User:Macbarron/Effective teamwork

DOTA 2 is a game quite unlike most other multiplayer games in that it requires a high degree of cooperative teamwork. With matches usually lasting between 30 minutes and an hour, and teams of only five players, cooperation is integral to a team’s success. In DOTA 2, a team wins, not an individual player; therefore, effective teamwork can make the difference between rage-inducing, disjointed failure of a team and a unified, adaptable, and successful team. This guide seeks to advise new and inexperienced players on how to work as a group and communicate effectively in DOTA 2.

DOTA 2 Tools: The Chat and Map Interfaces
Two important but often underutilized tools in DOTA 2 are the voice/text chat interface, and the HUD minimap. When used improperly, they can become annoying and distracting; however, when used effectively, they can be a valuable asset to your team. Here are some useful, but underused features:


 * Chat Interface
 * Custom Messages
 * [Enter] opens the team-chat interface, allowing you to type a message to your team
 * [Shift + Enter] opens the all-chat interface, allowing you to type a message to all of the players (both allies and enemies)
 * Preset/Situational Messages
 * [Holding Y] opens the chat wheel with several useful chat messages, which is much faster to use than typing out the whole message
 * [ALT + Left-click] on one of your items or abilities notifies your allies whether the item/ability is ready to use or still on cooldown
 * [ALT + Left-click] on your health/mana bars notifies your allies of your current health and mana
 * [ALT + Left-click] on one of your current buff/debuff icons notifies your allies that they are in effect
 * [ALT + Left-click] on an enemy’s icon notifies your allies that the respective hero is missing from their lane (A general missing call can be made with the chat wheel)
 * [ALT + Left-click] on your respawn timer while dead will announce to your allies the remaining time until you respawn
 * HUD Minimap
 * Pinging the Map
 * [ALT + Left-click] on the map displays an exclamation mark (!), generally used to notify allies to investigate near the area (or sometimes to warn allies about an enemy)
 * [CTRL + ALT + Left-click] on the map displays an X, generally used to notify allies of traps or nearby enemies
 * [ALT + Left-click] on an ally/enemy tower displays a shield/sword, generally used to call for defending an ally tower or attacking an enemy tower
 * Drawing on the Map
 * [Holding CTRL + Left-click] on the map draws lines on the map, generally used to plan out attack paths or escape routes

In general, the more information you can provide to your team, the better. While you don’t want to frequently fill up the chat interface with repeated or unhelpful information, notifying your allies of your current situation every now and then can be a valuable asset allowing for better planning and more successful attacks. For example, pinging the same location many times in a row doesn’t help anyone, but notifying your teammates that you have a stun ability ready to use will let them know that they can initiate a fight and you will be able to prevent the enemy’s escape.

Pre-Game Strategy: Hero Selection Phase
Your team cooperation must begin even before the match starts. Hero selection is a critical stage in the game, and proper communication can make a world of difference. Poor hero picks can leave your team defenseless and unable to effectively combat the enemy.

Your teammates’ hero picks are as important as your own. Some heroes naturally work well together, but some configurations can leave your team at a disadvantage and vulnerable. One of the easiest things to look for is a good carry/support distribution. Carry heroes “carry” the team and generally become very powerful as the game progresses, whereas support heroes “support” their teammates and generally have healing or disabling abilities. It is generally not a good idea to pick all similar heroes, as this usually leaves much of your team weak to the same situations. Too many carries will leave your team vulnerable to heavy attacks, and too many supports will leave your team unable to do much damage and secure kills.

The enemy hero selection should also affect your pick as well. Certain heroes have abilities and attributes that naturally work well against other heroes. While you don’t have to pick a hero that directly counters an enemy hero, it’s certainly a good idea to not choose heroes that the enemy heroes counter. For example, if you notice that there are a few strong, slow melee heroes with close range abilities on the enemy team, it would probably be in your best interest to pick a fast ranged hero that can stay out the way of these enemies, and pick them off from afar.

The hero pick order is another important factor to look for. In general, it is not beneficial to pick your hero early. An early hero pick allows the other team to “counter-pick”, or choose heroes that usually perform well against your hero. A later pick allows you to do the same to the enemy, and also disallows counter-pick planning on the other team. A countered hero may become effectively neutralized, leaving them unable to contribute much to their team. For example, a strong, slow hero that does heavy damage at close range may not be very effective against a quick hero that can easily escape or avoid the attacks.

Finally, when picking heroes, lane selection should be a planned decision. Each of the three main paths from one side of the map to the other is call a lane. A common strategy is to pair a carry and support at both the top and bottom lanes, with another carry at the middle lane. Let your teammates know where you plan to go, or ask where you should go if you don’t know or have a preference. Early game lane confusion or arguments can waste a lot of valuable time, and it’s never beneficial to start the game already behind.

Early Game Strategy: Laning Phase
The early game phase is often called “laning,” since most of your time should be spent in your chosen lane. This is the time to build up your hero and prepare for the upcoming larger battles. Group synergy is a must for a successful laning phase.

It is important to stay active in your chosen lane as much as possible in order to maximize your gold and experience intake. In general, both teams should have the same number of players for each lane (two each at top and bottom lanes, one at middle lane). If you are in a lane by yourself and are out of position, you leave the enemy in your lane unopposed and risk losing valuable space. If you have a teammate with you in your lane and are out of position, you leave your teammate vulnerable and open to being double-teamed. If you need to leave to go to a shop or go back to base, let your teammates know so they can play more defensively or make other adjustments until you return.

