Dota for Beginners!

Hi readers (If there re any),

Today will not be a cover of hero guide but somehow a guide for beginners in DotA!
Don't know where to start learning this game which has so many Pros in the game?
Don't know how to make life easier creeping/earning gold, control of your hero?
Don't know how to get better in casting skills?
You have come to the right blog/post for all you newcomers out there!
As I'm still a 3year old DotA player, I wouldn't consider myself as super pro
but this guide can be used for players who are still at the novice level!

So, let us see the table of contents I will be covering for the Basic Level.

1) Grouping of your Hero and Courier
2) Important Commands
3) Creeping aka Last Hitting
4) Useful Heroes to Start With
5) Map Awareness
6) Skills and their Usefulness
7) Types of Heroes
8) Items
9) Mini Dictionary of Abbreviations Used

Let's Rock and Roll baby!

1) Grouping of your Hero and Courier

- DotA default is using F1 as your primary hero selection. If you lose your hero focus at any point of time, press the F1 key twice to select your hero to put it in the middle of the screen.

- Grouping is when you press control and any number on your keyboard. Personally I use 1, 2 and 3 for my hero. Thats [Cntrl + 1,Cntrl + 2,Cntrl + 3] to make the numbers 1,2 and 3 (right below your F1-F12 buttons) the default buttons to select your hero.

- Point to note: spamming these 3 buttons simultaneously at the fountain or in battle allows faster regenaration!

- Couriers are for advanced players usage. In case you're skipping this step, group your courier to 4. For me, I feel its easier to press 4 than any other numbers since its just above the letters E,R,W which is common for most skills casting.

- Other usage of goupings are for further advance summons or 2 hero heroes (eg, syllabear, warlock, meeopo) which will be taught next time.

- As a beginner, set your settings to Show Health Bar so you can view the health of every units that have a health. Since beginners aren't so alert yet, setting to this setting is a much more user friendly method.


2)Important Commands

I will list some important hotkey commands that is deemed important for players!

[S] - Stop Command. Important for last hitting. Spam your S to stop the caster of an attack to make sure you did last hitting of creeps. It is important to learn the S command for creep blocking and farming. Try it with creeps to see if you can spam the S and aim for the last hit!

[A] - Attack Command. Pressing A and clicking on the creep will command your hero to attack the creep/hero you intended. It is usually used for last hitting creeps. Combine S and A together to get last hit for creeps! Spam your S and calculate the animation of your attack to the creep. Once you think the time is right, press A and click on the creep that is dying!

[H] - Hold Command. Same as the stop command. However pressing H will stop your hero even if there are creeps/heroes around. S command however will stop your hero from moving but when it sees an enemy unit, it will auto attack while H doesn't.

[Left Click] - Attack the unit after A button is pressed. Select units/map/items to view its status (Includes shops, right clicking will cause you to buy the item. Hover the item to see its status).

[Right Click] - Move around the map, picking up items, attack the unit without clicking A.


3)Creeping aka Last Hitting

Ever notice how people have the same type of hero as you, no kills and death yet able to get items faster than you by 100000000x? Thats the art of creeping.

- Creeping is to get the final hit on heroes/creeps/neutrals/towers. This will earn you bonus gold compared to those who don't.

- In the beginning heroes have low damage output. Therefore only issue the command when they are almost dying. As game goes on, it will be easier to farm since you have higher damage and skills to use.

- Move around behind the range creep (by right clicking around the area) until you feel it is time to do a last hit. Do not remain with the creep unless you know that your opponent is afraid to farm with you. Play safe and back to the nearest safety points (towers) if you feel endangered or there are reports on missing heroes from lane.

- Important! Do not auto attack on low level. Since it is hard to do creeping, just concentrate and aim for last hit for the time being! Do not be lazy!

- If your opponent is good, just stay somewhere safe and gain the experience from they dying creeps. It is not good to farm but risk getting harrass and going back to the fountain to heal. Although aggresive play can be solved by using the courier.


4) Useful Heroes to Start With

Ok. So I presume you have the basics of how to farm and group your heroes. Together with the basic hotkey commands. Next is.. Which hero to start learning with?
That is a question most newcomers are troubled. I'll name a few heroes to start and not to start with.

Strength
None! As most strength heroes are melee and are required to tank the team and be in the front fray which every skill is important, it is not advisable to learn strength heroes. However Pit Lord maybe a good hero to start of with if you're into strength as it doesn't requires you to initate a battle. Learn to mingle around with skills usage before trying him. Do not try melee until you're confident in engagements, creeping with melee and supporting.

