DOTA 2

I watched a friend of mine play hours of Dota before I ever decided to try it.  There were a couple of reasons for my not picking it up then, primarily my lack of a gaming computer that could handle it.  But I'd be lying if I said I wasn't put off by the infamously toxic community and by the immense difficulty wall that fuelled it.  Since then, it's become one of my favorite games.  Why?


A dota game is surprisingly simple to understand on a basic level.  Five players to a team.  Each player picks a character.  There are three lanes, down which creeps (low level NPC monsters) continually advance.  The heroes help kill enemy creeps, driving them closer to the enemy base.  They also fight each other.  First team to destroy the enemy base is the winner.

The fun comes in the complexity hidden within the system.  So much is necessary to win a game, especially to win in a satisfying manner.  There are a wide variety of characters, all of whom behave differently.  Learning how to best play your character and how to handle the enemies is an absolute requirement and there are no tutorials present.  Some you'll see more than others.  Pudge is a regular foe and a nightmare with his chain grab and combos that can drop your health in seconds.  Spirit breakers charge is also a regularly heard sound in the game.  Gradually, you come to recognise all of them and learn ways to cope with them.  Even then though, you won't win every battle.

Even more challenging is the neccessity of teamwork.  One character on his own is going to get got quickly.  Having a well formed team, and you'll quickly get the advantage in kills.  Not that that guarentees your victory either.  I've seen teams with 20 kill advantages lose because they overcommited to a push on the enemy base when their defenses weren't secure.  Amongst the many tactics one could employ in the game, "The enemy gate is down" is excellent advice. (even if it does come from the pen of eejit, but we won't talk about him till the movie comes out)

The sad fact is that it's that complexity, depth and difficulty that gives rise to the toxic environment MOBA's have aquired a notorious reputation for.  Hell, when a team mate who obviously doesn't know what he's doing screws up early and you realise you're in for a slow forty minute defeat, it's tempting as all hell to take to the chat and call him out.

What stops me is the fact that I'm not yet that great myself.  I'm not far enough away from the point when I was that guy.  Occasionally I still am that guy.  But it's been declining, particularly since the game came out of beta.  It's great fun, free and you'll have to play for a long ass time before you get tired of it.  So go pick it up.

Posted in: Defense of The Ancients, DOTA 2, Game Review, games, gaming, MOBA, multiplay, Steam