Where’s your favorite hero on the Dota 2 lore tier list?

A Dota 2 tier list with all 122 heroes is tough to make and will vary with each patch, but this list will give you a rough idea of how each character ranks in the lore.

Dota 2 lore is an absolute mess in the best possible way. While the game’s general premise comes with mind-blowing lore facts, the heroes themselves are a tangled knot of interweaving stories and feats. Some heroes are absolute beasts with control over the fabric of reality. Others are just people with unique talents or magical abilities.

While not every hero is a bombastic warrior, it’s fun to think about how they would match up against each other in the lore. This Dota 2 tier list attempts to organize each hero into approximate “weight classes” based on their strength in the lore.

For this list, characters are considered to be their base form with no arcana, persona, or cosmetic versions being considered. Several sets either change heroes’ lore or massively upgrade them, but they don’t count for this. It also doesn’t take their in-game strength into account. Tinker and Jakiro may be tearing up pubs in 7.30, but they still pale in comparison to some of the eldritch horrors that make up Dota 2’s hero pool. 

Elder Titan and Weaver top the Dota 2 lore tier list

The very top tier of Dota 2 lore strength is a tossup between Elder Titan and Weaver. Both of them have unique backstories that depict them as gods among gods with powers that no one can match. Interestingly enough, they both belong to races of similarly powerful beings but were cast down to the mortal realm as punishment for their mistakes. These ridiculously powerful heroes don’t belong on the Fields of Endless Carnage in the first place. 

According to his lore, Elder Titan is the original creator of the entire Dota 2 world. He belongs to a special race called the Titans that were born at or shortly after the creation of all existence. They continued to craft realities in their image, but those who made mistakes were condemned to live in those realities until they were repaired. It’s not clear what Elder Titan’s mistake was, but it could be the creation of the very ancients he now defends. All that’s known for sure is that his powers of creation are above even the Fundamentals. After all, he was the one who created them.

As for Weaver, he manages to stand alongside Elder Titan by virtue of existing outside of reality itself. The Weavers are another race of beings that seem to have existed for as long as existence has been possible. Their job is to repair the occasional lapse in the timeline, and are able to retroactively alter existence at will.

Weaver’s time powers are actually represented in-game. Shukuchi shows his ability to quickly weave across space, Geminate Attack displays the power to manipulate small pockets of time, and Time Lapse is self-explanatory. It’s not clear which god of creation is more powerful, so both Weaver and Elder Titan top the Dota 2 lore tier list at S+.

Dota 2 Fundamentals and dimensional beings rule S tier

Aside from the creation crew in S+, there are a ton of ultra-powerful Dota 2 heroes that can only rival each other. The characters in S tier are among the most powerful gods and interdimensional beings in all of Dota 2. Chief among them are the Fundamental quartet, but other celestial beings and gods could theoretically contest them in combat. This tier also includes the absolute strongest non-divine beings in the Dota 2 lore.

Starting off the list are the Fundamentals, which as a group comprise the most powerful race in all of Dota 2. Each one has control over a different principle of physics. Chaos Knight has control over probability and chaos while Io lords over electromagnetism. Enigma and Keeper of the Light round out the group with command of gravity and transience respectively. While not all of them are particularly suited for combat, their sheer power over existence keeps them in S tier.

Several celestial beings belong in this category as well. Phoenix and Dawnbreaker are the physical manifestations of stars, which would be pretty difficult to beat in a fight. Arc Warden is a bit of a curious case, but his attempted role as the third ancient qualifies him as a celestial being. Earthshaker is effectively the soul of the Dota 2 planet, so he counts as well.

In addition to those gods, this tier also includes beings that are powerful enough to travel between dimensions. Spirit Breaker is an obvious inclusion. The rampaging bull has mysterious motives, but his lore states that he serves a master beyond human comprehension.

