Pro-Level Offlaners: Heroes That Shape the Pace of Arena Gaming

Since its launch in 2013, the multiplayer online battle area video game Dota 2 has made a name for itself. Hailed as one of the best video games ever made, it’s received unanimous praise for its gameplay and high standard of production, not to mention how faithful it is to its predecessor, the original Dota. 

For every match, there are two teams of five players. Each player controls a specific Hero character of their choosing. Whichever team destroys the other team’s Ancient first wins; the Ancient is a large structure that can be found in every team’s base. Dota 2 has gained a significant following and is among the biggest games in the esports industry. Many people practise Dota 2 betting alongside watching the game’s tournaments, hoping to win some extra money from betting on their favourite top-level teams.

Every member of a five-player team has a different role to play, depending on their position. These are as follows: Hard Carry (1), Midlaner (2), Offlaner (3), Soft Support (4) and Hard Support (5). These position numbers determine which players have priority for both resources and gold, with Position 1 relying on resources the most and Position 5 the least. This article looks at professional-level Offlaners and the role they play in Dota 2 games. 

The Role of the Offlaner in Dota 2

Each one of the five roles in Dota 2 has a different set of playstyles and abilities. Many heroes can be played in multiple roles, though a lot of them are best-suited to one in particular. The Offlaner is in many regards one of the most important of the five roles. Whoever acts as the Offlaner is responsible for building aura items, creating space, seeking out team fights and being a tank that can soak up many hits. 

The Offlaner goes to the rather risky and dangerous Radiant top or Dire bottom lane, aiming to prevent the opponent’s Hard Carry from farming for both gold and experience points. Another role of the Offlaner is to make the laning phase as challenging and disruptive for the opponent as possible. 

When the laning phase ends, the Offlaner is tasked with removing as much enemy space as possible, forcing their opponents to engage in combat instead of farming. Regarded as the toughest of the five roles, the Offlaner requires patience, skill and dedication for anyone who wants to master it.

Popular Offlaner Heroes in Dota 2

Needless to say, there are quite a few popular Dota 2 heroes that are suitable for the Offlaner role. Some of the key characteristics that pair well with the Offlaner role include high durability, damaging fighting abilities, effective creep-control abilities, efficient use of resources with low gold investment and effective damaging tools to carry out kills. Below are a few of the most prominent heroes that function well in the Offlander role. Some may perform better than others depending on a player’s ability, adaptability and general playstyle.

Axe

A great tank and initiator, Axe is a durable hero thanks to his high armour. He’s good at controlling crowds to break spell immunity and killing low-health opponents. His weaknesses include low protection against magic and an over-reliance on items.

Centaur Warrunner

Another tank and initiator that can play the Offlaner role well is Centaur Warrunner. This hero is also a good ganker (ganking is where you quickly move around the map in order to kill an opponent). Some of the benefits of choosing Centaur Warrunner include a significant strength gain and exceptional burst damage. This hero’s flaws include self-damaging abilities and a vulnerability to damage from magic.

Mars

Mars is yet another tank and excels in being both an initiator and a disabler. Perhaps this hero’s best attribute is his superb physical defence, which coupled with his tank status makes him a tough foe to defeat. He’s also good at carrying out long-range attacks. His weaknesses include needing items for initiation and being vulnerable to both magic and pure damage.

Underlord

The Underlord hero is very good at pushing as well as farming and establishing lane control. He offers teleport options for all other team members and decreased damage to allies, both of which give him the edge in battles. He’s not without his faults, which include his need for allies to deal damage that kills enemies and his lack of reliable tools for escaping.

Night Stalker

The Night Stalker hero, as his name implies, has the ability to bring night to the map and is particularly strong when it’s nighttime. Another strength is the hero’s ability to withstand spells to a degree. Some of his weaknesses are the lack of strength during the day and his weakness at the start of a battle.