7/11/2013 UPDATE!
The Beta is OVER. The game is open for EVERYONE! No more invites needed. Just click here and play for FREE!
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Because the original thread has information scattered all over the place, I want to start a fresh central resource with go-to information for new players interested in playing it.
What is Dota 2?
Dota (Defense of the Ancients) is originally a Warcraft 3 custom map (mod, if you will) that grew immensely popular in the world competitive scene due to high polish and balanced gameplay. If you have played Starcraft or Warcraft, the interface will be very familiar to you. Valve (Half Life, Team Fortress, Left 4 Dead, Portal) picked up the developer of Dota (Icefrog) about two years ago and made it into a full-fledged stand-alone game with new graphics & features. Technically, Dota 2 is not a remake or a sequel, but a mirror updated engine. The game has a huge pro scene with big communities.
What is the gameplay of Dota 2 like?
The interface is very similar to Starcraft/Warcraft. But instead of raising an army and managing bases, you control just 1 hero. This was the primary reason why this game became popular as a Warcraft 3 map. Each match contains 10 players in a 5v5 with their 'fortresses' on opposite corner which spawns NPC creeps periodically. The goal is to push with your team into victory through teamfights, pushing, and ganking (gang up on a lone enemy). You can choose from 110 heroes (100 released presently) which all have very diverse roles as an intiator, support, pusher, ganker, carry, a mix of all, and more. League of Legends and Heroes of Newerth are similar Dota clones.
Okay, I'm interested in trying Dota 2. How?
The game is fully released and free to play for everyone. Click here to start!
I am new, how do I learn to play? I hear the game has a big learning curve.
Dota 2 does have a learning curve. But it also has countless resources to help you out.
1. The game comes with a full-blown single player tutorial. This will give you basics of attacking & using spells.
2. You can play with bots. you + 4 bots vs 5 enemy bots. You can set their difficulty from easy to hard to unfair. Easy makes them dumb as fuck, pretty much you can test out all the heroes & get the feel of the game alone. After you land some kills, you'll get the 'hook' of this game.
3. Then you can play co-op game with bots. This is you + 4 people like you vs 5 bots. This gives you the chance to see how others play and no one will flame you because you fight against 5 bots. Because the game matches you with same hidden ranking, your first 50-100 will be with newbie players just like you (very new just like you). Nothing to fear.
4. You can finally play a regular 5v5 with 10 people. The game will throw you into people same skill as yours, don't worry.
Here are some go-to guides and resources for new players:
The #1 amazing guide for newbies, compiled by a famous commentator.
This is also good.
The Dota 2 wiki, read up on all heroes, mechanics, and items.
Dota 2 subreddit- probably the biggest Western Dota 2 community. Great for reading up on trends & questions.
Pro game replays by BTS. This is where you watch how pros play (and see how game works). There are also many other Youtube channels for Dota 2.
I am familiar with League of Legends. Why should I try Dota 2?
I have never played LoL, and I want to avoid the typical fanboism of trashing one over the other. Both are excellent games rivaling in the industry. If you are interested in Dota 2, here are the pros I've often read from veteran LoL players who converted:
1. Heroes are far more unique in Dota 2. LoL basically has lots of similar heroes. In Dota 2, even similar heroes are vastly different in their own right (WR vs Mirana). As a matter of fact, I don't even think there are similar heroes in Dota 2.
2. Dota 2 is not pay-2-win & never will be. Right from your first game, you are on an 100% even playing field as the veterans. No skill trees, no masteries. All heroes are unlocked.
3. I heard time and time again that spells in LoL are cheap and lots of harassment is involved. In Dota 2, spells cost lots of mana and are very devastating- resulting in lots of ganks and certain kills. Also it's easier to turn things around in Dota.
4. Dota 2 is more 'balanced' and polished in the sense that the trend/meta relevant picks are composed of 50~ heroes out of 98~, and lots of surprise picks that work from the remaining 50~. LoL has far less (30-40)- the game is not as diverse and unpredictable.
Bear in mind, one of the downside is that Dota 2 has steeper system requirement than LoL. It's a very pretty engine and I hear some people who played LoL with their very old laptop can't handle Dota 2 at all.
