DotA 2 has everything you could dream of. Bruisers, tanks, mages, and hitters. Hitters are auto-attack heroes who rely on their attack damage as their main source of damage. These heroes specialize in farming, fighting, and pushing through their auto-attack damage.
While there is a plethora of heroes in the game, safe lane carry heroes mostly consist of auto-attack heroes due to their consistent damage that can be easily scaled into the late game with the help of just a few items and experience. Now, let’s delve into the 10 best auto-attack heroes for ranked right now.
10. Spectre
Spectre has been at the top for quite a while now. She is the choice for the best late game carry at different periods of time. This monster of a hero easily dominates her opponents with her insane global presence. Spectre, being an entity full of violent energy, doesn’t hold back when it charges on her opponents.
Spectre has been one of the most sought-after carry heroes due to her ability to instantly respond to fights despite being on the other side of the map. This allows her to farm and still instantly join fights when needed. Her mobility and durability are one of the best in the game. Her auto-attacks hit hard especially when the target is isolated.
Spectre Strengths:
- Spectre is able to immediately aid in skirmishes with her Shadow Step. While this spawns an illusion that deals good damage to the enemy, it can also allow Spectre to either chase or escape enemies.
- Spectre’s high damage and mobility allow her to execute supports with ease. Spectral Dagger allows her to cross any obstacle while Desolate deals pure damage on them.
- While she is a great carry for safe laners, her auto-attacking is improved by the fact that Dispersion allows her to survive for longer, making her deal with more autos. This also adds DPS to her kit.
Pick Spectre if:
- You love being a late game monster.
- You want to be able to farm and fight with ease.
- You like shadows.
9. Drow Ranger
Traxex, the Drow Ranger, was an orphan who was raised by the Drow after an unfortunate event for the parents. Being raised in a strange and different community, Traxex sought to find her place in the world, and in the War of the Ancients, she did.
Having consistent DPS with her ranged auto-attacks, Drow Ranger excels at winning fights from a safe distance. Her abilities make it hard for enemies to get close to her and her scaling translates well into the late game.
Drow Ranger Strengths:
- Her ranged attacks make it easier for her to be safe while attacking. She can safely participate in fights without having to risk her life by getting close to the enemy.
- Her Marksmanship and Frost Arrows give her so much damage the longer the game goes on. This makes her a very efficient late game carry.
- Being an agility hero, building her main stat gives her attack speed and damage, as well as armor.
Pick Drow Ranger if:
- You like playing ranged carry heroes.
- You love dealing consistent damage while being safe from harm.
- You love kiting enemies as everyone tries to converge on you.
8. Luna
Luna is the Protector of the Nightsilver Woods, chosen by Selemene. This short-ranged hero is one of the most aggressive heroes on this list. With a very versatile skill set that is great at any period in the game, Luna is a great addition to your safe lane hero pool.
Having so many farming capabilities is just one of the best things about this hero. Her ability to chase down and hunt enemies gives her team more firepower. Even while excelling at farming, she’s a beast in team fights. She mows down waves of creeps and heroes before they even know what to expect from a farmed-up Luna.
Luna Strengths:
- Luna’s Moon Glaives easily help her a lot in the early game. Even when behind, she can efficiently catch up just by farming waves and neutral camps. This also translates into her fighting prowess. Her Moon Glaives bounce off enemy heroes, dealing more and more damage the longer the fight goes on.
- Her Lucent Beam is great for chasing, poking, and harassing. This helps her tremendously in lane.
- But her Eclipse is a game changer. Coupled with her chain attacks, her ultimate hits every hero in the vicinity with a heavy Lucent Beam. This makes quick work of anyone in team fights.
Pick Luna if:
- You’re looking for a fast-farming hero who can efficiently translate this into wins.
- You love chasing enemies and making them fear for their lives.
- You want a hero who can quickly get back up after losing the lane.
7. Faceless Void
Faceless Void has time by his side. He can revert damage dealt, stop cooldowns, and freeze anyone altogether. This makes him a great team fighter even if he has insufficient items. With his ability to engage for his team, the carry makes it easier for his allies to shut anyone down.
Faceless Void is not exactly one to farm excessively but excels very well in team fights. His abilities make him slippery and annoying, making enemies rage the moment they face him. Add that to the fact that he is hard to shut down and you can be sure that Faceless Void gets in fights and gets on top.
