DotA 2 features a number of different game modes (some of which are seasonal and/or temporary), each of which is detailed below. You can also host and join private games, where certain rules can be customised.
Standard Game Modes
All Pick
All Pick is the most popular and commonly used matchmaking mode in the game. In All Pick the entire hero pool is available to select from and players can choose any hero they want. The only exception to this is when the hero you wish to elect has already been selected by another player, in which case it will no longer be available and will be greyed out.
As of patch 6.82 All Pick introduces a handful of additiona picking rules:
- Picking starts after a 30 second strategy period.
- Teams alternate picking. Whenever it is a team's turn to pick, anyone on that team can pick for themselves.
- Teams have up to 30 seconds to pick a hero. If the timer expires, each player that hasn't selected a hero will lose 2 gold per second. The selection will stay on this team until a hero is picked.
- Once a selection is made, it immediately switches to the other team to pick.
- If a team has not picked and continued losing gold for more than 30 seconds, a player that hasn’t picked will be assigned a random hero and the turn will resume to the other team.
You may also 'Random' your hero. If you choose to do this the game will select a hero for you at random and you will be given 250 bonus starting gold. If you choose to Repick your hero then you will be penalised and have gold subtracted from your total, to the extent that you will often be at a serious disavantage in the early stages of the game.
You can also swap heroes with other players on your team at the start of the game from the menu selections at the top left hand side of your screen.
Captain's Mode
Captain's Mode is the official game mode for DotA 2, and the one used in almost all professional tournaments. Again, the entire hero pool is available to select from (with a handful of exceptions: newly added characters, and those in need of a rework are excluded. Broodmother, Terrorblade, Phoenix, Earth Spirit, Techies and Legion Commander are currently not available in Captain's Mode).
The team's designated captain makes all of the hero selections for their team, and also bans certain heroes from the poll of available heroes.
The pick and ban order for Captain's Mode is: BAN -> BAN -> BAN -> BAN -> PICK -> PICK -> PICK -> PICK -> PICK -> PICK -> BAN -> BAN -> BAN -> BAN -> BAN -> BAN -> PICK -> PICK -> PICK -> PICK
Once this process is complete, each member of the team selects one of the heroes their team captain has picked.
Captain's Draft
Captain's Draft is a truncated version of Captain's Mode. Here 27 heroes are randomly available for both teams to pick from (9 strength, 9 agility, and 9 intelligence).
Each team is given a total timer of 150 seconds to make all of their picks and bans (in contrast to the more lenient Captain's Mode which grants each team 30 seconds for each ban, 40 seconds for each pick and 110 seconds total bonus time).
The pick and ban order for Captain's Mode is: BAN -> BAN -> BAN -> BAN -> BAN -> BAN -> PICK -> PICK -> PICK -> PICK -> PICK -> PICK -> PICK -> PICK -> PICK -> PICK
Random Draft
In Random Draft the hero pool is automatically (and randomly) cut to just 20 heroes. Players then choose their hero from this limited pool when it is their turn to pick.
The order of choosing heroes in Random Draft is: Radiant #1 PICK -> Dire #1, #2 PICK -> Radiant #2, #3 PICK -> Dire #3, #4 PICK -> Radiant #4, #5 PICK -> Dire #5 PICK.
Single Draft
In Single Draft each player is given three random heroes to choose from. One will always be a strength hero, another an agility, and the final one an intelligence hero.
In this mode you cannot random and you cannot swap heroes with your teammates.
Least Played
Least Played is one of Dota 2's newer modes. In this mode your 40 most played heroes will not be available to select. Instead, you must choose one of your least played heroes.
The rest of the pool, however, is available to choose from. And you can both random and re-pick.
All Random
In All Random mode each player is automatically assigned a random hero.
You cannot repick in this mode, so you are stuck with the hero you have been assigned. As a result, this game mode is not recommended for beginners or those who avoid playing certain types of heroes.
Limited Heroes
Limited Heroes mode is the game mode dedicated to new players, and is a part of the tutorial process. Here the hero pool is narrowed down to the most beginner-friendly heroes in the game.
The heroes available to select from are:
- Death Prophet
- Dragon Knight
- Bounty Hunter
- Lich
- Juggernaut
- Drow Ranger
- Razor
- Lion
- Omniknight
- Sniper
- Sven
- Sand King
- Tidehunter
- Vengeful Spirit
- Viper
- Warlock
- Windranger
- Witch Doctor
- Wraith King
- Zeus
Ability Draft
Ability Draft is one of the game's newer modes. Here each player is assigned a random hero at the start of the match, which they have no choice over and will have to control when the game itself starts.
However, a drafting sessions immediately takes place where all 10 selected heroes' abilities are available to pick from. During this drafting phase each player picks 4 abilities for their hero 3 normal abilities and 1 ultimate.
