With so many roles in Dota, the offlane remains the most difficult role in the game. Offlane heroes are the sacrificial lamb of the teamfights. They are often on the frontlines, soaking up damage for their beloved allies, ensuring nothing happens to them. The majority of the offlane chunk of heroes are made up of the initiators who are handed the duty of starting the teamfight, and tanking the fight whilst their team follows up from the backlines. These heroes are often left alone in the lane, as they have decent survivability skills, allowing them to hold their ground even against multiple heroes. Offlaners are often underappreciated but they do most of the heavy lifting in the meta.

The Offlaner brings in extreme value and contributes immensely to the teamfights usually with his big-ticket ultimate. With no further adieu, we present you the Best 15 Offlane Heroes that wreck the enemy carry hard in the current meta. These heroes can sustain and push through their initial setbacks as they are known to recover and bounce back stronger.

15. Nightstalker

The night is indeed scary if you’re facing the Nightstalker. This vicious hunter of the night hunts his feeble enemies and decimates them in no time. He fares well against the carry heroes due to his high armor as well as movement speed which allows him to sustain and disengage without any trouble. He also deals decent magical damage in the laning phase. His disables are also extremely dangerous as they can pretty much make enemies useless and turn them into lane creeps! Nightstalker is highly relevant in the current meta due to his team fighting skills.

Although, as dawn approaches his powers get weaker but he still holds the power to rip enemies apart with his immense physical damage and his ultimate, Dark Ascension. Most carry heroes can’t contest Nightstalker in the late game because they are frankly powerless against him, courtesy of all the disable which makes it unable for them to have an impact. Nightstalker is a slow farmer but as soon as he hits level 6, he can rotate toward other lanes to secure kills and wreak havoc! 

Why is Nightstalker a great offlane hero? 

• Void can be used to cancel channeling spells or initiate the teamfight.
• Crippling Fear prevents enemies from using spells as it silences in an AoE, making them useless under its duration.
• With Dark Ascension and Black King Bar, Night Stalker can fight and sustain through a teamfight quite easily.
• He is also a tanky hero that can fight most carries at any stage of the game.

Choose Nightstalker if:

• If your team lacks an initiator hero
• Your team lacks a teamfight as well as a disabler hero who is strong right from the get-go

Top 5 End Game items to buy on Nightstalker

• Blink Dagger - On cast, Blink transports Nightstalker 1200 units in the distance he is facing, it can’t be used for 3 seconds if he takes any form of damage. Blink is used to closing the gap and get on top of enemies, or it can also be used to escape away from them.
• Aghanim’s Scepter - AoE Void, allowing Nightstalker to farm quickly and slow multiple enemies in an AoE in teamfights
• Echo Sabre - Provides great stat gain along with immense damage and attack speed upon physical attacks, ensuring Nightstalker does decent damage in fights.
• Nullifier - Dispels the target and applies a debuff for 5 seconds. Continuously dispels the target, which is exceptional and can be used in tandem with Blink Dagger followed by his silence, making it hard for enemy heroes to escape if Nightstalker gets on top of them.
• Black King Bar - Provides spell immunity from all enemy magic damage spells, making Nightstalker invulnerable in the team fight.

Nightstalker is strong against

• Earthshaker - Fissure has a short stun and creates an impassable ridge. However, Night Stalker can fly over it during Dark Ascension.
• Puck - Puck cannot use any of its normal means to survive should Night Stalker catch it within Crippling Fear, and goes down quickly.
• Keeper of the Light - Keeper of the Light's Aghanim's Scepter upgrade loses much of its power, due to Night Stalker being able to reduce the duration of daytime by a lot.

Nightstalker is weak against 

• Chaos Knight - Reality Rift is a great way to force Night Stalker to fight Chaos Knight, a hero with massive health and damage output. It also forces Night Stalker's Crippling Fear off his primary target.
• Naga Siren - Ensnare and Song of the Siren prevent Night Stalker from escaping and ganking during daytime or even nighttime.
• Sven - Warcry makes it difficult to burst Sven down with both the passive (with Aghanim's Shard) and active components.

https://dota2.fandom.com/wiki/Night_Stalker

14. Nature’s Prophet

It is safe to say that his green and serene appearance makes Nature’s Prophet a great leader amongst the jungle creatures. Nature’s Prophet is one of the most picked offlane heroes in the game, mostly due to his treants, which soak up the damage and provide extra damage while farming and pushing lanes. With high base attack speed, he can prove to be a nuisance in the laning stage, constantly harassing enemies or pushing faster. A late-game NP is a threat that not all players can contain. 

With the incredibly high magic damage being dished out with the help of his ultimate, Nature’s Prophet devastates his foes from the early game. The jungle is his domain, but it isn’t limited to his side of the map! With Global Teleportation, Nature’s Prophet can farm the enemy side of the map or even rat and push towers when the enemy team is busy fighting. All in all, he is an essential hero in the current patch as he amplifies the fighting and pushes the potential of the team.

What makes Nature’s Prophet a great offlane hero? 

• High base attack speed, which can be useful if paired with an early Blight Stone.
• Incredible global presence, even better with the removed cooldown on teleport as a level 25 talent. 
• Can jungle right from level 1 with his treants, which in the late game can be used to push or rat lanes.
• He is also known to split-push extremely well with the help of his spells.
• His Teleport ability provides him great global potential, inducing fear in his enemies if they try to overstay their welcome.

Choose this hero if

• You want a hero who can be mobile and teleport anywhere on the map
• You want a rat hero who can push lanes effortlessly and take down towers within no time.

Top 5 Best End-Game items for Nature’s Prophet 

• Glepnir - Upon cast, it roots enemies in 450 AoE, making them take damage and controlling the crowds as well.
• Shadow Blade - Provides invisibility on the cast which can be used to escape or set up on enemies
• Solar Crest - Solar Crest grants armor, attack speed, and movement speed to the targeted ally while reducing the same stats if used upon enemies. This makes them unable to stand firm in teamfights.
• Black King Bar - Provides spell immunity, making Nature’s Prophet invulnerable in the fight.
• Scythe of Vyse - Upon usage it hexes the targeted unit, essentially making them unable to use spells or items, along with reducing their movement speed for 3.5 seconds. It can be used to lock the carry down and decimate him within no time.

