Dota Auto Chess Guide: How to Play and How to Win

 

Dota Auto Chess took the gaming world by storm with its unique blend of strategy, luck, and tactics, evolving into the auto-battler genre. If you’re new to Dota Auto Chess or looking to improve your gameplay, this guide will walk you through the basics of how to play, key strategies, and tips to increase your chances of winning.

What is Dota Auto Chess?

Dota Auto Chess is a custom game mod for Dota 2, where players draft units (called "chess pieces") from a shared pool, position them on a chessboard-like grid, and watch them automatically battle against other players. The goal is to assemble powerful synergies, manage your economy, and outlast the competition by being the last player standing.

Basic Gameplay Overview

Here’s a step-by-step breakdown of how the game works:

1. Drafting Chess Pieces: At the start of each round, you’ll be presented with a selection of 5 random units from a shared pool. These units are Dota heroes with specific traits (species and class) and abilities. You spend gold to purchase these units and deploy them on your board. If you gather multiples of the same hero (usually three), they can be upgraded into a stronger version (tier 2, tier 3).

2. Combat Rounds: Once the drafting and positioning phases are complete, your units will automatically battle against another player’s team (or neutral creeps in the early rounds). You don’t control the combat directly, but you do control how your units are arranged on the board.

3. Gold Economy: Gold is the currency in Dota Auto Chess, and managing it well is key to success. You earn gold each round based on your performance, interest from saved gold, and win/loss streaks. Using gold efficiently to purchase and upgrade units while balancing saving for interest is a crucial part of the strategy.

4. Health System: Each player starts with a set amount of health (usually 100), and when you lose a round, the enemy's surviving units deal damage to you. The game ends when all but one player has lost all their health.

How to Play Dota Auto Chess

1. Understand Unit Synergies: Each hero has a class and species, and combining multiple heroes of the same class or species on your board activates synergies that provide powerful buffs. For example:

   • Warriors: When you have 3 or more Warrior units, all your Warriors gain bonus armor, making them tankier.
   • Elves: Elves have a synergy that increases their evasion, making them harder to hit.

   Knowing which synergies work well together is crucial. A balanced team of tanks, damage dealers, and support units that complement each other can make the difference between winning and losing a round.

2. Positioning is Key: The way you position your units on the board can greatly affect the outcome of battles. Here are some basic positioning tips:

   • Tanks in the Front: Place your Warrior or Knight units (high armor and health) in the front lines to absorb damage.
   • Ranged and Supports in the Back: Units that deal damage from a distance or provide healing should be positioned at the back, protected by your front line.
   • Assassins: These units tend to jump to the enemy backline, so keep that in mind when positioning your squishy units, and try to place assassins away from the center.

3. Economy Management: Economy is one of the most important aspects of Dota Auto Chess. Here's how to manage it effectively:

   • Interest: You gain 1 additional gold for every 10 gold you have saved, up to a maximum of 5 gold per round. Try to save gold when possible to gain maximum interest, which will allow you to outpace your opponents in later rounds.
   • Re-roll Wisely: Every time you re-roll your shop, it costs gold. Constantly re-rolling to find specific units can drain your economy. Instead, try to save and re-roll strategically at key points in the game (usually at level 6 or level 8).
   • Leveling Up: Your player level determines how many units you can place on the board and increases your chances of finding higher-tier units. Balancing when to save gold and when to level up is critical to developing a strong team.

4. Adapt Your Strategy: Dota Auto Chess requires adaptability. You won't always get the units you want, and you need to be flexible with your team composition. Focus on building the synergies that you’re given early on and adapt to counter your opponents. Scouting other players’ boards can give you insight into which units and strategies are popular in the current game, allowing you to make counter-picks or avoid unit overlap in the shared pool.

5. Know When to Transition: In the mid to late game, you’ll need to transition from your early game units (usually tier 1 and tier 2 units) to stronger tier 4 and tier 5 units. This often means selling weaker units to free up space for more powerful heroes or key synergies that can carry you into the late game. Transitioning too early can weaken your team temporarily, while transitioning too late can cause you to fall behind in power.

How to Win in Dota Auto Chess

1. Build Strong Synergies: Winning in Dota Auto Chess requires you to maximize the strength of your team through synergies. Aim to create a cohesive lineup of units that benefit from their shared traits, such as having 6 Assassins for critical damage bonuses or 3 Mages to reduce enemy magic resistance.

2. Maintain a Strong Economy: A strong economy allows you to invest in the late game by upgrading units and leveling up. Players who manage their gold well are often better positioned to transition into powerful late-game compositions.

3. Scout Your Opponents: Don’t just focus on your own team. Periodically check your opponents’ boards to see what synergies and units they are building. If multiple players are going for the same units, it reduces the chances that you will find the key units you need, so you may need to pivot to another strategy. Scouting also helps you adjust your positioning to counter specific enemy threats.

4. Be Patient with Re-rolls: Instead of constantly re-rolling your shop in the early game, focus on maintaining a stable economy. Build a strong foundation with basic synergies, and then use your saved gold later to roll for more powerful units or upgrade your key pieces.

5. Utilize Items Effectively: Items are randomly dropped during certain rounds and can be equipped on your units to give them a significant boost. Be strategic with your item placements: give tanky items to your frontline, attack speed or damage items to your main damage dealers, and magic items to spellcasters. Remember that the right items can turn the tide of battle.

Final Thoughts

Winning in Dota Auto Chess is about mastering the balance between economy, strategy, and adaptability. While luck plays a role in which units and items you are offered, skilled players know how to make the most of what they’re given, build strong synergies, and manage their gold effectively. By following these tips, you’ll improve your chances of standing tall as the last player on the board.

Good luck, and happy auto-battling!