Want to play DOTA 2 without getting labeled a total newb? Have you started playing but are still totally in the dark? This article will help you learn to play Dota 2.
Fight against bots. When you first start playing, you’ll want to play against bots first. This will help you learn how to play the game and get comfortable with the controls, so that when you play with your friends you won’t be a terrible teammate. Click on "Play Dota" at the bottom right, then choose "Practice With Bots", where you will be able to select the difficulty and team.
Fight against friends. When you’ve got a good idea of how to play the game, you can play against and with your friends. Nothing build friendships like killing your friends and insulting their moms. Create a lobby from the play menu and either password protect it to only play with your friends or leave it open to play against a few friends and a few strangers.
Fight against strangers. If you enjoy having your playing aptitude, gender, and sexual preference mocked or simply enjoy making strangers look like idiots by thoroughly beating them, play a match or play a team match (if you have a team).
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.[1]
Choose 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. At early game, this role is still weak and needs a great care of the supports for they will be carried in late 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.
A "Support" focuses on buying the courier and buying the wards to give vision to his/her team. Great supports include Crystal Maiden and Omniknight.
A "Initiator" starts the clashes and manipulates the war. They have the abilities that can disrupt the formation of the enemies, leaving them unguarded. Great initiators are Clockwerk and Tidehunter.
”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.
You can always random if you think you've got what it takes. If you random you'll get 200 extra starting gold. But remember, you can't random in the last 10 seconds of the picking phase, so don't wait too long.
Pay attention to character attributes. Attributes determine the effectiveness of the armor, the amount of health your hero has, and the amount of magical power (or mana) that they can draw from. Each character has a major attribute (one which is higher than the others) which greatly determines how they will play. Attributes increase with level.
Strength, which builds health, is essential for heroes who will need to take a lot of damage.
Agility, which builds defense, is essential for heroes who will carry the team (explained below).
Intelligence, which builds mana, is essential for supporting heroes or those who intend to attack from a distance.
Purchase items. When you first enter the map, you will be placed next to the store, where you should buy some items. You can purchase consumables (potions and similar items), items which fortify your attributes, armaments to protect yourself with, and magical items (if your character is so inclined). You can also return to the shop during the match or buy a Courier which will take items back and forth for you.
and then you will be able to play it :) just dont forget to lasthit creeps :)
