Dota 2 Hero Tier List for Ranked Games—Our Top Picks 2024

Dota 2 international championship has come to a close, with a jaw-dropping prize pool of over 17 million for the tournament alone, so it’s time to prepare for next year’s ranked season. The roster has grown from its 46 playable heroes to 123 heroes, and the meta has evolved along with it.

With so much content available and consistent updates creating different ways to play the game, it is safe to say that there will probably be some changes to the meta, and some nerfs and buffs here and there, but if things stay pretty similar, these are our top hero choices for the next ranked season.

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Tier 1

Tier 1 heroes are typically used as the powerhouses of the team and are almost in every ranked or draft game in Dota 2. They have tons of flexibility, allowing them to be utilized around the map, overpowering opponents wherever they roam. These heroes often can’t be countered easily and they are often banned in draft picks, so it’s best to get familiar with all of them to ensure you can crush your opponents in the lane.

Batrider

Batrider is well known as one of the best initiators. He’s a really fun hero to play, with very useful crowd control and gap-closing abilities. His full potential unlocks when he can combine his initiation capability with his massive burst damage potential.

When you get hit with Batrider’s Lasso, you can kiss your sweet life and gold goodbye. Batrider is still OP after loads of nerfs and is very often the target of draft bans.

Death Prophet

With huge team fight potential, Death prophet is an extremely versatile magic hero. She has the ability to unleash devastating amounts of damage to multiple enemies and structures while sustaining her own health in the middle of team fights. She can also be played to be extremely tanky, so even focusing her as a team can be fatal, landing her a spot in our tier 1 list.

Enigma

Enigma has the power of creating black holes and could be the single best team fight hero in the game, making him dominate in the late game. Enigma is also extremely strong in the laning phase and has a huge creep-denying capability with his Demonic Conversion spell. This purple death machine is often found in the jungle, striking fear into any lineup when he appears with his black holes.

Faceless Void

This champion has been revered since way back—DotA 1 days—as an unstoppable disabling machine. In recent updates, he’s taken a hit with some nerfs to his laning phase potential. But, as soon as he has his ultimate ability Chronosphere, he becomes a formidable opponent that freezes entire teams and can carry his own team to victory. Faceless Void will likely always be a popular pick in draft modes.

Io

Io is the extremely versatile amplifier of any team. Io has huge potential to turn an already strong ally into an unstoppable machine, supplying heals, increased spell damage, attack speed, movements speed, and more.

Wait, your teammate across the map needs help? No problem! Io can teleport anywhere across the map to a friend in need, tether to them, and teleport back with them, or even right back to home base.

Marci

Marci is considered to be in a league of her own. She makes an appearance in nearly every draft game and it’s basically essential to have this hero either banned or a part of your team. Marci is the most versatile hero and can be played in any role. She’s a little slow in the laning phase vs. creeps, but can still be seen destroying enemy champions with better items and more stats on her.

Visage

Visage is a ranged intelligence attacker that has a unique playstyle involving golems that deal damage while he stays safe by wrapping himself in ethereal amour. Visage has amazing sustain and is incredibly strong in the lane. It is worth learning his complex kit to play him to his full tier 1 potential.

Tier 2

Tier 2 heroes are a safer pick in draft modes that still have a really good presence in Dota 2 matches. These heroes see fewer bans in draft modes. Tier 2 heroes can be powerful picks in matches that favor their skillset and aren’t counter-picked.

Bloodseeker

Bloodseeker is a formidable opponent in the lane, or in the jungle. He’s an easy hero to master and has high sustain and wave push capabilities. He is not a hard carry but can be a bully in the lane against the right enemies.

Enchantress

Enchantress is a ranged jungler support hero that has a great lane-pushing capability. She’s got good sustain with the ability to heal herself and her teammates, and is a lot of fun to play.

Lina

Lina has been a popular pick at all ranks for ages. She’s a ranged intelligence hero that has a massive nuking capability—she can delete her enemies in a flash.

Omniknight

OmniKnight is a tanky support hero equipped with a massive hammer ready to defend his allies. He’s a great part of the lane as he excels at damaging enemies while healing his teammates at the same time.

Puck

Puck is another ranged intelligence hero in the top picks list. Puck excels in initiating a fight, dealing burst damage, and escaping before opponents can even really react.

Tiny

Tiny ironically grows to incredible sizes by late game and is incredibly durable. He’s a strong carry who excels at disabling enemies and crushing them with a tree.

Viper

Viper is a flying dragon-like poison-spitting intelligence hero. Viper deals damage over a long range and whittles his enemies over time, slowing them down and draining their hit points.

Tier 3

Tier 3 champions are seen a lot less often in draft picks and typically don’t see bans hit them. These heroes generally require a great understanding of the game and the ability to adapt well, and they have arguably more shortcomings than in tiers 1 and 2. So, choose wisely and play to your strengths.

Dawnbreaker

Dawnbreaker makes a perfect last-pick hero as a do-it-all melee attacker. This hero is able to play in all lanes and positions, wielding a solar hammer and jumping across the map to help her teammates with her ultimate ability—Solar Guardian.

Ember Spirit

Ember spirit is a high-mobility hero with very safe lane-farming skills, allowing him to excel at late-game fights. He also has great evasion techniques that can double as handy initiation or gap closer when you’re steamrolling.

Morphling

Morphling has always been a popular choice in the meta. His most recent updates buffed him to be an incredible anti-carry that can steal enemy statistics and grow stronger himself.

Terrorblade

This gloomy-looking hero is a strong carry that uses illusions to initiate fights and control opponents with tactical slows. He’s a smart counter against heroes that do physical damage, as he has really high natural base armor and can move around quite quickly.

Undying

Undying is a tanky support hero who has amazing harassment ability to keep your carry farming his lane safely. Undying is the right pick if your team needs a diversion from damage. Undying shines with his ultimate, requiring enemies to kill him before they get a hard debuff, which can turn a team fight on its head. He’s also a beginner-friendly hero, so it’s easy to pick up.

Ursa

Ursa has a lot of versatility and can be played in multiple lanes. However, Ursa is really seen as an anti-disabling carry and can be used effectively against choices that have lots of crowd control.

Vengeful Spirit

Vengeful spirit acts as a damage-boosting support with a unique ability to swap places with either a friendly or enemy hero, creating some epic moments for clutch saves and pick-off initiations. Her scepter ability allows her to continue to have a huge presence even after she’s been killed.

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Final Thoughts

Whether you’re looking to stomp on your opponents with Tier 1 heroes, or play a little safer with Tier 2 and 3 picks, it’s always important to consider team composition. Dota 2 is often quite social in draft modes, so communicate with your friendly players to build the right lineup. All that’s left is to hit the lanes and win your games, GL HF!

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