What's the best MOBA to play atm

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GGwellplayed

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Poll What's the best MOBA to play atm (298 votes)

DeadBreed 1%
League Of Legends 16%
Heroes Of the Storm 39%
Smite 9%
AirMech 3%
DOTA 39%
Heroes Of Newerth 2%
Strife 2%

What's your choice(s)? U can add cross platform games or other game suggestion.

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deactivated-64162a4f80e83

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Uhhhm it's up to you?

They're all different enough to make it more down to personal preference rather than one being better than another. Leauge Of Legends, Heroes Of The Storm and DOTA are all highly polished products and are good games.

I personally play Leauge Of Legends as I found DOTA bogged down with bewildering micro management which were restrictions carried over back from when it was a MOD and Heroes Of The Storm didn't have enough depth for me whereas I found LoL to be the happy middle ground but even that game has an incredibly steep learning curve and Riot have a nasty habit of throwing champions in the trash (heavily nerf them) when they cannot balance a champion with overloaded kits which means your favorite champion can suddenly become a complete pain to play... which can be doubly annoying if you bought skins for the champion.

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GGwellplayed

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Uhhhm it's up to you?

They're all different enough to make it more down to personal preference rather than one being better than another. Leauge Of Legends, Heroes Of The Storm and DOTA are all highly polished products and are good games.

I personally play Leauge Of Legends as I found DOTA bogged down with bewildering micro management which were restrictions carried over back from when it was a MOD and Heroes Of The Storm didn't have enough depth for me whereas I found LoL to be the happy middle ground for me.

hmm, seems legit.

add me on LoL: plastikmannn

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Ibarguengoytia

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I was a fan of VainGlory. Never played any other MOBAs but I really liked it. The only reason I stopped playing it was that I REALLY liked it and started spending way too much time on that.

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j_unit2008

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There's a certain amount of anxiety I get from Dota 2. It just sounds like the most impenetrable game if you haven't gotten into it already. I tried out HotS back when it was in beta and it seemed pretty solid.

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GGwellplayed

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ivdamke

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If you get into Dota you can't go back, it's the best game once you get over the hump.

If you don't wanna bother getting over the hump all the other games are fine with Smite getting bonus points for trying something different.

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GDB

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#7  Edited By GDB

It comes down to this;

Smite is really cool and is a bit fresher than your typical cookie cutter MOBA, and seems to have found its audience. There's a lot of really cool stuff going on in Smite, but I don't know all that much about it.

DOTA 2 is a huge undertaking and definitely looks to be pretty impenetrable at first blush, but if you have the time to invest will be an incredibly rewarding experience. The traditional MOBA distilled down to perfection, even if it is a lot to take in at first and can be annoyingly item/carry heavy. Also, this and CS seem to be Valve's main focuses video game-wise these days and that's always a good thing.

LoL is very similar to DOTA, a bit dumbed down in some ways and a bit more accessible. Arguably a larger following than DOTA 2 but it doesn't have the powerhouse that is Valve backing them.

Heroes of the Storm: Adds some fresh new elements to the MOBA formula, including varied map and game types that make sure you have more to do than just storm the other team's core. It's definitely divisive as there are things like team-shared XP and talent trees instead of item shops, but I rather like all of the things they've done in their attempt to make a MOBA less impenetrable. Much easier to dive into than most MOBAs. Matches last 15-25m instead of upwards of 45.

I can't speak to the others as these are the only I've played. I will say that when I was eyeball-deep in DOTA 2, it was the best time I'd had in any MOBA. A year or two removed from that, Heroes of the Storm is the MOBA I play when I need to scratch that itch -- it is much more conducive to a pick up and play game for those that don't have all the time in the world to devote to a game.

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GGwellplayed

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@gdb said:

It comes down to this;

Smite is really cool and is a bit fresher than your typical cookie cutter MOBA format, and seems to have found its audience.

DOTA 2 is a huge undertaking and definitely looks to be pretty impenetrable at first blush, but if you have the time to invest will be an incredibly rewarding experience. The traditional MOBA distilled down to perfection, even if it is a lot to take in at first and can be annoyingly item/carry heavy. Also, this and CS seem to be Valve's main focuses video game-wise these days and that's always a good thing.

LoL is very similar to DOTA, a bit dumbed down in some ways and a bit more accessible. Arguably a larger following than DOTA 2 but it doesn't have the powerhouse that is Valve backing them.

