So, you want to know how to play soft support in Dota 2? You’re in the right place! This guide will detail all the ins and outs of the Pos 4 role. We cover item builds, hero selections, and strategies to ensure you have a dominant presence in Dota 2.
Whether you’re just starting on your MMR journey or an Immortal-ranked veteran with hopes for The International, these insights are crucial for anyone aspiring to excel as a soft support, from the laning stage all the way to the late game.
Note: While this guide is tailored to soft support players, these tips may also apply to the hard support role in Dota 2. Remember to adapt these suggestions according to the current meta.
Dota 2 Soft Support Guide
Best Tips & Tricks For Soft Support In Dota 2
So, what does it mean to be a soft support in Dota 2? Let’s start with some key information.
Map Control And Farming
A support’s role isn’t all about fighting but also map control. After all, how can you take objectives like Roshan or push towers if you can’t see the enemy rotating? Place wards strategically and deward to deny intel so you have the upper hand on when to push, retreat, or defend.
Coupled with this is optimizing the farm for your carries. By efficiently stacking neutral camps, supports can significantly accelerate the item timings for their core heroes. Taking opportunities to stack camps during rotations or even brief idle moments can make all the difference.
Positioning Is Key
The role of a support’s positioning during skirmishes and full-blown team fights is super important! Not only does it ensure you don’t die, but it also influences your ability to exert control over the battleground, including being the nuisance poking at the enemies’ hit points.
Good positioning ensures that a support can zone enemy heroes, shield teammates, and interrupt potential ganks. On the flip side, being out of place can result in premature death and misused skills. It may also give the opposition a chance to capitalize on your mistakes—and possibly lose you the game.
Time Your Spells!
Every hero has a window of vulnerability, so reacting quickly and chaining abilities can turn the tide of battle. By timing your spells, you can maximize an enemy hero’s disabled time (i.e., silenced, rooted, or stunned), possibly saving an ally or securing crucial kills and objectives.
Pro Tip: Be careful not to “stack” disables like stuns and be mindful of spell sequencing. For example, Lion should use Hex and then Earth Spike due to the spell’s instant cast time.
Be The Playmaker
As a support, your role is proactive. Don’t follow your cores around like a lost puppy. You should actively look for ways to make an impact! This means setting up vision, assisting cores in the bot and mid-lane, tanking a gank, or even being the initiator in certain situations.
Your influence across the map can significantly create space, apply pressure, and tilt the balance in your team’s favor. Also, communicate with your team! Use voice chat or text prompts to ensure everyone is on the same page—and be nice about it.
Pro Tip: Whether alerting allies about enemy rotations, coordinating ganks, or discussing item builds, the tone of your voice can help knit the team together or foster toxic gameplay.
Best Items For Soft Support In Dota 2
Soft supports should aim to purchase items that empower their carry heroes by enabling them to snowball or shield them from threats. Here are a few examples:
- Arcane Boots: Provides +45 movement speed. When activated, it provides +250 mana to yourself and all nearby allies. This is crucial for support heroes that use a lot of spells, especially in the early game’s laning phase.
- Mekansm: Offers the wearer +4 armor and a 2.5 HP regen aura. Its active ability heals all allied units within a 1200 radius by 275 HP, bolstering survivability in lanes and during team fights.
- Aether Lens: Increases item and spell cast range by 225. It’s particularly beneficial for support heroes who need to maintain a safer distance or have short-range abilities. It also offers +300 mana and +2.5 mana regen buffs.
- Blink Dagger: Teleports the wearer to a target point up to 1200 units away, facilitating ganks or quick repositioning for spell casting. It’s particularly effective on support heroes with area control abilities like Earthshaker.
- Glimmer Cape: Provides invisibility for 5 seconds and 25% magic damage resistance, which is perfect for saving players on your team or yourself from an impending death.
- Force Staff: Another positioning tool, this item pushes a target unit 600 units in the direction it’s facing. This makes it useful for saving teammates from dangerous situations or for initiation. It also provides +10 intelligence and +175 HP.
- Lotus Orb: Provides a shield to a target unit that can reflect most spells back to their caster. It’s crucial against targeted abilities and control spells like nukes or stuns, potentially turning the tide of the battle.
- Aghanim’s Shard and Aghanim’s Scepter: These upgrade or add abilities to certain heroes, and their utility varies widely depending on the hero.
Remember, the best support item to choose in Dota 2 will always depend on the specific game circumstances. This includes team compositions, the state of the game, and specific threats from the enemy team.
Best Soft Support Heroes In Dota 2
Having difficulty choosing a soft support? Use our Dota 2 support hero tier list as your compass! Keep in mind that your selection can significantly shape the game’s momentum. Evaluate your hero’s synergy with the offlaner, impact on team fights, rotation potential, and overall survivability.
| Tier | Heroes |
| S-Tier (the best heroes) | Witch Doctor, Warlock, Earth Spirit, Rubick, Skywrath Mage, Nature’s Prophet |
| A-Tier (great anytime) | Tusk, Vengeful Spirit, Lion, Grimstroke, Dark Willow, Phoenix, Spirit Breaker, Dawnbreaker, Nyx Assassin, Keeper of the Light, Clockwerk, Earthshaker |
| B-Tier (good situationally) | Mirana, Clinkz, Batrider, Pugna, Techies, Snapfire, Shadow Demon, Elder Titan, Io, Invoker, Venomancer, Shadow Shaman, Tiny, Monkey King, Ogre |
| C-Tier (skill dependent) | Bounty Hunter, Hoodwink, Pudge, Primal Beast, Marci, Windranger, Gyrocopter, Lina, Muerta, Disruptor, Silencer, Enchantress, Chen, Treant Protector, Jakiro |
| D-Tier (meh) | Zeus, Pangolier, Riki, Weaver |
| Hard Supports | Crystal Maiden, Dazzle, Lich |
Note: These hero recommendations are accurate for Dota 2 patch 7.34 and are courtesy of analyst zquixotix. The relevance of these heroes may shift with meta changes and future updates.
Playing Soft Support In Dota 2
In Dota 2, supports are major playmakers who facilitate potentially game-changing moments and guide carry players to victory. Just remember that the best support players are proactive, not reactive, so always stay on top of the game!
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