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[WC3] DotA beginners guide

Forum Index > General Games
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Manit0u
Profile Blog Joined August 2004
Poland17257 Posts
August 20 2005 06:55 GMT
#1
Due to recent requests from uidf and my lack of time I will make here a brief (at least I'll try to make it as brief as possible)guide for those who recently started/wish to start playing DotA. Everything in this guide is based solely on my own experience and some more experienced players may not agree with some parts. I'm not some uber gosu here and I am fully aware that I don't do everything as some people got used to.
This guide is only to help others start, it's not strict 'howto' that should be fallowed by word. Just read it, try it and adjust it any way it suits you.

For starters, the most important rule some tend to forget when action gets stiff: DO NOT DIE!!!
It's ok if you don't kill as long as you don't die too (the final result of 1-0 is much better than say 5-7).
It may seem hard in the beginning (especially in -ar games) so if you're not very familiar with the game yet just run away when your hero is in red and go heal (if you consider yourself slow or the pressure is big it's better to start running in orange).
The only exception for this rule is when your friend needs help and you're able to give it. This is for more experienced players though since those of less skill tend to get killed along with their teammates which is very bad.

Now the second most important part: hero choice. (we'll consider it to be an -ap game)

Most beginners after few games think that most powerful heroes are:
Lich
Venomancer
Crystal Maiden
Lion
Slayer
(remind me if I forgot any)

You can't be more wrong, those are the weakest heroes late game, very easy to counter mid game and moderately easy to avoid early game (more on this in tactics).

When picking a hero try get your hands on some melee hero (preferably with str as primary attribute). Yes, they are the hardest to master and play but they pwn late game and by playing them you'll learn faster (after playing melee early, later on when you get ranged hero it'll be extremely easy for you to play it).

Some good choices:
Slithern guard - my personal favourite, 2 disablers, speed increase for running away or chasing wounded foe
Sven - needless to say this guy deals the most damage in the game
Leoric - good for beginners, easily countered by magina though
Naix - supreme pwnzor, very hard to play early game, requires different build

Another important issue: items

This will be hard to explain since most heroes require different items to work at their best. What I usually buy for melee hero is:

Boots of speed
Ring of health
Sange (only if hero hasn't got some orb effect himself)
Power treads

From now on things differ for matchup and hero.

If enemies have many casters go for black king bar instead of sange.
After buying your first weapon go for some defence, blademail (good vs sven and melee), aegis of the immortal (just pwns but awfully expensive), heart of torrasque etc.
and then more weapons.
Do not buy stuff you won't use later in the game (ring of regeneration, etc. - unless of course you're playing a hero that requires to do so - Naix and Magina for instance) it's waste of cash, go straight for the goodies.
As an example I'll give here the list of items I had in my last game (played slithern guard)
power treads, sange & jasha, aegis of the immortal, blademail, cranium basher, burize do-kyanon

You'll have to experiment a bit with items to see how it works.

Now some basic tactics:

Early game - try to stay out of the fight, just farm. When you're hurt go heal (better to lose some exp by not being there than lose cash, feed oponent and not be there too). Whenever you see more than one enemy going for you: run.

Countering casters - early game: nothing you can do about them, just try to avoid them. mid game: get black king bar, it makes all their skills useless. late game: laugh at them as they try to do something to you with their ~500dmg spells.

Countering melee - blademail, disablers (stunning is best, bashers work wonders, also sange with maim is good).

Countering invisible - those are real pain in the ass but simple gem rends them useless (if you think you'll die anyway then don't buy gem, go for wards).

Switching lines - something most beginners forget, when you see you can't deal with enemies on your line - switch with teammate who's got hero better suited for the job.

Gangbangs - you must remember that mid-late game it's all gangbangs, you'll rarely have a chance to fight 1on1. Just try to stay together with your team at all times and be ready to run at any sign of enemy.

It's all just a bunch of loose advice. If I forgot about anything and anyone would have any questions then ask them here and I'll try to answer them.

Good luck and have fun >
Time is precious. Waste it wisely.
brite
Profile Joined January 2005
United Kingdom253 Posts
August 20 2005 07:48 GMT
#2
i havent played the game that often jet but i have 1 question
is it true that clix bone archer the strongest char?? because i heard many people say so??
if yes what build should i go??skill wise. and should i get items with agility or what should i get??
BloodyC0bbler
Profile Blog Joined September 2004
Canada7876 Posts
August 20 2005 10:11 GMT
#3
On August 20 2005 16:48 brite wrote:
i havent played the game that often jet but i have 1 question
is it true that clix bone archer the strongest char?? because i heard many people say so??
if yes what build should i go??skill wise. and should i get items with agility or what should i get??


