Dota 2 Guide#
Dota 2 is Valve’s world-class MOBA, free to play. As the direct sequel to the Warcraft 3 custom map DotA, Dota 2 offers 120+ heroes, nearly bottomless strategic depth, and the most prestigious esports circuit in the world. Its Steam peak concurrent player count exceeds 620,000, firmly holding the No. 2 spot on Steam.
Game Overview#
| Feature |
Detail |
| Game type |
Multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) |
| Platform |
PC (Steam) |
| Price |
Free to play |
| Hero count |
120+ |
| Engine |
Source 2 |
| Release |
July 9, 2013 |
Hero Roles#
| Role |
What it does |
Representative heroes |
| Carry |
Late-game damage — consumes the most resources |
Phantom Assassin, Spectre, Faceless Void, Medusa |
| Mid |
Solo mid lane — sets the pace of the game |
Invoker, Storm Spirit, Puck, Ember Spirit |
| Offlane |
Front-line control — initiates fights |
Axe, Centaur, Mars, Tidehunter |
| Soft Support |
Roams and controls — the second support |
Earthshaker, Mirana, Tusk |
| Hard Support |
Protects the core — vision and team sustain |
Crystal Maiden, Lion, Warlock |
Rank System#
Herald → Guardian → Crusader → Archon → Legend → Ancient → Divine
Your MMR (matchmaking rating) decides which tier you sit in, and climbing it is the core long-term goal for most players.
Core Resources and Mechanics#
| Resource |
What it does |
How it regenerates |
| Health |
The basis of a hero staying alive |
Base regeneration / Healing Salve / Mekansm |
| Mana |
Spent to cast abilities |
Base regeneration / Enchanted Mango / Arcane Boots |
| Gold |
Buys items |
Last hits / kills / passive income |
| Experience |
Levels up abilities and stats |
Kills on creeps / heroes / neutral creeps |
| Skill points |
Upgrade abilities |
One per level; ultimate points at levels 4/8/12/16 |
The Attribute System#
| Attribute |
What it grants |
Suited for |
| Strength |
+20 HP and +0.07 HP regen per second |
Front-liners / tanks / strength heroes |
| Agility |
+1 attack speed and +0.16 armor |
Physical cores / agility heroes |
| Intelligence |
+12 mana and +0.03 mana regen per second |
Casters / supports / intelligence heroes |
| Primary attribute |
+1 attack damage per point |
All heroes — prioritize your primary attribute |
Core Game Data#
| Stat |
Value |
Notes |
| Passive income |
+62 gold per minute |
Base passive income — assists and kills add extra |
| Starting gold |
600 |
Spent on your opening items |
| Courier |
Free (since patch 6.82) |
Delivers items to your hero — moves at speed 275 |
| TP Scroll |
50-second cooldown |
Teleports to base, towers, or outposts — 3-second channel |
| Vision range |
1800 |
Halved to 800 at night |
| Tower attack range |
700 |
Towers prioritize enemies attacking allied heroes |
| Buyback |
Cost scales with your gold |
Spend gold to respawn instantly after dying |
Version History Highlights#
| Version |
Date |
Major changes |
| 7.00 |
2016-12 |
The Talent Tree system introduced |
| 7.20 |
2018-11 |
A large number of hero abilities reworked |
| 7.23 |
2019-11 |
Neutral items and neutral creep abilities added |
| 7.31 |
2022-02 |
Aghanim’s Shard update |
| 7.33 |
2023-04 |
Map enlarged, two Roshan pits, Wisdom Runes |
| 7.36 |
2024-05 |
Hero Facets system introduced |
| 7.37 |
2024-11 |
Large-scale balance update |
Item Categories#
| Category |
What it covers |
Representative items |
| Consumables |
One-time use — salves and mangoes |
Iron Branch, Healing Salve, TP Scroll |
| Stat items |
Raise base attributes |
Iron Branch, Stout Shield, Chain Mail |
| Boots |
Raise movement speed |
Arcane Boots, Power Treads, Boots of Travel |
| Active items |
Must be used manually |
