Want to be the hero off in the distance racking up kill after kill while your teammates struggle in their lane? Want to carry your team to victory in Team Fights and trash your opponents?

Well then, buckle up and sit back, because you’re in for a ride. Read on to find out the best offlaners in Dota 2 that fit your playstyle and do everything mentioned above and much, much more!

10. Night Stalker

Night Stalker has good crowd control for team fights as well as tons of advantages at night, making him a scary opponent.

Here is why Night Stalker is a good Offlaner

• He has good mobility; Hunter In the Night gives Night Stalker a movement speed increase when it is night time.
• He has good team coordination potential; Crippling Fear silences a target enemy and Void slows enemies, which can lead to really good combo plays.
• He has limited solo kill potential; Night Stalker has increased attack speed and movement speed at night due to Hunter In the Night’s. Void does magical damage and slows a target enemy, which allows for Night Stalker to set up kills.

Here is how you play Night Stalker in the Offlane

Night Stalker is low down on this list because the entry level for this hero is relatively high. Night Stalker requires players that are patient, but aggressive. They also need to be able to make the most of small advantages that they gain. When Night Stalker gets a good start and uses his nighttime effectively he can snowball out of control.

• Night Stalker max Void first in order to harass heroes when possible. He is able to harass repeatedly using Void due to it having a low mana cost and cooldown. Void can setup kills effectively due to the slow and damage it applies.
• Night Stalker should invest one level into Crippling Fear in order to disable enemy heroes. This can be used offensively by slowing them with Void then applying Crippling Fear to silence them and apply damage during the silence. The defensive capabilities can be from using it to stop enemies from casting spells that could secure them kills or push objectives.
• Night Stalker should invest a level into Hunter In the Night at level 5 or when the game clock is close to 5 minutes so he can take advantage of nighttime. A Night Stalker player needs to understand that investing a level into Dark Ascension is situational because nighttime occurs periodically.
• An early game Urn of Shadows is useful on Night Stalker because when night time comes around he should be involved in a lot of fights.

9. Necrophos

Necrophos deals a high amount of damage to enemies around him while also healing his allies.

Here is why Necrophos is a good Offlaner

• He has good solo kill potential, due to the combination plays that can be done with Heartstopper Aura, Death Pulse and Reaper’s Scythe.
• He has good harassment potential, Death Pulse can do burst magical damage and Heartstopper Aura can constantly apply damage to enemy heroes.
• He has good survivability, as Death Pulse has healing capabilities.

Here is how you play Necrophos in the Offlane

Necrophos also has a high entry level but once you are able to use Necrophos effectively, you will always be able to be impactful in the game. Necrophos is a very aggressive hero who is ability focused. Being able to use his abilities effectively allows you to secure kills and provide your team with huge game advantages like good map control.

• Necrophos should max Death Pulse as often as possible because it is able to be offensive and defensive due to the heal it gives allies and the damage it deals to enemies within 475 Range. Death Pulse can be used to get creeps kills and harass heroes out of lane or simply kill them from constant use.
• A Necrophos player should invest at least one level in both Ghost Shroud and Heartstopper Aura. The level in Ghost Shroud is for defensive and escape capabilities from attacks because it allows him to be immune from physical damage. However, he takes additional magical damage. Heartstopper Aura is important because it gradually does damage on all heroes within 700 Range, which allows for Necrophos to continuously lay down damage on enemies that are in the lane.
• Necrophos should always use Reaper’s Scythe on the most valuable enemy hero when possible because it increases their respawn time. Or, Necrophos should just use Reaper’s Scythe to secure kills to increase enemy heroes respawn timers and use that time to take objectives or secure map control.
• Necrophos should invest in an early game Blink Dagger so he can get into position early and be able to get off a Reaper’s Scythe that kills an enemy hero. Items that increase Necrophos’s mana pool are optimal. Setting up Reaper’s Scythe is important so items like Scythe of Vise or items that deal large amounts of damage like Shiva’s Guard or Radiance are useful.

8. Tidehunter

Tidehunter is terrifying in team fights thanks to his Ravage ability.

