LoL -> Dota 2 Transition

[jemd13]

Hello everyone!

After a while I've finally decided to try and get into Dota 2...I've been playing LoL since beta (with a few on and offs of course) and it's a really fun game to play with friends. Now, most of my friends who played LoL with me have gone over to Dota 2...When it was still in beta, I got an invite and tried playing and didn't like it very much... Now I'm giving it a second try, this time with a friend who is also a long time LoL player,and we are both trying to learn the game.

Thing is, I'm having quite a hard time making the transition from LoL to Dota. Of course the core objectives of the game are the same (they are both mobas after all), but there are A LOT of different things in Dota, so I would like to hear some tips to learn how to play it right, and I also have a couple of questions.

Just so ya'll know, I have watched videos (beginner guides and tutorials) and will continue to do so, and I've read the skills of some champions as well as the items in the Dota Library. So, here are my questions, any other tips to make this transition easier are of course welcome :

1 - My friend who is kinda teaching me how to play keeps telling me about all these strategies that he and my other friends do, like standing infront of the minion wave of your lane at the start of the game to make your minions walk faster. Or pulling the monsters from the jungle over to the lane so that your creeps will help you kill them,things like that. Are these necessary for a beginner? Should I actually bother to do these things when trying to learn? Or should I not bother?.

2 - How am I supossed to know if I have to buy the courier (not sure how it's spelled) for my team?. Should I just buy the starting items and let someone else do it? Does it depend on the role I play?

3 - Should I bother denying the minions so that the other team doesn't get as much exp/gold? Or as a beginner I shoudn't bother? Or just do it if I get the chance? Is it really important?

4 - Any recommended champions or type of champion (strength,agility,intelligence) for a beginner? I used to love to play as a solo top or a support in LoL, but from what my friend's told me, support is a lot more responsability and more difficult here in Dota 2.

5 - Last question, my friend tells me most of the items in the game are totally situational and I will build em depending on what champions the other team has, and also that usually the items stats don't matter as much as the Active or passive effects of the item. Is this true? In that case, how do I know what to build? Just read all the items and try to make up some kind of strategy? Keep in mind I don't really know all the champions and their skill sets yet.

Any other tips are welcome like I said, thanks a lot, and sorry for asking so many questions xD

[d0e1ow]

Hey there, I'll take a crack at helping you out since I see you're not getting very many replies.

1. It's good to see these strategies taking place, but if you are a beginner to DotA, then no, do not worry about doing them. You should be focusing on the basic mechanics of the game. Learning the "phases" (laning, ganking, etc), learning the different heroes, learning items, and focusing on mechanics like last hitting and warding. Learning how to pull all fancy and such comes later. This game is going to take you a LONG time to master, so just strap in and take in in bite size portions. I don't think anyone ever fully masters this game tbh.

2. Usually the support will buy the courier, or someone who is a semi-support/utility. It isn't uncommon when I play with friends for one of us to go utility and another to go full support. One of us will pick up wards, another the courier. It's good to share the load for things like this. It pays off in the end. My best advice if you are playing public matchmaking is simply to ask your team. "Who is buying courier." Once you get a feel for the roles in the game you will sort of instinctively learn when you should be buying the courier.

3. This kind of goes back to 1. Once you feel comfortable enough in your own farming and understanding of the core mechanics, then you can move on to denying. It can be pretty important if you are laning against a hero very dependent on strong early game farm. You will pick this skill up over time when you feel comfortable with the basics.

4. I learned the game on Death Prophet. A utility/semi carry type hero. It varies from person to person though. The game recommends "beginner heroes" but I'd stay away from heroes such as Sniper because they bring very little to the game itself. Heroes that illustrate how the game works but are not too complicated are good for learning. This is why I chose Death Prophet to play with a lot when I started the game. Try going for utility characters. You won't be hard supporting, but you won't be carrying either. Middle of the road so there is more leeway.

