Tip #1: Do not try to get better at “Dota”. Instead, try to get better at “an element of Dota”.
What I mean by this statement is that you should not try to get better at everything at once. Many people tend to play games and try to do everything at the same time while in the game. They try to last hit while also trying to gank, push towers, keep rune control, keep wards up, and so on. You can only try to do everything at once for so long. Doing everything at once will never allow you to become good at any of those elements since your focus is always so spread out.
Instead, really focus on one thing the entire game. If you need to get better at last hitting, then sit your butt down in your lane and last hit for the next two hours. If you are looking to try a new hero, make sure to do some last hitting drills before you go into a real game. Learn every aspect of last hitting, like how low the creep’s HP bar needs to be in order to kill it, how to time your ranged attacks, how to deal with enemy deniers, and how to last hit against a tower. Do about forty minutes of it without any bots, forty minutes with bots, and then move on to matchmaking. Repeat this process with any other element that you want to practice.
When you're averaging this sort of creep score and gold per minute with a carry, then you should start practicing something else.
There will always be some aspects of the game that you can’t necessarily practice, however, such as how to behave during a team fight. The only way to practice these aspects is just by playing the game itself and watching how professional players play them out. Improving on the basics first, however, will let you focus solely on the task at hand, allowing you become better at that certain aspect quicker than normal.
Tip #2: When you’ve gotten good at a lot of the same types of elements, combine them and learn how to balance them.
Let’s say that you’ve mastered last hitting, denying, and watching the minimap, all core essentials for the laning phase. You can do all of these separate elements beautifully now on their own correct? Now try combining them together. Not so easy is it? It is natural for you to struggle in the beginning when combining all of the different elements together, but you will soon be able to do it easily.
The large amount of practice you’ve had with each individual element will make things so much easier when you combine them all together since you will only have to work on your timings and not on the actual skillset itself. Just continue practicing and drilling yourself with and without bots before you move on to matchmaking. You will remember the different timings you had when last hitting and denying and be able to more easily adjust them when playing against human opponents. You will learn to adapt when you practice doing these things all together.
Tip #3: Make fewer changes and more adjustments.
People tend to do dramatic changes when things start to go wrong. This type of play style didn’t work? I should just change everything right? Wrong. Sometimes you just have to adjust a few of the details in your overall game plan in order to be more successful. Instead of using Weaver’s ultimate at 100 health, try using it at 150. Instead of going straight for Mekansm on Chen after Boots, try making Arcane Boots before getting your Mekansm. Instead of participating in team fights with Anti-Mage after the 15 minute mark, try participating in team fights after the 20 minute mark.
Making small adjustments to your play style and tactics is so much more beneficial to your overall progress. When you make new big changes, you essentially have to relearn your tactics all over again because of the fact that it will be so different, which will make you lose again, and thus continuing the vicious cycle. Small adjustments allow you to continuously practice your core concepts over and over while seeing how specific timings and strategies affect your overall result. When you finally find what works best for you, you will be great at your core strategy and will able to perform exceedingly well.
Tip #4: Do your homework
Research and read up on a lot of different things. Learn every hero’s abilities, the layout of the map, typical item/skill builds and play styles on heroes, and anything else you can think of. Use all of the many available resources out there, such as the in-game "Learn" tab, Dota 2 Wiki, Dota 2 Reddit, Professional level replays, and of course our lovely Dota 2 section here at Team Dignitas! Having prior knowledge will make you better prepared for when you face these different heroes and different strategies in game, letting you adapt and adjust to the situation easier.
Learn to become friends with the "Learn" tab!
Tip #5: Seek help and learn from others
Don’t be afraid to ask others for help. Whether it is from your friends or random strangers online, there are tons of people that are willing to help you up your game! Just ask around and people will be glad to help. People will gladly answer any questions you have, so don’t be afraid! Simply leave your questions here, on Reddit, or on any other Dota site and there will always be someone to help.
Tip #6: Practice, practice, practice
Try to play a few Dota games every day. If you don’t have time to play multiple matches every day, try to play at least one match a day so that you can stay consistent and not rust out. If you find that you are having trouble with a certain hero, go back to the bare basics and then work your way up.
Practice last hitting and denying, learn the mana cost, range, and animations of your spells, experiment with item builds, and read a few guides. If you go into a game and feel confident in your ability and do well, then great! That’s one less hero you will have to worry about learning. Practice makes perfect, so don’t slack off and work hard so that you can become much better at the game!
Tip #7: Don’t give up
It’s quite easy to feel down and overwhelmed when trying to learn Dota 2. With its high skill ceiling and steep learning curve, many of you may feel that it would be best to just give up. Trust me though, things will only get better. Even if you are having a hard time and continuously losing your matches, don’t give up.
Remember to not get yourself down when you’re having a losing streak. Examine your losses and see what you did wrong and what you did right, and see how you can further improve upon your mistakes. Even if it was a case of “my team was extremely bad and kept feeding”, just look at yourself and see how you can keep getting better. As ODEE always says, you can’t expect to win if you don’t know how to lose.
Once you get the hang of it, I know you will love the game and all of its intricacies. Winning a hard game of Dota 2 is easily one of the most satisfying feelings out there, and once you experience that feeling I’m sure you will get hooked. So don’t be afraid to click the “Find Match” button. Get out there and own it up.