Nature’s Prophet is strong against 

• Monkey King - Nature's Prophet's Natures Call can destroy trees while Monkey King is standing on them with Tree Dance, which will stun him for a good deal of time.
• Venomancer - Teleportation allows Nature's Prophet to save himself from the damage over time of Venomous Gale, Poison Sting, and Poison Nova.
• Weaver - Sprout with True Sight items ( Sentry Ward or Dust of Appearance) make it possible to trap Weaver in the lane, unless he buys Quelling Blade or until he unlocks Time Lapse.

Nature’s Prophet is weak against 

• Storm Spirit - Ball Lightning can be used to clear Nature's Prophet's Treants and easily destroys Sprout.
• Shadow Shaman - Shadow Shaman's Mass Serpent Ward together with Ether Shock can easily kill lots of Treants if played defensively.
• Doom - Doom and a mini stun from Infernal Blade prevents Nature's Prophet from escaping with Sprout and Teleportation.

https://dota2.fandom.com/wiki/Nature%27s_Prophet

 

13. Legion Commander

Legion Commander leaves no stone unturned when it comes to the battlefield. Tresdin, the Legion Commander has slain more foes on the battlefield than anyone else on this list. Her grit and vigor have resulted in abilities that make her invincible. She is known to lock enemies down and deal some serious damage to them with the help of her Duel. She is a nuisance right from the first initial levels, AoE damage and lifesteal allow her to sustain and deal damage in the lane as well as in the jungle. If you get enough Dual damage, you just might one-shot the enemy support! Legion Commander is one of those rare heroes who can be relevant and tanky right from the early game.

Primarily played in the offlane, Legion rarely faces a tough laning phase due to her toolkit which helps her survive. Her Movement of Courage and Press The Attack offers her enough sustain to stand her ground in the teamfights. She is highly picked in pubs when a team is lacking a damage dealer and crowd control component. Legion Commander only gets stronger as the game progresses, there is no way you can stop her wrath if she accumulates enough damage as she is capable of simply one shotting low HP heroes in the late game.

What Makes Legion Commander a great offlane hero?

• Moment of Courage passive provides up to 85% lifesteal with a 25% chance.
• Overwhelming Odds is a great AoE ability that provides movement speed while dealing damage to enemies.
• Press the Attack provides a dispel along with 60 HP/s regen which is enough to turn a fight around! 
• Becomes an active hero with the purchase of Blink Dagger or Shadow Blade.

Choose this hero if

• Your team lacks a tanky initiator
• Your team lacks a crowd-control hero
• You need a hero who can sustain themself right from the laning phase

Top 5 Best End-Game items for Legion Commander

• Blink Dagger - On cast, Blink transports Legion Commander 1200 units in the distance she is facing, it can’t be used for 3 seconds if she takes any form of damage. Blink is used to close the gap and to get on top of enemies to use Duel, or it can also be used to escape away from them.
• Blademail - Reflects enemy damage to them upon activation. It is useful in the Duel as it forces the enemy carry to hit you while doing double the damage back to them.
• Black King Bar - It provides Legion with spell immunity from all of the enemy's magic damage spells, making her invulnerable in the fight.
• Heaven’s Halberd - Upon cast, it disarms the targeted hero, making them unable to attack while Legion can freely attack them. Halberd can be used before using Duel to ensure Legion does not end up taking a ton of damage or save her allies from enemy onslaught.
• Assault Cuirass - Increases armor and attack speed for Legion Commander while reducing the same for enemies in an AoE.

Legion Commander is strong against

• Chen - Overwhelming Odds and Moment of Courage can take advantage of converted creeps' numbers.
• Sniper - Sniper's low mobility and lack of defensive abilities make him an easy gank target for the entire game, especially if Blink Dagger is picked up.
• Viper - Viper's frailty and low mobility make him an enticing Duel target and Corrosive Skin doesn't protect him against Legion Commander's physical attacks.

Legion Commander is weak against

• Abbadon - Borrowed Time makes Abaddon nearly impossible to kill in Duels, and often replenishes much of his health because Legion Commander cannot manually stop attacking during Duels.
• Luna - A well-timed Eclipse before a Duel usually prevents Legion Commander from winning Duels, if Luna is the target.
• Mars - Because Duel requires both combatants to face each other, Bulwark's effectiveness will be increased by a huge margin, which makes it much more difficult for Legion Commander to win any duels against him.

https://dota2.fandom.com/wiki/Legion_Commander 

12. Centaur Warrunner

The war chieftain, Centaur Warrunner, has seen many strong enemies in his war adventures, his forces have destroyed empires and defeated great warriors. Centaur is naturally a great counter to melee carries due to his ability to gap close with both his ultimate and the Blink Dagger. He can return some serious damage to him and it is further amplified with the Blade Mail. Even a highly farmed carry hero can not fight alone or target a farmed and fat Centaur. Alongside, Centaur can use ultimate to run away from a teamfight or initiate it, essentially disengaging and saving his allies as well as himself in teamfights.

Most heroes surely deal significant damage in the late game, but they merely poke the mighty and tanky Centaur, making him retaliate with higher damage back at them. Centaur is an effective offlane hero, as he remains powerful throughout the game. His power spikes allow him to both initiate the gank and survive through it with the help of his items. A late-game Centaur can easily catch low-mobility heroes off guard.

What makes Centaur a great tank hero?

• Naturally has high armor and HP, making him tanky right from the initial levels.
• He also builds items that amplify his tanky nature, making it easy for him to stand his ground in teamfights.
• Centaur can provide immense mobility, allowing him and their allies to engage or disengage from a fight.
• Centaur also has Return, the ability that discourages his foes from hitting him, as it returns a percentage of the damage they deal to him.

Choose this hero if

• Your team lacks an initiator hero who can also be a tanky frontliner.