Faceless Void Strengths:
- Time Walk is Faceless Void’s main gap closer, but also serves as a form of sustain. When he gets damaged, he can just use the skill to get those hit points back. Combine that with his ultimate, Chronosphere, and he can easily enter the enemies’ ranks and freeze everyone in place.
- His Time Lock gives Faceless Void his damage. With a very efficient bash at a high chance of hitting, this skill is basically a free ticket to disrupt an enemy.
- Being an agility hero with a base gain of 3, Faceless Void easily transitions into the late game with attack speed and agility items. This gives him more damage and more chances to proc his Time Lock.
Pick Faceless Void :
- You love being slippery and durable.
- You enjoy setting up for your team.
- You want to stop time.
6. Phantom Assassin
When talking about which assassins to play, Phantom Assassin is your best bet. Her quick and deadly auto-attacks make quick work of any hero on the map while still being slippery enough to escape the consequences. Being an agility hero makes her build damage more easily as compared to other attributes.
Phantom Assassin excels in bursting squishies with her quick and agile damage. Her critical strikes are her main selling point and are the reason she is a great auto-attacker. The laning phase is not her domain but she can easily transition into fighting with even little resources.
Phantom Assassin Strengths:
- Phantom Assassin has a high agility gain at a value of 3.2. The longer the game goes on, the stronger she becomes. This bonus gives her abilities more damage as they depend on her attack damage.
- Stifling Dagger and Phantom Strike is Phantom Assassin’s go-to combo. The former slows the enemy and can critically strike it while the latter allows her to dash and gain bonus attack speed. This increases the chances of her getting critical strikes. Add Blur to the equation, and Phantom Assassin just goes in without any repercussions.
- Her Coup de Grace is the reason why she can burst anyone in the game. This ability allows her to critically strike opponents for a huge amount.
Pick Phantom Assassin if:
- You love playing agile assassins.
- You want to be a team fighter and skirmisher rather than a farming carry.
- You love the thrill of just going in.
5. Terrorblade
Now Terrorblade is one of those late game heroes who just go wild once they’re in the zone. His early game is average but once he gets enough levels and items, he’s unstoppable. This agility-based hero has a whopping 4-agility gain, one of the highest in the game. With this, he can quickly become the biggest threat in a match when left unattended.
Terrorblade thrives in farming during the early stages of the game. This is where he gets his power spike. While he suffers in the early game, he can quickly get back up with the help of his illusions who help him farm. When he arrives on the battlefield, it becomes a demon illusion-infested fiesta.
Terrorblade Strengths:
- Terrorblade is great at farming. He can use Conjure Image to spawn multiple copies of himself that deal a percentage of his damage. When in fights, they can also turn into metamorphic versions once he uses his Metamorphosis.
- His Reflection and Sunder cause mayhem on the battlefield. Reflection 100% damage can quickly mow down enemy auto-attackers with their own attacks. This is very useful against enemy safe lane heroes. While Sunder is a more defensive skill, it allows Terrorblade to stay in front and without fear, swapping out hit points with any enemy or ally.
- Metamorphosis is what makes Terrorblade really deal damage. This gives him a ranged attack state wherein he and his illusions can deal increased damage from afar. When he gets tanky and gets a ranged form, it’s over for the enemy.
Pick Terrorblade if:
- You love playing the late game.
- You want a hyper-carry hero in your hero pool.
- You love micromanaging multiple units to gain resources.
4. Slark
Hailing from the Dark Reef, a prisoner who used another set of escapees as a diversion to escape, Slark. This slippery creature is the only known escapee of the Dark Reef. With his agile and swift skirmishes, the Murloc Nightcrawler gets in and out while tearing down defenses with his attacks.
Slark excels more in skirmishes than in farming. His ability to shred enemies with his passive attribute steal makes all the difference in long and extended team fights. He has the capabilities to get in and get out unscathed. Whether he’s alone or with teammates, Slark can leave a mark on the battlefield.
Slark Strengths:
- What makes Slark strong in all stages of the game is his passive, Essence Shift. Basically, it steals 1 point from each attribute of the enemy and converts it into 3 agility. This makes Slark stronger and his enemies weaker with every hit.
- Slark’s 3 other abilities allow him to engage and disengage quite easily. Pounce is a gap closer that leashes onto enemies hit. This allows him to escape and chase. Dark Pact is a high damage AOE around Slark and this also offers him a strong dispel.
