The Best Dota 2 Healer Heroes

In Dota 2, the ability to sustain your hero or allies can heavily impact your team’s chances of coming out with the victory. To sustain means to have heroes live long enough in certain periods of the game through the regeneration of health/hit points (HP) and mana.

During the laning phase, it prevents heroes, particularly the cores, from taking too many trips back to the fountain and having their farms disrupted. In fights, it saves heroes from dying, or at least delays their deaths.

A good way to sustain is by choosing a hero with healing abilities. There are at least two dozen characters that have such skills in the game. In this guide, I will list six of the best healer heroes in Dota 2.

Before I discuss the heroes that have a case for being named as Dota 2’s best healer, it is important to remember that there are no heroes whose sole purpose is to just heal teammates. Healing spells are just part of their core skills, and they have other responsibilities.

Most healing heroes play the support position, as one of the tasks of the Pos 4 and Pos 5 is to enable their cores. However, some core heroes also have superb healing skills, such as Juggernaut and Necrophos.

Keep in mind that there is no hero that can definitively lay claim to the title of the best healer in Dota 2. It depends on how the team drafts. But if your team is in need of a hero with good healing or sustain abilities, here are some great choices.

For Novice Players

Dazzle

Dazzle is the king of healing in Dota 2, as attested to by many players. Those who use him typically find him as the hero with the highest healing output by the end of the game.

His third skill Shadow Wave can heal up to six targets (allied heroes are prioritized) and himself by up to 140 HP apiece without an Aghanim’s Scepter. The spell also deals the same amount of damage each to all enemy units beside the ally, which makes using Dazzle a good option when you are playing with melee cores.

The low cooldown only makes the spell more appealing for those looking for the best Dota 2 healer heroes.

He also has a save ability because of Shallow Grave. The spell prevents the target ally from dying for up to 5.5 seconds. Dazzle’s other spells, Poison Touch and Bad Juju, are also reasons the hero can be a great support.

However, you will rarely see the Shadow Priest being selected in competitive games. This is because it is hard to lane with him. Using Shadow Wave incorrectly can push your own creep wave or cause you to kill-steal from your ally core. And while the hero is still at a lower level, the mana-to-heal ratio is not ideal.

Still, for beginner players looking for a hero that can heal, you cannot go wrong with Dazzle.

Treant Protector

Unlike most of the other best healer heroes in Dota 2, Treant Protector does not have burst healing. But two of his spells can provide solid HP regeneration to teammates and are great for team fights.

Leech Seed slows and damages the target enemy while healing allies near the affected units equal to the damage dealt.

On the other hand, Living Armor is what makes Rooftrellen a dependable support hero. While it technically does not heal the target unit, it provides regen of up to a total of 216 HP for eight seconds. The spell additionally grants bonus armor and can be casted from anywhere in the map. It can also be used on structures, such as towers and barracks.

Treant Protector is not that complex to use, making him an impeccable option for novice players. His two other spells are great for crowd control. And his innate ability, Nature’s Guise, grants him invisibility from enemy units, regen amplification, and increased movement speed while he is in the trees.

For Mid-Level Players

Omniknight

A favorite by many players who compete in ranked, Omniknight is one of the best healer heroes in Dota 2 for good reason.

His first skill Purification provides a very strong burst heal. It can provide up to 300 HP to a friendly unit. The amount increases to 460 if you choose that option in the talent tree when he reaches level 25. Enemy units in proximity are also dealt with damage of the same amount.

Heavenly grace, Omni’s second skill, provides the targeted unit with bonus health regeneration of up to 36 HP every second for 10 seconds. On top of the health regen, the spell also applies a strong dispel, grants 50% status resistance, and increases the strength attribute.

Lastly, his ultimate Guardian Angel grants nearby teammates with immunity from physical damage for up to 8 seconds. If you opt to use him, I suggest purchasing an Aghanim’s Scepter by the midgame, as it will make the spell global.

These reasons are what make Omniknight a terrific support player. Do not get it wrong, though. He has a case to be included in the list of the best offlaners in Dota 2. In fact, that was the meta in the ninth edition of The International (TI). Omni was chosen as Pos 3 in two games of the championship round between OG and Team Liquid.