Top 5 End Game items on Centaur Warrunner

• Blink Dagger - Blink transports Centaur 1200 units in the distance he is facing, it can’t be used for 3 seconds if he takes any form of damage. Blink is used to closing the gap and get on top of enemies and follow it up with Stomp.
• Blade Mail - Can reflect enemy damage and prevent them from using spells, making Centaur invulnerable in team fights.
• Force Staff - Allows Centaur to force himself or the targeted unit 600 units ahead in the direction they are facing. It is quite essential in catching or escaping from enemies as it does not get disabled on physical attacks like the Blink Dagger.
• Aghanim’s Scepter and Shard - Can be used to initiate or save allies from ganks across the map as it makes Stampede Global.
• Pipe of Insight - Provides immense magic damage block on activation, and affects the whole team.

Centaur is strong against

• Pangolier - Pangolier will proc Retaliate several times if he attempts to use Swashbuckle on Centaur Warrunner.
• Arc Warden - Arc Warden cannot take Centaur Warrunner very easily, and his nukes are not strong enough to deal with Centaur Warrunner.
• Doom - Whenever Doom casts his ultimate, Centaur Warrunner can cast Stampede and allow the Doomed hero to run away, wasting Doom's ultimate.

Centaur is weak against

• Clockwerk - Battery Assault easily interrupts Centaur Warrunner due to his poor cast animation.
• Lifestealer - Feast is an effective tool against Centaur Warrunner, who generally has high health and low armor, and compensates the reflected damage of Retaliate.
• Templar Assassin - Centaur has nothing to deal with Refraction that will negate all of his burst damage.

https://dota2.fandom.com/wiki/Centaur_Warrunner

11. Slardar

Slardar is a menace when he is paired against squishy and low-armor melee heroes if he is in the offlane. Most heroes in the early game have poor armor which can decimate them in the teamfights against Slardar as he thrives against squishy heroes. The main reason why Slardar is picked is because of his ultimate Corrosive Haze. The ultimate also provide true sight and reduces enemy armor causing Slardar’s bashes to hit pretty hard, stopping enemies right in their tracks. He is an exceptional pick as a strong, space-making offlaner.

Slardar can effortlessly carry the game if he manages to drown enemies by pressuring them in the laning phase with his phenomenal abilities and items. Slardar rarely loses in the laning stage as he is highly tanky, and has ways to escape enemy ganks. He may not be the best at farming efficiently due to his low AoE capabilities. But, as we know, Slardar is more level-reliant and does not need multiple items to have any impact, unlike certain carry heroes who can’t fight without a few items. 

What makes Slardar great in the offlane? 

• Bash of the Deep will deal lots of damage during the laning phase.
• His ultimate will essentially decimate low-armor heroes.
• High movement and attack speed right from the laning phase.
• Slithreen Crush allows Slardar to be an effective crowd-control hero.

Choose Slardar if 

• Your team lacks a tanky initiator
• Your team lacks a crowd-control hero
• You need a hero who can sustain themself right from the laning phase

Items to buy on Slardar

• Blink Dagger - On cast, Blink transports Slardar 1200 units in the distance he is facing, it can’t be used for 3 seconds if he takes any form of damage. Blink is used to close the gap and get on top of Alchemist.
• Shadow Blade - Provides invisibility to Slardar which can be used to escape or set up a gank on Alchemist.
• Aghanim’s Shard - Silthreen Crush applies Corrosive Haze on usage, it can be used to get on top of Alchemist with Blink and quickly smash him down with follow-up from your team.
• Black King Bar - Provides spell immunity, making you invulnerable in the fight against Alchemist.
• Lotus Orb - Reflects targeted spells and hence can also be used to prevent Alch from using Unstable Concoctions.
• Assault Cuirass - Immense armor gain to both Slardar and his allies, also reduces Alchemist’s armor at the same time in an AoE.

Slardar is strong against

• Anti-Mage - Slithereen Crush and Bash of the Deep deal physical damage, bypassing the magic resistance bonus from Counterspell.
• Bounty Hunter - Bounty Hunter's Shadow Walk is rendered useless with Corrosive Haze and makes Bounty Hunter an easy target for Slardar and his team.
• Ursa - Slardar is one of the few melee heroes who can lane against Ursa in the early game, out harassing him with Bash of the Deep, and running away from a bad engagement with Guardian Sprint.

Slardar is weak against 

• Abbadon - Abaddon can cast Aphotic Shield on any of his allies to immediately dispel Corrosive Haze and/or the stun and the slow components of Slithereen Crush.
• Meepo - Slardar does not do well against multiple targets, as his only way to damage multiple targets is Slithereen Crush.
• Oracle - Fortune's End applies a basic dispel which can be used to dispel Corrosive Haze or even Slardar's own Guardian Sprint.

https://dota2.fandom.com/wiki/Slardar

10. Beastmaster

Beastmaster is back in the meta! His ferocious abilities and vigor have made him into a primal killing machine! He is by far one of the most threatening heroes in the game! Beastmaster is primarily played in the offlane due to his split pushing and initiating abilities, though he can also jungle effortlessly thanks to his Wild Boar. His attack speed is also amplified by his abilities, allowing both him and his allies to hit faster. Beastmaster snowballs right after a few kills, his ganking potential is insane after a few essential item purchases.

Beastmaster also does not fall off in the game's late stages due to his relevant spells. Primal Roar pierce spell immunity, meaning it can be used without worrying even if the enemy has a Black King Bar on. This allows the mighty Beastmaster to separate certain heroes from the teamfight even in the later stages of the game. There are various reasons why Beastmaster is top 10 on this list, you can find some compelling reasons below!

What makes Beastmaster a great offlane hero? 

• Mostly builds utility items, supplementing his team’s abilities.
• Wild Boar helps with jungling and the Hawk provides the vision that can alert Beastmaster or his allies from enemy invasion.
• He can teamfight as soon as he acquires his ultimate, which is essential in controlling the crowd during teamfights.
• High base attack speed, damage, and armor.

Choose Beastmaster if 

• You want a fast-farming offlaner who relies more on levels as opposed to farms to get the job done.
• Your team lacks a crowd-control hero.
• You want a hero who can scout and initiate teamfights.

