How to lane in Dota 2: laning by role

The table below shows median last hits and net worth at 10:00 for carry, mid and offlane at every rank, from matches reviewed on DotaLeak. The gap between ranks is big, so aim at your own rank and the one above it: catching up to it is a realistic goal for your next games.

Last hits matter less for the offlaner: the main job is experience and pressure. Stay within experience range of the wave even when you can't last-hit, and compare your level at 10:00 with their carry's.

A last hit is the killing blow on a creep: only the hero who lands it gets the gold. Walk up early and start your attack slightly before the creep drops into one-hit range — every hero's animation is different. Ranged creeps die to 2–3 creep hits and are easy to miss, so watch them closely.

A deny is killing your own creep once it's below half health. The enemy loses the gold for that creep and part of the experience. Denies hurt the offlaner most, because they need levels.

Keep the lane close to your tower: the enemy offlaner then has to stand far from theirs and is easy to catch. If the wave is pushing toward them, only hit for last hits — don't auto-attack creeps for no reason.

Quelling BladeMagic StickTango

Every position has its own job in lane. More detail is in the role guides.

• Carry: maximum last hits and zero deaths. The lane is your starting capital for the first item.
• Mid: last hits, denies, the 2:00 and 4:00 runes, and from 6:00 — rotations with a power rune.
• Offlane: experience and pressure on their carry. Levels beat last hits; don't die for one creep.
• Pos 4: trades and lane pressure, and from minute 4–6 — help for mid and the other lane.
• Pos 5: pulls, wards, saving the carry. Don't take their creeps — each last hit next to your core costs them an item.

Hitting an enemy hero draws aggro from nearby enemy creeps for a couple of seconds. Hit, then step back or click your own creep to drop the aggro. The best time to trade is when the enemy walks up for a last hit, has no regen, and your support is close.

Don't trade health for a last hit if it forces you back to base: losing 1–2 waves is worse than any trade. Use the courier for regen, and a Magic Stick stores charges from enemy spells and wins trades.

Magic StickHealing SalveClarity

The review splits deaths before 10:00 into four types. Under their tower — you walked in without your creeps. To a gank — their mid or pos 4 went missing and you stayed where you were. Alone without vision — you went past your wave where nobody could see you. Those three are mistakes. A death in a fight where both sides traded isn't automatically one.

Simple rule: when two enemies disappear from the map, back off to your tower until they show up again.

If you're dying every 2 minutes, the lane won't fix itself. Move to the jungle or another lane, swap with the offlaner, call for a rotation and buy regen. Check your opponent's counters — sometimes one item decides the lane.

Always carry a TP scroll. A save TP to an ally being chased by two enemies, or a TP to defend your tier 1, saves lanes more often than you'd think.

Town Portal Scroll