Helpful tips for new players

[VyyyE]

Because everyone is an idiot in their first game. Short tips, longer ones.. Whatever can help a new player.

I know I tend to read through these kind of threads when I start playing a new game, so share your knowledge.

I'm no pro player by any means, as I'm a 1550-1600~ player (don't mind current PSR, just used some beta invites on mates) but I believe some of these might come to help:

1: If you think they're coming to gank you, they probably are. All the "damn I knew they were coming" moments can be prevented. When everyone disappears into fog while you're pushing the second tower, you can assume that they'll try to surround you. When you think they're coming, get the **** out.
This is where I had most problems as a beginner, as I was used to games where death didn't mean much. In this game you lose a lot while the enemy gains a lot. See where I'm going?
Which leads us too..

2: Homecoming stones/Post haste,
As a general guideline, you should always have one of these in your inventory. In early game for example, if you think about the cost (135g), and then the time you're running back and forth when you're not using it.. Wouldn't you be able to last hit the few creeps and make that 135g in the time it would take to run the distance?

You'll get more experience overall (which is an important part of the early game), while still getting the same, or more, money than you would've without porting. Same applies to ganks, if they surround you it will often mean you'll die. If they surround you and you've ported you've wasted their time instead.

3: Help your carry,
If you're playing a support character (or less item dependent characters) such as Nymphora or Demented Shaman while you're laning with a carry (Madman for example) keep in mind that money will benefit him more than you. Place wards to prevent him getting ganked, deny rather than last hit if he can get the last hit instead of you (common sense applies).

4: Couriers,
I barely ever see this in pubs, but they do exist! Buy a monkey and/or upgrade it to a crow and learn to micro it. It's not a lot of work, though it can be tedious at first. But once you learn to use it effectively, you'll have to visit the base a lot less. It's generally the support who gets a crow, but in a pub there's a chance no one will get one. So having one on a jungling legionnare is definitely an idea for example.

5: Auto attacking,
Don't do this. Please.
It's a common rookie mistake to auto attack the creeps, but doing so you'll push the lane to their tower which you definitely don't want (this is early game of course). You should never do anything except last hitting/denying except if you're attempting to push their tower. This is very important.

6: Learn to use and abuse the runes,
The runes spawn at every even minute (0:00, 2:00, 4:00 etc), by picking them up with your (empty) bottle you'll refill it. While doing so you can also go and gank whichever lane they were close to. This is presuming you're mid of course.
Park a courier close to the rune, that way you'll always know where a rune is as you simply have to move your courier a tiny bit to see if it's spawned at top or bot. Yeah, it requires a tiny bit of micro but once you get used to it you'll never go back. Watch Glorify's FPVoD's to see this in action.
Your courier is a movable ward, which is 100% awesome if you want rune control. Whoever controls the runes, controls the mid lane.

7: Communication,
An organized team can turn what seems like a guaranteed loss to a close victory. Talk to your team mates, ping the map, check the rune if you're top/bottom and tell your team if the rune has spawned there or at the opposite side. Your team will be much better if everyone knows what's going on across all the map, not just your lane.

If someone is being bad, don't rage as he'll probably rage back. Try to tell him what he's doing wrong so he can improve.
Yes, a lot of the time they'll refuse to listen, but that's their problem more than anyone's. I've had 100% new players do at least a half-decent job by simply communicating with them. Telling them "noob l2p ffs" isn't helping anyone other than your ego, giving serious advice will help your team.

8: Damage isn't everything..
Because you can't do any damage at all if you're dead. Plenty of people overlook items such as Shrunken Head simply to get their next awesome damage item. Though when they get caught in a disable they die extremely fast and generally rage at their team for not helping. If they just got the nifty magic immunity it wouldn't be as much as of a problem, now would it?
Damage is good, but if you keep dying you're doing something wrong.

9: Enjoy the bloody game ;)
This is more of a personal nit-pick, but it's my post so what the hell. Play to the best of your ability, but for the love of all that's holy, winning isn't everything. You don't have to call the bad player on the team every name under the sun, you don't have to tell everyone that the reason you're losing is because your team sucks. Really, it doesn't matter. It's a game. If you're in a mood to be a complete jackass, maybe stick to singleplayer that day.

It's not fun being a rookie and only hearing variations of "retard", "idiot", "moron" etc. I almost had to force myself through when I started the game because there were so many jackasses. It ain't making anyone's life better, 'tis true.

And that is that. Keep 'em coming people!

