Dota 2 is a beautiful esport with more than 8 million active players and a thriving professional scene full of tournaments that you can watch. And one of the key elements of the game is its heroes. In total, Dota 2 features more than 120 of them and every single one is unique. With each year, new heroes are added to the game. And with each patch, some heroes rise in popularity while others become obscure. But overall, Dota 2 has had 5 heroes that have been played more than the rest. And in this article, you’ll find out who they are.
#1 Pudge
For Dota 2 players, Pudge needs no introduction. Popularized by Dendi at the first few editions of The International and spammed by the entire community ever since, Pudge is by far the most picked hero of all time with over 860 million matches. His overall pick rate is around 34%, which is absolutely insane. This practically means that in 1/3 Dota 2 games, someone is picking the Butcher. His overall win rate is not bad either: 51.1%.
Pudge may not be a strong pick above the Ancient bracket but for most pub games, he’s a solid pick. Especially if you can land Hooks in the early portion of the game. Thanks to the changes brought by Dota 2 patch 7.30e, Pudge is now as popular as ever. His Q costs just 110 mana, which means that he can throw a lot of Hooks to catch his opponents. But, as was mentioned before, Pudge is not a great pick in the Divine and Immortal brackets and, implicitly, in professional tournaments. Whenever someone picks Pudge in the Dota Pro Circuit, that team’s winning odds tend to decrease significantly.
If you love watching Dota 2 matches and Pudge in particular, the top esports bookmakers, such as Rivalry, will offer you numerous opportunities to bet on or against him.
#2 Phantom Assassin
Phantom Assassin is another hugely popular choice among Dota 2 players. This hero has been picked in more than 612 million matches, with a decent win rate of 50.2%. The reason why she’s been loved by large numbers of people over the past decade is simple: she has excellent protection against physical damage and she generally gets overlooked in the lower brackets. This means that you can farm as much as you want and get to your key items quickly. And then it’s enough to land a few critical hits during a fight and you just erase enemy supports in less than a second.
Thanks to Dota 2’s latest patches, Phantom Assassin is still very popular today and her win rate is stable at around 50%. When you play PA, make sure you buy a desolator and a BKB as your first important items. This will allow you to get involved in team fights around the mid portion of the game and hopefully win them for your side.
#3 Sniper
Sniper’s appeal is easy to understand, especially in the lower divisions, where players simply don’t know how to deal with him. His attack range is spectacular and even if you catch him out of position, he can still escape with a Shadow Blade, a Blink Dagger, or a BKB. Killing this hero is both difficult and a top priority in any team fight.
Sniper’s laning phase tends to be quite easy because of his abilities. You can just spam your Q and hit from a long-range while your opponents can’t do anything in most cases.
Sniper’s a top 5 hero this month and he’s the 3rd most picked hero overall, with more than 590 million matches and a win rate of 49.6%.
#4 Invoker
Invoker is by far the most challenging and versatile Dota 2 hero and that’s why he’s so loved by the game’s community. Unlike other heroes, who can be mastered in just a few days, Invoker needs at least 400 – 500 games to reach basic competency. His abilities and the combinations they allow you to use are very hard to master. The world’s best Invoker players have thousands of games with this hero and still can’t use him to perfection.
Unlike the first 3 heroes I mentioned, Invoker is mostly played in the higher brackets because he’s quite useless unless you really know how to play him well. Overall, he’s been picked in more than 575 million matches and his win rate is only 47.45%. This win rate is a direct result of his difficulty. In the first few hundred matches, it can be really hard to win with this hero.
#5 Juggernaut
For many people, Juggernaut is their go-to carry hero. Throughout the game’s history, this hero has been used on multiple occasions at every level of play. Whether you are a 1000 MMR player or Miracle- in the Grand Final of The International 2017, Juggernaut is an excellent choice in most cases because of the satisfying mix of abilities. You can heal yourself and your teammates, deal critical damage often, secure kills with your ultimate, and get out of trouble with your Q. The hero farms fast and becomes strong with just a few basic items.
Overall, Juggernaut has been picked more than 537 million times and his win rate is 50.59%.
