Valve have designed an alternative to the unofficial trial by screaming that new Dota initiates begin the moment they take their first step down a lane. The game’s one nominal training mission has been expanded to a new total of seven in this week’s patch, intended to introduce new players to concepts like towers, AOE and, eventually, other humans.
After the existing Dragon Knight tutorial, which covers movement, levelling, abilities, items and basic combat, new players will be plonked on a completely new map for Sniper vs Tidehunter – a mission that teaches the basics of ranged combat, AOE, towers, couriers and TP scrolls.
The four missions that follow will ease players into the Dota map we know and love/live/loathe, allowing them the time to wrap their heads around bases, barracks, lanes, Roshan, shopkeepers and runes. They’ll be introduced to hero selection (from a reduced, less-intimidating roster of 20) via bot matches, and at length be asked to play against genuine humans – other tutorial players.
The game will recommend newcomers play 10 tutorial-based matches before launching into the game proper – so there should always be a fresh supply of players with whom to feel out the game in a relatively safe environment.
Tutorial players will be rewarded with a page’s worth of lore from the Archronicus book, found on the world map. They’ll also have a chance of unlocking some Gunslinger gear for Sniper. But really, they’ll be rewarded with several hours not spent at the pointy end of impatient teammates’ jibes.
And their teammates, of course, won’t feel the need to jibe. Do you think Valve will have managed to ease the traumatic transition to competent play in Dota?
Thanks to the inimitable Cyborg Matt for this one.