5. This is another skill you will develop over time. Your friend is correct to a point. You do have a main stat in the game, but no secondary stat is ever totally useless, especially strength because it grants you health. You will very often see intelligence and agility heroes build something like Heart of Tarassque (SP?) in the late game despite it being a strength item. Try using sites like DotAbuff and such to get a feel for popular builds, and over time you will develop your own sense of how things work. Once you get your basic game down don't be afraid to start branching out and using your imagination with your item builds. That's where the game really shines imo, and millions of matches have been won because someone makes a split second, unorthodox decision when it comes to building an item and subsequently totally turns the tide of the game. It's great when it happens.

I guess my parting tip to you would be to spectate pro DotA games a lot. You will see nifty things that make you go "HEY! Why didn't I try that?!" And you'll start playing better. Link up with some good friends to play with... use your imagination. Don't sweat it too bad when you're a year into playing and still don't know most of the game, that's DotA for you.

Have fun.

[potis]

1)No, these things are not for beginners, its good to do but its too much information for someone that came from LoL, wait a bit before you start doing that, if you randomly remember to do the pulls then okay, but otherwise focus on learning heroes/items/situations/counter situations, as example if you see the team just picked Engima/Broodmother/Chen/Enchantress/Lycan, it means they are going for early push with summons/adds.. Get a Keeper of the Light/Jakiro counter the shit out of their push with the insane range waves, stuff like that.

2)Generally, the supports buy the Courier, but if no one does its good to buy it for yourself/team..This is a long subject but to give you an easier image...

Most "Caster" type heroes are generally a support in Dota, of course there are the carry types like Storm Spirit and Puck because they are Initiators also but the general rule is that if the hero deals a lot of ability damage, he is generally considered a caster, hence a support, they can be played other ways, but if you pick them and arent middle, you are expected to support, aka buy Courier/Wards/Let the carry farm/Harass.

A "caster" type hero as example is Nyx and Sand King they are both Strength but one is an initiator support/middle hero, the other is a Middle/Ganker Support type or Earthshaker, Initiator/Support.

Windrunner another example..Is a support but can become a carry, Dota is like that, you will learn things as you go, just completely forget the mentality of LoL.

3)YES!, Denying is a big aspect of winning the early game, firstly you outlevel your opponent easily, secondly they do not get any gold, denying is a huge aspect at any level play.

4)Recommended champions eh.

Agility would be Drow..Right clicking and a silence now and then, she is really squishy though so careful, another easy Agility is Viper, insane early game damage, gets a bit weaker after but you can do so much damage and gank so much early/mid game that it makes up for it!

Strength wise ..Sven, stun and right click...Skeleton King..Stun and Right click.

Intelligence heroes and supports..And you need to forget the solo top mentality..Top lane is totally different in Dota than LoL..For the bottom team its called "Suicide/Hard Lane" for the top team its called "Free farm" lane, its completely different from LoL.

Now for intelligence heroes..They can pretty much ALL support, apart from the fact that some are better to be played as Middle/Carries/Initiators.

The middle/Carries Intelligence ...Queen of Pain/Tinker/Storm Spirit/Puck/Invoker/Outworld Destroyer/Zeus/Batrider then there are the intelligence that are support and Junglers.. Engima/Dark Seer/Batrider/Enchantress.

Some easy supports to play that are powerful..Dazzle the hero is very basic and rather strong, just dont forget that Heal = Damage if player is in melee range of others or creeps, he is really powerful!

Other easy Intelligence support is Warlock, dot that heals, Share Damage and big ass golem ulti, pretty basic, easy for beginners.

And yes, supports arent "I will stand with the Ranged AD Carry in bottom lane and wait for it to farm", in Dota as a support you are expected to Ward/Counter Ward/Stack the big jungle mobs/Stack the Ancient jungle mobs/Roam for the Rune every 2 minutes so the other middle wont take it/Roam to gank/Tp to assist another lane asap/Pull the jungle to the wave to farm..And some other things i am probably forgetting like Buy Courier/Build to heal your team with Mekansm and at the same time get some decent XP so you arent behind a lot.

