It's okay. Everyone has to start somewhere. Even if you have previous experience with MOBAs, if this is your first time playing Dota you may feel a little overwhelmed and you'll probably make mistakes...A LOT.

Despite the horror stories you may have heard, you won't get banned just because you're a new player, as long as you strive to improve and learn from your mistakes. I was a noob myself once and I didn't get banned. Heck, I still am and I still haven't been banned. Other players might get angry and yell at you in-game but most of the time, those players will be noobs just like you.

Less than 1% of the Dota 2 playerbase are legitimate professional players. Unless you're getting paid in oversized novelty checks (or otherwise) to play Dota 2 then the chances are highly likely that you're not one of those professional players, and neither are the players on your team, your opponent's team, and most of the players on the game forums.

The first step to overcoming your noobiness...is simply admitting it.

If you haven't already, read this guide by Purge. (a popular Dota 2 caster, streamer and content creator)

Welcome to Dota, You Suck[purgegamers.true.io]

This guide is a great starting point and rundown of the basics but please note that there have been changes to the in-game map, items and other aspects of the game since it was written.

Play through the in-game tutorials under the LEARN tab. As you complete the in-game tutorials, you will also earn a selection of skins, UI and other cosmetic items.

New or returning players may also want to watch Purge's "Purge Plays" videos, BananaSlamJamma's tutorials and coaching sesions, Dota Alchemy and GameLeap tutorials and videos. Note: If a guide/video is a year or more older and has not been updated in that time, it's likely very outdated. Dota 2 is a dynamic game and while the basic mechanics largely remain the same, the heroes, meta and other mechanics change from time to time.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvTcxoyItMUSlw8T2MajftA
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzvDSoNrl2Uva7t_Z936VUw/
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCy0-ftAwxMHzZc74OhYT3PA
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZsM8MOy0VC9blj_wBkbo-g

If you're a past or present League of Legends player, there are some quick tips here:
https://www.dotabuff.com/learn/lol

This also includes a LoL champion to Dota 2 hero converter, to match you with your favorite playstyles from LoL. Please note that there have been many changes to Dota and LoL since this was created so consider as a starting point for ideas but it is not 100% comprehensive.

Once you've played through the tutorials, guided matches and read/watched tutorials and guides, it's time to get in the game and start dying!

Once you've completed the tutorials, you should play the New Player Mode until you feel comfortable with the basic mechanics of the game (as shown in the in-game tutorials) and with game map. You can play New Player Mode solo or in a party. If you're playing New Player Mode in a party with more experienced players then the opposing team will be played by bots, and in remaining slots on your team will be filled by bots as well. This is to prevent more experienced players from roflstomping players in the New Player Mode.

Once you get familiar with New Player Mode/bot games you will probably realize that the bots can be very predictable and easy to trick. You won't (usually) be able to get away with the same stuff in real matchmaking games. You can play off-the-wall item builds in bot games but I recommend that if you really want to learn Dota 2, that you try to treat these NP/bot games seriously as if you were playing against real players.

Note: You can give commands to bot teammates by alt-clicking in-game, e.g. alt-clicking on towers to defend or attack, alt-clicking on enemy heroes to gank, etc.

Try to learn the basics of about 10 heroes starting out. You should try to learn a mix of carry, support, ranged and melee. As a new player, you should try to familiarize yourself with as many heroes as possible but don't try to master them all. It's often best to focus on about 3-5 heroes to "main."

In your hero tab, in the Dota 2 menu you can also "demo" heroes. This creates a single lane version of the game map, has cheats enabled and allows you to quickly test out abilities and item builds with a hero without creating a full game.

You can also find pre-made hero guides in-game, from the shop window, there's a guide tab. You can also find this in the hero menu and during draft/strategy phase before the game begins. I recommend using the Rivalry/ImmortalFaith guides as a base. For some heroes, there may be a core and a support guide. Pay attention to the situational items in the hero guides. You do not need to follow these guides absolutely but they serve as a good base for standard meta builds.

New players will also get a free 3-month trial of Dota Plus, which has dynamic hero guides based on the current meta. Experiment with the Dota Plus guides and other in-game guides.

Some people have a distaste for "the meta" but generally, meta items are meta because they synergize well with a hero's abilities and strengths.

