A Complete Dota 2 Guide for League Players and Beginners 

FINALLY, SOMETHING THAT CAN MAKE MANY PEOPLE START PLAYING DOTA INSTEAD OF QUITTING!

fact: more dota 2 players watched this than actual players who want to learn the game.

Me: played dota 2 for 7 years, Also me: interesting.

There are videos that explain the simplest 5 tips in half an hour, just rambling and making you frustrated. You took very essential tips, put them in 12 minutes, and somehow made it feel like 1 minute. I learned so much, and I honestly didn't understand where time went. Great job, mate, and thank you for all the information!

I'm not even good at league still I'm here burning my last 3 brain cells to learn this game😭

Dota 2 - You don't care

Wow I got so used to playing Dota that i forgot how hard and complex it is for newer players

I actually just downloaded Dota 2. Have never tried this or Dota before but I just heard how complicated this was compared to LoL. After watching ur vid, still looks insanely complex, but really appreciate you making this and highlighting the things you do and don’t need to focus on as a beginner. Nice job man !

For anyone stumbling upon this vid now. Dota 2 now has a much better tutorial for new users that actually teaches you how to play the game. The video does clear up a lot of things though and is a very good source of information

There are some important aspects that has to be taught to league players. The most important thing that isn't taught in many guides is healing. In league, if you get low, you have a 8 second recall and you spend the next 30 seconds walking back to lane. Doing so in league will not incur any penalties if one crashes the creep wave under the opponents tower to reset the wave. However, in dota, there is a courier system that enables people to ship regen items like salves, mangos, clarities and tangos. Therefore in most scenarios during the laning phase, dota heroes do not need to go back to base in most cases. But league players are bound by the mentality that if one needs to heal, one has to go back to base. This mentality screws up the play style and makes league players look like complete bots when they start dota. The next important thing that isn't taught to league players is the concept of dying. There is a large stigma to dying for league players. If you die, your opponent gains 300 gold, gains a free wave 120 gold and denies your wave (120 gold for you), making one death worth roughly 500 gold and lots of xp, enabling a lane to snowball out of hand. However, in dota, dying is not all that bad except for the pos 1 and pos 2. Supports can go super aggressive so as to draw pressure from the opponent so as to let their carries farm safely. The penalty of death is not as huge as it is in league as long as the pos 3-5s can waste their opponent's time. League players enter this game playing very safe, believing that their lives are very precious and blaming any other people with a high death count that is drawing pressure. This safe play means that league players end up doing nothing for the team. The last important thing that is not taught to league players are the roles. In league, roles are simple, top lane, you play tank, jungle, you play ganker, all you have to do is to outplay your opponent and stomp your lane to win. But in dota, different positions have different game plans. It's not just about stomping your opponent in lane. But this concept is never explained to league players. League players end up playing offlane safely so that they can scale like what they do in league. League players play support by harassing opponent in lane like what they do in league and end up soaking xp without pulling/stacking. League players end up joining in lots of fights playing safe lane carry because that is what they do in league. League players are essentially screwed when they play dota because they play dota like they play league. Most guides just ignore the basics of basics simply because they think it's so self-explanatory. No it isn't - especially for players that have developed habits from other games.

datohleong: there's zero jungle role sea players: hold my tango

This is a godsend. I've wanted to get into Dota for awhile, but every guide is really long and tries to explain every little thing, drowning the important things for a new player to know in tediousness. Being able to watch this video and learn only what I need to know to start playing without feeling overwhelmed is exactly what I needed

Dota is so much fun if you have a friend who you want to catch up to. I started playing cause my friends invited me. It was honestly so much fun to learn, whenever i figured out a new mechanics id try to get it down as quickly as possible. Sadly now if i play dota it takes too much of my time so i just chill playing leauge and valorant.

As a league player my head almost exploded from the amount of complexity. I can see similarities between the games like some of those runes being like red and blue buff but the whole high ground thing, being able to kill your own creeps, and a hidden shop outside of base blew my mind

Wow! I was wondering whether to start playing DotA or LOL now I've made up my mind. I really love the depth, intensity and complexity of the game mechanics.

Finally, I found a guide that makes sense! As a league player I've wanted to get into doda for a while now. Thank you so much for this guide!

