DoTA 2 One: Not to be confused with DoTA 1 Two

[GreenSerpent]

Greetings, all, to this thread about Valve's newly released* ARTS, DoTA 2. I spotted the fact there hasn't been a thread about it for ages and thought "Why not?" - especially because I'm going through a patch of the crippling lags on LoL.
*despite the fact it has already pretty much been "released" for quite a while, considering how many beta keys they sent out
Like League of Legends, it is a free game based off the original DoTA game, a mod for the Warcraft 3 game. The two games are similar, but the gameplay styles are noticeably different.

The game can be downloaded for FREE off Steam, and can run on Mac and Linux too now!

A Basic Primer
DotA 2 involves two teams of five players competing against each other to destroy their opponents' bases. Each team's minions (known as "creeps") move to the enemy base in three lanes (bottom, middle, and top). Each player in DotA 2 controls one of 100+ heroes, and gains gold and experience by killing creeps and enemy players to buy items and level up skills that can dramatically boost their powers.

DoTA 2 has often been considered to have the highest skill cap of these games *cough Meepo cough* and can be very tricky for a new player to master, especially if they choose a hard hero to play. However, once you master the basics it is TONS of fun - picking a new hero is as simple as starting a new game, and builds can be played about with easily.

Useful Information

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Valve's DoTA 2 Blog
The DoTA 2 Wiki

Instructional Guides

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Welcome to DoTA, You Suck by PurgeGamers - this guide is probably the best basic guide out there.
DoTA 2 Alt-Tab Guides - a bit out of date, but generally good builds.
A Steam Community Guide. WHY DIDN'T I READ THIS WHEN I STARTED?
The in-game tutorials! Recently updated, they now actually teach you a fair bit about the game.
TBA - if you know of any good guides, please send me the link.

Other Stuff

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Nothing yet, sadly...

Feel free to share stories, tips, useful links and ask questions here! If there is enough interest a Giant in the Playground Guild may be set up.

Previous Threads

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I live in hope!

EDIT as of 6/8/14: Apologies for my long absense, but real life has taken an annoying turn towards the hard work side of things. I shall see about fixing up the first post here when I have free time.

[Penguinizer]

http://www.dota2alttab.com/ I'd add this in the useful infor category. It's good when you happen to need an item build in a rush.

[Cogwheel]

Seconding alt-tab, though I only play practice lobby games against fairly low-level bots (yes I am the ur-scrub), and I still find things to disagree with in there. That may be a product of it not being updated in a while, though.

Anyway, I am here and approve of this thread, but I suspect I may be too casual to match its target audience.


Edit: For guides, I used this when I got started, and I'm rather fond of it.

[GreenSerpent]

I'll add Alt-Tab, completely forgot about that as I haven't been using it much.

EDIT: And I'm pretty low-level myself, mostly due to *glares* internet connection being faulty and dropping me in low priority.

[Welf]

A Dota thread? Better watch your back, because Welf is back! (Not that I ever was here)

Here's a video to how to play Juggernaut. There are more episodes in the "Boss" series. It looks like good guide, but I haven't tried it out myself. Last video is 6 months old.

And here's the Dota reporter, an animated series about a team playing Dota.

[Tono]

Ill admit, I've been out of the game for a bit, but that juggernaut guide made me vomit for a bit. Get at least one level of healing ward early on, please. We all thank you for it.

[Qwertystop]

Sort of interested in trying out DotA 2. I've been told that it's similar enough to LoL that it feels like skill should carry over, and different enough that it mostly doesn't. Also that Enigma's minis can't multiply infinitely and give you a small army anymore.

What should I know to watch out for in transition?

[Penguinizer]

The eidolons have a fairly slow attack speed and their lifespan doesn't reset when they multiply. You can however spawn a new set of eidolons from one of the old ones near the last second or two of their lifespan.

As for transitions. Last hitting is different since different characters have larger differences in animations. It's also fair bit harder. It's also generally more punishing and having to learn what characters can do takes some time.