Top 5 Best End-Game items for Beastmaster 

• Blink Dagger - Blink transports Beastmaster 1200 units in the distance he is facing, it can’t be used for 3 seconds if he takes any form of damage. Blink is used to closing the gap and get on top of enemies and follow it up with Primal Roar.
• Helm of the Overlord - It is the upgraded version of Helm of the Dominator, which essentially allows Beastmaster to dominate an Ancient Creep while granting it various buffs under its control.
• Drums of Endurance - Upon usage, it increases the attack and movement speed of Beastmaster and his allies in an AoE. This can be cast during a teamfight or to escape from one!
• Black King Bar - Provides spell immunity, making Beastmaster invulnerable in the fight.
• Wraith Pact - On activation, the Pact summons a movable totem that deals 30 DPS and reduces 30% of the damage dealt by enemies in a certain radius. This makes it great against both magical and physical damage heroes.

Beastmaster is strong against 

• Monkey King - Wild Axes can knock out Monkey King from a tree. The Hawk can easily find Monkey King while he is sitting on a tree.
• Troll Warlord - Primal Roar and the slow from Boars make kiting Troll Warlord very easy.
• Wraith King - Wraith King's lack of area of effect spells makes him easily overwhelmed by Beastmaster's summons.

Beastmaster is weak against 

• Abbadon - Aphotic Shield effectively nullifies Primal Roar's single-target initiation on allies.
• Winter Wyvern - Cold Embrace mitigates Primal Roar's single-target initiation on allies.
• Timbersaw -Reactive Armor is very effective against Beastmaster's summons during the laning stage and the entire game.

https://www.dota2.com/hero/beastmaster

 

9. Dark Seer

Ish’Kafel, the Dark Seer does not need any weapon to decimate his enemies. His wrists are enough to make his enemies rage quit. Dark Seer is one of those classic offlane heroes, as he is picked through multiple different tournaments for over a decade at this point. You always see him popping here and there due to his world-famous Vaccum and Wall combo, which sucks the enemies together and makes a replica of them which deals damage to them. Dark Seer is also an efficient farmer, meaning he can farm quickly and wreak havoc in teamfights with his newly acquired items.

Right from the initial levels, Dark Seer is a thorn in the side of low magic-resistant carry heroes, plus points if they are melee! In the early game due to little to no magic immunity, Dark Seer can obliterate his foes with the backup of his teammates. His magic damage from the Shell combined with the lightning-fast Surge movement speed ensures that none of his foes escape the battlefield alive. Dark Seer is an exceptional addition to your team if your team lacks an initiator as well as a crowd-control hero.

Why is Dark Seer a great offlaner?

• Can initiate teamfights with his immense crowd control spells
• His spells deal incredible damage right from the laning phase, allowing him to farm fast.
• Though he farms fast, Dark Seer generally relies more on levels to have an impact on the game.
• Dark Seer can also aid his carries to farm or push lanes by applying Ion Shell on them.

Choose this hero if

• Your team lacks an initiator hero
• Your team needs a spell-caster who is well-versed in controlling the crowd

Top 5 Best End-Game items for Dark Seer

• Guardian Greaves - Upon usage, it heals Dark Seer and all allied units in the AoE while also providing a basic dispel to him, providing immense survivability in teamfights.
• Blink Dagger - Upon cast, Blink transports Dark Seer 1200 units in the distance he is facing, can’t be used for 3 seconds if he takes any form of damage. Blink is used for closing the gap and getting on top of enemies and following up with the Vaccum Wall Combo or the Normal Punch, or it can also be used to escape away from a bad teamfight.
• Shiva’s Guard - Upon activation, it deals damage in an AoE around Dark Seer, slowing down the affected targets. It also provides increased armor and reduces enemy armor in an AoE. It is essential if Dark Seer faces high physical damage heroes.
• Aghanim’s Scepter - Grants two charges to Ion Shell, buffing it and allowing Dark Seer and his allies to survive through teamfights.
• Lotus Orb - Reflects targeted spells hence can also be used to reflect spells if timed correctly. Lotus Orb also provides a basic dispel upon activation.

Dark Seer is strong against 

• Meepo - Dark Seer can take great advantage of Divided We Stand by putting an Ion Shell on a clone to harass them effectively.
• Terrorblade - Dark Seer's Vacuum and Ion Shell allow him to clear the wave of Terrorblade's illusions.
• Templar Assassin - Ion Shell destroys Refraction's protection stacks in a short time. Also, Surge ignores the massive slow from Psionic Trap.

Dark Seer is weak against 

• Anti-Mage - Mana Void can deal a lot of damage if Dark Seer spent a lot of mana on his abilities.
• Oracle - Fortune's End dispels Ion Shell and Surge, making any gank attempt on Dark Seer in the laning phase likely to succeed.
• Sniper - A Sniper who is somewhat competent at positioning is hardly going to be affected by any of Dark Seer's spells thanks to Take Aim.

https://dota2.fandom.com/wiki/Dark_Seer

8. Pangolier

Pangolier is one of the most flamboyant heroes in the game, he has spells that make him extremely powerful against squishy heroes in the offlane. He is also an extremely powerful laner as he deals high physical damage which may decimate most carry heroes due to their low armor. Most heroes also fall off fast in the late game while Pangolier only gets stronger by then, due to his high physical damage and lightning-fast farming speed. There is no way most enemies can stop Pango’s onslaught once he gets all his core items. Most heroes simply have no tools to contain his onslaught!

Pangolier’s Rolling Thunder ultimate completely negates all the magical damage being dished out by some heroes, while his Shield Crash negates the physical damage he takes, essentially reducing enemy impact and making sure they can’t escape the fights so easily. Pangolier is a great hero to play if you want to have a fun time crushing your opponents. Your average carry hero also is not that mobile enough to catch Pangolier, who has Shield Crash, Swashbuckle, and Rolling Thunder at his disposal to escape.

Why is Pangolier a great offlaner?

• Swashbuckle is an auto attack and therefore it can obliterate an enemy's squishy HP.
• Rolling Thunder makes Pangolier immune to magic damage, making him able to roll in and out of fights and not worry about getting locked down.
• Most heroes fall off in the late game as Pangolier’s physical damage becomes too hard for them to negate, making them get destroyed in fights.