5)Your friend is right, this isnt LoL where you can simply go.."Okay, same item build as always", most of the time you will need to learn to ignore the recommended builds to counter some heroes or situations..

As example a Storm Spirit as an opponent requires an Orchid Malevolence on your team, silence him and he cant do shit, aka easy gank, same with Anti-Mage, silence no blink, you can actually gank him.. there are many items like that, you need to figure out what and when over time of playing.

[Lysah]

Denying isn't a huge deal, if you watch even high level players they actually don't get that many denies. I think most people average like ten a game. That doesn't mean you let your enemies get last hits, however. If you can hit your own creeps just to mess them up so they don't get the last hit, that is what is important. Actually getting deny credit is a secondary success. Along with this, learning how to freeze a lane so that the creeps don't move is what is actually the most important part of laning, in my opinion.

[PyroVK]

Everyone has given you some great, in-depth advice that I'd definitely agree with. So, some of my advice might echo or sound similar, but here are my thoughts:

1. Get a feel for the game first. After you've played a good number of games, have an idea of early/mid/late game, and a basic knowledge of most heroes, then you can try those things out.

2. Supports buy couriers. You'll know what a support is after playing your fair share of games and instinctively distinguishing who a support hero is. However, rarely, you might play All Random and somehow your team is all carry, or your Random/Single Draft team is weird. In this case, just ask your team who should buy courier, or use your best judgment.

3. It's definitely an important skill to learn and get in the habit of... But it's not something to get stressed over. You'll naturally learn to deny after you're comfortable with last hits. Then, one game you'll be like... "Hey my creep is low... I wonder what happens if I... *deny*... HOLY CRAP IT WORKS!"

4. For strength: Sven, Centaur, Skeleton King, Lifestealer, or Chaos Knight. Agility: Juggernaut, Drow, Luna, Vengeful Spirit, or Viper. Intelligence: Zeus, Windrunner, Ogre Magi, or Lion. This may sound weird, but I think it would be a good idea to learn from heroes that don't really have escape mechanisms (blink or invisibility). I say this because you'll get a better feel of when or where on the map it's dangerous to go alone. You'll have to rely on your map awareness instead of your hero skill.

5. It is not a crime to explore different builds in Dota2. In fact, it's what makes this game so exciting! You'll develop knowledge of items and builds over time. This skill kinda comes hand in hand with hero knowledge and learning how to counter specific heroes. In addition, knowing what items to grab also comes from anticipating the flow of each individual game you play. For example, whether buying a dps item or a utility/survivability item is right for your hero in a tough game where the flow of the game is against you. Also, it depends on what items your teammates are buying too. If someone already has a Mekanism, then maybe grab a Drums of Endurance or a Pipe of Insight if you want to help with utility? It's about (and this goes double for supports and teamfight heroes) buying items that will compliment your team.

Couple of advice... Hmmm:
Remember that this game's learning curve is super tough, so don't get discouraged. Don't let douchebags ruin your fun. Don't try to learn the game with micro heroes like Lone Druid. Have fun and try to be nice (even though some people won't be).

[Lysah]

Oh, and I will say that no role is inherently easier than any other role. Support seems easier to a lot of people because it's more obvious what you have to do, but actually doing it separates bad supports from good ones, and the difference is very noticeable. Play around with whatever heroes and roles you like the most and try to learn how to properly play them, first. I usually suggest not starting with support for new players because they tend to just put wards up/buy crow and think their job is done when there is so much more to the role.

[jemd13]

Hm alright...Also, I assume it's better to play against bots for now before going against other people?

