Mechanics
32 short entries on how Dota 2 works: gold and experience, objectives, runes, vision and the rest.
Core resources
4Gold
Gold is the currency used to buy items or instantly revive your hero. Gold can be earned from killing heroes, creeps, or buildings.
Experience
ExperienceXP is an element heroes can gather by killing enemy units, or being present as enemy units get killed. On its own, experience does nothing, but when accumulated, it increases the hero's level, so that they grow more powerful. Only heroes can gather experience and therefore reach higher levels. With each level gained, a hero's base attributes increase by static values, which makes them stronger in several ways.
Attributes
Attributes are the main statistics of all heroes that independently determine most scaling statistics. These attributes are , , and . Attributes are gained when a hero levels up, obtains a talent, buys certain items, or uses certain abilities. Illusions benefit from attributes.
Talents
Talents are traits unique to each hero which can enhance the hero's attributes, stats, and abilities. Each hero has a set of 8 talents, which are unlocked over the course of the match.
Combat
7Damage
Damage is any means by which unit's current health can be reduced. The 3 main damage classifications are Physical, Magical and Pure.
Armor
Armor is a stat that reduces (or increases, if negative) physical damage a unit takes from abilities and attacks. Every unit is capable of gaining or losing armor, and most units start with a small amount of base armor, some even starting with negative armor. A hero's armor can be passively increased with via leveling up, certain items, and some abilities. Armor of any unit can also be temporarily increased or reduced with some abilities. Each point of increases a hero's armor by or 1/.
Health
Health (also known as HP, which is short for health points) represents the life force of a unit. When a unit's current health reaches 0, it dies. Every hero has a base health pool of HP. This value exists for all heroes and cannot be altered. This means that a hero's maximum health cannot drop below HP. Because each point of strength increases a hero's health by HP, a hero's health pool scales upwards with their points.
Mana
Mana (also known as MP, which is short for mana points) represents the magic power of a unit. It is used as a cost for the majority of active and even some passive abilities. Every hero has a base mana pool of MP, while most non-hero units only have a set mana pool if they have abilities which require mana, with a few exceptions. These values cannot be altered. This means that a hero's maximum mana cannot drop below MP.
Status Resistance
Status Resistance is an attribute of a hero that reduces the duration of most status debuffs. By default, every unit has a base status resistance of .
Movement Speed
Movement Speed (sometimes abbreviated as Move Speed) is the speed or distance at which a unit can move over a second. The default movement speed limit is at on the low end, and on the high end, which can be bypassed by only a few abilities. Only units capable of moving can have a movement speed. This means granting a non-mobile unit movement speed from movement speed bonus sources do not allow them to move still. A unit's movement speed can be increased by abilities, items or talents granting either flat (e.g.
Attack Speed
Attack Speed is the frequency with which units attack is measured. A unit's attack speed can be modified by items, per point of , abilities providing flat bonuses and auras.
The map
7Roshan
Roshan, the Immortal is a powerful neutral creep boss who can be found within dedicated lairs within the center river. Roshan's strength grows as time passes, continuously growing stronger throughout the match. As his name implies, he is immortal; When killed, he respawns after a while. The team that kills Roshan is generously rewarded with gold and experience, as well as several powerful items that cannot be acquired in any other way.
Towers
Buildings are a type of unit that are not controlled by any player. At the beginning of a match, a set of buildings spawn at set locations in both teams' bases. Both factions have the same set of buildings, with only their appearance differing from each other. Buildings take mostly defensive roles and are the main objective of the game. Besides the bases, there are several neutral buildings scattered throughout the map that can be conquered, or be otherwised used by both teams.
Buildings
Buildings are a type of unit that are not controlled by any player. At the beginning of a match, a set of buildings spawn at set locations in both teams' bases. Both factions have the same set of buildings, with only their appearance differing from each other. Buildings take mostly defensive roles and are the main objective of the game. Besides the bases, there are several neutral buildings scattered throughout the map that can be conquered, or be otherwised used by both teams.