Here is why Tidehunter is a good Offlaner

He has great Team Fight potential; Ravage is one of the game’s best Team Fight abilities due to its area stun.
He has good solo farming capabilities since Anchor Smash deals splash to a small area and can be used to kill creeps that are low HP.
He has good survivability; Kraken Shell is able to block a reasonable amount of damage and Procs when it reaches a damage limit to remove debuffs applied to Tidehunter.
He has good team coordination; Gush applies a slow on a target hero and deals magical damage as well. Gush coupled with Anchor Smash and Ravage allow for good combination plays with other heroes.
He has a good catch up potential; Tidehunter’s second Talent allows him to gain 40% EXP meaning he can catch up to other players when he has been sanctioned from experience.

Here is how you play Tidehunter in the Offlane

Tidehunter is a hero that can survive a lot of damage and last through team fights. He is a solid initiator that is designed to be the core of Team Fights and lay down as much damage as possible.

• Tidehunter should heavily invest in Anchor Smash because of its attack range, this allows for him to farm effectively without having to apply a lot of effort into auto-attacking. Anchor Smash has a shorter attack animation than Tidehunter’s regular attack and this can be used to supplement that.
• Tidehunter’s other abilities can be shifted around based on the situation. It is a good idea to invest in Kraken Shell if you have HP or sustain issues, but if you are engaged in a lot of fights you should look to investing in Gush in order to burst down heroes and set up kills with its slow.
• When Ravage is off cooldown, Tidehunter should always be looking to force a fight. This is because Ravage is largely a Team Fight ability and should be used to secure objectives like towers and map control.
• Tidehunter should rush to get a Blink Dagger so he can jump into team fights and Ravage when possible to surprise enemy heroes. Items like Pipe of Insight and Vladmir's Offering are really good on Tidehunter because they make him and his team more durable.

7. Centaur Warrunner

Centaur Warrunner loves to fight, thanks to his high mobility and his Retaliate thorns damage.

Here is why Centaur Warrunner is a good Offlaner

• He has good solo kill potential; Hoof Stomp deals damage and stuns enemies in a small area around Centaur Warrunner, while Double Edge deals base damage plus additional damage based on Centaur Warrunner’s Strength which allows him to secure kills.
• He has good team coordination potential because Stampede gives all his teammates increased maximum movement speed. This allows them to move into good positions to take on fights.
• He has good survivability since Centaur Warrunner has an initial Strength of 27 and gains 4.6 Strength every level. Retaliate also deals damage back to enemies that attack him, which can prevent them from attacking him.

Here is how you play Centaur Warrunner in the Offlane

Centaur Warrunner is a brawling hero. He is a hero who likes to be a part of the fights and forces a lot of fights. Centaur Warrunner is heavily focused on doing a lot of damage in a short time span and surprising enemies with his stun.

• Centaur Warrunner should invest heavily in both Hoof Stomp and Double Edge. Leveling up Hoof Stomp increases the duration of the stun and damage dealt, which allows you to deal a lot of instant damage and secure more kills or sanction your opponents.
• Retaliate is a late game ability. This is due to the small damage it deals to heroes early game when they aren’t doing much damage themselves. Retaliate can also be coupled with Blade Mail to increase Centaur Warrunner’s survivability and damage output.
• Stampede is a good ability to have and use when you need to engage a fight or escape from a fight. Stampede can be used to initiate because it makes all your ally heroes have maximum movement speed, deal damage and slow enemy heroes. It’s useful as an escape tool because the effects it has allow you to get into a safe position to retreat or TP out.
• An early game Blink Dagger is pivotal on Centaur Warrunner because he needs to be able to jump on heroes at will.

6. Pudge

Pudge's Meathook can bring in kills out of nowhere when enemies let down their guard.

