Что лучше dota 2 или league of legends: DotA 2 или League of Legends?

Doublelift объяснил, почему League of Legends сложнее, чем Dota 2 | League of Legends

Игрок состава Team Liquid по League of Legends Ильян Doublelift Пэн рассказал, почему MOBA от Riot Games сложнее, чем Dota 2 от Valve. По его мнению, League of Legends значительно более требовательна к механике и индивидуальному скиллу игроков. Об этом Пэн рассказал во время предрождественского стрима.

Ильян Doublelift Пэн:

«Нет ни одного шанса, что у Dota 2 более высокие требования к механике, чем у League of Legends. Там у героев нет собственной скорости разворота, встроенной задержки, рывков и обилия скиллшотов. Есть только кнопки с навыками, большая часть которых работают по цели. Чтобы их использовать, вам не нужно демонстрировать какой-то высокий уровень механики, а в League of Legends это действительно важно».

Doublelift также признался, что уже восемь лет периодически играет в Dota 2. По его словам, он «разваливает практически в каждом матче» благодаря своим механическим навыкам, отточенным в League of Legends.

Doublelift выступает на профессиональной сцене League of Legends с 2011 года. Он играл в командах Counter Logic Gaming, Team SoloMid и Team Liquid. Пэн множество раз представлял Северную Америку на международных турнирах и считается одним из самых опытных игроков в регионе.

Тут пазла нет!

Не забудь поделиться с друзьями: 90000 10 Things DOTA 2 Does Better Than League Of Legends (Dota 2 VS LOL) 90001 90002 The first part of our LoL vs. Dota 2 explored why League of Legends is better than Dota 2. The second article shows why Dota 2 is better than LoL. 90003 90002 Dota 2 and League of Legends are behemoths of the MOBA gaming scene. Both games are super popular and garner millions of daily active players. Our first article talked about things LoL does better than Dota 2 and you can read it here. 90003 90006 90002 The second part of the Dota 2 vs.LoL series explores features that make Dota 2 better than League of Legends. 90003 90009 Dota 2 is more complex than LoL 90010 90002 This is a subjective advantage but many players prefer Dota 2’s complex gameplay and steep learning curve to LoL’s streamlined matches and the fact that LoL is easier on newbies. 90003 90002 Dota 2 is a slower game and its heroes are based on counter mechanic meaning that every hero, no matter how much powerful they are, have counter heroes that can completely shut them down.Because of this Dota 2 players have to know the game’s roster much better than players who prefer League of Legends. 90003 90002 Dota 2 heroes are also able to wield items with active abilities, and there are rules governing items that are most effective for specific heroes. This makes Dota 2 less dynamic than League of Legends but also it makes the game far more complex. 90003 90002 Dota 2 map is also dotted with much more building types than LoL. You have your turrets (multiple types divided by range), there are shrines, the ancient, barracks for different types of creeps, etc.You also have the denying feature (killing your own creeps and destroying your buildings to deny other team gold), and Dota 2 matches require a higher level of cooperation between team members. 90003 90002 Dota 2 is slower than LoL and many players compare the two by saying that Dota 2 is like chess while LoL is more akin to checkers. In other words, Dota 2 is slower and requires a high level of strategic thinking while LoL is «arcade,» faster paced MOBA that is easier to learn and that strips some of the complexity in favor of accessibility.90003 90002 You will spend more time learning how to play Dota 2 but that’s a small price to pay for those who prefer complexity found in Dota 2. 90003 90009 Dota 2 items have active abilities and Dota 2 heroes have more levels to unlock during matches 90010 90002 This may look like a small difference but in practice the fact that Dota 2 features items with active abilities. Of course, this also is subjective since some players like to have their items plain and simple and do not want to think about extra abilities that are not part of their hero’s default ability list.90003 90027 90002 But having items with active abilities is way cooler. This makes Dota 2 more complex and, in turn, more enjoyable experience because you can turn a relatively weak hero into a competitive force during the course of the match. And it’s interesting to have additional abilities that can work great with the rest of the team. 90003 90002 Further, in Dota 2 you can level up your heroes virtually until the final second. This gives players another incentive to farm as much experience points as they can and creates endgame populated by powerful heroes making it more challenging but also more rewarding compared to LoL.90003 90009 Dota 2 is a more faithful recreation of the original Defense of the Ancients 90010 90002 Those who grew up playing the original Defense of the Ancients Warcraft III mod will appreciate the fact that Dota 2 is based on the mod and that it is a faithful recreation of the original Dota game mod. 90003 90002 The gameplay is similar, main gameplay mechanics are pretty much the same and veteran MOBA players usually lean towards Dota 2 because of this fact. 90003 90002 On the other hand, we have League of Legends that tried to create a somewhat different experience to the original Defense of the Ancients with the game ultimately becoming more popular than Dota 2 but failing to keep the spirit of the original MOBA experience in the process .90003 90009 Leveling up abilities in-game is way better in Dota 2 than in LoL 90010 90002 While League of Legends heroes have one more ability on their disposal than Dota 2 characters (5 versus 4) the fact is that leveling up abilities works much better in Dota 2 than in LoL. You see, in Dota 2 you can check out stat increase for each ability level. 