Ancients
Buildings are a type of unit that are not controlled by any player. At the beginning of a match, a set of buildings spawn at set locations in both teams' bases. Both factions have the same set of buildings, with only their appearance differing from each other. Buildings take mostly defensive roles and are the main objective of the game. Besides the bases, there are several neutral buildings scattered throughout the map that can be conquered, or be otherwised used by both teams.
Creeps
Creeps are basic units in Dota 2. Every unit which is not a , , or is considered a creep. Creeps can belong to either faction, be neutral, or be player-controlled units. Unlike heroes, creeps do not gain experience and cannot level up. All of their stats are set values (though can still be altered by modifiers). Most creeps grant a set gold and experience bounty to heroes when killed.
Lane Creeps
Lane creeps are a type of creep that automatically moves down the three lanes towards the enemy faction's Ancient. Each and every 30 seconds a new group (the creep wave) spawns for each faction at each of their barracks, but the number in the group and their stats eventually change, as the game progresses. Lane creeps engage any hostile unit nearby, but when left unattended, the opposing creeps end up clashing each other in the lanes on their way towards the enemy base.
Glyph of Fortification
Buildings are a type of unit that are not controlled by any player. At the beginning of a match, a set of buildings spawn at set locations in both teams' bases. Both factions have the same set of buildings, with only their appearance differing from each other. Buildings take mostly defensive roles and are the main objective of the game. Besides the bases, there are several neutral buildings scattered throughout the map that can be conquered, or be otherwised used by both teams.
Runes & farm
4Runes
Runes are special power-ups that spawn on the game map at certain places. Runes ignore and .
Bounty Rune
Runes are special power-ups that spawn on the game map at certain places. Runes ignore and .
Power Rune
Runes are special power-ups that spawn on the game map at certain places. Runes ignore and .
Denying
Denying is the act of last hitting a friendly unit. Enemies gain no gold and reduced experience from any denied unit. Enemies gain 50% experience for denied lane creeps and 0% experience for denied player-controlled units. All allied units can be denied once they fall below a certain percentage of health: creeps, and non-hero units at 50%, heroes at 25%, and towers at 10%. However, heroes can only be denied under special circumstances. Illusions and couriers cannot be denied. To deny a unit, issue an on the unit.
Vision
4Vision
Vision describes what a unit can and cannot see within a circular area from its current location and state. Places a unit cannot see are filled with the Fog of War, a dark mist that hides enemy units inside of it. Allied units cannot be hidden by the fog of war. Invisible units cannot be seen even when outside of the Fog of War, unless they are revealed by a source of True Sight. Trees and higher elevation block a unit's vision if it has ground vision. Flying vision is unobstructed by trees and elevation.
Wards
Summons are a type of units that are created with spells. Players do not encounter them, unless they play as, with or against certain heroes. Summons are usually under the control of the summoning unit's player, but most of them can be converted by the enemy. Only very few of them cannot be controlled. Summoned units usually live only for a certain amount of time (although some stay permanently, until killed) after being summoned and a player can have a limited amount of summons.
Observer Ward
Observer Ward is an item purchasable at the Base Shop, under Consumables.
Sentry Ward
Sentry Ward is an item purchasable at the Base Shop, under Consumables.
Systems
6Buyback
Gold is the currency used to buy items or instantly revive your hero. Gold can be earned from killing heroes, creeps, or buildings.
Courier
A Courier is a unit that transports items from the shops to the heroes. Every player gets a courier at the beginning of the match. The courier starts out walking but gains the ability to fly at higher levels.
Aghanim's Scepter
Aghanim's Scepter is an item purchasable at the Base Shop, under Magical. However, it requires an item from the Secret Shop to be completed.
Neutral Items
Neutral items are craftable items, which require to be built. Madstone is obtained by farming neutral creeps. They cannot be purchased, and cannot be removed from the dedicated neutral item slot. Each player may equip only one neutral item at a time, in a dedicated neutral item slot. Crafting a new neutral item replaces the old one.
Shrine
Outpost