Here is why Pudge is a good Offlaner

• He isn’t reliant on levels to be impactful in games because his ability set is effective as long as he is at least level 2.
• He has a good catch up potential; one of Pudge’s first Talent options is +25% EXP, this allows pudge to catch up when he is behind and gain an advantage when he is ahead.
• He has good solo kill potential, because when Pudge lands a Meathook he does a lot of pure damage and Rot deals damage every second when it’s activated. This combo coupled with Dismember secures Pudge a lot of kills.
• He has good survivability; Pudge has one of the best Strength stats in the game, where he starts off with 24 Strength and gains an addition 4 Strength every level. On top of that, when Pudge has secured a lot of kills his Flesh Heap increases his HP pool significantly.

Here is how you play Pudge in the Offlane

Pudge is a simple hero in terms of playstyle because he is largely reliant on his Meathook and Rot combo to secure kills and his auto-attack to secure creep kills. However, Pudge being able to be a good Pudge comes through your decision-making capabilities of his Talents and Items. Pudge is one Dota 2’s most straightforward, but hard to master heroes.

• Pudge should invest all his early game skill points into maxing out Meathook and Rot before investing skill points into Flesh Heap. Flesh Heap only becomes effective once Pudge has been a part of a large number of kills because it gains stacks and increases Pudge’s Strength for each kill he is within a 450 Range for.
• From the beginning of the game you should always have at least have 1 level in Meathook to set up kills. Meathook is a skill shot, which means that it requires some practice to get to a point where it is usable in game. You should practice playing Pudge before you begin to play Pudge in pubs and important games.
• Pudge is a hero that requires good map awareness and thus should be making rotations to other lanes whenever possible to set up kills and get as many preemptive stacks for Flesh Heap as possible. Pudge should largely be in the lane to get kills and experience.
• When playing as Pudge you should try to position yourself in hard to see places that have space in front of your target area. This allows you to use your ability set at its best because you can land Meathooks and apply a lot of Rot damage without needing to chase down heroes heavily to secure kills.
• Getting a Blink Dagger or Force Staff is important on Pudge because he has the worst movement speed in the game. These items allow for him to get into position a lot more efficiently.

5. Bristleback

Bristleback can deal high amounts of damage to those who don't respect his abilities.

Here is why Bristle Back is a good Offlaner

• He has great solo kill potential; Viscous Nasal Goo slows enemy heroes and reduces their armor, allowing Bristleback’s physical attacks to deal more damage. Quill Spray stacks with the previous Quill Spray activation to increase its own damage, while Warpath increases Bristleback’s movement allowing him to run down opponents.
• He has good survivability since when Bristleback is able to have enemies attack him from behind he is able to take significantly less damage due to his ability Bristleback.
• He has great harassment potential because the stacks that come from Quill Spray can be used to damage enemy heroes and push them out of lane or kill them.
• He can get into position reasonably well

Here is how you play Bristleback in the Offlane

Bristleback is also a brawling hero. Bristleback thrives from constantly being attacked and attacking other heroes. Bristleback players need to be able to run into team fights and tank as much damage as possible while understanding how Bristleback’s Bristleback mechanic works and use it effectively.

• In the Laning Phase Bristleback should be looking to get as many creep kills as possible and apply as much damage as possible to enemy heroes. Investing heavily into Quill Spray allows for Bristleback to apply a lot of harassment damage on enemy heroes at a high frequency. Quill Spray is also an AOE ability so this can also be used to secure creep kills.
• Viscous Nasal Goo is a good ability for setting up and forcing fights. Bristleback should it apply as much as possible on heroes in the lane and then auto-attack them while applying Quill Spray damage to apply as much harassment damage as possible.
• Bristleback is a hero that is annoying to lane against because he is hard to kill and he does a lot of cumulative damage. Getting items that increase his survivability like a Vanguard or give him more damage like a Sange, let Bristleback become the focal point of any offensive strategy.

4. Earthshaker

Earthshaker can provide great utility for his team even if he falls behind.

