Over six years after its initial release, Dota 2 is still as tough to new players as ever. Or is it?
Fans and players have been expressing their concern about the potential future of their favorite game for quite some time now. Dota 2 is without a doubt one of the harsher and more punishing multiplayer online battle arena games out there when it comes to new players. Its learning curve is rather steep with arguably a couple of hundred hours needed to get a sense of what’s really going on.
Valve’s in-game tutorial is a joke
If you’re starting Dota 2 for the first time and you’re feeling hopeful that after walking through the tutorial you’ll have some idea of the game, let us disappoint you. Having any previous experience with MOBA games renders the in-game introduction to Dota 2 useless. It could only be useful to people who’ve never played an online game before and that’s not usually the case. If you expect to gain a deeper understanding of the specifics of Dota 2, that’s simply not going to happen. The only good thing that Valve have implemented in the last few years was the last-hit trainer, as it allows both new players and veterans to hone their skills. Beyond that the company has turned a blind eye to obvious need of a decent tutorial.
Dota 2 player numbers dropping in recent times
Player numbers have been going as low as 400,000 average players. This number is still healthy for a game as old as Dota 2, but it’s also one we last saw back in March 2014 when the game was slowly making it’s way up. Many expected the latest patch to revitalize the game and while it did increase the numbers up a bit it’s far from enough. Dota 2 has been steadily losing players ever since the end of it’s grand event – The International, which marked it’s 9th anniversary this year.
The community taking things in their own hands
Valve’s lack of response to the issue led to a lot of people taking things in their own hands and making various video guides for new players. A good example would be Kevin “Purge” Godec’s attempt at making a decent tutorial for the game which is available on YouТube. While the guide itself is well made there’s just the ever-changing nature of the game like the recent patch 7.23 which reworked the map, added two new heroes, tens of new neutral items and much more. Thankfully, Dota 2 offers in-game guides which you can simply follow while playing. While most are made by other fellow players, there’s also the Dota Plus assistant, which is unfortunately locked behind a monthly paywall.
Now might also be the best time to start playing. With the arrival of the recent update, many players came back and brand-new ones also decided to join in. Currently, thanks to all the changes you could say that both old and new players will have plenty to learn.
Are you a newcomer to Dota 2 and MOBAs in general? How do you like the game’s onboarding experience? Let us know and stay tuned for more Dota 2 news, tips and tricks from the from the world of Dota.
