If you’re into the online gaming scene, I’m sure you have heard about DotA 2 aka Defense of the Ancients 2. This is a MOBA (Multiplayer Online Battle Arena) game similar to League of Legends, Heroes of the Storm and a lot more!

Some people call it the best genre ever invented, but I call it a “Rage Machine”. Whenever I play DotA 2 I always rage when I do not perform as planned. So what is “Defense of the Ancients” all about? Here is a general overview of the game and its mechanics to explain it better.

The game is played with five players per team and you can be either on the Radiant (Bottom camp) or Dire (Upper camp) side. There is only one map available and it is divided into three lanes which are the top, mid, and bottom. The map has a fog-of-war feature that hides enemies when they get out of your viewing range. In addition, the map has neutral monsters that spawn at selected locations all over the map.

At the start of the game (when the horn toots) both camps have creeps (NPC monsters) that march up to their lanes and towards the enemy camp. The objective is to push past the enemy creeps, destroy three towers per lane, and eventually destroy the enemy base.

Each team generally divides the players into the three lanes with five players, you may wonder how can that be done if there are only three lanes. This is where the character composition of the team comes into play. Remember that no hero can be chosen twice.

Player characters in the game are called “Heroes” and each team needs to have five heroes to work efficiently together and dominate the map. In a game of DotA, whether it be the old version or the new one, hero composition is very important in winning the game. You see, there are currently more than a hundred heroes to choose from which are divided into three categories.

Strength – Strength heroes are usually the game starters and set the tone of an early game because they usually start the game with a higher amount of HP (hit points) than the other two categories.

Agility – These are heroes that do not have that many hit points but pack a lot of punch if used with proper expertise and items. If you are using an Agility hero, it is likely that you will be a late game finisher, or “Carry”.

Intelligence – Int type heroes are the AOE (area of effect), DOT (damage over time), CC (crowd control), and gold farmers of the match. Each team needs to have at least one Intelligence hero per side if they want to dominate a match.

As mentioned, the game also has “Items” that you need to farm and create in order to kill the opposing team faster. There are items that amplify a hero’s skill, items that increase your attack speed, damage, there’s even an item that can control neutral monsters to fight under your command.

Why do I call the genre a rage machine? Well, this is because the game is very competitive and a single mistake can easily lead to a defeat. You need to work with your teammates, create a really solid hero composition, strategize your attacks, equip the correct items and outplay your opponent in every way possible. This is what DotA 2 is all about; this is why people are going crazy about this game, not to mention it is one of the highest paid professional e-Sport games today!