While usually you should stay in the same lane for the early stage of the game to minimize idle time, sometimes it can be to the team’s benefit to switch with a teammate. If you notice that an enemy in you lane seems to easily counter your hero and you think another player might do better against them, you can request a lane switch from a teammate. Also, if you notice a teammate seems to be have trouble against an enemy in their lane, and you think you would fare better, you can suggest a lane switch with them.

In the early laning phase, missing calls are also very important. If you notice that an enemy that has been in your lane is not there anymore, tell your teammates that they are missing. It is very possible that this enemy is trying to sneak into another lane to overpower your teammate(s) by surprise. This is called a “gank.” With this in mind, you can certainly request a teammate to come to your lane to gank your enemy for what should be an easy kill.

Finally, when in lane, make sure you are adhering to the role that your hero should. Each hero is made for either a carry or support role, and while certain situations may allow a character to be both, it is generally a good idea to stick with the role for which they are made.

For carry heroes, this means you should be farming as much as possible and protecting/helping your weaker/support teammates (since usually carry heroes are significantly stronger in early game).Carries should be doing the following:
 * Getting last hits on enemy creeps as much as possible to maximize gold intake
 * Shielding supports from heavy damage
 * Checking the map to be aware of incoming ganks and to provide ganks for the nearby lane(s)
 * Buying appropriate items for your hero and team (some item effects do not stack, and some items are more effective with certain heroes)

For support heroes, this means you should be assisting your carry teammates with items and abilities, and attacking the enemy from afar to try to keep them away. Supports should be doing the following:
 * Using beneficial abilities (“Buffs) on carry teammates
 * Killing your own creeps with low health to decrease enemy hero gold intake (“Denying creeps”
 * Attacking enemies from afar when possible to push them away from your creeps and give your teammate more space
 * Buying supportive items with health/mana restoration abilities or other buffs (also observer/sentry wards)
 * Helping in allies’ escapes when necessary (sometimes sacrificing a support to save a carry can be very beneficial to the team)

Mid to Late Game Strategy: Team Fight Phase
The team fight phase usually begins around the time most heroes have upgraded all of their abilities at least once and several complex items have been purchased. Proper communication and teamwork can mean the difference between your whole team being killed in a span of a few seconds, and your team taking out several enemies and gaining ground.

The transition from early to middle game is not always clear, but usually involves significant changes in a team’s strategy. Instead of staying separated in your respective lanes, it becomes more important to travel together as a group to fight as a team. Since both teams will likely be moving in groups of at least two or three, it can be very dangerous to be alone and away from the group. Not only do you risk you own hero being ganked by an enemy group, but you also potentially leave your teammates one player down if the enemy team attacks all together.

When team fights do occur, it is vital that you participate. If you are playing as a carry hero, you should be one of the main players in the fights, and it is up to you to do most of the damage (and usually take most of the damage). You should be doing the following:
 * Attacking weaker enemies (generally supports) first
 * Positioning heroes strategically with “tanks” in the middle and others in the surroundings
 * Chaining abilities at proper intervals to maximize damage and effects
 * Paying attention to allies and enemies health to know when to run away

Even if your hero is not fight oriented and is more supportive, it is important to stay near the action. You should be providing your teammates with support in the following ways:
 * Casting buffs and helpful abilities on allies
 * Casting offensive abilities and disables on enemies
 * Using consumable items or item active abilities on allies/enemies
 * Doing right-click damage on enemies while they are focused on a teammate
 * Helping teammates escape with abilities and items if the fight goes bad

Your actions after a team fight are just as important as the fight itself. The aftermath of team fights are prime time for pushing forward and attacking towers. If your team wins the team fight, several of the enemies will be dead (and therefore unable to oppose you) and your team has the advantage for a while. This is when you can all push together and get into enemy territory without much fear of being ganked. If your team is unable to take a tower down or make any significant progress, it is essentially just a waste of time and a lost opportunity. On the other hand, if your team loses the team fight, you’ll need to heal quickly and get into a defensive position. The other team is likely attempting to push forward and you’ll need to try to hold off the attack until your team is back in action. Keep in mind that you should be playing defensively at this point. You don’t want to end up dying and putting your newly respawned teammates in the same position.

While team fights are important, they are not the only important factor. Don’t just be idle and wait for the next team fight; there is always something to do nearby that can help the team. Gaining experience is useful for most of the game (until you reach the maximum level of 25), and gold is always useful. While not in team fights, you should be doing the following:
 * Farming nearby creeps (both in a lane and in the jungle)
 * Healing yourself or allies to prepare for the next fight
 * Buying or completing items
 * Placing wards in strategic places (generally supports, but carries also when needed)
 * Protecting towers by pushing the creep line away when necessary

Finally, play the game until the end. Don’t just give up if you lose a few towers, or if you’ve died a lot. There’s almost always a way to come back if you are able to make proper adjustments and continue to work together. The game isn’t over until a fountain is destroyed, so if you still have a chance to win, play very defensively until the current situation is over and try to turn things around. This also applies if your team is winning. Don’t just sit around near the enemy base “trolling” the enemy, this benefits nobody. If you have an opportunity to finish the game, take it.