[Tissi]

Dont pick the hardest heroes.
As a noob I have found that the heroes seemingly boring can be VERY interesting and satifying to play.

If it gets personal and you get too upset, take a break get a beer or hug your gf.
When you're calm come back and think what went wrong.

[Rokman]

Good post.

+1

[Qwernakus]

I suggest playing Single Draft to learn the heroes. I found that normal all pick games was REALY overwhelming with all the heroes, and you just cant pick and get confused. With 3 heroes each time, you have plenty of time to read each hero, and will learn different heroes. That is all.

[patski]

I played single draft at first, picked a hero, then played all pick the next few games to get better at the hero, then moved to another.

And yes, I totally agree, yelling at people doesnt help.

[mikkolawl]

7: Damage isn't everything..
Because you can't do any damage at all if you're dead. Plenty of people overlook items such as Shrunken Head simply to get their next awesome damage item. Though when they get caught in a disable they die extremely fast and generally rage at their team for not helping. If they just got the nifty magic immunity it wouldn't be as much as of a problem, now would it?
Damage is good, but if you keep dying you're doing something wrong.


Wise words. Play by this rule, survivability is king.

Also, attacking with your regular attack(not spells) doesn't take any mana.

[Puchi]

Good post, hope it helps the newbiis :)

Also all you new players out there try to pick easy heroes that you know from dota.
And don't flame ppl who try to help you it just makes you a worse player..

[D]

Good post, hope it helps the newbiis :)

Also all you new players out there try to pick easy heroes that you know from dota.
And don't flame ppl who try to help you it just makes you a worse player..

What about those of us that haven't played DotA?

My tip that I use myself: when in lobby with your team and picking peeps, if you're not sure tell your team you're a new player and want to help (and pick someone that goes well with the rest of the team) but you need a class that's not too tricky to use decently. Sometimes they will pick an easy class for you on standard draft and you get to swap with them.

Communication really is key.

[DenyTheTruth]

What about those of us that haven't played DotA?

My tip that I use myself: when in lobby with your team and picking peeps, if you're not sure tell your team you're a new player and want to help (and pick someone that goes well with the rest of the team) but you need a class that's not too tricky to use decently. Sometimes they will pick an easy class for you on standard draft and you get to swap with them.

Communication really is key.

If it's their very first game they really need to either take part in the mentor/apprentice program or play a few practice games and find their favorite hero. Within 5 minutes you could go through every hero in practice mode at level 25. Spawn, max level, test abilities, remove, repick. At least that way you can see who you like by themselves and then test how you like them against other heroes. Playing a hero you absolutely hate or that's difficult to use at the start (devourer/night hound come to mind) is really going to hamper your fun experiences even if you don't do terrible.

[Voidi]

1. Do not pick Scout.
2. Do not pick Night Hound.
3. Do not pick Scout.

Most important advice imo.

[Sinz3r]

Don't get upset as a n00b, when your teammates die from a gank across the other side of the map, then proceed to blame your skills for it.

I am still a big n00b, best piece of advice is to try to play most if not all heroes once. They are all different and you get to learn what works and what doesn't.

+1 don't pick scout...... even after the patch I still sigh when my teammates pick him. Even good scouts just seem to be totally worthless late game.

NightHound can be played pretty well by some players, I have seen some great games with him.

[Qwernakus]

1. Do not pick Scout.
2. Do not pick Night Hound.
3. Do not pick Scout.

Most important advice imo.

Hah hah, i must say, i did laugh ol' chap.

[bigmit37]

Quick question abouut Homecoming stone.

If I use it when I am getting attacked will it nullify the item?

[DenyTheTruth]

Quick question abouut Homecoming stone.

If I use it when I am getting attacked will it nullify the item?

No, but getting silenced/stunned will. Basically anything that interrupts channeling will interrupt the homecoming stone and basic attacks do not interrupt channeling. Watch out for booboo.

[ImpBloody]

1. Do not pick Scout.
2. Do not pick Night Hound.
3. Do not pick Scout.

Most important advice imo.


I got a nice little chuckle out of this as well =P

[Well_Shebber]

I have some issue with the "do not auto attack creeps" deal. Although I understand that this is a good idea in a standard lane setup, what if you specifically lane with certain heroes to be able to push hard early on (for a tower advantage)?

For example, in a game a few days ago, I (as Nymph) laned with Jereziah because of the strong pushes we could initiate early in the game. While it was by no means a pro game (1550-1650 range), we managed to push down the two towers in the bottom lane by level 6 against competent opponents. They tried to gank us once, but apart from that, we had basically complete lane control because of our excellent heals + staying power.

