DOTA 2 Tips

[neonsword13-ops]

A while back, I was invited to join the DOTA 2 beta on Steam. But my computer was shit at the time so I didn't really get a chance to play. Fast forward a month or two and I finally have a good enough laptop able to take on the game with full power.

Having no experience in the MOBA genre what-so-ever (except for maybe 2 or 3 games with the PS3 version of Awesomenaughts), I plunged into a private bot match with only passive bots. I was overwhelmed at the amount of characters available and had no idea what to choose. I figured that with my lack of experience, I should keep my distance and go with a ranged hero. I went with the Drow Ranger.

I got a feel for the gameplay and after winning, I set out for my first ranked match online. Things... didn't go so well. I died multiple times and I was the only person left on our team by the time our base was demolished and the enemy team was victorious. It seemed everyone quit because they knew we were going to lose that game. I hope quitting before the going gets rough isn't a common thing with online play.

Anyway, I figured you guys with more experience could help a noob out and tell me how to play the game more effectively. Maybe what items to invest in early on in the game? Anything helps, really. This is a game I'd like to get into and I can't really do that if I continue to get my ass handed to me.

 

[NerfedFalcon]

Speaking as someone who gave up on the game after learning this far too late:

Hero guides are worthless at lower levels.

Generic 'beginner guides' can still contain some useful information that you can apply to any game, but there's a lot of guides for specific heroes that talk about what items to get, but don't go through a lot of situations - including the situation that, as a noob, you'll find yourself in more often than not. That situation is 'getting completely destroyed'. Some of them also don't work for certain combinations of heroes, and since you'll never get the same ten heroes two games in a row, post-mortem tips, either worked out yourself or from other people, aren't that helpful either.

Before anyone calls me out as being either a troll or misinformed, the information I'm working on is personal experience. One of my higher-level friends gave me a guide that gave only one ability build, and he didn't even say 'my bad' after the 10th game where it screwed me over. Instead he just told me 'yeah well you actually have to think, retard'. We didn't stay friends.

I literally had to stop playing the game because I couldn't work a single thing out for myself since the game was so obtuse, and other people's advice turned out to be unusable. Find one person that you can trust and ask them for help. Don't even bother with hero guides until you're actually capable of winning more than one game in five in solo queue.[footnote]Perhaps exaggerated, but the point is, once you're actually capable of winning yourself rather than getting carried by a higher-ranked friend.[/footnote]

Edit: Oh, and for that matter, exercise caution concerning queueing up with people better than yourself. You'll get matched against people in the bracket between you - they'll probably just steamroll everything, but not if you're a weak enough link in the team that you get steamrolled and your failure loses the game. Best case scenario, you don't actually learn anything. Worst, you just get even more frustrated than you do with solo queue. Again, personal experience.

 

[SomeLameStuff]

Well, this group [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/groups/view/DotA-2] here can and will help you out a load.

Starting out with bots is a good idea, but put the difficulty up to at least Medium or Hard. Drow is a good starting hero, but you should try branching out so that you have others you know how to play, and so that you KNOW what other heroes do. Facing a hero you know nothing about is NOT fun, trust me.

Items depend entirely on the hero you're playing. Rushing a Battle Fury on Anti-mage or Juggernaught is great, but getting it on a ranged hero like Drow or Luna is stupid. Diffusal is awesome on Phantom Lancer, but worthless on Anti-mage and Viper.

The items you get is also dependent on what role you're playing. You'd never get wards on Queen of Pain, and you'd never get an MKB on Crystal Maiden (unless you're trolling). Heroes like Tiny, Earthshaker and Enigma are going to want to get their Blink as fast as possible, sometimes even before upgraded boots.

Starting lane items also differ. A standard starting set would be Tangos, a Salve, two branches and two +3 of your primary attribute. Junglers like Enigma can start out with nothing but mana potions. Roamers usually get two mana potions, a salve, tangoes and iron branches. If you're a melee though, you should start with a shield. Again, the hero you're playing and your role comes into effect.