[Vorkreist]

Support or nuke/initiator is better if you're a beginner. Trying to go straight carry when you don't know the game that well will lead into game ruining.
You'll notice that when you'll get drafted in teams that pick 3-4 agi heroes and proceed in getting rolled because of this.

[Lostprophet]

Hm alright...Also, I assume it's better to play against bots for now before going against other people?

For learning the Heroes, yes. But many things u wont learn there coz the bots are very predictable and have sometimes strange behaviour:>

[Marston]

For learning the Heroes, yes. But many things u wont learn there coz the bots are very predictable and have sometimes strange behaviour:>

This. If you want to test a new hero or something else, bots are great. But some things you just won't learn. And even if those are only errors only a player would do.

[Dtloweca]

Hello everyone!

After a while I've finally decided to try and get into Dota 2...I've been playing LoL since beta (with a few on and offs of course) and it's a really fun game to play with friends. Now, most of my friends who played LoL with me have gone over to Dota 2...When it was still in beta, I got an invite and tried playing and didn't like it very much... Now I'm giving it a second try, this time with a friend who is also a long time LoL player,and we are both trying to learn the game.

Thing is, I'm having quite a hard time making the transition from LoL to Dota. Of course the core objectives of the game are the same (they are both mobas after all), but there are A LOT of different things in Dota, so I would like to hear some tips to learn how to play it right, and I also have a couple of questions.

Just so ya'll know, I have watched videos (beginner guides and tutorials) and will continue to do so, and I've read the skills of some champions as well as the items in the Dota Library. So, here are my questions, any other tips to make this transition easier are of course welcome :

1 - My friend who is kinda teaching me how to play keeps telling me about all these strategies that he and my other friends do, like standing infront of the minion wave of your lane at the start of the game to make your minions walk faster. Or pulling the monsters from the jungle over to the lane so that your creeps will help you kill them,things like that. Are these necessary for a beginner? Should I actually bother to do these things when trying to learn? Or should I not bother?.

2 - How am I supossed to know if I have to buy the courier (not sure how it's spelled) for my team?. Should I just buy the starting items and let someone else do it? Does it depend on the role I play?

3 - Should I bother denying the minions so that the other team doesn't get as much exp/gold? Or as a beginner I shoudn't bother? Or just do it if I get the chance? Is it really important?

4 - Any recommended champions or type of champion (strength,agility,intelligence) for a beginner? I used to love to play as a solo top or a support in LoL, but from what my friend's told me, support is a lot more responsability and more difficult here in Dota 2.

5 - Last question, my friend tells me most of the items in the game are totally situational and I will build em depending on what champions the other team has, and also that usually the items stats don't matter as much as the Active or passive effects of the item. Is this true? In that case, how do I know what to build? Just read all the items and try to make up some kind of strategy? Keep in mind I don't really know all the champions and their skill sets yet.

Any other tips are welcome like I said, thanks a lot, and sorry for asking so many questions xD

1. As a beginner it depends on how avid of a moba player you are. Positioning, Not bashing LoL it's just my opinion, is a lot more important in dota 2 as one combo from one pair can possibly kill you even at full health. You should only block really if you're in the non safe lane (safe for radiant is bot for dire it's top). IMO I would just stick to learning everything else and consider pulling from the jungle in lane once you either know a hero well enough and aren't being overloaded with mechanics or when you just feel comfortable doing it.

2. If you're playing a support you buy it if there is not one if there is already one then buy wards. If you're a carry you can either wait till the game is almost started and just bite the bullet and buy it anyway or you can gamble and hope someone else buys it. FYI the courier can be killed

3. If you're support it depends you can try just harassing people out of lane if youre positioning is good and you know when to do it (Pro tip if there is an enemy melee just right click him every time one of your creeps is about to die he will probably be running to it). Or if you would rather play it safe you can focus on denying more and less on harrass

4. Lich, Warlock, and CM. All are great versatile and are well rounded enough they will be relevant in higher bracets and play friendly with just about every carry.

