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How to Play Hard Support (Position 5) in Dota 2
The hard support (position 5) sacrifices their own farm for the team: protects the carry in lane, pulls, places most of the vision, carries sentries and dust. Your value isn't net worth — it's a living carry, a visible map and a save used at the right moment.
Position 5 norms by rank
median across real matches| Rank | Wards per 10 min | Deaths | Time dead, % | Fight participation, % | XPM | GPM | players |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All ranks | 6.2 | 10 | 14 | 58 | 565 | 353 | 634 |
| Guardian | 6.7 | 10 | 14 | 52 | 516 | 328 | 32 |
| Crusader | 5.6 | 10 | 14 | 52 | 590 | 344 | 57 |
| Archon | 5.6 | 10 | 15 | 55 | 604 | 359 | 94 |
| Legend | 6.5 | 10 | 14 | 60 | 568 | 354 | 166 |
| Ancient | 5.9 | 10 | 14 | 60 | 589 | 377 | 139 |
| Divine | 6.6 | 11 | 14 | 60 | 530 | 342 | 50 |
| Immortal | 6.2 | 9 | 13 | 62 | 504 | 343 | 81 |
Medians across matches analyzed on DotaLeak. Missing ranks — not enough data yet.
What to do at each stage
Laning · 0–10 min
Make sure your carry gets last hits and doesn't die.
- There's often a fight over bounty runes at 0:00 — contest it, but don't give first blood for one rune.
- Pulling the small camp at xx:15 (or :45) brings the lane back to your tower. :15 is safer: the camp will be empty by the next minute and respawn.
- In 7.41, until 7:30 the creeps meet closer to the enemy offlane, so without pulls the lane sits far from your T1.
- Don't last-hit while your carry is nearby. Denying is fine and useful.
- Don't put a ward inside your own camp's spawn box: while it's there, the camp won't spawn.
Mid game · 10–25 min
Vision, stacks and keeping your cores safe.
- Ward for the state of the game: in an even game — runes, Roshan, Shrines and Tormentor ahead of their timings plus one or two on your cores' lanes.
- The 14:00 and 21:00 Shrines give XP to the lowest-XP ally, which is usually you. 500 and 800 XP is a level or two.
- Stack where a core will be in 1–3 minutes, and ping it.
- Carry sentries and dust if the enemy has invisible heroes.
- Mistake: farming your cores' waves "while nobody's around". After 15 minutes a support only takes waves in a far lane the cores won't reach.
Late game · 25+ min
Stay alive, save allies and provide vision before objectives.
- A position 5 death late means lost vision and a lost save in the fight. Stay behind your team.
- Dewarding: sentries on enemy wards along your paths often matter more than one extra observer.
- Use Glimmer Cape, Force Staff and other saves the moment an ally is disabled, not after.
- Before Roshan: wards on the approaches to the pit and sentries for enemy wards inside it.
- Mistake: dying for a ward deep in enemy territory while the enemies are missing.
Game plan: from easy to hard games
You won the lane
What to buy
- Help take the enemy T1 — your carry gets more room to farm.
- Leave your carry once they can hold the lane alone: wards, stacks, smokes.
- If the enemy carry moved to the jungle early, block their camps with wards.
- Place deep wards so your cores can farm the enemy jungle.
The lane is even
What to buy
- Pulls and denies — keep the lane at your tower.
- Stacks and wards ahead of rune and Shrine timings.
- Don't leave your carry while they can still be ganked.
- Sentries where the enemy usually wards your lane.
You lost the lane and got crushed
What to buy
- Pull so the lane sits at your tower and the enemy offlaner can't pressure.
- If your carry moves elsewhere to farm, give them vision in the jungle.
- Don't die alongside your carry: a second death in lane only makes things worse.
- Buy your save item before anything else.
Your team is 10k+ behind at 20 minutes
What to buy
- Defensive vision on your half: jungle entrances and high ground.
- Don't place deep wards you'll die for.
- Sentries on enemy smoke paths.
- Keep a TP and be at your towers when the enemy pushes them.
Common mistakes — we catch these in match analysis
- Dying without visionA position 5 who dies in the fog leaves the team without vision and without a save exactly when they're needed.
- Blocking your own camp with a wardWhile the ward sits in the spawn box the camp doesn't spawn, and your carry loses easy farm for the ward's whole lifetime.
- No pulls in laneWithout pulls the lane sits near the enemy tower, and their offlaner pressures your carry with no risk.
- Taking farm from the carryCreeps you last-hit next to your carry are gold they didn't get and a key item pushed back.
- Too few wardsWithout vision the team plays blind: cores don't see ganks coming and objectives are given up without a fight.
FAQ
When should position 5 pull?
The small camp is pulled at xx:15 or xx:45 as the wave passes. :15 is safer: the neutrals die before the next minute and the camp respawns. Pull when the lane sits in the middle or closer to the enemy and your carry needs safety. If the lane is already at your tower, don't pull.
How many wards should position 5 place?
Position 5 places the most wards on the team, but the exact number depends on rank and the game — compare yourself with the median in the benchmarks table above. Placement and purpose matter more: wards should show what your team will actually react to.
Should position 5 last-hit creeps?
Not when your carry is nearby — only deny. You can take a creep the carry can't get anyway, and waves in a far lane that the cores won't reach in the next 20–30 seconds.
What are Shrines of Wisdom and why do they matter for position 5?
Shrines sit in the offlane-side jungle and activate at 7:00, 14:00, 21:00, 28:00 and so on. In 7.41 the XP grows: 200, 500, 800, 1100. Two heroes get it — a random hero in range and the lowest-XP ally, which is usually position 5. Stand in range for 3 seconds; an enemy nearby rolls the timer back.