DotA vs LoL...which is better?

[The Wykydtron]

If I have to listen to Luna or Witch Doctor again I will have to hurt something

Oh my lord Dan, I think I've broken you with my soundboard =D

[HEADING=1]SELEMENE COMMANDS[/HEADING]

Anyway, I like both, but for different reasons. LoL is where all my tryhard goes, because I'm actually reasonably good at it (Gold IV and rising), DOTA is where I go to play stupid-fun heroes with absolutely no regard for people's sanity (Lycan, Slardar, AXE, Sand King, Night Stalker, AXE, Spectre, Windrunner, AXE...)

So yeah, that's my take on it.

Well if you would just put this video on repeat for an hour as my vengeance for all the bullshit Luna lines every two seconds that would be great. Just wait until I find that soundboard, all Anti Mage all the time.


TRUTH COMPELS ME!

I'll be honest, all the one liners are infuriating after a while.

Indeed they are. As Witch Doctor would say:

Spoiler

[HEADING=1]LOOK AT IT GO!!!!!!!!!!!!!![/HEADING]

 

[Naeras]

Well, it isn't really cheese.
It's not like being Forest Law and spamming rainbow kicks or playing Protoss in SC2 and two gate proxy rushing.

You can't cheese at all in DotA, you can play gimmicky builds that relay on advantages certain heroes has.
For instance, Warlock has an ultimate that will allow him to stun in a large aoe and summon a demon from the depths to fight for him, acquiring a refresher orb will allow him to refresh all his spells, allowing him to do two ultimates and
have two demons after two large stuns.
The gimmick is that Orb isn't usually picked up for most standard Warlock builds, but you can certainly go for one but at a cost.

I'm not sure I agree with that specific example of a gimmick, actually. Back when I played HoN, I do recall that the equivalent of Warlock had the refresher as the preferred very-late-game item. It's just not a realistic item to get in most games unless it progresses past the 50 minute point.

The Lion-example you gave, on the other hand, is something I can agree more with. That build only really works in specific scenarios(when you're winning heavily already), so that amount of money is usually better spent on, say, a Blink Dagger.

Either way, we're only arguing semantics right now. I get your point, and you're probably better versed in how Dota works than I am, so I'll shut up :8

Rikimaru is a bit iffy as an example of gimmicks. There are counters to invisibility, but Riki does not need to rely on it as a crutch and in play you'll notice the good players focus more on the advantages his blink, cloud, and passive give him.

Yeah, his other stuff is really good, and probably a better reason to play him than his invisibility is. The problem is really when someone that isn't very good is playing him. A common mistake you'll see newer players make, is that they will use his invisibility as a substitute for proper positioning, because they assume the opposition can't see him. This has lead to several games where the Riki is just wandering into five people and an invis ward.
Repeatedly.
>_<

 

[WenisPagon]

Yeah, his other stuff is really good, and probably a better reason to play him than his invisibility is. The problem is really when someone that isn't very good is playing him. A common mistake you'll see newer players make, is that they will use his invisibility as a substitute for proper positioning, because they assume the opposition can't see him. This has lead to several games where the Riki is just wandering into five people and an invis ward.
Repeatedly.
>_<

I've definitely seen this and can attest to this, but basing a character's gimmickiness based on the skill level of the person playing them is rather problematic. If that's the case you can say, for example, Ryu of Street Fighter is gimmicky, because bad players can beat other bad players by spamming hadoukens.

 

[Naqel]

doesn't promote the bad habits LoL does

The only bad habits LoL promotes are the ones that are considered bad in DotA, and DotA is the one of the two that punishes you for not killing your own dudes, so... Yeah...

 

[Naeras]

Yeah, his other stuff is really good, and probably a better reason to play him than his invisibility is. The problem is really when someone that isn't very good is playing him. A common mistake you'll see newer players make, is that they will use his invisibility as a substitute for proper positioning, because they assume the opposition can't see him. This has lead to several games where the Riki is just wandering into five people and an invis ward.
Repeatedly.
>_<

I've definitely seen this and can attest to this, but basing a character's gimmickiness based on the skill level of the person playing them is rather problematic. If that's the case you can say, for example, Ryu of Street Fighter is gimmicky, because bad players can beat other bad players by spamming hadoukens.

Let me try to rephrase that: what I consider to be 'gimmicky' is when this gimmick is used as a replacement for some kind of fundamental part of your skillset for that game, and/or it gets substantially less powerful once your opponents understand how to effectively deal with it. That's why I consider stealth to be a good example: it gets way less powerful once your opponent knows how to deal with it(yet it's still very usable), yet a lot of people will make the mistake of using it as a crutch to compensate for bad positioning/movement/timing, rather than as an addition to their arsenal on top of those fundamental abilities.

