Honor of Kings: Best heroes in Season 9

As a Multiplayer Online Battle Arena (MOBA) game, Honor of Kings (HoK) features over 100 playable heroes. While each hero indeed has a unique playstyle with pros and cons of their own, certain heroes are currently best suited for the meta.

Check the list below to discover which Honor of Kings heroes are performing best in the current season.

In the Clash Lane, there are two popular categories of heroes in the current meta: tanky heroes and semi-tanky fighters. We recommend five heroes: Dun, Sun Ce, Allain, Dharma, and Lian Po.

Dun and Lian Po fall into the tanky category. They are among the tankiest heroes in Honor of Kings and are commonly selected across all ranks. Their versatility also allows them to function as Roamers. Their skill sets align well with their roles, enabling them to initiate fights, absorb damage, protect allies, and provide considerable crowd control (CC).

The second category consists of fighters with semi-tank skill sets. While they don't necessarily build tank items, they naturally possess high survivability, often through abilities that generate shields, lifesteal, or health regeneration. This makes them robust enough to buy time for their team while dealing damage.

Sun Ce, Allain, and Dharma are currently the best heroes in this category. Notably, Dharma holds a pick rate of 41.6% in recent professional plays, making her the most chosen hero during the Invitational Season 3, while Dun ranks as the third most picked hero, with a 38.0% pick rate.

In Honor of Kings, the jungler has three main responsibilities: supporting teammates through ganks, controlling objectives on the map, and efficiently clearing neutral monsters to avoid falling behind the enemy jungler. Therefore, the best jungle heroes are those who can effectively execute these tasks.

Currently, Musashi, Augran, and Lam are the top contenders for these roles. They are assassin fighters with high mobility, enabling them to gank enemies effectively, and they possess area-of-effect (AoE) abilities for rapidly clearing jungle camps. Additionally, their high lifesteal grants them substantial survivability in team fights.

Musashi and Augran are particularly popular in the pro scene, with Musashi being the fourth most banned hero at a 40.4% ban rate and Augran ranking as the fourth most picked hero with a 36.9% pick rate.

For players who prefer not to use assassins, we recommend trying Yuhuan and Menki. Yuhuan, who can also be played as a Mid Laner, is a high-mobility mage capable of healing teammates, making her a secondary support choice. Meanwhile, Menki is a versatile hero who can be built as a damage dealer or tank, boasting high survivability and crowd control to influence the game’s pace. Furthermore, both heroes are considered easy to play for those just starting as Junglers.

In the current meta, the best Mid Lane heroes are those with high burst damage, such as Gan & Mo, Mai Shiranui, and Nuwa. These three are regular picks in professional plays, with Mai Shiranui having an 80.9% ban rate, the highest among all heroes in the Invitational Season 3.

These heroes require precise hand coordination to maximize their damage output with well-timed combos, relying heavily on teammates to set up team fights effectively. Speaking of setups, Yixing is one of the best control mages on the list, with significant damage and crowd control, albeit at the expense of mobility.

When it comes to mobility, both Mai Shiranui and Shangguan shine as elite Mid Lane heroes. They possess dashes that enhance their agility during team fights, allowing for quicker map rotations to assist teammates. Shangguan, in particular, is equipped with an Ultimate that grants her immunity, making her highly agile in duels and team fights.

However, note that all five heroes listed above are considered hard to master. Hence, you will need considerable practice to maximize their potential. Additionally, understanding the pros and cons of each Mid Lane hero will help ensure you select the best option based on your team composition and preferred playstyle.

Choosing a Farm Lane hero is much simpler than selecting a hero for other roles. Just like in other MOBA games, Farm Lane heroes are considered the main carries—the ones who contribute the highest damage output. To fulfill this crucial role, Farm Lane heroes must position themselves strategically to avoid being eliminated early in team fights.

You can opt for high-mobility heroes, such as Arli, Lady Sun, and Marco Polo, all of whom possess low cooldown dashes. Additionally, consider using Loong, whose Ultimate ability allows him to become untargetable while soaring in the sky in his dragon form. During Invitational Season 3, Loong set a record as the most contested Farm Lane hero, boasting a 39.2% pick rate, while Arli emerged as the most banned Farm Lane hero with a 57.1% ban rate.

Consort Yu is another option for those looking to play a high burst damage hero. Although she has more disadvantages than the other four heroes mentioned above—primarily due to her lack of an escape skill— her Skill 2 includes a damage-immune effect that compensates for this shortcoming. Moreover, she is widely regarded as one of the easiest Farm Lane heroes to master, making her suitable for various team compositions.

Roamers, often referred to as Supports in other MOBA games, may not seem as critical as other roles, but they play a pivotal part in team dynamics. Almost any hero can function as a Roamer in Honor of Kings, but the best Roamers possess decent mobility, crowd control (CC), and the ability to protect their team.

Heroes that meet all these criteria include Dolia and Zhang Fei. Dolia can heal teammates with her Skill 2 and has a unique ability to reset allies' Ultimate and skill cooldowns. Her Skill 1 also provides a small AoE crowd control effect, knocking back and slowing enemies. During Invitational Season 3, she was one of the most sought-after heroes, recording a 33.3% pick rate and a 39.2% ban rate.

Zhang Fei is unique in his own right. When in his normal form, his Skill 1 can knock back enemies, while Skill 2 allows him to jump and provide a shield to teammates. His Ultimate is a game-changer during team fights, transforming him into a massive tank that stuns enemies in front of him. Notably, he doesn’t consume mana when casting skills, giving him an edge over other Roamers during the laning phase.

Other strong Roamers in the current meta include Dyadia, Da Qiao, and Sakeer. Dyadia and Sakeer represent the classic Support category, providing heals and shields to teammates. Their dashes enable them to be more agile in team fights, allowing them to jump between allies while dodging enemy attacks. Dyadia, in particular, has an ability that can steal gold from enemies, making her the most banned Roamer hero in Invitational Season 3 with a 47.6% ban rate.

Da Qiao stands out as one of the most unique heroes in Honor of Kings, thanks to her set of abilities that can send allies back to base and summon them back to their previous positions. Her Ultimate can gather all allies to a specified location, making her ideal for coordinated team plays.

These are the top heroes to play in Honor of Kings for Season 9. Ultimately, every hero has its unique strengths, and you should always choose the heroes you feel most comfortable with.

Stay tuned to esports.gg for more guides on Honor of Kings.