Dota 2 has a wide variety of playable heroes to choose from and each one has something unique to add to the team. Each of them is divided into three categories based on which attribute they scale best with. Those three attributes are Strength, Agility, and Intelligence. 

Strength heroes are best known for their resilience. Some have high vitality while others have impenetrable defences. Others are virtually unkillable thanks to an ability that either makes them impervious to damage temporarily or revive them after a brief moment once killed. 

Popular roles

You should focus on capitalizing on every Strength heroes’ innate tenacity in combat. Many of them can take the support role thanks to their healing abilities that they can apply to themselves and their ally. Some of them have offensive properties that are strong in the early game but don’t scale well in the late game so they can harass the enemy off-laner. Many Strength heroes are capable carries throughout the game so they work best in the off-lane where they can keep the enemy carry from earning gold. 

Common weaknesses and workaround

Dota 2 Strength heroes are known for their slow movement speed so they can’t evade or chase except for niche circumstances. Timbersaw can latch and pull himself onto trees to be mobile while Barathrum can charge straight across the map regardless of the terrain. Phoenix can dive forward and back or burn a path through the trees.

On top of their means to work around their issues with speed, strength heroes can fall into either one of the two basic gameplay ideas. If they have great area of effect (AoE) damage or debilitating ability, then they are most likely bad in a 1v1 fight. The alternative is having no means to control the crowd but is virtually unbeatable in a skirmish. 

Five strength heroes to play at a public game

Playing at a public match is risky because it’s not easy to understand an ally’s playstyle at a glance and communication is often misused. If you want to play Strength heroes with random allies, then you need to be versatile for any situation. Here are five of the best heroes that you should try the next time you go solo.

Undying

True to his name, the Undying, the Almighty Dirge, is one of the most formidable tanks in Dota 2. Not only that, but he also classifies as a spellcaster who is great at taking down enemy strength heroes. You can consider him as a powerful boss in any other video game because he grows stronger with more enemies facing him.

Undying can steal enemies’ stats and vitality then apply it to himself or ally. He can also create a tomb that can spawn zombie minions to attack all enemies within its AoE. Undying’s ultimate is Flesh Golem which makes him stronger, deadlier, and harder to run away from. On the off chance that Undying is killed, he can come back to life five seconds after death but this ability has a 300-second cooldown.

Wraith King

Just like Undying, Ostarion, the Wraith King is another tank hero with the potential to be a raid boss. He can steal vitality, command an army of wraith warriors, and reincarnate upon death. The difference is that his tomb slows down enemies within the vicinity of where he was defeated. His army can also move together with him and march onwards to the enemy’s fortress. 

Ostarion cannot command his wraiths directly but he can redirect their attention to whoever he strikes with his sword or targets with Wraithfire Blast. The latter ability has a long-range that can light the target aflame and inflict damage over time (DoT). He is best placed in the mid lane as the second carry of the team rather than in the off-lane or support role. 

Phoenix

Just like the first two, Icarus, the Phoenix, can also reincarnate. She transforms into a sun that burns all enemies near her then explodes into a burst of flame to welcome her rebirth. However, enemy heroes can destroy her sun to interrupt her reincarnation. Another difference is that this is a cast ability, not automatic, and she can bring an ally to protect them.

Other than her means to revive, she makes her great at chasing and dealing damage like an Intelligence hero. Icarus Dive lets her fly in an arc towards a target then back but she can stop to reposition. She can also summon Fire Spirits which she can shoot independently at any target or cast a Sun Ray, burning all enemies and trees on a straight path.

Lycan

Contrary to other Strength heroes, Banehollow, the Lycan, is one of the fastest runners in Dota 2. He is virtually impossible to outrun once he is in his wolf form, even by Agility heroes. However, he is bad at engaging an enemy squad or with one of them having the ability to snare him. He makes up for it by summoning wolves that can chase and fight alongside him. His Howl weakens his enemies and his Feral Impulse allows him to heal quickly. He can share his gift with allies with Wolf Bite, granting them the ability to steal health from their enemy. 

Sven

Sven, the Rogue Knight, is a highly versatile warrior with the means to stun an enemy from a distance, cleave through hordes of monsters, and lead his allies to victory. He is also one of the most devastating 1v1 fighters in Dota 2 thanks to his innate high defence and his God’s Strength that increases his damage output. He is the best hero to either counter enemies who rely on illusions or engage high-priority targets like an enemy carry. 

Bottom line

Strength heroes are either hard to take down or difficult to run away from. The best way to beat them is to avoid them entirely or separate them from their allies. However, they are not impossible to beat. Other Dota 2 heroes are better at assassinating a target or eliminating multiple enemies. Strength heroes’ true gift shines brightest in surviving these potential threats while keeping their allies safe.