Choose this hero if

• Your team lacks a tanky hero who is durable throughout the game.
• You want a damage-dealing offlaner who can fill the gap in case the other two cores have a bad game
• Your team lacks a crowd-control hero who can fend off enemies and stand their ground

Items to buy on Pangolier

• Eul’s Scepter - It can be used to sweep yourself or enemies into the air for 2.5 seconds, making them unable to use spells or move. This can be used to lock them down or temporarily remove Pango from the fight, it dispels most debuffs upon self-cast. Pangolier can use it to escape from his ultimate if he is trying to gank him with it.
• Skull Basher - Provides a chance to Mini Stun on physical attacks. It can further be upgraded into Abyssal Blade later on in the game.
• Glepnir - Can root multiple enemies and deal damage to them over time upon usage. It is useful as it can be used in tandem with your ultimate, to lock heroes down whilst you hit them.
• Aghanim’s Shard - Allows Pangolier to stop during his Rolling Thunder ultimate and also change directions, all while being spell immune, it is essential in teamfights so you don’t get stuck awkwardly with the ultimate.
• Monkey King Bar - Increases physical damage and provides a true strike on physical attacks, making it an ideal item against squishy heroes or heroes that build evasion.
• Diffusal Blade - Slows down enemies by 100% upon usage and physical attacks. It also burns their mana, making them useless as they cannot cast any spells, essentially turning them into creeps. 

Pangolier is strong against

• Arc Warden - Rolling Thunder hits Arc Warden, his Tempest Double, and any allies through Magnetic Field.
• Broodmother - Swashbuckle and Shield Crash quickly destroys Broodmother's spiderlings and spiderites.
• Meepo - Shield Crash gains its damage reduction bonus from all Meepo clones, and can be used even when rooted, allowing Pangolier to gain a massive amount of damage reduction (even more than 100%).

Pangolier is weak against

• Bloodseeker - Thirst provides constant sight and speed to Bloodseeker, allowing him to catch up with a fleeing Pangolier through all of his mobility.
• Centaur Warrunner - When Swashbuckle hits Centaur Warrunner,  Retaliate will deal significant damage, as it procs off every strike made.
• Faceless Void - Chronosphere's significant obstacle denies Pangolier the room to roll around during teamfights, as well as wasting his ultimate's duration.

https://dota2.fandom.com/wiki/Pangolier

 

7. Magnus

The strength of the hoof and horns has bestowed Magnus with a great ton of power. Magnus can be picked in the offlane due to his abilities that can decimate multiple heroes at once He can compete and quite effortlessly out-farm his enemy carry with Empower. In the later stages of the game, Magnus is more spell and level reliant as opposed to farm, as all it takes is one Blink Dagger to ruin the enemy’s tempo. A successful blink into Reverse Polarity followed up by his team can guarantee the game victory.

Magnus has various crowd control abilities which essentially allow him to snatch his enemies away from their team and bring them to his allies for feasting! His ultimate is undoubtedly the core reason behind his massive pick and win rate. Magnus is also a reliable offlaner, as he can essentially buff his allies with Empower, helping them fast faster. It is obvious that mastering Magus requires some practice, but it all pays well seeing a satisfying 5-man RP!

Why is Magnus a great offlane hero? 

• Requires minimal farm to get online, all he needs is a Blink Dagger
• Immense crowd-control potential with all his spells and items
• Great laner as he has high armor as well as high HP, allowing him to sustain through fights and early game skirmishes
• He does not fall off in the late game, as his abilities only get better in the later stages

Choose Magnus if

• Your team lacks a tanky hero who is durable throughout the game.
• You want a hero who can supplement the other two cores and have a higher impact on the game
• Your team lacks a crowd-control hero who can fend off enemies and stand their ground

Items to buy as Magnus

• Blink Dagger - On cast, Blink transports Magnus 1200 units in the distance he is facing, can’t be used for 3 seconds if he takes any form of damage. Blink is used to closing the gap and get on top of enemies and use Reverse Polarity, or it can also be used to escape away from them.
• Aghanim’s Shard - Grants Horn Toss ability, which tosses any enemies in front of Magnus, launching them to his rear. This can be followed by Skewer to bring the tossed enemies near his team, which can affect multiple enemies.
• Force Staff - Allows Centaur to force himself or the targeted unit 600 units ahead in the direction they are facing. It is quite essential in catching or escaping from enemies as it does not get disabled on physical attacks like the Blink Dagger.
• Black King Bar - Provides spell immunity, making Magnus invulnerable in the fight against magic damage spells, ensuring that he is relevant through teamfights.
• Eul’s Scepter - Can be used to sweep Magnus or the targeted enemy into the air for 2.5 seconds, making them unable to use spells or move. This can be used to lock enemies down to setup up his Reverse Polarity or temporarily shut them off from the fights.

Magnus is strong against

• Meepo - Meepo is vulnerable to area damage and disables by Magnus himself as well as his team through Empower.
• Lifestealer - Reverse Polarity pierces through Rage, wasting part of its duration.
• Chaos Knight - All Magnus abilities are very good against Chaos Knight's Phantasm illusions.

Magnus is weak against

• Alchemist - Magnus has very mediocre damage against Alchemist because he can survive the stun duration of Reverse Polarity with Chemical Rage.
• Disruptor - Disruptor can disable Magnus's Blink Dagger using Thunder Strike for a considerable duration, disrupting his initiation attempts.
• Razor - Static Link drains the bonus damage from Empower. However, it can be broken by Skewer and/or Force Staff.

https://www.dota2.com/hero/magnus

6. Mars

Mars, the first son of heaven, is somewhat of the rage in the current meta. His impressive and damage-dealing spells rank him very high on this list. Mars is an exceptional offlaner if you want someone to tank out all the damage and lead the charge for your team, and a great wave clear hero as well. He synergizes well with most heroes, making him a flexible pick in every game, and can withstand hordes with his flexible and reliable item build. He is also extremely durable due to his Bulwark, making him stand his ground in teamfights.

Mars is often picked in the offlane, due to his high reliability, allowing him to opt for multiple different builds according to the heroes he is facing, a luxury that not all heroes get to have. He is also an exceptional crowd control hero, courtesy of his ultimate, which prevents people from entering the Arena or dealing damage from outside of it. This way he can shield himself and his allies from enemy onslaught or corner certain enemy heroes and beat them down within no time under its duration,

What makes Mars a great offlane hero?