IntelHeroes to Try
- Lion (Easier to use but many skills to press)
- Orge Magi (Just cast your stun skill and hope for a kill. He's melee BTW)
- Twin Head Dragon (Yuo may not be used to his slow animations and many skills but he is a good endurer with perseverance)
- Warlock (Although his ulti requires some mirco-ing, his basic usuage is easy to master)
- Techie (Although requires map awareness and fast fingers to bomb)

Intel Heroes NOT to Try
- Invoker (He's a complex advance hero)
- Silencer (Requires timing for engagement)
- Enigma (Important hero)
- Bane Elemental (4 Skills to use with items)
- Tinker (Item dependant)

Agility Heroes to Try
- Vengeful Spirit (Nice and easy to use)
- Sniper
- Drow Ranger
- Bone
- Lightning Revenant (Some skills to press)
- Stealth Assasin (Only if you can engage)
- Most range Agility Heroes

Agility Heroes NOT to Try
- Phantom Lancer (Confusing for first timer and dependant to kill in late game)
- Phantom Assasin (End gamer. Your team relies on you)
- Nerubian Weaver/Assasin (Requires catching skills and chasing)
- Bounty Hunter (Requires catching skills and chasing)
- Syallabear & Meepo (Micro skills needed)
- Templar Assasin (Hard to use skills for begineers. Need to be alert and have fast fingers.)
- Broodmother

- Tip: Start of with range heroes and practice creeping, harrassing and map awareness. Once you can get the hang of this 3 skills, slowly pick up to engaging with your team and making full use of your skills you have. Next proceed to learn melee and tanking heroes before trying heroes which requires you to buy usuable items (dagon, shivas guard, dagger).


5) Map Awareness

In DotA, map awareness is important. Having map awareness allow you to back back to safety preventing from enemies ganking on you. Once you noticed lanes are empty with enemies, and you are pushing too far out, back to the nearest safety points. Always make sure the place that you farm is not warded or too far from your allies. Check the mini map often for the enemy dots moving around. Ping on the map using [Alt+G] to warn people of the nearby dangers or suspected enemy movements. Also if your allies ping you, deduce this.

1) Do they need me there for a assist or kill?
2) Are there enemies that they suspect are coming my way?
3) Runes?
4) Is there an engagement there which I can be of any help?

By deducing the situation, you will be able to save your allies or get yourself to safety even before anything happens! Do not farm blindly! Farm and keep clance at the mini map!


6) Skills and their Usefulness

Skills are what make the hero fearful. There are a few types of skills in DotA which you should know and make use of.

Before any game, analyse what heroes your enemies are using and get to know all their skills. By being able to understand how their skills work, you can avoid getting harrass or even counter attack their skills and items.

Common skills
Stuns - Stuns any enemy units rendering them to move from the spot or casting any skills. Usually will last 2-4 seconds.

Slows - Slows enemy units making them walking slowly. Still able to cast spells and attack command but movement will be slowed.

Poison - Not many heroes have poison skills but these skills take your life away by time. The damage is usually in intervals and last for quite some time.

Silence - Many heroes have this skill including an item which can be used to silence someone. Silenced units will be able to move and attack and use items as per normal but you will not be able to cast any skill.

Blink - Blinking heroes allow the hero to teleport a short distance making them harder to kill or easier to go into an engagement. Catching them will be hard.

Wind Walk - Some skills allow the hero to be invisible in the map usually for a short amount of time. Useful in escaping or scouting but can be easily counted by wards/dusts and gems.

Channelling Skills - This type of skill requires the hero to stand on the spot to cast a skill. Channelling skills are usually devastating but can be easily counted if the hero is stunned, hexed or moved from the spot.

Special Skills
Rupture by Bloodseeker and Mana Leak by KotL - This two skills are the same except that one drains the life, the other drains the mana. This two skills force you to stand on the spot and any movement will cause you to lose hp or mana. Beware especially Rupture!

Doom by Doombringer - This skill is most feared in DotA as it will render the unit under doom useless. Items and skills cannot be used. Even your passive item and skills will be disabled. You can only get help from your allies or just wait till the huge damage subside. IMBA

Swap by Vengeful Spirit - The most useful skill in stopping heroes. Swap swaps VS and the target in position causing temporary confusion.

