The two support roles in Dota 2 have many overlapping responsibilities, especially in pubs, but knowing the difference between the two can make every game much smoother. Unlike hard supports, position fours take a slice of farm and experience to roam, secure runes, pressure lanes, and start fights with your mid and offlane.

They’re an extremely active role and the most flexible in terms of heroes and builds. This tier list ranks the soft supports in the current meta for pub games, so that you can dictate the tempo in your ranked DOTA 2 games.

As with all tier lists, this will heavily favor heroes who are the flavor of the patch, displaying high win rates across a decent pick rate. In a game as complex as Dota 2, many factors can go into influencing which of the Dota 2 heroes are top tier, including buffs, nerfs, pro players, synergies with common heroes and items, and more. 

This tier list will try to stay grounded within the strength of the soft support, but these factors will still come into play. Lastly, many heroes overlap with hard supports or other roles, but the tier list will prioritize their effectiveness as a position four. For more, we recommend checking out our explainer on the Dota 2 roles and how Soft Support compares. 

The tier list is tailored towards Dota 2’s most recent patch and pro play trends. Valuable data, such as pick and win rates, are from sites such as dotabuff, spectral.gg, and dota2protracker

Spirit Breaker, Snapfire, Shadow Shaman, and Clockwerk define what it means to be an effective position four in the current meta. These heroes constantly pressure the map with their high kill potential that’s easy to execute.

Spirit Breaker, Snapfire, and Clockwerk guarantee the kill with a teammate since their combo does so much on its own without any item investment. They’re oppressive when they can get early kills and snowball the lead with good vision and aggressive movements. 

Additionally, Snapfire synergizes well with most of the meta offlaners, especially ones that can set up her devastating ultimate.

Shadow Shaman is simply the best all-around pub support since he can do it all with ease: everything from nukes, long disables, and an ultimate that can either take objectives or disrupt teamfights.

Another element that keeps these soft supports top-tier is their ability to farm when the action is sparse, which allows them to stay on top of their item timings. 

These heroes are staples of the current ranked meta because and there’s nothing wrong with picking them early in the draft. Many of the heroes also possess kill pressure, but require a bit more effort and coordination compared to the tiers above them.

Earthshaker is an amazing hero in the current path and will most likely be contested by cores. However, if he happens to slip by, he’s a strong position four that can provide lockdown and a teamfight ending ultimate.

Bounty Hunter is an ideal support to cores who can already reliably secure kills on their own, and his abilities serve to make it easier and more rewarding. Aside from providing gold for the whole team, Track’s vision is invaluable for all the mobile heroes in the meta, as well as keeping tabs on heroes hiding in the fog looking for a big ultimate, like Sand King.

Hoodwink is in position four, which surged in popularity due to TI14. Her winrate is below average because she’s heavily reliant on skill shots, but that shouldn’t discount her power. She brings long-range AoE disable and utility, a way to amplify magic damage, which is perfect in this meta, and one of the few reliable sources of break. Additionally, she’s evasive and can sling spells from the edge of the fight.

Much of Rubick’s strength depends on whether or not there are good abilities to steal. Abilities like Meathook, Ravage, or Blackhole instantly make him the key player in his team. But without it, Rubick’s base kit is lackluster.

Many of the soft supports in B-tier are here because they’re decent picks who are better as hard supports, and aren’t a detriment when played from the offlane. Heroes like Jakiro, Pugna, Oracle, and Disruptor have a net positive contribution to the team, but you’ll have to first weather the lack of early tempo that a better position four would’ve brought.

Marci and Tusk are staples in pro play, but have below-average win rates in pub. They’re top-tier roamers with explosive kill threats and life-saving abilities. However, these heroes want to keep the pressure up with constant kills, as it’s hard for them to farm and recover when falling behind. 

Many of the soft supports in this tier have dedicated players who can show off the potential of these heroes in the role. But truly skilled players are few and far between, and it’s better to practice in Unranked before diving into ranked with these picks. 

Heroes like Invoker, Tinker, Earth Spirit, Magnus, and Leshrac are a treat to watch when played right, but they can quickly backfire if the player isn’t up to the challenge.

