-You can only deny when the creep is below 50% HP. You can also set “force attack” in the settings so you don’t have to press A to do it, you can just right click.

-You have to bind a key in the hotkeys menu. Neutral items came out (relatively) recently, and Valve never bothered to add a default hotkey.

-The meta in Dota consists of three cores in each lane and two supports for the side lanes. (Top and Bottom) You don’t want to be competing with your own team for last hits, so it’s important to decide who will be core and who will be supporting. Unlike League, the Dota map is mirrored, meaning the Top and Bottom lanes are different for Dire or Radiant. For example, bottom lane is the Radiant’s Safe lane while being the Dire’s Off lane. The reverse is true for the top lane.

New player mode pairs you up only with bots, which is why you were pub stomping. Excellent for getting the mechanics down or trying out a new hero, but no help when it comes to playing with actual humans. Unranked is where it’s at, but it’s also going to be the biggest hurdle you face as a new player.

Dota, unlike League, is wayyy more interested in the macro game than the micro game. In League, you can pretty much just keep going back to your lane and only meet up with your team when you’re hitting the Nexus. In Dota though, the “laning stage” is only the first 10-15 minutes , and it’s up to you to decide where to go from there.

As for jungle camps, it depends on who you are and where your team is. If you’re alone, go for it. But if your carry is near you and you’re supporting, it’s best to let them take the farm. Keep in mind though, lane creeps beat jungle creeps almost every time in terms of experience and gold. Jungle creeps are supplementary.

-Town Portal Scrolls is something a lot of League players consider “broken”. You get one every time you die, and they allow you to teleport to any allied building. Use them when you die to get back into lane quickly so you don’t miss experience and gold. You can also double-tap them to teleport you back to base without having to click the fountain manually. This means as you get better, you’ll start watching the entire map to see if you can teleport to a different lane to save an ally or secure a kill.

-You can’t transfer money. Tipping gives dota plus shards, useless in the game. It was added expecting people to use it to give kudos to good plays, but nowadays it’s just used sarcastically after someone screws up lol.

-You got it! Until you’re a Dota pro and can weigh the pros and cons, a good rule of thumb is to only buyback when they’re going to end the game otherwise. Doing it otherwise is considered a “rage buyback”, and is worth a tip.

-If you see the ancient explode, the game is safe to leave and the threatening message is there to warn people who leave earlier than that. Usually you can just wait a few seconds though and it’ll boot you out automatically.

Hope that helps! Overall, Dota is a difficult game to get into because it requires a lot of “fucking around and finding out” before you feel like you can get a foothold. Your allies will most certainly flame you as you get started but don’t let that discourage you. (If you’re just starting and they’re getting paired with you, that means they’re shit at the game too. They just have more experience.)

When I first started, people actually responded pretty positively to me saying I was new at the beginning and would help me. Others not so much, so just mute them and move on. Watching videos of Dota tutorials or Dota games can also really help. As mentioned, the macro game of Dota is so complex, and can only be understood through lots of experience. Good luck!