Beginner's Guide
Dota 2 Beginner's Guide
A 5v5 battle game with over 100 heroes, each with their own personality
What to Do After Installing the Game
Getting started, step by step
Finish all the tutorials under "Learn"
Try out heroes that interest you in Hero Demo
Play bot matches until you're comfortable with the controls and the game
Play All Pick in Normal Matchmaking
Recommended Heroes
Heroes Not Recommended for Beginners
They're difficult. (If you're curious, try them out in Hero Demo.)
✗Meepo
You have to control multiple units
✗Invoker
Has a huge number of spells
✗Techies
Requires a very unusual playstyle
✗Lone Druid
You have to control multiple units
Start with heroes you like
At first you can only play unranked. It's fine if you don't understand positions yet.
About Positions
Dota 2 has positions 1 to 5. The lower the number, the higher that player's priority for gold (farm).
Farms gold and becomes strong in the late game.
The main force in the early and mid game.
Holds the front line and starts team fights.
Helps teammates and creates kill opportunities.
Places wards and protects the Carry.
Note: You don't need to worry about the details at first.
Position Basics
- Earn gold
- The main force in the late game
- Not dying is key
- Get a level advantage
- Impact the whole map
- Hold the front line
- Start team fights
- Help teammates
- Create kill opportunities
- Place wards
- Protect the Carry
Important Items
Magic Stick / Magic Wand
Gains charges when enemies use abilities nearby. Use it to restore health and mana.
Boots
Makes you move faster. Upgrade them for extra effects.
Tango
Use it on a tree to restore health over time.
Quelling Blade
Increases your damage against creeps and jungle camps. Bought by carries and mids.
Wards
Observer Wards (yellow) give vision of the area and are invisible to enemies. Sentry Wards (blue) reveal enemy Observer Wards and invisible heroes.
Town Portal Scroll (TP)
Sold in the shop. Teleports you to a friendly tower of your choice. Always carry one.
Bottle
Restores health and mana. Refills when you return to your base or pick up a rune. Only the mid player buys it.
How to Buy Items
Open the shop, choose the guide labeled Torte de Lini from the guides, and buy the items it lists.
On the hero selection screen, open the "Guides" tab and click "Select" on a Torte de Lini guide
During a match, open the shop, click "View All Guides" and select a Torte de Lini guide
Buy the items shown in the guide from top to bottom
Popular Powerful Items
Buy them in these situations.
Black King Bar (BKB)
- Carries should buy it. It gives magic resistance and resistance to disables like stuns, greatly improving your survival in team fights.
Manta Style
- You want to dispel silences and other debuffs
- You want better wave clear
Radiance
- You're a tank but want to farm faster
- You want a damage aura
Shiva's Guard
- The enemy has heroes that summon illusions
- You want a wide-area slow in team fights
- You want to lower enemy attack speed
Assault Cuirass
- You want to lower enemy armor
- You want attack speed and armor for your team
Mjollnir
- You want to farm faster
- You want attack speed
Battle Fury
- You want a melee hero to farm faster
Silver Edge
- You want to go invisible and ambush enemies
- You don't want to show up on the enemy's map
- You want to shut down a strong enemy passive with Break
Orchid Malevolence
- Enemy abilities are strong and you want to silence them
Kaya
- You want stronger spells
Eul's Scepter
- Silences are annoying you
- You want to interrupt enemy channeling
- You want to buy time
Scythe of Vyse
- The strongest disable item — it turns an enemy into a sheep
- An enemy hero with low health but strong abilities is running wild
Blade Mail
- Enemy attacks hurt and you want to reflect the damage
Spirit Vessel
- You want to counter enemy heroes that heal
- You join fights from early in the game
Watch Good Players
Watch matches of skilled players. Switch the camera to Player Perspective to see exactly how they move their camera.
Open "Watch" from the menu and click "Watch in Game" on a match you want to see
Set the camera to "Player Perspective" to see the player's own camera movements
Techniques Worth Learning
Things to Keep in Mind
Dota 2 has a lot to learn. You'll get used to it as you play.
Don't die
Dying costs you gold and lets the enemy get stronger.
Watch the minimap
Make a habit of checking the minimap.
Carry a TP Scroll
Help teammates. Defend towers. Escape.
Focus on last hits
Most of your gold comes from creeps.
Stick with your team
When in doubt, follow the teammate who looks strongest.
Common Mistakes
Forcing bad fights
Check the enemy's items and abilities before you engage.
Rushing back into fights after dying
After respawning, check where the enemies are before you TP.
Always trying to fight
Earning gold and experience matters too.
Not using wards
Without vision, you can neither attack nor defend.
Rushing an expensive item
Early on, it's better to get stronger with cheap items.
Saving your abilities
At first, use your abilities freely and learn how they work.
Playing difficult heroes
Get used to the game before trying to master a hero.
What's written here is only a small part of the game.
Details are left out to keep things simple.