Heroes of the Storm: Adds some fresh new elements to the MOBA formula, including varied map and game types that make sure you have more to do than just storm the other team's core. It's definitely divisive as there are things like team-shared XP and talent trees instead of item shops, but I rather like all of the things they've done in their attempt to make a MOBA less impenetrable. Much easier to dive into than most MOBAs. Matches last 15-25m instead of upwards of 45.

I can't speak to the others as these are the only I've played. I will say that when I was eyeball-deep in DOTA 2, it was the best time I'd had in any MOBA. A year or two removed from that, Heroes of the Storm is the MOBA I play when I need to scratch that itch -- it is much more conducive to a pick up and play game for those that don't have all the time in the world to devote to a game.

Totally agree! What's your steamID and Battletag?

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Sayishere

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As someone who really has never been a fan of RTS games, games such as DOTA and LoL, even though are highly popular, has never appealed to me. Although i do love the complexity of MOBAS and the skill required to play them, this where Smite comes in, if your into MOBAs in general but are not into RTS games such as myself, Smite is alot easier to get into to just due to it being in third person.

The Smite World Championships are starting very soon, so you can have a look at these highly competitive games to see if the game appeals to you :)

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GDB

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@gdb said:

It comes down to this;

Smite is really cool and is a bit fresher than your typical cookie cutter MOBA format, and seems to have found its audience.

DOTA 2 is a huge undertaking and definitely looks to be pretty impenetrable at first blush, but if you have the time to invest will be an incredibly rewarding experience. The traditional MOBA distilled down to perfection, even if it is a lot to take in at first and can be annoyingly item/carry heavy. Also, this and CS seem to be Valve's main focuses video game-wise these days and that's always a good thing.

LoL is very similar to DOTA, a bit dumbed down in some ways and a bit more accessible. Arguably a larger following than DOTA 2 but it doesn't have the powerhouse that is Valve backing them.

Heroes of the Storm: Adds some fresh new elements to the MOBA formula, including varied map and game types that make sure you have more to do than just storm the other team's core. It's definitely divisive as there are things like team-shared XP and talent trees instead of item shops, but I rather like all of the things they've done in their attempt to make a MOBA less impenetrable. Much easier to dive into than most MOBAs. Matches last 15-25m instead of upwards of 45.

I can't speak to the others as these are the only I've played. I will say that when I was eyeball-deep in DOTA 2, it was the best time I'd had in any MOBA. A year or two removed from that, Heroes of the Storm is the MOBA I play when I need to scratch that itch -- it is much more conducive to a pick up and play game for those that don't have all the time in the world to devote to a game.

Totally agree! What's your steamID and Battletag?

TAKYON and CheesusChrisp for steam (mostly the former), Gdbzus#1138 for battle.net

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GGwellplayed

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As someone who really has never been a fan of RTS games, games such as DOTA and LoL, even though are highly popular, has never appealed to me. Although i do love the complexity of MOBAS and the skill required to play them, this where Smite comes in, if your into MOBAs in general but are not into RTS games such as myself, Smite is alot easier to get into to just due to it being in third person.

The Smite World Championships are starting very soon, so you can have a look at these highly competitive games to see if the game appeals to you :)

i already played smite.. i think it's harder to farm, but it's generally easier. great team fights!

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KarlHungus01

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#12  Edited By KarlHungus01

All the main MOBAs (Dota 2, LoL, HotS, Smite) are pretty great and it really boils down to personal taste. HotS and Smite have the highest amount of instant gratification and accessibility, where Dota 2 and LOL take a bit longer to get into.

Dota 2 having all the heroes unlocked from the outset was what won me over. Valve's free to play model is just better than all the others and the client is miles better than League's, especially if you get really into spectating pro games. Plus, with the Source 2 launch, having all the custom maps in the client has really added a lot to the game.

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AlexW00d

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Dota if you want the full experience, LoL if you want a shallower easier to learn Dota-lite, HotS if you want to play something I'd see my Dad playing on facebook auto sending those notifications for extra gold.

Smite's terrible but handles things differently so you might like it. HoNs dead. Strife is the HoN devs next game but it's also dead. Airmech? Never heard of Deadbread but it's got a terrible yet funny name.

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GGwellplayed

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@alexw00d: ahaha ur right! but it's not deadbread, is deadbreed xDDD

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GDB

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Deadbread is the kind of game I buy based on title alone.

Someone please make that a reality.

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Daveyo520

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Dota 2 all the way. I put over 2k hours into it for a reason.

