Dota 2 can be simply defined as the game no one can master. If you’d like to learn how to play Dota 2 as a beginner without any experience in the genre of MOBA gaming, you’ll probably have a lot of questions right at the beginning. This Dota 2 Beginner Guide will teach you the basics of the game and help you to start with your first Dota 2 games.
Before we explain the actual game to you, we first look at the playing field, the Dota 2 map. This is, of course, the best way to learn the basics of the game as well as the mechanics involved if you want to bet on Dota 2.
Dota 2 Map Structure
The two teams start each in a corner of the map – either top right or bottom left – where the main building, “The Ancient” is located. From your own base, there are three routes to the opposing base, the so-called Lanes. These are marked red or green in the minimap. On these paths are various towers that protect your own and enemy base. These are marked on the map by red and green squares. Between the lanes is the forest, which contains a total of 12 neutral creep camps that are difficult to take down at the start. These are usually marked in the game by yellow triangles.
Near the top side of the Dota 2 map resides Roshan, a powerful creep which drops a special item upon death, the Aegis of the Immortal. This item revives your hero five seconds after death.
The Goal of Dota 2
The goal of the game in Dota 2 is, as in all other games of this genre, to destroy the main building of the opposing team. In order to reach this goal, on the one hand, one must destroy some enemy towers, which protect the way to the opposing main building and on the other hand protect your own towers.
Both teams start in their base at the beginning, each of which is in one corner of the map. There you can equip your hero with items (you can buy more later on).
Now your own team splits up into small subgroups. This is almost always done so that one player takes over the middle and other four players occupy the outer lanes. From your base and that of your opponent, after every 30 seconds, small monster groups known as creeps will start spawning for you. These creeps are mainly used by the player to seek cover in the landing phase. In doing so, you try to kill the opposing creeps in order to get as much gold and experience as possible. It is important to note that only the last hit counts. So you only get gold if you really get the killing blow. Depending on the role of your hero you want to get as many last hits as possible or secure them for your allies.
Choosing the Right Hero in Dota 2
Choosing the right hero in Dota 2 is not easy, especially as there are many different heroes who do not need to be unlocked. The total sum of Dota 2 heroes is over 120 which divided into three different categories: strength, agility, and intelligence. Each hero has these three attributes, but you get more bonuses for the hero’s primary attribute than others. A hero of the category “strength” thus benefits much more from items that bring strength than from intelligence. This classification into the attribute classes also gives an indication of the strengths of each hero: While strength heroes usually endure a lot, agility heroes quickly deal damage and move faster. Heroes from the Intelligence category often serve to support other heroes and master powerful spells.
In general, there is no “best” hero in Dota 2, it always depends on the particular game situation. However, one can distinguish between easy-to-play and hard-to-play Dota 2 heroes.
Items in Dota 2
Items are there to strengthen your hero. This can be a small Clarity Potion for 50 Gold that regenerates over time Mana or even a powerful Satanic that you can buy for costly 6150 Gold! Therefore, it is important for you to know how to effectively farm a lot of gold – but pay attention to the role of your hero. While Carrys have to accumulate a lot of gold and concentrate on farming until the end of the game, supporters will need to collect much less gold, as they are not as dependent on items but on their positioning to assist their teammates in fights.
Of course, you also need to know where to get which items. This is much easier in Dota 2 than in its predecessor, DotA. In DotA, there were more than half a dozen shops and in each of them, you got different items. In Dota 2 there is only one shop button that opens the shop window. This is located in the lower right corner of the interface. The big main shop is right in your base where you spawn at the beginning. There you will find every variety of items in the whole game and you can buy almost all the items in the game there. Some items, however, are only available in the Secret Shop, the location of the Secret Shops can be seen on the minimap.
Shops in Dota 2
There are two Secret Shops in the game, one on the Radiant side and other on the Dire side.
There you will find the most powerful and expensive items that are mainly purchased for the endgame. However, some items will require you to purchase recipes from your base while some don’t need recipes. For example, from Reaver (3200 Gold) and a couple of a Vitality Boosters (1100 gold each), you can build a Heart of Tarrasque. While to build Mjolnir (5600) you will first need to complete Maelstrom (2700 gold) which can be done from your general shop while the other item Hyperstone (2000 gold) will be needed from the Secret shop. An important point: you can always (!) Shop from the main shop. If you are not around or killed off, the items you have purchased are simply put in your camp and you can pick them up the next time you return to base or spawn.
Collecting Items From Roshan
You only get three special items from Roshan. This monster is located on the top side of the river. If you kill him, you will get the Aegis of the Immortal the first time, which will resurrect you at the spot of your death after 3 seconds without gold loss after your death. The Aegis stays in your inventory for five minutes, then it just disappears! Roshan reappears every 8-11 minutes after his death, and if you kill him for the second and third time, he will give you Cheese and Refresher Shard, respectively. If you use Cheese, you will be back in full health immediately and have full mana. While the Refresher Shard will remove the cooldown of almost all your spells and items as soon as you use it.
Tips and Suggestions
In Dota 2 you should try to avoid going back to the base to pick up your items. Especially at the beginning of the game you will find frequently needed items such as Boots of Speed or Magic Wand in the side shops that are in the top and bottom lane. You should also buy a Courier (only 50 gold) as early as possible in the game. This makes it possible to transport the items from the camp to allied heroes so that they do not have to leave their position and continue farming. You don’t have to worry about upgrading it since after three minutes the game will automatically do this for you.
At the beginning of each Dota 2 game you spawn in your base and should purchase the first items, then the members of your team should split-up in the different lanes – the first phase of the game, the so-called Laning stage begins as soon as the creeps spawn. Depending on your hero’s role, you should try to kill as many creeps as possible by getting last hits (Carry), assist your Carry in Farming (Support), or take on specific tasks such as killing enemy heroes or destroying the enemy’s towers.
From a certain level, you will need to leave your lane more and more often to kill (gank) enemy heroes or take part in big team fights. This phase usually does not start until the important heroes have reached at least level 6.
In all phases of the game, try to gain an advantage and leave the opponent in terms of experience and gold behind. If you have a sufficiently large lead worked, try to destroy the base of the opponent as soon as possible to end the game.
