During a game of Dota 2, it’s not just enemy heroes you need to watch out for. Creeps are another staple of any Dota 2 match. Creeps come in all shapes and sizes. Both factions have their own creeps, while others are entirely neutral. Some can even be controlled directly by the player by deploying hero-specific abilities. While creeps themselves can’t be leveled up and don’t benefit from any experience, knowing how to play with and around them is crucial for succeeding in Dota 2.

Last-Hitting Explained

If you want to gain the edge during a game of Dota 2, you’ll need to master the last-hitting technique. This essentially involves striking the killing blow to a creep. This creep can be neutral or one from the enemy lane. Getting in those last hits is essential, especially during those early stages of a game. When a Dota 2 game starts, heroes are at their weakest and depend on the gold and experience farmed from last hits. The stronger your heroes get, the easier it becomes to secure those last hits on creeps. Even if you’re starting the game with a powerful hero, you’ll still need to last hit to get your hands on much-needed gold. For new players, it’s best to stick with reliable mid-lane heroes like Shadow Fiend and Viper to master this technique.

Denies

Dota 2’s deny mechanic is pretty unique in the world of MOBAs. Essentially, this technique lets you kill a friendly combatant. While slaying your creep supports might seem counterproductive, it’s a valuable technique you should definitely be deploying later in the game. The reason is simple. By killing these creeps, you’re denying the enemy the chance to pocket gold and experience by killing them themselves.

Creep Equilibrium

While it’s tempting to unleash hell on enemy creeps, avoid this urge. Those ranged creeps might seem like easy pickings, but removing them from the field means that other enemy creeps will have fewer obstacles when it comes to advancing on your tower. Creep equilibrium is all about balance. Know when to attack enemy creeps to push the lane and when to deny your own creeps.

Creep Stacking

Neutral creeps start spawning at the one-minute mark. After that, neutral creeps spawn again in the same place every 60 seconds. Creep stacking involves drawing these creeps away from their spawning location to disperse them around the map. Provided enough creeps have been stacked, teams can unlock a significant amount of experience and gold for their efforts. Using this strategy isn’t particularly difficult. To start stacking, you simply need to attack a camp or move close to it until creeps begin to follow you. To make life easier, stick with heroes with reliable ranged abilities. Using heroes like Medusa and Beastmaster generally comes with little risk.

Pulling Camps

As with stacking, pulling involves baiting creeps. However, the main goal here is to deprive the enemy of the chance to farm these creeps for experience and gold. Unlike stacking, pulling requires at least two players to work together to draw out creeps. Ranged heroes tend to work best when pulling. However, melee-based heroes like Tusk can also prove effective.

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