Tiny used to be the quintessential position four in pro play, but nerf after nerf has finally made it harder for him. Despite that, no one can deny how strong a Blink Dagger and Toss can be in the right hands.

Some Dota 2 heroes are better as position five and can find the transition into soft support much more jarring than the supports in the B-tier. Heroes like Undying, Treant Protector, Io, Enchantress, and Chen thrive in the safe lane and can’t set the tempo like a traditional soft support.

Due to how ranked works in Dota 2, players will often encounter these greedy heroes masquerading as soft support, but they don’t fulfill any of the expectations. These players are often just earning tokens so they can play their main role. It is what it is.

However, if that isn’t the case, picking these soft supports is a detriment to the team and negatively impacts the chances of winning. Heroes like Monkey King, Slark, and Terrorblade see great success in pro play, but that’s a whole different playing field, and these heroes shouldn’t be played a support in ranked pubs.

Alchemist is a contentious support pick as this hero’s game plan is to farm straight for half of the game to feed the team Aghanim’s Scepter to faster power spikes. While decent in theory, this assumes that the enemy team won’t take advantage of a number’s disadvantage to pressure objectives and invade. Leaving the offlane to fend for themself is a recipe for failure and toxicity.

Ideally, soft supports dictate the tempo of the game and are active players who can take space away from the enemy cores. They’re there to convert small picks into bigger objectives, while simultaneously getting enough farm for a core item or two.

This tier list is the current meta reflection of which heroes in Dota 2 can excel as a soft support in ranked pubs, while also keeping in mind the realistic state of how these uncoordinated games would go. 

As a support, it’s important to familiarize yourself with S-tier picks, as you’ll often go first in drafts. But get ready to flex into heroes that can better synergize or counter the enemy line-up when the opportunity is there.

Over the past decade, the focus on creating gaming peripherals geared towards esports has increased significantly, with a variety of manufacturers launching products designed for competitive play.

Whether it’s PC monitors or gaming chairs, several products are designed with optimal in-game performance in mind.

In September, PC peripherals and software brand Logitech G unveiled ten new products as part of the 2025 Logitech G PLAY product showcase, including two new additions to its Pro Series range.

Following the event, Esports Insider sat down with Robin Piispanen, General Manager of Pro and Simulation, and Cary Lambert, Global Marketing Lead of Esports, for insight into the importance of serving the needs of pro players.

Whether it’s League of Legends, VALORANT, or Counter-Strike, having equipment that is capable of withstanding lengthy practice sessions and high-stakes tournaments is essential for players at the highest tier of esports. 

To achieve the durability required at this level, Logitech G collaborates with several esports players across various titles, resulting in valuable feedback and the creation of products optimised with competition in mind.

 “The G brand at the highest level is really focused on extending human potential in play,” Lambert shared. “The Pro series specifically are results of deep, methodical, and personal relationships with pro players, because the goal is to serve the needs of those pro players.”

Lambert, who is also a former professional World of Warcraft player, revealed that Logitech G has collaborated with over 400 professional esports players, with between 75 and 80 providing direct contributions and feedback during the development of products such as the Pro X2 Superlight wireless mouse. 

In recent months, the brand has joined forces with multiple esports organisations, including FURIA and G2 Esports, to equip players with equipment and collaborate on a range of initiatives.

“JonahP from G2 Esports’ VALORANT team was one of the first early adopters [of the Pro X2 Superlight wireless mouse], and that has given us incredible feedback that has really resulted in how this product has come to life,” said Lambert.

“We developed a factory prototype of this mouse, gave it to a handful of esports players, including Jonah P, and he was able to win VCT Americas Stage 2 with the mouse in hand before other people got to use it.”

She continues to emphasise the importance of esports player involvement in product design and development:

“I think players like that are true innovators, right? They’re taking that chance, that leap, and engaging with technology that hasn’t been proven, and getting that direct competitive feedback is crucial to our development process.”

Innovation remains a key pillar of Logitech G’s product development process. The company creates prototypes featuring a combination of deep methodical research and collaboration with esports players before undergoing extensive testing. 

Following the tests and further feedback, further changes are made before large-scale production begins.

