How to get into DOTA 2

Duders and Dudettes,

I downloaded DOTA, I died instantly. There were strange things that will never be unseen.....How do I play this? Where do I go for the learnings?

Thanks Guys!

I'm sure there's another thread just like this. I intend to find it. I, however, am also interested in the answer to this question. I'm embarrassingly afraid of having people yell at me for doing stupid stuff because I didn't know better.

Shamelessly stolen from intolerable-bot on Reddit.

The subreddit has a wiki with a lot of useful information for newer players - from the sidebar: New to Dota 2? Start here.

What are some basic tips when starting to play?

The in-game tutorial (you will be prompted to try it when first joining the game, otherwise found under "Quests") will bring you up to speed on some of the basics on movement, combat, buying items, and more.

Tutorial: How to Play Dota 2 In 4 Minutes

A brief video guide that will get you up to speed on all the basic components of a Dota 2 match. If you like to learn by doing and just get the basics, this is a great guide.

In-game guides for each hero

You can subscribe to guides in the Steam Workshop and they will appear in-game with item and skill build recommendations. Reading the top-rated hero guide is often a good idea when playing a hero for the first time.

Comprehensive Guide to Dota 2

An absolute guide to Dota 2 with a ton of video content, graphics and information. Might be a little overwhelming to a brand-new player.

Welcome to Dota, You Suck

A bit less all-encompassing, but will give you a great balance of the information you need to know. One of the most popular Dota guides.

Reddit's Dota 2 Hero Discussions

Reddit has run multiple discussion threads for every hero in Dota. Look back at them here. There are also item discussions.

Dota for Dummies

Dota for Dummies is an all inclusive video series that prepares you to jump into the world of Dota 2. Starting from the very basics then progressing forward, this series will help you get the foundation you need to become successful.

Switching from League of Legends?

If you're currently a League of Legends player, this post from the TeamLiquid forums will likely be helpful in transitioning to Dota 2. There's also a useful Reddit thread about the differences here.

Lose. A lot.

Play with friends.

Watch matches.

It's not something people can just pickup and play.

Have friends. Really, you'll have very little fun and will more than likely quit out of frustration if you don't play with friends. Its definitely possible to be dedicated enough to soldier on as a solo, but really, get some friends to play it with.

Do not be afraid of just playing a game and being terrible. Especially when you start out, you're going to be matchmade against people who are just as bad. If they get mad at you, mute them and keep going. Just the fact that you are willing to ask for advice on a forum means you're interested in getting better, which puts you head and shoulders over lots of people. If there are specific heroes you're interested in search youtube for 'purge plays _______' and you'll get a couple videos from a guy who is good at explaining what he's doing and why. Generally it's better to find the ones that are not marked 'stream' because those are recorded as he's playing so there's less analysis going on.

If you really really don't want to risk messing up someone else's game just play some bot matches at first -- but the thing is no matter HOW much you read and watch and learn before you play, you are going to be terrible and there's no shame in that. I think it's best to just pull off the band-aid and get with it. Always remember that the people in game with you might be better at certain aspects but overall they're just as bad as you are -- otherwise you wouldn't be playing together!

A+ advice. Would read again.

Find people to play with. I had played some Dota but wasn't super into it. Then I was invited to play it with a full team and it was like a million times more fun.

I just started a couple weeks ago. I played ~5 bot matches, then read up a bunch on my character, then played a few more, then read a bunch about recommended items, then played a couple more. This let me get used to how to buy stuff quickly, realizing how/when to use the courier, when I was just going to die if I did something.

Then I played online and died a ton also, but a lot less than if I had just started against humans.

Please, please, please do the tutorial and read a few guides linked above, along with a couple bot matches before going into matchmaking with duders, even with a group. DOTA's one of those games where's it's very hard to have a fun game while teaching you the absolute basics — you'll have a very frustrating time playing while looking at the 'you're dead' screen while your opponents slowly push forward.

When first starting out, be cautious than aggressive. Feeding is worse than missing a kill.

I'm starting to think there may be a good opportunity to start getting newer players playing with low to mid level players to start introducing them and not have too much team agro. I use the same name on dota as here and would happily help new players, I am pretty new myself at 50 games.