So, totally new to this, and a few questions....

So, yeah, very new to DOTA 2 here, and totally new to MOBAs in general; I'd been aware of the genre for awhile of course, but I'd avoided it for the longest time for a few reasons, the main one being that I kept hearing (over and over again) that the genre tended to attract really angry, screaming people that yell at you alot. My other competetive genre that I like is fighting games; I'm at a very high level in those, and one thing I notice at ALL levels with that genre is that the fighting-game community can be a real bunch of jerks, and can really suck all the fun away. Didnt want to deal with too much more of that sort of thing (it gets old FAST), so.... yeah. Only just now getting into this.

....and glad I have! I havent had much time with the game yet, as I started... what, maybe 2 weeks ago? So far, most people I've met in the few actual matches I've had have actually been mostly friendly, and the game itself is a blast, even if I'm bloody terrible at it. Definitely NOT at a high level with this yet, haha. So, yeah, there were a few rather basic questions to bring up here.


Now, I havent tried out all that many heroes. SO freaking many of them, and the vast majority of them look like fun. Mostly, I've messed with Venomancer alot, and Ogre Magi a bit, and Wisp looks interesting. What I've seen of this game so far though, I swear it seems like everyone and their grandmother and their grandmother's dog wants to be a carry (maybe it's just me), so I thought I'd try to focus more on support, which might also be a nice change from the hyper-aggressive style I do in most games.. Though eventually I'll learn a little of every role, but.... yeah, support and pushing and such for now, I think.


So, question number one becomes... what heroes might be good to start with for this sort of role? And are there any major tips in a general sense for playing support?


Second.... observer wards. It seems that, if I'm playing support alot, I'm likely to end up needing to be the one to handle these... but how to know where to place the things? "By the river" seems the most obvious spot, but beyond that I get a little lost. And dont really know what to do with the sentry wards whatsoever.


Third, the jungle. Is it only certain heroes that should ever be jungling, or is dabbling in that something that can be useful in a general sense? The impression I've gotten so far is that specific heroes can/should do it, and others outright shouldn't.


Fourth, is there like, a general guide to ganking anywhere? Or something like that?



I think that's about everything I can think of for now. No doubt more questions will come soon!

Welcome to DotA 2 and DOTAFire! Enjoy your stay :)

Well, first of all, DotA 2 isn't really a MOBA, League of Legends is a MOBA, DotA 2 is DotA.

Question number one: Good heroes to support with, well, I'd have to say Tidehunter, Venomancer, Ogre Magi, Omniknight, Beastmaster, and of course, many more.
You could always ask your team mates, what they need, what's missing from the team, and they'll tell you what you should play, you can always try and learn. But as I know, as far as you get wards and courier, everyone will love you. ( I'm a carry player, and I love people who do that <3 )

Question Number two:

I'd recommend you to watch this videos to improve your warding skills, shows you everything you need to know.
Play Video Play Video Play Video


Question Number Three: Yup, only some junglers can jungle since the beginning of the game, not every hero is able to.

Question Number Four: This will help you.
Play Video

good supports to start with are Lich, cause he never runs out of mana, he can deny very easy and his ult is really strong for teamfights, Shadow Shaman has 2 disables and a really strong pushing ult
thus you already played Venomancer you can stick to him, he is also a decent support

a general guide for supporters is here: http://www.dotafire.com/dota-2/guide/a-full-support-guide-beginner-to-intermediate-2094

a little guide for warding can be found here: http://www.team-dignitas.net/articles/blogs/dota/1092/dota-2-ultimate-guide-to-warding/

well the jungle: most heroes aren't able to jungle really effectivly and so you should leave this to heroes with summons or other skills that let them jungle easily

if you want to gank effectively you just need some practice, I would advise you to only gank lanes that are pushed towards your own towers and if you get more confident and experienced you can sometimes dive towers
also you should only be ganking if you have some reliable disables or slows to ensure a kill, because if you dont manage to kill someone during a gank its a waste of time (time in which you wont get gold or exp)

hope this helps you a little :)

The advice and video links are much appreciated, thank you :)

Lich is working out well so far, really seems very effective indeed as support, and I was surprised at the damage he could do in a fight. Abilities are really... spam-tastic. That ultimate is a little strange though. Ogre Magi is good as well, and still using Venomancer.


And those videos, I ended up subscribing to that channel, those are all really well-done! The hero intro vids in particular are nice.

Again, thanks for the tips and such :)

I'm glad they helped you, if you need more help, feel free to ask! :)

Those videos are very indepth and make a lot of sense, I have a feeling I know why I am dying all the time now, I try to go after creeps but always end up getting ganked by usually 2 or more players at a time, I am hoping I can find a way to counter this frustration because I would like to keep all the gold I end up earning so I can buy useful core items aswell as luxury items hopefully by midgame instead of last minute before the ancient is destroyed

Glad they helped you as well, if you need help in-game, feel free to add me and we'll play sometimes.

Invite sent, not sure which one you were, the chick with the red eyes and the tape on her mouth?

Yeah, accepted.