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How Many Heroes Are There in Dota 2? A Look at the Hero Roster in 2025.
Dota 2 has been around for a long time, and as of August 2025, the ever-growing hero roster has reached a whopping 126 heroes. Behind this impressive number lies a rich history and a lot of development work. Although Dota 2 was officially released on July 9, 2013, the game had a lengthy "open beta" period, during which players from around the world could gain access via invitation.
In this article, we’ll dive into the origins of Dota 2’s hero pool — who the first heroes were, how many were initially available, and how the roster has evolved over time. Tag along as we explore the development of the Dota 2 hero lineup and how it continues to grow even today.
The First Generation of Dota 2 Heroes
The first batch of Dota 2 heroes was released on November 1, 2010. This initial wave featured 24 heroes. While many of these were already familiar to the community through DotA Allstars, they weren’t released in the same order as the original mod.
Each hero in Dota 2 has a unique internal ID, and to the surprise (and slight irritation) of some fans, the hero with ID #1 is none other than Anti-Mage — often jokingly referred to as “Anti-Fun.” Here’s the complete list of the first 24 heroes:
- Anti-Mage
- Axe
- Crystal Maiden
- Dazzle
- Drow Ranger
- Earthshaker
- Lich
- Lina
- Lion
- Mirana
- Morphling
- Necrophos (Necromancer at the time)
- Puck
- Pudge
- Razor
- Sand King
- Shadow Shaman
- Storm Spirit
- Sven
- Tidehunter
- Vengeful Spirit
- Windranger (Windrunner at the time)
- Witch Doctor
- Zeus
From this point on, fans were eager to see their favorite heroes added to the game. The next hero released was Slardar, kicking off 2011 with a bang. That year turned out to be huge for hero introductions, with 40 new heroes added — an unmatched feat to this day. The final hero of 2011 was Bounty Hunter, released on December 21 as a kind of early Christmas gift.
Another milestone in 2011 was the first-ever The International, held from August 17 to 21 in Cologne, Germany. At that time, Dota 2 had a roster of 50 heroes, with Chen being the latest addition on July 1. The proximity of Chen’s release to the tournament contributed to the infamous Pudge/Chen combo that helped Natus Vincere secure the inaugural Aegis of Champions.
How Many Heroes Were Released Each Year?
After the initial 24 in 2010 and the impressive 40 releases in 2011, the number of hero introductions gradually slowed down. Here’s a breakdown by year:
- 31 heroes in 2012
- 8 heroes in 2013
- 3 heroes in 2014
- 3 heroes in 2015
- 2 heroes in 2016
Let’s pause here for an important moment in Dota history. In 2016, Underlord was the last hero officially released who had appeared in DotA Allstars. He was released on August 23, 2016, shortly after The International, officially closing the chapter on DotA Allstars-origin heroes.
Monkey King, released on December 12, 2016, is considered a “canon” hero, but he never officially appeared in DotA Allstars, according to Liquipedia.
Now, continuing the count:
- 2 heroes in 2017
- 1 hero in 2018
- 3 heroes in 2019
- 1 hero in 2020
- 2 heroes in 2021
- 1 hero in 2022
- 1 hero in 2023
- 2 heroes in 2024
The hero that spent the most time as the latest release was Muerta, who held that title for 535 days — nearly a year and a half. This happened between March 6th, 2023 and August 22nd, 2024, when the Ringmaster was released.
As of now, no new hero has been released in 2025. However, with The International approaching, rumors are already circulating. Some speculate that Quartero, a recently introduced NPC/shopkeeper, might eventually join the battlefield as a playable hero. While intriguing, this theory seems a bit far-fetched, especially considering other, more plausible hero leaks remain unaddressed.
Possible New Heroes
Since we’re talking about heroes, it’s worth revisiting the big 2021 data leak, where dataminers discovered a list of potential hero names embedded in the game’s code. Several of these have since been confirmed:
- Bird Samurai (Kez)
- Gunslinger (Muerta)
- Valkyrie (Dawnbreaker)
However, a few names from the same leak are still unconfirmed:
- Wind Dancer
- Haunted Armour
- Shadow Wraith
These could represent unreleased heroes, abandoned concepts, or simply internal names for cosmetics or personas. Some Dota fans have compared them with heroes from Heroes of Newerth and other unused DotA concepts. A good example is covered in this video breakdown:
While some names have proven real, this doesn’t mean the rest are guaranteed to appear — or even still in development. Nonetheless, these seem more credible than the idea of an NPC shopkeeper suddenly grabbing a weapon and joining the fight.
Closing Thoughts
As of August 2025, Dota 2 boasts 126 unique heroes ready to clash in the Battle of the Ancients. Since 2014, most years have seen one or two new hero additions, often revealed after The International.
With the relatively new Universal attribute still underrepresented, it’s likely that upcoming heroes may lean toward this archetype to help balance the four attribute types.
If you want to stay updated on metagame shifts, hero builds, professional tournaments, and everything leading up to The International 2025, be sure to keep checking the news section on the Strafe website!
Featured Image Source: Reddit (r/Dota2)