5. Stats do matter to some extent but the uses of items are typically more important. It seems confusing but it's really not when you learn heroes just by playing games and you read what the items do. does your team need more CC? Get a euls. Do you need an escape? Get a force staff. Does the enemy team have a right clicker thats destroying you? Get a ghost scepter. Is mana an issue? Get mana boots if its not well you get the idea.

[jemd13]

Do people get mad and start bashing at me for buying items that aren't supossed to be for my hero?o.o....Like, yesterday I played with my friend who has been playing Dota for a while, + 3 bots against other 5 bots, just to practice. I picked brewmaster and I had to go middle, I was agains't a ranged champ so I was getting harassed, the first item I bought after the boots that give mana was a vanguard. Then my friend told me it wasn't a bad item, but not something you buy on Brewmaster because he's more of an offensive character,and told me I shoudn't do that in a real game... Do I just stick to guides and following other people's builds for now?

[Marston]

Stick to guides. You can even open one ingame and see suggested items and even abilities you should skill at level X. It's not the holy grail of course, but it's more than enough to guide you at the beginning.

[Dtloweca]

Do people get mad and start bashing at me for buying items that aren't supossed to be for my hero?o.o....Like, yesterday I played with my friend who has been playing Dota for a while, + 3 bots against other 5 bots, just to practice. I picked brewmaster and I had to go middle, I was agains't a ranged champ so I was getting harassed, the first item I bought after the boots that give mana was a vanguard. Then my friend told me it wasn't a bad item, but not something you buy on Brewmaster because he's more of an offensive character,and told me I shoudn't do that in a real game... Do I just stick to guides and following other people's builds for now?

It depends on the people. You're better off just following guides for the most part till you understand the game well enough to make your own decisions.

[kelsemrize]

Hello everyone!

After a while I've finally decided to try and get into Dota 2...I've been playing LoL since beta (with a few on and offs of course) and it's a really fun game to play with friends. Now, most of my friends who played LoL with me have gone over to Dota 2...When it was still in beta, I got an invite and tried playing and didn't like it very much... Now I'm giving it a second try, this time with a friend who is also a long time LoL player,and we are both trying to learn the game.

Thing is, I'm having quite a hard time making the transition from LoL to Dota. Of course the core objectives of the game are the same (they are both mobas after all), but there are A LOT of different things in Dota, so I would like to hear some tips to learn how to play it right, and I also have a couple of questions.

Just so ya'll know, I have watched videos (beginner guides and tutorials) and will continue to do so, and I've read the skills of some champions as well as the items in the Dota Library. So, here are my questions, any other tips to make this transition easier are of course welcome :

1 - My friend who is kinda teaching me how to play keeps telling me about all these strategies that he and my other friends do, like standing infront of the minion wave of your lane at the start of the game to make your minions walk faster. Or pulling the monsters from the jungle over to the lane so that your creeps will help you kill them,things like that. Are these necessary for a beginner? Should I actually bother to do these things when trying to learn? Or should I not bother?.

2 - How am I supossed to know if I have to buy the courier (not sure how it's spelled) for my team?. Should I just buy the starting items and let someone else do it? Does it depend on the role I play?

3 - Should I bother denying the minions so that the other team doesn't get as much exp/gold? Or as a beginner I shoudn't bother? Or just do it if I get the chance? Is it really important?

4 - Any recommended champions or type of champion (strength,agility,intelligence) for a beginner? I used to love to play as a solo top or a support in LoL, but from what my friend's told me, support is a lot more responsability and more difficult here in Dota 2.

5 - Last question, my friend tells me most of the items in the game are totally situational and I will build em depending on what champions the other team has, and also that usually the items stats don't matter as much as the Active or passive effects of the item. Is this true? In that case, how do I know what to build? Just read all the items and try to make up some kind of strategy? Keep in mind I don't really know all the champions and their skill sets yet.