90003 90002 You can see what you gain by leveling up a certain power and compare to what you’ll get by leveling up other abilities on your disposal, which does not matter much for experienced players.But for newbies, this feature can be extremely useful. 90003 90046 90002 They can check out which ability is the best to level up (in other words, which ability will give their hero the biggest power increase) without actually knowing what each ability does. They can simply look at numbers and see where they’ll gain the biggest upsurge. 90003 90002 In League of Legends, on the other hand, they must know detailed stats of each ability their hero uses as well as stat increase of each power.90003 90002 This can be a bit frustrating until you learn heroes and it basically nullifies the fact that League of Legends gameplay and individual heroes are easier to learn because the game features rotating hero rosters and because the game is more streamlined than Dota 2. 90003 90009 In Dota 2 every single hero is unlocked from the start 90010 90002 League of Legends features limited hero rosters that rotate on a regular basis and that feature is great for new players who are still learning to play the game.If you want to play with your favorite heroes whenever you want, on the other hand, you to have to buy each one of them. 90003 90002 Dota 2 heroes are unlocked from the start and that means all Dota 2 characters can be selected as soon as you install the game. No rotating rosters and zero heroes locked behind a paywall. 90003 90002 This is great because you can pick your favorites without spending a dime on the game making the full experience priced at zero dollars. Yes, it’s a bit daunting for new players to see more than 100 playable Dota 2 heroes selectable from the start but that’s a small price to pay in order to have the complete roster available without any paywalls.90003 90009 In Dota 2 you can overview abilities of both allies and enemies 90010 90002 This is another huge advantage Dota 2 has over LoL and another thing that makes new players ‘lives easier. In LoL, you can only see abilities of your own hero and that’s it. In case you are not familiar with every single hero and their powers you’re basically screwed once the match starts. 90003 90002 But in Dota 2 players are able to check out abilities and stats of both their allies and enemies. 90003 90002 This is a huge tactical advantage for players who are still relatively new to the game and for those who are relatively experienced because, let’s face it, knowing every detail about every single hero in a game with more than 100 playable characters means lots of learning and not all of us are ready to commit that much time and energy into a video game.90003 90069 90009 Dota 2 Battle Pass is way superior to LoL’s special events 90010 90002 LoL has occasional special events that offer players unique, limited skins and a couple of missions that can be finished in a day and that’s about it. Dota 2 brings yearly battle passes that come with a bag full of rewards, special game modes, in-game items, and other stuff that require months to unlock thus giving players a huge incentive to play the game. 90003 90002 For instance, the International 2019 Battle Pass comes with a new game mode, a new expedition, unique consumables and towers that will not be tradable or purchasable from the market.90003 90002 You also get a plethora of in-game features such as the new Party Finder, Coach’s Challenge, the option to avoid specific players when matchmaking. There’s also the usual set of features found in every Battle Pass such as ranked roles, Immortal item recycling, Daily hero challenge and a ton of rewards that get unlocked by leveling up your Battle Pass. 90003 90002 Yes, each Battle Pass costs $ 10 but firstly, it’s definitely worth it (although it would be great if in-game features such as the ability to avoid players and the new Party Finder be offered in a free update) because it comes with more rewards than similar Battle Passes offered in other multiplayer titles (Fortnite, PUBG, Apex Legends, Rocket League, etc…) and it requires one yearly purchase while other games come with multiple battle passes per year. 90003 90002 The other thing that makes Dota 2 Battle Pass great is the fact that a quarter of all sales go towards The International prize pool. And bigger prize pools is another thing where Dota 2 beats League of Legends. 90003 90009 While LoL is more popular eSports title Dota 2 has much higher prizes 90010 90002 Yes, League of Legends is way more popular with eSports fans and the game has noticeably higher view counts on Twitch but if you plan on starting a professional MOBA career Dota 2 is a better choice.Why? Because prizes in Dota 2 tournaments are way higher than in LoL. 90003 90086 90002 Just look at these charts and you will see that there’s one player who earned $ 1 million by professionally playing League of Legends. On the other side, we have 62 (that’s sixty-two !!!) players who earned more than $ 1 million by playing Dota 2. 90003 90002 When it comes to tournament prizes each and every Dota 2 International had a prize pool larger than $ 10 million. LoL World Championship record prize pool was less than $ 6.5 million. 