Getting Started in Dota 2

DOTA 2 GameDota 2 is a free-to-play multiplayer online battle arena video game developed and published by Valve Corporation. Released for Microsoft Windows, OS X, and Linux in July 2013, following a Windows-only public beta testing phase that began in 2011, the game is the stand-alone sequel to Defense of the Ancients (DotA), a mod for Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos and its expansion pack, The Frozen Throne. Dota 2 utilized the original Source engine until it was ported to Source 2 in September 2015, making it the first game to utilize the new engine. The game debuted improved global lighting and cloth modeling techniques, as well as enhancements to Steam infrastructure.

Gameplay: Dota 2 is a multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) game in a three-dimensional environment, presented from an oblique high-angle perspective. The player commands one of 110 controllable character “Heroes”. Each Hero begins the match at level one and becomes more powerful by accumulating experience points through combat, thereby leveling up to the maximum level of twenty-five. With every level gained the player either selects a new ability for their Hero to learn or enhance their general statistics. Each Hero’s method of combat is influenced by its primary property: Strength, Agility, or Intelligence.

This is a short tutorial on how to play DOTA 2. If you’re a new player, this guide will help get you up to speed.

Choose your game mode: sometimes you might want to change your game mode. This is possible for any matchmaking game, as well as lobby games. Game modes affect how you can choose the heroes that you, your teammates, and the opposing team play with.

  • “All Pick” is wide open.
  • “Single Draft” gives players a limited pool of heroes based on attribute.
  • “Captain’s Mode” (the standard format for championship games) allows team captains to choose heroes in turn for their players from a nearly unlimited pool.
  • “Random Draft” gives players a 22 hero pool to choose from and turns are taken in choosing heroes.
  • “Least Played” removes your 40 most-played characters from the pool.
  • “Limited Heroes” is limited to the easiest to play heroes.
  • “All Random” is pretty much exactly what it sounds like.

DOTA 2 HeroesChoose a character: after joining a match you will choose your hero (or have one chosen for you). What character you choose is really important, so don’t just choose the red-headed chick because she’s hot. That is a bad plan. Choose your character based on how you play best and based on what your team needs. There are many roles[2] but here are a few:

  • A “Durable” or “Tank” is a hero who purposefully draws the enemy attention and takes damage while the other teammates work on taking out the other team and the towers. Good examples of Tanks are Axe, Dragon Knight, and Elder Titan.
  • A “Carry” is the hero who will deal the majority of the team’s damage, theoretically ranking in the most kills by the end of the game. This is a powerful role with powerful heroes, but it takes a great deal of skill to pull off. Good examples of Carries are Phantom Lancer, Medusa, and Spectre.
  • A “Lane Support” sticks with the team’s carry to keep them safe, healing them or replenishing their mana. These heroes generally do not make kills, and accordingly do not get gold. Good Lane Supports include Lich and Dazzle.
  • ”Pushers” are the heroes who focus on bringing down enemy towers as quickly as possible. Examples of Pushers include Broodmother and Leshrac.
  • If you’re familiar with the role of mages in other games, then you’ll understand the “Nuker”. Nukers deal damage using spells with large areas of effect, often from a distance. These characters make great Pushers and the roles can be doubled.

Winning the Game:

  • Choose a strategy to win:
    • Center Lane – The Center Lane, which go diagonally across the screen from base to base, is usually played with one hero versus one hero. This is why it is often called the solo lane. Players in these lanes will commonly move to the outer lanes to create uneven numbers and gank (or gang kill) the enemy heroes.
    • Top Lane – The top lane is usually played 2v2.
    • Bottom Lane – The bottom lane is usually played 2v2.
  • Work with your teammates
  • Win by destroying enemy towers
  • Attack the enemy
  • Make sure to get last hit
  • Heal yourself using salves
  • DON’T DIE. Remember, this is a strategy game.

If you want to start right away please sign up for a free account at blog.dota2.com. Enjoy!

(*Source: Gamespot, Wikipedia, blog.dota2.com)