This effectively means that the hero you control has abilities which are completely different from their usual set of skills. Creating a good mixture of random abilities is essential to succeeding, as is quickly identifying the abilities everyone else in the game has drafted.
All Random Deathmatch
The newest mode to be introduced to Dota 2, All Random Deathmatch gives each player a random hero. Each time you die, you receive a new randomly assigned hero to play with; the gold, levels and items accrued on the previous hero are all transferred to this one.
Each team has a total of 40 respawns shared between them and the game ends when a team has no respawns left and all of its players are dead, or the Ancient is destroyed.
1v1 Solo Mid
Not to be confused with Mid Only, which allows multiple players (see below). 1v1 Solo Mid is a separate matchmaking game mode which allows you to practice your 1v1 mid skills against a player of similar ability. The goal is to achieve two kills or destroy an enemy tower in order to win.
Players can pick identical heroes but cannot see their opponent's hero choice until they have made a selection.
There are a handful of notable rules which are specific to this game mode:
- Each player starts off with a free courier.
- The first rune does not spawn.
- Players can voice chat with each other.
- Players may forfeit by calling 'gg' or leaving the match.
- Only the middle lane will spawn creeps.
- Side towers are invulnerable.
Private Game Modes
Reverse Draft
Reverse Draft mode is only available in Private Lobbies. It cannot be played in matchmaking. Reverse Draft is similar to Captain's Mode, the difference being that your team captain will pick heroes for the opposing team and vice versa (so your goal is to draft the worst possible line-up, rather than the strongest one).
Mid Only
Mid Only mode is the other game mode that is only available in Private Lobbies. As the name implies, in this mode creeps only spawn down the middle lane and players can pick the same heroes (a popular option is Pudge-only games, aka Pudge Wars).
Seasonal Events
Diretide
Diretide was a special Halloween-themed mode first introduced in 2012. Rather than a traditional game of DotA, players fight over candy.
The team that manages to collect the most candy would win an item in the 2012 version, although item distribution was much stricter in the 2013 version.
Once the first phase of the game is over, teams then have to work together to kill a super-Roshan in the fastest time possible, at which point both teams receive items (or tokens, in the 2013 version).
The teams with the fastest times in the world also get given a special in-game courier as a reward.
The Greeviling
The Greeviling was a special Christmas-themed mode for 2012's Frostivus event where players used Greevils (instead of typical heroes) and fought to kill neutral camps. The first team to kill 11 neutral camps would win and be given a special item parcel. The losing team would win inferior item parcels.
Players could use either the default (and much weaker) Greevil, or they could make their own Greevil using items acquired during the Diretide event on a Seraphic Egg and then hatching it, as shown in the screenshot below:
The Greeviling mode only appeared in 2012. In 2013, a new Christmas-themed game mode was introduced for Frostivus 2013 called Wraith-Night.
Wraith-Night
Wraith-Night is a wave-defence game mode introduced as part of the Frostivus 2013 event. Here, five players select from a handful of heroes which have slightly modified abilities and are tasked with defending towers and an altar in an arena-like map.
There are 13 waves of enemy creeps to defeat in total, and the last round consists of a giant Wraith King which must be killed three times. The game ends if he is killed three times or if all five heroes die.
The heroes added to this game mode were:
- Drow Ranger
- Axe
- Crystal Maiden
- Elder Titan
- Jakiro
- Juggernaut
- Legion Commander
- Windranger
- Lina
- Magnus
- Omniknight
- Sand King
- Queen of Pain
- Shadow Fiend
- Shadow Shaman
- Storm Spirit
- Sven
- Templar Assassin
- Venomancer
- Witcher Doctor
Compendium Match
Compendium Match was a unique matchmaking game mode introduced in the run-up to The International 2013.
It was made available to all players who purchased a compendium for that year's International event and allowed them to replay certain line-ups that were drafted during the qualifiers for the event, the idea behind it being to attempt to change (or repeat) history by winning with the line-up drafted by the professional teams.
New Bloom Festival
The New Bloom Festival was an event added in January 2014 to mark the Chinese New Year. Amongst other things, it introduced a new seasonal game mode in which players worked together to try and deal damage to the Year Beast.
Dealing damage to the Year Beast would reward players with Ingots and/or Tokens, which could be exchanged for various cosmetic items. The more damage dealt at the end of 25 minutes the greater the reward.
The Year Beast mode introduced a number of new items that were exclusive to this mode, including Firecrackers, Firework Mines, Force Boots, Desolator Level 2, and Vermillion Robe.
Those teams that managed to rank particularly highly would be rewarded with a Redhoof Courier (top 10%) or a Jadehoof Courier (top 1%).