90003 90002 Numbers do not lie; Dota 2 is waaay more lucrative eSports title for players than League of Legends. 90003 90009 Dota 2 is on Steam 90010 90002 Dota 2 is made by Valve and is regularly on Steam most played list. And while Steam integration does not look like that much of an advantage in reality it is. 90003 90002 You get a game that is tied to the world’s most popular gaming service that comes with a plethora of additional features that make the experience better and more enjoyable.90003 90002 You have Steam market allowing you to earn some money by playing the game and selling items; you have cool features like cloud saves, forums, servers that never go down, and awesome update integration (yes, League of Legends patches are automatic and patch notes are equally easy to find but each new Dota 2 patch can be automatically downloaded as soon as Steam starts, which is nice). 90003 90101 90002 And finally, Dota 2 features full Steam Workshop integration which means lots of cool mods that are easy to discover and install and some of them can become as popular as the game itself like the phenomenal Dota Auto Chess.90003 90009 Dota 2 has much better support for custom mods 90010 90002 League of Legends features a handful of unofficial mods such as classic announcers and custom skins while Dota 2 supports full-fledged mods thanks to its integration with Steam workshop. 90003 90002 This gives players stuff to play in case they get bored with the main game mode. They can install a plethora of mods that include new game modes, custom campaigns as well as completely original mods such as ultra-popular Dota Auto Chess, which is super addictive.90003 90002 If you want to take an occasional break from the main game Dota 2 offers a huge library of mods that offer excellent experiences many of which do not even have many similarities with the main game other than visuals. 90003 90002 This is a huge advantage since most of us get bored from playing MOBA games from time to time, no matter how addictive they are. And when that time comes, chances are that Dota 2 players will simply install some mods and continue to have fun inside the game while LoL fans have to play something else.90003.90000 8 Things League of Legends does Better than DOTA 2 (League Of Legends VS Dota 2) 90001 90002 Both League of Legends and DOTA 2 are magnificent games but some things are better in LoL than in DotA 2. Here’s a list of things League of Legends does better than DOTA 2. 90003 90002 MOBA games exploded some time ago and for a while it seemed that the playing field is large enough to support more than a handful of quality titles. Games like Smite, Heroes of Newerth, Demigod, Paragon, and Heroes of The Storm all brought something new and all garnered large player bases.90003 90006 90002 But in the end, all those MOBA titles fell under the wheels of the extreme popularity of two behemoths of modern gaming: League of Legends and DOTA 2. 90003 90002 These two took audiences from all other titles and today we have two massive MOBA game with audiences counted in hundreds of millions and that’s about it. 90003 90002 A quick glance at Twitch (the prime way of watching most multiplayer oriented games) shows LoL and DOTA 2 changing leads in viewer counts during most days, occasionally being replaced by some other giant of the video games industry.And while the world of MOBA games is dominated by just two titles the good news is that both of those are excellent experiences. 90003 90002 Both games are free-to-play and while you do not get to play with every single hero in LoL the game’s F2P mechanics are fair and allow everyone to enjoy the game without shelling out a dime. 90003 90002 Both games are quite well balanced and kept fresh and stable with a constant stream of updates and both garner a huge esports scene. But there are some things one does better than the other and those are usually the reasons why people prefer one to the other.90003 90002 Today we will list things that are done better in League of Legends than in DOTA 2. 90003 90019 LoL is easier to learn 90020 90002 DOTA 2 is a slow-paced, deeply strategic experience that takes some time to get to know. Add to that the fact that newbies get greeted with more than 100 playable heroes as soon as they start the game, each hero specialized counter for a specific set of characters, and you got yourself a game that is daunting to learn. 90003 90023 90002 On the other side, we have LoL, the second MOBA giant, which incorporates weekly hero rotations, allowing new players to take bite-sized portions of the roster.This creates way better situation for new players; instead of more than 100, they are greeted with just a handful of playable heroes so they can focus on those and then try out new ones once the roster is switched. 90003 90002 The rotation mechanic is maybe less appealing than DOTA 2’s fully unlocked hero roster but is much better for new players to get the hang of the game by giving them a handful than more than a 100 choices. 90003 90002 And heroes in LoL are not based on rock-paper-scissors mechanic allowing new players to pick whichever hero they want without having to take care of the enemy team roster but more on that later.90003 90002 In general, LoL is easier to learn not only because of its hero rotations but also because its gameplay is simpler, its matches are shorter in general, its items are not super complex, and because its heroes are not following the counter- based design strategy. 