Phoenix

There was a time when Phoenix was one of the most contested picks in professional and ranked matches. Unfortunately, the hero kept getting nerfed. Even so, it is still a potent healer and support hero.

It has only one healing ability, namely Sun Ray. However, it is one of the better healing spells, especially in the late game because it is based on a percentage of teammate’s maximum HP. So, if its ally heroes have a huge amount of health pool, then the heal per second is also massive. Additionally, it damages enemies depending as well on their maximum HP.

Using Phoenix requires adequate mechanical skills, though. Because only those who are in front of the hero can be damaged and healed, and its turn rate is quite slow when casting the spell.

Take note that the hero is not used primarily for his healing ability. Rather, it is adept at controlling the enemies during team fights because its two other basic skills can slow the opponents’ movement and attack speeds on top of dealing powerful damage per second (DPS).

Its ultimate Supernova is one of the most feared ultimates in the game because of the spell’s high DPS, long-duration stun, and massive area of effect (AoE).

For Experts

Chen

If you want to play Dota 2’s best healer, then pick Chen in the draft — that is if other users have not selected or banned him yet. The Holy Knight is a great choice as the hard support position for many of the best carry heroes in Dota 2. His healing abilities are part of the reason, as is the fact that he does not require a lot of resources to be effective.

His main healing ability is his ultimate Hand of God. It does not dole out damage to enemies like other AoE heals do. However, because Hand of God’s effect is global, Chen can help in team fights wherever he is on the map.

The hero’s third skill Divine Favor also acts like a healing ability because it provides bonus HP regeneration to allies within a 1,200 radius.

The reason Chen is more suitable for more experienced players is that he is most effective when he is used by someone who knows how to micromanage. To micromanage means to control and coordinate multiple units at any given time.

His second skill Holy Persuasion allows him to take control of up to four (seven with Aghanim’s Scepter) enemy or neutral creeps, whose base health and attack damage increase after conversion. Converting the right units — those with imbalanced auras or strong spells — can provide Chen’s team the advantage in team fights.

IO

IO is one of the best support heroes in Dota 2 because of its ability to enable, save, and supercharge teammates.

Technically, the hero does not have a healing spell. But if you take a look at his stats at Dotabuff, a leading community resource for the game, IO is at the top of the list of highest hero healing per minute.

That’s because his first skill Tether allows him to provide amplified regen to the unit he is connected with. If it is tethered to an ally hero, any base and modified HP and mana regen IO receives is flowed to the target unit. For this reason, any user playing the Wisp in a support role has to prioritize buying regen items, including Magic Wand then Holy Locket.

It can be tempting to use IO right off the bat due to its immense potential as a support hero. However, playing him correctly requires a lot of practice.

It is also important to choose IO only when you can communicate well with your allies. Otherwise, you could be on the receiving end of reports at the end of the game. If you have used him plenty of times and the game ended badly in the past, you might want to check behavior score to see how well your past teammates perceive you.

Healer Tips

Now that you know who the best healers in Dota 2 are, I will provide some tips on how to play these heroes.

First of all, if you are playing as a support, you typically do not have farm priority. Therefore, buying the items you want can be challenging. Instead, you will need to focus on buying team items, including wards, Smokes of Deceit, and reveals. Be sure to get Clarities, so you will have enough mana to cast your healing spells.

In team fights, it is essential for you to stay alive as long as possible. Of course, healing your teammates will not be possible if your hero is dead. Whenever there is ongoing battle, you have to position your character properly. It is actually one of the reasons why Dota 2 is so hard. But that can be solved by committing time to practice.

Lastly, resist the temptation to purchase the items you have on queue when you have gained enough gold for it. You will need to save gold for buyback in order for you to rejoin crucial team fights if ever your hero dies prematurely.

Final Thoughts

Dota 2 is a game of synergy. Most matches are won because of teamwork. It is essential then to avoid picking a healer hero just for the sake of it. Choose it in the draft only if you think your team needs it.

There are also instances where you can place a healer hero in other positions than support. Although your team might probably have to sign off on it first. For instance, there are situations where Dazzle can play mid, and when IO can be put in the safe lane.

In these circumstances, be sure to learn how to level up fast to increase your durability and the damage you deal to enemy units. Mastering how to last hit is also key because most healer heroes have slow attack speeds and animations.