How does the support role Dota 2 work?

How do supports handle the low gold income?

Supports are heroes that can be effective even without farm. Typically, they have strong early game abilities that help them control lanes.


There are definitely supports that benefit from gold / xp and in competitive games, there will typically be attempts to give that to them. For instance, rotating mid to gank and giving the support mid farm until they hit level 6 (for their ultimate), or rotating a carry to jungle and giving the support a lane for a while. Others are effective junglers from an early level or after a few levels (Shadow Demon and Keeper of the Light can clear neutral camps while Chen and Enchantress can jungle from level 1).

Does the supporters always have to buy the courier?

In a competitive setting, it is most efficient for them to do so. Supports generally need very little to start with. Some do benefit from starting with Boots of Speed, especially melee heroes that are meant to set-up kills (Sand King, Treant Protector, ...). But, it is not necessary.

Generally, you will have something like:

• Support 1 = Observer Ward + Animal Courier, Support 2 = Smoke + Sentry Ward
• Support 1 = Observer Ward + Animal Courier + Sentry Ward /Smoke, Support 2 = Boots

Since the jungle is still a maze for me I don't know anything about clearing speeds, ganking paths, etc, when and how often should I buy Observer Ward, what are good places for them?

I would search for maps for placing Observer Ward. There are some good resources out there for getting started, but there are plenty more Observer Ward spots if you watch competitive games. Especially niche spots for things like you're being counter warded, or dealing with a Tinker.

This question in general is kind of difficult to answer in text. There are a lot of situations and clearing speeds vary based on which hero you use. Especially between top tier and mid tier junglers.

Are there any support - specific items?

Not exactly. Many support items can be picked up by utility heroes as well.

Some of the main items

• Mekansm - burst healing. Can fall to support, but also offlane or mids that are utility, especially if you need one quickly.
• Arcane Boots - often supports pick these up, but not all supports. Can also be picked up by offlane and certain semi-carries.
• Force Staff  - great versatile item for positioning. Often picked up by support, especially against heroes that can trap you or slow you heavily (e.g.Nature's Prophet, Lifestealer). Can also be picked up by other heroes depending on situation or role.
• Blink Dagger - Good item for adding initiation power to supports with disables. Kind of expensive, so not easy to rush always, but a great pick up for most supports.
• Urn of Shadows - good on supports that are involved in a lot of ganks since that will charge it up. Can also be picked up on tempo control heroes (e.g. Night Stalker) that are also in a lot of ganks.
• Medallion of Courage - good for reducing armor and helping with early Roshan attempts. Often picked up on supports with armor reduction spells or physical damage, but can be picked up for other reasons. Also picked up on heroes that rosh early (e.g. Lycanthrope).
• Ghost Scepter - picked up on supports as a 3rd or 4th big item usually. Sometimes needed to avoid dying outright to heavy physical damage lineups (e.g. against Clinkz, Lifestealer)
• Necronomicon - helps you contribute to pushing, usually a tier 3 or 4 item. Also picked up on pushing heroes that can be semi carry, offlane, or even carry.
• Heaven's Halberd - a late game item for supports, mid game item for utility heroes. Very useful once Black King Bar charges drop down and you can use it to help control the opposing carry's DPS.
• Scythe of Vyse - always going to be a very solid late game item if you can afford it.
• Vladmir's Offering - may fall to support (even ranged supports) to pick this up if you are pushing as a team and it will benefit melee DPS
• Gem of True Sight - usually a support will pick this up, but hand if off to a hero that can hold it. Good against invis heroes that initiate fights, and for dewarding in general to reduce the opposing team's map control.

Some situational items would include

• Rod of Atos - usually more of a semi-carry item, but can be useful against kiteable heroes
• Aghanim's Scepter - good on some supports, even as a rush item (e.g. Ancient Apparition, Visage, Lich, ... )
• Eul's Scepter of Divinity - pretty situational, best if it can set up kills or take a core hero out of the fight temporarily. Sometimes can be used on yourself for defensive purposes.

Some supports farm into semi carries, so they may pick up things like Drum of Endurance or Assault Cuirass

What are some other supports that I should give a try?

You may like:

• Treant Protector
• Vengeful Spirit
• Venomancer
• Lion

With some practice:

• Witch Doctor
• Skywrath Mage
• Ancient Apparition

Most supports don't need gold unless you're playing one that has an item-specific ultimate like Earthshaker, Enigma, Tidehunter who need Blink Dagger to function appropriately. In those cases you should be in a lane with a hero that doesn't need exclusive farm, or you can even jungle in some cases (like with Tidehunter anchor smash)

The support always buys the Animal Courier. Same with Observer Ward - you should (in any case I can think of) pretty much be buying Observer Ward on cooldown. They're more important than Boots, more important than Force Staff  - anything. Unless your character is extremely item reliant like in the above examples, in which case the other support should buy all of them.

It took me a while to get the hang of that. But seriously, Observer Ward get people kills and save people from deaths. You getting boots 3 last hits later is so much less important. Your goal as a support is to place Observer Ward , buy Animal Courier or other items like gems/Smoke /Dust of Appearance, and harass the everloving out of enemy heroes so they can't get lane farm.

Sidenote on Observer Ward. You can drop a Observer Ward in the Radiant jungle right next to the river and trees of the upper - most right camp. That will allow you to both see the rune in river, monitor the river for ganks, and also get vision in the forest to protect from mid ganks.