Welcome to the world of Dota 2. Your brain will be dribbling out of your ears by the end of the week.

EDIT: Ah, right. Haven't even gotten into ability builds yet. Let's just say that's a whole other bag of snakes.

 

[Orange12345]

don't try to learn everything just play and pick it up.

NOTE: I am by no means a pro or even good at this game so if I say something wrong by all means correct me

I would recommend playing single draft it randomly gives you 3 heroes to choose instead of the whole roster this gives you a chance to play different heroes and can put everyone else out of their comfort zone

Buy recommended items until you start to notice things that might be better, for instance in the mid game you might be running out of mana alot so you decide to pick up something with more mana regen even though it is not "recommended"

last hitting enemies is very important, when an enemy is killed near you you only gain exp NOT gold. But if you do last hit you get gold and a bit of extra exp

you can also last hit your own creeps buy "a" and clicking them this is called denying it prevents you opponents from getting any exp

go into the options and turn off auto-attack this gives you better control and makes it easier to last hit Edit: also change your item hotkeys to something better

the game has "stages" that are not defined by time but by how fast the player progress

Early game- (lvls 1-7)stay in your lane and get exp and gold kill a hero if you can but mainly just focus on staying alive and gaining levels

Mid game- (lvls 7-15)players start to group up a bit and go after each other this is usually where the game is decided

Late game- (lvls 15-25) the game is winding down and the winner has probably been decided one team will usually be on the defensive and just waiting to be finished off


And finally the most important piece of advice I can give you is


DON'T BE A DICK, there are a lot of assholes in these games that will spout off at you because you committed the horrid crime of not being good at a game, don't let them get to you and for the love of god don't become one of them it really ruins the fun for everyone

 

[NerfedFalcon]

Early game- (lvls 1-7)stay in your lane and get exp and gold kill a hero if you can but mainly just focus on staying alive and gaining levels this is usually where the game is decided

Mid game- (lvls 7-15)players start to group up a bit and go after each other

Late game- (lvls 15-25) the game is winding down and the winner has probably been decided one team will usually be on the defensive and just waiting to be finished off

FTFY

One mistake in early game will snowball into you not having enough gold to get an item when you need to, and that'll lose you the game.

 

[neonsword13-ops]

So, from what I gather so far...

1.) One small mistake, like letting an opposing team's hero get the last hit on a friendly hero (or yourself) could easily make the victory of the opposing team much more likely because with the extra money they earn, they could buy better items, which will make them more effective in combat and so on. It's like a deadly chain.

2.) Stay in your lane. I have a tendency to wander about the field, moving between towers to protect them. That could easily leave another tower open for a bashing while I'm gone.

3.) Boost your hero's main skill. Drow's is agility, so if I boost that, it would make her passive ability more powerful. Got it.

4.) Don't be a dick. Well, I already know that this is a genre filled with massive pricks but I know better than to be like them. They're just another obstacle in leaning to enjoy the game.

5.) Some items and skill set-ups are better for certain heroes.

Alright, these are awesome tips. Keep 'em coming, guys.

 

[SomeLameStuff]

last hitting enemies is very important, when an enemy is killed near you you only gain exp NOT gold. But if you do last hit you get gold and a bit of extra exp

Just a small thing to note. Getting kills is great and all, but taking it from others who need the kill more (your carry) is just a dick move. Only take the kill from your carry if there's a danger that the guy might escape.

the game has "stages" that are not defined by time but by how fast the player progress

Early game- (lvls 1-7)stay in your lane and get exp and gold kill a hero if you can but mainly just focus on staying alive and gaining levels

Mid game- (lvls 7-15)players start to group up a bit and go after each other this is usually where the game is decided

Late game- (lvls 15-25) the game is winding down and the winner has probably been decided one team will usually be on the defensive and just waiting to be finished off

This is very general, but essentially accurate for lower levels of play. Once you get further up the ladder though, you'll start seeing different tactics, such as level one ganks, or one or two heroes not staying in a lane and just non-stop ganking at early levels.

