A Beginners Guide from -annegelic- from the site www.dotaph.com

With any game, there is a learning curve. With DOTA, the curve starts at the top of a roller coaster that is a free fall down a three-thousand foot drop. Without a cart. Or tracks. A beginner will find himself entering the game at a severe disadvantage, and will likely be farmed into oblivion before they even figure out the basic controls. This quick-start guide will get you on the fast track to success in game with one of the steepest learning curves known to man.

First off, you're coming into the game with people who have been playing it for years. There are nearly one-hundred heroes to master, and more items than you can shake a stick at. First thing's first – start a game by yourself, and start memorizing items and recipes. You are going to want to be in your “lane” as much as possible – consider building regeneration items first, or work up to the quintessential DOTA item, the Power Treads. Almost always, you should grab some Ancient Tangos of Essifation when you begin to make sure you'll be able to take a beating early on and still stay in your lane.

Speaking of lanes. You're going to be in one – you may or may not be with another one of the heroes on your team. Either way, there's one thing that will be very important as you learn to play – make sure to call out missing opponents. If you're chilling in your lane and suddenly you notice that the opposing team's hero is missing, take the split second to type out (or shout out, if you're using voice chat) that he is “0” or missing – you will save one of your teammates lives by this simple action, as the missing suspect is probably setting up a nasty gank in one of the many woodsy areas on the beloved DOTA map.

Tower diving – especially when you're starting, you're really going to want to get that kill because you want to impress your team and yourself, to prove that you are not the noob you are. But don't tower dive. What is tower diving? It's taking a bunch of unnecessary blasts from the lane towers while you attempt to be Superman chasing down your opponent – if you don't know exactly what you are doing this will likely result in the opponent simply walking back a few feet, and you dying and making your team start tearing their hair out and nerd raging all over the place. They might even leave.

Learning DOTA is a daunting task, but a very worthwhile one. You'll have to endure some frustration, verbal abuse, and horrible horrible beatings at first, but in the end you'll find yourself playing one of the best team games out there. So sit back, take a few deep breaths, and enjoy the ride.