DotA 2 tips - learn cool tricks to better defend your Ancients

DotA 2 is a very complex game, maybe one of the most competitive games of the genre, with lots of mechanics and nuances that are hard to remember. Numerous tricks can improve the performance of your personal and powerful heroes in Dota 2 and your quality of life within the game, and make you a much better player. After all, it is not only a game of skill but also a game of knowledge, in which you have to know the enviroment. There is not much action going on, and more happens in the heads of players. If you want to improve, increase in the MMR, and just win the games, follow tricks that we were using in our games. Since you decided to come to us, we can guarantee that you will become better with those simple tips listed below! We're not giving you just 10 tips to play DotA 2. Instead, you get a full in depth DotA 2 tips guide. 

Simple tricks that will improve your game

Here is the basic knowledge that most of the users have heard about but tend to forget during the gameplay. It is crucial to adapt presented tricks to the way you play to become much better in DotA 2 and reach a higher skill level. Write them down on the paper, put them on the wall, do whatever is necessary, listen to what those tricks can teach you, and improve your MMR eventually. Every player needs an individual approach, though.

Buy consumables - If you aren't buying Tangos during the game, you are playing it the wrong way. One Tango can recover over 100 health, and it helps during your laning phase. Even if you don't need that health, you can always share your Tangos with team members to give them that regeneration boost. Heroes that burn a lot of mana should also have Clarity to ensure that they won't run dry during the combat. Make sure always to buy responsibly, and don't waste all of your money on consumables. These are helpful but only in small amounts.

Always have at least one Tango - If you don't carry Quelling Blade in your inventory, make sure to have at least one Tango. An extra Tango is your friend. It can be used to cut down trees and clear paths around the jungle - it will save you life more often than you think.

Play with the meta - New patch in DotA 2 is released every few weeks. With every patch, some heroes are getting buffs, and some of them are being nerfed, but not everyone knows about it. Most of the Solo Queue players aren't familiar with recent patch notes, and they don't know which heroes are strong right now. You can use it to your advantage and crush the other team with a pick of unusual strength. Balance is an illusion, and there are always heroes stronger than the others.

Pick a stun skill type hero - Have you ever played the game against a team with a very annoying composition that involves heroes like Storm Spirit, Ember Spirit, Phantom Lancer, Anti-Mage, or Nature Prophet? If you did, then you should know how hard it is to control the game where each of the enemy heroes can teleport around the map. Yes, we know, it is fair, every hero needs and has its own specific abilities, but is our mission stop them. Various items are a great option to help you to stop them from moving like Scythe of Vyse or Eul Scepter. Gank only if you need to do it! Move to a side or go to a certain point where you´re alone and can't be found. This way, you´ll really guide your friends fast enough to a huge victory without making mistakes. However, none of them is free. Picking a champion that can stun the opponent is always useful to set up kills and to lock targets from teleporting. In addition, this hero can have a wide range of attack. Always have at least one stun in your team. There is no better way to kill the enemy carry than to stack CC on him.

Win the lane - It's a simple, yet difficult tip. Getting ahead constantly early in the game will give you the edge over your opponents later on. Regardless, if you go outside or inside, to win a lane (it doesn't matter if you are a offlaner or midlaner or whatever) you don't have to get multiple frags. You can out farm your enemy simply by either last hitting better than him or by zoning him out of the farm. If you are losing, then ask for help on the chat, set up the vision, and deny any nearby enemy wards. Win the lane to win the game.

Stay positive - It is the hardest and the most important part about playing MOBA games. You join nine random people, since anyone can play DotA 2. Be a good teammate and provide a good experience to your friends. It's a receipt for success. Doing this your chances of being succesful will increase pretty much. Listen to the voice of reason - you are part of the team, not perfect but a team. Even if the group that you are in doesn't want to cooperate, it is your duty to develop the best game possible, take responsable decisions and continue with the course of the gaming. It is not unusual to meet toxic players that flame everyone for literally anything (not a very effective strategy). When that happens, you should mute them instantly to avoid breaking your mood. However, don't block communication with everyone right away. You have to give them a chance since they might warn you about incoming danger or the strategy that they want to use. Communication is the key to victory - just not with toxic players. This is not a bad title. By far is one of the most fun experiences available. The community will never leave you alone, you will always be on the list whatever your role is. 