The late game portion is a little iffy though. There's always the chance you can make a comeback.


Okay, this is Heroes of Newerth, not Dota 2, but the point still stands. My team was on the back foot for the entire game, two sets of barracks down, and more than a 10k gold down. Then after this one fight, we managed to take their base down and win. Rare example, sure, but it could happen.

 

[NerfedFalcon]

So, from what I gather so far...

1.) One small mistake, like letting an opposing team's hero get the last hit on a friendly hero (or yourself) could easily make the victory of the opposing team much more likely because with the extra money they earn, they could buy better items, which will make them more effective in combat and so on. It's like a deadly chain.

It gets worse. When you die, you lose gold, meaning that you don't have enough money to buy an item that'll prevent you from dying again. Later in the game, you won't be able to afford buyback, but the other team will, and buyback in late game can make a huge difference.

 

[NerfedFalcon]

There's always the chance you can make a comeback.

A very, very slim chance. I've never been in a comeback myself (at least, not in Dota 2 - I've pulled off several in LoL) and I've never seen one on Youtube or on the front page of Dota 2's 'watch now' tab.

 

[SomeLameStuff]

So, from what I gather so far...

1.) One small mistake, like letting an opposing team's hero get the last hit on a friendly hero (or yourself) could easily make the victory of the opposing team much more likely because with the extra money they earn, they could buy better items, which will make them more effective in combat and so on. It's like a deadly chain.

Another thing here. Dying isn't necessarily a bad thing if there's a good trade for it. You can die, but the enemy carry goes down as well, or your team wins the fight in the end, or the tower or barrack goes down, or if you manage to distract the enemy for your carry to escape on low health. Dota is a team game, and so sometimes sacrifice is needed.

2.) Stay in your lane. I have a tendency to wander about the field, moving between towers to protect them. That could easily leave another tower open for a bashing while I'm gone.

Staying in the lane isn't always a good idea. It gives the enemy vision of where you are and they may send someone up to stop you. This is why most players farm the jungle once they're able, so that the enemy doesn't have vision of them and gank them. This is where wards come into play, but that's a whole other story.

One more thing, running between towers is inefficient, as you lose out on both gold, exp and time. TP Scrolls only cost 135 gold and are a lifesaver. Use them to travel to your towers to defend or get into a fight quicker, or to get out of bad situations from heroes who can't stun you.

This is something even higher tier players sometimes forget, but is very important. ALWAYS. CARRY. A. TP SCROLL.

 

[NerfedFalcon]

So, from what I gather so far...

1.) One small mistake, like letting an opposing team's hero get the last hit on a friendly hero (or yourself) could easily make the victory of the opposing team much more likely because with the extra money they earn, they could buy better items, which will make them more effective in combat and so on. It's like a deadly chain.

Another thing here. Dying isn't necessarily a bad thing if there's a good trade for it. You can die, but the enemy carry goes down as well, or your team wins the fight in the end, or the tower or barrack goes down, or if you manage to distract the enemy for your carry to escape on low health. Dota is a team game, and so sometimes sacrifice is needed.

Good luck getting a game where people actually understand that and capitalise on your sacrifice rather than just running away and saying 'why did you die noob'. Then again, you get comebacks - it's already been established that you're lucky.

Edit: At the very least, lucky enough to move up from the initial 'middle of the road' first time seeding rather than straight down like the rest of us mortals.

