Dota 2 facts · updated every day

What do the five positions in a Dota 2 team do?

Five players, five jobs: who gets the gold and who helps.

Cores
Pos 1–3
they get the gold
Supports
Pos 4–5
they help the cores
Lanes
3
safe, mid and hard lane

Gold per minute by position, 16 pro games

  1. Pos 1 · Carry728
  2. Pos 2 · Mid585
  3. Pos 3 · Offlane615
  4. Pos 4 · Soft support319
  5. Pos 5 · Hard support331

Gold per minuteaverage by position, 16 pro games

Our answer“Five players, five jobs!”

Windranger as a team coach with a tactics board next to Anti-Mage with his two glowing glaives

Net worth of the carry · end of the game

29,123

the hard support: 11,118 gold

  • Most deathsPos 5 · 8.5
  • Most assistsPos 4 · 14.8
  • Last hitsPos 1 · 535
Team Spirit: the TI 2026 championstheir five players and positions · team page
The carry gets
2.2×
the gold of the hard support
Most kills
8.2
per game, carry
Fewest last hits
57
per game, soft support
Players counted
101
16 pro games, Oct 1–Oct 7
250500750728 gold/min
Pos 1Pos 2Pos 3Pos 4Pos 5
What do the five positions in a Dota 2 team do?

By Kevin · updated October 5, 2026 · numbers updated every day

An example: the Team Spirit lineup

Team Spirit won The International 2026. This is how their five players split the jobs:

  1. 1UkraineYatoroCarry
  2. 2RussiaLarlMid
  3. 3UkraineBatyukOfflane
  4. 4Russianot meSoft support
  5. 5RussiarueHard support

Position 1: the carry

The carry plays in the safe lane, the easier side lane. The team gives the carry most of the gold and items. Early in the game the carry is weak, but late in the game the carry is the strongest hero on the map.

Position 2: the mid player

The mid player plays alone in the middle lane. Alone, the mid gets a lot of experience early and often decides the first big fights.

Position 3: the offlaner

The offlaner plays in the hard lane, against the enemy carry. Offlaners are often tough heroes. They start fights and take damage for the team.

Position 4: the soft support

The soft support moves around the map, helps other lanes and starts fights. It needs less gold than the cores (positions 1 to 3).

Position 5: the hard support

The hard support protects the carry in the lane and buys wards, items that show parts of the map. The hard support gets the least gold of all five.

Questions players ask

Which position gets the most gold in Dota 2?

The carry, position 1. The team gives the carry most of the gold, so the carry can win the late fights.

What does position 4 mean?

Position 4 is the soft support: a support player who moves around the map, helps other lanes and starts fights.

More Dota 2 explained

Sources: Liquipedia: Team Spirit. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.