and losers. Some will benefit from becoming Universal heroes, while others might take it as a nerf. Only time will decide which ones will prevail.
