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If you have played the three main MOBAs (LoL, Dota 2, HotS), which do you prefer?

PrimeBeef

Member
HotS is my pick, it's the only MOBA I can tolerate. I got bored of both LoL and Dota, mostly because of the community.

Same here. I do love the team aspect of HotS. I much prefer team levels over individual. While I love the art of the characters in LoL and DotA2, I find both of those games too slow. Competitive is a PITA if you solo queue in HotS, I lile it more enough to not play the others anymore.
 
I don't play any of them often, but HotS is the only one I can stomach due to shorter game times and not needing to research item builds. last hitting and figuring out what items to buy when keeps me from enjoying the other MOBAs.
 

Keasar

Member
League of Legends for the champion design in terms of gameplay.

HotS for the quickness of matches (usually) and the variety of maps.

Dota 2 I've never liked honestly. The combat is too quickfire and over before you know it. The skill level required is ridiculous compared to other MOBAs. And I just think the characters are boring in art and gameplay.
 

Budi

Member
Well I have played Dota 2 the most, 3070 hours, so I clearly prefer that. I find it to be most interesting because it's the deepest of these games and it has the highest skill ceiling. So Dota it is if I really want to challenge myself. That being said, I haven't played Dota 2 for a year now. It got way too stressful, mainly because of the simply awful community. This is ofcourse true with Lol also. And Lol is the game in between Dota and Hots, it's not as deep as Dota, but it also doesn't offer different enough experience like Hots does. The different maps and objectives spice Hots up a bit and also it's most casual friendly of these games. This also seems to affect the community, it's less toxic. Ofcourse there still are assholes, but not in the same quantity because of the easier going nature of the game.

So, at this moment my pick is Hots even though I find Dota 2 to be the better game. My Moba burnout makes only Hots enjoyable. Which I don't play that often either, it's usually in bursts. Play a lot for about a week and then take a break.
 

Laieon

Member
I've played all 3 at various points over the past 4-6 years. Started with LoL in/before season 1, played it until about 2014/2015. I liked it at the time, but I've lost interest in it and don't think I'm ever going back. Miss the good ol' days of Hotshot's Chogath.

Dota 2 is easily my least favorite of the 3. I've tried playing it multiple times, everything from the menu to the art to the gameplay just doesn't appeal to me.


I think Heroes is easily the best of the 3 right now. I've always been a variety over balance kind of guy (I prefer Brawl over Melee for example simply because there's more characters and more stages). I like Heroes for it's variety of maps, art direction, and cool characters. I also really appreciate how pick up and play it is.
 

mtlspider

Neo Member
Vainglory for me, due to its play-anywhere nature as a mobile game.
- 3v3 means hero choices and builds/actions carry more weight
- mobile-style pacing where it's around 2/3rds or 1/2 the length of an actual MOBA
- still has last hit mechanics
- still has your item shop for customising heroes
- one main lane and one jungle ensures you're always close to some form of action
- no chat, just map pings and emotes. So toxicity is limited to mutable ping spams ingame. (well, just don't accept friend requests after a loss in solo queue. people have usually nothing charitable to PM you)
- alternate gameplay modes that end even quicker (an all random, lane only battle royale OR a compressed 5 minute mode where you score points off getting kills/turrets/major creeps)


I'd be hard pressed to choose from the big 3 as my secondary MOBA - maybe HOTS if the game wasn't already dead in my region as the queue times are abysmal. Mainly for its length and accessibility (I do think even Vainglory is a deeper game than HOTS).
 

Weebos

Banned
LoL by a lot, but I haven't played a ton of the other two. I enjoyed DOTA2 when I played it, but it didn't feel as tight or streamlined as LoL. I can see why others prefer it.

HotS just wasn't very good, but it might have improved since I played it.

I play LoL like once every 6 months these days, usually only with a group of friends.
 

ScOULaris

Member
Dota 2 is the best MOBA, IMO, and I have dabbled with them all. It has the most depth and offers the best value proposition to the player IMO.