Bot matches/demos are best used early on to get familiar with the game and also at any time to get familiar with a hero you haven't played before or are maybe just a little rusty with.

Once you feel comfortable with NP/bot games, you may want to move on to playing Turbo or unranked All Pick games.

Turbo mode was introduced in the 7.07 update and features increased gold/xp gain and more streamlined gameplay. This is particularly ideal for new players because matches played in Turbo Mode do not affect your "hidden MMR." (see section 5. 'The Numbers Game') Turbo Mode matches are generally shorter than normal matches and typically only last 15-20 minutes.

Turbo Mode Tips:
https://esportsedition.com/dota-2/practicing-in-dota-2-turbo-mode/

Note: There is a huge difference between Turbo and Normal matches. While you can 6-slot carry as a support in a Turbo match and take all the jungle farm, that style of play isn't typically advisable in normal and ranked matches, so don't jump from Turbo to Ranked expecting the same things to work.

Here are some additional tips[www.pcgamesn.com] on hero picks for new players.

Additionally, you can find information on hero counters, synergies and more here:
https://dota2.gamepedia.com/Heroes

That said, pick/counter-pick strategy may be a bit advanced for new players. But the best time to learn is now! It's not so much about knowing who to counter other heroes with but...WHY to pick those counters. If you understand the WHY you won't have to memorize counters.

Remember, learn different heroes' strengths and weaknesses and focus on basic game principles and mechanics such as last hitting, denying, positioning, warding, map awareness, jungling, farm efficiency and lane offense/defense. The better you perform early game, the more likely your chances to win late game.

A great way to familiarize yourself with all the heroes is by playing the All Hero Challenge. You can find this on your in-game profile, which will display all the heroes in Dota 2 and the order in which you need to win games with them to complete the challenge. Winning a game with every hero in the assigned order will unlock an achievement trophy.

Dota 2 has gone through numerous major updates. This includes changes to the interface, gameplay, game flow, the in-game map and much more.

If you're a returning player, depending on how long you've been away, you may need to re-learn a lot of new changes. Any guides, tutorials and videos created before 2017 are basically "historical documents." Any guide or video that is more than a year old is likely outdated.

While Dota 2 is constantly changing, many of the overarching principles and mechanics are largely the same. There are numerous hero, item and gameplay changes as well as nerfs, buffs and tweaks. That said, if you can master the basics then you can master Dota.

You can keep up with all of the latest updates, patch notes and other Dota 2 news here:
http://www.dota2.com

Unlocking ranked gameplay now requires 100 hours of match time in normal matchmaking. Custom, Private and Arcade games do not count. Menu idle time does not count either. Additionally, you must link a unique phone number to your Steam account. If you have a phone number associated to another Steam account and remove it, you will not be able to use that phone number for 3 months.

Adding a Phone Number to a Dota Account:
https://support.steampowered.com/kb_article.php?ref=5434-QEYO-9636

Your first 10 ranked matches will be "calibration" matches, where the game will determine your skill level or MMR. For these calibration matches, it is typically recommended that players pick a carry that they are good with. It is possible to calibrate at a high MMR as a support but generally, it takes more experience and game knowledge to do so successfully.

Most players recommend that you don't immediately jump into your calibration matches. That said, the game will assess your skill level or "Hidden MMR" before you even play your calibration matches. You may be matched against a variety of normal, high and very high skilled players to assess your skill. Your hidden MMR will be assessed during any normal matchmaking game mode. By the time you play your calibration matches, the game will already have a ballpark estimate of your skill level. If you're mostly playing with and against a lot of Herald/Guardian players before your initial ranked calibration, it's likely that you're going to be calibrated as a Herald/Guardian.

Bot games and custom/arcade game modes don't count towards your hidden MMR, so it is recommended you play some bot matches as a new player to learn the mechanics and basics of the game and its heroes. Your hidden MMR won't be penalized for mistakes or poor performance in bot matches.

Don't worry too much about what numbers you get. If you believe what people claim on the forums people in high skill and high-level MMR are just as bad as people in the lower tiers.

2k players will claim everyone below 2k are garbage. 3k players will claim everyone below 3k are garbage. And so on...

If you place "low" that means you have room to improve. That's not necessarily bad. Don't get hung up on numbers.

