The number of heroes available in Dota 2 is abundant. There are also various roles or positions that players can choose from. This article will discuss one of the roles known as hard support. Before we get into what hard support is, let us first find out the five roles or positions in Dota 2.

Types of roles

Every position requires its own set of responsibilities. There are factors expected of every role during the game and specific qualities and skills that you must possess when playing them. In order to contribute to the game, it is important to have basic knowledge of the positions played. Below is your guide in League of Legends’ gameplay roles.

Role 1 – The hard carry

In the team, the hard carry has the highest farm priority. This position is always present in a tri-lane in Dota 2 competitive games, with two allied heroes nearby to support and secure the hard carry’s early game farm. Hard carry heroes are more gold dependent than level-dependent due to the frequency of tri-lanes.

Usually, position 1 is filled by hard carry heroes unless the team implements a very aggressive pushing strategy. The hard carry’s goal is to stay alive and control the game’s flow in the early parts while securing as much farm as possible and then make smart decisions in the late game to survive and dominate fights.

Some heroes that fill this role are Phantom Lancer, Luna, and Lifestealer.

Role 2 – The solo, ganker or the semi-carry

A versatile position in terms of the role played for the team is role 2. They are usually seen in the middle lane. Heroes in this position are mainly gold and level-dependent. They are chosen for their mobility, ability to thrive in 1v1 situations, and ability to have a massive effect on other lanes via ganking or fast scaling into the mid-game.

The main goal of role 2 is to outlane the enemy team’s solo mid, allowing their team to gain an advantage in the mid-game through ganking and rune control or early solo farming to build a strong mid-game hero.

Examples of heroes that take on this position are Templar Assassin, Queen of Pain, Puck, Batrider, Magnus, and Brewmaster.

Role 3 – The offlaner or suicide solo

Often referred to as the suicide solo, this role can be played in two primary ways. The first is to go solo in the hard lane against an enemy’s defensive tri-lane. As the name suggests, going up one versus three in the hard lane is challenging, as the name implies. Therefore, the main goal in this situation is to survive, get experience, and farm whenever possible. 

In the early game, this position’s primary role is to avoid dying. Therefore heroes in this role are more level reliant than gold dependent. Heroes in this role usually have a strong set of escape or tank abilities, allowing them to survive in the harsh environment they are placed in. 

The second way to play role 3, commonly known as farming offlane, is to go solo in the safe lane against the hard lane of the other team while using an aggressive tri-lane. In this case, the heroes played in this role tend to match the position of semi-carry and benefit from a good farm.

A few of the heroes who can fill in the ‘suicide solo’ role are Clockwerk, Dark Seer, Bounty Hunter, Dark Seer, and Tidehunter.

Role 4  – The soft support or jungler

Role 4 takes on the jungle and roam the map to occasionally poke their head into lanes to perform ganks. Whenever possible, this role is also tasked to pull jungle creeps in order to maintain lane control in the carry’s lane. Role 4 players are more likely to execute kills in the early game and they are usually the key heroes who put pressure on the other team’s towers.

Some notable heroes that play as the soft support or jungler are Keeper of the Light, Nyx Assassin, Enigma, and Enchantress.

Role 5 – The hard support

An underrated but complex role, position 5 is the least farm-dependent role on the team. The position 5 player is often the team’s backbone, pooling resources by acquiring consumables for the carries and maintaining map control through warding and counter warding. In addition, out of all the roles in the early game, the heroes in positions 4 and 5 have the most impact. 

When it comes to planning the outcome of fights and the entire game, hard support, or position 5, plays a critical role. Furthermore, heroes who fit the hard support role are often capable of making a significant contribution to team fights or even protecting their allies.

5 best hard support heroes

Whether you’re playing in the depths of Herald Hell or the best of Dota 2 universe, you will find these finest hard supports at every rating. Below are the 5 best hard support heroes.

Lion

This hero is one of the most popular hard support choices in the game for one reason: he can make your laning phase a living nightmare. His arsenal transitions well into the mid-game, and he has a knack for the early game, setting up kills and bursting squishy targets.

Vengeful Spirit

Vengeful is a flexible hero who can fill almost any role, but her support gameplay is quite basic. Her magic missile is a dependable nuke that can be utilised to set up kills, thanks to its long stun duration. The wave of terror is a powerful early-game spell that makes dealing blows with opponent heroes a lot easier. Vengeful Spirit’s ultimate Nether Swap is beneficial for starting fights or rescuing teammates from dangerous situations, although it frequently results in sacrificing Venge’s life.

Grimstroke

Grimstroke is one of the best utility-heavy supports in Dota 2. He has a silence, a stun, and a slow in his arsenal. This hero has an ultimate ability that makes him a strong combination with any hero that has unit-target abilities. 

Warlock

Warlock is one of the more straightforward heroes to master in Dota 2. Although he lacks the lane dominance of some of the other heroes on this list, his early game sustain and team fight-oriented kit more than make up for it. Warlock’s Shadow Word is by far the strongest early-game sustain spell, and it can also be used offensively against opponents.

Warlock is a good fit for both pushing and team fight compositions since he is the easiest hero on the list to master and has one of the best initiation spells in the game.

Jakiro

This hero is a jack-of-all-trades. His dual breath is one of the finest early game nukes, in which he can push opponents out of the lane. Liquid Fire is another powerful spell in his arsenal, which he can utilise to annoy enemies and demolish towers quickly.Jakiro can control the tempo of team fights using stun Ice Path and his ultimate Macropyre, in addition to his excellent laning presence. Overall, Jakiro is a fantastic hero in Dota 2 who can fit into most lineups because of his versatility.