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[Dota 2] Elder Titan yo

SkabSkab Registered User regular
edited May 2013 in Games and Technology
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What is this Dota you speak of?
Defense of the Ancents was originally created in Warcraft 3 by the mapmaker Eul, and was based off of the Starcraft custom game Aeon of Strife. When WC3: The Frozen Throne was released Eul stopped updating the map, which then caused a flood of different varients to appear across battle.net. Among them was DotA Allstars, which was created by Guinsoo, which became main version that we have today. During Guinsoos time, Pendragon came along and made dota-allstars.com in reponse to the need for a main dedicated website for the growing community. With version 6.01, Guinsoo passed authorship off to Icefrog, who started adding new heroes, items, mechanics and fixes, and still runs the game to this day.

Guinsoo and Pendragon would later go on to work at Riot and help create League of Legends, while Icefrog and Eul would go on to work at Valve and are now working on Dota 2.

Dota 2 is the sequel to that popular Warcraft 3 custom game that has since spawned an entire genre with the likes of League of Legends and Heroes of Newerth. If you have played either of those games then you have a basic idea of how things work.

Gameplay remains true to the original Dota, but takes advantage of everything the source engine and Steam have to offer. Besides better graphics, this means things like reconnecting, being able to spectate any match currently in progress even while waiting in que for matchmaking, and no longer having this happen to you
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New to the game and want to learn? The following links will get you started. Dota has a massive learning curve, so you wont learn everything here, but it should be enough to get you on your feet.
(Credit for this list actually goes to Gully State over on Gaf.)

First

Second (Warning, these are long.)


"Hey, I'm freaking amazing at LoL so I should be good at this too, right?"
Not exactly. While at their core they are similar, there are some some key differences that make the meta/feel/pace different. Some of these include things like the way carry heroes work, denying, gold loss on death, towers behaving differently, runes, a larger map, a str/agi/int based stat system, more active/useable items, and more.

Heroes & Items

There are currently 108 heroes in Dota, and while all of them will be coming over to Dota 2, only about 3/4s of the hero pool is available in the current beta build. Currently we get about one new heroes a week, with Valve sometimes surprising us with either more or none at all.

Current hero pool: http://www.dota2wiki.com/wiki/Heroes
Items: http://www.dota2wiki.com/wiki/Items

Curious what heroes are on their way? http://www.dota2wiki.com/wiki/Unreleased_Content

Other Useful Links

http://blog.dota2.com
http://www.joindota.com/en/start

Announcement art (also in the valve store as posters)
dota2_onesheet_drowranger.jpg

dota2_onesheet_lina.jpg

dota2_onesheet_morphling.jpg

dota2_onesheet_bloodseeker.jpg

(This OP is a work in progress, more info will be added as more people are able to get their hands on the game.)

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Skab on
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Posts

  • SkabSkab Registered User regular
    Just so everyone is clear on the thread title

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  • TheLawinatorTheLawinator Registered User regular
    The Lakers.

    My SteamID Gamertag and PSN: TheLawinator
  • SkabSkab Registered User regular
    edited December 2012
    Also DP is now red and Wisp is now teal.

    Edit:
    The Lakers.

    Whoops, you're right, i mixed them up.

    (No one cares about the NBA anyway)

    Skab on
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  • DramDram Old Salt Registered User regular
    edited December 2012
    Silencer is now...purple?

    FABULOUS!

    Dram on
  • Edgler VessEdgler Vess Registered User regular
    Hey, I won my first match. (1-1 lifetime, yay for newbies!)

    I told my team I was brand new, they squabbled some and then let me have middle by myself (I was Crystal Maiden), didn't seem Like i did the right build to hold guys off the middle (maxed the regen aura) , but what do I know?

    Thanks again to @mts for the invite, good stuff.

    Always looking for more PA friends: Steam ID is EdglerVess

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  • SkabSkab Registered User regular
    Winter map minimap for those who are interested
    dota_winter-600x600.png

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  • ProspicienceProspicience The Raven King DenvemoloradoRegistered User regular
    Ooooo it's purdy.

  • 3cl1ps33cl1ps3 I will build a labyrinth to house the cheese Registered User regular
    Hey, I won my first match. (1-1 lifetime, yay for newbies!)

    I told my team I was brand new, they squabbled some and then let me have middle by myself (I was Crystal Maiden), didn't seem Like i did the right build to hold guys off the middle (maxed the regen aura) , but what do I know?

