Dota 2 roles explained (and who does them the best)

In Dota 2, lanes and roles carry an expectation of what they aim to accomplish to win the game. Each role has distinct responsibilities, power spikes, and heroes that excel in them. They give a semblance of order to online games and allow players to specialize in ranked roles that suit their playstyle.

For new players, these Dota 2 hero roles aren’t as strict as in other games, and expectations from other MOBAs don’t translate well into this game’s complexities. We’ll explain all the roles in Dota 2, their impact on the game, and the iconic players who’ve mastered them.

In Dota 2, team composition revolves around five key roles, labeled Position 1 (Pos 1) to Position 5 (Pos 5). These numbers indicate which players receive gold and resource priority, with Pos 1 being the most resource-reliant and Pos 5 the least. 

Positions 1 to 3 are considered the core of the team, expected to earn gold, get their item timings, and make an impact. Positions 4 to 5 are the supports of the team who enable their core by rotating, stacking camps, and placing vision.

Position 1 (Hard Carry) is the team’s mid-to-late-game powerhouse, their insurance for closing out games past the 25-minute mark. The hard carry takes the safe lane (bottom for Radiant and top for Dire) and tries to survive their vulnerable early phase. A coordinated team will do its best to make space for their hard carry; in turn, they’re expected to have a higher gold-per-minute (gpm) than the enemy carry.

The role demands an efficient farming pattern, map awareness to avoid ganks, and precise decision-making about when to join fights versus continuing to farm. Players who love scaling into the final boss and trust in their performance to single-handedly win teamfights would find their home in Position 1. The hard carry is the key to taking the high ground and ending the match. 

Popular heroes include teams fighting Faceless Void, illusion users like Terrorblade, late-game monsters like Spectre or Medusa, and the mobile Anti-Mage, often seen ratting towers.

Position 2 (Midlaner) occupies the most isolated yet influential lane, and their performance dictates the tempo of the early-mid game. But first, the pressure is on for them to outplay or at least go even with their 1v1 matchup. They need solid lane fundamentals to stand their ground, like creep management, harassment, and controlling power runes.

The midlaner enjoys solo gold and experience, which means they’ll always be at an advantage over sidelaners in the early game. Thus, they need to find high-impact ganks around the map and snowball their advantage. Players who are confident in their mechanical skill, love to dominate their lane opponent, and are active in searching for fights would gravitate towards Position 2. 

The best Position 2 heroes make good use of the early-level advantage, commonly spellcasters. Popular heroes include Shadow Fiend and Zeus for their nukes, Storm Spirit, Pudge, and Queen of Pain for pickoffs, and the elusive Puck for securing teamfights. The midlaner can also transition into a second carry with earlier timings, like with Ember Spirit and Templar Assassin.

Position 3 (Offlaner) operates as the team’s disruptive frontline; they’re the team’s primary playmaker, initiator, aura carrier, and teamfighter. Starting from the dangerous hard lane (top for Radiant/bottom for Dire), the offlaner bullies the enemy hard carry and wants to make their laning phase miserable. Once the laning phase is over, offlaners are expected to aggressively take space away through shoving lanes, pushing towers, farming in their jungle, and looking for fights.

Offlaners are familiar with effective itemisation, adapting their build to what the team needs, like taking Blink Dagger for initiation or utility auras for teamfighting. Players who love traditional tanks will find it easy to slip into the role. 

Meta staples include durable heroes like Axe and Centaur, initiators like Tidehunter and Mars, counter-initiators like Dawnbreaker and Dark Seer, and fast pushers like Dragon Knight and Broodmother.

Position 4 (Soft Support) serves as the team’s playmaking roamer and is the most active role in Dota 2. Position 4 starts partnered with the Offlaner, helping them harass and preventing the enemy support from pulling camps. They’re instrumental for securing early-game objectives like Power Runes, Bounties, Shrines, Lotus Pools, as well as ganking other lanes.