Any other tips are welcome like I said, thanks a lot, and sorry for asking so many questions xD

If you realize all these things, then do them, don't listen to people telling you not to bother, do your best, practice everything you can, every bit helps! But one single most important step for transaction like that is ofc learning the heroes and their abilities! Good luck!

Oh ! And watch some streams, both tournament play and POV from pro players!

[Drunkenvalley]

1. Creep blocking is neat, and if you can do it in mid and your offlane that's great. It helps you get a minor advantage in position.

2. If you're picking a support just buy it right away, unless another support just did. If the other support bought it you can buy wards. If he bought both you can buy a Sentry Ward vs invis heroes, and if you don't I suggest you keep 200g handy. If they have anything to block your creep camp you might want to buy a pair.

3. If you're support then generally don't bother as more than a "on the way out of there" thing. Just try and harass them off and then get to stacking/pulling creepcamp, or roam, or put down observer wards, etc.

4. I don't recommend any particular role, but I recommend avoiding more difficult heroes to start. Preferably speaking you should limit your complexity so you can focus on just improving your mechanics in general. Heroes that will be unnecessarily complex for your skill level are ones like Meepo, Chen & Enchantress to start who really, really need to micro to do well. I also don't like heroes like OD because his ult is a bit wonky to operate with.

5. Mostly people will pick fairly classic items, but will have to adapt their setup depending on the enemy, that is true. Your friend's notion that items are picked for its effects rather than stats is a bit misleading. Most items are indeed going to be chosen for stats, but stat-gains are also huge benefits. Items like Heart of Tarrasque are really great for its passive, but in HoT's case its HP bonus is huge at 1160.

[Rucati]

Lots of good advice in here. I'll add in my 2 cents for the questions as well, and hopefully be of some help.

1. As far as blocking creeps in lane in the beginning of the game, you kind of might as well because there's nothing else to really do and it does give you better positioning. You only do it once per game, unless you're bored during the laning phase and need to push the creeps back, but pulling is better. Pulling creeps from the jungle is pretty important if you're a support in short lane. Your job is to help the carry farm creeps, and pulling the jungle to get the wave back helps tremendously. It's not the most super important thing ever, no, but it is really helpful and something you should definitely learn. Stack the camp by attacking it and running at XX:52 and then attack the camp at like XX:46 and run into the lane with it.

2. Supports should buy a courier and wards at the beginning of every game. There are generally 2-3 supports on a team, so one should buy courier and one should buy wards. If you're a support definitely buy a courier unless someone else did. If you have 3 supports and one buys courier and wards you can upgrade the courier because a flying courier helps a lot all game.

3. Denying is the most important part of the laning phase by far. Definitely do it, it's one of the key differences between LoL and DotA, and you definitely need to get used to it early on. I can't honestly tell you that you shouldn't bother, it's just too important. That's basically how you win the laning phase.

4. Supports are probably the easiest, although they are harder than in LoL. A hero like Lich is a good starting hero, infinite mana, a strong nuke and a strong ult that can sit back and harass. Lion, Lich, Lina, are all good supports/nukers that will be pretty easy to play and sit back with while you get the hang of it. In team fights if you just pop all your skills and die you still pretty much did your job.

5. This is probably the biggest difference between DotA and LoL, items require much more thought and you'll buy different items almost every game. In LoL I can buy the same items on a hero for 100 straight games, in DotA that isn't the case with the majority of heroes. There are some items you should always buy. Boots and Magic Wand for example you'll want on every hero every game. But high end items, things like Black King Bar, are entirely situational and you should only buy them if you need the active and remember to use it.

