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How to Play Soft Support (Position 4) in Dota 2
Position 4 is the most mobile hero in the early game: you help the offlaner, gank mid and other lanes, control runes, place vision and stacks. You get little gold, so your value is in kills, assists, vision and letting your cores farm undisturbed.
Position 4 norms by rank
median across real matches| Rank | Fight participation, % | Deaths | Time dead, % | Wards per 10 min | XPM | GPM | players |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All ranks | 59 | 10 | 14 | 3.7 | 584 | 365 | 634 |
| Guardian | 54 | 10.5 | 15 | 2.5 | 558 | 328 | 28 |
| Crusader | 57 | 10 | 14 | 3.5 | 592 | 374 | 61 |
| Archon | 56 | 10 | 14 | 3.0 | 598 | 362 | 108 |
| Legend | 61 | 10 | 15 | 3.7 | 606 | 370 | 154 |
| Ancient | 60 | 10 | 15 | 3.7 | 584 | 380 | 141 |
| Divine | 59 | 10 | 15 | 4.2 | 575 | 369 | 43 |
| Immortal | 59 | 9 | 13 | 4.4 | 493 | 347 | 83 |
Medians across matches analyzed on DotaLeak. Missing ranks — not enough data yet.
What to do at each stage
Laning · 0–10 min
Help your offlaner survive, control runes and land the first ganks.
- Before camps first spawn at 1:00 you can block the enemy pull camp with a ward or sentry. Then their 5 can't pull the lane back, and your offlaner has an easier time.
- Harass the enemy carry when they walk up to last-hit: your job is to make them miss creeps.
- From 6:00 power runes spawn every 2 minutes — help your mid: vision on the spot or stand on the other one.
- Leave to gank when your lane is under control and there's a target: an enemy far from their tower, with no escape and no wards.
- Stack on the way: at xx:53–xx:55 hit the camp and pull the creeps out of the yellow box (hold ALT to see it). When a core clears your stack, you get a bonus too.
Mid game · 10–25 min
Vision, smokes and stacks — create moments for kills and objectives.
- Place wards on the border of your territory and on enemy paths, and near Roshan, Tormentor and Shrines ahead of their timings.
- A smoke is the best way to turn information into a kill: go in with three to five heroes when you know where their core is farming.
- Don't take waves and camps from your cores. Your farm is only what the cores won't reach in the next 20–30 seconds.
- Build an item that gives you a role in fights: Blink if you initiate, Force Staff or Glimmer Cape to save.
- The 14:00 and 21:00 Shrines give XP to the lowest-XP ally — often a support. Don't skip them.
Late game · 25+ min
Don't die first, save your cores and keep vision before every objective.
- Stand to the side and behind, out of the enemy initiator's reach, and don't clump with your team against AoE ultimates.
- Use your save the moment an ally gets disabled, not after they die.
- 60–90 seconds before Roshan or Tormentor — vision on the approaches and sentries for enemy wards.
- Carry dust and sentries if the enemy has invisible heroes.
- Mistake: placing a deep ward alone while three enemies are missing from the map.
Game plan: from easy to hard games
You won the lane
What to buy
- Shift pressure to mid and the other lane — your offlaner can handle it from here.
- Place deep wards in the enemy jungle so your cores can farm there.
- Smoke onto the farming enemy core before they have their key item.
- Don't forget stacks: a won lane is the time to speed up your cores.
The lane is even
What to buy
- Play around mid and runes: vision on the rune spots and ganks with a rune.
- Stacks and wards for your cores so they out-farm the enemy.
- Gank only with a clear target, no aimless wandering.
- Take the 14:00 and 21:00 Shrine XP — you need it most.
You lost the lane and got crushed
What to buy
- Don't die for deep wards — place defensive ones on your half.
- Cover your offlaner or help them move somewhere safer; stay closer to your cores.
- Shrines and lotuses are free resources — don't give them away.
- Buy your save item before anything for yourself.
Your team is 10k+ behind at 20 minutes
What to buy
- Vision on your half: jungle entrances and high ground.
- Smoke for a pick-off before the enemy goes for Roshan.
- Sentries on enemy smoke paths and where they place wards for sieging.
- Stay alive: a support death when behind costs vision and a save in the next fight.
Common mistakes — we catch these in match analysis
- Dying without vision while wardingA support who dies placing a ward gives the team neither vision nor a save in the next fight.
- Rotation with no resultYou left the lane, killed nobody, and your offlaner got crushed two-on-one meanwhile.
- Taking farm from your coresEvery wave you last-hit next to a core pushes back their key item.
- Barely any stacksStacking is the cheapest way to speed up a core and earn gold yourself. Without stacks, AoE-farming cores lose their best farm.
- Standing in front of the team in fightsA support who eats the initiation first dies before using their save or disable.
FAQ
What's the difference between position 4 and position 5?
Position 5 mostly protects the carry in lane, pulls and places most of the vision. Position 4 is more mobile: helps the offlaner, ganks, controls runes, starts rotating earlier and initiates more often.
When should position 4 leave lane to gank?
When your lane is under control and there's a target: an enemy far from their tower, with no escape and no wards. It works best together with your mid and a power rune, starting at 6:00.
How many wards should position 4 place?
It depends on rank and the game, so compare yourself with the rank medians in the table above. Placement matters more than count: your territory border, runes, Roshan, Tormentor and Shrines ahead of their timings.
How do I stack camps?
At xx:53–xx:55 hit the camp and lead the creeps out of the yellow spawn box (hold ALT to see it) so it's empty at xx:00. Stack where a core will be in the next 1–3 minutes and ping it. When an ally clears your stack, you get about 30% extra gold.