Now, this obviously won't happen in every game, and we had a great combo to counter the opposing heroes in our lane (Plague Rider, who couldn't nuke us down faster than we could heal, and Madman, who is mana starved early-game). I'm just saying, not autoattacking creeps should only apply when you have little/no chance of pushing over a tower early.

[Guldbonden]

@Well_Shebber: Quite true what you say, keep in mind though that auto-attacking in the beginning even with Jeraziah+Nymphora makes you push to their tower and even though you have great pushing power you're very easy gank targets in there, 1 stun close to the tower can prove fatal early game.
Also auto attacking might ruin last-hitting/denying/harassing because of attack speed limitations.
Just pick a tactic and make sure you both stick to it and it'll probably turn out alright.

[DenyTheTruth]

I have some issue with the "do not auto attack creeps" deal. Although I understand that this is a good idea in a standard lane setup, what if you specifically lane with certain heroes to be able to push hard early on (for a tower advantage)?

For example, in a game a few days ago, I (as Nymph) laned with Jereziah because of the strong pushes we could initiate early in the game. While it was by no means a pro game (1550-1650 range), we managed to push down the two towers in the bottom lane by level 6 against competent opponents. They tried to gank us once, but apart from that, we had basically complete lane control because of our excellent heals + staying power.

Now, this obviously won't happen in every game, and we had a great combo to counter the opposing heroes in our lane (Plague Rider, who couldn't nuke us down faster than we could heal, and Madman, who is mana starved early-game). I'm just saying, not autoattacking creeps should only apply when you have little/no chance of pushing over a tower early.

While you have the ability to push hard early, I would not say that this is a good idea. Defiler had an ability to destroy a tower at level 6 but that doesn't mean she should use it. By pushing down a tower that means your next objective is going to be inside the enemy's territory. You're going to have to not only push into their area, thereby making yourself more open to being attacked by heroes, but it's a longer run back to your base, you're not going to have safe ground to run to (your own tower), and you're going to have drawn attention to yourself by pushing that hard.

Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. I find that luring heroes out and getting kills is more important. I actually prefer to let my first tower die. That means there is more space for me to work with regarding chasing. I hate crossing the river in a chase and the lack of a first tower gives me more room. Just make sure to deny that first tower. :)

[Fidel]

Dont pick the hardest heroes.
As a noob I have found that the heroes seemingly boring can be VERY interesting and satifying to play.

If it gets personal and you get too upset, take a break get a beer or hug your gf.
When you're calm come back and think what went wrong.

I thought pebbles was a boring char

but then i played him and .. WOW

i <3 pebbles. because of him i get hard anytime i see a rock

[Ruscour]

Two tips I find useful:

1. The game isn't as much about killing as it is about not dying.

2. Bind your Hold key to space bar so you can hit it quickly. Auto-attack gets people killed, not to mention poor.

3. (Yes I said there'd be two) Don't just play easy mode. I'm not saying easy mode should be avoided, but play some non easy mode games to put yourself back into perspective. It's easy to ignore vital mechanics such as last hitting and denying when playing easy mode.

[Ruscour]

1. Do not pick Scout.
2. Do not pick Night Hound.
3. Do not pick Scout.

4. Do not pick Swiftblade.
5. Do not pick Scout.

[Colinthetank]

I have some issue with the "do not auto attack creeps" deal. Although I understand that this is a good idea in a standard lane setup, what if you specifically lane with certain heroes to be able to push hard early on (for a tower advantage)?

For example, in a game a few days ago, I (as Nymph) laned with Jereziah because of the strong pushes we could initiate early in the game. While it was by no means a pro game (1550-1650 range), we managed to push down the two towers in the bottom lane by level 6 against competent opponents. They tried to gank us once, but apart from that, we had basically complete lane control because of our excellent heals + staying power.

Now, this obviously won't happen in every game, and we had a great combo to counter the opposing heroes in our lane (Plague Rider, who couldn't nuke us down faster than we could heal, and Madman, who is mana starved early-game). I'm just saying, not autoattacking creeps should only apply when you have little/no chance of pushing over a tower early.