You can find more information about matchmaking and MMR at the links below:
https://support.steampowered.com/kb_article.php?ref=8041-OGHZ-4554
http://dota2.gamepedia.com/Matchmaking

Tips on how to raise your MMR from Purge:
https://twitter.com/PurgeGamers/status/1137762861390786564

A major difference between Dota 2 and many other MOBAs is that Dota 2 is fully featured from the moment you hit install and play. All heroes and basic game content is unlocked from the start. There are no items that offer in-game advantages.

You will receive a number of cosmetic items and sets by playing through the in-game tutorials under the Learn tab. You will also earn items and sets for free simply by playing the game over time. The system is similar to timed drops in games like Team Fortress 2. I have personally got more than my fair share of rare, mythical and legendary items and sets for free. There is even a chance (a very small one) that you could get a rare Arcana set.

Compendiums aka Battlepasses are available for sale during The International tournament. This typically provides bonus cosmetics, in-game quests which provide further cosmetic rewards as well as other features but they provide no in-game advantage.

Cosmetic items don't give your hero any advantage. They just make you look cool. If you have a Steam account that isn't limited you can purchase numerous sets for under a dollar total by buying the individual set items (not the bundle) on the Steam Market.

Don't be let yourself be intimidated just because another player has a really cool hat or flaming sword because they won't make you a better player. They'll just make your corpse look prettier.

Dota 2 also offers a service called Dota Plus which offers missions and cosmetic rewards (like a battlepass/compendium) as well as hero, laning and build suggestions, in-game quests/missions, extended stat-tracking and bonus cosmetics for a base price of $3.99 (USD) a month.

Dota 2 still features in-game hero/build guides that are free and do not require a subscription to Dota Plus. Dotabuff[www.dotabuff.com] and OpenDota[www.opendota.com] also provide extended statistics for free, with a subscription fee for some additional features.

As previously stated, new players have a free 3-month trial to Dota Plus. Additionally, some Dota Plus features are still available to non-subscribed players, such as earning shards, buying cosmetic sets, limited Hero chatwheels and levels, and other items.

It's easy to get frustrated in Dota 2, especially if you're losing. People like winning. Winning is fun. But since there are two teams in every game that means someone has to lose. Instead of treating a loss (or an impending loss) like the end of the world, use it as a learning experience, not to bash your teammates but evaluate what you did wrong and how you can do better in the future.

Dota is more fun to play with friends! When you find players that you enjoy playing with or even against, send them a friend request! The more friends you have, the easier it is to find and create in-game parties.

Don't mind people with bad attitudes. All online games have them. And heck, it's okay to get a little bit spicy sometimes or even talk a little light trash but you need to know where to draw the line. Here is a helpful guide on how to deal with toxic players and how to avoid becoming one!
https://gtm.you1.cn/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=423565666

If you find that despite your best efforts, you end up with players who are complete jerks, then Dota 2 has a built-in report system. Use it...but use it wisely.

Don't report someone just because they looked at you funny or said "Ha Ha!" and hurt your feelings. You receive a limited number of Overwatch/matchmaking abuse and communications reports a week. If someone you report has action taken on them (muted or Low Priority) then your report will be refunded. Otherwise, it's basically wasted. Here are some tips on making the most of your reports:
http://gtm.you1.cn/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=610727487

The Overwatch system in Dota 2 works similarly to CSGO. You can report players in-game during a match of Dota 2 by accessing the scoreboard (default: tab) and clicking on the red flag icon. You can select the report type: ability abuse, feeding, suspicious movements/casts, scripting/hacking and griefing, then select just now, a minute ago or five minutes ago to roughly indicate when the abuse occurred.

Overwatch reports are reviewed by other players. Multiple players will review reports on an Overwatch reported player during a specific match and make a determination. As a new player, you won't immediately have access to review Overwatch matches. Overwatch eligibility is based on a number of factors to include account trust factor, time played and MMR. A low MMR won't prevent you from reviewing Overwatch matches but it will limit the matches that you can review.