The Beta is OVER. The game is open for EVERYONE! No more invites needed. Just click here and play for FREE!
-------
Because the original thread has information scattered all over the place, I want to start a fresh central resource with go-to information for new players interested in playing it.
What is Dota 2?
Dota (Defense of the Ancients) is originally a Warcraft 3 custom map (mod, if you will) that grew immensely popular in the world competitive scene due to high polish and balanced gameplay. If you have played Starcraft or Warcraft, the interface will be very familiar to you. Valve (Half Life, Team Fortress, Left 4 Dead, Portal) picked up the developer of Dota (Icefrog) about two years ago and made it into a full-fledged stand-alone game with new graphics & features. Technically, Dota 2 is not a remake or a sequel, but a mirror updated engine. The game has a huge pro scene with big communities.
What is the gameplay of Dota 2 like?
The interface is very similar to Starcraft/Warcraft. But instead of raising an army and managing bases, you control just 1 hero. This was the primary reason why this game became popular as a Warcraft 3 map. Each match contains 10 players in a 5v5 with their 'fortresses' on opposite corner which spawns NPC creeps periodically. The goal is to push with your team into victory through teamfights, pushing, and ganking (gang up on a lone enemy). You can choose from 110 heroes (100 released presently) which all have very diverse roles as an intiator, support, pusher, ganker, carry, a mix of all, and more. League of Legends and Heroes of Newerth are similar Dota clones.
Okay, I'm interested in trying Dota 2. How?
The game is fully released and free to play for everyone. Click here to start!
I am new, how do I learn to play? I hear the game has a big learning curve.
Dota 2 does have a learning curve. But it also has countless resources to help you out.
1. The game comes with a full-blown single player tutorial. This will give you basics of attacking & using spells.
2. You can play with bots. you + 4 bots vs 5 enemy bots. You can set their difficulty from easy to hard to unfair. Easy makes them dumb as fuck, pretty much you can test out all the heroes & get the feel of the game alone. After you land some kills, you'll get the 'hook' of this game.
3. Then you can play co-op game with bots. This is you + 4 people like you vs 5 bots. This gives you the chance to see how others play and no one will flame you because you fight against 5 bots. Because the game matches you with same hidden ranking, your first 50-100 will be with newbie players just like you (very new just like you). Nothing to fear.
4. You can finally play a regular 5v5 with 10 people. The game will throw you into people same skill as yours, don't worry.
Here are some go-to guides and resources for new players:
The #1 amazing guide for newbies, compiled by a famous commentator.
This is also good.
The Dota 2 wiki, read up on all heroes, mechanics, and items.
Dota 2 subreddit- probably the biggest Western Dota 2 community. Great for reading up on trends & questions.
Pro game replays by BTS. This is where you watch how pros play (and see how game works). There are also many other Youtube channels for Dota 2.
I am familiar with League of Legends. Why should I try Dota 2?
I have never played LoL, and I want to avoid the typical fanboism of trashing one over the other. Both are excellent games rivaling in the industry. If you are interested in Dota 2, here are the pros I've often read from veteran LoL players who converted:
1. Heroes are far more unique in Dota 2. LoL basically has lots of similar heroes. In Dota 2, even similar heroes are vastly different in their own right (WR vs Mirana). As a matter of fact, I don't even think there are similar heroes in Dota 2.
2. Dota 2 is not pay-2-win & never will be. Right from your first game, you are on an 100% even playing field as the veterans. No skill trees, no masteries. All heroes are unlocked.
3. I heard time and time again that spells in LoL are cheap and lots of harassment is involved. In Dota 2, spells cost lots of mana and are very devastating- resulting in lots of ganks and certain kills. Also it's easier to turn things around in Dota.
4. Dota 2 is more 'balanced' and polished in the sense that the trend/meta relevant picks are composed of 50~ heroes out of 98~, and lots of surprise picks that work from the remaining 50~. LoL has far less (30-40)- the game is not as diverse and unpredictable.
Bear in mind, one of the downside is that Dota 2 has steeper system requirement than LoL. It's a very pretty engine and I hear some people who played LoL with their very old laptop can't handle Dota 2 at all.
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