90003 90019 LoL is more streamlined and straightforward than DOTA 2 90020 90002 The steep learning curve of DOTA 2 is not there just because of the game’s massive roster that is fully unlocked from the start. DOTA 2 also has more complex gameplay that favors strategy and cooperation.90003 90002 Also, DOTA 2 items are complex pieces that feature secondary powers, synergies, and hidden stats. And there’s that counter-based hero mechanic that can be brutally difficult to master when you’re a new player. 90003 90002 A wrong pick before you even start the match can seal your fate and that’s something that is especially punishing for players who did not learn the whole counter thing. Which is hard to grasp because there are so many heroes to pick from. 90003 90040 90002 LoL is not such a complex beast DOTA 2 is.LoL is more streamlined, faster paced, easier to learn, and almost arcadey when compared to DOTA 2. And this streamlined experience can be better for some players. 90003 90002 You do not have to worry about selecting a specific hero; they all can make their mark in a match regardless of the enemy team. Items are simple and easy to understand. Powers take less to recharge and are more fun to use, even though they impact the game in a lesser way than in DOTA 2. 90003 90002 But, once you start playing it you will notice that LoL is pretty hard to master, and that’s where its appeal is.The game can be learned by anyone and most players can be pretty good without trying to hard. But those who want to be best well, they have to invest as many hours as pros playing the DOTA 2. 90003 90019 LoL champions are better when it comes to improvising and adjusting to different matchups 90020 90002 Since League of Legends does not follow the counter-based hero mechanic as DOTA 2 does, the game is more open-ended and favors improvising. Sure, you can have a bad matchup but that does not mean your hero is doomed.90003 90002 Unlike in DOTA 2 heroes in LoL are capable of making an impact no matter who they are matched with. Just think a bit outside the box, use different strategies and just push on. Even by simply playing your hero like you do every time chances are you will have a relative success. While in DOTA 2 playing well against a badly matched up hero is virtually impossible for new players. 90003 90019 Better customization in LoL 90020 90002 League of Legends features prettier alternate skins and customization that is way more visible on the battlefield than DOTA 2.Skins are varied and fairly pretty, detailed and well designed. 90003 90057 90002 You can completely change heroes ‘looks by swapping different skins. This is not really possible in DOTA 2 and varied cosmetic items do not look as detailed as in LoL. Further, cosmetics are harder to notice in DOTA 2 while in LoL different skins are easy to recognize and they are fully visible and noticeable even in busiest skirmishes. 90003 90019 LoL has more champions to play with 90020 90002 Yes, LoL features hero rotations meaning that for those who do not want to pay for them, heroes are limited and can not be freely picked.But, League of Legends has noticeable more champions and new are added more frequently than in DOTA 2. 90003 90002 This probably does not matter much for many players who play LoL for free but for those who look only at numbers LoL is better when it comes to the size and variety of its roster. 90003 90019 Faster gameplay makes LoL more dynamic than DOTA 2 90020 90002 DOTA 2 is like a chess match, with the first 20 or so minutes spent in teams trying different strategies, testing their opponents and searching for weak links and strategic downsides in teams.Matches are slow paced and filled with ruses and jebaits. On the other hand, we have League of Legends, which is a pick-up and play title that is much more fun for beginners. 90003 90070 90002 But faster gameplay and stronger dynamic seen in LoL is what keeps a large chunk of its userbase playing the game. People like the way LoL plays, its speed and explosiveness. You can have loads of fun playing LoL without thinking about counters for your hero, items and their complex stats and powers, different strategies depending on matchups, spell timings, any of that.90003 90002 Instead, you can enjoy its fast-paced gameplay and soak in its superb tempo that is not perfect (many DOTA 2 fans prefer its slower pace) but that is good enough to secure LoL the first place in the battle of MOBAs. 90003 90019 Matches are shorter and defeats are easier to swallow 90020 90002 One of the worst things in DOTA 2 is when you know you’ll lose but you can not do anything about it and have to wait for half an hour before the match finishes. 90003 90002 LoL features shorter matches and is great for some afternoon fun while taking a break from schoolwork (or work in general).The game can be enjoyed in half-hour chunks and once you know you will see defeat you can try to surrender and exit the game without wasting time. 90003 90002 This is great both for newbies and veterans. Shorter matches mean more matches you can play per day meaning more matches to learn different heroes. 90003 90083 90002 The option to surrender means more time for playing matches that are actually winnable. And losing a game that lasted 30 minutes is much more palatable than losing a match that lasted an hour.Sure, match length preferences are subjective but numbers show more people prefer when they are shorter. 