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1. Heroes of the Storm
2. League of Legends
3. Smite

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Ibarguengoytia

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#18  Edited By Ibarguengoytia

@ggwellplayed: I would like to but I this is one of those games that I can get obsessed about and actually got obsessed about. Very addictive, so I had to stop. Nothing wrong with the game, it was well balanced IMO and very fun, competitive, free to play, and unlike some other MOBA's it wasn't Pay To Win (at least 8 months ago when I stopped playing it). It's just that type of game that I tend to get addicted to and I had to stop. Definitively worth checking out on iOS or Android.

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@ibarguengoytia: yeah, i understand you.. i stopped play league of legends because of that as well..

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Honkalot

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Heroes of Newerth but so few play it.

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violet_

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#21  Edited By violet_

I will champion Minimum till the day I die.

That game deserved better. It died before it could get big and had some really questionable decisions thrown on top of a fun game.

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Christoffer

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I can't really say anything bad about other mobas but after playing them for a while I always come back to Dota. Maybe it's a case of "your first Mario Kart is your best Mario Kart". Every spell/item/hit/miss/decision/win/loss just feels more severe in Dota, somehow. Sure, there's a lot of what some people call "bullshit" in the game. But I think I prefer that.

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hippie_genocide

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I tend to want to break out in hives when I see the term MOBA, so I'm perhaps not qualified to say, but I did give HotS a shot and liked it. It seems like the MOBA for people that aren't into MOBA's. Excuse me while I find the calamine lotion.

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BallsLeon

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No MOBA is the best MOBA.

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cindyvg

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Well, my choice is of Legends of Legends types, the thing is everyone has their own interest and choices I like this type and would suggest it.

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2HeadedNinja

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Heroes for me ... I like that it's less complicated than the other mobas and I love the different maps and shorter overall playtime.

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Dota is the slower and more involved game. High learning curve and investment cost, long matches and punishing complexity. But it's also extremely varied and rewarding. Play this if you are more into heavy mechanics and grander strategy/meta play.

League is the faster more aggressive game. Learning curve is still fucked but less so, matches are still long but not as long (and you can surrender). Fast paced but not as complex or varied. Play this if you want to do a lot of stuff all the time and have more involved character actions instead of the large scale strategy.

Hots is by far the most accessible and easiest to learn. Very streamlined and pretty fun, and if you have any affinity for Blizzard characters it's kind of a nobrainer. I personally got tired of it before hitting the level cap. But it's generally pretty solid, especially if you don't have experience in the other games first.

No opinion on the rest. I also played all of 3 of these pretty extensively, but play none of them much at all anymore.

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Takoyaki

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@hippie_genocide: I'm also not much for MOBAs, I pretty much only play them because my friends are into them and playing games with them is fun. I can't remember when, if ever, the last time I solo queued was. That said, I like playing Heroes of the Storm much more than League, Smite or DotA. Christopher Grant explained it pretty well in his top 10 this year why I find Heroes more fun than other MOBAs; it has very little boring laning and a lot of rolling around with your friends in a blob of death and screaming FUCK EM UP.

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ptshooter619

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#29  Edited By ptshooter619

I think it's League of Legends. I tried playing HOTS and ended up being really bored. Dota I couldn't get into either.

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  • DOTA 2: Pretty slow gameplay, lots of depth and about 100 active items. Coming from a faster game like LoL or HOTS feels like the game moves at a snails pace and last hitting feels unresponsive. Everything is unlocked from the beginning though so that's nice. Care for Russians. Pretty toxic fanbase
  • League: Faster gameplay, huge playerbase (much bigger than either worldwide), Runes and Masteries that customize the champions, extremely responsive. Must unlock everything so the grind is extremely long. Pretty Toxic fanbase
  • HOTS: Much easier than the other two, way less depth but shorter faster games. Many of my friends in league, ranked Plat/Diamond, switched to HOTS to play on the side and quickly got rank 1. I didn't play that much but take that what you will

Having the LCS (the pro league for LoL) handled by Riot themselves is a pretty big plus too, but honestly of the main 3 'normal' mobas are all good to certain people, try them all.

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BRich

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@undefined: it's always been league. If you prefer more casual try heroes. If you're insane try Dota.

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Bollard

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Airmech is a moba now?!

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Heroes of the Storm is my personal favourite. I like the shorter game times, and it doesn't have any of the last hitting mechanics that Dota has [not sure if LoL has these or not. What really sold it for me was it seemed a lot easier to get into then Dota or LoL, part of which is due to the lack of in game item shops, instead using a talent system.

