The hardest Dota 2 heroes to learn and master

MOBAs like Dota 2 are arguably some of the hardest games to pick up. If you're totally new, you've got over a hundred heroes, thousands of abilities, and general gameplay mechanics to discover. And while some heroes are pretty easy to get to grips with, the hardest Dota 2 heroes take hundreds of hours to master.

That said, there's nothing more rewarding than winning a game of Dota with these heroes — just don't expect wins to flow early on without a lot of practice. Here's a list of the hardest Dota 2 heroes to play.

To no surprise, Meepo tops our list of toughest heroes to play in Dota. The benefits of the Geomancer are plentiful; a tough hero, he dishes out damage both from right-clicks and via his Poof! teleport. He's got a great catch with multiple throws of Earthbind and is one of only a few heroes that can truly win you a game on your own.

The downside is obvious: The enemy team just has to focus on a single Meepo clone to kill the hero. At lower ranks, losing track of a Meepo is easy, and overextending just to try and land that Earthbind catch will cost you big time.

Seriously, don't try this at home without a solid understanding of the Poof! teleport ability and macro!

Arc Warden has a great set of abilities with decent ganking potential thanks to Flux, solid AoE with Spark Wraith, and a powerful Magnetic Field to protect while right-clicking.

But when you throw in a copy of Arc Warden, things go to the next level — both in potential and difficulty. A good Arc Warden uses Tempest Double to spam Hand of Midas or push another lane while farming the jungle. A great Arc Warden can control an entire team fight in a deficit.

You aren't punished like Meepo is when your Tempest Double goes down, but your effectiveness in a team fight takes a hit. A god-tier Arc Warden player is feared — all others are forgotten.

The most stylish hero of them all. An awesome Invoker, like pro player Miracle, is a joy to witness, and with such a following many aspire to reach the same level as the mid-laner. Most of them fail.

It's not enough to memorize his 10 spells and their Quas, Wex, or Exort combinations — you've got to know when to use them and how to best remain involved in a team fight after you've thrown out your big combo. A fight doesn't end after your one and only EMP-Tornado combo. Likewise, he has 10 spells for a reason, and focusing on just two or three won't cut the mustard at the highest ranks.

Throw on items like Force Staff, an Euls, and a Scythe of Vyse, and your APM will truly be tested. The potential of a great Invoker is scary in the right hands, but many stop short of greatness and pass off their pitiful combos as enough. It isn't.

The least popular hero in Dota history, and not because he's boring to play. Chen's main ability involves the use of the jungle. Holy Persuasion, when used with Innate ability Summon Convert, grants Chen the ability to summon a horde of enemies from the jungle each with their own abilities.

On their own, these abilities are average at best, but in combination with his Penitence slow and Divine Favor healing all nearby, Chen can swing a team fight in his team's favor. However, you've got to have a handle on macro'ing and controlling his units to make the most of him — and that's where most players falter.

Chen requires a deep understanding of the jungle and each creep's abilities, so if you're thinking of running some janky right-click build using just Penitence, you're severely disadvantaging your team.

Easily the most unique hero in Dota is Io, also known as Wisp. This support hero's main strength comes with its Tether ability, granting healing and other benefits by attaching itself to another hero.

Landing Io's Spirits is how this hero deals a little damage, with each spirit floating around Wisp. You can control how far away the spirits fly, but after that, it's all about positioning with your carry. As such, communication and mobility are key on Wisp — and that's not something that comes naturally to Dota players.

Io is not a hero you can barge in and win team fights with alone. Your role will be to aid a carry, detach, and Tether to other allies that need health, and avoid dying where possible. A good Dota team will target an Io immediately and blow it up, so it's on you to survive but also remain involved with your carry.

Oracle has one of the toughest-to-learn sets of abilities and rotations in Dota. Oracle's abilities can target both allies and enemies with differing effects depending on who they land on.

Fortune's End, his Q, is easily his most important ability, as it dispels debuffs from allies and roots enemies. Paired with your E, Purifying Flames, your heal-over-time is converted to burst damage, but only if you land them in the correct order.

False Promise can save an ally in a team fight but you must be well positioned to use it, but by far the toughest spell to work in is Fate's Edict. Using this on an ally or enemy at the wrong time can have disastrous consequences. A brilliant Oracle player can combine the four abilities and become a defining factor in a battle — but it ain't so easy to pull off.

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