Introduction to Dota 2

What is Dota 2? 

Dota 2 is one of the biggest esports titles in the world and the game is played with teams of five players, where each player plays a unique hero with different abilities. The goal is to destroy the enemy team's base before they destroy yours. To achieve this the respective teams pick heroes that compliment each other in different ways, whether it be to eliminate their enemies, their buildings or something else - synergy is key.

To compliment team synergy and the strength of each individual hero, players level up their characters and have the ability to buy items for gold, earned by a variety of sources. Dota 2 has become a giant in the esports world ever since its creation in 2011 and a big contributor has been the yearly tournament The International, that since has set records for the biggest esports prize pool every single year. 

What is a MOBA? 

Multiplayer Online Battle Arenas are games that host a three laned map, outfitted with multiple defensive buildings in each lane, and a main base on either side of the map connected by the lanes and a neutral Jungle territory with creeps that offer gold and experience.  There are two teams of five that all select from a pool of characters to play. What makes Dota 2 what it is, is the huge variety of playable characters and the multitude of items able to be made, affecting various stats each character has. 

While MOBAs are all rooted in Dota’s ancestry, they all raise unique gameplay that is always somewhat different and relatively new because of the diversity. Even Dota 2 wandered off the beaten path of it’s father game, just a little less than some other MOBAs. The objective of the game is to be the first team to destroy the enemy team’s base. Killing your enemies is beneficial, but not the main objective itself. However the teamfights and solo kills add a lot to the excitement of the game itself.

All the characters in a MOBA have a basic attack and a kit of spells, three that are all pretty average and work well with a specific type of playstyle, and one ability that is often capable of the “game changing” title. Dota 2 is famous for its ability to have created so many heroes with very unique kits that don’t often overlap with other heroes. Some are of course going to be similar, but Dota has really made this occurrence rare and when it does occur, they twist it a little bit to fit the unique category. 

The map is also littered with waves of AI creeps that are essentially players’ main source of income. Killing creeps gives gold, which is then used to buy items to strengthen your hero. Whether you are on the Radiant or Dire side of the map, you will be facing waves of creeps as well as the ones camping out in the neutral areas. 

How many heroes are there in Dota 2?

Currently there is 119 playable characters in Dota 2, with usually around 2-3 added each year.

Does Dota 2 have skins?

Yes, Dota 2 has skins that can be both earned through playing the game and bought on the Steam Marketplace. Every year the tournament The International is accompanied by the so called Battle Pass, which allows players to complete certain tasks in the game to climb the ladder and earn more skins on their way.

What is the difference between Dota and Dota 2? 

When Dota 2 was created to take over the reigns it kept a lot of its initial heroes, unfortunately having to make its own lore and names for them as the original heros were based off of Blizzard heroes from the WarCraft lore. This is something that drew in a lot of new players, a new storyline behind the game that helps keep it afloat in terms of relevancy. Valve did it right with this game and we should all cheer them on to continue on this path.

That being said, Dota 2 is unique in a lot of ways. Along with many new heroes and Items, there are a lot of play styles that compliment any player looking to play a specific way regardless of what their team is doing. There is also a buyback system that allows for you to spend gold to come back into the game quickly after dying. While this is clutch in certain scenarios, as the game progresses the cost of the buyback increases, making harder to use it when you may need it most. 

Can you bet on Dota 2?

Betting on Dota 2 is no different from any other type of sports betting and with the size of the game it is offered by all sites we recommend. Finding Dota 2 betting is an easy task and choosing a betting site comes down mostly to their selection and how big their markets are. Betting on Dota 2 is very entertaining and especially since the game has such vast and potential markets to bet on. To learn more about which operator might suit you the best we recommend you to read our reviews of some of the bets out there!

How do I learn more about Dota 2? 

Dota is the father of MOBAs and while it may not be the first born of all the esports, it has risen to the top with a massive and fanatic following. If you haven't played it as of yet, there is always a first time for everything, and you won’t regret playing it once you’ve learned all the little ins and outs that come with the full experience of the game. Make sure to check out the rest of our guides when you’re looking to get a bit more serious about playing, watching or betting on the game.