    Thanks again to @mts for the invite, good stuff.

    Always looking for more PA friends: Steam ID is EdglerVess

    Congrats! So Crystal Maiden isn't really a mid hero...she works best supporting another hero. In general people tend to skip the aura and level Frostbite/Nova until level 8, and then only get her Ultimate and Stats.

    Read this! http://www.purgegamers.com/welcome-to-dota-you-suck :)

  • nealcmnealcm Alvarian AlvarianRegistered User regular
    edited December 2012
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    nealcm on
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  • P10P10 An Idiot With Low IQ Registered User regular
    wtf
    silencer's wc3 model is red. he has to be red!!!

    Shameful pursuits and utterly stupid opinions
  • WhatWhat Registered User regular
    KaoZP.jpg

    This looks betters!!!

  • SkabSkab Registered User regular
    My guess is that they wanted him to be more distinguishable from DK. And since DK already has a bunch of cosmetics up on the shop/in game, and Silencer has none, Silencer was the one to get purple'd.

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  • nealcmnealcm Alvarian AlvarianRegistered User regular
    darker purple would be much better definitely

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  • nealcmnealcm Alvarian AlvarianRegistered User regular
    also apparently shredder is gonna be renamed timbersaw

    which i was furious about at first but it is quickly growing on me

    i mean, think of all the bonesaw quotes..............

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  • WhatWhat Registered User regular
    nealcm wrote: »
    also apparently shredder is gonna be renamed timbersaw

    which i was furious about at first but it is quickly growing on me

    i mean, think of all the bonesaw quotes..............

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=691qO96VRVw

  • Dac VinDac Vin S-s-screw you! I only listen to DOUBLE MUSIC! Registered User regular
    edited December 2012
    JUST BECAUSE WE HAVE ENTERED A NEW THREAD DOESN'T MEAN WE ARE FREE FROM HIS GREAT TYRANNY

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    Dac Vin on
  • AlwaysNewDepthsAlwaysNewDepths Registered User regular
    Skab wrote: »
    My guess is that they wanted him to be more distinguishable from DK. And since DK already has a bunch of cosmetics up on the shop/in game, and Silencer has none, Silencer was the one to get purple'd.

    No, valve clearly wants more purple heroes.

  • SkabSkab Registered User regular
    Tuskarr textures spotted

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  • sparklesparkle Registered User regular
    3clipse wrote: »
    Hey, I won my first match. (1-1 lifetime, yay for newbies!)

    I told my team I was brand new, they squabbled some and then let me have middle by myself (I was Crystal Maiden), didn't seem Like i did the right build to hold guys off the middle (maxed the regen aura) , but what do I know?

    Thanks again to @mts for the invite, good stuff.

    Always looking for more PA friends: Steam ID is EdglerVess

    Congrats! So Crystal Maiden isn't really a mid hero...she works best supporting another hero. In general people tend to skip the aura and level Frostbite/Nova until level 8, and then only get her Ultimate and Stats.

    Read this! http://www.purgegamers.com/welcome-to-dota-you-suck :)

    she is actually pretty decent at mid for many matchups. She is one of the most dangerous characters at low levels. She just doesn't need solo farm.

    and to not max the aura first.

  • P10P10 An Idiot With Low IQ Registered User regular
    You shouldn't pick CM if you aren't going to level her aura.

    Shameful pursuits and utterly stupid opinions
  • sparklesparkle Registered User regular
    you shouldn't pick CM if you aren't going to level her awesome CC spells for early aggression.

  • P10P10 An Idiot With Low IQ Registered User regular
    Venomancer and Tidehunter come to mind as support heroes who are basically better in all cases than CM, barring "My team needs aura for these lanes to work". Rubick and Jakiro as well. There's probably more.

    Don't pick CM if you aren't getting aura. Just don't. I don't care that 'the pros do it'. It's wrong.

    Shameful pursuits and utterly stupid opinions
  • SkabSkab Registered User regular
    edited December 2012
    Honestly the aura isn't that great. I'd have to agree with sparkle that it isn't worth maxing first over your other two.

    That's not to say that you shouldn't put ANY points into it though.