This thread reminds me of how much I need to go play some more HotS ... I kind of fell off over New Years / Christmas when I jumped into the new SWTOR expansion.

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EthanielRain

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I don't know about playing, but I love watching LoL. Don't even know why, I just put streams on in the background out of habit any more.

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#35  Edited By Oscar__Explosion

Ive only played one MOBA, but Heroes of the Storm is fun and fixes a lot of the things that I thought was stupid about other mobas (last hitting, equipment managment and items mainly.)

I feel also because there is one over all team level instead of individual level actual team work is needed much more. You can't have one person completely turn the tide of the match just because they are a few levels above everyone.

Also having short game times is great. On average a match is about 20 mins.

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#36  Edited By TheMasterDS

Heroes of the Storm represent! Tied for number one on this poll, that is correct. Doubly so if you've not started into MOBAs. Heroes is easy to learn, hard to master. I play it most days. Been doing so since this time last year! It's the best.

The newest battleground is actually quite neat. It's Towers of Doom and it's all objective based. When you kill a fort on that map it doesn't die, it just changes hands and becomes your fort. All damage to the core is done by contesting objectives (which do damage equal to your town count) and capping mercs and if you manage to control all 6 towns. It's really interesting strategically and I've had fantastic games where my teams been able to get in there at low core health and take every objective through better teamfights/stalling and ultimately win the game. Fantastic.

Also the newest hero, released yesterday, is a ton of fun! He starts as a ranged assassin Raynor style and then, with his E, lunges forward transforming into a Worgan to become a melee assassin with extra power. As a Worgan he has a dash that turns him back into a human. Super high skill cap between widdling down enemies as a human, lunging in for the kill, using your disengage and engage to avoid skill shots or chase, etc etc. Just a fantastic design.

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rawrz

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As someone not into MOBAs I went with Smite since I was able to pick it up, understand it for the most part and have a good time. Games like LoL and DOTA take too much of a time commitment to learn or even become fun and that's just not for me.

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CrimsonJesus

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Dota. It's like chess and everything else is just checkers, you can have fun playing checkers but it's not some huge undertaking.

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Maluvin

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I've been playing DotA for a few years now. If you're playing with friends and family it's just an amazing game. I love all the factors that have to be taken into consideration from the initial drafting of teams, item build, ability order pick, overall farming picture, map control, group fight tactics, push pacing etc.. It's a lot to take in but once you have general feel for the game it just feels so rich and they change things slowly enough that the metagame doesn't feel totally chaotic while still having some life to it. The competitive scene is really entertaining to watch as well. With that said I'm really wary playing with strangers because some players just take this crap way too seriously.

I'm surprised LoL isn't ranked higher than it is. It's a more accessible experience than DotA IMO and has more players overall but still a lot of depth. I have fun when I play it but I don't feel busy enough when I'm playing it compared to DotA. My biggest gripe though is that they add heroes on a regular basis who are overpowered at release then nerfed to hell during the next patch. It's not the worst thing but a bit of bummer.

I haven't played a ton of HotS but I had a good time with it here and there. It's way easier to get into than DotA and LoL. I will say compared to DotA there were times when I felt like it was hard to feel like I was having a tangible effect on a match either good or bad and that caused me to bounce off of it. Still a good game.

I just tried Smite for the first time like a week ago and I actually had a lot of fun with it. I think after DotA it's probably the game I'd be most likely to pick up on a regular basis. Just had a fun pace to the whole thing and the different vantage point makes for a distinct experience in the MOBA genre which doesn't just feel like a gimmick.

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DystopiaX

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Honestly, the answer is whichever one your friends are playing. Going in with a good group to play with is ideal, because they can teach you the mechanics/meta of whatever game you're playing, you're not gonna get trolled/flamed, and playing with friends is always more fun.

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Crysack

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HotS is the casual MOBA of choice, DotA is the most competitive and compelling. The issue is how much time you're willing to put into learning the game. If it's 1000+ hours, DotA is your game. It is by far the best MOBA on the market from the point of view of depth and the skill cap but it will (quite literally) take years off your life.

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Heroes of the Storm is the most fun, it's heavily focused on map objectives that cause team fights, which are the best part of any MOBA.

Also it has the best characters, Dota 2 just has a bunch of knockoffs.