Him: Pick a low complexity hero Also him: *Demos invoker*

Dota2 "You can't Pay to win" but you can pay to lose.

Настолько прекрасно описал минимальные знания о доте. Я в шоке, сколько нужно знать новичку. Я это уже прошел, но до сих пор дота сложная и поэтому интересная игра. Спасибо за твои видео.

Just started this week and it helped a lot, can’t wait to start playing !!! Looks so much fun 💪🏼

I like how simple you made the game sound lol, the whole "you don't care" just takes away all the nerves i had before downloading the game. I played Dota back in the day then onto to League for the past 10 yrs. Thought i would suck trying out Dota 2 since i found Dota mechanics difficult but after watching this, I really don't care whether i suck or not, just gonna jump in and see what happens.

I played dota 2 for years on SEA server, now i know how to curse in different languages.

The video showed me how complicated this game is, and it helped me make up my mind to just stay in league

Thanks for mentioning high lvl mechanics and telling people not to worry, I’m a league player but I’ve been too afraid to try DOTA because I don’t want to learn so much all at once, the repetitive “you don’t care” really helps with that

No one: DATOHLEONG: Yea, that's cool. But you don't care.

The whole game - “you don’t care”.

brand new to dota here, played league of legends for a while thanks for the video. I like how you say when "you don't care" because there is so much new players shouldn't focus on it seems

As a league player, not much experienced with it(6-7 months), i think it's seen more challenging and confusing at same time. I think it would take time to get used to some things like playing to get objectives with a new playstyle and itemization(seem more interesting than lol). btw I really liked the wave control.

Main differences to look out for in Dota as a beginner coming from LoL: 1. You have to buy Teleport consumables in Dota. Everyone can (and must) buy TP. In more skilled brackets, players will TP to protect their teammates from dives and their towers from split pushers, so keep that in mind. 2. You don't turn instantly when moving in the opposite direction as you are facing. There is a short delay called a 'turn rate'. 3. You can kill your own team's creeps, denying the enemy gold and experience. You can only do this with auto attacks, and only when the creep is below 50% HP. 4. There are lots of point-and-click CC and burst abilities, so don't rely on your skillshot dodging skills from LoL to outplay enemies. 5. You cannot recall to base. You can, however, TP to your fountain by using the consumable TP item. 6. You lose gold when you die. 7. You don't have to be near shop to buy items. When you're away, the items will be put into your "stash" and can be retrieved either personally or using a Courier. 8. You don't have Runes, Summoner Spells or Trinkets. 9. If you have enough gold, you can "buyback" and respawn at base. Use this only when you absolutely have to, as buyback has a long cooldown and part of your remaining death timer gets carried over to your next death. 10. Jungle camps do not have respawn timers. They spawn at every minute mark, but only if there are no units in their camp at the time. You can use this to "block" jungle camps from spawning. You can also "stack" camps by pulling the creeps out of the camp zone as the timer is about to hit the next minute mark. 11. There are no Red, Blue, Dragon or Baron buffs. The Baron of the map, Roshan, drops an item called Aegis (similar to how Eye of the Herald is dropped from Rift Herald) that when picked up gives you a stronger Guardian Angel revive effect for 5 minutes, but takes up an inventory slot. Keep in mind that no matter who kills Roshan, anyone can pick up the Aegis. 12. You can divert tower aggro by attack-clicking an allied unit in the tower's range. You don't have to actually perform the attack though. 13. Mechanics and abilities that would be considered OP, unbalanced, anti-fun and game breaking in LoL are commonplace in Dota. Whether or not this is a good thing is up to you.

the funny thing about this is, every mechanics you covered could instantly change in one update ahahahha

Hi! I just downloaded DOTA 2 a few hours ago. This is my first time playing a game with a birds eye view so there’s def a lot I have to learn, so thank you for the video. I’ll take what you’ve said and try my best to apply it :D

hey man, much love from Malaysia. Havent touched this game for 6 years, and recently got back to it. Was so active last time during DOTA 1. This tutorial really did help out on dusting out the rust. just need to update myself on builds and items. Really nervous to get back into online tbh. Its such a weird feeling

2k: Wait you can contest objectives? I thought Roshan is only if you run out of ideas at 40 mins.

