Defence of the Ancients

Gameplay

Two computer-controlled bases are set at opposite corners of the map, and produce identical waves of soldiers at even intervals. Each side has five players, who may choose exactly one Hero character from a catalogue of options (anywhere from six to fifty, depending on the map). Players control only this hero, as opposed to bases and armies; they can also purchase items to aid them in their quest. The objective is to destroying the opposing side's base, specifically its central headquarters. Items are also available, imparting a variety of bonuses and abilities.

Victory can depend on both the player's skill and teamwork. A single hotshot player can make short work a single opponent, or sometimes several at once; but likewise, several players, with proper cooperation, can easily return the favor. Dead heroes respawn after a certain amount of time, correlated with hero level, has passed; killing a hero yields appropriate rewards in gold and experience.

DotA, though fun, takes some getting used to (especially as the heroes and their skills may be tweaked, revised or even entirely original), and experienced players can be impatient with noobish lack of expertise or stupidity. It is so popular that some clans play it exclusively.

Versions

As DotA is completely home-brewed, multiple versions have been released by creator Eul in an attempt to maintain balance, provide new hero characters, and generally improve the gameplay experience. Eul stopped at 3.6 and declared the map to be open source, and a huge number of unofficial variants have sprung up. The most notable current editors are Fluffy_Bunny (3.7 and the 3.8x series), Ryude (3.7x series), and Danite (Rumble 3.x series, and Multimode 4.0).

The most popular of these variants was created by a player called Guinsoo. This variant, DotA Allstars for TFT, has proved immensely popular, far surpassing the original, and is currently on version 6.05. Version 5.84b also remains in play through an unofficially-condensed version, 5.84c, created by True.Rus. Because all of DotA's abilities, items and heroes are original, the maps often take several minutes to load; True.Rus managed to shorten this period to under half a minute.

DotA CHAOS is a Korean port of DotA classic for TFT and enjoys high popularity among those who speak that language.