nstalling Dota 2/The Launch of Dota 2You will have to go to the Dota 2 Page on Steam in order to install Dota 2. Simply click this link or search for "dota 2" in the Steam Store. Then click on the green "Get Dota 2" button. From there on installing shouldn't be a problem for you.Note that there currently is a launch queue and you can't always immediately install Dota 2 on your computer. Once you are able to play and install Dota 2, you will get an e-mail. You can view your queue number at the Steam Store page for Dota 2. I believe your queue number updates very rarely, so just be patient even if you don't move up in the queue. Because of the region specific server capacity and differing demand, the wait time will vary quite a lot for every user.You'll find all the information on the launch at the Dota 2 Blog[www.dota2.com].There will be two Dota 2 clients in your Steam library. One is the main client called "Dota 2" and the other one is a test client called "Dota 2 Test". You DON'T need to install the Dota 2 test client. Its purpose is to test updates before they're applied to the main client. So the test client is identical to the main client most of the time.Dota 2 and Steam are available for Mac and Linux as well.Once you finished downloading and installing Dota 2 you're ready to start the game.Starting with Dota 2You need to start by playing the first 2 training maps in order to have a basic understanding of the game. You are restricted to play the first 2 training missions to play regular matches. Click the "Play" tab and the "Training" section to see the world map where you can select training missions.After the second map is finished you will see an introduction video to show you the map of Dota 2. If you want to watch the video again click the yellow banner on the training world map. Now you are technically free to play whatever you want.But you will still be overwhelmed if you are totally new to the ARTS- (or MOBA-) genre. So I recommend you start learning and continue the training.Start To LearnThere are many ways to continue after playing the first 2 Tutorial Maps. So it's up to you what you want to do and what you feel helps you the most.I'll list the most viable options of what you could do now:Continue playing the other training missions. You'll unlock the missions one after another and even get rewarded with cosmetic items and more Archronicus Pages.Read some Dota 2 Guides (tip: filter by "Gameplay Basics"). One of the best and most complete beginner guides is this one:http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=123364699#Watch Youtube tutorials for Dota 2. Here are a few tutorial series and videos that helped me a lot when I was completely new to Dota:Tutorial: How to Play DOTA2 In 4 Minutes (HQ) Dota 2 - Learn To Play (Dota 2 Portal TV)Learn Dota 2 (Dotacinema)Dota 2: Zone Control and PositioningJust play the game. Learning by doing is a fun and effective way to learn to play Dota 2 if you don't get frustrated (which can happen very easily). So play the tutorial missions/games first to avoid frustration. They will ease you into gameplay and make sure you play the easier heroes first. You can also play a practice match with bots.When you play a practice match with other players against bots make sure you have enough time to play a whole match. Because leaving early will ruin the other players game experience and you will eventually get punished when you "abandon" too many games. A full match takes 30-40 minutes on average. Usually games don't take longer than 60 minutes.When you have enough practice and you want to play a regular match, have a look at the next section.Play a Regular MatchWhen you have enough practice you'll want to play an actual match against real people. But be careful since it might not be as much fun if you play without enough experience from games vs. bots. Besides you will play with other people so you need to have enough time for a whole match (60 min).Be aware that there might be people who take a match VERY serious and might get angry at you if you make a bad play. Or people who can't stand losing and want to make you responsible for the team's failure. Don't bother them, don't get into an argument with them, ignore them and use the mute function if neccessary (The mute function is explained in the "Reporting Problematic Players" guide below).If you want to critisize another player tell him what you think could have worked better. You offending another player never helps your teamplay or individual play.If you want to play with nice people and find new friends who play Dota 2 you should check out chat channels (purgegamers or teamliquid for example) or try to join a guild (more on guilds at "The Dota 2 Community" section). Chat channels can be found on the right side of the Dota 2 main