Outworld Destroyer comes from the World on the Rim, an isolated fortress located somewhere in the void of space. This qualifies him as both a dimension-hopper and a celestial body. Dark Seer can also travel through dimensions, but his goal of returning home proves that it was a desperate fluke rather than an explicit ability. 

And finally, the most powerful demons of all qualify for elite S-tier status. Shadow Demon is said to be the ruler of all the other demons. Shadow Fiend is explicitly his servant, something Shadow Demon references in his Ozkavosh voice lines. He shares a power struggle with Doom, but certain voice lines suggest that Shadow Demon is winning.

Terrorblade is a demon to the demons. His jailbreak from Foulfell implies that he’s a considerable cut above the rest. A lack of interactions makes it unclear which archdemon reigns supreme, so both Shadow Demon and Terrorblade go in S tier on the Dota 2 lore tier list.

A tier is full of Dota 2 demons and demigods

The A tier Dota 2 heroes are powerful enough to the point where no natural human can contest them. This includes several non-human beings like the trio of lesser demons and the semi-divine spirits. It also covers terrestrial gods like Nature’s Prophet and Zeus. 

The majority of Dota 2 demons also fall into A tier. Doom and Queen of Pain rule over domains in the Seven Hells while Shadow Fiend terrorizes the human world. Several hero lore blurbs explain how terrifying demons can be, so they land here. Those blessed by evil gods like Undying can also qualify, though they stand alongside actual evil deities like Bane, Spectre, and arguably Monkey King. 

A large number of demigods also appear on this part of the Dota 2 lore tier list. The four elemental spirits all qualify due to their elemental blessings or outright synthesis with the divine. Monkey King and Death Prophet also effectively qualify as demigods. Zeus himself is a literal god, but he gave up part of his power as a tribute to his wife. His son Mars is in the same tier despite his youth, as he rules over the very nature of war.

Finally, there’s another section for the most powerful beings of a certain type. Invoker is stated to be the most powerful living mage after the downfall of Aghanim, though Rubick isn’t too far behind him. Tiny is a literal mountain, making him arguably the absolute strongest humanoid in the Dota 2 lore.

Underlord is easily mistaken as a demon or dimension traveler, but he’s actually the king of an underground society known as Aziyog. His gargantuan strength mixed with magical mastery is enough to qualify him as A tier on the Dota 2 lore tier list.

The strongest Dota 2 warriors line up in B tier 

The B tier of this Dota 2 lore tier list includes the absolute cream of the crop of natural fighters. Several A-tier heroes come with divine blessings or special training to give them an edge over B heroes. Many powerful magic users like Leshrac and Grimstoke appear here too. While still not strong enough to contest the gods, they’re very powerful warriors in their own right.

As for the warriors, all of them either have a certain special feature or a very long resume of successful combat. The two heroes that represent those features best are Bloodseeker and Centaur Warrunner. Bloodseeker is a devout servant of the Flayed Twins, who in turn grant him increased combat capabilities. Abbadon, Lone Druid, Lion, and Necrophos share similar traits of blessings from the supernatural. But they’re not the gods themselves, so into B tier they go.

The centaurs of the Druud clan are renowned for their ferocity, and Centaur Warrunner is their greatest champion in history. The Omexe arena gave him plenty of challenges, and he came out on top every single time. Axe, Slardar, Tidehunter, and Huskar are all extremely accomplished warriors. 

Dragon Knight, Jakiro, Puck, and Winter Wyvern appear in B tier by virtue of being dragons. If the Dragon’s Blood anime is anything to go by, they pack a serious punch in combat. All four have their own advantageous traits, so they all belong in B on the Dota 2 lore tier list.

C tier is the average in the Dota 2 lore tier list

The C tier of this Dota 2 lore tier list includes the most heroes out of any category. That’s because this power level is essentially the average of the game. Every Dota 2 hero is a beast in their own right, but it’s hard to argue that a simple fire mage like Lina can match up against the likes of demigods or demons. Remember that arcanas and personas aren’t considered for this list. Otherwise, heroes like Juggernaut and Phantom Assassin could be a few tiers higher.