“We have three phases that are part of the collaborative design process,” Lambert explained. “Innovation is very crucial and important to Logitech. The second is validation by pro players. By combining these two philosophies, we’re focused on the future and what the future of competition looks like.”

The use of AI across various industries continues to split the opinions of the community. On one hand, its use can streamline processes, while on the other, it can be viewed as a threat to multiple roles within the workplace.

In recent months, esports organisations have continued to expand the use of AI across a range of initiatives to enhance fan engagement, and Logitech G is already exploring how it could be used to improve product development. 

“I think that there’s a ton of potential for AI in regards to data collection,” revealed Lambert. “As the industry increases, maybe we can get access to data and see how it could improve our gear. For AI, there is a ton of potential in esports, and I’m really excited for what the future holds.”

“I think there’s a lot of benefit when it comes to coaching, improvement, and understanding,” added Piispanen. Logitech G’s GM of Pro and Simulation also shared his concerns with the use of AI and how additional support could compromise the integrity of online tournaments. “A sport is only a sport when it’s a level playing field, but if you have an AI supporting you in ways that a human never could, it doesn’t become a sport anymore.”

With esports teams and players constantly looking to have an upper hand over their opponents, Logitech G’s ongoing collaborations with its partner organisations continue to drive innovation in the world of product development. 

As AI is adopted more and more in various roles, the company is prepared to integrate it into its own processes to deliver new products that appeal to both amateur and professional players. 

Fnatic has announced the re-signing of VALORANT player Jake ‘Boaster’ Howlett for the 2026 VCT season.

The British in-game leader (IGL) has been with the organisation since early 2021 and most recently recorded a second-place finish with Fnatic at VALORANT Champions 2025.

“Be very afraid. Because I’m back, baby! Woooo! One more, let’s go,” shared Boaster in the official announcement video.

Boaster was formerly a professional Counter-Strike and League of Legends player before transitioning to VALORANT in 2020. 

Since then, he has established himself as one of the most accomplished IGLs in the scene, widely recognised for his leadership skills as well as his ability to adapt to shifting metas and Fnatic rosters.

Boaster has also become the face of Fnatic’s VALORANT division, having contributed to all of the organisation’s achievements. This includes LOCK//IN São Paulo and Masters Tokyo trophies in 2023. 

Amidst Fnatic’s Champions run this year, concerns began circulating whether the 30-year-old veteran would retire after the season. 

As one of the most consistently performing teams across the global VALORANT Champions Tour (VCT), Fnatic has received ample attention from the game’s esports community. This includes speculating about possible roster changes ahead of the 2026 season.

While Emir ‘Alfajer’ Beder and Kajetan ‘kaajak’ Haremski still have Fnatic contracts for next year, the fate of many other roster members remains uncertain. 

Like Boaster, 2025 signing Austin ‘crashies’ Roberts and Head Coach Milan ‘Milan’ de Meij have reportedly extended their contracts. However, veteran member Timofey ‘Chronicle’ Khromov has allegedly been exploring options with other VCT teams.

For now, it seems like Fnatic fans will have to wait until the organisation’s London Clash showmatch, where the 2026 roster is set to take the stage for the first time.

BLAST has announced that its second BLAST Premier Open Counter-Strike 2 event, taking place in 2026, will be held in Europe.

The esports tournament organiser is set to host a total of six Counter-Strike 2 events over the course of next year.

Taking place from August 24th to September 6th, the event is split into two weeks. The first week will take place in Copenhagen, Denmark, while the second week heads to a European arena. BLAST has yet to reveal the exact location for next year’s event.

BLAST stated that “more details” on the event location will be revealed soon, leading to the community suggesting several European locations for the organiser to operate the arena portion of the tournament.

The news follows the tournament organiser unveiling its plans for 2026 and 2027 in July, adhering to Valve’s Tournament Operations Rulebook.

BLAST Open Fall 2026 features 16 teams competing for a share of a $400,000 (~£300,824) prize pool. Teams will be determined by Valve Regional Standings (VRS) invitations, along with open and closed qualifiers.

The tournament organiser has already begun sharing plans surrounding next year’s tournaments. The first BLAST Premier Open event of 2026 heads to the Netherlands, with Rotterdam’s Ahoy Arena playing host to the Playoffs.