More information about Overwatch is available here:
https://www.dota2.com/newsentry/3025824821114909461

And if despite these warnings you get a little overly spicy and find yourself in Low Priority, don't despair! All is not lost! Here are some things to consider if you want to avoid it in the future:
http://gtm.you1.cn/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=625103077

There are more than just competitive gameplay modes in Dota 2. Since the release of Dota 2 Reborn there are a ton of non-competitive and co-op game modes available in-game and through the Steam Workshop and in-game through the "Arcade" menu. You can even make your own if you're handy with a script or two. (but probably not, these generally require a lot of work)

If you feel like your skill is not accurately represented in-game or if you're just ready for something different there are amateur leagues and tournaments that you can play in.

The Reddit Dota League is very popular. You can learn more about it here: https://www.reddit.com/r/redditdota2league/

There are also Faceit, ESEA and other leagues. Check them out!

Once you join or create your own team, you can start practicing and scrimming with other teams and compete in amateur tournaments as well. You don't have to be a pro to start playing league games. The best time to start practicing against other amateur teams is now!

The Majors and The International (TI) both have open qualifiers. All you need to do is register a team through the Dota Pro Circuit for a chance to compete. It doesn't matter what your rank or MMR is.

You can learn more about team registration here:
https://www.dota2.com/majorsregistration/home/

You can register as a player here:
https://www.dota2.com/majorsregistration/player

Matchmaking and You:
https://gtm.you1.cn/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1737398594

Dota 2 Seasonal Ranking and You:
http://gtm.you1.cn/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1208627755

Coaching Tips:
https://gtm.you1.cn/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1739986627

PSA: Dota 2 Corrupted/Autographed/etc.Trading Scams
https://gtm.you1.cn/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=631795003

PSA: Fake VAC/Tradeban SCAM
https://gtm.you1.cn/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1523781462

Trade Scam FAQ:
https://support.steampowered.com/kb_article.php?ref=3415-WAFH-6433

Are you quitting? Are you REALLY quitting? Okay...then quit already!
http://gtm.you1.cn/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1186776956

Dota 2 on Reddit:
https://www.reddit.com/r/dota2 (News/Discussion)
https://www.reddit.com/r/LearnDota2 (Learn Dota)
https://discord.gg/rdota2 (r/dota2 Discord)

Dota 2 Wiki:
http://dota2.gamepedia.com/Dota_2_Wiki

Extended game statistics:
OpenDota: http://www.opendota.com
Stratz: https://stratz.com
Dotabuff: http://www.dotabuff.com

BananaSlamJamma:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvTcxoyItMUSlw8T2MajftA
Escaping the Trench - BSJ

PurgeGamers: (Learn Dota, commentary and more!)
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZsM8MOy0VC9blj_wBkbo-g

Dota Alchemy:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzvDSoNrl2Uva7t_Z936VUw

GameLeap:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCy0-ftAwxMHzZc74OhYT3PA

Official Website & Blog: (also used for creating in-game hero builds)
http://www.dota2.com
http://blog.dota2.com/

Dota 2 Dev Forum:
http://dev.dota2.com/

Discords:
Dota University: https://discord.gg/dotauniversity
R/Dota2: https://discord.gg/rdota2
Learn2DotaLeague (LD2L): https://discord.gg/zDFGEZv

Fun Stuff:

Dopatwo's 5 Reasons to Pick a hero & other funny stuff:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkbqlN3ZPQKc50mTuR6nyVg

Dota WTF Moments:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCiVbAqll25FFY9VbaGxachQ

Dota 2 Reporter: (Enigma in the jungle, Enigma in the jungle...)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bqblMsP3iU0

*I didn't just write this guide, I use it too! Thanks to everyone who has shared their knowledge with the community and helped contribute to this guide!

• You have 5 enemies in every game, don't make 4 more.
  
• Always be defending/pushing/farming.
  
• Focus on the game, not the flame.
  
• No time to blame, if you're playing the game.
  
• Gold ye shall not hoard, and then cry for wards.
  
• Don't queue if you have to poo.
  
• When Mom says it's bedtime, IT'S BEDTIME!
  
• Don't AFK while queuing and don't accept and then AFK.
  
• Learn from your mistakes, try not to repeat them.
  
• If you can't win, do your best and remember...comeback is real.
  
• Just kidding, comeback not real, but still do your best. Also, comeback is real.
  
• Every loss is an opportunity to learn.
  
• Don't hate when you get roflstomped. Send friend requests.
  
• Be nice...just because.
  
• Pick one: A) Lionized B) Lionized C) Lionized D) All of the above