It's comparable to Eddy/Christie in Tekken(who pretty much defined "gimmicky" characters in a fighting game sense): a huge part of their moveset is actually really unsafe or easy to avoid, but a lot of people will still be relying heavily on specific parts of their game solely because their opponents doesn't know how to deal with it. Against an opponent that knows the match-up, you have to play far more carefully and intelligently. They're still not bad characters, but it does mean you'll probably get a lot of wins just because people don't understand how to play against them, and a lot of their stuff just won't pay off once people know what to do. When that happens, good fundamentals is a necessity.
Stealth is the similar in that regard: It's very, very strong against bad opponents, but against smarter opposition, while it's still a decent addition to your arsenal, you can't rely on that alone.

But, yeah, this is still mostly semantics.

 

[Tanakh]

The only bad habits LoL promotes are the ones that are considered bad in DotA

Not really, using mana for last hits instead of harass, not having a free camera and not pay attention to your pathing are bad habits that LoL promotes off the top off my head. And by bad habits I mean those that are marks of bad/lazy playing in both DotA and LoL.

Edit: That is not to say you can't get rid of those bad habits, just saying the current LoL promotes them.

 

[Sight Unseen]

I don't think that's the case. The towers being weaker and the fact that heroes don't have a get out of jail free card with flash means the early game is less passive.

Yeah, good call on the easier to tower dive thing meaning earlier aggression but you also need strong towers so the more poke/kite/range champs aren't too dominant at the start. Of course all this sort of stuff needs to be in balance not too much turtling/not too aggressive. I just found the way LoL is designed allows for the better game dynamic for me and I reckon most people in terms of what is more fun.

However I reckon the Summoner Spells, such as Flash, aren't just a simple escape card as they can be used aggressively. I am sure (even though I have no statistics on this) that SS create far more kill opportunities than escape opportunities. In DotA doesn't everyone get a Blink Dagger anyway? Or is that not a thing in DotA2?

Other features I forgot to mention Teleporting and Couriers I reckon I prefer the LoL setup too.

I just wanted to chime in here and say that heroes DO NOT get a blink dagger in Dota 2 except in certain circumstances. It's an item that costs 2150 gold and only initiators and some carries typically pick one up. Some heroes have blink abilities like antimage and Queen of Pain, but most do not. Also Blink Daggers are used mainly as an offensive item, since the dagger cannot be used if you've been damaged in the last 3 seconds so it's pretty difficult to use as an escape in most circumstances.

 

[MrBrightside919]

Ignore both and just play SMITE...

OT: LoLs community will drive you away or turn you into a monster. DOTA is a somewhat better in terms of player base but not by a whole lot. Most DOTA games I play go without a single word said by any players. LoL is way easier but DOTA has more strategy and is generally more rewarding. LoL is very colorful but DOTA looks better. I think LoLs biggest strength is it is super easy to run...

DOTA > LoL

Still...

SMITE > Both

 

[Lictor Face]

Here's my logic in this subject.

Does DOTA2 have a giant sentient Armadillo? No... [footnote]Actually I have no idea, if it does then wow, someone copied someone here. The world just isn't big enough for two giant sentient armadillos...[/footnote]

Does LoL have a giant sentient Armadillo? Yes!

Thus LoL is the better game![footnote]Honestly I've only ever played LoL. I'm not hardcore enough to want to try to switch over since LoL fills my need for MOBAs with the limited time I do have. Thus I have no say on which is better than the other, other than I enjoy LoL for its giant sentient armadillo killing machine. Who is Rammus. Who is awesome [/footnote]

We do have a short angry porcupine with an absolutely bitchin australian accent.


But anyway, if you ask me? Dota has more replay value so to speak due to the open metagame.

LoL has fixed static hero roles ( One jungler. One solo top. one mid etc ) while dota 2 can mix it and match it ( Dual mid? Go for it. Two duo lanes? Why not? Trilane. Get your shit on son! )

I won't lie though. The dota community does not take kindly to....fools. ( Fresh tip. Don't try out a brand new spanking hero in a MM game. Test it out in a bot match. Otherwise you'll piss everyone off, including yourself )

LoL is easier to get into and start, most of the heroes are relatively straight forward and don't have any quirky skill interactions with game mechanics etc.

I don't know much about the running gag that LoL players are wankers, but it seems to get better when you cross the elo skill borders.