• Bulwark makes it hard for his enemies to attack him, as he takes less damage if attacked from the front
• His Arena doesn’t allow him to get any damage dealt to him if it comes from outside of it.
• Mars naturally has high HP and armor, he also builds high armor items which amplify his durability.

Choose This Hero if

• Your team lacks a tanky hero who is durable throughout the game.
• You want a fast-farming hero who can fit in any lane.
• Your team lacks a crowd-control hero who can fend off enemies and stand their ground

Top 5 Best End-Game items for Mars

• Blink Dagger - Blink transports Mars  1200 units in the distance he is facing, it can’t be used for 3 seconds if he takes any form of damage. Blink is used to closing the gap and get on top of enemies and follow it up with Arena.
• Desolator - Provides increased physical damage and armor corruption upon physical attacks. Desolator works in tandem with God’s Rebuke.
• Crimson Guard - Provides immense physical damage block to both Mars and his whole team, and also affects allied towers and buildings.
• Black King Bar - Provides spell immunity from all enemy magic damage spells, making him invulnerable in the fight
• Shiva’s Guard - Upon activation, it deals damage in an AoE, slowing down the affected targets. It also provides increased armor and reduces enemy armor in an AoE. It is essential if Mars faces other tank heroes.

Mars is strong against

• Juggernaut - Juggernaut's Omnislash switches to opposite directions with each slash, so Mars can mitigate most of its damage since he only takes full damage from one direction: his back.
• Slark - Slark finds it very difficult to have a good early/mid-game when pressured in the early game by Spear of Mars and God's Rebuke.
• Spectre - Spectre cannot have a good game if she is pressured heavily in the lane, which is something Mars can do.

Mars is weak against

• Axe - Berserker's Call forces Mars to face in the direction chosen.
• Lifestealer - Feast does damage and heals based on max health, perfect against high-health strength heroes like Mars.
• Faceless Void - Time Walk allows Faceless Void to escape or enter Arena Of Blood, and helps him recover from Mars' burst damage.

https://www.dota2.com/hero/mars 

5. Doom

The harbinger of bad news, Doom is a devastating enemy if you are playing a squishy carry hero. This demon has sent countless of his enemies to the realm of hell, and frankly, any hero in this patch is no exception! His abilities are highly lethal, as they deal high damage right off the bat. He is considered to be a great counterpick in the offlane regardless of the hero picked, due to the high early-game damage. The Infernal Blade damage and disable coming from his eponymous ultimate is the stuff nightmares are made of!

Doom’s high base armor provides him sustain while fighting or jungling. Doom is known to farm effortlessly right from level one, courtesy of Devour. He is regarded as one of the most deadly disablers in the current meta. Spell-casting heroes hate disabling as it makes them unable to cast any spells, rendering them useless in fights. All it takes is one Blink and Doom to get the puny enemy carry out of the fight, as most of them virtually have no way to counter Doom for a very long time.

What Makes Doom a great offlane hero?

• Devour kills creeps instantly, granting gold and him the abilities of the creep.
• High strength gain and base armor, making it easy for him to jungle without taking much damage.
• Scorched Earth deals massive AoE damage which accelerates his farming speed.
• The ultimate Doom is great against mobile/slippery heroes as it silences and mutes them while making them take damage over time.

Choose this hero if

• Your team lacks a tanky initiator.
• You want an offlaner who can also disable the enemies with his spells.
• Your team lacks a crowd-control hero.

Top 5 Best End-Game items for Doom

• Shadow Blade - Provides invisibility on the cast which can be used to escape or set up on enemies with his ultimate, Doom.
• Blink Dagger - On cast, Blink transports you 1200 units in the distance you are facing, can’t be used for 3 seconds if you take any form of damage. Blink is used to closing the gap and to get on top of enemies, or it can also be used to escape away from them.
• Shiva’s Guard - Upon activation, it deals damage in an AoE, slowing down the affected targets. It also provides increased armor and reduces enemy armor in an AoE.
• Black King Bar - Provides spell immunity from all enemy magic damage spells, making him invulnerable in the fight
• Refresher’s Orb - Can refresh spells and items and use them again in quick succession to delete enemies from the fight

Doom is strong against

• Tinker - Tinker is heavily dependent on active abilities and Doom prevents him from using any of them.
• Spectre - Doom can entirely disable Spectre from a teamfight. 
• Arc Warden - Arc Warden relies on items and abilities, as well as his Tempest Double, to deal damage to enemies. Doom effectively denies that and makes Arc Warden useless in fights.

Doom is weak against 

• Lifestealer - Rage allows Lifestealer to become spell-immune to negate the magical damage of Infernal Blade and Scorched Earth.
• Medusa - Doom does not disable Mana Shield. As such, Doom's damage is largely mitigated by her mana shield. Additionally, Medusa is not reliant on her abilities to be effective during a teamfight, making Medusa an unproductive hero to target.
• Phantom Lancer - Phantom Lancer's illusions can make it difficult to Doom the original. Should Doom figure out the original hero, the illusions can make it difficult to cast any abilities, as their hitboxes can be used to body-block the Phantom Lancer.

https://dota2.fandom.com/wiki/Doom 

4. Underlord

Underlord is an essential counterpick if you are looking for an Offlaner that can decimate the enemy carry right from minute 0. He is notorious for being a menacing and resilient offlane hero against most squishy heroes. Squishy and melee carry heroes simply hate laning against Underlord as the latter has high physical damage which is hard to negate in the early game, along with high HP and armor which they find hard to penetrate. This relentless global potential is unmatched by most relevant heroes in the current meta. 

Underlord can easily outpace and outfarm the enemy carry throughout the game if he is in the offlane with the right lane partner. His impressive skill set is just the cherry on top, allowing his allies to escape and trapping his foes in the Pit of Malice. It’s quite a treat to see a farmed and fat Underlord take no damage from the equally farmed counterpart. This causes the latter to ignore him in teamfights, which eventually ends up costing him his life. The late game is a completely different playing field for Underlord as he can use Fiend’s Gate to transport himself and his allies into a fight, or help them escape from a fight. 