Black King Bar, Blink Dagger, Force Staff |
| Passive items |
Trigger effects passively |
Blade Mail, Linken’s Sphere, Butterfly |
| Luxury items |
Core late-game equipment |
Divine Rapier, Refresher Orb, Boots of Travel |
Match Pacing#
| Phase |
Time span |
Main goals |
| Laning stage |
0-10 minutes |
Last-hit farming, rune control, ganks |
| Mid game |
10-25 minutes |
Team fights, pushing towers, controlling Roshan |
| Late game |
25-40 minutes |
Full-scale team fights, high-ground sieges |
| Ultra-late game |
40 minutes+ |
Buyback decisions, one decisive team fight |
Hero Positions in Detail#
| Position |
Also called |
Farm priority |
Typical heroes |
| Position 1 |
Carry |
Highest |
Faceless Void, Phantom Assassin, Spectre |
| Position 2 |
Mid |
High |
Invoker, Storm Spirit, Puck |
| Position 3 |
Offlane |
Medium |
Axe, Mars, Tidehunter |
| Position 4 |
Roaming support |
Low to medium |
Earthshaker, Tusk, Mirana |
| Position 5 |
Hard support |
Lowest |
Crystal Maiden, Lion, Dazzle |
The Bounty System#
| Kill target |
Bounty |
Notes |
| Melee creep |
~40-60 gold |
Earned by last-hitting |
| Ranged creep |
~60-80 gold |
Earned by last-hitting |
| Neutral creep |
Varies |
Depends on the creep’s tier |
| Enemy hero |
Varies |
Depends on kill streaks and level differences |
| Assists |
Killer receives 50% |
Team gold sharing |
| Tower |
Gold for the whole team |
Reward for pushing |
| Roshan |
Team gold plus the Aegis |
A core team objective |
Defensive Mechanics#
| Mechanic |
Effect |
How it is calculated |
| Armor |
Reduces physical damage |
Each point of armor cuts physical damage by 6% |
| Magic resistance |
Reduces magical damage |
Base 25% magic resistance, stacked with items |
| Evasion |
Chance to dodge physical attacks |
Percentage chance |
| Damage block |
Reduces damage by a fixed amount |
Blocks per instance |
| Health regeneration |
Restores HP each second |
Base + items + abilities |
| Mana regeneration |
Restores mana each second |
Base + items + abilities |
Common Terminology#
| Term |
Meaning |
| Gank |
Several players gang up to kill one enemy |
| Push |
Advance and take towers |
| Farm |
Kill creeps to earn gold |
| Carry |
The late-game core |
| Support |
The heroes who enable the core |
| Buyback |
Pay gold to respawn after dying |
| Roshan |
Kill Roshan to claim team rewards |
| Smoke |
Use Smoke of Deceit to move unseen |
| TP |
Teleport with a scroll |
| MMR |
Matchmaking rating — decides your rank |
| Jungle |
Farm the neutral camps |
| Laning |
The early-game lane phase |
| Mid |
The middle lane |
| Safe Lane |
The favored lane |
| Offlane |
The harder lane |
| Roam |
Supports moving between lanes |
| Stack |
Stack neutral creeps for later |
| Pull |
Drag neutral creeps to control the lane |
| Deny |
Last-hit your own creeps |
| Last Hit |
Last-hit enemy creeps |
- League of Legends — the other global MOBA giant, built on the same five-role lane structure
- Deadlock — Valve’s own hero shooter that borrows lane pushing and ability kits from MOBAs
- Overwatch 2 — a team-based hero shooter where ability combos decide fights
- Marvel Rivals — a hero shooter with heavy emphasis on team composition
- XCOM 2 — turn-based tactical strategy for players who want their depth in single-player doses
Best Co-Op Games · Best Shooters
Full Guides#
In-depth sub-guides — beginner basics, controls and settings, item prices and value, the full hero list, the item system, game mechanics like last-hitting, pulling, stacking, runes and Roshan, rank climbing, map control and strategy, advanced tips and teamwork, FAQ, and patch and balance updates — are available in Chinese on NTGame’s Dota 2 section.