I encourage newcomers who feel fairly interested in the game, or are just curious about it, to try it out(aka ask around for invites, I got some myself)

I'd never played or seen dota in any shape or form before this (except seeing a guy play Demigod once which is apparently a dota clone???) and I have to say I do like this game quite a bit

Me too. Initially I was put off that it wasn't an RTS and the game seemed kind of repetitive, but there is a lot in here that you need to discover for yourself by playing over and over again. Plus, with so many characters it'll take you a while to find the one that suits your playing style.

Is anyone else interested in getting into the beta for this? I've got some invites.

I've realized that I'm such a support character, which given my personality, is not that shocking.  I love sitting back during team fights and replenishing my team's health and mana. I also like teleporting people away to safety once I get the Staff of Master with Nymphora. Farming is pretty easy with her as well, a single lvl 4 Volatile Pod clears the whole enemy group of creep netting you tons of cash. She's an amazing pusher because of this..  The only downside is how squishy she is, which means you always have to be extra careful for ganks.

I also like how undervalued she is in pub games. I've never seen anyone else play as her which is shocking to me. (Well, maybe her high-pitched voice turns people off).

did they put the phantom lancer in HoN yet????

man i'd like an invite.

Gabriel, PM me your e-mail and I'll send you one.

did they put the phantom lancer in HoN yet????

No and I hope they don't and instead make something original for the remaining 10 (?) unannounced spots in the roster.

It looks like we got plenty of HoN players around here now so I think it's time for GW in-house games! I pre-ordered so I should be able to do some invites (I think) should someone need an account.

Anyone got any good time recommendations? Or just check this thread: http://www.gamingw.net/forums/index.php?topic=80053.0

No and I hope they don't and instead make something original for the remaining 10 (?) unannounced spots in the roster.

I heard that some of these slots will go to characters who have not been yet ported from Savage 2, so characters like Builder and Summoner should make an appearance.

Anyone got an extra invite i for me?  Kinda wanna try this game out...

Just send me an email address in PM if you want an invite.

No and I hope they don't and instead make something original for the remaining 10 (?) unannounced spots in the roster.

but he was my dota main :'(

I hate PL. He's just an annoying little shit.

What kind of regen/tank gear do you guys get now that heart is bonkers and bloodstone doesn't cut it?

What kind of regen/tank gear do you guys get now that heart is bonkers and bloodstone doesn't cut it?

Behemoth's Heart or Sacrificial Stone. Just because they got changed from overpowered to balanced doesn't make them useless. Heart still gives a mountain of health and bloodstone is easier to get charges with.

As for actual tank gear Shaman's Headdress is almost always must and Helm of the Black Legion is great against physical damage heavy opponents. Shrunken Head is also good if you're the initiator kind of a tank. Of course if you're playing a tank you also get some 2 or 3 Fortified Bracelets at the start along with the new awesome Steamboots. If you are serious about tanking you will want Mock of Brilliance asap to have that threatening presence in the battlefield.

For regeneration, Sustainer is a no-brainer and you can use it to great a Runed Axe for some damage and farming power. Nullstone is also great continuation from Sustainer since it gives a great boost to stats. If you really want some "regen" you should get some life stealing item like Symbol of Rage (another nice health boost) and maybe an Abyssal Skull as it stacks with Symbol of Rage.

Iirc, sacrificial charges don't give any additional regen anymore, Verne.

Stuff

You can create a new game and make the server type "Practice" to play alone. There won't be any enemy hero AI but you can spawn different mobs and heroes on either side anytime you want, or give yourself shitloads of gold or experience.

edit: oh didn't notice Sacrificial Stone doesn't give extra health regen anymore. Well, it would have been so op if it did with the new changes. I also forgot the new barrier idol which is amazing continuation for shaman's headdress; 10 magic armor and 10 health regen.

i played as magmus a few times and i like him because he's sort of easy. once i got the items to speed up his walking and attack he was decent. i really wish there was a single player mode or something. it's so fucking hard!

Search for general Dota guides. Although the names and keys are different the playstyles are exactly the same. Even for basic hero types so don't be afraid to look over dota specific hero guides. As for single player you need to select 'practice' on the server select list when creating a game. It will let you play an unranked 1v0 game and give you the test buttons.

Go here for the practice mode guide.

http://forums.heroesofnewerth.com/showthread.php?t=18176

It gives you access to every thing you need to test heroes, items, and builds all at the click of a button. All it needs now is multiplayer practice mode so players can teach others ingame.

Yep. It's still easier to learn how to play HoN though because in WC3 there are banlists, custom game kickers, and rage quitters and people NEVER want to play with a new players so those games almost always end early.