Charge of Darkness by Spiritbreaker - SB charges to a target after some channelling. Once he locked on the target and begins charging, he is invunerable. Watch out if you are charged

Captain Obvious aka Admiral Podmore!!! as of v6.70c


Contents

1) Description
2) Skills and Explanation
3) Skill Build
4) Items Build
5) Suitable Allies (Laning and Engaging)
6) Techniques

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Description

Str: 24 + 2.7
Agi: 18 + 1.7
Int: 18 + 2.2

HP: 606
Mana: 234
Damage: 50-60
Armor: 4

Move Speed: 300
Attack Range: 128 (Melee)

Background Story
Of all the allies in the Sentinel's ranks, only one, is known by as many names and is feared in as many lands. Called Captain CoCo by his mates, Jacksparrow by others, The Legendary Mariner by some, but only a select few, know his real name and what it stands for. He can harness the powers of the depths to conjure torrential geysers that blast his enemies into the air. His elegant blade is sworn to the Seas and with each mighty swing it ebbs like the tides. Using a watery form of special magic, he can bring you back to your original destination. The Captain now sails towards the Scourge lands, aboard his Phantom vessel boosting the spirits of his comrades with his fabled Rum, paving the way for the victory of the Sentinel. He is Kunkka, Master and Commander of the seven seas.

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Skills

Torr[E]nt
Using his unparalleled knowledge of the sea, Kunkka is able to summon a blast of water at a targeted area. After 2 seconds a fierce torrent of water errupts from the ground, the stream blasting enemies caught in the AoE into the sky, dealing damage and slowing movement speed by 30%.

Level 1 - 120 damage, lasts 2 seconds, 1.53 seconds disable.
Level 2 - 180 damage, lasts 3 seconds, 1.53 seconds disable.
Level 3 - 240 damage, lasts 4 seconds, 1.53 seconds disable.
Level 4 - 300 damage, lasts 5 seconds, 1.53 seconds disable.

Casting range: 1500
Area of Effect: 225
Mana Cost: 105
Cooldown: 12

A good disable skill for any engage. Make use of the cast range and initiate from the fog to surprise your target. There are other times you may need to use this skill but requires training and mind games. For eg, when you are chasing your target, cast Torrent on the spot where you predict your enemy will be after 2 seconds. Good players will not run in linear fashion, so try to be creative in your position. Also if you're chased by an enemy, cast Torrent on the spot where you predict your enemy will be after 2 seconds. If you're lucky you may escape and imagine the frustration of your enemies that are toss up into the air and slowed!

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Ti[D]ebringer
Kunkka's legendary sword Tidebringer is infused with the very power of the sea. Akin to the ebb and flow, Tidebringer passively grants the hero increased damage and large AoE cleave for a single strike every once a while.

Level 1 - +15 damage
Level 2 - +30 damage
Level 3 - +45 damage
Level 4 - +60 damage

.Cleaved damage is only reduced by armor type, not by armor value.

Mana Cost: N/A
Cooldown: 16/12/8/4 (Cooldown not affected by denying)
Area of Effect: 380/420/460/500

One of my favourite skills in dota. Perfect lane control ability. Big AOE cleave that will force your opponents to back and under farm. Further more, the cleave is big enough to strike them with much more damage! Did I mention? Even standing in the fog will not be able to run from cleaving!

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[X] marks the spot
In order to make an assembly for his troops, Admiral Proudmoore targets a hero and marks its current position on the ground. After a few seconds, the hero will instantly return to the mark.

Level 1 - Returns Target after 1 second. 500 cast range.
Level 2 - Returns Target after 2 second. 650 cast range.
Level 3 - Returns Target after 3 second. 800 cast range.
Level 4 - Returns Target after 4 second. 950 cast range.

. If target becomes magic immune after this spell has been cast, target will not return to the X after the duration ends.
. It interrupts channeling spells.


Mana Cost: 110
Cooldown: 60/50/40/30

Quite a good skill in mid-end game when your mana pool is enough for you to combo. It ensures a 100% ship combo or a torrent combo which allows your team engage to start off at an advantage! Requires skill and precision for the combos which i will talk about later. Cast it on someone who tp-ed and they will realise they will end back on the same spot even without having tasting the fountain's water!


Passive Skill when you add 'X marks the spot'
[R]eturn
Returns the target to the X.

Mana Cost: 80/90/100/110
Cooldown: 30

A seldom use skill unless you timed your torrent/ship combo wrongly. However, there is a positive thing about this skill. Kunkka's skill animation is uniformed throughout. So casting this skill when your other skill is still in CD to let your opponent think that you've cast a torrent! They will try to walk sideways or even back thinking a skill is being cast which can buy you some time!

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Ghos[T] Ship
The admiral summons the mythical ghost ship S.S. CoCo to the battlefield. Allies are doused in Captain CoCo's Rum, inebriating them for 10% bonus movespeed and numbness to incoming damage, causing them to feel only half of the pain now and half after the Rum wears off. Enemies, pirates and scurvy knaves are dashed on the rocks for damage and a 1 second stun when the ship crashes.