menu. You can add chat channels by clicking on the "+". Guilds are at the Community tab.If you want to play with friends (which probably are at a higher skill level) playing the support role is usually better since it is harder to ruin the whole match by making mistakes as a support.http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=121236026If you want to play with players at your skill level only, I recommend you check the "Solo Queue when alone" option.If you don't know which gamemode to pick when you want to play some "real" games:http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=157216068#1037857If you have problems with other players behaving very bad, here is how you can deal with them:http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=149017711#Know the GameYou should have a basic idea how this game works when you reach this section and you probably have played some games humans vs. humans. Maybe you even got hooked and have an idea why a match of Dota can be so damn exciting (it might take you some time though to discover what excites you about Dota 2).Just as I did before I'll list some ways to gain knowledge in Dota 2:One of the most important sites is the Dota 2 Wiki[dota2.gamepedia.com]. All the mechanics behind Dota 2 and some other stuff is explained there. Just use the search function to answer your questions.If you don't know where to start you could go to the mechanics page[dota2.gamepedia.com] or check out the abilities of some heroes for example by clicking on their portrait on the main page[dota2.gamepedia.com] or the heroes page[dota2.gamepedia.com].A good alternative that is similar in many ways is the Dota 2 Liquipedia[wiki.teamliquid.net].If you want to get to know the heroes I also recommend Dotacinema's Hero Introductions on Youtube. Maybe you could combine the Wiki[dota2.gamepedia.com] with the Introductions if you have trouble understanding.If you know what a hero does but don't know how to play him, you should consider the use of Hero Builds. The easiest way to do this is to use the ingame Hero Builds. Click the book at the top left corner of the screen (see picture) and click on the arrow to the right to see a list of the most popular guides.If you want more info on the Hero Build feature visit the page[www.dota2.com] on the official website. And check out this guide if you want to make a build yourself:http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=152894179#There are also some websites where you can find builds the old fashioned way (there once was a time when Dota 2 didn't have the Hero Build feature); Dotafire[www.dotafire.com] and Alt-Tab Guides[www.dota2alttab.com] for example.You can also learn a lot of things by watching other people play. The Purgegamers Youtube Channel is a good place to pick up 1 or 2 things.Or you can watch the Pros playing Dota 2. More on competitive play be found below.The Dota 2 CommunityA great way to find people and communities to enjoy Dota with are Steam Groups (honorable mention: Dota 2 Discussions) like the Dota 2 School , where you can find other Dota 2 players and events where you learn to play Dota 2 together.If you want to get active yourself or see what other people think, go to:The Community Hub and check out the different tabs there.Dota 2 on Reddit to talk about anything regarding DotaThe Dota 2 Dev[dev.dota2.com] to suggest features for Dota 2 and to give feedback to the developersTo improve the communication and game experience between players, there is a Guild System. Guilds are great to stack and team up with nice people.Introduction to the Guild System A Guide for Dota 2By: JimoI will provide you with information and instructions on how you can create, manage and disband your own Dota 2 guild. I will also go into detail about the other various options available to you as a guild leader and a...There are many people and websites in the community, which want to provide you with entertainment or information on Dota 2:The Dotacinema Website[www.dotacinema.com] with news and more; as well as their Youtube channelThe Dota 2 Portal[www.dota2portal.org] bringing you entertaining and educational videos on their Youtube page and bringing new players together at the already mentioned Dota 2 School.The hilarious Pyrion FlaxCyborgmatt's Blog[www.cyborgmatt.com] providing you with the finest patch analysis there is.And last but not least the official DotA[www.playdota.com] and Dota 2[blog.dota2.com] Websites.The Item System(Free To Play, Store, Workshop, Trading)You can find most of the information about the Free To Play System at the official info page[www.dota2.com] and most of your questions can be answered at the FAQ[www.dota2.com]. I'll outline the information on the item system below as well.You can't purchase a competitive advantage in Dota 