In addition to a six-event Counter-Strike 2 event calendar, BLAST has also revealed changes it plans to implement for the upcoming season.

Announced in October, it plans to improve its player hospitality, accommodation and to allow more staff to travel with teams competing at its events.

BLAST is no stranger to hosting Tier 1 Counter-Strike tournaments in and around Europe. During 2025, it hosted tournaments in Lisbon and London, with Team Vitality and G2 Esports emerging victorious.

Alongside Europe, North America will also host an event in the form of BLAST Rivals Spring 2026, taking place at the Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas.

Park ‘Ruler’ Jae-hyuk has enjoyed one of his most financially successful years in competitive gaming since re-signing for the Gen.G Esports team.

The 26-year-old League of Legends player has earned $220,000 after winning the 2025 Mid-Season Invitational and Esports World Cup.

And supporters are hoping for further victories as the South Korean superstar has a contract with the team, which runs until 2027.

In our analysis of Ruler’s net worth, we explore his early life, his successful esports career, the problems he’s encountered, and how he makes his money.

Ruler’s real name is Park Jae-hyuk. He is an established South Korean gamer who is afforded veteran status within League of Legends.

The experienced 26-year-old has played for different teams since starting his career back in 2016, including Samsung Galaxy and JD Gaming.

He was also called up to represent the South Korean national team in the Asian Games of both 2018 and 2023

Our estimate of Ruler’s net worth is based on the money he’s earned from competitive esports over the past decade.

He has so far made $1.04 million in prize winnings, according to figures compiled by Esports Earnings up to October 22, 2025.

The League of Legends player has walked away with a six-figure income in four out of 10 years, with the most lucrative being 2017 when he earned $318,301.

This year has been his second most successful season, earning $220,000, while he also made $150,000 in 2023 and $140,000 in 2016.

It’s fair to assume that the bulk of Ruler’s annual income, in most years at least, comes from the esports tournament earnings.

Unfortunately, the salaries earned by players in competitive esports teams aren’t publicly disclosed and can obviously vary enormously.

According to a 2023 report in the Asia Business Daily, they can range from several hundred million to several billion South Korean Won.

This would be from roughly US$70,000 (£50,000) to more than $2 million, depending on their position in the team and terms of their contract.

Separately, a report from the Influencer Marketing Hub suggests that top esports players can earn up to $187,200 per year.

Ruler’s not believed to have any business ventures or notable investments in place. If he does, then there’s no publicly available information about them.

Not much is known about Ruler’s early life in South Korea, although he has spoken about the support provided by his family.

In a 2019 ESPN interview, he said: 

He also revealed that his folks often brought food for him and his teammates before matches. 

Ruler made his start in professional League of Legends by joining Stardust, under the name Bung, to compete in the Challengers Korea series, according to Liquipedia.

He was then picked up by Samsung Galaxy and went into the LCK. It was around this time that he changed his gamertag to Ruler.

Success came pretty quickly as he was part of the team that won the 2017 World Championship, which was held in Beijing, China. 

He was then part of Gen.G Esports for five years until switching to JD Gaming in 2023. In late November 2024, Gen.G announced on X that Ruler was returning to the team.

In an interview broadcast on YouTube earlier this year, Ruler admitted that he’d missed Gen.G and that the team felt like home.

He was also enjoying being closer to family. “I really wanted to eat home-cooked meals,” he said. “Of course, I had my mom’s home cooking.”

On a serious note, Ruler was also very clear about his ambition for the next three years. “I really want to win the ‘Worlds’ and I want to enjoy playing the game,” he added.

In a separate interview, he revealed how he would celebrate such a victory. 

“I’ll kiss the cup,” he said. “I haven’t done that in a long time – I haven’t seen the Worlds trophy in many years.”

Very little is known about Ruler’s lifestyle or spending habits, as he doesn’t seem to be very active on his social media accounts, such as Instagram.

However, that YouTube interview gave an insight into his approach and how he is still searching for ways to improve, even after playing at such a high level for a decade.

He also reflected on how his life could have turned out very differently if his talent hadn’t taken him to the top of esports, admitting he’d probably have taken a regular office job.