For the most part, the heroes in C tier are strong fighters who lack an inherent power to put them higher on the list. The Turstarkuri monk Anti-Mage is powerful against magic users, but he lacks the tools to take on other accomplished physical fighters. Dark Willow’s spells are powerful in-game, but her lore describes her as bratty royalty rather than an accomplished mage.

Pugna is probably the strongest wizard in this tier thanks to his oblivion magic. But even he can’t hope to match up against the stronger casters above him. In the lore, Viper escapes from Pugna’s captivity by just spitting in his eyes. Considering he doesn’t even have eyes to spit in, Pugna sits in C tier.

A few debatable inclusions in this list are Legion Commander and Sniper. In Legion’s case, it’s important to remember that her most famous battle involved losing to a horde of generic demons. For Sniper, a gun isn’t nearly as powerful when it’s competing against magic. Brewmaster threads the needle between C and B tier, as he possesses an incredible amount of magical potential. Still, it’s hard to imagine him throwing down with supernatural foes like Razor or Leshrac.

Weak heroes and bugs show up in D tier

This section of the Dota 2 lore tier list focuses on heroes who are more than capable of defending themselves but simply can’t match up to the stronger warriors and mages. Their abilities are either way too specialized or rely on supporting other beings. A good chunk of these heroes, such as Snapfire, Chen, and Treant Protector, aren’t even fighters in the first place.

For example, Dark Seer is listed as a master strategist, but his own abilities just aren’t that powerful on their own. Crystal Maiden is notably weaker than her sister Lina, who in turn is weaker than just about every other mage. Omniknight’s blessings from The Omniscience make him a candidate for the best in D tier, but his god probably isn’t real in the first place. That leaves him as a healing mage with minor offensive capabilities. He’d probably lose to Witch Doctor in a one-on-one.

There’s also a notable spot for the insects of the Dota 2 world. While one of the scariest heroes in-game, the lore never even implies that Broodmother is bigger than a normal spider. Heroes like Marci and Disruptor could just step on her in an actual fight. Nyx Assassin is explicitly tiny and meant to fight other bugs, so it’s hard to imagine him taking on anything human-sized. 

Lastly, there are a few heroes that are pretty spooky but can’t put up a fight against a real warrior. Despite his ancient heritage, Night Stalker explicitly only targets the weak or unwary who wander into his domain. He also attacks children, which makes him more of a bully than an actual force. Pudge is basically just a villain from a slasher movie. He’s terrifying, but Pudge primarily attacks things that are already dead. Lifestealer and Viper fit into this category as well.

Meepo is the weakest hero in the Dota 2 lore tier list

Of all the heroes in Dota 2, Meepo has the distinction of being the absolute weakest from a lore perspective. While other heroes have supernatural blessings from the gods or are just the gods themselves, Meepo is just a dude with a shovel.

From the most generous perspective, he’s a couple of dudes with a shovel. Meepo has little to no combat experience whatsoever, fleeing from any threats in the Riftshadow ruins. His multiplicative powers aren’t some insane act of magical skill either. He mangled a Riftshadow crystal and split his soul into multiple pieces entirely by mistake. The geomancer even calls out his own relative weakness with a special voice line.

“All these fancy knights and scary monsters. Pff! What do they got that I ain’t got? Nothing, that’s what.” says Meepo.

Despite his optimism, there’s a ton of stuff other heroes have over Meepo. According to some Dark Willow voice lines, Meepo himself is currently in trouble for borrowing money from the mysterious Jasper Circle. Meepo himself responds with fear. If a debt collection agency can beat Meepo, what hope does he have against the likes of Terrorblade or the Fundamentals? All those traits, or rather the lack thereof, make Meepo the weakest Dota 2 hero in the game from a lore perspective.