90003 90019 LoL is more popular with eSports fans 90020 90002 Last but not least, League of Legends does the whole esports thing much better than DOTA 2. Twitch numbers are usually higher for LoL and during large tournaments the game keeps breaking records when it comes to concurrent viewers on Twitch. And the game is more popular as an esport than DOTA 2 despite the latter being promoted by Valve.90003 90002 It’s probably because of other reasons we mentioned in this list. Shorter, faster-paced matches filled with skirmishes and without that rock-paper-scissors hero mechanic resonate better with fans. And it’s true — League of Legends is more fun to watch but all that speed is making it more chaotic than DOTA 2. But at the end of the day, LoL is a better esports title than the DOTA 2. 90003.90000 Face Off: Is League of Legends a better game than Dota 2? 90001 90002 90003 90002 Every week two editors debate a new topic -it’s a binary exercise we use to seek common ground conclusions or identify fundamental differences. The «my MOBA vs. your MOBA» argument is a heated one, so we reached outside our walls to SOE game designer and former PC Gamer Senior Editor Josh Augustine for his expertise. 90005 Josh 90006 was our resident League of Legends authority when he was here, so he’s arguing on its behalf, while 90005 T.J. 90006 stands up for Dota 2. 90003 90002 Argue your own side in the comments, and jump to the next page for opinions from the community. Josh, you have the floor: 90003 90012 The Debate 90013 90002 90005 Josh: 90006 No one can question Dota’s contribution to the genre-heck, it created it-but in the second generation of MOBAs, League of Legends is the king. It innovates where Dota 2 stagnates, and provides a much better experience for new players. 90003 90002 90005 T.J .: 90006 Innovation and stagnation in MOBAs is almost an entirely different discussion.The real innovators are games like Demigod (as comparatively unsuccessful as they are). At the end of the day, both of the big dogs have way more in common than they do in difference. But when it comes to those differences, I think Dota 2 is the more engaging contender. What it lacks in mass accessibility, it makes up for in depth. I’d say the spirit of PC gaming favors the latter. 90003 90002 90003 90002 90005 Josh: 90006 I’d love to hear what you think gives Dota 2 deeper gameplay. It’s certainly not skillshots or mechanical complexity, like being able to respond to opponents ‘abilities.Like Dota 2, there are a ton of abilities in LoL that must be targeted at a location rather than an opponent. In LoL, most of these abilities can be blocked with skillful dodging, creep manipulation, or sacrificial leaps by allies. You know how many skills allow for that complex variety of reactions in Dota 2? One. Pudge’s hook. Every other «skillshot» hits everyone in its way with no regard for collision. There’s no counterplay. 90003 90002 90029 [Update: A few readers pointed out that there are a couple other skills in Dota 2 that can be blocked, including Clockwerk’s ultimate and Mirana’s arrow.Thanks for reminding us, but Josh feels his overall point still stands. T.J. just did not bring them up because he did not feel like he needed to in order to win. Yeah, that was it. Absolutely was not just having a total brain flop at the time.] 90030 90003 90002 90005 T.J .: 90006 Dota is all about counterplay, way more so than LoL. Sure, there may not be a lot of collision-deniable skillshots, but that’s a very niche case to hang your argument on. A lot of Dota’s heroes are designed to counter other specific heroes, or kinds of heroes.It creates an interesting rock-paper-scissors meta. Except if instead of rock-paper-scissors, you had rock-paper-scissors-garden rake-tow truck-banana cart- [insert several dozen other things here]. 90003 90002 90005 Josh: 90006 It’s not niche at all! That ability to counterplay enemy skills completely changes the laning interaction, making it much more important to gauge your movement, and track the positioning of creeps and enemy champions. 90003 90002 I want some examples of counterplay that Dota 2 has that LoL does not.Other than denying (which, let’s be honest, is kind of a stupid mechanic), LoL has all the counterplay Dota 2 has and then some. 90003 90002 90005 T.J .: 90006 I’ll go ahead and say it: I do not find denying particularly fun. But at a high, competitive level, it gives you more to do in the lane (especially early on). And if you want another example, just look at the subtle differences in the maps. Dota 2’s lanes have more variation between top and bot, more potential gank paths, and the distance between towers means you can not just camp out and farm XP.90003 90002 90003 90002 90005 Josh: 90006 So I guess the question is: What do you want your laning phase minigame to be? It can either be a complex game of cat-and-mouse poking with the enemy players, using creep waves as mobile defenses, or it can be shooting your own soldiers in the head. 90003 90002 I’m happy to admit that Dota 2’s map has some very cool elements, including those gank paths and the ability for some heroes to cut through trees to make their own path. That’s awesome. But so is LoL’s brush, which allows skilled players to perform great jukes and manipulate vision in the field.Dota 2 has some of that with its height variance, but it’s not nearly as interesting or fun to play with. 90003 90002 90005 T.J .: 90006 Not to pop a scroll and concede defeat here- I think we’ve both made an argument for complexity. But that’s only one of many differences. So much of what I prefer about Dota is apparent when you’re not even in a match. LoL gives you a very small pool of rotating champs to start with, whereas Dota unlocks every hero immediately. 