Introduction
Defense of the Ancients (DotA) is based off of another Warcraft III custom game, Aeon of Strife (AoS). In DotA (as with other AoS-based maps), each player controls one hero, and there are two sides who have groups of computer-controlled units ("spawns") continuously spawning and attacking each other. The goal of the game is to destroy the other player's base. This is done by slowly accumulating large groups of spawns and coordinating hero attacks in order to overwhelm the opposing team ("pushing").
Defense of the Ancients originally was developed for Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos by Eul. It quickly distinguished itself from other AoS-based maps by having custom-made heroes with unique abilities (there was even a hero with Blink before it was developed in TFT) and items.
After The Frozen Throne came out, a new variant came out called Defense of the Ancients: Allstars, developed by Guinsoo. Along with new heroes and items, this game introduced item recipes to the game, where one could buy a certain combination of items to create a new, more powerful item. Also added were many different play modes, such as All-Pick (players can pick from both sides), All-Random (every player is given a random hero), Short Match (more gold is given and Death Match (when a hero dies, the player must pick a different hero).
After Guinsoo stopped working on the map, IceFrog took his place, focusing on balance issues as well as adding new heroes and items. Today, DotA: Allstars has a strong following and is one of the most common custom games played in Warcraft III. Serious players can take part in games by going into Clan TDA, and there are tournaments and clans that those good enough can join. With over 70 heroes to choose from, each game can be a unique experience, which is the reason why so many players are drawn to this game.
Basics
In order to get a basic understanding of DotA: Allstars and how it's played, check out these pages to give yourself an edge over the typical newbie:
Map Basics >>
Item Basics >>
Hero Basics >>
Common DotA Lingo >>
Advanced Strategies
These strategies are pertaining to particular heroes and items. Once one has mastered the basics of the game, this can be a handy reference for the particular aspects of certain heroes and items:
Normal Items >>
Advanced Items >>
Sentinel Heroes >>
Scourge Heroes >>
Map Updates
Currently, DotA is in version 6.31. For what's new with the map, see the Change Log.
Links
DotA: Allstars Official Website
Download DotA
