So, Dota 2 officially left beta a few weeks back which means that now everyone can give it a try since it’s free to play on Steam. All the reviews were mostly very positive about the game (even our own review, which you should read!), but all said the same thing: it’s very difficult to get into and understand what to do. Being an experienced Dota 2 player, here are my top 5 tips to helping you improve and enjoy the game more!
5. Last hit, last hit, last hit!
When I first started playing I didn’t get why it was so important to last hit creeps; sure, last hits meant more cash, but is 40 gold really gonna help me? At the end of the day, it’s skills that counts more, right? I was wrong.
Each last hit varies the amount of gold it gives you, usually between 40 and 50 gold, and yes, one last hit won’t make a difference but already 10 last hits is about 500 gold. 20 is about 1,000. Now it really starts adding up. Especially in low level games, if you are good at last hitting, you can carry with pretty much any hero, even if they are the hardest supports. It’s very likely that your carries and the enemy carries can’t last hit well, so learn how to do it effectively and you will have items which earn you kills very early on and allow you to secure a victory.
4. Always carry a TP scroll
Unlike League of Legends, where you have unlimited teleportations back to base, in Dota 2, you have to manage your TP scrolls which take up an inventory space. Instead of only bringing you back to base, however, TP scrolls can teleport your character to any allied tower or building, which means you can go from lane to lane very quickly. You should always aim to have at least one in our inventory in case your allies need help defending a tower, if you feel like the enemy is grouping up to your position and you can’t fight them alone or in case you want to push with the rest of the team. A TP scroll will allow you to be much more mobile and will allow you to defend key points and attack before the enmy can react (especially if they don’t carry TPs!).
Also, keep in mind that if you see no way out in a fight and the enemy has no more stuns, you can teleport away and they can’t stop you!
3. Don’t forget wards and detection
There are two different types of wards: observer wards (yellow) and sentry wards (blue). Observers give you vision in an area of the map, whereas sentries reveal invisible units. Place observer wards in key ares of the map where you expect the enemy to move around a lot so you can anticipate their moves. If you die every two minutes because you didn’t see the enemy Pudge leave middle lane, try placing a ward near the runes or in the jungle so you can see him move towards you.
Always have a set of sentry wards with you if you are against heroes which rely on invisibility. Invisibility-reliant heroes are usually really easy to kill, so if you are having trouble against a Riki, Bounty Hunter or Clinkz, for example, drop a ward in the lane and wait for them to sit around, invisible, thinking you can’t see them, then quickly burst them down. Easy kill and pays back the 200 gold you spent on them instantly.
If you are against heroes that use invisibility to escape, for example, Phantom Lancer, Clinkz or Nature’s Prophet (if he buys a shadow blade, which is very common) sentry wards aren’t effective because they only detect invisibility in a certain range, so if the enemy runs just a little bit, you will lose sight of them. Dust of appearance reveals a unit caught in it for 12 seconds - plenty of time for you to chase and kill your enemy.
Only buy a gem if you are against several invisible heroes and you are confident you can keep it safe. Nothing is scarier than an enemy Riki running around with your gem!
Regardless, detection is very cheap and will always pay for itself if used correctly. Buy it even if you are a carry, it can save your life and earn you kills, which is worth much more than the initial investment of 200 gold!
2. Use the in-game guides
The way heroes are played in Dota 2 changes very often. Rubick, for example, was a great hero for the middle lane now, however, he is considered a much stronger support. The recommended items by Valve aren’t always accurate and aren’t always good choices; user-made guides are usually much more relevant and also suggest you which skills to level up as you go. In order to do this, click the book icon at the top left corner of the screen and chose one of the highest rated guides (as they are usually a safe bet). Chances are you will be able to play your hero role much more effectively as the guide optimizes your skills and items to fulfill it.
1. Play with friends
No one likes getting flamed at by other players, whether it’s your own language or any other, and games are meant to be fun. Sometimes, all you need to improve is play in a positive environment where you can just laugh off a stupid mistake and not be afraid to speak to your team mates.
If you don’t have any friends that play Dota 2, add people you like and played well with in a match. Do this enough times and you will never queue alone again and you can improve with your new-found friends. I was lucky enough to have a handful of friends who started playing Dota 2 around the same time I did, but I found myself improving most when I would add random people I played well with in a match who were friendly and motivated.