Use Wards - Vision is crucial for lanes to be safe. It is not possible to always keep track of all enemies on the map, but with Wards at the right spot, you can avoid incoming ganks. Wards are free and can be placed by anybody, so make sure to put them out there. Use them to keep track of the collected Runes, Roshan spawns, enemy roams, and Courier movement. On top of that, you can help support denying enemy Wards - whoever has control over the map's vision, wins the game.

Use Teleport Scrolls - Getting from one lane to another takes time. It is the same with running from a Fountain to the last tower in the lane. If you ever watched professional players in DotA 2, you might have noticed that every time the objective is at risk, they all use teleports to defend it. Having at least one in your inventory can save towers, protect your allies, but most importantly, it can help you. If you see multiple enemies running towards your lane, just use the scroll to relocate yourself from the place where you stand close to any friendly structure. If they don't have any interrupts, you will safely flee from the danger.

Grab runes - Runes spawn on the river and in areas around it. They might not seem like a game-changing feature; however, they are here to help you set up kills. Invisibility, Illusion, and Haste can help you with roaming around the map. Regeneration and Arcane rune allow you to sustain on a lane for a much longer time, Bounty Rune gives you a small boost of gold, and finally, Double Damage gives you unmatched team fight potential. Keep the vision around the runes and deny it from your opponent. Who controls the runes controls the river.

Watch your replays - in every MOBA game - DotA 2, LoL, Smite, etc. knowing where to be, and when, is actually a difference between winning and losing. If you died or your team lost a fight, it is probably due to bad decisions you make. Check yourself. Do you die a lot? Are you getting caught often? Replay analysis may help you improve this aspect of the game and become more aware. Experience comes with time. Have a plan and stick to it. You can also watch competitive games. Of course, there is no better view of the meta than in the pros play, and there's more than enough content online.

Other dota 2 strategies 

Master one hero - DotA 2 is a video game with over 100 heroes where every single one is different and can offer you something else. Unlike noobs, you have to learn the strengths and weaknesses of what you are playing to become good at it. You don't have to play every hero, especially since heroes in DotA 2 require a hefty amount of time to perfect them. Simply put, 3-4 specific heroes is all that starting player needs to be successful. You will not develop yourself into a pro in a matter of week or less, so there is no point in struggling with mastering the whole roster. You have just started, keep that in mind. Learn the basics, improve constantly, play whenever you can, and you will see progress soon. Also, don't swap positions too often. If you decided to play as an offlaner - stick to offlaner. Chances are you will get used to one, and it'll become your second nature. Fully understanding your duty requires you to be ready to make quick decisions. 

Have a timing - Usually, players just go at the team fights forcing 5v5 battles where a team with worse items is at a disadvantage. It can be avoided by having a decent track of hero cooldowns, rune spawns, Roshan clock, enemy deaths, etc. When one of the core heroes in the opposing team dies, it is only natural to take the fight and apply pressure. They will most likely step back, giving you access to free objectives like Towers or Barracks, or having to deal with 4v5 situations. Timings and patience are crucial, especially since DotA 2 games can take a long time to conclude.

Communicate - Communication is the key to victory, and everyone will tell you that. It is hard to stress this enough. DotA 2 is a team game, and it is hard to determine whether your lane opponent wants to be aggressive or passive by just looking at him. Calling out shots will help you coordinate attacks and synchronize ultimates. Use it as a mean to gain an advantage.

Avoid Tunnel Vision - During team fights, it is easy to fall victim to your overconfidence. Generally, when you are sure that you can kill your target, it is not always the case. Sometimes sudden Black King Bar is being popped, or another player blocks your path to the target. Do not follow your prey blindly and pay attention to what's happening around you. Sometimes it is better to give up a kill than to chase it while your team dies. 

Know when to run - Escape is always an option. It is easy to overcommit after the won team fight. Putting yourself at risk makes no sense. Your team will feel like there is no stopping them and jump straight into another fight. This is a common mistake that can be easily committed. You might think that you are stronger than your enemy because you have just won, but in fact, they will respawn with full health and mana, and they will be most likely grouped up after coming out from the base. With that being said, your job should be to take down some objectives like Towers or Barracks and back away to capitalize on your victory rather than to overcommit and lose everything you have just earned.

Keep an eye on enemy items - It is vital to build items that will be able to counter enemy abilities. However, it is also the key to know when your opponent is trying to counter you. By spotting a hero with Gem of True Sight, you might remove 900 gold from the enemy pocket and save teammates using invisibility.