Why is Underlord such a great offlane hero?

• Builds items that provide him with resistance and armor
• Naturally high base armor and HP gain, keeping him sustained right from the laning stage
• High base Strength gain which is only amplified by the items he makes
• Immense global presence potential with Fiend’s Gate ultimate

Choose this hero if

• Your team lacks a tanky offlaner.
• You want a fast-farming offlaner who relies more on the farm to get the job done.
• You want a hero with global mobility potential

Top 5 End Game items on Underlord

• Blademail - Reflects enemy damage to them upon activation, discouraging his enemies from using any high-damage dealing spells, as it could backfire at them.
• Lotus Orb - Reflects targeted spells and hence can also be used to dodge spells if timed correctly. Lotus Orb also provides a basic dispel upon activation.
• Shiva’s Guard - Upon activation, it deals damage in an AoE around Underlord, slowing down the affected targets. It also provides increased armor and reduces enemy armor in an AoE.
• Pipe of Insight - Provides immense magic damage block on activation, and affects the whole team. 
• Crimson Guard - Provides immense physical damage block, and also affects the whole team as well as the towers.
• Rod of Atos - Upon usage, Rod of Atos locks enemies down and prevents them from using any spells or moving. This can be used to lock the enemy carry down and follow it up with Pit of Malice, essentially perma-stunning them while his allies can follow up with damage.

Underlord is strong against

• Phantom Lancer - Pit of Malice will continuously disrupt many illusions, drastically reducing their damage and potency.
• Phantom Assassin - Pit of Malice prevents Phantom Assassin from either escaping or engaging with Phantom Strike.
• Terrorblade - Atrophy Aura reduces Terrorblade's damage significantly, even during Metamorphosis.

Underlord is weak against

• Underlord - Reaper's Scythe and Heartstopper Aura deal percentage-based damage, ignoring Underlord's high health.
• Razor - Static Link greatly reduces Underlord damage, while benefiting Razor himself, even when in Atrophy Aura's range.
• Luna - Eclipse can be devastating for Underlord's team when they're grouped up for Dark Rift, it can also be used to intercept arrivals with Dark Rift. And Pit of Malice does not prevent Luna from using it.

https://dota2.fandom.com/wiki/Underlord 

3. Timbersaw

The mighty Timbersaw fares extremely well against melee and ranged heroes alike. He is quite a dominating force in the offlane right from the early game as the enemy does not have much resistance to his magical and pure damage. Timbersaw can dictate the pace of the game with his moves, due to him being such a tanky hero. Most enemies can surely hinder Timber’s gameplay but the latter does not rely on attack damage to kill creeps or heroes. His abilities are enough to decimate his enemies.

Even if the enemies manage to secure a decent farm, Timber’s Reactive armor stops enemies from advancing any further and ignoring him in teamfights. This forces his foes to jungle early on in the game, which makes him lag in the farm and XP department. Timber can triumph in the late game as well if he is given free rein, he can purchase various items which allow him to maintain control and dominance against his foes, including Eul’s Scepter of Divinity or Heaven’s Halberd. 

Why is Timbersaw a great offlane hero? 

• High pure damage that pierces and messes up with enemy strength
• Timbersaw's innate durability is very hard to deal with for enemies
• Most enemies will have a hard time dealing with Timbersaw due to his tankiness and high Armor from Reactive Armor
• Timbersaw's high Pure Damage and low-cooldown AoE nukes can also destroy squishy heroes within no time due to his low magic resistance.

Choose This Hero if

• Your team lacks an efficient and tanky hero.
• You want a flexible hero.
• Your team lacks magical damage.

Top 5 End Game items for Timbersaw

• Eul’s Scepter - Can be used to sweep Timbersaw or the targeted enemy into the air for 2.5 seconds, making them unable to use spells or move. This can be used to lock enemies down to setup up his Chakram or temporarily shut them off from the fights.
• Pipe of Insight -  Provides immense magic damage block on activation, and affects the whole team. 
• Crimson Guard - Provides immense physical damage block, and also affects the whole team. It is extremely useful to prevent enemy heroes from doing significant physical damage. 
• Blade Mail - Can reflect enemy damage and prevent them from using high-damage spells on him.
• Lotus Orb - Reflects targeted spells hence can also be used to dodge spells if timed correctly. Lotus Orb also provides a basic dispel upon activation.

Timbersaw is strong against

• Broodmother - Spiderlings deal almost no damage against Reactive Armor. They also die quickly from Timbersaw's AoE abilities.
• Axe - Whirling Death reduces Axe's strength by 15%, which makes him less durable, especially from the early game. It's also stackable.
• Monkey King - Timbersaw can easily cut down the tree that Monkey King is standing on, stunning him for a lengthy period.

Timbersaw is weak against

• Bane - Brain Sap's pure damage ignores stacks of Reactive Armor.
• Doom - Doom shuts down Timbersaw completely, negating his mobility and preventing him from doing any damage. It also breaks Reactive Armor's passive bonuses from Aghanim's Scepter.
• Faceless Void - Time Dilation is similar to a long-duration silence, making Timbersaw useless in team fights, or forcing him to adapt his build.

https://dota2.fandom.com/wiki/Timbersaw

 

2. Brewmaster

Do not underestimate the wrath of the tipsy yet fierce brawler. Brewmaster, the drunken brawler is a classic offlane hero, who has been one of the most picked heroes in the new meta, this is attributed to the recent changes to his Aghanim’s Scepter, as well as some minor tweaks to his spells. Brewmaster deals high magical damage right from the laning stage, forcing his enemies out of the lane, while he is quite tanky himself and sturdy due to his high armor. He is one of the few offlane heroes who can fight as soon as he gets his ultimate, showing he relies more on levels as opposed to items to have an impact on the game.

Brewmaster is also a quick farmer, as his spells do serious AoE damage, allowing him to acquire all his items as soon as possible. He is also a very reliable hero, he can tank the teamfights with his Brewlings, annoying his enemies and even catching them off-guard with his devastating ultimate. Brewmaster hardly falls off in the late game, he translates well into the later stages of the game due to his reliable items and high scaling skillset. 

Why is Brewmaster a great offlane hero?