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Just weighing in on the big three, but throwing my hat in for League of Legends. Though, if you have a group of friends that play, just go where they are.

DotA - I played a lot of DotA back on WC III. At some point I tried DotA 2 and found it be pretty much the exact game I remembered, which was a bummer. Having all the heroes unlocked from the get go is nice, but that honestly might be the only thing I give it over LoL. I understand when people put up strategy arguments(even if I don't necessarily agree with all of them) and I'm inclined to believe arguments for a diverse meta, but I don't really know. That said, I think denying is a terrible mechanic. I think TP scrolls are a huge bummer. BKB is a terrible item. The dearth of skill shots is depressing. The number of skills without active components is lazy. Losing gold when you die sucks. The number of RNG mechanics is unsettling. And I find the general aesthetic of the game drab and uninspired. And finally using most abilities doesn't feel that impactful or satisfying. That said, I understand the appeal of the game, there's just too much that feels archaic to me.

Heroes of the Storm - I played a bit of this and had a good time. The barrier to entry is low, the varied objectives are fun and the pace is quick, all good. My problem came when I gained some levels and stopped just picking the Demon Hunter every game. I can actually point to the exact game where my interest started to wane. I played Malfurion, my first time playing a support hero. I was doing my job, landing my spells, etc. But my team wasn't capable of winning fights. I know, team blaming is dumb, but I often found myself the last one alive and outplaying to the extent I could enemies. Only, I did no damage. Heroes of the Storm takes of the holy trinity of MMOs and applies it to a moba. When everything works right it's really cool, but when your dps runs face first into Diablo so he can toss them back into his team, it all just falls apart. Other mobas have this to an extent, but I have never felt so powerless as I did that game.

League of Legends - If you read what I didn't like about DotA, you can probably guess why I like League of Legends. I know graphics are often a big bashing point against LoL, but I actually find the designs on a lot of champions and skins to be cool and fun. May not be the most technically pretty, but it's artistically pleasing. More than that, the developers have become a lot more open recently and talk with the community about the decisions they make, things they think worked and didn't, admit where they may have made mistakes, recognize imbalances, and address concerns where able. As a result, the community is now aware of a list of old champions that Riot thinks are boring or don't fit the philosophy of the game anymore that need to be redone to an extent(one such rework actually launched today). They are doing everything they can to keep the game fresh and interesting. Sure, sometimes that means they break things in horrible ways, but it happens, every game has imbalances. That said, I think the game has been in a good state for a long time. The list of "viable" champions has been changing, but has remained pretty large at most levels of play. Also, I find playing League of Legends to be similar to playing a fighting game, where knowing the matchups an how to deal with champions is as important as knowing how to play your own. I find there to be very few "hard counters."

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monetarydread

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#44  Edited By monetarydread

I have been messing around with Paragon lately and I think that it is worth checking out. If I had to sum it up, it feels like they took the Call of Duty approach to Smite. There is now a moba that doesn't require hundreds of hours of studying and practice; I can just log in, have fun for twenty minutes and be done with the game.

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Y2Ken

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Really does depend what you're after. I'd say if you want to just dip in and out then Heroes of the Storm is super accessible and easy to get into. If you're looking to maybe get in deeper then I'd personally recommend Dota 2. The heroes are all free so it doesn't have that barrier to entry that a lot of MOBAs have where you can't play whoever you want.

I have had good times with both League and Smite also, but they're not as easy to get into as HotS and they require you to buy heroes or stick to the F2P rotation (versus Dota 2's fully-unlocked roster). If you have friends who play one of them though then definitely start with that.

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TheMasterDS

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Hey neat, Heroes took a lead since I looked at this last. How do you like that, Heroes of the Storm top MOBA of Giant Bomb community. Lovely.

I disagree about what someone said about how if you have the time you should do DOTA. That's like saying someone should do Magic instead of Hearthstone to my ears. Play the accessible one that isn't burdened by 20 years of messy piled up design!

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yinstarrunner

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If you have friends to play with: DOTA 2.

If you don't: Heroes of the Storm.

If, for some reason, you like Dota, but want to play a more boring version of it: League of Legends.

If the game wasn't completely dead already: Super Monday Night Combat. RIP :(

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Mofaz

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Smite is awful and lacks basic ease of use features like actually having audio and visual feedback (it has next to none) and generally has terribly boring heroes that aren't interesting in the slightest and the game is just incredibly dull, ugly, and lacks any sort of draw beyond the fact that it's third person (which adds nothing imo). Games are usually just one-sided and basically amount into spamming shitty abilities while really minor CC does very little to disrupt players, also I can't state enough how poor the feedback is in this game, it just feels like you're playing with airy nothing. Just a terrible game, and it's also dying a slow death on the streaming and pro scene (which isn't even fun to watch).