Never auto attack. It's not worth it. Pushing a lane hard with spells is a lot different then auto attacking. Some heroes through harassing/healing will push lanes extremely fast. That's fine, but make sure you are doing your job last hitting and denying. Think about this, a tower gets you and your team 330ish gold each. That is huge. However there are 4 creeps per wave, last hit them all and you are looking at, an average of 35g per, about 140g. After last hitting 3 creep waves, you have already gone past the gold benefit of killing a tower. If you perfectly deny your 3 creep waves, that's the equivalent of the enemy hero not getting gold from a tower kill, let alone the EXP gain.

As you get into higher level games, pushing a lane is not as big of an issue. If you are strong enough to dominate team battles early game because you are a master at last hitting and have significantly better items than anyone else. Chances are, you will win the game.


Example: Zephyr. Zephyr is all in all a weak hero unless you farm him to hell, at which point he carry's so well that he can solo 3-4 heroes late game. If you get lane control with him, and have your tornadoes up last hitting and denying everything, you can get strong enough to neutral creep really early. Effective neutral creeping allows you to farm up insane items (Helm of the Black Legion, Mock of Brilliance [Radiance], Enhanced Marchers, and a shrunken head) before the other team even hits level 12.

By effective Neutral creeping, I mean creep stacking whenever possible (Especially the ancient creeps), and constantly attacking or moving to attack something in an organized pattern.

[Puchi]

1. Dont play EM. Playing EM will **** with your game sence, you get more gold and xp faster. EM is just for the lols and if you want to get good at HON you should realy play normal game s only.

2. Dont play difficult heroes, it might be hard to know which heroes are hard to play when your a newbie, but i'll give you a few examples: Voodoo Jester, Dark Lady, Soul Stealer, Kraken, Maliken, etc. instead try to play heroes that basically play themselfs like: Moonqueen, Swiftblade, Soul Reaper or lego

3. Dont Flame experianced players, if they are trying to help you and are giving you directions or advice take it and swallow your pride.

4. watch and learn, if you see a player who is playing well (getting many kills, saving the team.. stuff like that) try to watch what he's doin and when you try that hero try to mimic what he was doin.

5. If you what to know what skills someone picked and on what level stay after the game has ended and then click that players picture to see what he picked.


and i have a lot more tips, anyone is free to pm me in the forums if you got a question ;)

[Gangbangjoe]

No, but getting silenced/stunned will. Basically anything that interrupts channeling will interrupt the homecoming stone and basic attacks do not interrupt channeling. Watch out for booboo.

Wrong. Silence does not cancel the teleport.

[Korialstraz1]

1. Dont play EM. Playing EM will **** with your game sence, you get more gold and xp faster. EM is just for the lols and if you want to get good at HON you should realy play normal game s only.

2. Dont play difficult heroes, it might be hard to know which heroes are hard to play when your a newbie, but i'll give you a few examples: Voodoo Jester, Dark Lady, Soul Stealer, Kraken, Maliken, etc. instead try to play heroes that basically play themselfs like: Moonqueen, Swiftblade, Soul Reaper or lego

3. Dont Flame experianced players, if they are trying to help you and are giving you directions or advice take it and swallow your pride.

4. watch and learn, if you see a player who is playing well (getting many kills, saving the team.. stuff like that) try to watch what he's doin and when you try that hero try to mimic what he was doin.

5. If you what to know what skills someone picked and on what level stay after the game has ended and then click that players picture to see what he picked.


and i have a lot more tips, anyone is free to pm me in the forums if you got a question ;)

Those are the heroes I'm good at!

[KonZ3N]

Always be alert on the Mini Map and toggle your allied heroes to same color scheme. Map awareness is very important.

[Vinthian]

Always be alert on the Mini Map and toggle your allied heroes to same color scheme. Map awareness is very important.

Actually, I'd advise against this... Getting used to the hero colors will let you know which hero is which on the minimap, rather than just knowing it's an "enemy".

[Mitchbones]

Most important rule is to "Not Die." Especially early game it robs you of much needed experience and gold while giving the other team gold and exp.

There is nothing cowardly about running away to fight another day.

[Chewtoy1]

The only and best tip i could ever give anyone in any game is: Analyze your own playing style!
Everytime you die, think to yourself: why did this happen? what could i do different next time to stop it from happening?
Be honest with yourself, don't blame your team for all your deaths :)

[Darkfrog]

This thread have helped me out alot! I am very new to HoN, but played some casual DotA back in the day. I have been using some of these tips, and i feel i have much more controll over my game now.
The two rules i find to be most golden is "never autoattack" and "damage is not everything"

Thank you guys for this! It helped out a beginner like me a very great deal, and made the game more enjoyable.

[Jojje]

Nice post!