DOTA 2 is a MOBA game developed by Valve. It is one of the longest-running and is a highly rated game by the Gaming Community. Every day, new players join DOTA 2 but get overwhelmed by its complexity. With its Vast Lore, Multiple Heroes, and Game Mechanics, DOTA 2 can get a bit intimidating. So in today’s guide, I will explain how to play DOTA 2 in simple words. All of the new players and other players who looking to improve will benefit from this guide.
How to Play DOTA 2 & Tips to Go from Beginner to Pro
To play DOTA 2, we need to first understand what a MOBA game is. A MOBA (Multiplayer Online Battle Arena) Team vs Team Battle game where you will have to defend your Control Zones and capture the enemy’s Control Zones. To do this, you will need to play as one of the Heroes in DOTA 2. In a DOTA 2 game, you will be playing for either the Radiant side or the Dire side. The Radiant side is pleasant and peaceful while the Dire side is harsh and unpleasant. They are the names of the 2 teams and don’t bring any significance other than naming convention. This is the general gist of how to play DOTA 2. Below is the elaborate version of the above statement.
Understanding DOTA 2 Map Layout & Gameplay
The map of DOTA 2 is segregated into Lanes and Jungles. Each Team has a main Tower called the Ancient (a glowing structure) which has Lanes connecting them. 3 Lanes are being the Top Lane called TOP, Middle Lane called the MID, and the Bottom Lane called the BOT. DOTA’s map is in the shape of a Square where the TOP & BOT cover the Perimeter of the Map and the MID is a diagonal line. The points where TOP, MID, & BOT meet are where Ancients are.
Each side has 9 Towers that will defend from the opposing team. Be careful as opponents will try to take them down. Each Lane has 3 Towers and the Ancient has 3 of those Towers in front of it. This is the case as the Ancient can not fight back. A Tower is ranked by Tiers, the furthest ones being Tier 1, the middle ones being Tier 2, the closest ones to your Base being Tier 3.
In between the Lanes you have areas called Jungles. Jungles is where you will find Neutral Creep Campsites. A Creep is a mob whereupon defeating them will grant the players Gold & Experience. When you play DOTA 2, you will need a lot of Gold & Experience. Experience levels up your Hero & the Gold will allow you to buy items. At your Base, there will be Fountains where you can heal and regen Mana over time. At the same location, you will find your Base Shop. Here you can buy your consumables and items. You find an NPC at the Base Shop, there are known as Couriers. If you buy an item while you are away from Base, the Courier will deliver it to you. Make sure he doesn’t die as they take time to respawn.
DOTA 2 Hero Beginners Guide
A DOTA 2 Team has 5 Players and each of them has an uniques Role. The Heroes in the game are unique with different Abilities and the items in the Shops make them more complex. The Objective of the game is to Destroy the Enemy’s 9 Towers, Defeat as many Creeps as Possible, Keep your Enemies at bay, Keep your Allies alive, Defeat the Creep God Roshan, and Destroy the Enemy’s Ancient. DOTA 2 has a section for newer players to learn the game. In your Main Menu, there will be a Learn Tab. Under it there will be tutorials on how the game works, I suggest you check them out. The best way to learn DOTA 2 is by playing the game multiple times. This is true for any game is especially true for DOTA 2 as the game is very intricate.
In DOTA 2, there are Safelanes and Offlanes. A Safelane is the side of a Lane that is horizontally aligned with your Base and an Offlane is vertically aligned with your Base. A Safelane is a Lane where your teams’ Tier 1 Tower is closer to a Creep Campsite while the Offlane is Lane where the Creep Campsite is far from your teams’ Tier 1 Tower. The Radiant’s Safelane meets up with the Dire’s Offlane while the Dire’s Safelane meets up with the Radiant’s Offlane. In DOTA 2, you can Teleport back to Spawn if you have a Teleport Scroll. You can get them through the Base Shop and make sure you carry one at all times.
This was all about playing DOTA 2. Hopefully, this guide has helped you understand the game. You can also check our guides on Hero Win Rates & Ratios and How To Deny Creeps in DOTA 2
