How to Control the Game in Dota 2 – Map and Resources

Learn how to control the game in Dota 2 by using the map and resources to your advantage

Dota 2 can be a complex game with thousands of micro mechanics to learn and implement. While a casual player playing in Crusader or Guardian rank might not need as much game knowledge to win their games, as you go higher up the ladder, games become more difficult.

The enemies you face as you climb higher will have more knowledge about the game. They’ll have a better idea of how to utilize the map and its resources efficiently, and if you’re not playing at the same level, it won’t take too long for your MMR to drop down.

If you want to get better at the game, learning to utilize the map and the resources available is essential. While things can seem pretty overwhelming at first, if you take things one step at a time, you’ll manage just fine.

In this article, we will drop a few tips and tricks about utilizing the Dota 2 map and resources and help you gain better knowledge about the game. So let’s get started.

Tips to Better Control the Game in Dota 2

1. Memorize the Map and Timings

The Dota 2 Map is pretty big, but it runs like clockwork. There are a lot of timings in the game that you need to remember to utilize it efficiently. Things like Creep spawns on the lane, Pull timings, Jungle Camp spawning, Enemy hero respawn timing, Your team’s Power Spikes, and Item timings, etc., are extremely important for a player to learn.

If you’re a newcomer to the game, things will no doubt seem a bit intimidating at first. The best advice we can give you is to try out a couple of Bot games so that you can understand the map better. Watching Pro players play using the Watch Game feature in Dota 2 can also help you understand how they utilize the map resources better.

As a bonus, you’ll also get a better sense of how to draft in Dota 2 by watching the Pro players do it.

2. Understand Farm Distribution

Though the map is huge, the farm that’s available on the map at any one point in Dota 2 is quite limited. There’s not enough farm on the map if you have five farm-heavy heroes in your team. That’s why it’s important to understand the farm distribution priority for your team and the enemy team.

Typically, the Position 1 carry takes the most farm on the map, and the Position 5 support takes the least amount of farm. Your job is to make sure your Position 1 can farm efficiently without the threat of dying and getting to his key items while denying the same opportunity to the opposition team’s Position 1.

3. Control the Map with Vision

Winning the vision war in Dota 2 is an important step towards victory. In Dota 2, there are two types of Wards in the game: Observer Wards and Sentry Wards.

Observer Wards give you Vision over a specific area. Sentry Wards allow you to see invisible enemy heroes or wards in a fixed area. Sentry wards can’t give you any vision on their own.

By putting Observer Wards in strategic locations, you can get a lot of information for your team. Information like where the enemy carry is farming or if the enemy team is planning on using the Smoke of Deceit can change the tide of the game. It also makes the map safer for your Safe Lane Carry to farm easier.

Getting Vision alone for your team isn’t all that’s important here. Remember, the opposition will also try to get Vision on the map for themselves. So you need to deny their Observer Wards using Sentry Wards of your own.

4. Take Objectives as a Team

Dota 2 is a team game, and if you’re not playing with your team, you’re not going to win. Yes, there are occasional games when you’ll end up with allies who don’t listen to a call anyone makes. But in most cases, communicating with your team gives you a better shot at victory.

There are a lot of different objectives in Dota 2, such as killing the Roshan, taking the outer towers, contesting the opponent’s stack, breaking the high ground, and finally, destroying the enemy’s throne.

Taking these objectives on your own, regardless of how much farm you have on your hero, is risky. The enemy team can easily rotate in and kill you if you’re doing things on your own. So communicate with your team and ask them to take key objectives together.

5. Utilize the Fog of War

Learning to stay out of the Map vision is a skill that comes in handy at all stages of the game. If you manage to stay in the Fog of War, you’ll be limiting the information your enemy has about your position and what you’re trying to do.

For example, if you’re playing as a Position 4 support, when you stay in the Fog of War for a while, the enemy mid needs to play a bit more carefully. Why? Well, look at it from the enemy’s perspective.

If the enemy Position 4 is missing, then there’s a chance that he’s making a move toward the Mid Lane, setting up a Gank opportunity. By utilizing the Fog of War smartly, you can put a lot of pressure on the enemy team.

6. Use Smoke of Deceits Regularly

Smoke of Deceit is a consumable in Dota 2 that’s available in limited quantities. You start with 3 Smoke of Deceits in the shop, and it restocks one time every 420 seconds.

When you use the item, your hero and any other allied heroes in a nearby area become invisible to enemy vision. Your movement speed increases, and you can move through the map without fear of walking into enemy vision.

Although the invisibility effect fades as soon as you get within a specific range of your enemy, this item lets you hunt down the enemy team or set up around primary objectives without giving away too much information. So make sure you use the item during important moments of the game.

7. Use the Scan Ability

In Dota 2, the Scan feature allows you to target a small area on the map to scan for enemies. Similar to the Glyph of Fortification, Scan is a team ability that anyone can use.

If the enemy team is missing from the map for a time, use the Scan feature to try to figure out where they are. They might be doing Roshan or even using a Smoke of Deceit of their own to set up a gank on your team. A well-placed Scan often gives you everything you need to know about the enemy team’s intentions.

The Bottom line

Dota 2 is a pretty intense game, and mastering all the mechanics and timings in the game definitely takes a lot of effort. This is actually one of the reasons why many people don’t jump into this game. But Dota 2 is not dying anytime soon.

And when you put in the time to learn all these things, you’ll see a massive boost to your win rate. Over time, they will become second nature to you. Hopefully, our tips on controlling the map will help you get to that point a bit faster and easier. Good luck!