[Teln]

Sort of interested in trying out DotA 2. I've been told that it's similar enough to LoL that it feels like skill should carry over, and different enough that it mostly doesn't. Also that Enigma's minis can't multiply infinitely and give you a small army anymore.

What should I know to watch out for in transition?

Dota 2 has an NPC called a courier. It's a pack mule that carries stuff to and from the shop for you, so you can spend more time in the field. Every team should buy one at the start of the match, no exceptions. If the courier is killed, it takes several minutes to respawn, everything it was carrying is inaccessible until then, and every player on the other team is rewarded almost two hundred gold.

The courier's flavor text is "Losing the donkey is punishable by death."

[GreenSerpent]

The eidolons have a fairly slow attack speed and their lifespan doesn't reset when they multiply. You can however spawn a new set of eidolons from one of the old ones near the last second or two of their lifespan.

As for transitions. Last hitting is different since different characters have larger differences in animations. It's also fair bit harder. It's also generally more punishing and having to learn what characters can do takes some time.

Aye. Some characters have low base attack damage/slow animations (Sniper, Zeus) and some have really high base damage/fast animations (Treant Protector, Anti-Mage).

Also, bear in mind that unlike in LoL you cannot spam abilities much at all. For example, at level 1 you will get 1, maybe 2 casts of Sven's Storm Hammer (AoE damage+stun) - so you need to be very selective about when to use them.

[Cogwheel]

Also, bear in mind that unlike in LoL you cannot spam abilities much at all. For example, at level 1 you will get 1, maybe 2 casts of Sven's Storm Hammer (AoE damage+stun) - so you need to be very selective about when to use them.

This is a very good point. That said, somewhere, Outworld Devourer and Batrider are laughing.

[GreenSerpent]

This is a very good point. That said, somewhere, Outworld Devourer and Batrider are laughing.

And Shadow Demon is enjoying a light chuckle.

[Starswords]

Huskar is confused as to why one would need mana

[Cogwheel]

And Shadow Demon is enjoying a light chuckle.

You just reminded me of my silly botstomp Shadow Demon build.

Skip Shadowraze. Start Necromastery, alternate between that and aura, ult when you can, and grab attributes if the only alternative is Shadowraze.

Tangos? Salves? That's what they want you to do. You start four slippers. Farm up boots. Phase Boots for more damage. Then you get the best item, Mask of Madness.

With this done, you are ready to roam and gank. Start work on Yasha, selling slippers as you do so for space and gold, as needed. Build into S&Y. Once that's done, you've got a lot of options, but the only correct one is Daedalus. Get big crits for big kills and big winning.

You should probably grab BKB at some point if you're a silly casual, otherwise farm up those Divine Rapiers.


P.S. Don't do this at home or anywhere ever.

[Shovah]

You just reminded me of my silly botstomp Shadow Demon build.

Skip Shadowraze. Start Necromastery, alternate between that and aura, ult when you can, and grab attributes if the only alternative is Shadowraze.

Tangos? Salves? That's what they want you to do. You start four slippers. Farm up boots. Phase Boots for more damage. Then you get the best item, Mask of Madness.

With this done, you are ready to roam and gank. Start work on Yasha, selling slippers as you do so for space and gold, as needed. Build into S&Y. Once that's done, you've got a lot of options, but the only correct one is Daedalus. Get big crits for big kills and big winning.

You should probably grab BKB at some point if you're a silly casual, otherwise farm up those Divine Rapiers.


P.S. Don't do this at home or anywhere ever.

I hope you feel like a horrible, horrible person right now .
On a more nit-picky note, you mean Shadow Fiend, not Shadow Demon.


On an unrelated note, I'm hardly great at the game but I definitely know what I'm doing (particularly with regards to items to pick up and such) and would be glad to help anyone out if they're looking to get in to the game but aren't sure where to start.
Shovah32 on steam if anyone is interested

[Cogwheel]

...Ah. Yes, that is correct.

And I'd never try that outside of bots? But it's funny to play.

[Dumbledore lives]

I played an enjoyable Jakiro game today. Nothing of particular note, other than sentry wards against a Bounty Hunter and Rikki is both humorous and practical.