The most sacred space in the battle arena is your team's side of the map. In the beginning, you might believe it's extremely difficult to find your position. But after a while, you´ll realize you just need to click to avoid getting stuck in a bracket and pull a good game. Killing opponents with Bloodstone might make them vulnerable for future fights, and knowing when someone has Refresher Orb (it allows double ultimate cast) can save the entire team. Always pay attention to items that others purchase so you won't become a victim of their plans.

Get whatever you can - During the game, you should always earn gold. Whether by killing Creeps, taking down towers, ganking other lanes, or any other activity, you still want to get from it as much as possible. If you have Hand of Midas, then always keep it on cooldown. If you are farming the jungle, then always clear the camps before moving to a lane. When you are in team fights, try taking kills (unless you are supporting) and last hit all of the buildings that you can.

Know where to ward - DotA 2 map is a complicated zone that has multiple good warding spots. There are easy places where you can leave your wards and look for enemy vision. However, you will get the most significant value from your wards by placing them in unexpected places. It might be tough to determine which ones are good and which not since the vision of warding depends on multiple factors like high-ground, low-ground, obstacles, and other things—because of that, learning about the ward spots is not an easy process. You might read guides that explain how to ward on the internet; however, it's best to test everything on your own. For that, you might want to create a custom online game. Walk around the map and check different warding spots to find the best ones.

Disassemble items - There are hundreds of items in DotA 2. During your gameplay, you will likely purchase over twenty different ones (unless you are playing Supports). It is essential to keep track of what you can assemble your items into, but more importantly, you should pay attention to what you can get from tearing them apart. Early in the game, you will be focusing on different equipment pieces more than later on. Because of that, you want to extract necessary items from more complicated ones.

Don't be afraid to make mistakes - No one in gaming is perfect since the beginning. Fails will happen. How else can you be self-aware if not by looking at yourself critically? Make mistakes and correct them. This way you will improve greatly, given that you take a lesson out of them. You will still fail a couple of times, but the progress will come with great benefits, effectively increasing your skill cap. Becoming an effective and composed DotA 2 player is not easy. Putting an effort in results in benefits and can bring a lot of changes to your mechanical and tactical capabilities. Commitment is one of the reasons pros name as a mean to success and efficiency.

Behavior Score

Besides many smaller tips that might help you with your gameplay, we have one big piece of advice for you - Improve your Behavior Score. Having a high rating in this section is mandatory to rich better ranks. Most of the players asked why they lose games will say that it's because of their teammates. There is nothing as satisfying to watch as a team that works together to achieve one common goal. If you are watching a positive attitude from your group, make sure that you behave correctly. Behavior Score determines how other players perceive you during the games. If you are kind to your team, they might improve your ratings after the matches, and if you were toxic, your BS stats would be decreased.

Hero tricks

It might seem quite easy to learn a hero and his abilities. After one game, you could think that you know how all of his abilities work and what talents you should get; however, things aren't as simple as they seem to be. You will spend countless hours playing one hero before you get familiar with his mechanics. For example, to earn as many points as possible be sure to improve your magic builds while pulling out a good match overall. With the tricks stated below, you might shock your opponents with things that very little people do know about.

Here are some tricks and knowledge that you can use during the game:

• Pudge can hook during Cyclone - whether the spell was cast by Invoker or with the use of Eul Scepter, he is still able to use Q.
• Phoenix will not die from Fountain when he's in Supernova form.
• Shadow Demon can cast Demonic Purge to kill Courier.
• Undying can help Tombstone sustain by healing it with Soul Rip.
• Elder Titan's Astral Spirit can become a target of teleportation.
• Enchantress can charm enemy illusions to serve her. It also works on Phantom Lancer's illusions, which will not lose the duplication ability when controlled by Enchantress.
• Pudge rot at the first three levels doesn't deal enough damage to cancel the healing effects of consumable items. You can safely have Healing Salve and Rot active at the same time.
• Pudge hook doesn't interrupt allied channeling. It can be used to reposition Witch Doctor's Death Ward or Crystal Maiden's Freezing Field.
• Lifestealer can enter the Neutral Creep with his ultimate and use Hand of Midas to restore his health rapidly.
• Axe can finish off heroes with various "immortality" effects like Dazzle's Grave, Abaddon's Borrowed Time, or Oracle's False Promise. On top of that, it can one hit a Courier.
• Lich can use Chain Frost ability to interrupt channeling spells - even through skill immunity. Only the first hit will be enhanced with "mini stun."
• Zeus's abilities can reveal nearby invisible units and Wards. Since his attack speed is meager, buying Quelling Blade for quicker Ward-clearing might be a good idea.
• Storm Spirit can use his Remnants to show a vision on a high ground even if they are below it.
• Ancient Apparition ultimate can be spotted on the minimap.
• Nyx Assassin doesn't break his ultimate's invisibility when he destroys items on the ground.
• Alchemist ultimate can remove stuns and stop incoming projectiles.
• Timbersaw can use Chakram before the Duel with Legion Commander, and it won't be canceled during the fight.
• Ethereal Blade heavily counters Legion Commander. You can save team´s members from all of her damage when she casts Duel on them by activating Ethereal Form.
• Bane can cast Nightmare on the Legion Commander when she duels somebody. As a result, she will be taking turns of being affected by it with her target.
• Dark Seer's Ion Shell on the first two levels can pierce through Templar's Assassin Refraction.
• Naga Siren's Ensnare can be dispelled with Ghost Scepter.
• Storm Spirit can remove X Marks the Spot from him by using Ball Lightning.
• Razor can connect himself to an illusion though the Static Link to drain its stats.
• Sniper can outdistance the tower with Level 2 Take Aim.
• All of the Hex spells and Lion's "Mana Drain" can instantly kill illusions.
• Nature's Prophet can escape Clockwerk's imprisonment by using Sprout ability on him.
• Weaver's Swarm ability does hero damage, which can be stopped by Poor Man's Shield. If you have this item on you, then you will receive no damage - only armor reduction debuff.
• Juggernaut can spin during teleport casts to stop enemies from interrupting him.
• Kunkka can use X Marks the Spot to recover targets that were affected by Disruptor's Glimpse.
• Puck can use Phase Shift to remove any aggro that he has on nearby creeps.
• Terrorblade can use Manta Style twice - before going into Metamorph form and right after it
• Riki can check if an enemy has a vision on him by right-clicking any enemy on the map. Nearby creeps will attack him if he is near Sentry Ward.
• Crystal Maiden can use Shadow Amulet right after the ultimate cast to become invisible without breaking the channeling.
• Dazzle can use Shallow Grave on himself to teleport safely. It will last longer than TP animation.
• Shadow Demon can use Disruption on the enemy to see which skills his opponent was leveling.
• Shadow Fiend can activate Shadow Blade's invisibility to cover most of the Requiem of Souls animation.

Item tricks

• When a hero carries a Gem of True Sight, all of his illusions carry it as well.
• Diffusal Blade can instantly remove illusions.
• Manta Style can be activated to remove various debuffs, including Silence.
• Smoke of Deceit gets canceled only by the real form of Brewmaster's ultimate, so when he has all three forms active only Earth form can spot you.
• Quelling Blade can be used by melee heroes to chop down Wards from the cliff.
• Ghost Scepter protects the user from Goblin Techies Mines and their Suicide.
• You can use some of the items like Shadow Blade during teleporting animation without breaking it.
• Bounty Runes give gold based on the time of their use, not on the time when they were picked up. You can store a Bounty rune in a Bottle and use it after a few minutes to get more gold.
• You can fill the Bottle with a courier. The player that just left the Fountain can also quickly heal others after teleportation without losing Bottle charges.

Stages of the game

In DotA2, there are three main phases of the game that determine multiple gameplay factors. While early in the game, it is not worth to team up and walk together across the map - in the later stages, it will be crucial to stay grouped up. Stages of the game dictate which actions are worth looking for and which are not. In this section, we want to give you a brief overview of timestamps at which different phases may occur. Keep in mind that every game is different stages of the game that may move in time, depending on the aggressiveness of both teams and the picks that players made during hero selection.

Early game (Laning stage 0~15min)

During the early game, most of the players, with some exceptions, will stay on their lanes farming for items that might give them an edge over their opponents. A call for offlane plays will rarely be made. Even if you are playing one of the support roles, you might stay close to the dying creeps to soak a little bit of experience that your laning partner makes from killing minions. During the first fifteen minutes of the game, you can get a little bit of advantage; however, it is not as important as not giving this advantage to the enemy. It means that you want to last hit creeps and deny from your opponent any last hits that he can make. 