- Slark’s ultimate is Shadow Dance and can be activated to be immune to detection and he can do anything he wants in this state. Also, it has a passive movement speed and health regen bonus when he is not seen by the enemy.
Pick Slark if:
- You want to play a slippery skirmisher.
- You’d rather team fight and skirmish early than farm the whole time.
- You love getting in their faces and getting out smiling.
3. Phantom Lancer
When you’re a one-man army, you know you’re a menace. Phantom Lancer is just that. He commands an entire army but of himself. His illusions all act the same as him and easily overwhelm any foe they encounter.
Phantom Lancer works great around teams with some form of initiation. He can easily chase and confuse opponents with his abilities all while dealing attacks from all fronts. His farming capabilities match his team fighting prowess due to his illusions. Once he gets farmed up, he becomes an untouchable monster hidden within his vast army of clones.
Phantom Lancer Strengths:
- Phantom Lancer specializes in team fights. Juxtapose presents a passive that allows Phantom Lancer and his illusions to spawn even more illusions. This overwhelms the entire enemy team as they wouldn’t know who to target. Pair this with his signature Diffusal Blade and you’ll have one hell of a team fight.
- Doppelganger and Phase Rush are his two gap closers that can be used for chasing and escaping. The flexibility of these skill give Phantom Lancer more room to work with when outplaying enemies.
- Upgrades from his talents also enhance his abilities and stats. His talents give him a 24% critical strike chance at 200% damage, lesser cooldowns, increased Juxtapose damage, and Phantom Rush range. Basically, he becomes a beast in the late game.
Pick Phantom Lancer if:
- You love charging at enemies with an escape plan.
- You enjoy confusing your foes with your illusions.
- You think phantoms are cool.
2. Juggernaut
Juggernaut is the last of his kind. The masked bladesman carries out his clan's last fighting style with courage. Juggernaut has been a staple carry from pro matches to beginner games. His well-balanced playstyle has been adopted by many players due to his reliable damage, sustain, and late game potential. Well, that and because he’s a swordsman, which is cool.
Juggernaut has a decent early game and farming ability, but his late game is where he shines the most. He can flat-out burst anyone he comes into contact with all while having enough to fight another day. He can join early skirmishes as he’s not reliant on farming until the late game. His auto-attacks are one of the best due to his high base attack speed and his passive Blade Dance, which gives him critical strikes.
Juggernaut Strengths:
- His Blade Dance goes very well with increased attack speed and damage. More of these means more critical strike damage and instances.
- Juggernaut’s talents suit him very well as this greatly buffs him by upgrading his Blade Dance critical strike damage and Omnislash, two abilities that go very well together.
- Building Juggernaut’s damage allows him to utilize this when he uses Omnislash. This ultimate can single-handedly take down an opponent when given enough attack damage.
Pick Juggernaut if:
- You want to play a safe and reliable safe lane carry.
- You want a balance between farming and fighting in the early stages of the game.
- You love swords.
1. Anti-Mage
Anti-Mage is one of the most popular heroes out there amongst pros and pub players alike. The magic hater has been utilized by many due to his insane mobility and damage. Once he gets his signature Battle Fury, Anti-Mage farms and split pushes nonstop, making enemies rage while they fail to catch him.
Anti-Mage’s name speaks for itself. He’s very good against heroes with lots of spells since he can basically wear them down with his mana burn. This, coupled with his innate magic resistance, makes him a magic user’s worst nightmare. But while his early game could not be the greatest, his mid-to-late game is one of the best. Give him his Battle Fury and he’ll show up.
Anti-Mage Strengths:
- Anti-Mage easily burns the mana of his target using his passive Mana Break, especially when he has illusions. This makes his enemies useless by hindering their ability usage.
- His skill set makes it easy for him to deal damage and get out. His Blink and Counterspell give him options to choose from on how he wants to confront the enemy. He can easily farm safely due to his high mobility. He excels in split pushing, farming, skirmishing, and catching enemies off-guard.
- His Mana Void is a spellcaster’s doom. Once enough mana is burned, the target will essentially be one-shotted out of existence.
Pick Anti-Mage if:
- You want a very mobile safe lane hero who can farm, split push, and join fights with high mobility.
- You love making wizards kneel.
- You love the sound of his Mana Break.
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