From what I've seen, the hardest part of DotA for LoL players is denying, activating items, and mana management. Mainly because LoL doesn't have any of that I'd imagine. Denying just takes some getting used to, but it's good for two reasons. First off, you win the lane by denying, and secondly once you start playing carries you'll be better at last hitting your creeps. Activating items just takes some getting used to, LoL doesn't have that many while in DotA I can play a hero like Storm Spirit and have 6 items that I need to activate multiple times per team fight, can get to be a lot but start with a couple and move up. An item like Force Staff is good in the majority of situations on a support, and it's an active that can definitely save your life, might to focus on buying that sometimes in games. Can also help your teammates a lot. And mana management just takes some getting used to as well, in LoL you can just spam your skills nonstop on any hero, while in DotA you need to focus a lot more. A hero like Sven can only stun once and then has to wait like a full minute or more for mana before he can do it again. Definitely a very big playstyle difference.

Any other questions feel free to ask or PM me or whatever. I'm sure people will help.

[MMKing]

1. Blocking plays a major part in Dota 2. Blocking creeps to force enemy creeps into your tower range, blocking enemy heroes from escaping or even blocking them entirely between minions and/or trees. Pulling can be extremely important, watched a pro match the other day where a hero was able to pull the enemy creep spawn around the entirety of his team's jungle. He was playing Gondar btw.

Bonus on blocking.

Run into the tight forest when being chased by enemy heroes, minions from either side must follow as well. Then activate your phase boots, which will allow you to pass through minions and run through your pursuers and the minions behind them. This will effectively trap your enemy for an extended period, this can possibly grant you a kill if they have no way of getting out quickly or damaging you at a distance.

2. A courier should always enter play at level one. Play a few games with your friends and look for trends in who buys courier. Alternatively, wait until everyone spent beyond 150 gold left then purchase the courier if it has not yet been purchased.

3. Deny minions at every turn. Ranged = 60% exp loss, melee = 100% exp loss for enemy heroes in the vicinity. However, try to calculate whether or not it is safe to do so. As your skill level increases you should be able to calculate enemy mana remaining, stun/slow capabilities etc to see if it's worth it.

4. Don't play hard lane (hard lane: The lane without a jungle next to it), as the name implies it is the hard lane. Try to support in the safe lane, preferably as 3 in the lane, 2 in the lane + 1 in the woods or 3 in lane with the last player focusing on pulling minions from the lane into your jungle. Try to avoid middle for some time as well. It's generally hard to feed at bot with good players mid/top who calls SS relatively quickly.

5. In LOL you may end up with boots + a few decent items. In Dota 2 it's entirely possible that the support runs around at the 45 minute mark with upgraded boots (about 1500) + 2-3 wards, dust of appearance and dust of disguise (forgot the exact name)

As for situational items. Some items are practically required in some situations but should be avoided entirely at all costs in other situations. The order in which you acquire items should also vary. Played Naix the other day vs Ursa. His extreme physical burst damage forced me to skip armlet and go straight for Assault cuirass for the armor for myself and my team.

BONUS!

6. Scroll of teleportation. Teleport to any tower or minion on the map with a 135 gold scroll (about 3 minions kills gold). Very situation, sometimes the 135 gold is worth it to get back into lane to catch minions for gold and exp. The scroll has a cooldown of about a minute, so you won't be able to defend towers at the opposite end of the map for some time. Also prepare for all 5 of the enemy team appear out of the blue.

[Hermanni]

3. Deny minions at every turn. Ranged = 60% exp loss, melee = 100% exp loss for enemy heroes in the vicinity. However, try to calculate whether or not it is safe to do so. As your skill level increases you should be able to calculate enemy mana remaining, stun/slow capabilities etc to see if it's worth it.

I have to point out that the only way to deny 100% of xp on a mob is by Sacrifice or Demonic Conversion. Normally a denied creep, regardless of type, gives 66% of the normal xp to enemy melee heroes, and 33% to enemy ranged heroes: http://www.playdota.com/mechanics/experience. Which means that landing actual denies against ranged heroes is slightly more important than when playing against melee heroes.

[jemd13]

Alright, thanks all, then I'll do my best to get used to this game xD. Thanks for all the advice :P apreciated!