This game is so convoluted. How could they think to not make a functional new player experience? Or competent video series at least? This video truly was the best starter guide for newbies.

After I hopefully achieve my goals for League I'll probably drop it for a while to re-learn DOTA again. I do miss the game very much but the last time I actually played a game of DOTA was over a decade ago lol. Guides like yours will be super helpful when I re-assimilate myself back in the DOTA space again. Kinda excited ngl.

Such a great video! Easy to understand and straight to the point. Also, you speak English with greater proficiency than most native English speakers that I know. Thank you so much - Liked and Subbed.

I was addicted to LoL and managed to quit on March this year (2020). To be honest , Dota 2 is way too complicated compared to LoL which I just found out the mechanics i never knew before such as creeps pulling, camps stacking, and many more. And these things made this game more versatile and creative. And thank god, within these mechanics, they helped me to get through Legend 3 recently and I recommend for LoL players to try out this game for once.

The patience taken to make this video is actually inspiring I tried to get my friends to play dota and it was always challenging yet fun next time I'll just share this video lol

The summary could be more detail. There is an order to the objectives: safe lane tier 1, take enemy jungle, ward it, take mid tier 1, pressure safelane t2, take smart fights and set up for rosh, take rosh, use aegis to take enemy triangle, squeeze enemy off entire map, lock them in base, use aegis to hit hg, wait a bit, get 2nd aegis, win game.

I just started playing the game. My first 2 heroes were support.. 2 dragon head thing and the litch both were very interesting.. I'm honestly surprising the depth of litch abilities after 1 match I found he's like super buffer with an op sheild ability

who agrees this is better than dota's beginner sniper tutorial :/

how to enjoy learning dota: step 1 mute teammates voice and chat

My first in depth dota guide and its unlike anything I've seen in other mobas

The biggest help you did was explaining these mechanics and adding "you don't care" as some people get overwhelmed when these things aren't that important when you're just starting out

Random Person: "I wanna play Dota 2" *Watches video Random Person: "I'll play LOL and ML instead"

I would have added to the "every hero is op" part that every hero also has weaknesses, and items can patch those weaknesses to make heroes more powerful that goes beyond just giving damage or tank.

I'm downloading it right now, It'll be my first time playing after all these years of playing League.. Thank you for the tips

Great video! It's great to be told what not to care about when you are starting out so it's not as overwhelming.

Its all fun and games till you see a "ranked match" button

Note: If you play in the SEA server, this guide does not apply.

It's funny because I was thinking about downloading dota, but this video made me change my mind and probably saved quite the time for me haha

I love the "you don't care" aspect of this video and I wish more tutorial video makers would do this instead of trying to overcomplicate or overwhelm viewers on what's meant to be a **beginner's** guide.

When I started years ago the best tip I ever got was how to use the guides. Items are complicated but guides makes it to where you don’t have to worry about what items you should be buying

new drinking game: get a shot of water (stay hydrated bois) everytime datohleaong says U DONT CARE

I quit last weekend playing this. Didn't even know how to return to base lol. This helped. Thanks :)

i love that "but you don't care." You're damn right sir! love the guide!

I miss the Dota 1 days where courier killed will drop the item. 😂

Very Good guide, aware of the most important things new players needed to learn I didnt feel overwhelmed, you went straight to the point. Excellent video.

I got completely overwhelmed trying to jump ship from league, but this all makes sense now. Starcraft Broodwar Moba with map objectives. Makes sense to me.

just started playing, and omg, thank you, your video was the best clear explanation to dota 2, but can you elaborate further in where do i click to preferred items and preferred skills to click. Thank you sir! i hope you create more videos related to tips and tricks

I play PA hard support, I don’t care

this is pretty good. whenever I explain basics to friends they are always dissappointed when I say "don't worry abt that yet" so this is rly useful at least for proving that such a thing is useful. the absolute state of new player experience lol

Who is also here because Riot did a thing? :D

BRO! you have the best catchphrase "you don't care" subed instantly LMAO!

Just wanna say thanks to you man. Being a Dota 2 content creator will help the community grow which has been the game's problem for a very long time now.

