How to start playing DotA?

I just read the Valve announcement of DotA 2 and in the meanwhile I would like to try DotA.

I have a some questions about it.

  1. Where could I buy a digital copy of Warcraft III : Frozen Throne?
  2. Is Frozen Throne enough standalone or should I buy other packages?
  3. Where can I found a DotA strategy guide good for newbies?

Solution 1:

  1. You can buy Warcraft III and the Frozen Throne expansion directly from Blizzard digitally or from an authorized reseller.
  2. You also need to download the map itself. You can find the Latest Version here: getdota.com/. You're also going to need a good program to find games.
  3. There used to be an amazing website for this called dota-allstars.com. Unfortunately it seems that the creator of DotA has some issues...

On an unrelated note, if you like the game play I highly recommend Heroes of Newerth. As a competitive DotA player myself, I find that HoN has the closest mechanics (as compared to LoL) and many of the same heroes from the original game.

Additionally you don't have the issues of:

  • how to find a game on DotA, or
  • how to get equal level opponents

Solution 2:

1) You probably want Warcraft III Battle Chest. Here is a link to it on amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Warcraft-III-Battle-Chest-Pc/dp/B00009ECGK

2) No, Frozen Throne is the expansion, you will need the original too.

3) Here is one: http://www.pubarticles.com/article-dota-strategy-guide-for-beginners-1281941321.html