Controls

Controls in Dota 2 can be customized in the Game Options.

Default Configuration
There are 5 default control configurations available in Dota 2, but most players tend to customize the controls to their liking. The configurations are as follows:


 * Normal - The default control scheme of Dota 2.
 * The camera is controlled by them mouse, as well as the UP,DOWN,LEFT,RIGHT keys.
 * Abilities are activated using the Q,W,E,D,F, with R activating Ultimate abilities.
 * Items are activated using the Z,X,C,V,B,N keys.


 * WASD - This control scheme focuses on controlling the camera using the keyboard.
 * The camera is controlled by the W,A,S,D keys.
 * Abilities are activated using the Q,E,R,T,G keys, with F activating Ultimate abilities.
 * Items are identical to the Normal scheme.


 * Legacy - By far the most complex of the control schemes, abilities have no consistent key. Each hero has a different set of ability keys. This is the way W3 DotA was played.
 * The camera is identical to the Normal scheme
 * Abilities are activated using a multitude of keys, ranging from Q-T, A-G, Z-B.
 * Items are activated using the number pad with the keys 7,8,9,4,5,6.


 * MMO - The MMO control scheme has it's abilites set to the number keys, similar to many MMO games.
 * The camera is identical to the Normal scheme.
 * Abilities are activated using the 1,2,3,5,6 keys, with 4 activating Ultimate abilities (Not to be confused with the Number pad keys in the Legacy scheme).
 * Items are identical to the Normal scheme.


 * MOBA - The MOBA control scheme is similar to other games in the genre, using the number keys to activate items.
 * The camera is identical to the Normal scheme.
 * Abilities are identical to the Normal scheme.
 * Items are activated using the 1,2,3,4,5,6 keys.

Many other keys are different between these control schemes, but Camera, Abilities, and Items are the most important changes.

Communication

 * Alt-clicking on the ground or mini-map will alert your team about a location by showing an exclamation mark on their mini-map. Be aware, however, as player's intentions are not always clear, and pings are not replacements for verbal/text communication. Alt-clicking towers will play a different sound, and generally mean a defense/attack of the tower is desired.
 * Alternatively, Ctrl-Alt-clicking on the ground or mini-map will alert your team by showing an X on their mini-map, generally indicating danger.
 * Alt-clicking on inventory items or abilities will alert your team that the item/ability is ready, on cooldown, or needs mana to be cast.
 * Alt-clicking on items that can call for a gather broadcasts a gather message and pings your location.
 * Alt-clicking on an enemy hero's image on top of the screen will alert your team that said hero is missing from their respective lane.
 * Alternatively, Ctrl-Alt-clicking on the image will alert your team that the hero has returned to their lane.

Camera
Camera control is a very important feature in Dota 2. Similar to a pure RTS game, Dota 2 gives the player the ability to move their camera around the entire map and see what is happening in different locations of the map. However, the Fog of War will prevent the player from seeing most areas of the map, and will only be revealed when allied units are nearby, or with abilities that provide vision. The is an incredibly important item used to provide vision in a specified area.

The camera can be controlled in 3 different ways, those ways being:
 * Dragging the cursor to the edge of the screen. This will push the screen in the direction of the edge (corners will also push diagonally)
 * "Pinning" the cursor in place using the Mouse3/Scroll-wheel button. The screen will be pushed in the opposing direction that the cursor is dragged, as though you are moving the environment, instead of the camera.
 * Assigning directions to keys on the keyboard. One of the default configurations, "WASD", will allow the camera to be moved in the 8 cardinal directions using W,A,S,D, and their diagonal combinations.