Finally started playing DOTA 2, have questions.

[Ihateregistering1]

So after all these years of insisting I didn't need to play it, a friend of mine got to me give DOTA 2 a shot.

Holy crap I'm addicted now.

I know the game's been out for a while now, but a lot of the elements of how it functions are still not making a ton of sense to me.
-I normally avoid paying for little aesthetic things on games, but I saw a cool armor set for Lycan that was something like $1, so I tried to buy it. However, when I clicked on "purchase item", instead of buying that armor set, it bought a 'treasure', that apparently I open and just get some random junk. Why does it seem like you can straight up buy some armor sets, but others you have to buy the mystery box and hope for the best?

-I visited the Steam Workshop page for the game, but it's bizarre. When I used Steam Workshop for Skyrim or Torchlight 2, it was about as simple as possible: download the mod, and then the game asks you beforehand which ones you want kept turned on. But DOTA 2 seems to only allow you to "add to your collection", but then it doesn't actually do anything. Likewise, it gives you the option of "voting to have it in the game". So does DOTA 2 forbid actual user-created mods, and we just have to vote for what we want and hope the devs will make it so we can then pay for it?

Anyway, game's still a blast, loving Lycan, lich, and Lifestealer (I guess I like heroes with an L name).

 

[DoPo]

Why does it seem like you can straight up buy some armor sets, but others you have to buy the mystery box and hope for the best?

It might be because some can only be chanced from treasure chests. Dunno, though - I've been out of the loop for a while, so I'm not sure if that's the case or not. At any rate, you can check the Steam marketplace - people might be selling the armour. You would probably need to buy the pieces of the set individually, though, but that's about the only downside I can think of.

 

[Legion]

In answer to question 1, some newer items are released as a part of these treasures and you get a random chance of getting a specific item/set. Valve has a timer after releases before they can be sold on the market so once that expires you will be able to buy the specific set you like from other players. These ones are normally sets based around events/seasons. Some sets are just sold normally.

Question 2 my understanding is that yes, the workshop is basically a bit like Greenlight where people vote for them and they can be added to the game later. A lot of the cosmetics already in the game are in fact made by the community.

 

[Zontar]

Some things in the Workshop are like greenlight, and some aren't. Game modes, for example, can be downloaded and, if others are using it, be played. An example is Pudge Wars [https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=296831818], probably one of the most popular fan made game modes.

 

[Ihateregistering1]

Got it, thanks!