The role of a Carry is usually the win-condition for their team in DOTA 2, Similar to the ADC role in League of Legends, carry heroes in DOTA 2 require a substantial amount of farm to assert their dominance on the game.
Having said that, the carry role is arguably the most important in DOTA 2. On top of being the win-condition for their team, carry heroes are often expected to dish out massive amounts of damage to the enemy. Bearing that in mind, these heroes require an enormous amount of farm to unleash their full potential.
Nevertheless, given the fact that most carry heroes are fairly weak during the early game, they require the hard support to babysit them for a while. The babysitting process usually lasts until the carry hero has managed to acquire a couple of items that will help them in farming by themselves.
Here is a list of the top five in-meta carry heroes that players should draft in DOTA 2 to pose a threat to the enemy team.
Top 5 carry heroes in DOTA 2
#5 - Weaver
Owing to the recent changes to the meta, Weaver has become one of the most drafted heroes in DOTA 2. Although the hero is fairly squishy during the early game, his Shukuchi ability makes him extremely difficult to catch.
On top of that, Weaver's ultimate ability, Time Lapse is also a very good escape mechanic that can be extremely effective during enemy ganks. Apart from his escape abilities, Weaver is also capable of dishing out massive burst of damage to the enemy.
While Weaver's Shukuchi can be used to deal magical damage, the hero's Swarm and Geminate Attack abilities are very useful in dealing physical damage to the enemy. Combining everything that Weaver is capable of, it is safe to say that the hero is one of the best carry heroes in the current meta.
#4 - Wraith King
Wraith King is one of the most sustain-heavy heroes in DOTA 2 who is also capable of dishing out massive amounts of damage in the late game. Wraith King's arsenal combined with the recent reworks to his abilities makes him one of the best carry heroes in the current meta. Wraith King flaunts a disable in the form of Wraithfire Blast, making it extremely difficult for his enemies to escape from his grasp.
Additionally, Vampiric Spirit grants the hero a passive lifesteal ability that further enhances his sustainability. Apart from that, the ability also gathers charges every time Wraith King registers killings hits on two enemy units. Players can activate these charges to set forth an army of skeletons whose number depends upon the number of stacked charges.
The hero's Mortal Strike ability grants Wraith King a guaranteed critical strike after a specific duration. On top of all these, his Reincarnation ability grants the hero an extra life when they are killed in the field of battle. Combining all of these factors with the early farming ability of Wraith King makes him one of the best in-meta heroes to play in DOTA 2.
#3 - Lifestealer
After going a long tenure of being an underpowered carry hero, Lifestealer has finally found himself returning to the meta after a rework to his Feast ability. Given that Lifestealer can heal himself for a percentage of the enemy's maximum health while also dealing a certain percentage as damage makes him extremely strong against heroes with enormous health pools.
Lifestealer's Rage ability grants magical immunity as well as a movement speed bonus for a specific duration. This allows Lifestealer to move freely in team fights unless the enemy team has an immunity piercing disable. Apart from that, Na'ix's Ghoul Frenzy ability grants him bonus attack speed while also applying a movement slow debuff on enemies that he attacks.
However, what really makes Lifestealer powerful is his Feast ability. On top of granting massive lifesteal, this ability also allows Lifestealer to deal maximum health as damage to his enemies. Apart from all these, Infest is one of the strongest abilities in DOTA 2 that can be used offensively to gank and blow up an enemy, as well as defensively to save himself or an ally in the middle of a fight.
#2 - Faceless Void
Despite being fairly weak during the early game stage, Faceless Void is one of the strongest carry heroes in the current meta. Apart from featuring extremely strong Aghanim's boosts, Faceless Void's arsenal of abilities allow him to overturn the course of a game in any given situation.
Time Walk allows Faceless Void to move across a certain distance while also shaking off any damage that he received in the last couple of seconds. Additionally, Time Dilation is extremely effective against ability-casting heroes as it increases the cooldown of their abilities while also applying a slow debuff for the duration.
Time Lock is one of the strongest disables in DOTA 2 as it can affect spell immune enemies as well. However, Faceless Void's strongest ability is definitely the Chronosphere where the hero locks everyone within a specific radius while also gaining massively increased movement speed inside the sphere. Chronosphere allows Faceless Void to kill multiple enemies before the fight even begins, allowing his team an advantage in fights.
#1 - Terrorblade
Undoubtedly one of the strongest heroes in the current meta, Terrorblade is an absolute game-changer. On top of being one of the quickest farming heroes in DOTA 2, Terrorblade poses a massive threat to the enemy team during the late-game stage.
Terrorblade's Reflection ability allows the hero to create an invulnerable illusion of all enemy heroes present in the target area. Enemies hit by this ability are also affected by a movement slow debuff for the entire duration. Additionally, his Conjure Image ability allows Terrorblade to farm risky areas without ever showing his face on the map.
Metamorphosis grants Terrorblade a huge attack range along with bonus attack damage. It is definitely one of the strongest abilities in DOTA 2 that allows Terrorblade to dish out massive damage to his enemies. Apart from everything else, Terrorblade's Sunder ability can be used to change the outcome of any team fight when used correctly.
General Tips for carry heroes
While the role of a carry mainly involves securing their farm and preparing for the late game stage. Having said that, carry heroes often need to be protected during the early and mid-game stages on account of being fairly weak. However, while carry heroes often have to rely on their team for protection, here are a few tips that will allow you to ensure your safety while playing the role.
- Use Sentry Wards to ensure that the enemy does not have vision of you
- Place Observer Wards at entry points to know when the enemy is trying to gank you
- Try and farm in close distance of your team
- Communicate with your team for protection when you are farming alone
- Ask your team to create space for you to farm during the early and mid-game stages
- Kill the Roshan for additional boosts like Aegis, Cheese, and more.
Read More: DOTA Pro Circuit Season 2021-2022 Schedule Announced