Here is why Earthshaker is a good Offlaner

• He has great Team Fight potential; Echo Slam deals damage to an area around Earthshaker and when used in combination with Aftershock, Earthshaker is able to stun enemies within 300 range.
• He has good team coordination potential, as Fissure is a long range stun that can block off escape paths for the enemy. This coupled with Echo Slam allows for good combination plays with teammates.
• He can be impactful while behind in gold and experience; Fissure allows for Earthshaker to stun heroes throughout the entire game and change the terrain to his advantage.
• He has decent survivability since when Earthshaker has a level in Aftershock, all of his abilities are able to stun enemies within a 300 range. This allows Earthshaker to interrupt his opponents’ movements.
• He is a versatile hero because Earthshaker can change from a utility hero to a carry hero based on how he chooses to play and how much farm he has. Earthshaker can invest in Enchant Totem to increase his physical damage and supplement it with items or he can choose to become a spell and focusing on Team Fights.

Here is how you play Earthshaker in the Offlane

• Whether you are playing a core position, utility or carry. Earthshaker should always have an early game level of Fissure. This is because it is his most useful spell due to the stun and ability to alter the terrain.
• A carry Earthshaker Offlane should heavily invest in Enchant Totem and get one level in Fissure and one level in Aftershock. This is due to Aftershock allowing for Enchant Totem to stun heroes. Investing heavily in Enchant Totem allows you to utilize Earthshaker as a physical damage dealer.
• A utility Earthshaker Offlane should invest heavily in Fissure and get one level in Enchant Totem and one level in Aftershock, because of the huge impact the stun increase from Fissure allows Earthshaker to have.
• A Blink Dagger is always a good idea on Earthshaker because it allows for you to get into a position where there are as many units as possible so that Echo Slam can do as much damage as possible.

3. Legion Commander

Legion Commander can stay in fights for a long time and deal out great damage as well.

Here is why Legion Commander is a good Offlaner

• She has good survivability since Press The Attack has healing capabilities and Moment Of Courage lets Legion Commander Lifesteal when it Procs.
• She has good solo kill potential; Legion can use Overwhelming Odds to apply damage to heroes and increase her movement speed, getting her into position to use Duel to gain damage and disable her opponents. Essentially forcing an enemy into a physical damage showdown.
• She has good team fight coordination; Duel is a good disable that lets your team focus down a single hero. Overwhelming Odds increases the movement speed of allies that are nearby allowing them to get into position for fights.
• She has good solo farm capabilities because Legion Commander has good base auto-attack damage and a quick attack animation which can allow her to kill creeps effectively. Overwhelming odds can be used to kill low HP creeps and secure farm.
• She has a good catch up potential, as one of Legion Commander’s first Talent options allows her to increase EXP gain by 25%, which can let her gain levels that were lost in the lane. Duel allows for Legion Commander to gain stacks that increase her attack damage throughout the game, making her less reliant on items for physical damage.

Here is how you play Legion Commander in the Offlane

Legion Commander is one of the best brawling heroes in all of Dota 2. She is a hero who requires a lot of fights in order to perform at her best. Legion Commander players should play around Duel’s cooldown and try to get into a Duel with an enemy hero whenever Duel is off cooldown to be the most impactful.

• Legion Commander players should heavily invest in Overwhelming Odds and get at least one level in Press the Attack and Moment of Courage. This is because when you are in the Offlane you are more concerned with securing farm and creep kills than sustaining yourself like you would if you had jungled as Legion. Overwhelming Odds also does significant damage and is good for harassing, plus it improves your movement speed.
• When Legion Commander gets to level 6 she should use Overwhelming Odds to increase her movement speed so she can get a Duel off, but just before the Duel she should apply Press the Attack on herself so she can have improved attack speed and regeneration.
• Press the Attack should also be used on ally heroes who either do a lot of physical damage or have really high attack speed in order to secure Duel damage.
• Getting an early game Blink Dagger allows you to get closer and use Duel more often and strategically. Blade Mail is a useful item and should be activated before Duels in order to finish Duels as quickly as possible.

2. Bounty Hunter

Bounty Hunter can pop up in an enemy lane to gank them if they let their guard down for even a moment.