Clinkz is by no stretch the best hero. Personally there is no best hero, just depends on the ones your good with. If you choose to play Clinks however a good build is:
Treads
Styggan Desolator or Maelstorm
Buriza
Hyperstone
X2 Butterfly

If you take that build, take for your skills, strafe and wind walk early game, taking your ulti as you get it. Then go for you attribute increase. Desolator will not work if you use flame arrows so no point in getting it.

In regards to heros, Melee although good are not ultimate tanks late game as he makes them out to be, only if they get some good items. Personally i find agility heros the most useful all game, melee are useful only if they have stuns.

Good initial heros for people to use are the lightning revelant(sp?), Clinks for the agility heros(there are more), then for Strength, id recommend the stone giant, and the tiderunner and for intelligence heros id recommend the Lich and the Slayer. These are easier to use heros, from there its easy to find a preference in who to use.
#3 Member of the Chill Fanclub / Rhaegar fought nobly. Rhaegar fought valiantly. Rhaegar fought honorably. And Rhaeger died. --Ser Jorah Mormont TL MAFIA FORUM http://www.teamliquid.net/forum/index.php?show_part=31 go go !
Deleted User 3420
Profile Blog Joined May 2003
24492 Posts
August 20 2005 10:45 GMT
#4
it's so frustrating in an -ar game if you're on a team that won't back you up and you're getting double teamed by 2 ranged heros and you've got some huge slow hero
Izenra
Profile Joined October 2004
Canada679 Posts
August 20 2005 11:26 GMT
#5
I only play ROC dota and here are my thought.

-You gotta have a healer ( there is only 1 per team).( Soulrender and Pure disciple)
-A magic heroes killer ( naix, stealth assasin).
-A tank ( sideral machine, golem or)

- and two other, preferably not strengh hero, ( shooting hero are good). One summoner can be good too.
Bardock
Profile Joined April 2003
Colombia36 Posts
August 20 2005 13:21 GMT
#6
Luna is imba. too TerrorBlade. Leoric sux wiht the cost of mana ultimate, Axe, chaos Night.
IntoTheWow
Profile Blog Joined May 2004
is awesome32274 Posts
August 20 2005 17:11 GMT
#7
Ursa Rocks! and its pretty easy to use : ]
Moderator<:3-/-<
Manit0u
Profile Blog Joined August 2004
Poland17257 Posts
Last Edited: 2005-08-20 22:11:06
August 20 2005 19:12 GMT
#8
Leoric is ok as long as you're not facing Magina, Axe lacks range and hp to be this good, and Nassaj pwns

Edit: And clinkz isn't the best hero, he hasn't got enough hp to survive for long, one ward + one stun + one blow = clinkz useless.
Time is precious. Waste it wisely.
Bard
Profile Joined November 2004
Jamaica898 Posts
August 21 2005 00:00 GMT
#9
2 Days ago I scored my first blood in 2 minutes The hero I was facing was Magina and I was Chaos Knight. He rushed and I casted Chaos Bolt which deals damage and stuns hero for random time 1-5 second.

Well as you guess, he got stunned for 5 sec Creeps and I surrounded him and beat him to death. After they saw "First Blood! xxxx was slaied by Bard!" they were like "Huh? What happened? That's really fast blood!" and the guy who died was like "OMG! OMG! OMG!"



My tips for beginners are..

1) Play a lot
Well.. yeah obvious tip. You wanna be a Star Craft expert? Play Star Craft a lot. You want to be a WoW expert? Play Wow a lot. To become a DotA expert? Just play a lot and get used to the game play, items, heroes and map.

2) Play both -ap and -ar games
For beginners people usually don't recommend -ar (All Random mode. You get a random hero from either side) but I will say try few -ar games so you can learn various heroes.

3) First copy from others then develop your own style
There are various characters' guidess available online (dotaallstars.com) Check the site and follow the guides exactly in the beginning. Later when you become better with a certain character, try different build and find out what's good or bad.

4) Have fun
Don't get too intense, enjoy game, talk with teammates and have fun
Working on Subtitles..
naventus
Profile Blog Joined February 2004
United States1337 Posts
August 21 2005 00:50 GMT
#10
Yea team/custom games are a whole lot of fun in WC3. I think in that sense WC3 is a lot more "fun" than SC, though I still enjoy 1v1 SC a lot more than WC3 solo.
hmm.
Manit0u
Profile Blog Joined August 2004
Poland17257 Posts
August 21 2005 08:03 GMT
#11
WC3 solo sucks, I hate all thos 15 year old that can't understand how someone could actually play for fun (using crazy builds, giving freewins after a nice game etc.) and just keep saying OMG! You noob! You got imba race! after you beat them without losing a single unit etc.
Best fun is when you play with friends. Like during tl.net tour when I was facing WaweR and bogoos was obsing us and all three of us were on the same channel on ventrilo pure pwnage I tell you. Bogoos shouting omg! what the f**k are you doing?! (I was playing ne then, my weakest race and his primary), me shouting at WaweR - Die noob! - etc. Quite a fun it was