HotS easily ranks as the worst.
 

CupONoodos

Neo Member
I hate turret logic - seriously they are being attacked by a champ that can destroy them in 5 hits but still they focus on the creeps or the tanks.
Dota towers actually work kind of like that. They target whoever is attacking them, however, they keep attacking that target until its dead. So when you're attacking towers in Dota, you need to watch when the tower is about to kill its target otherwise it'll start attacking you if you're constantly hitting it. You attack it and then when its about to change targets, stop and wait for it to start attacking another target, and then begin hitting it again
 

Budi

Member
Dota towers actually work kind of like that. They target whoever is attacking them, however, they keep attacking that target until its dead. So when you're attacking towers in Dota, you need to watch when the tower is about to kill its target otherwise it'll start attacking you if you're constantly hitting it. You attack it and then when its about to change targets, stop and wait for it to start attacking another target, and then begin hitting it again

Or a+click on your own creep for the tower to change the target. Unless this has been changed? Haven't played for a year.
 

Haunted

Member
Heroes of the Storm:

980x.jpg

League of Legends:

Dota 2:
 

Usobuko

Banned
I applaud anyone taking the time to learn the mechanics / heroes of each game and make a reasonable personal call on this.

After playing dota since 5.84c, I have no desire to even touch LoL. Yes, even back when LoL was the right hot thing and dota was kinda going nowhere. No desire to learn all this shit again.
 

Laieon

Member
So HotS is the most fun, League of Legends is filled with kids and piss and DOTA 2 is vast and beautiful but ultimately too big and complex to actually be enjoyable?

think about it, it's true.

Dogs make everything better and HotS is the only one with a dog (look how happy the dog looks with his game of choice!).

Also, notice how nobody is actually using the pool in the DoTA pic. Completely accurate.
 

LordKasual

Banned
League.

Only out of habit and the fact that i've invested so much into it. The game has gone to hell, riot's balancing practices are turning the game into a fence-straddling drivel.

Almost 80% of the changes to the last 3 seasons have been towards nerfing power gaps between winning teams, increasing comeback potential, and adding pointless "mechanics" to characters that really dont do anything but homogenize their abilities.
 

Keasar

Member
Heroes of the Storm:

League of Legends:

Dota 2:

Dota 2 looks fancy but is usually filled with vapid people (the few times they use it). Meanwhile the HotS dog is adorable and most likely really fun to play with and the LoL pool has a slide and looks most welcoming to all. :p
 

Dreavus

Member
I've played a lot of dota and not quite as much hots, but I prefer the blizzard moba these days. Match length and variety has a lot to do with it.

I think the hots 2.0 update will do a lot to improve accessibility for new accounts, and will hopefully allow them to shake the "premium pricing" reputation. Currently there's no way to earn anything other than heroes. All skins and stuff (outside of promotions) are pay only, while the 2.0 changes will open that up a little more to free players. Anyone who played a long time ago should come in and see all the stuff they've added over the months because it's really quite impressive.

I do still jump on dota once a week to play with friends but strictly limit myself to just one game. The game is too stressful for me to play more than one in an evening. This is a strange thing to say about a video game but it definitely applies.

And I don't know if it counts but I'll throw a shoutout to Battlerite too. More of an arena fighting game than Moba but damn if it isn't impressive. Razor sharp controls and highly focused matches that really emphasis your skill; you know when you did something awesome and exactly when you fucked up, which feels really good when trying to improve your game. Still holding out hope that Battlerite blows up when it launches as F2P.
 

Artdayne

Member
I prefer League of Legends, and for those that say they prefer short games well I mostly play ARAM in League these days and those games last about 20 minutes. I've got 2000 plus hours in League though and I still prefer it over the others. I haven't played a lot of Dota 2 but I've played a decent bit of HOTS. I just prefer the characters and the gameplay in League. Characters like Darius, Lucian, Jayce, Yasuo etc. I love their character designs and their movesets more so than characters in other games.
 