The interview, which featured questions from fans, also touched on his worst habits. “I bit my nails a lot,” he admitted. “I really want to stop doing that.”

While it doesn’t appear that Ruler has any individual endorsements, he’s likely to benefit from agreements made between major firms and his team, Gen.G.

In December 2023, it was announced that the team had expanded its partnership with Crocs, the footwear brand. 

Gen.G has also partnered with NASCAR, the US motorsport organisation, and signed a multi-year deal with SPORTFIVE, the marketing agency.

Agreements have also been made with the likes of electronics giant LG, sporting brand Puma, and Logitech, the advanced gaming supplier.

Ruler isn’t known to support any particular charities. However, his current esports team, Gen.G, has supported various causes over the years.

In 2021, it was announced that the team and the University of Kentucky were joining forces for a fundraiser to support the Kentucky Children’s Hospital.

It has also pledged $100,000 per year for the next decade to the same university for ‘The Gen.G Foundation Scholarship’.

This supports diverse students enrolled in a US university or college who are interested in majoring in gaming, esports, entrepreneurship, journalism, or content creation.

The team has also celebrated International Women’s Month while raising money for the 1,000 Dreams Fund and Do Good Fund: Ukraine Aid.

Ruler’s $1.04 million total career earnings put him at number 193 in the all-time list of highest-earning esports stars.

His millionaire status pales in comparison to Johan “N0tail” Sundstein, who is in the top spot after winning almost $7.2 million from playing Dota 2 tournaments.

However, Ruler is one of only six South Korean gamers to have made more than $1 million, although he is behind the $1.9 million of the country’s top earner, Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok.

He is also the second most financially successful player in League of Legends, again trailing only fellow countryman, Faker.

No one can deny that Park Jae-hyuk, better known as Ruler, has enjoyed success playing League of Legends over the past decade.

In fact, he is the second most financially successful player in the game’s history with career earnings of more than $1 million.

Perhaps more interesting is the fact that he continues to play at the highest level, past the point where many esports stars retire or transition into coaching.

His current contract with the Gen.G Esports team runs until 2017, and it’s hoped he can continue in his rich vein of form that’s seen him already earn more than $200,000 in 2025.

Ninjas in Pyjamas (NIP) has announced a 25th Anniversary Counter-Strike Showmatch in partnership with its jersey sponsor, Rainbet.

The event will bring together NIP legends, such as Patrik ‘f0rest’ Lindberg and Christopher ‘GeT_RiGhT’ Alesund, as well as current roster members to face each other on November 5th at 5 PM BST.

The legendary duo of f0rest and GeT_RiGhT has been part of the Counter-Strike (CS) competitive scene since the early 2000s and competed side by side under NIP for over seven years. 

During their time on NIP’s active roster, the two players also set the record for the longest win streak in CS esports, with 97 consecutive wins from August 2012 to April 2013. One year later, they secured the coveted ESL One: Cologne trophy for the Swedish esports organisation.

“I’m looking forward to celebrating this significant milestone for NIP alongside my former teammates from over a decade ago,” commented f0rest in a press release.

 “Together we achieved a Major title and a win record that still stands today. It’s now time to prove that we have still got it against some of the best players in the world, who proudly represent NIP today.”

The remaining members of the showmatch’s all-star lineup will be revealed in the lead-up to the event.

Meanwhile, CS players Rasmus ‘sjuush’ Beck, Artem ‘r1nkle’ Moroz, and Kacper ‘xKacpersky’ Gabara, as well as Ksenia ‘vilga’ Klyuenkova and Mia ‘aiM’ Cooper from the women’s roster (NIP Impact), will represent the current era of Ninjas in Pyjamas.

The showmatch will be a best-of-three (BO3) series, with a bonus match if the series ends 2-0. 

Interested fans can tune into the spectacle via NIP’s YouTube and Twitch channels, as well as f0rest and GeT_RiGhT’s Twitch channels. Moreover, a limited-capacity watch party will be held at Stockholm’s Red Bull Gaming Sphere, where f0rest will also be playing and streaming.

Additional information about the event and watchparty tickets will be revealed across NIP’s social media soon.