Are we getting a bit off topic here or what?
Time is precious. Waste it wisely.
Tien
Profile Joined January 2003
Russian Federation4447 Posts
Last Edited: 2005-08-21 08:08:52
August 21 2005 08:07 GMT
#12
The best is having a pudge with 4 heart of tarrasques and around 6500 health. Plus around 80-100 hp regen/sec.
We decide our own destiny
Kev
Profile Joined December 2005
1 Post
December 25 2005 16:23 GMT
#13
I just started to play Dota... and i find it very nice...
I find that it is hard and when i played on LAN, they clled me noob.
oh.... i'm so sad......
Lol~
Manit0u
Profile Blog Joined August 2004
Poland17257 Posts
December 25 2005 16:41 GMT
#14
On December 26 2005 01:23 Kev wrote:
I just started to play Dota... and i find it very nice...
I find that it is hard and when i played on LAN, they clled me noob.
oh.... i'm so sad......


Omg, that's one great first post!

[/sarcasm]
Time is precious. Waste it wisely.
inkblot
Profile Joined December 2004
United States1250 Posts
December 25 2005 16:53 GMT
#15
Too bad he didn't post it in Hot_Bid's emo thread.
{ToT}Strafe
Profile Blog Joined October 2004
Thailand7026 Posts
December 25 2005 19:31 GMT
#16
On August 21 2005 17:07 Tien wrote:
The best is having a pudge with 4 heart of tarrasques and around 6500 health. Plus around 80-100 hp regen/sec.


not possible but whatever.

Hey manitou I indeed do disagree with most of your things. I used to think like you when I just started playing too though

The best hero in the game is relative. There is no ultimate good hero. There are however best heroes in certain matchups. But since most of the games will be -AR it doesn't really matter anyway. Lich is a very strong hero early game AND mid game. Usually when I get lich I go 20-3 or something like that, which makes my hero a decent opponent late game because of all the items I have, afghanim guinsoo aegis skadi.

You are right about the not dying part, however don't just walk back when you are red, walk home when you don't see any of their heroes on the minimap and you are across the river, they will most likely try to gangbang you. Some people that just start playing go very far into enemy territory ALONE, most awfull thing you can do. In gangbangs however its not too bad to die, as long as more of their team dies. Selfsacrifice is necessary sometimes, but when you just start its better to stay alive at all costs I guess.

Sven doesn't deal most damage, warden does.

I like that you mention blade mails as a counter, but please only use this when you have a hero with a lot of hp else it has no use. Also only make blade mail when their team has at least 3 melee heroes and when thats the case make 3 blade mails not 1, 1 has no effect.

My favorite charecter must be axe, because of the blade mail. I start off by getting boots, ring of regen, ring of regen, ring of basilus, threads, blade mail, blade mail, torrasque( sell the ring of regens after you have this), blade mail, aegis if it comes this far. So the trick with this hero is to get a melee hero to attack you. You have a spell that when you counter attack when you get hit and it does 125 dmg, this is a lot early game. The other spell is that you get opponents to attack you. So early game try to get a hero to attack you with creeps around, you get hit so much that you cast counterspell all the time and he will easily die. The blade mails will make melee heroes die late game, because you still do the counterspell but now he will also get 60% of his own damage returned and you have around 60% damage reduced, because the spell that makes him attack you 'beserker call' will grant you 20 extra armor and the blade mails will add another 15 to that. Battlehunger is the spell you must max first though, because it deals 500 damage at level 7, so when you see someone with 400 damage and no creeps around, cast spell and you get another kill.

If you wanna know other builds just ask
GTR
Profile Blog Joined September 2004
51451 Posts
December 25 2005 20:48 GMT
#17
what does ap mean? i know ar means all random
Commentator
{ToT}Strafe
Profile Blog Joined October 2004
Thailand7026 Posts
December 25 2005 21:47 GMT
#18
all hmm pick!
XDawn
Profile Blog Joined February 2004
Canada4040 Posts
December 25 2005 21:48 GMT
#19
Most DOTA players I play with on bnet are mostly bastards who 'want all the exp'
Use it or lose it
{ToT}Strafe
Profile Blog Joined October 2004
Thailand7026 Posts
December 25 2005 22:00 GMT
#20
I am a bastard too, cuz i know i can put that exp to good use;)
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