These hidden Dota 2 mechanics separate noobs from veterans

A few key hidden mechanics can make a very big difference in your Dota 2 matches.

Dota 2 is a complicated game. With 123 heroes to choose from and more than 200 items available to buy, it’s easy to get lost in this sea of information. But even after reading every ability and demoing each item, Dota 2 still has more hidden mechanics for players to discover. The most useful are now vital to top-level play, but new players have basically no way to learn them. You can easily tell between old-school veterans and brand new players by how they use these three Dota 2 tricks.

Blink Dagger cast range is bigger than you think

Blink Dagger is an amazing item on almost every hero, but it’s even better than you may think. The cast range for Blink Dagger is normally only 1,200 units, but it works differently than most other abilities. If the owner targets further than 1,200 units, they will only move 960 units instead of the max distance.

Open up demo mode and purchase a Blink Dagger. Hold down the hotkey and look at the range indicator to get an idea of how far 1,200 units really is. Once they get the muscle memory right, players can initiate fights from a greater distance out and escape even farther into trees. Trying to blink farther than the item’s max range means getting less distance for this key item.

Creep aggro is the secret to winning every lane

Ever lane against a strong player and notice that your creeps randomly move towards them? They’re probably abusing the most overpowered hidden mechanic in all of Dota 2. Creep aggro pulling is the act of attacking the enemy hero so that their creeps begin to attack you. From there, players can drag the creeps towards their own tower to make them easier to last hit.

The secret is that you don’t actually have to attack the enemy hero to anger their creeps. Players can just right-click them while out of range to draw creep aggro. This technique can fix poor lane equilibrium and force the creep wave closer to your tower. Players in rough lanes can also use it when enemy creeps get low to make them safer to farm.

Hero deny is a hidden Dota 2 troll mechanic

The hidden mechanics above always make you a better player, but this one can potentially make your team very angry. Still, it’s a hidden mechanic that can sometimes help you win, so it belongs on this list. Much like how players can deny creeps, they can also deny heroes in specific situations. 

Players must be below 25% health and affected by Queen of Pain’s Shadow Strike, Venomancer’s Venomous Gale, or Doom’s Doom ability. It’s also possible to deny Pheonix’s Supernova and teammates affected by Ice Blast, but those are much rarer situations. Hero-controlled units like Enchanted creeps and Spirit Bear can also deny heroes.

By denying heroes, the player prevents enemy heroes from getting gold or experience from the kill. Just keep in mind that not all players want to be denied in the first place. It’s possible to put down a teammate that might otherwise have survived, drawing the ire of your team.