• Immense tank potential with his high armor as well as high HP, allowing him to withstand damage in teamfights.
• Excellent team fighter, thanks to his ultimate, Primal Split, which helps him disable and control enemy heroes.
• Deals high magical damage right from the laning phase, which can be further amplified with the help of items.
• Brew can decimate illusions with the help of his ultimate, which also acts as a crowd control spell.

Choose This Hero if

• Your team lacks a tanky initiator.
• Your team lacks a crowd-control hero.

Top 5 End Game items against Brewmaster 

• Blink Dagger - On cast, Blink transports Brewmaster 1200 units in the distance he is facing, can’t be used for 3 seconds if he takes any form of damage. Blink is used to closing the gap and get on top of enemies, or it can also be used to escape away from them.
• Black King Bar - Provides spell immunity from all enemy magic damage spells, making him invulnerable in the fight while he uses his Primal Split.
• Shiva’s Guard - Upon activation, it deals damage in an AoE around Brewmaster, slowing down the affected otargets. It also provides increased armor and reduces enemy armor in an AoE.
• Aghanim’s Scepter - Provides a strong boost to Brewmaster's stats and unlocks the Primal Companion ability, allowing Brewmaster to have a Brewling at any time and vastly improving his versatility as well as teamfight potential.
• Wraith Pact - Upn usage, it summons a movable totem in Brew’s location that reduces all physical damage of enemies within an AoE by 30% and deals 30 damage per second. It is a useful item in teamfights against high damage-dealing heroes.

Brewmaster is strong against

• Huskar - Brewmaster can use Cyclone to disable Huskar's healer for much longer than most other heroes can, to make Huskar vulnerable.
• Templar Assassin - The three Primal Split brewlings all attacking Templar Assassin at once will remove her Refraction quickly, especially with Fire's Permanent Immolation.
• Ursa - If Ursa uses Enrage Brewmaster can use Cyclone to render him harmless during his ultimate.

Brewmaster is weak against

• Skywrath Mage - Ancient Seal's instant cast time will often silence Brewmaster before he can do anything.
• Death Prophet - Exorcism kills Primal Split's units very quickly.
• Shadow Shaman - Hex's instant cast time will force Brewmaster into the awkward situation of needing some form of spell immunity or block to prevent being immediately hex upon blinking in.

https://dota2.fandom.com/wiki/Brewmaster 

1. Tidehunter

The mighty and resilient Tidehunter does exceptionally well in the offlane, primarily against squishy melee heroes as he can simply lower their armor and deal high damage while significantly reducing the damage he takes in return. He deals little to no damage to the former due to Anchor Smash his naturally high Base Armor along with his mighty Kraken Shell which drastically reduces any damage he takes. Tide can simply blink into Ravage and have his team follow up on the enemies, he can also build items like Solar Crest, or Lotus Orb to reduce the amount of damage he takes.

Most players have no choice but to ignore this mighty melon man during teamfights as they can not deal damage to him due to Kraken Shell even with the help of their teammates. Tide can simply negate all the damage and tank through the team fight, shielding his cores. Most carry heroes have no way to turn the tides against the Tidehunter in the late game due to his immense armor, his offlane impact and lane damage are too hard to be ignored right from the early game.

Why is Tidehunter a great offlane hero?

• In the early game, carry heroes cannot penetrate Kraken Shell and will do almost no damage to Tidehunter even with Medallion of Courage or Solar Crest.
• Anchor Smash's bonus damage has the potential to kill creeps quite effortlessly while reducing the physical damage that enemies deal.
• Tidehunter does not rely heavily on the farm and can rotate lanes to hunt enemies quite early on in the game, as soon as his Ravage is available.
• Immense crowd control with the help of his ultimate, Ravage, allows him to lock down multiple heroes at once.

Choose This Hero if

• Your team lacks a tanky initiator.
• You want a fast farming offlaner who relies more on levels as opposed to farm to get the job done.
• Your team lacks a crowd-control hero.

Top 5 End Game items against Tidehunter 

• Blink Dagger - On cast, Blink transports Tidehunter 1200 units in the distance he is facing, can’t be used for 3 seconds if he takes any form of damage. Blink is used to close the gap and get on top of enemies and use Ravage, or it can also be used to escape away from them.
• Shiva’s Guard - Upon activation, it deals damage in an AoE around Tidehunter, slowing down the affected targets. It also provides increased armor and reduces enemy armor in an AoE.
• Lotus Orb - Upon usage, it reflects targeted spells to the caster. It can also be used by Tidehunter to dispel any enemy debuffs. It can hence be used to reflect or dispel both Grave Chill and Soul Assumption.
• Aghanim’s Scepter and Shard - The Scepter makes Gush AoE and the Shard grants him Tendrils of the Deep ability which stuns enemies within his reach. The tentacles are essentially a mini ravage, with 75% of Ravage’s radius, making it easy for Tidehnter to reach Visage.
• Force Staff - Allows Tidehunter to force himself or the targeted unit 600 units ahead in the direction they are facing. It is quite essential in catching or escaping from Visage as it does not get disabled on physical attacks like the Blink Dagger.

Tidehunter is strong against

• Batrider - Kraken Shell is very useful against Sticky Napalm and Flamebreak, easily dispelling them regularly.
• Shadow Fiend - Anchor Smash reduces Shadow Fiend's large attack damage, and Kraken Shell makes Tidehunter the last target Shadow Fiend wants to attack.
• Phantom Assassin - The AoE nukes from Ravage, Anchor Smash, and an Aghanim's Scepter-upgraded Gush can clear Phantom Lancer's illusions easily.

Tidehunter is weak against

• Anti-Mage - Mana Break quickly burns Tidehunter's mana pool, preventing him from spamming his abilities, and Kraken Shell does not mitigate the bonus damage component.
• Razor - Kraken Shell's dispel does not restore damage stolen by Static Link, and the stolen damage easily offsets Anchor Smash's damage reduction. 
• Nyx Assassin - Mana Burn can instantly deplete Tidehunter's low mana pool, especially in the early game, potentially preventing Tidehunter from casting Ravage.

https://dota2.fandom.com/wiki/Tidehunter

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