Here is why Bounty Hunter is a good Offlaner

• He has good survivability; Bounty Hunter has Shadow Walk which allows him to be invisible with a 15-second cooldown and lasts for 20 seconds at level 1.
• He has good mobility because of Shadow Walk’s invisibility. Bounty Hunter can easily rotate between lanes or move into position to set up a kill.
• He has a good catch up potential because one of his first talent options gives Bounty Hunter a 25% EXP increase. This coupled with the 150 Bonus Gold that Track gives for kills at level 1 should ensure Bounty Hunter has no problem catching up in games that he is sanctioned in. Jinada also steals unreliable Gold from heroes that he hits, giving him a good advantage.

Here is how you play Bounty Hunter in the Offlane

Bounty is largely focused on getting off as much harassment as possible in lane, in order to get an advantage out of the lane. He can sit in lane and soak up experience, however a good Bounty Hunter player should always be trying to set up a kill for any rotations from his teammates that are available.

• Bounty Hunter relies on ganks from his teammates to his lane and making rotations to other lanes when he finds an opportunity. Investing a level into Shadow Walk allows for Bounty Hunter to leave the Offlane undetected and move to lanes like mid and get kills whenever possible. Shadow Walk can setup kills very effectively because it can slow down the first unit he hits while it is activated.
• Having at least one level in Jinada during the Laning Phase is important because it deals bonus damage and steals unreliable Gold form enemy heroes every time it is off cooldown. Bounty Hunter should always harass an enemy hero with Jinada in order to deal as much harassment damage as possible and steal some gold, giving him a nice advantage going into the mid game.
• Shuriken Toss should be at max level whenever possible because it is Bounty’s Ability that does the most damage. Shuriken Toss should be used to secure kills after Bounty has harassed the enemy enough. This can be done with Shadow Walk to intimidate the enemy.
• Track is Bounty Hunter’s most useful spell because it secures a Gold advantage for his entire team, but most importantly himself. Offlane heroes often don’t have a good advantage going into the mid-game because they have to play really carefully and Track allows Bounty not to worry about this. Having Track allows Bounty Hunter to be a bit more aggressive than other Offlaners.

1. Windranger

Windranger can use her range to her advantage to harass and secure kills.

Here is why Windranger is a good Offlaner

• She has good survivability since she is a ranged hero which makes it really hard to get a lot of harassment damage onto her due to her 600 Attack Range.
• She has good mobility because Windrun allows her to escape ganks and damage from physical attacks because it gives her increased movement and evasion from physical attacks.
• She has a good catch up potential because Powershot allows her to secure creeps kills from a distance and avoid unnecessary damage.
• She has solo kill potential because Shackleshot is capable of stunning heroes, and when used in combination with Powershot and Focus Fire, she is able to lay down a lot of damage.
• She has good farming capabilities because Powershot can secure farm and creep kills.

How do you play Windranger in the Offlane?

In order to set up kills in the Offlane with Windranger, you need to understand that Windranger is a hero that is reliant on combination ability plays. Her spells are reliant on each other to be effective and when they are used effectively in a fight, Windranger is able to secure kills and win the Offlane.

• Powershot is necessary and should be the skill that is focused on when upgrading abilities because it allows you to apply a lot of damage at a relatively low mana cost. Powershot can be used to harass heroes that are in the lane and potentially push them out of lane or kill them. However, Powershot should primarily be used for securing creep kills and farm, especially when Windranger isn’t able to get close enough to auto-attack creeps.
• There should always be one level invested in Windrun when you play Windranger in the Offlane, because she needs good mobility to maximize her impact. Windrun can also be used to tank damage when trying to take on a fight because it gives her evasion to physical damage. The increased movement speed from Windrun allows for Windranger to have good mobility which can be used to get into position but more importantly retreat and maneuver out of hard position which often happens to Offlane players.
• Windranger should always have at least 1 level of Shackleshot at all times after she reaches level 2 because it is her primary disable. Shackleshot lets Windranger set up kills by stunning her opponents and allowing her to use her spell combinations to lay down a lot of damage like a Powershot and Focus Fire combo.
• Focus Fire makes Windranger a glass cannon physical damage hero. She gains 425 attack speed which allows her to apply a lot of damage on a single target in a short space of time. This means she can secure objectives like towers and map control quickly by herself and also contribute to team fights with minimal farm.

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