    Skab on
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  • WhatWhat Registered User regular
    Aww yeah, 2 mana regen is better than a stun or slow. - Pretentious, The Clown

  • Minerva_SCMinerva_SC Registered User regular
    Honestly, it's been a fucking awful month for me. I've probably lost 75% of my games. Playing with friends is not an option becasuse they all fucking suck. I need to find not bad people to play with, because I've reached my limit of solo queueing.

    "If a cherry pie filled cape is wrong, I don't want to be right.
    I'm dead serious."
  • nealcmnealcm Alvarian AlvarianRegistered User regular
    edited December 2012
    What wrote: »
    Aww yeah, 2 mana regen is better than a stun or slow. - Pretentious, The Clown

    nealcm on
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  • nealcmnealcm Alvarian AlvarianRegistered User regular
    cyborgmatt's update is out and his prediction for the next hero is "winter map"

    fuck that shit gimme timbershredder

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  • P10P10 An Idiot With Low IQ Registered User regular
    edited December 2012
    herp derp.

    global mana regen that helps every lane (and now with the recent change, lets you spam your own spells hard) vs .5 seconds more of cc and a tad more damage.

    i'm not saying her spells are bad or anything but if you want to ignore her aura and get a support with two disables and a teamfight ultimate, there are better heroes to pick. CM is her aura. That's her thing

    P10 on
    Shameful pursuits and utterly stupid opinions
  • Minerva_SCMinerva_SC Registered User regular
    P10 wrote: »
    herp derp.

    global mana regen that helps every lane (and now with the recent change, lets you spam your own spells hard) vs .5 seconds more of cc and a tad more damage.

    i'm not saying her spells are bad or anything but if you want to ignore her aura and get a support with two disables and a teamfight ultimate, there are better heroes to pick. CM is her aura. That's her thing

    it was her thing 15 patches ago. I honestly cannot stand the "just pick X, he/she just a better version of Y" mentality in this community. Not everyone wants to play fuckin jakiro and veno every match, this isn't some pro circuit, they're pub games.

    "If a cherry pie filled cape is wrong, I don't want to be right.
    I'm dead serious."
  • sparklesparkle Registered User regular
    edited December 2012
    Its still a shitty thing to max first. Frostbite is one of the best non-ultimate disables in the game, and Crystal Nova is a great general purpose lane control spell. A little extra mana doesn't compare to decisively winning 1 lane, then being able to roam and get more kills. She is a first blood machine and one of the best roaming supports. This is a pretty big deal in pubs because you see so many 2v2 lanes, which CM is great at.

    sparkle on
  • valiancevaliance Registered User regular
    edited December 2012
    I feel like there's enough sources of early (often burst) mana regen in the game (bottle, soul ring, arcane boots, magic wand, basilius) that CM's aura just isn't that great, even with the recent buff. Her aura was great when it was one of the few sources of mana regen in the game, but that was years ago. I like her, but I'd be hard pressed to pick her up over lion or shadow shaman (or veno, rubick, jakiro, kotl, leshrac etc).

    Max aura is an extra nova every 25 sec, an extra frostbite every ~29 sec or an extra stormbolt for your sven (and the other 3 characters on your team) every 70 sec. Is that better than an extra 1.5 sec of disable and 105 damage from leveling frostbite? Or the extra 150 damage you get from leveling nova? I'd say usually not. I think you'd have to build around the aura, and I wouldn't even know what heroes to pick, nor do I think its a strong enough skill to build a team around. How many heroes are so mana dependent that an extra 2 mana/sec wins them their lane?

    hey @3clipse, tell me more about this luna in the competitive meta

    also: man lina's original art kicked ass. Stupid normal hair. I want fire hair. That needs to be one of her cosmetic things.

    valiance on
  • PeewiPeewi Registered User regular
    I like the look of red Death Prophet, but I think Saints Row Silencer is kind of weird.
    Dota2_DP_InGame01.jpg

  • 3cl1ps33cl1ps3 I will build a labyrinth to house the cheese Registered User regular
    valiance wrote: »
    valiance wrote: »
    I feel like there's enough sources of early (often burst) mana regen in the game (bottle, soul ring, arcane boots, magic wand, basilius) that CM's aura just isn't that great, even with the recent buff. Her aura was great when it was one of the few sources of mana regen in the game, but that was years ago. I like her, but I'd be hard pressed to pick her up over lion or shadow shaman (or veno, rubick, jakiro, kotl, leshrac etc).

