In this article I will try to point out how you can achieve a noticeable improvement in your skill in DOTA 2, even if you have never played DOTA before. This article is primarily aimed at people who are new to the game, so a lot of things will be explained from the ground up, although it is possible that even more experienced players may find information that could improve some aspects of their game.
If you are one of those people who are just starting to familiarise yourself with the world of DOTA, the first thing you should understand is.
What can the characters on my screen do? I think that even for a beginner, it won't take long to learn how to distinguish between where the characters controlled by other people are and where the creeps are. As soon as the understanding of this, you can consider that the player already knows the basics, because even in the heat of battle, he will already guess who, in fact, his real enemy. Also I think that any person will soon understand how to manage his character. How to move around the map and use the skills of the hero novice will learn quickly enough, but soon the next question arises.
What do my spells do and how should I use them?
This question may seem simple enough at first glance, but this is the basis of the player's knowledge, on which he will make the most important decisions in the game. The most important thing a newcomer must learn is what a hero can do. This part of the training usually takes the longest time, but it also gives the best results and significantly increases the level of the player. Here comes the moment when the player needs to study all the heroes of Dota, so that at least in general terms to imagine what the skills of each of the heroes do. You need to understand who you should fear first, who you should run away from and who you should chase. It's hard to say how long this whole process will take, but the good thing here is that everything can be learnt in the process of the game by trial and error. Let's say that if a player has played 1-2 times any of the heroes, read about his abilities, tried them in business, then the next time he encounters this hero in the game, he will already recognise him in the crowd and remember what he can do. This is how our knowledge base is gradually accumulated, hero by hero we gradually learn who is who and what they eat with. After all, it is always easier to fight when you know what your opponent is capable of.
Know your enemy before you know your friend
This describes the basic principle on which the game should be based because it's not your friends who usually threaten your life. It's simple: it's the enemy's heroes who kill you, and to prevent this from happening, you need to understand in advance how they're going to do it and think about how you can avoid it. Let's say, if the player knows at least in general terms what enemies are dangerous, there is already a much smaller chance that they will die a stupid and senseless death.
For a more experienced player, this means that it is necessary to know at least roughly the following information about the heroes:
- Average player level:
- What do this hero's main spells do (skills 1 to 3)
- What is his ult (4th in order, which heroes get at levels 6, 11, 16)
- What is the range of his spells
Advanced player level:
- What items the enemy hero has
- How much mana a particular hero spell costs
- What is the cooldown time of his abilities
- How the spell works (e.g., the type of damage it does or how long it lasts)
- How much damage this hero can do with spells (taking into account the 25% base magic resistance of all heroes)
- What combination of skills the enemies are most likely to use
- What skills are learned from the enemy on the line (whether he has, for example, a volta at the moment)
And this list can be continued and clarified for a long time. It is the knowledge of such subtleties of the game that allows you to understand how a professional in Dota differs from an amateur. Having mastered one hero, it is worth taking on the next; after mastering 10-20 heroes, you can start using random heroes from time to time to learn all the characters of Dota as quickly as possible. But then comes the moment when the player, just by the appearance of the character, can tell who it is and what abilities they have.
At this stage, the player starts thinking strategically, understanding, for example, that they should not come too close to the enemy Lyon if he already has level 6 and their hero has only 500 HP. This is just one of many examples of the depth of knowledge required to become a successful Dota player. Interestingly, many professional gamers sharpen their analytical skills not only in Dota but also in other strategic games, including online casinos. Some even explore Richard Casino codes to take advantage of exclusive bonuses that enhance their gaming experience.
Moving around the map and orientation in space.
The very first thing that any player should learn is to try not to waste their health, this is the basis of standing on the line. Here I mean that you should try not to waste lives fighting creeps or towers, not to let enemy heroes attack you with impunity and not to be exposed to unpleasant spells without extreme necessity. You can save yourself precious health points or even your life if you follow these simple rules:
- Let the creeps always go first, and your hero should stay behind at a small distance from the place where the creeps collide. This way you can safely gain experience without exposing yourself to unnecessary danger.
- Do not go far from your tower, because it protects you from the attack of creeps and can even cause significant damage to enemy heroes. In addition, you should try not to go to the enemy half of the map, because if you go too far, you may not come back alive.
- Watch the movement of enemy heroes on your line, as well as every 3-4 seconds to throw a glance at the mini-map to notice in time when one or more enemy heroes disappear from sight, and this will mean that it is time to retreat to the base and be extremely careful and cautious.
- Remember what colour your own and other people's heroes are marked with, in order to understand on the minicart who has just flashed in the forest. After all, if you know that an enemy Pudge is approaching your line from the centre, it's better not to stay in one place for a long time in full view of the enemy. Or vice versa, if you know that to help you from another line comes Sven, then you need to be ready to attack the enemy, this is the basic principle of timplay.
- Know the shortest way to retreat or the way in which you can discreetly approach the enemy. To do this, you need to remember all the forest paths, nooks in the trees, the structure of the landscape and so on.The player must learn to pay detailed attention to what is happening, both on his line and in general on the map, you need to know what each special effect, explosion, flash or sound means. After that, the level of the game will increase significantly, it remains only to practice using their knowledge of the heroes and understand what role this or that hero should fulfil in the process of the game.
Division of roles in the game, timeplay
Each hero was designed for a specific purpose and each one brings a change to the gameplay with their presence. However, all heroes in DOTA 2 are divided into the following groups:
- Support
- Ganker
- Carry
- Initiator
- Pusher
Support:
Heroes that fall into this category are support heroes. Their main task in the game is to help allied heroes in every possible way. These heroes usually have spells that can heal, protect or save an ally from death, give their heroes useful auras. These heroes can also help a lot in a 5 on 5 battle by slowing down the enemy, lowering their resistance to magic or stun them in time. Thus, Support should: Rescue, provide support in battle, if possible not to interfere with other allied heroes to earn experience and money.
Basic Support hero items. These are items, primarily designed for the team, which can heal, provide mana regeneration, increase the defence of allied heroes. It is also usually these heroes who buy Vards, which allow you to see everything on important parts of the map for a while. These are the heroes who are expected to buy Courier and then upgrade to Flying Courier.
Ganker:
These heroes can be safely called real hunters. Their task is to constantly look for a suitable victim and do everything to ensure that it does not leave alive. These heroes have a whole arsenal of skills that are aimed in one way or another to kill the enemy. Ganker's have all kinds of stuns, slowdowns, poisons, these heroes are also often able to do a lot of damage in a short period of time with their spells. Ganker's main activity boils down to finding and destroying the weak link in the opposing team. These heroes are usually already a real threat by level 3-6 and can kill both on their own and together with their teammates, it all depends on the hero.
In the next article, we will also discuss Carry, Initiator, and Pusher heroes—their roles, strengths, and how they impact the game. Stay tuned!
