Dota 2 is a unique game. Every game is different in its own way, but every game includes a laning phase at the beginning of a match. This is an unavoidable fact and a match can be won or lost, depending on the outcome of this crucial phase. This introductory guide will teach you the basics of laning in an effort to increase your survivability and to ensure that you reach the mid-game phase in a favorable position.

Hero Selection

Believe it or not, a game can won or lost in the drafting stage. While oddities can occur, if you pick a team consisting of five carries, expect to lose. It is important that your team consists of the right balance of heroes. A typical team will include one middle hero, one carry, one ganker / offlaner, one light support, and one hard support. With these choices in mind, you must also consider melee to ranged ratio. Too many melee heroes can cripple your team early in the laning phase, while too many ranged heroes may help you win the laning phase, it can be a disadvantage later in the game during team fights.

Hypothetical Team

Using this hypothetical team, all of the desired roles are achieved.

Carry: This role is fulfilled by Morphling. By securing farm through the laning and mid-game stages, he will emerge as the hard carry in the late-game stage. These types of heroes are commonly refered to as ‘right-click to win’ heroes because of their high right-click damage due to item progression. Bloodseeker acts as an insurance policy. He is a semi-carry with the ability to snowball and secure a victory.

This role is fulfilled by Morphling. By securing farm through the laning and mid-game stages, he will emerge as the hard carry in the late-game stage. These types of heroes are commonly refered to as ‘right-click to win’ heroes because of their high right-click damage due to item progression. Bloodseeker acts as an insurance policy. He is a semi-carry with the ability to snowball and secure a victory. Middle: Bloodseeker fills this role. His ability to regenerate health on last hits makes him a formidable middle. At level 6, dependent on who he is facing, his ultimate is usually a guaranteed kill. He also is a desirable ganker when using the long range of his ultimate and the movement speed bonus he gains when enemy heroes are low on health. You must always call when your lane is missing and you must control the runes. In addition, you must be aware of roamers that are trying to kill you. If Bloodseeker snowballs during the laning phase, he can crush the morale of the enemy team, securing a quick victory, or he can buy the Morphling time to farm. The outcome of the battle for middle greatly influences the game and a lost middle can directly lead to extensive pressure on the side lanes.

Bloodseeker fills this role. His ability to regenerate health on last hits makes him a formidable middle. At level 6, dependent on who he is facing, his ultimate is usually a guaranteed kill. He also is a desirable ganker when using the long range of his ultimate and the movement speed bonus he gains when enemy heroes are low on health. You must always call when your lane is missing and you must control the runes. In addition, you must be aware of roamers that are trying to kill you. If Bloodseeker snowballs during the laning phase, he can crush the morale of the enemy team, securing a quick victory, or he can buy the Morphling time to farm. The outcome of the battle for middle greatly influences the game and a lost middle can directly lead to extensive pressure on the side lanes. Offlane / Ganker: This role can be fulfilled by Wind Ranger or Earth Shaker. They will soak experience and try to alleviate pressure in the other lanes. Earth Shaker will farm for a Blink Dagger in order to provide successful initiation. This role is expected to get some farm in the offlane, but never at the expense of the carry. They farm when space is created and they try to roam and secure kills for the carry.

This role can be fulfilled by Wind Ranger or Earth Shaker. They will soak experience and try to alleviate pressure in the other lanes. Earth Shaker will farm for a Blink Dagger in order to provide successful initiation. This role is expected to get some farm in the offlane, but never at the expense of the carry. They farm when space is created and they try to roam and secure kills for the carry. Soft Support: Wind Ranger and Lina fit into this role. Wind Ranger is item dependent. She will work with Earth Shaker in the offlane to try and secure enough farm to buy useful team orientated items. Her goal is to farm item’s like an Eul’s Scepter, a Scythe of Vyse, and other items of this nature. She will help ward when needed, but most of the hard support will fall on Lina’s shoulders.

Wind Ranger and Lina fit into this role. Wind Ranger is item dependent. She will work with Earth Shaker in the offlane to try and secure enough farm to buy useful team orientated items. Her goal is to farm item’s like an Eul’s Scepter, a Scythe of Vyse, and other items of this nature. She will help ward when needed, but most of the hard support will fall on Lina’s shoulders. Hard Support: Commonly refered to as the number 5, a hard support is exactly what the name suggests. They focus on warding, counter warding, and ensuring the safety of the hard carry. Lina is the 5th on this team. She will protect Morphling in the laning phase, try to create space, harass enemy heroes in lane, and setup guaranteed kills for the carry. The hard support role requires a selfless individual who is willing to see the larger picture. They will never last hit enemy creeps and they will try to deny every friendly creep possible. The role requires a strategic individual who sees the game on another level. It is your job to predict enemy wards, to place wards that you feel will generate kills and prevent friendly deaths, and you must be able to read the enemy team, understand cooldown timers, and predict enemy initiations. If your carry is under attack, you will be expected to Force Staff them out and take the death in their place. The hard support role requires a dedicated individual who is willing to suffer many deaths in the name of a victory.