    Max aura is an extra nova every 25 sec, an extra frostbite every ~29 sec or an extra stormbolt for your sven (and the other 3 characters on your team) every 70 sec. Is that better than an extra 1.5 sec of disable and 105 damage from leveling frostbite? Or the extra 150 damage you get from leveling nova? I'd say usually not. I think you'd have to build around the aura, and I wouldn't even know what heroes to pick, nor do I think its a strong enough skill to build a team around. How many heroes are so mana dependent that an extra 2 mana/sec wins them their lane?

    hey @3clipse, tell me more about this luna in the competitive meta

    also: man lina's original art kicked ass. Stupid normal hair. I want fire hair. That needs to be one of her cosmetic things.

    I don't know the name of the tournament, but it's been on Beyond The Summit TV showing a bunch of Chinese teams going through a bracket. LGD.int (as opposed to LGD.cn) picked her in every game before today and was undefeated, and she was definitely contributing.

    I dunno if this will carry over into all competitive play but she's definitely starting to see some in some scenes. LGD.cn picked her against LGD.int today (first game they didn't take her) and got brutalized, probably because they don't know how to play her xD

    Na'Vi picked her against Svenhunterz in this game going on right now

  • Arsenic CanaryArsenic Canary A Whirlwind of Joy Registered User regular
    So, maybe you guys can help me understand something. Please note that I am still new, and fairly bad at this game.

    I picked Keeper for a recent match (Match 73133095, for those interested). I bought the damn couriers, I warded (well, when I remembered [not often]; really need to work on this), I acted as the resident Mana Fairy. And I pushed lanes, which is sometimes a bad thing? I guess? I don't know.

    Anyway, the game went poorly, which, you know, whatever. It happens. But by the end of the game, people were calling me useless? I didn't feel useless. I was pushing creep waves, defending our base (often alone), and generally tried to support as well as possible.

    Things I know I did wrong: I got a little overzealous with teleporting allies when I thought they were in trouble (turns out they usually weren't), and I didn't ward as well as I should. I'm still trying to figure out placement, etc.

    It could absolutely be that I'm an unreliable narrator in this instance, but it seems like this is a common thread in the games I play; most people are more concerned about padding out their K:D ratio than actually winning the fucking game. Also, defense seems to be completely ignored? I often pushed back several creep waves by myself because Sniper and Slark seemed to be too busy trying to get more kills.

    Anyway, it may be that I'm just playing the hero wrong; any input would be welcome.

    Steam: arsenic_canary
  • 3cl1ps33cl1ps3 I will build a labyrinth to house the cheese Registered User regular
    If I have a chance later I will watch the game, but as a general rule, people will blame someone else for losing the game even if their own performance was awful.

  • Arsenic CanaryArsenic Canary A Whirlwind of Joy Registered User regular
    3clipse wrote: »
    If I have a chance later I will watch the game, but as a general rule, people will blame someone else for losing the game even if their own performance was awful.
    Which might be the case here (me being bitter about people calling me out on a terrible match).

    It seems like Keeper is super dangerous early game, but he seems to decline in power towards mid- to late-game?

    Steam: arsenic_canary
  • milskimilski Poyo! Registered User regular
    Well, those items certainly look interesting. Downloading the replay now, but two DCs, two Vlad's on your team, NS with S&Y into Vlads into what looks like blade mail with an unupgraded wand...

    This'll be interesting.

    I ate an engineer
  • Arsenic CanaryArsenic Canary A Whirlwind of Joy Registered User regular
    Well, SB quit pretty early on, as did the other team's Morph. The game was kind of a CF.

    Steam: arsenic_canary
  • 3cl1ps33cl1ps3 I will build a labyrinth to house the cheese Registered User regular
    edited December 2012
    Keeper is pretty useful all game long. He's really dangerous around level 4-8, when he can Chakra/Illuminate all damn day, but Illuminate is always useful for decimating creep waves. I'd say he's relevant the whole game.

    Supports generally are, as are Initiators. It's generally carries, semi-carries, and gankers that have the most variability depending on game state.

    3cl1ps3 on
  • HuntingNoobHuntingNoob Registered User regular
    edited December 2012
    LGD vs MUFC game 2

    link to vod

    spoiler
    The game itself isn't that entertaining but the ending. What a comeback.

    HuntingNoob on
This discussion has been closed.