Hylian7

Member
Dota 2, by a country mile. I have tried LoL and HotS and didn't particularly like either near as much.

Nothing else really compares to Dota with it's hero design, consistent balance patches, and the game overall using particularly good game design. The game is always being improved both in gameplay aspects and quality of life.

It's still top notch as a competitive game too. If you haven't seen it, I highly recommended watching the most famous EG vs EHome match from last year's International.
 

hampig

Member
HotS, I'd never consider going back to LoL. Probably wouldn't do DotA2 anymore either.

HotS gets started fast, matches don't last forever, the fights feel good, lots of great characters. It's just more fun moment-to-moment and I can focus on the parts of the game I find enjoyable instead of micro-managing everything.
 

EGM92

Member
All 3 are cesspools of human garbage. HotS is the better game because it's "casual" not as many butthurt twats or shitty Peruvians ruining your games like in Dota 2 (I have over 5k hours in Dots 2). HotS makes it a lot harder for someone to troll like they can in games like Dota and LoL. Nothing worse than some idiot selling items, buying wards and destroying them or walking up mid lane giving everyone a bunch of gold.
 

Dec

Member
All 3 are cesspools of human garbage. HotS is the better game because it's "casual" not as many butthurt twats or shitty Peruvians ruining your games like in Dota 2 (I have over 5k hours in Dots 2). HotS makes it a lot harder for someone to troll like they can in games like Dota and LoL. Nothing worse than some idiot selling items, buying wards and destroying them or walking up mid lane giving everyone a bunch of gold.

I can certainly tell you're one of the good ones. 10/10 team mate right here.
 

Acinixys

Member
Dotas pro scene is more exciting IMO

The International 3 and 5 were pretty great

League is too samey and HotS like a LoL but with blizzard skins only
 
So HotS is the most fun, League of Legends is filled with kids and piss and DOTA 2 is vast and beautiful but ultimately too big and complex to actually be enjoyable?

What about the pool in the last picture is too complex to be enjoyed?

I'd pick Dota then HotS second. I'd probably pick Smite or Paragon second if they were options. To me though, not locking gameplay behind a grindy paywall will give Dota the win every single time.
 

Linkark07

Banned
From those three, I prefer Dota 2 miles aways. Most importantly, because all heroes are available. After that, the gameplay in Dota 2 is way more entertaining. Denying creeps, stacking neutrals, reliable gold, Roshan, stuff like that.

LoL I played it mostly before I got an invitation for Dota 2 beta. I don't like their business model too much of locking the heroes behind paywalls. The rune system and trees weren't interesting for me neither. The gameplay is too simplified for my tastes, don't like that most items are (or were, dunno too much of current LoL) just passive and, if memory serves me well, champions are forced to be on the same lane always. Of course, I could be wrong but when I used Riven, I was forced to go top, regardless of side. Again, I could (and most likely) be wrong.

HotS, I only played some matches. Not my tastes. Even more simplified than LoL, and the same business model as LoL. So yeah, I skipped it.
 

Zomba13

Member
I prefer HotS. I like how it feels more streamlined with the lack of shops and buying items and having a loadout and how exp is shared so there isn't much about trying to get last hits in to get gold or exp. I also like the variety in the maps and objectives.
 

Munkyspace

Member
Started with LoL for a while, wanted something a little deeper and ended up in Dota2 for 4000 hours. Got tired of the community, ended up going to HoTS during beta and sticking around since.

Probably had something to do with getting older and wanting something a little more casual.

We'll see how I feel about 2.0 when it drops.
 

Heigic

Member
I get bored of mobas pretty quickly and find HotS the easiest to pickup after not playing for a few months so that's the one I always return to.
 
SMITE above all. I think it deserves to be in the top 3 instead of HotS.

But if you're gonna force me to pick between the 3 in the OP, then Dota 2. It's the only top-down MOBA I've been able to stand. But still, it's too complex and the games take too damn long, so that's why I prefer SMITE's Arena mode.
 