You need to find a balance that will let you safely get a better number of last hits than your opponent without exposing yourself to the damage that might be dealt by your foes. Feeding is the worst thing that you can do early on, so it is better to miss out on some creeps than to give kills to your opponent. If you feel like you cannot deal with the enemy on your own, just stay under the tower and ask your team for help. Be sure to leave some wards around your lane not to get ganked, and even if you are a little bit behind, you won't suffer too much from early game losses by playing defensive. You don't want to open a window of opportunity by a mistake. Opening such a window can put you behind, and maybe even throw the whole game. We have seen more than enough of it.

Mid Game (Somewhere after level 6)

Mid Game is the messiest stage that might be difficult to understand for the new players. It is a time when most of the players will start looking for advantages in the form of ganks, tower pushes, or even securing major objectives like a Roshan. In public games during this phase, most of the players will fend for themselves, looking for easy frags or better gold income. It often leads to misunderstanding as every player in the team might see an opportunity in something different.

As mentioned before, this stage of the game revolves around pushing lanes and walking across the map to find better sources of gold income. The main objective that teams might look to take is the first tower takedown. The first tower that falls gives almost 1k gold split among all of the players who have brought it to the ground. This is a massive gold boost that can turn the tide of the game. Besides, ganks will now occur way more often. Level 6 is when most of the heroes get the iconic Ultimate Ability that deals massive damage or creates a special effect, giving the users a gigantic advantage over the opponent. It means that kills will be easier to get fights will occur more often than ever.

To do that, you need to utilize more than just your skillset. Two things can help you with your goals - wards and teleports. The first ones are purchasable items that reveal the area around them when placed on the ground. Observer Wards last for six minutes and can be destroyed by the enemy team. They are great for spotting incoming ganks and securing dangerous locations. 

On the other hand, there are also Teleport Scrolls that you can utilize for your good. Those purchasable items are used to relocate your hero from one place to another quickly. They are great for moving between lanes, helping your team, and vanishing to safety. Even though casting animation lasts a few seconds, only stuns and hard interrupts can stop you from using a Teleport Scroll. Because of that, you can use it while being attacked by other players to escape from the danger.

Late Game (When teams start to group up)

During the last phase of the game, teamwork will be the most crucial aspect. It is the time when teams try to stick together, and farming is not as important as before. Now it's all about kills and an advantage in numbers. If one of the team members sticks out from the group, your "army" will be at a disadvantage. It is why it's so crucial to walk together as a 5-man group.

In the late game, most of the towers will be already destroyed, which marks the time when you can actually find ways into the enemy base. Here lies the Ancient that you want to destroy; however, firstly, you have to focus on bringing down enemy barracks. By taking down those, your team will gain Mega Creeps, which push the lanes faster than regular minions. Your opponent will have to worry about defending the base instead of fighting you, which will give you more room for moving around the map, finishing late-game items, and pushing other barracks. In the end, the team that destroys the first barracks almost always wins the game, so it´s essential to focus on this objective.

Summary

We are confident that by applying these tips to your gameplay, you will be able to raise your MMR many times, achieve more victories than ever and get a great benefit. Valve's DotA 2 is not a simple game, but the following mentioned tricks don´t require high skill and will improve the quality of your gameplay by a lot. With our guide, you will have the advantage of letting you kill the enemy hero with trickery and outsmarting. Enemy Carry can tremble in fear if he doesn't know tricks that you have up your sleeve! Are you willing to spend long hours training? Or maybe you want your lack of commitment keeping you in the lower elo?

If you want to play DotA 2, Auto Chess check out DotA 2 Guide with Chess Tips on the official Reddit Auto Chess and Wiki page. We are sure that these articles provided on official pages can help you improve your gameplay more than ever. Thank you for reading, and see you in the next one!

FAQ

How do I get better at DotA 2?

Play with the same heroes often, get better at last hitting, choose survival over frags, and practice as much as you can.

How can I learn faster in DotA 2?

You will learn faster by narrowing down your pick pool.

How do you win a game in DotA 2?

Farm better than the opponent, avoid dying, keep an eye on the minimap, and communicate with your team.

Is DotA 2 challenging to learn?

Yes, it is. It takes a lot of time and practice to achieve high rankings.

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