Heroes to Avoid if You Are New to Dota 2

Till date, Dota 2 has a roster of 124 different heroes, with new ones still being added to the game.

These heroes can be categorized into three levels of complexity: High, Medium and Low. All of these heroes are unique to each other and have different learning curves.

If you are new to the game, then you should avoid picking the heroes in the high-complexity hero pools.

Additionally, the game is going to be much more accessible if you avoid these heroes for your first 300 hours of the game.

Here is an updated list of high-complexity heroes in different roles that any newcomer should avoid.

Hard Support

A good Hard Support maximizes its abilities to create a safe space for the carry to farm in the safe lane.

Providing vision with wards and protecting your cores from enemy ganks is going to benefit your team in the long run. 

Here we have Oracle, Phoenix, Chen, IO, and Earth Spirit in the high-complexity hard support role.

• Oracle has a death-defying ability that can be used on an ally but can also be useless if the player has no idea how it works. Knowing when to cast Fate’s Edict on an ally or enemy can be game-changing.
• Phoenix requires high map awareness and positioning in order to execute her abilities. As her abilities revolve on her total health, it is very important to manage health regeneration and itemize around it.
• Chen is known for his ability to control neutral creeps which requires high micro-management skills. The creeps come with their own unique set of skills which just adds to this hero’s difficulty.
• IO has global teleportation ability that requires proper knowledge and timing, as enemies can see through it. Knowing when to use Tether and Overcharge on allies is also a skill needed to play this hero properly.
• Earth Spirit is only viable for those who have deep understanding how his abilities can be combined together. Mastering the use of Stone Remnants can be hard to manage for a new player in Dota 2.

Roaming Support

Roaming supports contributes to the team by constantly harassing and ganking the core in mid and safelane. This is going to delay the item and level timings of enemy cores creating space for your cores.

We suggest you not to choose Dark Willow, Hoodwink, Enchantress, Winter Wyvern and Shadow demon for the high complexity roaming support role. 

• Dark Willow has low cooldown disables that only work in the hand of an experienced player who knows proper positioning and setup. Knowing when to use fear on enemies can make or break this hero.
• Hoodwink relies on his ability to burst enemies by combining his disables and high magic damage abilities. A player needs to execute this combo quickly for the hero to be effective in combat. 
• Enchantress relies on map awareness and skill to micro-manage creeps. However, controlling both the hero and creeps at the same time can make the game more difficult for a new player.
• Winter Wyvern is great against certain enemies but it requires knowledge on types of damage and quick spell casting skills. The ability to turn enemies against its ally can come in handy if used on the right target.
• Shadow Demon has spells that can save allies or disable enemies. It requires quick decision making skills and in-depth ability knowledge to execute it properly when needed.

Offlane Core

Offlane core act as the first line of defense for your team. Their primary objective is to pressure and take towers in the sidelanes.

They can also attract attention from enemies and counter initiate ganks made on your carry.

Do not Choose one of Broodmother, Brewmaster, Visage, Pudge or Lone Druid for this role.

• Broodmother can spawn up to more than 80 spiderlings but they can be turned against you with area of effect spells. You need to have proper micro-management skills to use this hero
• Brewmaster has a very strong ultimate that can be used to disrupt enemy fights. Without proper understanding of his ultimate, the hero can feel very lackluster in a team fight.
• Visage can be useless against heroes that have huge damage bursts like Lina and Sven. In order to fare against such heroes you need proper micro-management skills and good knowledge of items to counter their damage.
• Pudge can be a sitting duck in the hands of a new player as he has a high skill-shot requirement. A pudge player can make or break enemy’s or own game depending on his skills to hook players.
• Lone Druid needs proper farming patterns and his item timings before the hero can participate in getting in game objectives. This can make the hero pretty useless in the hands of a newbie.

Midlane Core

The midlane core benefits from pushing and destroying the midlane tower. This creates easy access to roam the enemy jungle and contest their farming camps.

Midlane core also has the option to help other lanes that are having a difficult time against the enemy.

Heroes you should avoid picking in this role are Arc Warden, Tinker, Invoker, Meepo and Morphling.

• Arc Warden needs high micro-management skills and quick skill-casting experience to maximize the heroes’ potential. The hero also relies on split push and farm to keep up with the enemy.
• Tinker has the ability to refresh his skills and most items in the game but requires high skill to manage his mana and health. Without enough experience, the hero can feel very slow and impactless in team battles.
• Invoker has an arsenal of more than ten spells, which can be overwhelming for an inexperienced player. This hero can dominate or fail his lane depending upon the skill of the player.
• Meepo requires high micro-management skills and item knowledge to make him viable. You’ll need a fair amount of experience on item builds to make the hero be able to contest against the enemy.
• Morphling has the ability to switch between strength and agility stat which can be game changing if used in experienced hands. The hero also has the ability to copy the abilities of enemies and turn it against them. However, managing multiple abilities simultaneously can be difficult for new players.

Safelane Core

A good safelane core prioritizes farm over the game objectives. Your early timings can be used to contribute to the team fights which can result in an early victory.

However if the enemy is showing heavy aggression in your absence, you can join the fights early as well.

You should avoid picking Faceless Void, Naga, Troll Warlord, Templar Assassin and Terrorblade in the high complexity safelane core role. 

• Faceless Void can disable his enemies as well as his allies. So you need a great understanding of the hero to execute his abilities properly. Proper itemization and farming can make this hero a one-man army in battles.
• Naga would be useless in the hands of a new player as she relies on high micro- management skills for her illusions. The hero is also one of the best for counter initiation in an experienced hands.
• Troll Warlord is a very situational hero and must only be used by someone who has high knowledge of hero drafts. Improper items built on this hero can make you lose the game very quickly.
• Templar Assassin is a great early-tempo hero, but one must have high skill to execute her fast-paced gameplay. Failure to dominate the early games with this hero can make it lackluster and worthless.
• Terrorblade also requires micro-management skills for maximum damage output. The hero also has the ability to swap his HP with an enemy which can go wrong in the hands of a new player.