Honestly, either way, you won't be able to decide which one you like purely based on opinions. Both are mobas, both technically play the same obvious differences aside.

Hell I chose dota 2 primarily because Garena bought out LoL in SEA, and FUCK Garena.

 

[AwesomeHatMan]

I just wanted to chime in here and say that heroes DO NOT get a blink dagger in Dota 2 except in certain circumstances. It's an item that costs 2150 gold and only initiators and some carries typically pick one up. Some heroes have blink abilities like antimage and Queen of Pain, but most do not. Also Blink Daggers are used mainly as an offensive item, since the dagger cannot be used if you've been damaged in the last 3 seconds so it's pretty difficult to use as an escape in most circumstances.

Yeah played DotA way back in the the day so I'm reasonably familiar with the game and I was referring to the item. I was (poorly) trying to convey that Flash is generally used more offensively to initiate rather then to escape (Flash stun combo is very scary, especially if you have a couple of stuns/slows in ganks, similar to Blink Dagger. If you use Flash to get away it's considered to be wasting it as you'd rather have it for use offensively and it has a long cooldown. Another misconception is Flash is enough to get you away whereas many times it isn't.

Quite surprised only initiators get it now. I always used to think it seemed like a good item for almost everyone (as well as Sheep Stick). Of course you'd need to get other items for damage first. Speaking of items reminds me of the Strength/Agility/Intelligence thing which is kinda lame and how there are issues with the orb effects and how there is no Ability Power due to DotA originally being made in WC3 editor. In LoL they were willing to get rid of these bad aspects from DotA which I really like.

(In case someone quotes me saying "Hah they admit it, they ripped off DotA... look up Guinsoo)

 

[prpshrt]

They're both HIGHLY toxic environments with both communities saying the other game is shit. It will make a racist and horrible person out of you. I first tried LoL and people cussed me out and I quit. However, I got into the Dota 2 beta after the first international and the Dota community was young and small and so it wasn't very nasty, so I got into playing dota. The community now is FAR worse with an awful match making system. That being said, I have over a 1000 hours into it, I still play daily and I love playing it. If you're looking for a fun casual game to blow off steam, then league hands down. But if you want something skillful, stressful, and VERY unforgiving then dota. Both games are amazing fun with assholes in it. Just expect to hate who you've become after investing sometime in either game.

 

[viking97]

Smite?

Between those two I'd go with DOTA though. The learning curve is steep and painful (I reccomend purgegamers' guides and other beginner's guides on youtube) but once you're through, the game is a lot more fun imo. Plus you don't have to spend 10 years or approximately one metric butt-ton unlocking every character, they're all there from the start.

(for reals though, smite is crazy fun)

 

[kortin]

Dota 2 is a conglomerate of shit mechanics designed to make a player feel like the game is deeper than it actually is.

LoL is a game designed to appeal to the lowest common denominator.

I despise Dota 2 because of its pretentious nature.
I despise LoL because of Riot's refusal to fix champions and stop making utter shit champions like Vi and Jinx.

 

[Zepherus14]

Here's my logic in this subject.

Does DOTA2 have a giant sentient Armadillo? No... [footnote]Actually I have no idea, if it does then wow, someone copied someone here. The world just isn't big enough for two giant sentient armadillos...[/footnote]

Does LoL have a giant sentient Armadillo? Yes!

Thus LoL is the better game![footnote]Honestly I've only ever played LoL. I'm not hardcore enough to want to try to switch over since LoL fills my need for MOBAs with the limited time I do have. Thus I have no say on which is better than the other, other than I enjoy LoL for its giant sentient armadillo killing machine. Who is Rammus. Who is awesome [/footnote]

We do have a short angry porcupine with an absolutely bitchin australian accent.


But anyway, if you ask me? Dota has more replay value so to speak due to the open metagame.

LoL has fixed static hero roles ( One jungler. One solo top. one mid etc ) while dota 2 can mix it and match it ( Dual mid? Go for it. Two duo lanes? Why not? Trilane. Get your shit on son! )

I won't lie though. The dota community does not take kindly to....fools. ( Fresh tip. Don't try out a brand new spanking hero in a MM game. Test it out in a bot match. Otherwise you'll piss everyone off, including yourself )

LoL is easier to get into and start, most of the heroes are relatively straight forward and don't have any quirky skill interactions with game mechanics etc.

I don't know much about the running gag that LoL players are wankers, but it seems to get better when you cross the elo skill borders.

Honestly, either way, you won't be able to decide which one you like purely based on opinions. Both are mobas, both technically play the same obvious differences aside.