90003 90002 90005 Josh: 90006 Yeah, it’s awesome that Dota 2 unlocks all the heroes at once (for free, too, if it ever actually leaves beta), but Dota has to because, like you said earlier, it’s built on hard counters for every hero.Without access to the full roster, game balance would be broken. LoL, on the other hand, is balanced around team compositions-a late-game team, a poke-damage team, an AoE ult team, etc. 90003 90002 I’m not saying that it makes paying for every champion individually feel better on your wallet-LoL is a much more expensive game if you want to own every champion-but you can be completely competitive with just the free champions, if you wanted to. And you can buy everything but skins for free, with currency earned from playing game.90003 90002 90005 T.J .: 90006 But that’s part of the problem. I like the idea of ​​thematic team comps, but I think it puts you in danger of having a patch-dependant metagame. Balance changes always lead to early experimentation, but the über-teams are almost always going to eventually find a «best» way to do each of the strats you described as a cycle progresses, which can mean a smaller percentage of the champs being in the meta at a given time. Dota’s hard counters mean you can not ever really feel safe in a draft, and you’re less likely to see a dominant comp emerge in any given patch.Both games will have their no-brainer, god-tier, autoban carries and what have you, of course. 90003 90002 90003 90002 90005 Josh: 90006 I do really enjoy Dota 2’s balance-those heroes have been around forever and have been carefully tweaked with consistent skills and items in mind. But that also makes it feel a bit stagnant to me-LoL’s balance and meta is constantly changing, so that a great team comp may be dominant for a few weeks, until someone figures out how to counter it, and then everyone’s experimenting again.They both have their merits in this regard, I think it just comes down to preference. 90003 90002 90005 T.J .: 90006 Absolutely. It’s a matter of preference. It’s just that my preference is objectively better. You made a good point about Dota’s heroes having a longer balance history. And Riot’s business model forces it to keep releasing champions to keep making money-whether they’re ready for primetime or now. We also have not even addressed how LoL’s rune and mastery system keeps you in a stat ghetto until you’ve invested dozens and dozens of hours into the game.90003 90002 90005 Josh: 90006 The Rune and Mastery system adds a ton of depth to stat tweaking and theorycrafting builds at high levels, and the matchmaking system keeps you playing with people around your same level. It is a minor penalty when trying to play with max-level friends as a brand new player, but I’ll trade that for a massive boost to customization at high-level. Another win for LoL’s depth. 90003 90002 90005 T.J .: 90006 I do not object to the concept of runes and masteries, I do object to having to unlock them over weeks or months.And the difference between a beginner account and a maxed one makes you almost re-learn each champ at certain milestones. You can not just go look up a good jungle Warwick build, because they all assume you have certain runes and masteries. But I can look up a pro-level jungle Lycan. And while I may fail utterly in the execution, at least that’s my fault, and not some stat deficiency I have to grind my way out of. 90003 90002 90003 90002 90005 Josh: 90006 You know what else is not your fault, T.J.? The fact that Dota 2 did not bother to tell you that it chose to recreate bugs caused by the original Dota’s RTS engine. Are you familiar with creep stacking, T.J.? 90003 90002 90005 T.J .: 90006 Why yes, Josh. Yes I am. 90003 90002 90005 Josh: 90006 Then you’re, no doubt, also familiar with the fact that it is absolutely ridiculous to expect players to know that if they pull jungle camps far enough away from their spawn points, the game will create a duplicate camp on top of it. Oh, and that you can only do it at the minute mark because that’s when the map checks most jungle camps, and respawns the ones it thinks are dead.Gameplay is balanced around this opaque, archaic design! That is some of the stupidest, most unintuitive, lazy game design I’ve ever seen. 90003 90002 90005 T.J .: 90006 Josh, do you know what the following things have in common? Potato chips. X-rays. Velcro. Post-it notes. Silly Putty. 90003 90002 90005 Josh: 90006 They’re delicious in small doses? 90003 90002 90005 T.J .: 90006 Yes. But they’re also inventions that came about by accident, and we kept them around because people like them.Both in a limited culinary sense, and for their original purposes. You can call Dota 2’s mechanics «archaic,» but if they were such a bother, people would have all abandoned the game by now. 90003 90002 90005 Josh: 90006 70 million people have, according to Riot’s last released registration numbers, with 12 million of them playing every day! 90003 90002 90005 T.J .: 90006 And «Call Me Maybe» had 367 million views online last year. I never contended that LoL is not the more accessible, or even more popular game.Consoles also tend to have a higher install base than high-end gaming PCs, typically, and Call of Duty is more popular than Crusader Kings. And yet here we are on PC Gamer, because we love things that are not the most popular. I’m saying Dota is the superior experience. I could go on and on. 90003 90002 The stronger abilities and items combined with smaller health pools make team fights more interesting. It feels like a high-stakes samurai duel, where one misclick can result in a triple-kill for the enemy team in the space of seconds.I’ve been in too many mid-game brawls in LoL where a couple people die, and the other eight walk away with lowish health to lick their wounds. That’s just not as exciting. 