Bulzeeb

Member
Dotas pro scene is more exciting IMO

The International 3 and 5 were pretty great

League is too samey and HotS like a LoL but with blizzard skins only

you havent played hots that much, do you?

anyways, I started with LoL then after almost 3 years I got bored of the community, so many leavers because they weren’t able to pick their favorite assassin because they were placed last in the pick queue and having to wait almost 15 minutes to play only to be greeted by a shit fest of ragers, trolls and afk players.

I moved to Dota, I really liked it and I still love the art style, but I dont have time now to learn to play it since its the most complex of the bunch, there are so many active items and over complicated mechanics that make learning some heroes a chore, also it has games that can last almost 1 hour average

This game was also the least noob friendly and it made it at times really frustrating, also this game had an insane snowballing for the winning team, I remember one game that after 25 mins or so one assassin was able to kill my whole team by himself, and the lack of a surrender option made the game last like 40 mins or so (I believe the other team just enjoyed our frustration and decided to make the game longer than it should)

Nowadays I've been playing heroes of the storm more, it is really simple to understand (no last hits, shared exp, no item shop) but has a nice learning curve to master since some talents can be situational, also the map variety make it stand out more since each match feels somewhat different since you have to focus on different objectives, I also love that games last an average of 20 minutes, and with the HotS 2.0 coming next week with a loot system similar to overwatch I think I’ll be playing it even more.
 

Swatseal

Neo Member
Dota 2 by far....the mechanics feel more complex. I played LOL quite a bit before Dota 2 released and thoroughly enjoyed it. It took quite some time to get used to Dota, but now I can't go back. HOTS is also fun, but by far the easiest to play, and it feels like a SC2 mod to me. I love the Blizzard universe and would probably play this one more if the characters were free. I like that all of Dota 2's characters are unlocked. I would rather enjoy playing and spend money on costumes, etc., than feel like I have to grind to unlock the characters. Starting out with less characters in these games I just feel like I'm at a disadvantage since certain heroes fit certain comps or counter certain heroes.

As I grow older, I don't have as much time for games, which stinks because Dota 2 has the longest games. I've been enjoying Battlerite lately, I get my MOBA/WoW Arena like battles without any grinding or gear or worry about. Hopefully they can polish it up and release it as f2p soon.
 
Played 1000s of hours of LoL but have moved on to HotS. The shorter games fit better into my gaming life at the moment. I never liked Dota2 for various design reasons.
 

manfestival

Member
https://youtu.be/-rAneVrrcJE
This video is pretty much my experience in dota 2 and I love it. Shame that it is a bigger time sink than anything else I ever played. 3k hours later...

One true plus side to dota 2 that others don't have is that I can internally sell stuff on steam and buy games on steam without ever having to go third party
 
DOTA2 was my first - Played hundreds of hours (if not at least 1k) and loved it. Got triggered WAY too much by toxic people and stopped playing.

Tried HOTS when a co-worker suggested it and enjoyed it for a while, but the lack of easy communication to teammates bugged me, so eventually it just fell off my radar. Played maybe 40-50 hours of it.

Tried LOL with that same co-worker since he played that a ton, and found it to be too different from DOTA (not going to say better or worse) and was never able to enjoy it at all. Played maybe 3 games of it, tops.
 

woodland

Member
Dota by far.

Played League as my first MOBA, but then I saw TI. Tried HOTS with some friends earlier this year.

Dota is more challenging, has more creative heroes/abilities, has a more creative map and ways to move around it, has better replay support, has custom game support, had better holiday events, and so on.

Outside of the more challenging (guess you could argue League has skill shots), those are all objective. I'd also say Dota is harsher and doesn't baby the player as much (though Valve has tried to lessen this somewhat). I don't agree with many of the more recent changes to Dota, but I still think it's better on many levels.
 

Chris R

Member
I'm sure I could get used to any of them.

The issue is the required basic learning (characters, spells, items, ect) to get into the game prevents me from keeping more than Dota2 installed on my computer.
 
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