As a experienced LOL player that never tried D2, I'm thinking now how LOL looks like a simple game compared with this!

I wanted to understand more about Dota2 and chanced upon your video. I love it! Everytime you say just don’t care about it, I laugh 😂

DATOHLEONG, I loved this video so much, I had to hit the like button!

There are core hero and support hero Sea servers: I don't care

my brain is too smooth for this. Also Im around 8 years into league and I never learned (and still dont care to learn) jungle

I love how many times he says "but you don't care", it is perfect!

As a league player switching out, this got me laughing so hard :D Defo did give me good tips, thanks !

me: i want to learn to play dota datohleong: you dont care

I think the most important thing for new players is to play with bots, increasing their difficulty from passive to unfair. You also can do it with team of other human beings. And learn a little bit about settings, so you can adjust them to your personal preferences. Then watch guides about heroes and some streams (to learn how game will go with actual players), read items descriptions and try it in private lobby. Then you're good to go play actual pubs and not completely ruin your good mood because of toxic teammates screaming at your mistakes.

Im a league of legends player and i just started playing dota 2days ago, thought this game was gonna be more like league but no 💀. It is very hard to learn, but trying to learn the game is what's fun about it. I like playing viper now, he looks very cool, and can carry :Dd hope i get to learn this game more. Thanks for the vid man :))

Even tho this guide was 2 years old i really learned alot of handy stuff. i am totally new to dota but have played alot og league before. but this video was really good to get into dota 2

I played dota for 4000 hours, and today I learnt that sniper auto is instant. Honestly, I don’t care, I love dota

Been playing dota since 2013 but just found out that u can transfer tower agro to teammate, wtf

i was inspired to play Dota 2 after watching Ti7 and Ti8 Insight i wanna know why many people love this game, im going to be a first year college soon and i wanna try it whenever i have a free time im really glad ive found a video like this to atleast teach me some ingame mechanics.

ive played league for two years i saw dota 2,s cool graphics and abilities and wanted to play this guide helped

1:37 Heroes that stop time DarkTerror: ZA WARUDO!!

Both League and Dota seem to share a lot of aspects but in a different way.Good Guide mate , helped me a lot.

Nice video :) made me want to try it out

I'm a league player for six years now and I want to try out DOTA 2, actually installed it yesterday and played some with bots. This vid is actually educational and I'll probably start matching with other players as well after practicing.

7:51 datohleong: "it is always advantageous on the high ground" me: obi wan was right

Wow that was a very useful and rapid fire guide! I like it as I usually put these things on double speed to prevent getting bored but there was so much info coming so fast I didnt even need or want to speed it up. "dont care" Lol

Started playing Dota when it was still in warcraft 3 frozen throne custom games. I master everything, bone clinkz, pudge, crystal maiden, shadow fiend, etc etc are just the names I can name of the top of my head. It's been almost 16 years

"if you care about anything i told you not to care about.... i have guides for that!" LMAO i love you and this guide is great

The number one difficulty for me playing dota has been identifying what is the priority right now. I have been watching alot of dota beginner guides to understand what is generally done to win the match. Also, being new I don't really understand when a fight starts, where a fight might break out and most importantly, what am i supposed to do when that happens and who am i targetting if i am in the fight with the opposing team. The new player mode that Dota recently brought in has been very helpful with teaching me new things however, at the same time it doesn't teach you everything and I also understand that comes with time. I guess I just want to learn everything all at once rather than in pieces and that really frustrates me. BUT I'm not gonna give up!

I just got it right now and I’m loving it

thank you keep it up!

Take a shot everytime he said "you dont care"

Also you need to count how many times he said "You don't care" in order to play the game

"Always use the High Ground" - Happy Obi-Wan Noise

Once had a 5 hard carry team. Was fun,morph gyro is a nice lane combo also we lost

tldr : "just try from the simple things, but you don't care"

Remember back in the day i started Dota2, my first think that i want to do was to play all heroes in the game, get to know how every single hero work. It was a long process (took me almost a year). i started with orge magi cause he was very funny

Thank you, very helpful ^-^

LOl, as a leaggue player seeking to play dota 2, I love how u say " but u dont care as well", that really help, nice vid, tk you for this vid :))

i legit want this video to get more attention.