A Beginner’s Guide to Dota 2

Learning the Ropes - A Beginner's Guide to DotA

This part could just as easily be called "An ABSOLUTE Beginner's Guide to Dota 2"

Dota 2 doesn't seem to care whether you know how to play it or not.

Earlier this week I talked about how great sports coverage laid a foundation for my interest in MOBAs like Dota 2. Then I discussed how the aggressive DLC and annualization of AAA multiplayer has driven my friends toward free to play games, especially Dota 2.

But as I've been reminded in comments both here and on Twitter over and over, there's an elephant in the room: the biggest barrier to getting into Dota 2 is Dota 2 itself. It has over a hundred heroes, with more on the way. It has a complex item system. It carries over some of the more sophisticated level mechanics of real-time strategy games. Much of the audience is toxic, full of homophobia, racism, abusive language, and sometimes deliberate team sabotage.

There is a wall that many people see in front of Dota 2, and it can be hard to climb. Like many challenges, it's best to find some help to start.