Starting Out:

Regardless of lane, always bring some form of health regeneration with you. This allows you to maintain lane presence, amass experience, and gold. A trip back to the fountain results in a net loss of all of these precious resources and can directly lead to a lost lane.

Healing Salve

The Healing Salve costs 115 gold, restores 400 health over 10 seconds, and can be used to heal friendly heroes. The effect is removed if you suffer any form of damage. This item is great in the laning phase as it allows most heroes to fully regenerate their health. If the enemy heroes tried to kill you in a gank attempt, this item will keep you in the lane and prevent you from losing large amounts of experience and gold. In addition, in higher level games, professional players will use a salve to heal a minor amount of health which will narrowly keep them alive. Timing is difficult, but if done correctly, it can mean the difference between life and death.

Tangos

Another great early game healing item, a single Tango restore 115 health over 16 seconds and comes in a stack of four (the picture is outdated). They cost 125 gold and they can be shared with friendly heroes. This is the perfect item to heal off light damage. If an enemy hero is harassing you, eat a Tango to recover the damage. They are also useful for escaping enemy ganks as you can eat your way through a set of trees, effectively creating a safe path for escape.

Potion of Clarity

The Potion of Clarity costs 50 gold and restores 135 mana over 40 seconds. The effect is removed if you receive damage. This item is usually purchased by heroes that suffer from low mana pools in the early stages of the game. It allows them to use their spells without fear of becoming mana starved.

Bottle

The bottle is one of the best investments a middle hero can make. It allows them to secure runes (which refills the bottle and provides the rune effect) and it can be used on friendly heroes as well. Each charge replenishes 135 health and 70 mana and it refills every time you return to the fountain. Best of all, it only costs 650 gold.

Magic Stick

It costs 200 gold and provides a charge that heals 15 health and mana every time an enemy hero casts a spell. If you are in a lane where the enemy heroes are frequently spamming spells, for example, against a Bristleback, Phantom Assassin, or similar heroes, a Magic Stick is a great investment as you will almost always hit the 10 charge limit which will save you from potential ganks or provide you with the necessary mana to secure a kill. It can be upgraded into the Magic Wand which provides stats and a 15 charge limit. This is a great value item that has purpose throughout the mid-game phase.

Other

There are many other healing items that provide static health regeneration, like a Ring of Regeneration and they are useful. However, in most cases, it is advised that you invest in the previously mentioned items and buy the Ring of Regeneration as required, from the side shop.

Beyond healing, most players will buy Iron Branches which provide +1 to all stats because they are also a component of the Magic Wand upgrade.

The Stout Shield is useful for damage mitigation. It provides a 60% chance to block 20 damage for melee attacks and 10 damage for ranged attacks for 250 gold.

The Quelling Blade provides 32% bonus damage against enemy creeps for melee heroes and 12% for ranged heroes. This is a great item for a melee carry to pickup as it greatly increases their last hit potential and it provides the hero with the ability to cut trees, which can be useful in the hands of an experienced player to avoid ganks.

The Ring of the Basilius (crafted by combing a Ring of Protection and a Sages Mask) is another great early game item with an aura effect that provides a static 0.65 mana regeneration and 2 armor. It also provides the holder with +6 damage and +1 armor. Often created by supports, this item helps mana regeneration and is useful for pushing as the aura effect can be toggled at will.

Conclusion:

Buying the right starting items will ease the troubles of the laning phase. Never leave the fountain without some form of health regeneration. Leaving the lane in the early stages of the game will allow the enemy heroes to out level you and gank you with ease. Maintaining level parity is essential. The goal of the laning phase is to kill the enemy heroes and to develop a level advantage while ensuring that your carry farms with ease. Health regeneration will keep you in the lane longer and if you can burn your enemies regeneration, you will force them to leave the lane. It is essential that you safely harass the enemy at every opportunity possible.

Part two will focus on the strategy behind the laning phase. This will include last hitting, denying, item progression, how to gank, and more. If you found this guide helpful, follow the blog, and follow me on Twitter at @eric_carriere.

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