Hell I chose dota 2 primarily because Garena bought out LoL in SEA, and FUCK Garena.

Ooooo That porcupine sounds pretty interesting, not as much as Rammus the giant sentient armadillo, but it is a close second.

But fair enough, I'm more looking for a game to bum around with my friends, have a good laugh, that sort of thing. I can see the appeal of Dota, but don't really have any reason why I would switch over since all the people I know play LoL.

Have a nice day though, and a happy thanksgiving to all those that are in the Americas that celebrate.

 

[Lovely Mixture]

I tried DOTA2 but couldn't get into it, and the lack of an integrated bot mode is a huge turn-off for me (though you can create your own lobby for that purpose). Don't know anything about the community.

I play LOL and I enjoy it, but I can confirm that the player base is extremely toxic, even people in non-draft games will report you if you're not being "good enough."

So I'd say, LOL is the more casual one whilst DOTA2 is the more complicated one. Some people have said that LOL feels more "unofficial" than DOTA2, I wouldn't know how to judge that.


As far as aesthetics go, DOTA2's characters aren't bad, but they are a bit simple compared to LOL's. Both are very pretty (if a bit cliche and juvenile at times). Fanart for both is fantastic.

 

[DazZ.]

...and how there is no Ability Power due to DotA originally being made in WC3 editor.

I can't see that being the reason whilst there are heroes whose spells scale with int.

 

[Sight Unseen]

I just wanted to chime in here and say that heroes DO NOT get a blink dagger in Dota 2 except in certain circumstances. It's an item that costs 2150 gold and only initiators and some carries typically pick one up. Some heroes have blink abilities like antimage and Queen of Pain, but most do not. Also Blink Daggers are used mainly as an offensive item, since the dagger cannot be used if you've been damaged in the last 3 seconds so it's pretty difficult to use as an escape in most circumstances.

Yeah played DotA way back in the the day so I'm reasonably familiar with the game and I was referring to the item. I was (poorly) trying to convey that Flash is generally used more offensively to initiate rather then to escape (Flash stun combo is very scary, especially if you have a couple of stuns/slows in ganks, similar to Blink Dagger. If you use Flash to get away it's considered to be wasting it as you'd rather have it for use offensively and it has a long cooldown. Another misconception is Flash is enough to get you away whereas many times it isn't.

Quite surprised only initiators get it now. I always used to think it seemed like a good item for almost everyone (as well as Sheep Stick). Of course you'd need to get other items for damage first. Speaking of items reminds me of the Strength/Agility/Intelligence thing which is kinda lame and how there are issues with the orb effects and how there is no Ability Power due to DotA originally being made in WC3 editor. In LoL they were willing to get rid of these bad aspects from DotA which I really like.

(In case someone quotes me saying "Hah they admit it, they ripped off DotA... look up Guinsoo)

Yeah, the blink dagger is a pretty situational item nowadays in Dota 2. Most supports are better off with a force staff or nothing at all, instead favoring support items like mekanism, drums, and pipe of insight. It's usually only picked up by people who have big aoe stuns or disables who can use it to jump right into the middle of a group and pop their ability. Enigma, Tidehunter, Axe, Slardar and others like them typically get blink daggers.

I'm not sure what you mean about the limitations you mentioned, and I actually like the str/agil/int system personally, although Im far from a pro at the game I do have a fair amount of experience with it now. Never played LoL so I can't really compare directly.

 

[DazZ.]

We do have a short angry porcupine with an absolutely bitchin australian accent.

Mildly nitpicky but it's a British [http://hydra-media.cursecdn.com/dota2.gamepedia.com/7/77/Bristle_cast_02.mp3] accent. An immensely British accent.

His Responses [http://dota2.gamepedia.com/Bristleback_responses]

 

[Glongpre]

how there is no Ability Power due to DotA originally being made in WC3 editor.

There is no ability power because spells are not supposed to scale. Spells are very powerful early game.

 

[Naqel]

Not really, using mana for last hits instead of harass, not having a free camera and not pay attention to your pathing are bad habits that LoL promotes off the top off my head. And by bad habits I mean those that are marks of bad/lazy playing in both DotA and LoL.

Those aren't really habits LoL "promotes".
-Only a handful of champions get rewarded for spending mana to last-hit, and those few usually make it a mechanic central to their entire kit(Nasus gets stronger, Annie charges up her stun for free, ect.).
-The camera is a setting, and if anything, LoL promotes using the free one by rewarding it with more awareness.
-Pathing is a DotA only issue, because DotA had/has turn speed on characters as a leftover from WC3 engine.