Melee heroes in Dota 2 have been key to many victories in 2025. These characters can enter battles quickly to wipe out entire enemy teams. Their attacks and abilities are faster than most ranged heroes, making melee heroes in 7.39e more reliable. It is easier to deny gold and experience to your opponents in lanes by targeting enemy creeps using melee heroes at the right moment in matches.
The updated 7.39e patch for Dota 2 has made a few changes to balance various aspects of the game. Minor improvements like an increase in base armor for melee heroes can turn Dota 2 players into durable allies during battles. There are a number of items that can be equipped to melee heroes to provide a significant boost to their physical attacks.
Take a look at the best Dota 2 melee heroes in 7.39e.
Anti-Mage – Melee attacks can burn mana
Anti-Mage has emerged as one of the top melee heroes to play. He can burn mana with his attacks, decreasing the chances of his enemies casting spells in battles. You can head to the off lane with Anti-Mage to earn gold by hitting enemy creeps with your blades.
He can Blink into battles effortlessly to get kills for his team. A majority of Dota 2 players max out Blink early in their matches to reduce the cooldown of their ability. It allows gamers to close in on opponents for team fights and escape their enemies while retreating.
Buying a Vanguard for Anti-Mage lets him tank damage from multiple enemy heroes, towers, and creeps without getting killed. You can also upgrade Vanguard to disarm your opponents during battles. His passive ability, Mana Burn, can deal additional damage to enemy heroes with each hit. Once an adequate amount of mana is burnt by his hits, Anti-Mage can cast Mana Void to decimate his enemies.
Gamers can counter spell casters and support heroes by activating Counterspell. Anti-Mage has an increased resistance to magic due to Counterspell, absorbing damage from incoming spells. You can purchase items like Battlefury, Sange, and Yasha, to gain an advantage while playing Anti-Mage for rewards.
Sven – Stun enemies with Storm Hammer
Sven is a Strength hero with attacks that can stagger his opponents. At level 1, Sven can stun multiple enemy heroes around him with Storm Hammer. You can deal a total of 500 damage to your opponents by unlocking the Aghanim’s Scepter upgrade for the melee hero.
The Heavy Plate facet for Sven provides a physical barrier with Warcry to your allies, preventing your team from taking damage. You can use Warcry to chase your enemies on the map and gain bonus armor for a few seconds.
Dota 2 has several guides for Sven to transform him into an outstanding carry hero. The best builds for Sven include items such as, Blink Dagger, Mask of Madness, Crystalys, and Silver Edge. Sven can farm neutrals with ease using Great Cleave. The safe lane for Sven can give him access to numerous neutral creep camps for gold.
You can search for enemies by roaming constantly with Sven. Players can communicate with their party members before teleporting to other lanes with Sven for fast kills. His ulti, God’s Strength, grants bonus damage to the melee hero. Sven can eliminate enemies within seconds by activating God’s Strength during team fights.
Phantom Assassin – Melee hits deal critical damage
Phantom Assassin can hurl daggers at enemy creeps and heroes to slow them. Enemies affected by Stifling Dagger can be targeted by Phantom Assassin and her allies to deal damage in lanes. A combination of Stifling Dagger and Phantom Strike can drain the health of your opponents while playing Phantom Assassin in online matches.
The bonus attack speed provided by Phantom Strike lets her trigger Coup De Grace throughout the game. Her ulti, Coup De Grace, gives Phantom Assassin a chance to deal critical damage with her attacks. You can equip Phantom Assassin with items that provide bonus attack damage to increase her killing sprees.
She is a core member of the Sisters of the Veil, whispering anecdotes that can be heard pulsating through Dota Dreams. Her kills are discreet, dealing loads of damage to her enemies from the shadows. She can easily evade attacks from her opponents, making them ineffective in team fights.
Phantom Assassin gains more than 3 Agility points per level. Starting a match with a Quelling Blade and an Orb of Blight can drastically increase your last hits, providing a ton of gold to the Agility hero. A Desolator can be used to slit her opponents smoothly with her blades. You can also buy an Abyssal Blade for the melee hero to stun opponents.
Spectre – Haunt enemies on the map
Spectre is a carry hero with an amazing ability to strike her opponents at the right moment. She can reflect damage from enemies using Dispersion to counter attacks. Spectre can phase through her surroundings on the map using Spectral Dagger to cover the distance between her enemies. Spectral Dagger can deal 220 damage per instance, slowing enemies on its path for a few seconds.
Her passive ability, Desolate, deals Pure damage to her opponents. Once you max out Desolate for Spectre, you can buy a Diffusal Blade to slow enemies and eliminate them during battles. A Harpoon can be bought for the melee hero to move faster towards enemies for fast kills.
You can look at the mini-map between battles to cast Shadow Step on your enemies. You can upgrade her ulti to Haunt using an Aghanim’s Scepter to make the spell global, affecting all of her opponents. You can cast Reality on enemies with low health to annihilate them. Buying a Manta Style for Spectre can also increase your chances of winning in esports tournaments.
Melee heroes can mitigate opponents
The attack damage of melee heroes makes them lethal to enemy heroes in Dota 2. The increased attack speed of melee heroes also lets them trigger items like Maelstrom and Crystalys frequently to deal devastating damage to the enemy team.