Intelligence heroes are revered in Dota 2 for their spell casting skills. The latest 7.39c update for the strategy game has tweaked the gameplay mechanics of your favorite intelligence heroes to get more kills in each game. Dota 2 veterans will enjoy playing these heroes with their friends to win esports tournaments and earn prize pool rewards in 2025.
Take a look at the top Dota 2 Intelligence heroes in 7.39c.
Lina – Intelligence that scorches the screen
Lina has a number of spells that can mitigate enemies in any lane. She can enter battles and wipe out the entire enemy team to become the MVP of most Dota 2 matches that are played online. New players who’ve started playing Dota 2 after listening to Dota Dreams for the first time will be excited to interact with her. Fans of her talents might catch a glimpse of fire dancers imitating Lina during live events popping up in your city.
Many people prefer the Thermal Runaway facet compared to Slow Burn for its ability to instantly eliminate enemies. The best combination of spells for Lina during the early game phase of a match is leveling up Dragon Slave and Light Strike Array till you’ve unlocked her ulti. Casting all 3 of her spells will let Lina deal over 800 damage to an enemy hero, giving you an easier chance of getting kills.
She can stun multiple opponents with Light Strike Array, allowing her allies to ambush the enemy team in battles. Once you’ve bought Arcane Boots for Lina, you can get her an Eul’s Scepter of Divinity to boost her movement speed. The bonus regeneration provided by Eul’s Scepter of Divinity will replenish plenty of mana to nuke enemy units throughout the match.
Pugna – Nether Wards put Intelligence heroes at bay
Pugna is among the finest Intelligence heroes in Dota 2. He excels at creating opportunities to counter team fights against multiple enemies. You can push lanes, destroy enemy towers, and deal damage to enemy units by playing Pugna in Dota 2 competitions. Pugna gains more than 5 Intelligence per level, making him an amazing hero for beginners.
One of the best items you can purchase for Pugna is Aether Lens. The item increases your mana pool and mana regeneration rate. You can also buy Dagon or Veil of Discord to deal bonus magic damage with Pugna in battles. Most of Pugna’s spells have less than 10 seconds of cooldown that lets him cast multiple instances of Nether Blast and Decrepify to annihilate enemies.
Placing a Nether Ward can quickly turn around battles in Dota 2. Enemy heroes around a Nether Ward take damage per spell based on the mana consumed. You can upgrade the Nether Ward with an Aghanim’s Shard to drain the health of multiple heroes using Life Drain. The Siphoning Ward facet for Pugna restores mana and health to the Intelligence hero based on the amount of damage dealt by the Nether Ward.
Crystal Maiden – Freeze your enemies
Crystal Maiden can restore mana to her allies around the map. You can max out Arcane Aura for Crystal Maiden to become an outstanding support hero. She can slow down enemy units with Crystal Nova and freeze enemies for several seconds by casting Frostbite.
You can purchase a Glimmer Cape for Crystal Maiden to turn invisible in battles. You can activate Glimmer Cape to move into position before casting Freezing Field on nearby enemies. Crystal Maiden can also use Glimmer Cape on her allies to help them escape from opponents without taking damage.
The Glacial Guard facet for Crystal Maiden can be effective against the enemy team. You can cast Crystal Nova to guard your allies from physical damage by choosing the Glacial Guard facet. Buying a Pavise for Intelligence heroes can also protect your team from being killed during battles. Items like an Aeon Disk can nullify incoming damage to last longer in team fights while playing Crystal Maiden.
Zeus – Instant kills that help your allies
Zeus can strike down his opponents with his lightning bolts. Clarity potions can restore a ton of mana for Zeus in the mid lane. You can cast Arc Lightning frequently to eliminate enemy units and use Lightning Bolts for easy kills in 7.39c. Intelligence heroes like Zeus can cast spells from a safe distance to weaken the enemy team.
Performing a Heavenly Jump on time can help Zeus get out of harm’s way. Abilities like Thundergod’s Wrath and Nimbus enable Zeus to score kills at any time. You can buy a Refresher Orb for Zeus to deal enormous amounts of magical damage to increase your Killing Sprees. The Talent Tree provides resourceful upgrades such as bonus health, bonus damage per ulti, and turning Lightning Bolt into an AoE spell.
Enchantress – Pure damage per attack
Enchantress is a ranged hero in Dota 2. She can easily take on the jungle to farm gold by converting neutral creeps. Casting Enchant on creeps on the map lets her controlled units tank damage from neutral camps. Converted creeps gain bonus health and attack damage for the duration of the spell. Enemy heroes can be slowed using Enchant, letting Enchantress and her Little Friends destroy opponents in matches.
Her ulti, Untouchable, prevents enemy units from dealing damage to Enchantress by slowing their attack speed. Early game items like Phase Boots and Force Staff can be vital to eliminating enemies with Enchantress. She can deal Pure damage to enemy heroes by activating Impetus during team fights. Impetus deals bonus damage based on the distance between Enchantress and her enemies. Attacks enchanted with Impetus deal more damage to images, making it effective against heroes like Phantom Lancer, Naga Siren, and Terrorblade.
Intelligent heroes including Enchantress can mutilate enemy heroes with a Scythe of Vyse. The item provides bonus Intelligence attributes and mana regeneration to attack enemies with Impetus throughout matches. Enchantress can disable her enemies with Scythe of Vyse to deal Pure damage in her lane.
Intelligence heroes in Dota 2 can save games
Intelligence heroes are built to save games in esports tournaments. The recently held Esports World Cup 2025 had several of the best Dota 2 teams from around the world playing Intelligence heroes to win rounds. The finals of the EWC 2025 had over 10 Intelligence heroes competing for the cash prize of $1 million. You can practice any of the Intelligence heroes in the Dota 2 roster to impress your party members on Steam.