90003 90002 90003 90002 90005 Josh: 90006 Fights are definitely faster in Dota 2. Getting one- or two-shotted is not uncommon, and that goes back to hero balance: Dota 2 makes everyone overpowered and hopes you pick the right counters for the enemy heroes. It’s a different playstyle. 90003 90002 Unreal Tournament’s fast-paced instagib mode, where everyone wields laser rifles that explode the enemy in one hit, is a ton of fun when we play it casually in the office.But when I want a competitive, team-based experience that relies on working together with other people, I want it to be at a pace where meaningful strategy can be coordinated during the fight. There are still plenty of burst damage moments in LoL-you just have to work a little harder to make them happen. 90003 90002 90005 T.J .: 90006 Yeah, that one pretty much comes down to a stylistic preference. I know it sounds silly to try to frame MOBAs in anything resembling reality, but I prefer games where the lethality is a little closer to how an actual such fight would work.Hollywood aside, most sword fights last a couple seconds, then someone gets stabbed. (That’s the only conceivable reason fencing never took off as a spectator sport.) It’s the same argument I make about shooters feeling boring when you can soak up bullets for a half hour. 90003 90002 90005 Josh: 90006 I’ve never actually been gored by a rampaging minotaur, but I do concede that I probably would not last very long. 90003 90002 90005 T.J .: 90006 Speaking of rampaging minotaurs, how’s LoL’s solo queue treating you? Now, before we get into this: Both games have a higher than acceptable percentage of bad-mannered, text-based shouting matches.And I admire LoL’s Tribunal system. But the fact is that a game with as many players as LoL has is inevitably going to attract a lot of … less than mature community members. Same thing happens in just about every explosively popular game. WoW, Call of Duty, you name it. 90003 90002 90005 Josh: 90006 Yeah, and being free-to-play certainly does not help either game. Riot’s done a lot to help improve the community beyond just the Tribunal, but there are still plenty of jerks clogging up the chat channels.There are friendly people in both games, and as long as you queue up with friends, you’ll be okay. 90003 90002 90003 90002 90005 T.J .: 90006 Oh, absolutely. Both games are far superior played with a pre-made. 90003 90002 90005 Josh: 90006 And my teams learn from watching the best teams, and this is an area I think LoL stands as the uncontested champion. 90003 90002 90005 T.J .: 90006 * cough * Hero * cough * 90003 90002 90005 Josh: 90006 … Right, hero. LoL’s new league hosts 16 pro teams in NA and EU, pays them salaries and has them play weekly matches in a giant stadium in LA.Rivalries are developing, player stories are getting a spotlight, and it’s building a huge community around eSports, which is great for everyone. 90003 90002 It’s exciting to finally have reliable eSports scheduling. I’ve been watching at least 3 days a week and I can not get enough. Ive learned a lot from the great commentary and play of the pros, and I’ve never been more motivated to play LoL. 90003 90002 Best of all, the entire thing is livestreamed in HD for free, while Dota 2 fans are often asked to pay real cash for tournament passes to watch tournaments in the game client.That constant entertainment is reason enough to choose LoL. 90003 90002 90005 T.J .: 90006 Technically, StarCraft II has had regular eSports scheduling for years in Korea … but that’s beside the point. (Though I’d gladly argue «StarCraft II is the best eSport ever» any day.) 90003 90002 You’re right, though. I objectively can not argue that LoL eSports has way more going on, more of an in-person tournament scene (which I think is a far superior format), and more viewership because of it. But part of that is due to Riot not having… really anything else going on. LoL has been out for a while, and their resources are dedicated to it. Valve has a lot more on its plate, including but not limited to a little thing called Steam. And their game is not even out yet. Give it time. 90003 90002 90003 90002 90005 Josh: 90006 That’s a good thing for LoL players-they get their dev team’s full attention all the time. As a gamer with choices, I do not want excuses, I want the highest quality content as frequently as possible. 90003 90002 90005 T.J .: 90006 And I’ll give you that one. In terms of how much eSports goodness you can get, and the regular spectacle of it all, LoL is a more fun scene to follow at the moment. But Dota 2 is like the early days of mixed martial arts, when it was all underground, and only a select, cliquish cadre of fans could see that it was going to be something bigger. It’s a microcosm of eSports itself. And the core part of Dota 2’s scene that really matters-the game-is superior. I think time will vindicate that, like a late-game tower dive on that jerk who’s been ganking you over and over.90003 90002 Ultimately, I enjoy playing and watching both. The rivalry is almost silly, with how similar they are at the end of the day. I choose Dota if I have to choose, but I do not see why they can not coexist. 