Position 4 is a flexible Dota 2 role that’s expected to make impactful roams. This hybrid role has more gold than the other support, so they have to itemize properly to enable their team. Do they look to snowball with ganks using Urn of Shadows? Save teammates with Force Staff? Maybe bunker down and farm Aghanim’s Scepter? 

Some favourite Soft Supports are roamers like Clockwerk, Bounty Hunter, and Spirit Breaker; teamfighters like Rubick, Elder Titan, Phoenix, and Earthshaker; and skirmishers like Tusk and Mirana.

Position 5 (Hard Support) is the backbone of any successful Dota 2 team, sacrificing personal gain to enable their allies’ success through selfless play. After babysitting the carry through the laning phase by balancing lane equilibrium, they’re responsible for stacking camps, securing early game objectives, and providing and denying vision using wards. The role demands exceptional game sense, as they need to anticipate enemy movements to defend their cores.

As the lowest farm priority player, the hard support plays heroes who can have an impact despite the disadvantage of gold and experience. Classic Hard Supports are disablers like Crystal Maiden and Shadow Shaman, nukers like Lion, Witch Doctor, and Jakiro, and save supports like Shadow Demon, Omniknight, Dazzle, and Oracle. 

In Dota 2 esports, team captains are usually in this role because they have a better idea of the macro game. Likewise, players who love calling shots or enabling their team will find Position 5 satisfying to master.

Every Dota 2 role has been defined by legendary players who elevated its potential. 

In Position 1, Miracle– (Liquid, Nigma) is the most mechanically gifted carry during his prime and was playing with a huge skill gap above other players. Additionally, he’s iconic as a carry and a midlaner. In modern times, Yatoro (Team Spirit) dominates through aggressive farming patterns, applying pressure way earlier than his contemporaries. Fittingly, he has highly praised Ame (PSG.LGD) many times over, as he’s the greatest uncrowned carry player.

For Position 2, Dendi (NAVI) was Dota 2’s first superstar and riled up the crowd with every Pudge hook. Sumail (EG, OG) burst onto the scene as the ultimate lane dominator, smurfing on pro games with his signature Storm Spirit. Topson (OG) revolutionised mid with unorthodox picks and chaotic playmaking, securing two TIs through sheer innovation. Nisha (Liquid, Team Secret) represents the modern midlaner: flawless fundamentals paired with superior map control.

For Position 3, Universe (EG) set the standard for the perfect offlane at the timer and is responsible for one of the most iconic moments in Dota 2 esports. Faith_bian (Wings, PSG.LGD) had the most dominant TI run on Wings before rewriting the meta with PSG.LGD.

33 (Tundra, Shopify) represents the modern cerebral offlaner, taking control of the whole map with micro-heavy heroes like Visage and Broodmother. Collapse (Team Spirit) revived the playmaking Offlaner and was instrumental in their two TI wins. His MVP performance with Magnus in TI10 is worth studying by aspiring pros.

The Position 4 legends include Yapzor (Team Secret), who pioneered selfish farming support. Fy (VG, PSG.LGD), who mastered Rubick and his flashy playstyle. Jerax (OG) and GH (Liquid) both elevated the roaming support and frequently made high-impact ganks. Then there’s XinQ, with a high average of kills and assists per game compared to other supports.

Finally, Position 5 has Puppey (Team Secret), who played at 11 TIs in a row, whose drafting and leadership make him Dota’s ultimate captain. The extremely vocal ppd who captained EG to win The International 2015. Then there’s N0tail and KuroKy, whose preparation before games was key to outdraft and outsmart their opponents.

In a complex game like Dota 2, lanes and roles help distribute jobs that every member can do to bring the team closer to victory. These roles serve, and their common heroes serve only as a guideline, as the beauty of the game is its ability to let players innovate. 

The greatest players understand that roles are not rigid boxes but starting points for creativity. Play Dota 2 long enough, and you’ll see players running heroes in roles you wouldn’t expect them to, and that’s the kind of open-mindedness and innovation every player needs to understand to rise above the competition.