2. The game is free: all the heroes are free, and the cosmetic items are earnable in-game. Items can be purchased at the Dota 2 Store[www.dota2.com], sometimes drop after a match and are guaranteed to drop when you reach another level.The Workshop allows you to vote on items to be added into the game as well as create items on your own. When your item is accepted for the game you will get a percentage of the item sales in the Dota 2 Store.More info on the Dota 2 workshop can be found on the about page.If you want to create items yourself, check out those awesome workshop guides like this one and be aware of the item test tool in your Dota 2 client.Guide on the creation of your own Dota 2 items A Guide for Dota 2By: Vermilion WladThis guide will help you in creating you own Dota 2 cosmetics, covering everything from concepting and sculpting, to putting it ingame!If you don't want to buy items you can also trade with other players to get the items you want. But be aware that there are people that will try to scam you for their profit. This TF 2 Guide is also very true to Dota 2 and you should definately read it if you are looking to trade stuff. Being scammed really sucks.How To Avoid Scammers In TF2 A Guide for Team Fortress 2By: -Pe. RincessA guide on how to avoid Sharks and Scammers in TF2.You can also check out this guide to prevent being scammed.Avoiding Common Scams A Guide for Dota 2By: JimoI will provide you information on commonly used scam techniques and how to better prepare yourself to avoid them.If you're looking for more guides on trading have a look at the Team Fortress 2 Guides (filter by category "Trading") as well as the Dota 2 Guides.If you don't know where to find other traders to trade with, check outDota 2 Lounge[dota2lounge.com] and their Steam grouplook for trading groups like Trader's Guild or Dota 2 Items Traderslook for chat channels for trading in Dota 2.The Competitive SceneThe professional scene is a big part of Dota 2 and the Dota 2 Community. When you have a basic understanding for the game, watching professional games and tournaments like the annual International[www.dota2.com] and can be very exciting.You can watch games via the ingame spectator function. In-depth guide on the spectate function:http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=144218139You can also use your browser to watch live streams or Videos on Demand (VOD). Check the twitch.tv Dota 2[www.twitch.tv] page for all the current live streams or go to joinDOTA[www.joindota.com] for a nice overview. If you want to watch a VOD you might have to do a little searching or check the Dotacinema VOD section[www.dotacinema.com].When you are watching a live game you can recive tournament drops which basically are very unique items. To be eligable for those drops when you watch the game on twitch you need to connect your twitch account to your steam account.http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=157493936When you enjoy watching pro games you might want to bet on games. But why throw away your money when you can bet your ingame items? Go to the Dota 2 Lounge[dota2lounge.com] for trading items and betting on pro games.If you want to create a team yourself, you can do so at the community tab in the game. If you want your team to look extra awesome check out this guide:Creating Team Banners A Guide for Dota 2By: JimoI will explain how to create a stylized banner for your team in Dota 2. For this guide you will require Adobe Photoshop, GIMP or PAINT.NET.Your Game is broken?Are you running into bugs? Steam or Dota 2 isn't working? Google[www.google.de] is your friend.But there are more ways to approach problems.You can search the discussion pages of Dota 2 and Steam or create a thread yourself.You can have a look at the Dota 2 Dev[dev.dota2.com] forum.Check the Steam Support page for help regarding Steam and Steam Games (Dota 2 support page here). If you don't find any solutions, you can send the Steam Support a question.You can also write e-mails to Valve and the Dota 2 team.When your game files or steam files are actually broken (if you're the only one having this problem) these How-To's from the Steam Support might help:Verifying Game Cache Files (GCF)Refreshing your Steam FilesBonus: Here's an old Dota 2 Dev thread I found useful on a few occasions: Common Dota 2 Technical Issues and Solutions[dev.dota2.com]ConclusionThanks for reading. I hope I was able to provide a good start into Dota 2 which is probably the hardest part about Dota 2.I'm looking to improve this guide as much as I can. So if you have an idea how I could improve this guide, please leave a comment below.Also leave a comment, if you have any useful links that you think could be added to this guide, if any link isn't useful in your opinion or if a link is dead.Thank you.