90003 90002 90005 Josh: 90006 Yeah, I think both games are going to thrive and do well-and they should! We do not have to forsake one for the other, and it’s probably better that we specialize in different games. You carry me in Dota 2, and I’ll get your back in LoL. Teamwork OP! 90003 90002 90029 Follow Josh, T.J., and PC Gamer on Twitter to react to our debates as they happen, and see how the community responded to this one on the next page. 90030 90003 .90000 Comparing MOBAs: League of Legends vs. Dota 2 vs. Smite vs. Heroes of the Storm 90001 90002 Multiplayer online battle arenas (but you can call them MOBAs) continue to dominate gaming. We’re here to help you tell the difference between them. 90003 90002 We actually compared MOBAs before, but things have changed since 2013. A couple of new games have made a large impact, and the two top dogs — League of Legends and Dota 2 — have continued to grow. So, we’ve updated the list with new stats and new games.90003 90002 First, let’s talk about what makes a MOBA a MOBA. Traditionally, they involve two teams of five players, each controlling a hero with unique abilities, that battle on a map with three lanes, a jungle between the lanes, A.I. minions that march across those lanes, and turrets and other defenses that each team has to destroy. You win by annihilating a giant structure in the middle of the other team’s base. 90003 90002 The genre actually started as a series of mods for Blizzard real-time strategy games Starcraft and Warcraft III, with Defense of the Ancients on the latter being the most popular.You can learn more about the history of MOBAs here. 90003 90002 Now, we’re going to start comparing the four most notable MOBAs. We’ll start with a chart, and then we’ll talk a bit about each game below. 90003 90002 90003 90014 League of Legends 90015 90002 Above: Welcome to the League of Legends jungle. 90003 90002 90019 Image Credit: Riot Games 90020 90003 90002 All hail the MOBA king. League of Legends was one of the first standalone MOBAs, and it was able to transform the spirit of the original mods into a free-to-play money-maker.While it has faced plenty of competition, none have knocked it out of the No. 1 spot. 90003 90002 League of Legends got rid of some of the complexities of Defense of the Ancients (the mod for the real-time strategy game Warcraft III that all MOBAs grew out from), notably the capability for players to deny the other team experience and gold by killing their own minions. It also continued to add a steady stream of new heroes, and right now it has a gigantic roster of 126. It has added different maps and modes besides the traditional three-laned MOBA standard, but the original still remains by far the most popular 90003 90014 Dota 2 90015 90002 Above: Dota 2 is more than a game — it’s a lifestyle.90003 90002 90019 Image Credit: Valve 90020 90003 90002 While League of Legends made some changes from Defense of the Ancients, Dota 2 is a pretty faithful update of the original mod. It features the same mechanics and even most of the same heroes. It’s the most technical of the four, so it’s probably not a great place to start if you have no experience with MOBAs. 90003 90002 While League of Legends experimented with alternative maps and game modes, Dota 2 is strictly about playing on the same field of three lanes between two bases.However, developer Valve has recently allowed the modding community to create custom games using Dota 2’s assets, so we’re going to see all kind of wacky variants now. 90003 90014 Smite 90015 90002 Above: Can you handle a MOBA from the adventure genre’s third person perspective? 90003 90002 90019 Image Credit: Hi-Rez Studios 90020 90003 90002 The biggest difference with Smite is its perspective. While most MOBAs have an isometric, top-down view (a carryover from its real-time strategy origins), Smite is a third-person game.This allows for most of the abilities to require aiming, which can make the experience feel more frenzied and dependent on player skill. Also, while most MOBAs have a purely fantasy setting (another carryover from Warcraft III), Smite bases all of its playable characters after gods from different myothologies. 90003 90002 Smite is also one of the few MOBAs to come to consoles, with an Xbox One version currently in beta. The third-person experience makes a lot more sense for a controller than the traditional, mouse-dependent top-down view.Smite offers a $ 30 bundle that gives you all playable characters present and future. 90003 90014 Heroes of the Storm 90015 90002 Above: Blizzard heroes duking it out. 90003 90002 90019 Image Credit: Blizzard 90020 90003 90002 The newest kid on the block, Heroes of the Storm is the most casual MOBA on this list. Unlike the other three, it does not have an in-game shop that requires you to buy and use items during play. It also has teams leveling up together, instead of heroes earning their own experience.This can prevent players, especially poor ones, from becoming quickly outclassed in a match. 90003 90002 Also, each Heroes of the Storm map — while retaining the traditional MOBA objective to destroy the other team’s base — has an additional goal that can help your team. One map has you collecting gold coins to turn into a ghost pirate, who then shoots cannons at the other team’s buildings once you meet its price. Another spawns tokens around the map, and getting three of them curses the other team, weakening their minions and structures.These objectives make team fights break out much earlier than in traditional MOBAs. Heroes of the Storm is also something like Blizzard’s take on Super Smash Bros., in that its roster includes characters from all of its franchises. 90003.