 

[NerfedFalcon]

Here's another thing I think is worth saying: Although this is a team game, don't expect anything from your teammates. If you do, then you'll probably wind up with a team full of monkeys who understand even less about the game than you, but they're all in a premade so they blame everything on you. Assume that you'll have to do everything yourself - wards, dust/smoke, pushing, etc. Don't rely on your teammates to - if they can't look at the parts of the map you've warded, then that's their problem, not yours. If there are no wards in the first place, place some yourself. If you ask somebody else to, or worse, ask them telepathically, you'll be disappointed.

 

[NightmareExpress]

In MOBA games, it's somewhat a thing for one side to give-up fairly early.
Some would even say it's a bad thing that DOTA 2 doesn't have a "surrender" vote like League does...because it's rather frustrating to be trapped in a situation where you know your team has been outplayed and the enemy carries have been fed like crazy (imagine 20 minutes of hard work, realize said work was for naught, put in another 20 unneeded minutes of purgatory, waiting for the final plunge into hell).
But enough about that.

One thing I learned early on is that it's good to wait until the game has basically begun to pick your hero.
It robs the opposing team the opportunity to counterpick and form strategies to take you down.

Things you should buy off the bat are:
A courier (if you are a support/don't need the gold)
Boots (plus investing in upgrading them to buff your primary attribute following suite)

From there, pick the lane that you'd do best in:
Mid if you need the gold and can put up a decent 1 v 1 when needed.
Top or bot if you can do well with an ally against two other people, or can gank towards mid/in the jungles.
If you go mid, people typically won't mind you having slight priority over calling the courier.

Your build is dependent on how you want to play, as there are several legitimate (in other words; viable in competitive) builds for almost every hero. Remember that along with building up correctly, that communication is also vital in winning a game (be it typing or vocal). I've seen people succeed with what one may call lackluster builds because they coordinated well with their team and formulated their own playstyle to best fit the situation.

In general:
Life stealing items are a great item for those with high attack speeds and a good deal of damage
Black King Bar (3900 g to build) is great against people with magic as a primary means of attack
Aghanim's scepter (4200 g to build) is great for nukers those with ults that you want to improve
Blink Dagger is an incredibly useful tool to hit and run with
Items that boost health/mana regen are typically a godsend

If the opponent has a hero that is able to be invisible at will, using sentry wards or buying a gem of true sight will become a must if they are at all competent. Observer wards are great at detecting where the enemy will be (if they are team pushing one or two lanes, an observer ward will be vital in detecting the lone ninja trying to solo).

DOTA 2 is full of people to pick from, but you'll probably notice that only around 1/3 of them are used extensively.
Pick a few to play consistently, but try to memorize (or even try) a great deal of others to learn how they tick and how to counter. Also familiarize yourself with the terminology that the DOTA 2 community uses, as it'll make quick communication easier (short of learning Russian or Brazilianese) and you'll get acquainted with "who does what" fairly quickly. When you're a beginner, it helps to pick supports, carries or overall tank-ish heroes to get a feel of the ropes. Skeleton King, Lich and Tidehunter are notable examples of heroes that beginners tend to use.

Sorry if you already knew all/most of this.
I hope that at least some of this can be of some use, as this is pretty much my DOTA 2 experience in a nutshell.
Don't get discouraged if people are mean: MOBA communities suck. On that note, it definitely helps playing with friends.

 

[ohnoitsabear]

I recently got a DOTA 2 key and my big question is, at what point, after doing bot matches, should I jump online? I really don't want to play online until I know I won't be a big drain on my team, but I have absolutely no clue when that will be.

Also, when just learning, is it better to focus on trying a wide variety of heroes, or to learn the intricacies of a few? I'm mostly concerned about what will help me improve the fastest as a complete newb.

 

[Skin]

Cliffs:

-Farming >>> Ganking
-Know where your opponents are. Watch the map as much as possible.
-Always carry TP.

 

[SomeLameStuff]

I recently got a DOTA 2 key and my big question is, at what point, after doing bot matches, should I jump online? I really don't want to play online until I know I won't be a big drain on my team, but I have absolutely no clue when that will be.