Level 1 - CoCo's Rum lasts 5 seconds, 300 crash damage.
Level 2 - CoCo's Rum lasts 6 seconds, 400 crash damage.
Level 3 - CoCo's Rum lasts 7 seconds, 500 crash damage.

. The boat has a movement speed of 650.
. Damage dealt after CoCo's rum wears off is non-lethal and can never kill a hero.
. Area of Effect: 400

Mana Cost: 150
Cooldown: 100/80/60
Ghost Ship Travel range: 1000

One of the most imbalanced ultimate in the game. Even if your Ghost Ship doesn't hit properly, the side effects and buff of the ship is incredible. Note that the ship travels in the direction you are facing when you cast. It does not follows you! Combo with the ship after a torrent of XmtS.

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Skills

Level 1 : Tidebringer/Torrent(If you have rune for FB)
Level 2 : Tidebringer/Torrent
Level 3 : Tidebringer
Level 4 : Torrent
Level 5 : Tidebringer
Level 6 : Ghost Ship
Level 7 : Torrent
Level 8 : Torrent
Level 9 : Tidebringer
Level 10: X Marks the Spot
Level 11 :Ghost Ship
Level 12 : X Marks the Spot
Level 13 : X Marks the Spot/Stats
Level 14 : X Marks the Spot/Stats
Level 15 : X Marks the Spot/Stats
Level 16 : Ghost Ship
Level 17 - 25 : X Marks the Spot/Stats

Ok firstly let me explain Tidebringer over Torrent. Torrent is only pumped as the first skill when you have rune or a stun/slow allies, confident of engaging right from the start. If not, stick to Tidebringer to harass. Torrent requires some skill to hit so for beginners, just be quiet and farm/harass for the start.

Next, X marks the Spot/Stats. If you notice only 2 levels of Xmts is pumped. Why? Some people doesn't see the need for having up to 4 seconds. 2 is enough to immediately cast Xmts and torrent. Its personal preference. For me, I prefer to max it as it gives me more allowance to do things and also not so stressful to chain combo.

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Items Build

Starting Items
Random: Empty Bottle, Chick, Ironwood Branch(Optional) (770[823]/853 Gold)

Pick: Chick, 2 tangos, 1 healing slave, 2 clarity potions, Ironwood Branch(Optional) (550[603]/603 Gold)

Pick after random: Chick, 2 tangos, 1 healing slave, 1 clarity potion (500/503 Gold)

Recommended Core Items in Getting Order
. Empty Bottle
. Power Treads (Str)/Phase Boots
. Battlefury

Recommended Luxury Items
. Crystalis/Buriza de Canyon
. Black King Bar
. Assault Currias
. Helm of Dominator/Vlads/Satanic
. Desolator
. Sange and Yasha
. Lothar's Edge
. Blade Mail
. Heart of Tarrasque
. Eul Sceptor (For Fun and Laughter)

Bad Items
. Mask of Madness (Kunkka is not a very good tanker! NO NO NO!)
. Dagon (Waste of slot when you can boost your damage so much more!)
. Refresher Orb (Ineffective with Low Mana Pool)
. Quelling Blade (Imcompatible with AP! Don't waste your gold!)


For me, my max item will be [Phase Boots, Battlefury, Crystalis(Last time then Buriza), Vlads/Helm of Dominator, Assault Currias, Black King Bar]

I will choose Phase Boots over Power Treads. Yes Kunkka needs attack speed. However his cleave allows a further hit range. Getting burst damage is more important since you have so many slow and disable. Getting high attack speed wouldn't allow Tidebringer to appear more often.

Another point to note is about life-steal. If your opponent have very little stunners or none of them are getting Guinsoo, emitt BKB and head for vlads with desolator. The amount of damage output with Critical from Crystalis/Buriza is OMGQTFBBQ! However if there are many disables in your opponents line-up, get bkb asap and forget about vlads! Upgrade your Helm of Dominator to Satanic!

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Suitable Allies (Laning)

. Vengeful Spirit (Stun, Torrent. Enough said)
. Witch Doctor (Meladict, Torrent)
. Bane Elemental (Sleep, Torrent)
. Many others with long enough skills to hold the opponent for 2 seconds!

Worst Enemies (Laning)
. Silencer
(As AP is dependant on mana in early stages of the game, Curse of the Silent can be quite painful for AP who has a low mana pool)
. No one else! You should be the master of harrass in early game!

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Techniques

. Combo
. Counting of X marks the spot accurately
. Mid Lane Control
. Team Engage

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I hope you guys enjoyed my 2nd guide and I hope to hear constructive comments on how to improve my guide! Cheerios and look out for my next guide featuring
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Icarus the Phoenix!
@Lex Lim 06/01/2011