Dota hero types

In Dota, heroes are divided into three types based on their primary attribute: Strength, Agility and Intelligence.

Here is a brief explanation about what the main differences between the three are:

Dota strength heroes have more hp than other heroes and can take a lot of damage, for this reason they are used to initiate fights and in game are known as "tanks".

Dota agility heroes have fast attack speed and can do lots of damage. They become really strong and can kill heroes unassisted late into the game.

Dota intelligence heroes have lots of spells and depend on having plenty of mana throughout the game. They have disabling spells and strong nuking spells which are very helpful in early game.

It is usually a good idea to have at least one of each in the game. If you are just starting to play Dota then you should probably pick a ranged agility hero since they can stay far back and aren't very complicated to use. They can take care of themselves later on.

Mortred, a very strong carry

A "carry" in Dota is a hero (usually agility, but not always) that becomes strong later in the game and can take out any enemy hero or heroes on their own.

Dota game modes and some relevant commands

Dota has several different game modes. Before you enter a game lobby the title should tell you what mode you are going to be playing. The four main ones that are used in public games are: -AP (all pick), -AR (all random) -RD (random draft) and -SD (single draft).
With -AP everyone can choose from any of the 100+ heroes. If someone doesn't want to choose a specific one they can type "-random" and the game will assign them a random hero.
-AR is exactly what the name says. All 10 players receive a random hero.
In -RD the game chooses (drafts) about 20 random heroes for everyone to pick from. Then, the two team alternate picking heroes in the order 1-2-2-2-2-1.
With -SD, each player is assigned three random heroes to choose from. These heroes will include one of each of the three skill types: strength, agility, and intelligence.

RD (random draft) mode

There are two main ways to play Dota matches and that is -EM and non-EM. -EM stands for easy mode and all players will gain more gold periodically and gain more experience from creeps than in non-EM games. Also, towers are weaker and easier to destroy in easy mode. The -EM if it is going to be active in your game will be displayed in the title right behind the game type, for example: -APEM (all pick, easy mode). I recommend you play -EM games if you are new to Dota because in non-EM games you can get behind very easily and it's hard to catch up with gold income being low.

A few other game modes that aren't as common in public games, but are still around, are -DM, -CM, and -CD.
-DM is added to other game modes, for example: -APEMDM (all pick, easy mode, death match). -DM means that when a player's hero dies he will get to choose another hero, keeping the items he had and the amount of levels already earned.
-CM and -CD are pretty similar. They mean Captains Mode and Captains Draft. In both of them, blue and pink (team captains), take turns banning heroes and then choosing the heroes they want on their team. Once both players have finished, the players of that team choose the hero they want to play. In -CM all 100+ heroes are available. In -CD it's a draft and captains choose from a group of 20+ heroes. These two modes are pretty rare in public games but are very common in tournament games and between two organized teams.

After heroes have been picked or assigned it is possible to swap with teammates at the start of a game, as long as the timer hasn't reached 0 and started counting up. All you do is type "-swap #", the number being the player on your team you want to switch with.

Also, if you don't like the hero you've been assigned you can type "-repick" (again, as long as there is time). In -AP this allows you to go back and pick someone in case you did -random or if you're playing -AR it will assign you another random hero. You can only do this once per game and remember that if you do repick your hero you will lose a chunk of gold from your starting amount.

Drow Ranger

What is Dota? A brief intro for the Dota clueless

Dota is an acronym for "Defense of the Ancients." It is a game based off of Warcraft 3, which allows players to create their own unique custom games. Years ago people started making these Dota maps but the one that became more prominent and rose to the top was Dota Allstars, currently developed by IceFrog. He updates the game regularly by adding new content and fixing bugs and whatnot.

Dota Allstars

Dota is a kind RTS or real time strategy game. Unlike most RTS games though, in Dota you are only in control of your one hero. When a game begins you can choose from around 100 different heroes. Once you've chosen, it's up to you and your 4 teammates (in a 5 v 5 match) to eventually reach into your opponent's base and destroy their heavily protected Ancient. 

Dota map layout

 The Sentinel team starts in their base on the bottom left side while the Scourge team starts on the opposite top right side. There are three main lanes which must be overseen; top, middle and bottom. Each side periodically generates some basic AI minions or creeps, as they are called in-game. These creeps follow each lane towards the opposing base until they encounter the creeps from the other team. It is up to the heroes then, to influence the outcome and help push their side forward. The farther you venture in to enemy territory the harder it gets since you come up enemy towers which are strong buildings and can deal a lot of damage, especially earlier in the game. Eventually though, it is necessary to push one or more of these lanes all the way back in to the enemy's base so you can reach and destroy their Ancient, thus winning game.

How to start playing Dota

To start playing Dota you must own Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos and its expansion: The Frozen Throne. You can buy these in a pack for under $30 at Amazon or somewhere. It is important that you buy your own copy because each game comes with a unique CD key and you must have one to play any online/multiplayer games.

Warcraft 3 battle chest

Once you own your own copy you have to then download the latest Dota map from getdota.com. It is important that you keep up with the latest maps because if you try to join a game that is hosted by a server, such as DotaCash or DotaPub you will be unable to enter the game since they are set to block people without the newest map (so don't panic if you try to join a game and can't enter, you probably just need the latest map). Also, if you join someone's private game and they see that you are downloading the game in the lobby they will probably kick you immediately.

Storm Spirit

That's all you need to play! Go get started!

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