Also, when just learning, is it better to focus on trying a wide variety of heroes, or to learn the intricacies of a few? I'm mostly concerned about what will help me improve the fastest as a complete newb.

You should at least try every hero, so that you know what they can do. Keep a core group that you can play very well.

As for when to make the transition, that's up to you. Just know that real players are very different from the AI.

 

[NerfedFalcon]

Then again, I'm not really worth listening to when I could literally, as soon as picking formally ends:
-get up
-boil a kettle
-make a cup of tea without having anything set up beforehand
-drink it, including waiting for it to cool down
-then come back
and my team would arguably be better off than if I'd been active for that entire period of time. Even sans shared control.

I don't even like tea, but I'd be willing to drink it just to prove this. I will bet whatever the first person asks that this will happen.

 

[Syntax Error]

The only good tip for a total newbie: play with friends who know the game as your allies. Can't stress this enough. MOBAs bring the worst in people more than any other game I've played.

As for general tips:

Make it a habit to look at the minimap. Glance at it every few seconds or so. This simple act is gonna help reduce deaths A LOT. Also, call out missing people, especially from your lane. If you can't see 5 of them, something is gonna go down. If you feel like a gank is incoming, it probably is, so better stick to safety and don't over extend for the sake of getting that one creep kill. Speaking of creep kills:

Regardless of the hero you play (support, ganker, carry, etc.) learn to last hit properly. Other than Building kills and the natural gold given, this is the only other way you earn to get your items. The reason dying is frowned upon here is that: 1) It gives enemies gold. 2) YOU lose gold. You lose upon dying and you lose potential gold because the time you spent respawning could have been time spent farming. 3) Gives enemies XP 4) Gives enemies more farm because of you're absence, and can kill the other guy in lane more easily. Also learn lane control. Only hit creeps for the last hit, since you only earn gold for kills, unless you deliberately want the lane pushed, so you can attend to other matters.

Some lanes are gonna be absolute hell for you. I.E. two squishies against a Skeleton King and Demon Witch combo. In this case, don't risk it and just hang back in XP range. Staying alive and leeching xp is better than dying for a creep kill.

Familiarize yourself with terms and acronyms, and the items. You'll get these naturally over time. Familiarity will allow you to recognize patterns to at least figure out which items are best for a hero you've never played yet.

Finally, play the game using only one hero at a time. Across the 100 or so heroes in the game, pick one to familiarize yourself with the game concepts and work from there. I suggest Lich and Skeleton King.

***I'm using DotA 1 terms, so please bear with me.

 

[Fluffythepoo]

Eyes on the mini map as much as they are on your toon (like literally 50/50), if enemies heading toward you just run
dont use roots/stuns on npcs
dont fight npcs waves alone
only get flying carriers, the others are useless
and always get move boost first (boots, etc)

and actually talk to your team if you want them behave like a team.. most people who say their teams always suck have teammates saying the same thing

 

[Candidus]

Make A List of ten heroes you're interested in. Arbitrarily. Based on appearance.
Go Watch a "Purge Plays [x hero from your list]" on Youtube. He's not a pro player, but he's a skilled enough casual player to teach newbies and average joes.
Then Go Watch loads more games. Normal games. Skilled games. Commentated pro games. Watch them all. The best way to learn the basics of a handful of heroes at a time is to be watching them lane against each other while NOT playing.
Play Bots until you're beating hard/unfair bots on a regular basis with your chosen stable.
In the Mean Time learn the hotkeys for the courier, learn the item shop, learn to look at the bot lineup and say things like "Oh damn, there's Tiny, Lina and Sven. Loads of AoE disables and nukes. I'll build a BKB and/or a hood this game."
Then go into matchmaking. Ideally with friends. Maybe with your stable in allpick, or maybe single draft- you choose.
Eventually start randoming or doing single draft, if you didn't before.
No Matter What keep watching games and streams.

Welcome to Dota2.