HotS was good for the first few months but then it became obvious that it wouldn't evolve at all, the meta barely changes and the balancing is constantly wonky and all over the places, the map design is very hit and miss and it's terribly annoying to play certain snowbally maps or have to deal with the intensely broken matchmaking, that being said, it's the smoothest and most responsive of the MOBAs available so far, and has some interesting hero design (Cho'Gall, Abathur, etc.) and supports are very active heroes to play. The massive healthpools of the heroes also makes it the more forgiving choice, and emphasis on objectives means that what "teamwork" means in the game is less nebulous than it is in other MOBAs. Building characters is also simpler because leveling up provides you with traits that alter you character abilities instead of buying items. Blizzard kind of sucks cock at balancing and prominent players have literally quit for spans of times because of shitty meta changes with certain heroes being blatantly overpowered for much too long. It has potential but it's not evolving fast enough and thus it gets boring too quickly.

League of Legends is good but easily has the worst community out of all of them, not only that, but despite attempts to make the heroes more interesting, there's too many of them and they kind of blend together when it comes to the roles they play and playing support in this game is dogshit boring beyond belief, also the heroes are fairly poorly balanced for the most part so the meta is always stuffed with the same heroes repeating over and over. Large amount of skillshots and generally more action based play means that you need to have decent reactions to do well in League, the game evolves often but something about it feels very "safe", there aren't any extravagant abilities or items that do anything wild or crazy like HotS (traits in this case) or DOTA. The problem with League is that it's boring and safe, and the pacing is molasses compared to DOTA 2 or HotS, (it's extremely common in those games to leave your lane or just straight out murder someone, much of League is just a dozen minutes of passive farming and poking and little action beyond jungle ganks) there's also just less impact to events in the game, and in that sense League is very soft and forgiving, and while this gives it the most mass appeal, it also means nothing very extreme or interesting happens in games besides once in a blue moon. Runes and masteries are fucking stupid and do nothing but make it more of an aggravating grind.

DOTA 2 is probably your best choice right now, the heroes are all vastly different and have ridiculous game changing abilities, the items have very distinct effects and builds amount to a lot more than your stats becoming bigger. This is a game where every single hero can potentially have a flash or a massive nuke item, where invisibility is constant and stuns can last up to five seconds and the kinds of ridiculous things you can pull off using your abilities and items properly is out of this world, including blasting yourself forward with a Force Staff or being able to transport instantly to any minion. It feels clunky at first, but it's mostly getting used to stuff like your characters having to actually turn before moving, but once you get into it the game feels much more fluid and reactive than League (not as much as HotS though). The matchmaking is likely the least broken out of all the choices, and things like the courier that bring you your items tend to making the pacing better than something like League. It's easily just the best designed of the MOBAs and the one with the most engaging and interesting heroes, but it also has the most intense learning curve of them all, and there are people who have played this game for YEARS and have refused to actually learn anything about that are still stuck in trench MMR constantly raging at you. Not as bad as League's community though, but that just goes to show how deep this game is. The meta is constantly adjusting, and problems that HotS and League have (two bot, one mid, one top, one jungle) where people will just do the same fucking shit every game doesn't exist, roaming in DOTA 2 is significantly more viable, tri lanes are common, a support has many roles and supports tend to be much, much more kill capable than in the other titles. DOTA 2, once you get used to it, is easily the most exciting and intense choice.

The others I haven't played but I see nothing appealing about them or much that makes them different enough from the big three to warrant playing.

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Skald

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#49  Edited By Skald

Out of the above, I picked Heroes of the Storm. Simply put, it's way less obtuse than the other options. The skill ceiling is lower, yes, but the learning curve isn't a gigantic vertical line.

I'd also like to enter a dark horse candidate: Vainglory. I've been screwing around with the game for awhile, and I think it's pretty cool. It's technically a mobile game, so my expectations were low, but it's surprisingly deep without being cumbersome.

The game has one map, which has only one lane. One player will take that, while the other two will take to the comparatively large jungle below for gold and experience. It probably shouldn't come as a surprise that the game is half resource collection and half team fighting, and items have an affect on both because that's how MOBAs do.