Dota 2 Positions and Roles Explained

Positions 1 to 3 are the cores: they take most of the gold and experience. Positions 4 and 5 are the supports: they get less gold and spend it on items that help the whole team. Gold priority goes in order, from 1 down to 5.

Which lane is which? The safe lane is the one closest to your own tower line. For Radiant it is the bottom lane; for Dire it is the top lane. The offlane is the other side lane, which is the enemy’s safe lane, so it is tougher.

The carry is the player the team builds around. You play the safe lane with a support, farm as much as possible and become strong in the late game. You get the most gold of the team, so you are expected to win fights when the game gets long. The price: you are weak early and have to survive.

Focus on: last-hitting, farming safely, buying your key items on time and staying alive in fights.

Heroes: Juggernaut, Phantom Assassin, Anti-Mage, Luna, Faceless Void, Wraith King and Sven.

Mid is a one-on-one lane in the centre of the map. You get experience faster than anyone, because the lane is shorter and closer to the runes. The mid player picks up the bounty runes, ganks the side lanes and decides how the first fights go. A strong mid sets the pace for the whole game.

Focus on: winning your lane, controlling runes and rotating to help others when you reach key levels.

Heroes: Invoker, Lina, Puck, Storm Spirit, Queen of Pain, Shadow Fiend and Necrophos.

The offlaner takes the hard lane, usually alone against two enemies. The goal is not to win the lane but to survive it, gain levels and disrupt the enemy’s carry. Later you become the frontline: you jump in first, take damage and give your team the space to fight. It is a demanding role, but the heroes are usually tanky and have strong abilities to start fights.

Focus on: surviving the lane, getting your key item, and starting fights at the right time.

Heroes: Axe, Mars, Tidehunter, Centaur Warrunner, Underlord, Legion Commander and Bristleback.

The soft support is the most active support. You do not stay glued to one lane: you start by helping a lane, then roam to set up kills with stuns and slows. Because you roam, you get a bit more gold than the hard support and often buy the items that make your team stronger in fights.

Focus on: making plays, finding kills for your cores and keeping an eye on the enemy’s movements.

Heroes: Mirana, Tusk, Lion, Rubick, Skywrath Mage, Dark Willow and Ogre Magi.

The hard support is the player who sacrifices the most gold for the team. You stay in the safe lane with your carry, take care of them with stuns, heals and harassment, and buy the shared items: wards for vision, the courier upgrade and utility items. It is the role with the least gold and the most responsibility for your team’s safety.

Focus on: protecting your carry, placing wards, stacking and pulling creeps to help farm, and saving allies in fights.

Heroes: Crystal Maiden, Lich, Dazzle, Warlock, Shadow Shaman, Vengeful Spirit and Witch Doctor.

The two words get mixed up. A position (1 to 5) is the job a player has in the team. A role is a label in the hero database that describes what a hero is good at. The game uses nine:

• CarryBecomes strong late and wins fights with damage.
• SupportHelps the team with heals, buffs, vision and utility.
• NukerDeals a lot of burst damage with abilities.
• DisablerStuns, roots or silences enemies.
• JunglerFarms neutral creeps efficiently.
• DurableHard to kill, with lots of health or defence.
• EscapeHas a way to flee or jump away.
• PusherTakes down towers and lanes quickly.
• InitiatorStarts fights with a strong engage.

Most heroes have several roles, and a hero can play more than one position. For instance, Axe is usually an offlaner but is rated as a carry too, and Ogre Magi can be a soft or hard support. The hero page shows every role with a rating from one to three.

There is no wrong answer, but each position teaches something different:

• Position 5 or 4 is the gentlest start. You do not need perfect farming and you learn the map, vision and fights from the first minute.
• Position 3 teaches you how to survive and start fights. Tanky heroes forgive mistakes.
• Position 1 teaches farming and timing, but it punishes you hard when you fall behind.
• Position 2 is the most demanding, since you play alone and your impact on the game is large.

If your team already has a carry and a mid, pick what the team lacks. Filling the missing position is worth more than playing a hero you like in the wrong spot. Once you know a position, move on to the next one: understanding what your teammates do makes you better in every role.