[Shovah]

...Ah. Yes, that is correct.

And I'd never try that outside of bots? But it's funny to play.

That's okay then =p
If you're ever up for some silly bot games, give me a shout.

[Cogwheel]

That's okay then =p
If you're ever up for some silly bot games, give me a shout.

I'll think about it. Playing with anyone who isn't frightfully serious could be nice. Steam name?

[Grif]

I'll think about it. Playing with anyone who isn't frightfully serious could be nice. Steam name?

Heresy. DOTA games are srs bisnes.

[GreenSerpent]

I played an enjoyable Jakiro game today. Nothing of particular note, other than sentry wards against a Bounty Hunter and Rikki is both humorous and practical.

If I see someone on the enemy team instapick Riki I've got half a mind to counterpick him by choosing either Slardar or Bristleback. Same with them choosing Sniper/Drow Ranger and choosing Pudge.

[Grif]

If I see someone on the enemy team instapick Riki I've got half a mind to counterpick him by choosing either Slardar or Bristleback. Same with them choosing Sniper/Drow Ranger and choosing Pudge.

You don't actually need to counterpick heroes to counter Riki/Bone.

You do however, need to pick items like Wards to counter them both. (Really, without invisibility and denied farm, Riki is little threat to the enemy team. Sure the AOE miss/silence is annoying, it doesn't damage your team directly.) Then again, I'm a scrub Riki player so my opinion is a little suspect.

[GreenSerpent]

I still like picking Bristleback against Riki - it's basically "Hit me. Go on, I dare you. Hit me from the front and lose all your backstab bonus, hit me from the back and I'll spray you with quills."

Plus Warpath can give him some pretty high damage, especially if he builds a MKB.

[Penguinizer]

The best counter to Templar Assassin is clearly Rubick that builds a Radiance. That was a fun game. We got sufficiently farmed that everyone short of the Dark Seer was building carry.

[Shovah]

I'll think about it. Playing with anyone who isn't frightfully serious could be nice. Steam name?

shovah32 , display name will probably show up as just Shovah.

[Cogwheel]

shovah32 , display name will probably show up as just Shovah.

Done! Might have time tomorrow night my time or something.

[Teln]

You guys mind if I tag along? My profile's here--Steam's search is convinced my account doesn't exist for some reason.

[Welf]

Just out of curiosity: is there an guide on how to counterpick? Or how to counter other heroes?

[Shovah]

Just out of curiosity: is there an guide on how to counterpick? Or how to counter other heroes?

Have never seen a guide, it's often very situational. Except in very specific situations, you're usually better focusing on your own team composition than counters.
For example, you each have one more hero to pick: Support for you, carry for them. They grab a Riki (or some other stealth hero). You really, really don't want to grab a Slardar or Bounty Hunter there.

In more general terms..
Nukes should blow up squishies (weak supports, some agi carries if they don't get BKB off), disables that go through magic immunity are great vs BKB carries, Naix, and certain semicarries (BKB Queen of Pain for example), auto-attacking carries will deal with tanky heroes later on (nukes don't cut it because of the lack of scaling)..


Yeah, this is hard.
Just go here, seems much more useful than I am.

[Fan]

As a note, I'm trying to get a team of Mid-High level players together.

The type of people I'm looking for are people who are at least capable of winning games against Unfair bots, and understand what farm priorities and lane equilibrium are.

Add: The Great and Tasty Vincent on steam, we already have two members and are looking to fill our last 3 slots on the team.

Please and thank you. <3

Also Riki is countered by supports grabbing sentries and popping them in lane around the 5 or 6 minute mark, he's incredibly easy to counter and with the new dust buff (adds a 15% move speed penalty on people who are invisible when it hits.) invis heroes are going to see a lot less play in the current meta.

If you had to go with a support to counter riki though, I'd say grab Silencer, Riki being silenced reveals him and if you just pop last word on him when he jumps he isn't going anywhere. And given his lack of short cool down spells it's likely that he'll get hit with the disarm to boot.