A Guide for Aspiring Pro Dota 2 Players

Dota 2 is a PC game that was released last 2013 for PC and MAC. It is a follow-up to the immensely popular Warcraft 3 mod by Blizzard.

Many players who play Dota 2 casually don't realize that if they are patient enough, they can one day be a professional gamer. According to ESportsEarnings, the highest paid professional player as of now is Saahil "UNiVeRsE" Arora with earnings amounting to $2,635,045.24.

Dota 2 is a team game where micromanagement and map awareness plays a vital role to winning each match. Here are some ways to improve your game based on an article from DotaFire.

First off, don't rush things and start with basic items. Try to get learn enemy movements. Don't hesitate to buy a Dust and/or Gem early on. This is a mistake made by a lot of players who rush builds early game.

Watch professional gamer replays along with your own and compare them to find out how you can improve for your next match. Don't be greedy. A lot of players tend to get more kills early on even if it means tower diving in enemy territory.

Familiarize yourself with the damage output, mana costs and cooldown for the skill of each Hero you intend on practicing. Another important skill is last hitting or animation canceling: this earns you more gold, which in turn gives you more money to buy better items.

Some heroes have very useful skills for farming gold, so take advantage of these. Lastly, try to anticipate how your opponents will react when you go to a certain area, or use a certain skill. Will they run to the tower opposite that forest or are they just luring you to an ambush?

Be aware of your surroundings. If your teammates ambush an opponent, should you join or continue to push that tower? Should you defend your based while someone is pushing? It all boils down to timing and strategy. A lot of games can be won by a few kills, but a great setup. A great team can own opponents with high hero skills.

Once you have mastered the basics of Dota 2 as well as how to improve your game, you will be relaxed the next time you play against a higher level opponent. You can even improve your Matchmaking Rating (MMR.)

Remember, practice makes perfect. Don't hesitate to keep practicing certain heroes until you master them.