Is DOTA 2 still worth playing today for beginners?

DOTA 2 is a competitive video game that is a spiritual successor to the Warcraft 3 mod that started the Multiplayer Online Battle Arena (MOBA)/ Action Real Time Strategy(A-RTS) Genre. Its WC3 mod was widely popular during the 2000s and 2010s and sprouted independent studios that mimicked its formula; some of the most popular and still ongoing descendants of this mod are League of Legends, Smite, and DOTA 2.

Yes, it is worth your time to try to learn DOTA 2 if you like MOBA with a heavier emphasis on teamwork and strategy. You can be competitive or just be a casual player.

Let me dispel some myths surrounding the game that brought about some elitism in the early days of DOTA 2. The game isn’t as hard as the older player wants you to believe, the difficulty came from the fact that many mechanics are not explained properly but Valve had already given a remedy to this by overhauling the tutorial for the game to be as meticulous at explaining the mechanics as possible. Though it is complex it is not as complex as a true RTS game would be, the complexity comes from the items that the game has which any beginners will see as a small hurdle to conquer. 

You don’t have to be a hardcore gamer to enjoy DOTA, the only mode that gathers try-hard players is the ranked mode and the Battlecup. Other than that, there is a variety of modes that can be an interest to any fresh players trying to dip their toes into DOTA like all-random deathmatch, Ability Draft, Turbo mode, Co-op Bots, and the weekend rotation of casual modes.

Which mode should I start with if I am a beginner?

It is recommended that new players complete the tutorial first to get a feel for the game and learn the mechanics.

After that the most recommended game mode for beginners is the Co-op bots, which is a less stressful environment for newbies to learn the heroes, items, and mechanics. Don’t worry the bots are good enough that sometimes it can be a bit surprising how well coordinated the bots are in playing the game.

How popular is DOTA 2?

Even though DOTA 2 is not always hyped out around the circle of kids like Fortnight or League of Legends, DOTA 2 has been a staple game for PC and Steam users. Currently, the top 2 in the number of player base and hours played are based on the data collected by steam charts.

The biggest regions are the East European Region, South American Region, and Southeast Asian Region. A third-party company operates in the Chinese region. It is one of the biggest regions in DOTA 2 but the numbers being released are hard to verify as steam charts don’t track the Chinese region.

Even though many DOTA veterans kept saying that DOTA is a dead game, it isn’t. It has a strong and loyal player base that is still supporting the game.

Are the DOTA 2 players toxic?

Every competitive game would have toxicity in it, but I don’t want to present DOTA 2 as an exception, it is toxic. There is a fair share of toxicity within the DOTA 2 player base, I too have experienced this infamous toxicity of DOTA 2 when I started playing DOTA 2. 

As the years go on, toxicity seems to have cooled down within the player base as they get older and mature. DOTA is an old game, niche, and very isolated from any games if we believe twitch’s data on their user’s watch data. It can also be hostile towards new players as many of the old players have been playing for years.

Valve had implemented a community-based way to quell toxicity and cheating by using the “Overwatch” system where qualified players can review replays of reported griefers/cheaters and judge whether they are guilty or not. There is also an occasional mass banning of toxic players, smurfs, and cheaters.

DOTA 2 also has ways to mitigate toxicity within the settings where you can avoid receiving chats from the enemy team, and mute your toxic teammates.

READ: How to Turn off Chat and Voice Communication in DOTA 2?

How accessible is DOTA for the differently abled person?

Though primarily played with a mouse and keyboard, DOTA 2 can also be played using a controller. This was a recent addition to the game after the release of the Steamdeck.

The controls and keybindings are also customizable so that you can assign keys on certain commands and functions to make playing Dota a bit easier. It also has colorblind settings for people with color blindness. 

Is DOTA 2 expensive?

No, it is a truly free-to-play game where all Heroes are unlocked, and you don’t have to pay a dime to get them, unlike other MOBAs where you need to grind in-game currency to buy characters or pay money. Cosmetics aren’t important in playing the game.